It Happened in Vegas

Chapter XVII

Elise threw her leg over Dalia's and rested her head on her chest. "This is way better than any party. There may be something to this whole 'staying in instead of going out clubbing' thing that you do." Elise said, pouring cheap champagne into a little plastic flute. Dalia smiled, but it was a distant smile.

  They were back inside of Dalia's RV. They'd removed all their clothes but their underwear and enjoyed the comfortable warmth of the Vegas air atop the freshly made bed.

Elise sat the empty cup on the small nightstand that fit snug between the bed and one the walls. "Hey, D. Where are you right now?" She asked. Her tone was soft and non-judgmental.

The softness of Elise's voice was a small beacon pulling Dalia back into the present. "Oh, nothing. Just thinking about how fucking crazy it was seeing Stacee. Its been 7 years. She still looks the same as I remember her." Dalia answered still looking straight ahead, imagining the look of shock on her own face and Stacee's. A few faint memories of their relationship tried to push themselves to the forefront of Dalia's memory.

They had so many great times together. Every first that they'd ever experienced together, every promise to be each other's last; Promises of seeing the world and creating a queendom wherever they decided to finally settle. Every broken promise that'd rooted itself in Dalia's memory that had been previously buried, threatened to unearth itself.

Dalia pulled herself back to the present, knowing if she'd let her mind travel that route, it would slice open too many wounds that Dalia had tried to cauterize. "Whatever. I'm happy not to see her for another 7 years." She added, pulling Elise closer into her embrace, and drawing comfort from her closeness.

Elise smiled, the confidence in which Dalia made the statement comforted Elise where she'd earlier felt some uncertainty. "Same... Although..."

"Although what?"

"I mean, she did offer to pay for us all to go to Steamin'Hot. It's like the Spa to be at. I'm talking gym, pool, sauna, mudbaths, hot yoga, green tea masks, massages, Pedi-manis, you name it, they got it."

"Damn El, you sound like a spokesperson."

"Yeah, I mean, I was gonna take you there but it's like $350 per person for the entire day. We should take her up on her offer so that we can keep a little extra gambling money in our pockets."

Dalia thought about it. "Ahh, I don't know if I'm comfortable with that. Her boyfriend is a little weird and being around them for the whole day sounds like a chore."

"Oh, I understand that," Elise replied, the sound of disappointment evident in her voice.

"Yeah, but if you really wanna go, I will pay for it," Dalia offered.

"What the fuck? No. It's your birthday weekend. I'll pay for it." Elise responded, looking up at Dalia. "It's not a big deal."

"Really?" Dalia asked.

"Yes. Now... About this party tonight..." Elise kissed Dalia on the cheek as she sat upright, straddling Dalia's lap. Her kiss trailed down her chin to the crook of her neck. Elise wrapped one hand around Dalia's throat and the other was fiddling with something on the side of the bed. Dalia's curiosity wasn't piqued at all. She was too focused on the mostly nude body sitting atop hers and the wicked smile on her lover's face. Elise pulled out a pair of green sunglasses with a fake green mustache chained to the frames and slid them on her face. Dalia struggled to keep a straight face.

Elise kissed Dalia hard and pulled away with a wicked smile.

"We're gonna need a safe word."