The bar was a serene island in the midst of the clanking of coins and mechanical whirring as the sea of people inserted their dollars into, and sometimes took them from, the rows of gambling machines in Caesar's Palace. I had retreated to the bar for a large gin and tonic, having had enough of winning, and then losing, for the time being and was idly watching my fellow drinkers. Men and women, who had obviously only just met, pairing off and disappearing to the elevators to add sex to their indulgence in an orgy of alcohol and gambling. The bartender wandered over toward me and I answered his expectant gaze, "I'll have another, please, barman."
"Sure," he muttered, "You an Aussie?"
Aware that my abrupt, "No," was curt, I added, "A Brit, from the UK, a very different accent!"
It was at that moment that I heard the soft tones of a female, Birmingham, England, accent ordering a Screwdriver from one of my helpmate's colleagues. I looked round, anxious to appear casual, and saw Sandy, as I was to learn was her name, perched on a stool some distance from me. She had recognised my accent and her lips, with their pronounced Cupid 's Bow, parted in a half-smile.
After a moment, I wandered over to her and said, "Couldn't help but notice the Brit accent, I'm afraid we Brits stick out like sore thumbs in here." She laughed as I drank in the slim figure dressed in a white T-shirt and jeans, the shirt bulging outwards over her breasts and the tight jeans seemingly painted onto her legs. My gaze returned to her face: jet-black hair, ebony eyes, pert rounded, maybe broad, nose and full lips. "Hmm, gorgeous," I thought.
"Well," she announced, "I'm going to go and get something to eat," and paused, adding after a brief silence, "Coming with me? Or aren't you all on your own like me? I'm Sandy by the way and I think you've guessed where I'm from!"
"OK, fine, I'd love to," I confirmed, "Yes, I am here on my own. I'm Max, born near London but resident in Dorset." We duly made our way to one of the restaurants and chatted about our various adventures during our tours of the West Coast. I said I was going up to the Hoover Dam in the morning, suggested to Sandy that she come with me in my car and that the following day she could drive me somewhere in her car.
"Great idea," she enthused, "Someone to talk to, someone to share the sights with but afterwards we do our own things, OK? In case you haven't noticed, I'm a girl, love going round the shops and that's not exactly a man's thing, is it?"
I was tempted to say that, in those tight clothes, I could hardly miss that she was a girl. "OK, fine," I said. "How about we meet here for breakfast at, say, eight?"
We spent the next couple of days on our trips and then parting so that she could go shopping. On the third day, our last in Vegas, we wandered up The Strip and she accepted my invitation to come to the show at The Stardust with me, followed by dinner at Caesar's best restaurant as my treat. We decided to walk from Caesar's to The Stardust and had nearly reached our destination on the return journey when there was a flash of lightening and the heavens opened. Within seconds we were both soaked to the skin. As we squelched our way through the gambling hall to the elevators, I suggested to Sandy that we go to my room, have hot showers, dry our clothes on the aircon and that I arrange dinner through room service. I was delighted by her sexy, "Mmm, sounds good."
As soon as we got to my room, Sandy giggled, "I'm off to the shower, order whatever you like, I'll eat anything, a horse, I'm that starved!" She disappeared into the bathroom but left the door ajar. I sat wondering if that was an invitation to join her or simply that she trusted me. Lost in those thoughts, and others of her naked in the shower, for a moment, I remembered food and rang down for room service.
A few minutes later, Sandy emerged, clad in a white towelling Caesar's Palace robe and carrying her clothes, which she placed carefully on the aircon unit. I couldn't help noticing that she paid particular attention to the very brief lacy, silk bra and matching, miniscule, G-string – it was as if she wanted to make sure I took in every detail of them.
"Not been very original, Sandy," I mumbled. "I've ordered mushrooms au gratin to start, steaks with all the trimmings and chocolate gateaux with cream. Oh, and two large thermos flasks of coffee and a couple of bottles of champagne."
She giggled, "You gonna try to get me drunk, Max? Watcha gonna do to me if I get tipsy?"
I laughed. "No, I won't force you to drink. You drink as much or as little as you like and, well, the evening will unfold in its own way, won't it?"
After dinner, I deliberately left the table first, taking the opened, but as yet unused, second bottle of champagne with me and saying, "Well, I'm going to recline on the sofa." My purpose was to see if she would join me and where she would sit – what signals, if any, she would give me.
"OK, coming," she chuckled and joined me on the sofa, seating herself close next to me. "Feel a bit sleepy and a bit tipsy," she mumbled. "Don't mind if I rest my head on your shoulder, do you?"
"'Course not," I assured her and turned to lightly kiss the hair on the top of her head.
"Mmm," she murmured as she turned her head to look up at me, "What was that for?"
"Oh, just thanks for a super time these last few days."
"Huh," she snorted, "That all?"
I looked down as her lips parted in that inviting smile and mine met them briefly.