I manage to reach the Luxor in Las Vegas just before check in the next day. Having made a last minute reservation before meeting Leigh, I was lucky to get a room. I hadn't stopped driving since dropping Leigh off, so I was dead tired. After checking in and taking a shower I decided to get a few hours sleep before doing anything else.
Last time I was in Vegas I was married and spent most of my time playing blackjack or slots, usually with a beer in my hand. The wife was being her usual annoying self and the trip was a bust. No sex, lost around $800 gambling and was out two grand for the actual trip itself. I was determined to have a better time now that I'm single.
Walking around the casino I see a new in house night club has opened up. There's a line of people waiting to get in, all dressed in typical club attire. Me, I'm wearing black pants and a black button up shirt with the top three buttons open to show the white shirt underneath.
I decide not to bother with the club since I'm not really dressed for the occasion, but a woman wearing a bikini made out of what looks like bubbles, stops me. "Hey handsome," she says with her hand on my arm, "aren't you the VIP I was told to keep an eye out for?"
I manage to control my face and not show the surprise I feel. I'm about to tell her the truth, that I'm just some ordinary guy, but I don't. Maybe what happened yesterday has given me some confidence I never had before, I don't know, but I take a chance. "I sure am, darling."
I see there are some angry people in that line as this woman takes me by the arm and leads me straight into the club. I look up at the sign over the door and the woman's outfit finally make sense. In big round letters the sign says Bubble Party.
I had seen places like this on TV and in movies, even heard stories, but I hadn't ever seen it in person before. It's a typical dance club with a few different bars along the walls, and several booths on the second floor overlooking the dance floor. The thing that makes this place so different, instead of a dance floor, there's a pool large enough for a hundred people to occupy. Instead of water, dozens of people dance in bubbles that reach stomach level on the tall ones.
The woman leads me to one of the booths on the second floor. Music drums out loudly from speakers all over the place and I'm lucky to be able to hear my hostess over the noise. She asks if there will be anyone else in my party. I play it off and tell her I don't believe so. Not sure how long this will keep up, I ask for a beer and wait for her to realize I'm not who she thinks I am.
As I watch her walk away I realize I never really understood the concept of a woman walking around in a bikini with 4" heels on until now. The view is just as good coming back as she brings me a Michelob Ultra. I thought she'd go on her way, but she sits close to me and we talk for a little while. She even goes as far to offer a special VIP service for a few hundred an hour. Even if I hadn't just had great car sex yesterday I would've declined the offer. Not only don't I have the money for it, the closest I've ever come to paying for sex was getting married and that so hadn't been worth it. Since I'm not interested she goes on her way.
After a while a waitress in a similar bikini comes by to see if I need anything. Even over the loud music I detect a sultry tone, but just ask for another beer. She seems relieved at my request and happy to oblige. I really begin to wonder about this place and decide this might not be my kind of scene. I see a dozen or so bubble clad women and wonder, 'are they all pros?' Doing some quick math I realize two things. There is one bubble waitress for each booth and they're only on this level.
She bring me my new beer, and holds an ashtray in her other hand. "I forgot to ask if you'd like to smoke."
"It's like you read my mind." She sets the tray in the middle of the table and slides into the booth. I see her eye my open pack and offer her one. Again I see relief on her face as she goes for one, and I light it for her. She eyes my new zippo having never seen anything like it. I tell her I bought it at a smoke shop in Phoenix this morning. The shop owner had quite a few one of a kind Zippos and out of them all, the one with the dragon claw armor wrapped around the base like the creature is actually holding it screamed out to me. I keep to myself how much I spent on it. Even in a place like this, $300 on a lighter might be a bit much.
We talk for a while. Her name is Lucy, and she's only worked here for a few weeks. She's not entirely comfortable with everything in her job description, but she makes more in a weekend here than she would anywhere else in an entire month. I don't know if she's playing me, or not, but I slipped her a C-Note and thank her for spending an hour with me. I pay the tab on top of that which is another fifty. A few beers and a pack of smokes in the VIP area isn't cheap.
As I get up from the table I notice the table next to me is full of people. The man at the center of attention makes me realize who the hostess mistook me for. We both have short dark hair, but his facial hair includes a mustache. The only other big difference between us is our necklaces. While my Yin Yang is made of stainless steel and black stone, his is gold and either silver or platinum. With the amount of money I see being spent, I'm willing to bet on platinum.
I catch eyes with a sultry brunette next to my doppelgänger and she smiles at me once she sees the similarities. I could be this guy's Hollywood stunt double we're so similar. I've probably got more pounds on me than him, but still. Not wanting to deal with questions and no one believing me about this being a coincidence, I move to the staircase and exit the VIP lounge.
