Vegas is simply an oversized, oversexed, sensational adult amusement park. Where else can you spend a morning inside a massive pyramid playing blackjack, grab a taxi and head for an afternoon in the most exquisite boutiques in the fashion world, then finish up the evening dancing and drinking with a throng of fellow revelers at a Rio de Janeiro carnival? Nowhere but "sin city," as my mother used to call the place.
Not that the topic was ever discussed that much at our house -- after all, an innocent little girl like myself had no need to know of such a place, with its gambling, alcohol, and topless showgirls. All of those things horrified my puritan mother, but piqued my always-active curiosity.
Fast-forward a decade or two, and you could find me there at least a couple of times a year with my significant other, life-mate, boyfriend, or whatever the current politically-correct term is for Tommy. We'd been together for a few years, and had a hell of a great time -- especially in Vegas. Not that we're big gamblers; we're not. But we'll take a couple of hours a day in the casino, split between the blackjack tables, the roulette wheel, and maybe a few pulls at the dollar slots. Thanks to the monorail system that they have, you could easily move between the massive resort hotels, so we loved to go clubbing when the sun goes down: The Ghostbar at the Palms, the VooDoo Lounge high atop the Rio, and several others that become a blur as we dance the night away.
I've always thought that dancing was very erotic, and with a few drinks warming my insides, it's no time at all until Tommy and I are doing a little discreet rubbing out on the dance floor. Not that it's an uncommon practice in Vegas; like I said, the entire city seems oversexed, with travelers from every corner of the world coming to town to be anonymous and just cut loose a little.
On a cool October evening, we were winding down at a tropical-themed bar at our mid-strip hotel. We'd been out clubbing all night, and had settled into an out-of-the-way booth for a nightcap or two before heading up to the room. Tommy was nursing a scotch -- neat -- and I was sipping on some concoction called a caramel apple martini that the waitress had recommended. I'm not a foo-foo drink kind of girl, but for some reason it sounded fun, and I was enjoying it.
By then we were both feeling a little frisky -- like I said, dancing does that to me -- and since we were partially surrounded by the thick tropical foliage, we'd been doing a little discreet touching, feeling, and more than a little giggling. As I knocked back the last few drops in my glass, I noticed a couple a few tables away staring at us through the palm leaves.
I caught Tommy's eyes and then gave a quick glance over in their direction so that he'd take a peek. He looked back at me with a wrinkled brow, as if to ask what was going on. I leaned closer to him and whispered, "I think we have an audience."
He smiled and then snuck another quick look in their direction. "Really?" he said with a smile. "Is that a problem?"
"Not for me." We were in a large, circular booth, so I scooted a little closer. Leaning over, I placed my lips against his, and we had one of those deep, deliberate kisses where every move seemed to take place in slow motion, an event in and of itself. Our tongues finally met, hesitantly touching at first, before beginning their deep dance together. I could feel that kiss through my entire body. I felt Tommy's light touch on my breast through the thin material of my blouse, and I began to slowly move my hand up his leg.
Our intimate little world was broken by the gentle sound of a woman's voice. "Ah, excuse me." I had no idea how long the waitress had been standing there, but we both looked up at her like two teenagers caught parking out at the lake.
I just smiled at her sheepishly, and said, "Oops!" I was certain that we were going to be asked to leave.
Instead, she placed another round of drinks on our table from her tray and then nodded over at the other couple. "Complements of the gentleman and lady over there." Her smile had many dimensions: pleasant and sincere, approving, but very mysterious as if she knew very well how the evening was going to unfold.
We lifted our glasses to them, and then each took a sip. I would have preferred vodka, straight up, but the flavored martini wasn't all that bad.
"What's all this about?" Tommy asked in a low voice.
"Dunno." I shrugged. "Want to invite them over and see?"
A mischievous smile crossed his lips. "Could be something a little wicked."
"Hey, it's Vegas." With that I scooted around even closer to him, leaving the other half of the booth vacant. I smiled at the couple, then opened my palm and gestured toward the empty seat.
There was a brief moment of conversation, and then they smiled back, picked up their drinks, and walked the short distance to our table.
"Hi," the lady said as she slid into the booth. "Sorry to intrude on your evening like this, but we couldn't help but notice that you were having quite a good time over here. Thanks for inviting us to join you for a drink."
"Absolutely. And thanks for sending this round over," I said, studying the couple. In age and appearance, they were very similar to Tommy and me. The fellow had a twinkle in his eye that made him look like one of those people you've known forever, and her smile exuded warmth and friendliness. I instantly liked these folks. "My name is..."
Before I could say it, the woman raised her hand to stop me. "No names, please; we'd rather get acquainted through conversation than introduction."
Odd, but her smile put me at ease instantly. And converse we did. In a matter of minutes we were chatting away like old friends -- they'd been on much the same club circuit that we had that evening, so we had probably crossed paths several times without knowing it.
"We just wanted to have a couple of drinks before heading up to our room," our new female friend said, "but ended up watching you two -- you were starting to put on quite a show!"
My eyes momentarily locked with Tommy's, and we both burst out laughing. "Yeah, well, we just got a little carried away, I guess."