I sigh as I swipe through the movie tiles. Nothing is catching my eye. Even in the comfort of First Class, I can't seem to induce sleep, so I was hoping to fill the time with a movie. After a few more swipes, I give up and yank off my earbuds.
As I do, my ears pick up a quiet giggle to my right. I turn to find the stewardess leaning in towards Ryan, both of them with grins on their faces. She's wearing a dark navy blazer, and her blonde hair is wrapped up into a tight bun.
He whispers something and she gasps with mock indignation. She lightly smacks him on the shoulder.
Another flight attendant walks by, and quickly mutters something to her. The flirty attendant nods and holds up a finger to Ryan before she ducks out of sight. Ryan sits back, smirking to himself.
I chuckle, which catches his attention. "What?" he asks innocently.
"Nothing." I shrug. "It's entertaining watching you flirt."
Ryan grins. "It's fun. I don't get to do it often with someone new or not a Client."
"Well, you didn't waste any time! We haven't even gotten to Vegas yet."
"It's important to warm up!" He strokes his beard. "You don't want to pull a muscle."
I chuckle again and turn back to my screen. Still a few hours left in the flight.
It's hard to believe that we're already going back to the Fetish Ball. Time seems to have no meaning in Eden. I wasn't exactly eager to go back to the event after what happened last year. But the rest of the group savors the opportunity to get out of Eden and change things up. Plus, I've been assured that there aren't things asked of me like last time. I can just enjoy the party like everyone else.
"Pssst!"
I blink back to reality, and look again to my right. It's Mari, leaning over Ryan to tap my arm.
"Ex-
cuse
me," Ryan protests. He contorts himself in his chair to try to get out of her way. "Can't you walk around to the other side?"
"Hush." Mari dismissively swats at him. She looks back at me. "If I forget, come talk to me later, 'kay? I've got a proposition for you!"
I frown at her suspiciously. "Oookay. Should I be concerned?"
She snickers. "Nah! Trust me!"
She recedes backwards, dragging her breast over Ryan's forehead.
"Hey!" he cries, recoiling.
"Oh, you love it!" Mari snickers and vanishes from view.
"Ughh." He wipes his brow, and combs his fingers through his hair.
"You two are a riot," I say.
"She's annoying!"
"Have you two ever hooked up?"
"What?!" He shudders with a grimace.
"C'mon. You two have such chemistry together. You've never even thought about it?" I inquire.
"No way." He frowns, looking at me. "Don't get me wrong. Mari's awesome. But we don't have that kind of connection. She's-- y'know-- my best friend."
"Is that how
she
feels?" I press further.
Ryan folds his arms together. "You can ask her. But I'm betting you she'll vomit at the suggestion."
I fall silent, giving up.
"Besides," he adds. "That's against, like, every rule. I'd be freaking crazy to even
think
about hooking up with someone in Eden."
***
The casino we check into on the Vegas strip is much different than last time. Whereas the previous resort had a subdued luxury, this one is all in-your-face glitz and glamor. The colors are black with shocks of magenta and accents of sparkling silver. Loud music thump through speakers, and there are balloons and disco balls everywhere.
I finish unloading my bags into my hotel room, and reconvene with everyone downstairs in the lobby. A contingent of the Talent want to hit the tables and gamble. It's mostly the guys, but also Mari and Julia.
Not feeling particularly keen on gambling, my eyes drift towards another pack of Talent off to the side. I hesitantly take a couple of steps in their direction.
Dawn, among that group, stands with her hand on her hip and taps her foot impatiently. She notices my awkward approach.
"Sup. What, you wanna come with us?" she asks me. "We're deciding on where to go to get a bite to eat, and then maybe some drinks after. You up for it?"
I scan across the group again. It's Dawn, Esther, Drew, and Roberta. They're Talent that I often see around Eden, but I've rarely ever spent time with. I feel a surge of social anxiety.
Dawn senses my hesitation, and grabs my arm. "White girl's coming with us, y'all!"
I'm caught off guard and speechless as I get pulled into the circle by Dawn. From the expressions on the rest of the group's faces, I can tell that they're not exactly ecstatic.
"Let's just check out that food court," Dawn proclaims.
She leads the entourage out of the lobby, further into the casino.
Her hair is braided into tight, thin strands that sway as she walks. Her gold jumpsuit sparkles, refracting light off her ample backside.
Behind her is Roberta, also African American, but much lighter in complexion than Dawn. Her curly, dyed blonde hair bounces as she confidently catwalks through the crowds. She always seems to be scowling, keeping people at bay from her.
Following Roberta is Esther, towering over everyone. Even in casual sandals, she breaks six feet tall. Her straight, black hair is extremely long, going down to the small of her back. I've always regarded her as intimidatingly hot. Her large breast and ass cheeks are perfect spheres. Despite her bountiful curves, she still comes off as fit. She garners a lot of attention from the men we pass. She stoically ignores all the leers, smiles, and feeble attempts to get her attention.
Behind them and next to me is Drew. Even with our impressive looking group, Drew seems to be the one who gets the most eyes. He looks like how I'd imagine a Greek god would look. Perfectly chiseled cheeks and jaw, toned physique but not muscular to the point of looking gross. However, his expression is always serene and peaceful. There's no hint of ego or arrogance. It's not what I would expect from someone so immaculately beautiful.
Nearly every woman I see casts their gaze on him, subtle or not. A nearby bridal shower loudly hoot and holler at him. Drew simply smiles and nods back at the party.
We proceed through the casino and up escalators into a shopping section. It's more like a mall crossed with a rave. It's astonishingly noisy. The other Talent laugh loudly to each other and point at products in the store windows as we walk. The place is bustling and so loud that I can't even make out their conversations.
As we continue on, the stores give way to a food court area. Instead of the cheap eats fare I was expecting, everything is the fancy versions of food. Wagyu burgers, gourmet fried chicken, New York pizza slices that are
authentic
yet somehow also from locally sourced ingredients. Although I have to admit, the smells were wonderful and enticing.
"Oh my god," I exclaim and inhale. "I think I need a burger in me. Right now."
Dawn snickers. "Go get it, girl."
Once armed with a tray containing a grass-fed beef cheeseburger, organic shoestring fries, and an artisanal root beer, I search for my party. They managed to secure a table, already crowded with pork belly bao buns, fish tacos, fried chicken, and a scattering of sides.
I join them, and dive blissfully into my burger. Esther cackles. "Jesus, just remember to breathe between bites!"
The group converses as they eat, but I'm too focused on my burger to absorb any of it. I savor every mouthful of the juicy, salty, artery clogging food. Soon, my tray is empty save for the greasy wrappers and dry soda bottle.
"Damn, Lisa!" Dawn utters.
Drew laughs. "You didn't like it, obviously."
I rub my already bloated-feeling tummy. "Man, I haven't eaten like that since I got to Eden. I mean, I know I can eat whatever I want whenever I'm out at my apartment, but it just never occurs to me."
There's a collective groan.
"Oh bitch," Dawn says, "don't even mention your apartment. That's a
very
sore subject."
"What?" I scan through their faces, taking in their annoyed expressions.
"You know not everyone gets that privilege. And you jumped the line before most of us," Dawn replies.
"Oh! Sorry, I didn't know that was a subject of controversy." I had known that apartments were not commonly handed out, but I didn't think how coveted they'd be.
Roberta snorts. "Jesus Christ. You cannot actually be as
clueless
as you look." She glares at me and then rolls her eyes.
Confounded, I suddenly feel the jitters of butterflies in my stomach. I open my mouth but am too shocked to say anything. Roberta had seemed annoyed about me joining them tonight, but this was outright vitriol.
Dawn holds out her hands. "Alright, let's just go and get some drinks. Esther?"
Esther blinks. "Oh yeah, there's some secret bar around here that someone was telling me about."
We all get up from our table and follow Esther, who investigates the area. I fall in line in the back, replaying the last few moments in my head.
After my transition, I was more confident and comfortable as myself than I ever remembered. For the first time, I felt beautiful and sought after. Moreso, I was surrounded by a group of people who were kind, warm, and supportive. But the last few minutes caused all of my old self doubts and anxiety to come flooding back through me.
Esther leads us around the food court a couple of times as she searches for her destination.
I continue to trail the group as I try to deduce the reason for Roberta's hostility. They all seemed pretty annoyed about the apartment, but that alone can't spark such a reaction, can it?
I contemplate just retreating back to my hotel room. Maybe I can do it quietly, without them even noticing.
As we loop around the seating area again, my eyes are drawn towards a group of guys ogling at Esther. They turn to chatter among themselves. A visual pops into my head of a flock of pigeons in a park hovering around someone with a piece of food. Ugh, no wonder so many of my Clients hate men.
As Esther passes the group's table, one of the guys cocks his arm back. His fingers splay wide as his hand begins to arc towards Esther's ass.
Without thinking, I lunge forward and grab the male's wrist.
"Don't!"
I yell.
People around us-- including the other Talent-- turn in our direction.
The male spins his face towards me, scowling. "What the
fuck,
