Liam had never really seen anything quite like it.
Thousands of sparkling crystal beads cascaded like curtains around the balcony. As he peered over the edge, the strings of crystals hung just several feet above the first floor, with lighting that gave the crystal curtains a purple color. If Liam knew anything about chandeliers, it was that they weren't as long as three stories and usually had neutral colors.
A hand clamped on his shoulder, and he turned to see his two friends.
"We're gonna get a table at Blue Ribbon," one of them said. "It might be a long wait."
"You can go ahead. Text me when the table's ready."
"Don't get lost," the other one said, grinning.
When they left, he drank the last drops of The Forbidden Fruit and set the cocktail glass on a small table. Descending the spiral staircase that led to the bar on the first floor, he wondered if he might try gambling tonight, and maybe having a one-night stand. He was getting sick of a life that focused on routine and predictability. If his friends had to drag his pajama-clad ass from his bed all the way to Vegas, he had to at least do something different. Risky. Unpredictable.
He almost laughed at himself when he remembered thinking that giving his ex a surprise visit was different and risky and unpredictable. He was never spontaneous in the relationship--or in any relationship, really--yet the one surprise he planned for her was the same time their mutual friend was in her apartment. His heart clouded his eyes too much to see why she ditched him every Sunday afternoon.
His friends were right. If a weekend vacation to Sin City was what he needed, he had to take it. A break from studying for his finals on biochemistry and immunogenetics wouldn't hurt. After all, medical school required true motivation. He just needed to find his again.
By the time he reached the first floor, there was a commotion near the bar. A woman, probably in her mid-twenties, was in an argument with one of the employees.
"I don't care how busy you are. I made a reservation for six at eleven o'clock."
The employee murmured something inaudible.
"Yes, please check again." After the man left, she took an empty seat at the bar and ordered a drink. Her sleek, brown hair with caramel streaks was tied into a high ponytail. The linear straps of her black evening dress wrapped around her upper arms and across her lower back, leaving her shoulders and upper back bare. A pair of matching stilettos peeked under the hem of her dress until they disappeared when she crossed her legs.
Liam kept to himself in most public settings, but this time, he didn't care. Maybe he was in Sin City, or he needed to forget about his ex. Whatever the reason, he headed toward the woman.
A couple vacated their seats next to her, and thanking the gods, he sat in the chair next to her. "I didn't think The Cosmo would be so disorganized."
She turned her head to him, her eyes widening. Her perfume, a floral scent, was strong but sweet. "I didn't think so either."
Her drink arrived, which had a red-orange color with an orange slice on the rim of the glass. The bartender asked Liam if he needed anything.
"Nothing for me."
After the bartender left, the woman said, "I'm guessing you're new here."
"What makes you think that?"
"The place is usually packed around this time before people head to the nightclubs. But you look like a lost puppy all alone, and you're not dressed for clubbing." She glanced at his school jersey, faded jeans, and sneakers.
"So, assuming you're right, and it's my first time, why do you think I would be here?"
"Because your girlfriend cheated on you, and your best friend figured you needed a rebound at Vegas. Why else would you be talking to a lone woman at a bar?" She took a sip of her drink. "How did I do?"
Liam smiled, amused. "Actually, two of my friends brought me here."
"Damn, so close."
"What about you? Where's your party?"
"I'll tell you a secret." She leaned forward and smirked. "I don't have a reservation. I just needed a diversion."
He knit his eyebrows together.
She exposed a leg, and though Liam liked to call himself a gentleman, his eyes drank in her smooth and tan skin, along with a black strap around her thigh that held a knife, gun, and keys. She took out the keys and jangled them.
"You...stole that?"
She took a moment to drink the last drops of her cocktail and turned to him. "You're quite handsome." Her hand touched the side of his face. "It's too bad that girl cheated on you." She stood up and left the bar.
Liam had already had an idea of what to do on his first night in Sin City, but he had no clue that one perplexing woman would change his plans.
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