I met you at the gate. Did you see my hand trembling, when I set my bag down next to yours? My heart was pounding furiously. I had been dreaming of this trip for weeks.
Business... forget business. I had a very different type of agenda but I didn't have the nerve to put it on the table. "Ready for adventure?" you asked.
"What?" I stammered.
"What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" you replied casually.
"I...I..." was the only response I could force out of my mouth, which had suddenly become parched.
It was only a beat and you seemed not to notice as you continued "... I love those commercials. They're so funny." I sat down quickly and pretended to search for something in my purse while I tried to start breathing normally again.
The entire plane ride, I tried to casually move my leg over a little bit at a time, so that it might brush up agains yours now and then. I thought about pretending to doze off, and end up with my head resting on your shoulder, but no, too obvious. You were so funny, such a gentleman. It seemed too much to hope that you'd put your hand on my knee, and so I wasn't really too disappointed when you didn't. We listened to music on your laptop and chatted and laughed, while the butterflies danced in my stomach.
We checked in at the hotel. You didn't notice that the girl behind the desk looked at you, winked at me, and then upgraded my room. Perhaps if the bellman hadn't moved so quickly to take my bag you'd have noticed that I was on a much higher floor.
A while later I met you in the lobby. "Ready to see Vegas?" you asked. We walked through the casino, and I was drowning in the swirl of people and music and blinking lights and bells. We stepped out of the front door, and a wave of heat hit me.
I took a deep breath and tried to stop my voice from shaking. "Which way?"
You took my hand and smiled a little bit. "You ok?" you murmured as I stopped in my tracks and looked into your eyes. I blushed, a little half-smile spreading across my face, and nodded mutely. You gave my hand a squeeze as we headed off to see the incredible sights of the city. The sun was falling behind the nearby mountains and the neon world around us was becoming more vivid.
We walked for a while and slipped into a huge hotel, finding a bar area where a live band was playing. There were several small booths and you chose one off to the side of the room, where we could sit side by side. As I sat down you slid close to me, and put your arm around my waist.
"Give me a kiss" you said with quiet confidence, as though it were a statement and not a question. Without hesitation I leaned forward and allowed your lips to brush across mine. The softness of the kiss made my mouth open with the desire for more contact. The waitress inadvertently interrupted us, turning toward us from a nearby table. I ordered a glass of wine, and you smiled and said simply to her, "...two."
When she had walked away, you reached out and softly touched my cheek. I smiled involuntarily, looking down and feeling the dizzy excitement fill me again. "I love this smile" you whispered, tracing the shape.
I leaned in close to your ear, and whispered, "I love you." Your hand moved softly over my jawline to the back of my neck, and you gently pulled me toward you for another, deeper kiss.
We sipped our wine and listened to the band. It was a jazz mixture of piano and horns. There were no words, which allowed me to speculate silently about how far our evening would progress. The kisses we exchanged grew deeper, and you pulled me slightly closer to you in the booth. When you slipped your tongue into my mouth I felt a shudder down my back and an urgency that I could no longer ignore. I had to get you alone.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
"I'd like you to see my room" I said, with the same confident tone you had used to request a kiss. Your face lit up with a mischevious grin.
"Really?"
"Yes, I'm quite sure it's nicer than yours" I teased.