“Thanks.”
She was aware of the man and the camera just beyond Stephen’s shoulder. For a moment she wished it could just be the two of them. That even a small part of their time together could be real. But it wasn’t. She had to keep reminding herself of that.
“What do you want to do first?” Stephen asked. “Slots, blackjack, or do you prefer roulette?”
“I’ve never gambled,” she admitted. “What do you suggest?”
As they spoke they walked toward the elevators. Stephen pushed the button for them to go down. The doors opened immediately. As they stepped onto the elevator, she felt him put his hand on the small of her back.
It was nothing, she told herself. Men did that sort of thing all the time. She’d just noticed Finn doing it to Dakota. But she couldn’t help being aware of how he touched her. The silk of her shirt seemed to intensify the heat from his hand. As the elevator started down, she felt a little light-headed and told herself it was from the vertical movement and nothing else.
They walked out of the elevator and into the craziness. It was fun and bright and loud. Aurelia didn’t know where to look first.
“Are you hungry?” Stephen asked, pointing to the Grand Lux Café.
“Maybe later,” she said. Right now she was too excited to eat. There was too much to see.
An older couple walked past them. “Don’t you love seeing a family traveling together, George?” the woman asked. “She brought her baby brother to Las Vegas. Isn’t that nice?”
Aurelia stepped away from Stephen. She didn’t know if he’d heard the comment or not. The camera guy had his lens trained on the old people, so she knew that moment was going to make the show.
She started walking, not sure where she was going. Humiliation heated her cheeks and stole the pleasure she felt at being here. She thought about running after the couple and telling them what was going on, but what was the point?
Stephen kept pace with her. “You okay?” he asked.
His obvious confusion told her he hadn’t heard their words, at least not yet. Reminding herself they were just friends didn’t make her feel any better.
She stopped in the center of the casino and faced him. He was so nice, she thought. A good guy. But there was no way…
“Excuse me. What are you doing?”
Aurelia and Stephen turned toward the well-muscled man in the dark suit. The name badge said that he was with security. His expression told them he was very serious about his job.
He pointed to the camera guy. “You can’t film here.”
“We’re doing a reality show,” Stephen said. “Didn’t the production company clear this with you?”
“No.” The man from security moved toward the camera. “Turn that off now or I will turn it off for you.”
“I’ll get Geoff,” the camera guy said as he turned and practically ran away.
“Is he coming back or do I have to chase him down?”
Aurelia wasn’t sure if the security man was talking to them or not. Apparently, it didn’t matter. He pulled a walkie-talkie out of his jacket pocket and spoke into it. She had a feeling that this wasn’t going to end well.
“We’ll go,” she said taking Stephen’s hand in hers.
Stephen glanced at the security guy’s annoyed face and nodded. “I don’t think either of us would like jail.”
They turned.
For a second, Aurelia wondered if they would be allowed to simply walk away. But nothing happened as they dashed up an escalator. As the stairs carried them to another floor, she was able to draw in a deep breath.
“You okay? I thought you were going to faint,” Stephen told her.
“I was terrified,” she admitted. “I can’t believe Geoff brought us all here without making arrangements with the hotel. It’s not a surprise they don’t want us filming. They don’t know what we’re going do with it. It could be a scam. Or a trick to cheat or something.”
She had more to say but suddenly couldn’t speak. Stephen was riding on the step behind her. Without warning, he rested one hand on her hip as he leaned toward her.
Aurelia did her best to act casual. Shrieking in surprise wasn’t very appropriate. Besides, she’d taken his hand in hers to pull him away from the security guy—although that had been different. She couldn’t explain why, but knew it was.
When they reached the top of the escalator, they stepped off. She planned to continue her analysis of what it all meant, only she couldn’t. Not when it seemed as if they’d entered another world.
Above them, the ceiling was painted sky blue with clouds that almost appeared to float by. They were in the hotel, but she felt like they really could be outside. There were stores and restaurants and…
“Look,” she breathed, pointing to the narrow boats floating on a man-made canal. “Gondolas.”
“Want to ride?” he asked, then urged her forward. “Come on. It’ll be fun.”
There wasn’t much of a line, so in a matter of minutes, she was carefully stepping into the gondola. It wobbled on the water, but she managed to sit down without falling. Stephen sat next to her.
There wasn’t a lot of room, so he was close. Close enough for her to feel the softness of his long-sleeved shirt against her hand and the pressure of his thigh against hers.
“Ever done anything like this before?” he asked as he looked around. “No.”
Never. Not even in her dreams.
They took the leisurely boat ride through a winding course. People walking by stopped to wave. Music echoed off the ceiling and reverberated all around them. She caught sight of stores whose names she’d only seen in magazines. Everything about the moment was perfect.
Then Stephen put his arm around her and it all got better.
When they rounded a corner, a man was waiting with a camera. He told them to smile, then snapped their picture. Once the ride was over, they went to check on the digital image displayed on a computer screen.
“You’re beautiful,” Stephen told her.
Aurelia knew he was being kind, but she was pleased with how the photo had turned out. They were both looking at the camera, with genuine smiles. She noticed they were leaning into each other and looked very much like a couple. If one ignored the age difference.
“We’ll take two,” he said, then paid for them.
“I should buy them.”
“Why?”
Because she made more than him. Because he was still in college and this wasn’t a date. But she didn’t want to say any of that, so instead she simply said, “Thank you,” when he handed her the thin bag containing the pictures in a paper frame.
“Hungry?” Stephen asked, pointing to one of the outdoor restaurants.
“Yes.”
“Good. Me, too.”
It was midafternoon, and there wasn’t much of a crowd. They were seated immediately at a small corner table next to a plant. Despite being in the open, the space felt private. Intimate.
The server gave them menus. Even though she was hungry, Aurelia couldn’t imagine eating. She chose a salad and iced tea. Stephen ordered a pizza and soda.
“You know why I decided to do the show,” she said. “Why did you?”
He