Perhaps, I can buy you a drink later to thank you for your assistance?” She said. Why did she say that?
“I’ll be here for a few days on business. However, a drink is not necessary. I’m grateful to you for giving me an opportunity to practice my chivalry. Here’s my card though, just in case you want to practice your gymnastics again.” John said.
He smiled, handed her his card, tilted his head and walked toward the business center.
Bailey’s embarrassment had drained away, but not her fascination with this stranger with the baritone voice. She hurried, more carefully now, to the conference meeting room.
Kyle and Jennifer graced the two middle seats on the front row. Their tablets were on and connected to wi-fi. Though the session had not started, they were already taking notes. No doubt, their notes began with the temperature of the room and quality of the lightning. The back row was sparsely populated. But the premium seats, next to the door, were definitely filled. Bailey slid into a seat toward the back of the room.
The session started on time, and despite her initial misgivings, the content and the speakers were actually good. Bailey made a few notes and during a break, she even placed a phone call back to the office to check the feasibility of one of the marketing recommendations with her staff. Like a good co-worker, she had actively sought out Kyle and Jennifer to invite them to lunch and then dinner. Once dinner was over, she would explore--without them.
Bailey declined Jennifer’s suggestion to meet later to check some different approaches to assessing social media metrics. Kyle, however, jumped at the chance to crunch numbers. Bailey had been intentionally vague about her plans for the evening. Then, she took advantage of her morning incident and implied she wanted to take a long hot bath to relieve her tense muscles. Bailey left the restaurant first, leaving the two to coordinate their later arrangements.
She thought about the radio announcer’s card in her purse, but knew she would never use it. That took courage. Her last relationship had left her drained. She had allowed the guy to hurt her repeatedly. He’d make love to her and then—before the semen was even dry on the sheets—be off to find the next slit, clit or crack. She had finally put some distance between herself and The Sprinter. She was finally comfortably confident again—almost. Why start something that would leave her lonely and disappointed?
After strolling the warm night on the strip, Bailey found herself next to the Bellagio. The fountains danced in the night. The air was moist with the spray. Lights sparkled all around her as she stood mesmerized by all of the eye candy. People were everywhere. Going and coming, talking, laughing, mumbling, snuggling, holding hands, stopping for pictures, pointing, rushing and strolling.
The white lights pierced through the water as it sprayed into the air from the pool below. The lights of the fountains went lower then sprang higher over and over again, dancing to the rhythm of the music. Bailey leaned in to see the watery reflections and her own. Then, among the brilliant white, there was a glimpse of fuchsia. Was that fuchsia?
“Beautiful isn’t it Ms. Winters?” John said.
She quickly turned to face the sound of the radio announcer.
“Oh…hello…and yes, yes it is absolutely gorgeous!” said Bailey.
“You surprised me…I didn’t expect to see you…here” She continued.
There was silence. Bailey hated the dead air. A radio announcer should hate it even more she thought. She scavenged her mind for something meaningful and sophisticated to say.
“Sometimes words aren’t necessary…don’t you agree Ms Winters?” he said.
“Of course…yes, I do. Sometimes silence communicates the best ideas. But of course, sometimes people need words to truly express themselves. But only if they are the right words, sometimes it’s difficult to pick the right words…an