knit and pet my cat, I wonder?”
Obviously I am just kidding; the idea of Luca being my boss makes me nothing short of queasy. I know I’m stubborn but the idea of taking anything from anyone is hard. I almost refused when Luca texted me an invite to this weekend.
An all exclusive weekend, all airfare and hotel already paid for? The idea still makes me squirm and blush. I could never afford that, not when I’m only a year out of college and making a whopping nine dollars an hour.
Well, nine dollars an hour plus tips. I roll my eyes to myself. Like that really matters.
Luca looks up at me. His casual smile falls just a little and he cocks an eyebrow. What are you looking at? he seems to say. I blush, darting my gaze away. When I glance back for a moment, he is focusing on what his friend Owen is saying.
“I can’t believe we are actually in Vegas for the weekend,” Luna says to me and Harper. She grins excitedly. “I might actually start my day tomorrow at the pool. Try to soak up all the sun that I don’t get at home in Seattle.”
“I can’t believe your brother paid to fly all of us out here,” Harper says. She eyes Luca, who sits between two of his best friends. She sighs wistfully. “What a birthday gift. He’s paying for the flight, the hotel, and basically everything else? I am so jealous that you have Luca.” Dropping her voice, she whispers the last bit. “And having your brother and his two hunky best friends to stare at doesn’t hurt, either.”
“Mm,” I say again, giving her my most disgruntled expression. “Luca’s hot, but so rude. No offense, Luna.”
She shrugs. “None taken. I know my brother can be a tool.”
“Well, I’m totally gonna get drunk tonight,” Harper declares. “And so are you, Miss ‘My Birthday Isn’t Until Tomorrow’ and Miss ‘I’m Catholic And Perfect’.”
She casts an eye over us. Luna laughs. “It will technically be my birthday at midnight… can you believe I’ll be twenty-five?”
“You’re so old,” I tease, elbowing her in the ribs. “I won’t be twenty-five until April.”
“We should do something for our birthdays again this year,” Harper says. “Yours is the 14th, right? Mine is April 20th.” She looks thoughtful.
The shuttle lurches to a stop and Luca stands up, clearing his throat. “This is our hotel. Come on, everybody off.”
The next few minutes are taken up by struggling off the shuttle bus with our bags. Our huge hotel and the Vegas strip are a blur as we lug ourselves through the fancy marble lobby, receive our keys, and head up the elevators. To my surprise, Luca has booked two enormous suites on the same floor, one for the girls and one for the guys.
I use my keycard, stopping in my tracks with wide eyes as soon as I burst into our suite. It has an enormous window at one end, two stories high, looking down on a fancy white kitchenette and a big white living room. Everything is white and lavish, without a doubt.
“Come on, let us in,” Harper says, gently pushing me aside with her shoulder.
“Sorry,” I say, nervously moving out of the doorway. “This place must have cost Luca a small fortune to rent for the weekend. And there is one like it for the guys too?” I whistle.
Luna shrugs, looking around. “He said he got a deal. Where are the bedrooms?”
Harper is already making her way down the little hallway tucked away almost out of view. “Over here.”
“Yesssss,” Luna says, rolling her suitcase over. I drift behind them as they go down the hallway, opening bedroom doors. She launches herself into one of the rooms, jumping up and down on the bed. “This bed is so nice!! Oooh and look! Complimentary champagne…” She grins at me. “We are gonna be so drunk before dinner.”
Smiling, I shake my head at her. Finding my identical room, I wheel my luggage in.
Harper yells from her own room. “It’s time to change for pre-dinner drinks!”
“And Cate, do not come out of that room wearing jeans!” Luna calls. “I mean it! Wear something a little daring for once in your life.”
No one is around to see my blush. The girls like to rib me about how I dress conservatively, about how I don’t usually drink or do drugs. What can I say, I was raised to be a good, God-fearing Catholic.
Like a go to Mass on Wednesdays kind