Greer burst into giggles. “Yep! See, you can find love if you give it up right away!”
“I don’t know if would work for me,” Hanna said. Looking into her beer, she added, “Forever alone.” Greer swatted her arm.
John went next. “Never have I ever went streaking,” he said, and took a drink.
“Really?” Greer asked him.
“I was in a fraternity,” he said with a shrug.
John’s friend Cameron went next. “Um, well my girlfriend has been wanting to do that bondage stuff ever since Fifty Shades of Grey came out, so never have I ever done bondage. BDSM? Whatever you call it.”
A little self-conscious, I took a drink. And was apparently the only one who’d done it.
My friends stared at me, their jaws dropped.
“What?” I said, fighting a blush. “We’re all adults here. So what if I like getting spanked?”
After the guys all left, my friends pounced.
“How come you never told us you were into BDSM?” Hanna asked, incredulous.
I shrugged. “Sometimes I like keeping certain things to myself,” I replied, trying to sound more confident than I felt. Truthfully, it was all so new to me still that I didn’t know how to tell anyone about it.
“Oh, come on,” Sascha said.
“There’s no way you did that with Braxton,” Hanna mused. “He was a total wimp.”
I laughed. “Yeah, it definitely wasn’t with him.”
“So tell us then!” Sascha chided.
I thought about it. I almost did tell them, but in the end, I decided against it. “I’m not ready to share quite yet,” I admitted. “It’s new.”
“Okay,” Greer said, “that’s fair. But you’re going to need to spill everything one of these days.”
The night before, I made plans with Jackson and Caleb to meet up at the club again. I couldn’t wait to get there, eager to explore whatever new thing they planned to throw at me.
I took care getting ready, slipping into a fitted black dress that came down to my knees. I pulled half of my wavy hair back and kept my makeup simple but for the maroon lipstick I put on.
I’d never considered myself a vain person, but I knew I looked good. Maybe it was silly, but I wanted to impress Caleb and Jackson. I wanted them to like me.
Once I was ready, I grabbed my purse and slipped out of the suite. In the hallway, I passed Hanna who smirked and said, “Bye, Erin! Have fun tonight.” I grinned at her as I passed.
Outside the hotel, I was getting ready to call an Uber when I saw Caleb leaning against a car.
“Hi,” he said, walking toward me. He gently cupped the side of my face with one hand and said, “You look exquisite.”
“Thanks,” I replied, smiling. “As do you.”
He really did in his fitted navy suit. Whoever was his tailor deserved a raise.
Caleb smiled and leaned in for a kiss. My heart began to beat wildly. Caleb was such an incredible kisser.
Unfortunately, he kept the kiss brief, and offered me his arm as he escorted me to the black town car.
After he helped me inside, I asked, “Is it just you and me tonight?”
Caleb nodded. “Jackson got stuck at work. I hope it’s alright that it’s just me.” He looked unsure, like I might say no.
“Of course it is,” I said, laying my hand on his thigh and giving it a reassuring squeeze. “I love that it’s just us tonight.”
The smile he gave me looked grateful. It made me wonder if Caleb was self-conscious, if he knew how handsome he really was.
“This isn’t the club,” I joked when we pulled up to a hotel.
“No, it isn’t,” he said coyly.
“Are you going to tell me why we’re here or do I have to wait?” Caleb just smirked, an expression reminiscent of Jackson.
We got out of the car and headed inside. He led me by the hand to the elevator and pushed the button for the roof.
I raised my eyebrows, but didn’t say anything.
The elevator stopped and we stepped outside. Before us was a helicopter.
“What’s going on?” I asked quizzically.
“Come on!” he said. He still held my hand and tugged me toward the helicopter. When we reached it, he greeted the pilot before helping me into it. We buckled our seatbelts and each put on a pair of headphones. I quickly pulled a hair tie from my purse and secured my hair as best I could.
Then the helicopter rose into the air and my stomach sank. I’d never been in a helicopter before and it was a little terrifying.
Caleb must have noticed my apprehension because he held out his hand. I slipped mine inside and felt reassurance wash over me.
The helicopter began to fly over the city, giving me an entirely new perspective of Vegas. Though I’d flown in planes before, this was different. Being in a helicopter made me feel both close and far from it all.