“Have a great day, Mr. Holder.” As I turned around to leave and shut the door behind me, I felt my ass get hot. I knew he was staring at it.
Instead of going home, I decided to go to a bar near the Vegas strip. There were tons to choose from, but most of them were too touristy and expensive. Instead, I decided to go off the beaten path and enter one of my favorites. I stepped into the “Singing Showgirl,” a place with a relaxing atmosphere and good music. Tourists didn’t usually go there, mostly because they didn’t know about it, and there wasn’t a gimmick to it. It was still one of the most upscale bars in the area.
I sat at the bar and promptly asked the bartender for a drink. While waiting, I noticed the man that was there before I was. I didn’t notice him immediately, but then I couldn’t help but not. He was handsome, with a dark Bruce Wayne look to him, suit jacket off, cuff rolled up to his elbow and drinking scotch. His blue eyes behind his rimless glasses gave the impression of a hot nerd. The bartender puts my wine down on the table. The deep red liquid swirled around before I picked it up to my lips.
“Did you just get off work?” the man beside me asked. I turned my head to look at him and our eyes met.
“Oh me? Yes, I just got off of work.” I took a quick sip from my glass before continuing. “How about you?”
“You could say that. I just got off a plane a few hours ago.” He took a sip from his whiskey as well. “But where are my manners? I’m Neil.” Neil stuck out his arm for a handshake, and I shook his hand.
“Nice to meet you, Neil. I’m Sascha.”
“So Sasha, where do you work? Let me guess, you’re a showgirl, right?” I laughed, a little bit flattered.
“What makes you say that?”
“You just look the type. Maybe you dress like an office assistant on your off days.” Neil chuckled and sipped his drink again. I laughed along with him.
“Actually no, I’m not a showgirl. Two left feet, you know. Your second guess was right, I’m an executive assistant at a publishing company. Actually, it’s the most exclusive Publishing Company in Vegas.” I said. Neil cocked an eyebrow looking impressed.
“Wow, what’s this publishing company called?”
“Calliope Publishing, have you heard of it?”
“Only in passing, but what I’ve heard has been pretty good,” Neil said. He started fiddling with his collars, which made my eyes glance over to his arms. He was muscular, and I wondered if he played sports.
“It’s only been a few days since I started this new job, but I still haven’t met the C.E.O. He’s like an enigma, I want to learn more about him, but he’s hard to track down. I still haven’t met him. My co-worker, Noah, seems to think he’s a ghost. I’m starting to think the same.” The man smirked. He placed his empty whiskey glass on the counter and motioned to the bartender.
“Is that so?” he said. There was an odd tone to his voice, like he knew something I didn’t. Maybe he knew Carson? Unlikely, considering his own employees didn’t. “Can I buy you another drink?” he offered as I emptied my wine glass.
“Sorry, I wish I could stay, but I need to get up for work tomorrow.”
“Responsible, that’s a good quality to have.” I placed my empty glass down on the counter and waved goodbye to him. As I left the bar, I started to wonder if my life was playing out like a movie. It seemed everywhere I went, I ran into handsome men. Three in two days, and now I was wondering if, once I meet Carson, he would be the fourth. As I couldn’t afford to stay late, I made sure to catch the nearest bus home.
Morning came and I felt I made the right choice not drinking. I probably would have been too hungover if I drank with that stranger. Still, he was attractive and it might have been a missed opportunity. Perhaps if I had been bolder, I could have asked for his number, or at the very least, asked him more questions about his personal life. It was rude of me to not even ask where he worked, or about his day. It didn’t matter, though, did it? It wasn’t like I was going to see Neil again. At the moment, I needed to get dressed and start my commute for my second day at work. I was more excited than I was yesterday as I wondered what surprises day two would bring me.
“Well, next time, I’ll make sure to get your coffee with soy, your highness.” I was in the middle of an amusing conversation with Noah. I’d opted to bring him coffee to thank him for being so kind to me the day before, but it turned out he was lactose-intolerant and needed soy.