A man, much younger than I expected, strides toward us with his arm outstretched and a warm smile. “You must be AJ and Dylan. I’m Charles.” I raise my eyebrows and glance quickly at Dylan. “You were probably expecting my father, but he’s handing more responsibilities over to me. I hope that won’t be an issue.”
“No, not at all. Happy to meet you, Charles.” I grip his hand.
He shakes hands with Dylan. “Nice to meet you.”
“You too. This is a stunning building.” Dylan smiles at Charles.
“Thank you. We pride ourselves on offering a luxurious experience from the moment you step foot on one of our properties.” He waves his arm out toward the front desk. “Katie, please ensure Mr. Jackson and Mr. Baker’s bags are situated in their room.”
“Certainly, Mr. Mitchell.”
“Please, follow me.” We make our way toward the elevator and enter the glass car which has a magnificent view across the desert, showcasing craggy outcrops I’d love to climb one day. When the elevator comes to a stop, we’re guided into an office that is equally as impressive as what we’ve seen so far. “I thought we could get business out of the way first, then I’ll show you around before we have dinner.”
Floor-to-ceiling windows across the entire office wall overlook the view we just enjoyed in the elevator and I don’t want to tear my eyes away. “How do you get any work done with this view?” I ask.
Charles glances out of the window as if to check what I’m talking about. “You know what. I’ve grown up here and I guess I take it for granted.” He shrugs. “I don’t even notice it anymore.” If I had this office, I’d never get any work done.
He offers us a drink and we get down to business. Three hours later we’ve signed contracts and set up a schedule of events we’ll implement to test the security of the casino’s servers. Charles is concerned about the threat of hackers taking over the machines on the floor and the internal banking system they have in place for purchasing and cashing in chips. I can certainly understand his concern because a breach of their security could cost them millions of dollars.
With business out of the way, Charles takes us on a tour of the casino and resort. I’d love to bring Sarah here one day, perhaps for a weekend getaway. The pool area alone is something I’ve never seen before. The entire facility is tastefully designed and artfully decorated, which is very different from what I was expecting. From what I’d seen of casinos in Vegas, they tend to fall on the gaudy side.
“Well, I’ll leave you two to explore.” He hands us a keycard each. “I’ll meet you inThe Quarry Restaurantat seven for dinner. Enjoy, gentlemen.”
“Thanks, Charles.” We both say as we shake his hand in turn.
“This place is incredible,” I say, my voice full of awe.
Dylan looks at me. “It’s spectacular.”
Deciding we want to celebrate our success, we stop at theCardinal Barand order a couple of local craft beers.
“To us and our success!” Dylan raises his glass, tapping it against mine.
I chuckle at his excitement. “To us, man. Who knew a couple of teenagers could make a career out of breaching firewalls!” We both take a long drink and the balanced salty and tart flavor bursts across my tongue, drawing a moan from me. “That’s a nice blend of orange and blackberry.”
Dylan nods and we recap some of the most significant points from the meeting and formulate a rough plan to get started.
“So, how are things going with Sarah’s plan?” Dylan asks.
I wipe my fingers down the condensation of my glass. “We were unsuccessful last month. We’ll try again when she ovulates this month, which I think should be any day now.”
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” I give him a what the fuck look and he holds up his hands in surrender. “You seem to be getting attached.”
“Yep, I think it’s a fantastic idea.”
He takes a sip of his beer. “If you’re sure.”
“I am.” I take another drink and turn my head to check out the people around us. My phone buzzes in my pocket, so I grab it.
Sarah:I started ovulating today. Any chance you can come over?
Without thought, I turn to Dylan. “I need to go home. Will you be okay here to handle dinner?” We’ve finished the actual business part of our meeting, tonight’s more about socializing.
His eyebrows scrunch over his eyes. “Why? What’s happened? Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, nothing serious but Sarah’s ovulating. I need to get home so I can do my part.” I stand and finish my beer. Actually, I should check to see if I can get on a flight before I tell her I’m on my way.
“Can’t it wait ’til tomorrow?” He’s completely confused. And yeah, I probably could tell her I’m out of town and I’ll be back tomorrow, but I don’t want to. I’ve missed her and I want to see her.