Page 55 of A Bond with the Dark

“What is it that Mr. Romantic does for a living?” Claire inquires, eyes wide with wonder and awe.

“He’s a data analyst for a software engineering company, but that’s all I know,” I hedge. I have no idea what he actually does when he goes to work.

The bellhop finishes taking our luggage off the cart and is about to leave when I grab a folded ten-dollar bill.

“Thank you so much,” I tell him, slipping him the money.

He bows his head in thanks and closes the double doors to the suite behind him, leaving us to our wonderland.

Returning to the main room, I walk over to the double sliding doors to the balcony pool.

“Shall we go for a swim?” I ask as Claire and Anna join me.

“Absolutely!” Claire answers, slipping the black straps of her dress off her shoulders and wiggling it to the floor.

We’ve come prepared, as Dominic messaged me when he arrived last night and sent a picture of the private pool lit up at night against the backdrop of the city of lights.

“I’m gonna make a drink,” Anna announces, walking over to the mini-fridge.

“Make me one too, babe?” Claire asks as she and I walk toward the pool.

I flick off my flip-flops and unbutton my jean shorts, writhing my hips to escape out of them. My moss green bikini with gold dangling stars is underneath as I shimmy out of my gray tank top.

The Vegas May heat is in full effect, and it’s around seventy-nine degrees at noon. I dip my toes in the water first. It’s bathwater warm. I enter the pool with Claire, who’s clad in her coral orange swimming suit; her flat tummy, which I’m infinitely jealous of, glistens as she dips it into the water.

Claire is a rare beauty, hailing exotic looks that she received from her Native American mother and her French father. She has short, jet-black hair that she often wears straight and eyes that are the color of sea moss on a dark rock. Not very tall, she is only around five feet-three inches, but is as strong as an ox.

Our view is the fountain below and the entire city of Vegas. I can’t wait to see the city lights and my handsome man when the night comes.

“So, are you two official yet?” Claire asks from beside me.

“Close enough, I think. We haven’t said ‘boyfriend’ and ‘girlfriend’ yet, but that may change this weekend.” I’m all giggles at the thought of this.

“Oh, Sayah has a boyfriend?” Anna adds, eagerly setting the drinks down on the pool's edge. She swoops her floral dress over her head, revealing her purple tankini beneath it.

Anna is also a shorter girl like Claire, but whereas Claire has jet-black hair and an exotic look, Anna’s hair is white-blonde and gives off more of a Viking vibe. She has a long face like me, and her eyes are a bright baby blue, the kind of blue that feels like you’re being sucked into her soul.

“Pretty much.” I blush, unable to hide my giddiness from the girls.

“I feel like we haven’t even seen you since you met him at that mixer,” Claire says, taking a drink of her cocktail.

“I have just been working, doing school, and being a mom. I haven’t really hung out with him too much; he works nights, so our schedules are opposite.”

My phone dings from my bag in the apartment.

“That’s probably him,” I say, sweeping through the water to exit the pool.

Water drips from my body as I open the entrance to our room from the pool; I stride to the dresser and retrieve my purse.

Digging my phone out, I open the message.

Just got out of one meeting, on to another. Hope you like the room =)

The room is fantastic! You are amazing! Can’t wait to see you later!

Closing the message, I return to the girls in the pool.

“So, what’s he like?” Claire asks with a sparkle in her eye as I submerge myself again, stowing the phone on the side of the pool.

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