Hello strangers!

Here's a little Vegas inspired offering that's way shorter than Familiar Faces!


Day 1:

Bellagio Hotel

Las Vegas Strip

"Where are we going?"

"The Chairman's Lounge."

"Where's that?"

Mercedes shrugged. "I don't know but our driver seems to know the way so just keep up!"

"But the check-in is over there…" Quinn cast her eyes over the hordes of people in the line at the multiple check in desks and sighed in relief that they didn't have to lug their bags through there. They weren't actually having to lug their bags anywhere as someone had magically appeared to do that for them as soon as the doors to their limo had opened. "Are you really sure…"

Mercedes just laughed and linked her arm through her friend's. "Come on, you've been telling me for years that I should lighten up and just live so here I am! Stop fussing!"

"Seriously though Mercedes, what's happened? You're not a Vegas girl. You're the most bone straight serious hard working girl I know!"

"Yeah well all that's about to change!"

"That so worries me! But now that we're here I have to ask the burning question…. Why?"

"Why? Because after twenty seven years of doing what's been expected of me I'm finally going to grow a pair and resist!"

Quinn grinned at her friend's out of character statement. "Do I smell rebellion in the air?"

She was met with a giggle. "Maybe just a little. That's why I'm here. That's why I need you!"

"You know you're five years too late for that now Cedes! I'm reformed! I'm now your boring, proper grown up, happily married with a child and rapidly heading towards thirty has-been!"

"You'll never be a has-been Q! Your free spirit is everything I always wanted to have!"

"So what's brought on your sudden desire to quit being the dutiful daughter? You never take time off just to have a break. I should know because I've been asking you to do it for years! It's worrying me! Something's really not right and you have to tell me!"

Mercedes groaned. "I'll tell you when I have alcohol in my hand!" She swiped the key card into the door to their accommodation and opened the door.

"Holy shiiiit!" Quinn stood frozen to the spot as she cast her gaze around the Bellagio Penthouse Suite. "My man would die if he saw this! You weren't lying when you said you finally took up daddy's offer to use his magic money card!"

"I know! This is amazing isn't it!" Mercedes grabbed her by the hand, "Let's check out the bedrooms then raid the minibar!"

"Bedrooms? As in plural?"

"It's a two bed suite. We have one bed and two baths each!"

"You have got to be shitting-"

"What good is having you as my friend if I can't spoil you? Now that you've seen the place are you sure you can only stay two nights? I can fly out your Momma C and the baby to join us here. There's plenty of space!"

"You know Momma CeeCee hates the idea of Vegas and it's no place for a baby!"

Mercedes pushed out her bottom lip in an overdramatic pout. "But just loooook at this room!" She gestured at all the space, "I picked it specially to tempt you to stay longer. You used to do Vegas all the time! This Vegas Virgin needs someone to show her the ropes! I've booked the whole week and can't do this on my own!"

"Look, I've dropped everything and come to you because you said you were going through a crisis. Momma CC thinks we're still in San Francisco and a couple of hours ago we were! How irresponsible would it be for me to dump my child while I run off on a whim with my friend to Vegas. I've moved on from that kind of life!"

Even though she'd been pretending not to listen, Mercedes understood her friend's worries but she remained silent as she popped the cork on the champagne bottle and poured the frothing liquid into two crystal flutes before handing one over.

"Are we celebrating something? I thought you were going through something major?"

"I am!" Mercedes walked over to the couch and sank heavily into it with a sigh, barely even registering the spectacular view of the fountains from the window as she passed it. "I just need a little bit of alcohol in me before I can drop the bombshell. But for now, let's just drink to a new me!"

"A new you?"

She took a sip of her drink and smiled in approval of the quality. "Mercedes Jones is no longer good little girl anymore!"

Slightly heady from the bubbles, they headed out to the front entrance to be met another limo for a tour of the strip. As they passed the hordes at the check in desks, Mercedes' attention was caught by two men at the front of one of the lines, clearly arguing with the clerk. Or rather, the guy with the lame attempt at a Mohawk was arguing, and his fair haired friend in a pair of well broken in faded denim jeans was trying to calm him down. The guy kept waving his hands angrily between the clerk and his blond friend who, while he seemed to be upset about something, also looked far more embarrassed by his friend than anything else.

After a split second of wondering what that drama was all about she continued on without even breaking her stride, hating that smoking was allowed in Vegas hotels and hoping the smell didn't cling to her too much.

"So where are we going Quinn?"

"To cruise the Strip! It's the obligatory first thing to do in Vegas!"

"I thought the first thing to do was gamble?"

"There's time for that later. It's better when you're drunk anyway!"

Mercedes wasn't so sure on that. In all honesty she wasn't keen on the idea of gambling, especially after recently having to dismiss an employee who'd been stealing to fund his gambling addiction, knowing that he had a young family.

Thankfully a cruise on the Strip was just what she needed. It wasn't a fast cruise. There was definitely truth in the stories of bad traffic along that famous stretch of road, but there was more than enough alcohol in the limo to keep them happy.

"Hey look! A chapel! You should totally get married out here!"

They passed a small tacky looking chapel as the strip ended and they passed through the no-man's-land on the way to downtown and Fremont Street. Quinn turned to see if maybe her friend hadn't heard which would explain the lack of a reply, but all she saw were eyes welling up with tears. "Cedes? Cedes what is it?"

She took a ragged breath and knocked back the final mouthful from her glass. The champagne in the hotel room was definitely better than the one in the car and she wished they'd brought a bottle down with them. It would definitely make this part easier.

"I'm getting married!"

"What!" Quinn nearly knocked the glass out of her friend's hand. "Since when? And to who?"

"Leo Sanders."

"Sanders… As in Sanders Industries?"

"The very one!" Mercedes leaned forward and flicked through the miniature bottles to find the strongest spirit possible.

"But… I didn't realize you guys were back on!"

"It wasn't-"

"Wow! Okay. I always thought you said you didn't like him but I suppose the two of you do have history…"

"It isn't history! It was a mistake!"

"Both times?"

Mercedes glared at her. "Both times!"

"Okay! Just wanted to be sure. Because I remember how you were spitting fire when all of that went down. Did your dad ever find out?"

"I guess so because this marriage is all his idea!"

"What! I was about to congratulate you but what the hell are you talking about?"

"Daddy dearest. Apparently old man Sanders is dying-"

"He's been dying for years!"

"I know that. But apparently this time it's serious. When he dies, as he has no sons, everything goes straight to his grandson Leo. But we both know that man doesn't have the acumen to handle the business. All he knows is how to spend the money and show off."

"But you know that already! I don't understand why you've taken him back!"

"I haven't taken him back. My father and his granddad want the companies to work together and corner the market but neither wants to buy the other out."

"So why don't they just merge?"

"That's the plan!"

"But what has that got to do with you?"

"Think about it Quinn…"

"Oh… merge the families, merge the companies!"

"Exactly!"

"Stuff like that doesn't happen in this day and age! Relationships don't work that way anymore!"

"I know! But they're not from this day and age! They're old money. They do things the way things have always been done. Deals are still made with a handshake over cigars and brandy. It's the way it's always been done and always will be done."

"And what does Leo have to say about this?"

"I'm sure he'll say absolutely nothing. He's spineless as ever. I honestly have no idea what I ever saw in him!"

"You were on a rebound and he was there… Everyone makes mistakes."

"Yeah." Mercedes tipped the miniature of white rum into her champagne flute before adding a dash of pineapple juice.

"Don't start mixing your alcohol Cedes!"

She ignored her friend and knocked the whole concoction back, wincing as the alcohol burned on its way down. "Now do you see my crisis? I'm weeks away from a marriage of convenience to a guy I may have slept with in the past, but who I don't actually like!"

Quinn exhaled slowly as she mentally processed the whole scenario. The whole situation was seriously messy. "Yep I agree this definitely warrants a final fling in Vegas!"


Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino

Fremont Street

Downtown Las Vegas

"Quinn, I officially don't like gambling!" Mercedes stared sadly as the dice landed on thirty seven red as the wheel spun and she lost yet another fifty dollars.

"And this is why I started you on these lower limit tables downtown. You don't even feel the amount of money you just lost but let's go anyway."

She didn't need telling twice, cutting her losses and standing, pausing for a moment for the room to stop tilting on its axis. "Quinn, I think I need to eat something to soak up this alcohol."

"Good idea. I'll book us something."

"No! I want to slum it. I love being anonymous here. I wasn't to eat something cheap and greasy served by a balding middle aged man with a paunch for a belly. I want a place with a neon sign, Formica tables and chairs which are bolted to the floor!"

"Wow! You're specific! Are you sure your stomach can handle it?"

"Since when have I ever done any of those stupid bird food diets?"

Quinn laughed. It was one thing she loved about her friend. Unlike her unruly self, Mercedes had always been obedient and conformed. The one exception was with her body. Growing up in predominantly white surroundings she was proud to stand out as different and refused to be molded into the accepted slender body shape image. Often she would turn to Quinn with a mouth full of the kind of carbs Quinn could only dream about enjoying and say 'I'm a black woman! It would be wrong not to have an ass on me!'

But the truth was, when it came to everything else, Mercedes always did what she was expected. She did well at school and excelled quickly through the ranks of her father's company on her own merit, not just because of who she was. For her to say that she was going to rebel, and actually break with her routine so that she could actually do it was definitely something of note.

As they walked out of the Golden Nugget, again passing the check in desks, Mercedes did a double take as she saw two men arguing with one of the clerks. It was the same two guys as from the Bellagio earlier. This time the hot blond in the sexy denim jeans was holding out his card while the clerk shook her head sadly and the mohawked one gestured widely. As if he could sense her looking, the blond suddenly turned and caught her eye despite the distance
and the crowds. She quickly flushed and looked away, but not before noticing the way that he appreciatively appraised her body with his eyes. It wasn't in a creepy way, just a curious look that made her feel above all things, slightly flattered. Absently wondering if they were trying to pull some scam she followed her friend and the sounds of her stomach to find food.


Luck Dip Diner

Off Fremont Street

Grease definitely helped. She sighed as she glanced at Quinn's carb free plate of mushroom omelet with a side of crispy bacon while she tucked into her monster all day breakfast with extra fried bread.

"So what are you going to do?"

"I don't know. This trip was supposed to buy me time to work something out. I can't marry Leo. I just can't!"

"But at least he's good looking! Maybe you'll grow to love him?"

"He's arrogant, selfish and shallow. I could never be with someone like that. There's no home big enough to fit his ego!"

"Ouch! That's harsh! But you slept with him twice! Surely the sex has to be worth something?"

Mercedes spluttered. "Did I never tell you? It was awful!"

"Really? But he's so gorgeous!"

"Exactly. It's like he's so good looking he feels he doesn't need to make an effort in bed. It all comes back down to that arrogance. He's pretty well endowed but doesn't know what to do with it!"

"So how come you slept with him twice?"

"Alcohol! The first time enough to sleep with him and the second time enough for me to forget how bad the first time was and do it again!"

"That had to have been a lot!"

"I was on the rebound!"

"Oh yes, dark time."

"Very dark time!"

Their thoughts turned to that particular disaster and they continued to eat in silence for a while until Mercedes became distracted by the animated conversation of the two men in the booth behind them. It was just getting good when Quinn suddenly grabbed her arm. "I have the perfect idea, marry Leo, but get him to cheat on your honeymoon and get it annulled!"

"The whole idea is for us to get married and stay married! It's for the business. A united front and all that crap."

"Oh…" Quinn thought again as Mercedes immersed herself back into the conversation happening behind her.

"Got it!"

"Huh?" She had to pull her concentration back to her friend.

"The only way you can avoid getting married, is if you're already married!"

"But I'm single!"

"Yes. But where are we?"

"Vegas!"

"Exactly, so…"

"Wait! So I'm just supposed to walk up to the next man I see and say 'hey we're in Vegas wanna marry me?' I thought I was the one mixing champagne and spirits!"

"No, seriously, just hear me out. This is Vegas, there is no place in the world more full of desperate people. Just walk round the tables, find someone who's just lost a fortune and offer them a week's worth of marriage to clear their debt."

"A week?"

"Yeah. Just enough time for a proper contract to be drawn up and signed by the two old men to merge their companies the modern way. Then you can annul your marriage and live your life again in safety from the clutches Leo Sanderson."

"That's a stupid idea!"

"Got anything better?"

She didn't. And she'd already been mulling over this situation for more than a week on her own. "So basically what you're saying is you just want me to propose to the next man I set eyes on!"

"Not necessarily the next man. You can be a bit more choosy than that. Besides, you don't want it to be a creep or anything."

"At this point I don't even care I'm that desperate!"

"Mercedes, don't do anything rash-"

But it was too late. The alcohol in her body made her far too bold. Both the men behind her had nice voices and they clearly were in a bit of a bind. Maybe one of them could be persuaded to help. What did she have to lose? It wasn't as if she was actually going to sleep with the guy!

Without giving it a second thought she began speaking before even turning around fully.

"Excuse me gentlemen. I couldn't help overhearing that you have a problem and I think I may have an unorthodox solution which could get us both out of a bad situation…"

Her words stopped and stuck in her throat as her eyes met those of the hot denim jeans guy and his friend…


Sam's POV is next. I'm purposely letting the story unravel in real time.