"So, have you ever been to Las Vegas?" Leslie asked as he drove along the interstate.
"It's been ages," Janet replied. "I'm sure it's really changed since the last time I was there. You?"
"Never." Leslie's eyes didn't leave the road. "Although I've heard such wonderful things about it I've always been rather keen to see it." Suddenly they felt the vibration of the wheel's rim scraping the road's surface. "Bollocks," Leslie grumbled as he carefully steered the car to the side of the road.
"Do you have a spare?" asked Janet.
"Yeah. It's just a bloody pain, is all."
"Want me to help?" she asked as he opened the door and stepped out.
"If you could hand the tools to me as I need them, that would be swell."
"I can do that." Quickly she joined him and watched with admiration as he expertly loosened the lug nuts. "You act like you've been doing this your whole life."
"Yeah." He gave a sharp laugh. "Comes from driving rubbish around for years."
"So far how many years have you been driving?" She thought it would be an excellent roundabout way of finding out how old he was without seeming impolite.
"Let's see...sixteen now." So he's thirty-two, she told herself. The hot sun beat down upon them as he worked and she handed him tools. She saw that sweat was running down the back of his neck, making his shirt collar damp, as she swatted insects away.
Within minutes, he had the spare tire on, and they resumed their journey, getting off at the next exit to buy a replacement tire. A submarine sandwich shop was attached to the tire store. "Fancy a bite?" asked Leslie.
Janet, who hadn't eaten a bit since six o'clock that morning, suddenly realized that she was starving. "Sounds good," she said.
Leslie bought them submarine sandwiches with chips and soft drinks. Janet offered to go Dutch, and he said he wouldn't hear of it. By the time they'd finished eating, the tire had been replaced, and they were on their way. They reached Las Vegas by mid afternoon, and Leslie searched for the motel. At last he found it, and they got settled in.
"Fancy a swim?" asked Leslie.
"Sounds good to me," Janet replied. She removed the two swimsuits she'd brought from her suitcase and held them up. "Which one do you like best?"
"They're both lovely," he told her. "But I think perhaps...I like the leopard stripe just a wee bit better."
"Thanks. I'll wear that one, then." She took it into the bathroom and quickly changed into it. When she emerged, Leslie's eyes seemed to pop from their sockets. "Oo la la!" he exclaimed.
Janet did some fancy modeling poses for him, and then he went into the bathroom to change into his trunks. when he emerged, Janet gaped in awe. Although his muscles weren't overly large, they were firm and taut, and a scant covering of chest hair accented them perfectly. She whistled. He raised one eyebrow, then chuckled. "Race you to the pool," he said.
He got there a few seconds sooner and dived in, and Janet sat in a lounge chair to watch him swim. "Come on in!" he called to her. "The water's great!"
She joined him, and they swam laps. Then Leslie did tricks to impress Janet, swimming underwater the length of the pool, doing underwater somersaults, and diving in from different positions. Determined to keep up, Janet tried an underwater somersault herself herself and immediately came up spluttering. Leslie was there right away, helping her stand.
"Are you all right?" She saw the concern in his eyes, and her heart just melted. She nodded, still unable to speak. He held onto her until she'd recovered. "Perhaps that's enough swimming for now," he suggested.
"Maybe we could look around in some of those little shops we saw on the way over here," she replied.
They visited several souvenir shops, and Leslie bought Janet a pair of earrings that looked like daisies. For dinner, he took her to a seafood restaurant and told her to order anything she wanted. She ordered boiled lobster with butter, a baked potato, and coleslaw.
Soft violin music was playing, and several couples were dancing. "Care to join them?" asked Leslie.
Janet stood and took his hand, and he held her close as their bodies moved together in time to the music. "It's so nice to be here with you," she murmured.
"Indeed," he replied. "I can't remember when I've enjoyed myself more, and this is only the beginning. We have two whole weeks of fun ahead, except for when I'm with Pamela, of course."
"I promise, I'll be in your audience every single night," said Janet.
Leslie chuckled. "I fear you might grow rather bored with the same fare every night."
"You could never bore me, Leslie."
"Ah, you do know the way to my heart."
Their food arrived, and they giggled as they took turns feeding one another. Later, they went dancing at a chic nightclub, and by the time they returned to the motel, it was about two in the morning.
"I could have stayed out even later." Leslie grinned as he reached for Janet. "Something about being with you simply invigorates me."
"Want to go back?" teased Janet.
"Absolutely not." He pulled her close. "Now that I finally have you all to myself, I fully intend to savor it."
"Why, Leslie!" Janet's tone was admonishing, but he heard the light banter behind it.
"Ah, Janet, you have nothing to fear. I'll be a perfect gentleman." He smirked. "If you want me to be, that is."
Janet's heart began to pound so hard she felt as if it would burst from her chest. How many times had she rehearsed this moment in her head, thinking of what he would say, what she would say? And now that it was finally here, she felt so shy, so insecure. She swallowed the lump in her throat. "Well, how do you feel about that?"
"I won't lie to you, Janet. I want you, quite badly, truth be told, but it's entirely up to you. I'd never try to pressure you into anything you're not ready for."
The ticking of the clock suddenly sounded very loud. They stood facing one another for a few moments, and then Leslie gave a disappointed sigh and walked over to the window to stare dejectedly through the blinds. In one swift movement, Janet closed them, then took Leslie's hand and led him to the bed.
