3
At seven o'clock, Monday night, Riley and Jaiden were waiting at the Bellagio for Warrick and Greg to show.
Riley wore a black dress with silver stitching. It was an off-the-shoulder style that still permitted her arms to move about freely. The little freckles on her shoulders drove Greg insane, and she loved to torment him with it. Her red and black dragon tattoo on her right ankle was visible.
Jaiden was also dressed in black and had a deep neckline. Made of mostly chiffon, it was a flirty item and with her sexy, three-inch heels, she was certain astonish Warrick. As Riley had mentioned earlier, it was flattering on her, and her necklace helped to dress it up. Jaiden checked her watch and frowned. "Where are those guys?"
Riley said nothing. The Tahoe finally pulled up and parked. Warrick jumped out, looking smooth in his black suit, green tie, and white shirt. His shoes were black and shiny. He pulled at his sleeves as he walked up to Jaiden and enveloped her in an embrace. Greg, however, was dressed in black pants and jacket, with a blue shirt and maroon-ish necktie. He had slicked his hair down, and Jaiden just put her hand over her mouth when she saw it.
Riley was much more blunt. She walked up to him, rubbed his head hard, and his hair instantly became like normal. She smiled, then grabbed his necktie and pulled him down to her level so she could kiss the top of his head.
"I swear by the messy hairs on this head, don't ever do that again. Don't make me out to be a liar by going and doing something like that!" Riley laughed as they walked into the Bellagio, her arm in his. Warrick took Jaiden's hand and twirled her slowly. Jaiden flashed a charming smile and tilted her head.
"What do you think?" she asked. Warrick grinned as he kissed her.
"We're going to be having one interesting after-party." Jaiden laughed and pulled him into the Bellagio. "We're going to be late if we don't hurry," she told him.
Inside, the two couples stopped at the front desk to get directions to where they were going. A tall man with long, blonde hair and soft grey eyes smiled at them. His nametag said Gabriel. "Hello, and welcome to the Bellagio. How may I help you?"
"We're looking for a party being held by a Sara Sidle. Where would we be going?" Jaiden asked Gabriel. Warrick looked at Gabriel, staring at him a little bit.
"Ah, yes, come this way." Gabriel said, escorting the group to the Monet rooms where the rest of the CSI were. Nobody noticed the way he glanced back to look at the two girls as he walked. A small smile crept onto his face.
"You ladies look lovely," he added when he opened the doors to the Monet Rooms. Jaiden and Riley smiled at him politely while the two men stared him down.
Sara walked over to them. "Guys, I'm so glad you could make it! Come on, come in, and have some food. We're getting ready to dance, so hurry!"
The two men scurried over to where the rest of the night-shift crew was gathering, leaving the girls alone at the buffet tables. Jaiden and Riley exchanged looks then sighed simultaneously. "We'll give them ten minutes until we reclaim our property," Jaiden said as she picked up a plate. Riley nodded.
"It's amazing how big of jerks they can become," she replied. Jaiden shrugged.
"They're guys. They may look different, but they all work the same. Even Grissom, I'm sure." Riley snorted. Grissom was a definite male anomaly.
Jaiden sat down at a small table near the dance floor and scanned the crowd. Most of the crime lab had been invited and showed up. There were some people there that Jaiden hadn't met and vice versa.
After turning down three hopeful men, Jaiden took Riley by the hand and walked over to the "night-shift corner". The disappointed men she had left behind watched interestedly.
"She's going after Brown? He's one of the biggest fish in the pond," one of them muttered to the others. They nodded in agreement. Jaiden walked up calmly, greeted the others around Warrick, and then took his tie in her fist.
"I'm sure whatever you were chatting about was important and really interesting, but I'm reclaiming some lost baggage," she told the others as she dragged Warrick away from the circle. The men, who were watching her, gaped. She's one determined woman, her first reject thought.
"Hey, hey, watch the neck that's attached to the tie," Warrick laughed. Jaiden let go of his tie and took his hands. They touched foreheads just as the song changed into a slow, gentle beat. Jaiden wrapped her arms around his neck and nuzzled it as he wrapped his own arms around her waist. They spun in slow, rhythmic circles as the song played on.
While they danced, Greg and Riley slipped into a separate room, closing the door behind them and securely locking it. Jaiden and Warrick looked on with slight grins on their faces. "Apparently those freckles work wonders," Jaiden murmured. Warrick chuckled quietly and kissed her cheek as the song ended.
"I forgot how much I like dancing with you," he whispered in her ear. Jaiden gave him an offhand look.
"Shame on you, then," she replied. Taking her by the hand, he brought her over to a table and pulled out a chair for her. Jaiden, whose feet were screaming angrily at her for standing up for so long, sat down gratefully. He sat down next to her and waved down a waiter that was roaming the area.
"Two champagnes, please," he ordered. The waiter, a lovely blonde woman, nodded and flashed him a flirtatious smile. Jaiden rolled her eyes as she left.
"I forgot how insufferable you make all the waitresses when we go out," she muttered. Warrick shrugged. He took her chin in his hand and pulled her close.
"They've got nothing on you, babe," he whispered as he kissed her softly. Jaiden melted into it, as she normally did, and nibbled on his lower lip. She broke off, though, when she spotted Riley and Greg coming out of their hiding place.
"Did you enjoy yourselves?" she asked calmly, a small grin on her face. Riley flashed a sly smile.
"Very much, thanks for asking," she replied as she sat down next to her. Greg, whose hair was a little messier than earlier, retreated to the bathroom.
The girls erupted into an animated conversation about peoples' clothing as Greg returned, plopping down next to Riley.
The whole night-shift crew striding over quickly interrupted their comfortable conversation. Warrick and Greg looked at them questioningly while Jaiden and Riley exchanged knowing glances. Their evening was over.
"We've got to go. Mia thinks she may have found something," Grissom told the two men. Warrick and Greg nearly leapt from the table at the news. Warrick kissed Jaiden quickly.
"We've got to go, this is a huge case," he explained. Jaiden blinked and nodded.
"I've got my car back, so I'm okay. I think I'll stay a little while, if that's okay with Riles." She looked at Riley, who had just given Greg a similar good-bye kiss. She met Jaiden's glance.
"I'm in no rush. I'm not part of this particular investigation," she replied with a shrug. Jaiden inclined her head and pushed Warrick on.
"Get going, I'd like you home at a reasonable hour," she said, shoving him gently. When they had left, the girls slumped in their chairs.
"Sometimes I hate going out with them," Jaiden sighed. Riley nodded.
"They always have to leave when things were getting fun," she muttered. Jaiden looked in the direction of the patio. No one was out there, it was a lovely night, and they were bored otherwise.
"You want to sit on the patio? It's warm out," she suggested as she slipped off her shoes. Riley shrugged and followed suit. They didn't notice the face of the waiter they had picked up their glasses of champagne from; they didn't notice the quickly dissolving tablets in the drinks either.
They entered the patio, both laughing at what Riley had said concerning Greg. "Anyway, I was cleaning out the linen closet and I found some of Greg's old sheets. You wouldn't believe what he had on some of them! I mean, he had a set of Batman, two sets of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and one Spider-Man. I was cracking up so hard," Riley told Jaiden. Jaiden started laughing and soon began swaying. Riley looked at her oddly, but ignored it. They had been on the patio for about fifteen minutes and slowly losing consciousness. Before they knew it, they were lying on the floor lifelessly and were being lowered over the railing with a thick rope.