I've just read through your reviews and all I can say is LOL If you think that Annabel is a slut now then just wait until you see what she gets up to in the next little while. This is a mega chapter so I hope that you enjoy it.

Marissa's Concerns

Annabel enjoyed herself tremendously on the flight to Las Vegas. She and Keith sat behind Ryan and Marissa and not only did she enjoy Keith's company but it was obvious that Ryan and Marissa were barely speaking. Twice during the flight she had noticed Ryan move to hold Marissa's hand and talk to her and each time Marissa had pulled away quickly whilst also having some none too pleasant words to say to Ryan. It was looking more and more like she wouldn't need to do anything to hurry along the split. From the looks of things they were going to take care of it all by themselves. And of course then she would be on hand to help Ryan through his disappointment when it all came crashing down. She couldn't wait. She just hoped that when he came looking for comfort that she would be in the new teddy that she had bought. And if she was lucky the teddy wouldn't be on for long at all.

---

When the limo pulled up in front of the Bellagio hotel where the conference was being held, the crowd of paparazzi at the entrance surged forward towards the door waiting to see the identities of those inside. Thankfully the darkened windows made it virtually impossible for them to see inside. Ryan looked at the crowd and knowing that they were going to be looking for photos of he and Marissa together and worried about how Marissa would react, he suggested "How about Annabel and I go in first and pave the way? Give us a few minutes and then Keith can bring you in?" he asked directing his questions at Marissa.

Marissa shrugged. She had barely said two words since they had left LA. She wanted to have it out with Ryan but she wasn't about to start anything in front of Annabel. Marissa felt that Annabel seemed to be enjoying herself just a little too much and she had a feeling that it was because it must have been obvious, that Ryan and Marissa had some 'issues' at the moment. She realised that everyone was waiting for her to say something. "Whatever." She replied. She knew that she would rather have Ryan look after her but she wasn't about to admit that to him at this point.

Ryan desperately wanted to be the one protecting Marissa from the crowd but he knew that the paparazzi would be doubly excited to get any photo of the two of them together. Plus the fact was that he was scared that at that very moment … if he tried to put his arm around Marissa, she would probably push him away. Ryan looked at Keith and instructed. "Keep her close and don't let them get to her." He said.

"I am sitting right here, you know? You don't need to talk about me. I can look after myself." Marissa commented indignantly. Much as she knew she wanted to be with him, her pride wouldn't let her reveal it.

Ryan looked at Keith who rolled his eyes trying to say that he understood. Ryan just nodded. He knew that anything else he said would only make things worse. He turned to Annabel. "You right?"

"Sure. I can't wait." She replied with a big smile, trying to emphasise the difference between her and Marissa. She thought the whole idea of a bunch of people after her photo was great. She just hoped that they got a good photo of her and Ryan together as they got out of the limo. Maybe it could end up in one of the gossip tabloids and she would be reported as his 'mystery companion'. She found the whole idea very appealing.

"Okay. Let's do it." Ryan said as he opened the door and kept his head down and walked purposefully towards the door with Annabel close behind. The cameras flashed and questions were hurled but Ryan pushed forward and the crowd parted slowly in front of him. Once inside he was met by one of the assistant managers of the hotel who put his hand out in greeting.

"Mr Atwood. We've been expecting you. My names Bill Rapson and I'll be at your disposal throughout your stay with us. If there is anything you need please don't hesitate to call me directly. Now, if you'd like to follow me, I'll show you to your rooms."

"Please call me Ryan." Ryan replied "and this is my secretary, Annabel." Ryan said whilst all the time keeping his eyes on the door of the limo. As it opened and Keith and Marissa emerged, the flashes started again. Keith carved a path through the crowd and Ryan was grateful yet again that he had brought Keith along with them. "Here's the rest of our party now." Ryan added as Keith and Marissa joined them.

"Welcome to the Bellagio." Bill commented. "I think it's best if I take you straight to your rooms." He added as a few of the photographers tried to enter only to be turned back by the hotel security.

"Thanks." Ryan replied and they all followed Bill to the lifts.

---

Annabel was delighted with her room. It turned out that Ryan had requested a honeymoon suite for her and Skip to share. With its circular bed on a raised podium and mirrored ceiling, it seemed almost wrong for her to be in it all on her own. But then if things worked out as she hoped then she would get to share it with someone before the end of the weekend. It wouldn't be right not to, she reasoned.

---

When Bill showed Ryan and Marissa to their suite he offered to come inside and show them the many facilities available to them but Ryan could sense that now was not the time. Turning to Bill he said. "Thanks for the offer, but maybe some other time. I'll call you if we need anything but I'm sure we will be fine."

"Okay. But if you change your mind, just let me know." He turned to make his way out the door and then hesitated. "Might I suggest that if you want to leave the hotel that you either let me know so that I can organise some security or that you use one of the alternate entrances, like through the shopping arcade, rather than the front door. I think the press will be camped out there for the weekend."

"Okay. Thanks." Ryan replied. "I appreciate the suggestion."

Ryan escorted Bill out the door and then locked it and turned to Marissa who was standing at the window looking out at the view of the Strip. He moved closer to her but stopped when he was about a metre away. It was like he could feel a force field around her and he was scared to get any closer. "Are you ever going to talk to me?" he asked.

Marissa kept silent.

"Ris. I thought the days of us not talking were over. I understand that you're not happy with me but I think that you're over-reacting. I called the guy back. I'm sorry if that upsets you but he seemed like a nice guy and I felt it was the polite thing to do." Ryan explained.

Marissa still said nothing.

"Marissa!" Ryan exclaimed. "Say something. Anything. Yell at me. I don't care but please talk to me."

Marissa slowly turned around to face Ryan and he could see the tears forming in her eyes. "I don't want to say something I might regret." She explained softly. "Because right now … I feel betrayed. That even after knowing how I felt, you still went and spoke to him."

"I'm sorry. I never meant to make you feel like that. I had promised to let him know what your intentions were and that's all I was doing." Ryan explained hoping that she would forgive him.

"But you intend to talk to him again. I heard you tell him you would try to talk me into spending some time in London on the way back." She shook her head in disbelief. The words had been replaying in her mind over and over since she had overheard them.

Ryan looked at her and could sense how badly she was feeling. He hadn't realised that she had heard what he had been saying to Dan and he stepped towards her wanting to take her in his arms. Marissa instantly stepped away from him and turned back to look out the windows again. "Don't you understand that I'm scared?"

"Scared?" Ryan asked. Why would she be scared?

"Yes." Marissa replied and then continued trying to find the words to explain to him what she meant. "These last couple of months …" she glanced at him and then looked back outside again. She wanted to try to concentrate and find the right words to explain how she felt and why. But when she looked at him that was impossible. Much easier just to look out and concentrate on a line on the horizon. She tried to continue. "… with you …" she sighed and looked down at her hands clutched together. " … they have been … the best of my life." She looked back at him to be greeted by his little half smile that melted her heart.

"For me too." Ryan replied and started to move towards her again but she held up her hand.

"Just let me try to get this out. I need to try to make you understand." She pleaded.

Ryan nodded and stopped exactly where he was.

"But knowing how my mother betrayed me … and broke us up before … I'm scared … that given the opportunity … she would find a way to do it again." Marissa stated.

"She can't …" Ryan started only to be cut off.

"Don't ever underestimate my mother Ryan." Marissa warned. "She is selfish, cold, hard and callous. To do what she did is one thing. But then to watch me … and everything that I went through and not say a word …. To let me believe … No that's wrong. She actually encouraged me to believe, that what we had was all one sided. That you had never wanted anything more from me than to get me into bed with you. That you were just after an easy lay." Marissa added.

"You know that was never the case." Ryan assured her. His heart breaking as he realised that was exactly what she had thought.

Marissa looked back at him. "Obviously in my darkest hour, I didn't have enough faith in us. And with my mother's help it all came tumbling down. I can't risk that ever happening again. I don't think that I would be able to get through it."

"You won't ever need to." Ryan assured her.

"For my own peace of mind, I need to stay as far away from her as possible." Marissa explained.

"She is still your mother. You might change your mind some day?" Ryan suggested.

"It'll be a cold day in hell before I ever want to have anything to do with her again." Marissa replied.

Ryan nodded. He knew that this wasn't the news that Dan would want to hear but at the same time, Marissa was his primary concern. And Ryan wasn't prepared to put his relationship with her at risk for the sake of her mother. "If that's the way you feel, then I will respect your wishes. But if you ever change your mind …" he said wanting to leave the way open for things to maybe alter at some time in the future. He couldn't help but think that if Marissa felt confident in their relationship then she wouldn't feel quite so strongly about rejecting her mother.

"I won't." Marissa assured him and looked into his eyes. She wondered if he would think that she was being a cold-hearted bitch just like her mother, but there was no indication there, that he was being anything but supportive of her. She sighed deeply again and looked back out the window at the busy street below. "And now." She started … indicating that as far as she was concerned, that conversation was finished with. A smile started on her face. "I have been looking forward to this weekend ever since you told me about it. I have never been to Vegas and I don't want to spend the whole weekend cooped up in a hotel room."

Ryan was surprised. "You've never been here before?" he asked.

"No. If you remember I have been living in Europe for the last few years. And it wasn't somewhere we came for family holidays when I was young." She said stating the obvious.

"Well then I think you need the guided tour." Ryan suggested.

"Sounds good. Do you know of any good guides I could employ?" Marissa asked.

"As a matter of a fact I do know of one and I think you'll be impressed by his rate." Ryan smiled.

"Is that so? How much does he charge?" Marissa asked.

"He is so confidant of his abilities that the tour is free. The tip however … " Ryan started a smile taking over his face.

Marissa couldn't help but laugh. "Let's just see if I enjoy the tour." She said. "What time does it leave?"

"How about right now? Leave on your jeans and put on your walking shoes and I'll dig up some baseball caps." Ryan suggested turning to dig through one of his bags. "Add some dark sunglasses and we'll see how far we can get before anyone notices us. With a bit of luck there will be lots of other people around that the paparazzi will be interested in and they will be too busy to notice us." Ryan said and then added. "Do you want Keith to come along as well?"

"No. Let's just see how we do on our own? If worse comes to worse we'll just have to come back here." Marissa smiled and then did exactly as she'd been told. Changing her shoes and then she twirled her hair into a loose roll and stuffed it into the cap that Ryan handed her. "How do I look?" she asked.

"Beautiful." Ryan replied and leaned in to give her a quick kiss. "But you'd better get me out of here now or I will be looking for my tip before the tour has even begun."

"Well we can't have that." She replied and pulled him towards the door.

---

They took the lift to the shopping arcade level as Bill had advised and as they turned the corner of the lift vestibule Marissa stopped dead.

"What's wrong?" Ryan asked coming to a complete halt.

Marissa looked straight ahead and Ryan followed her line of vision.

"That dress." She said looking at a champagne coloured low-cut silk sheath with delicate beading around the bodice that was in the window of the Chanel shop in front of them. It was quite beautiful. "I've worn that dress. It's a one off and I wore it in the parades in Paris earlier this year. I almost bought it because I loved it so much." She explained.

"I think I'd have liked to have seen that." Ryan stated, the thought of Marissa in the dress putting a big smile on his face.

"Don't you think that it is odd that of all the places in the world for it to end up – it's here, in a gambling Mecca?" Marissa asked.

"Not really. There are a lot of designer shops in Vegas. I guess they figure that when someone strikes it rich, they probably need something to splurge their money on." Ryan explained.

"Yeah well from memory. They wouldn't be rich for long if they spent that much money on clothes." She explained.

"Well … I guess they figure most gamblers are easy come, easy go." Ryan suggested and pulled her passed the shop. He knew he would be back to purchase the dress for Marissa. He wanted to surprise her with it and she could wear it to the dinner tomorrow night. It was going to be their first official public appearance as a couple. He already knew that she would be the most beautiful woman there but in that dress she would be breathtaking.