Ch 22

"Hey big guy, time to wake up," Stacy gently shook Mark till he opened his eyes looking around in a daze. "Want to see where we are?"

"Of course," he wiped the sleep from his eyes ignoring the pins and needles in his arm. He slowly stood up feeling slightly dizzy. Stacy was immediately by his side holding onto him.

"Are you okay?" she asked ready to get help for him.

"Yeah, just give me a sec," he took a deep breathe feeling better. He felt the hot humid air hit him as the crew opened the door. He took a few steps testing if the feeling would come back. He felt Stacy's grip tighten on his arm. "I'm fine," he took her hand in his kissing it softly. "So let's see your surprise," he smiled going towards the door. The moment he stepped off the plane he knew where he was.

"Good choice?" she asked squeezing his hand.

"Oh yes," he wrapped his arm around her. "Las Vegas is a great spot to escape."

"I thought so too. We can relax and gamble, maybe even see a show or two," she said as they entered the airport.

"Darling, we'll just go with the moment. There is no schedule to keep too for a change."

"That will be a nice change. Come on there should be a car waiting to take us to the hotel," she barely finished speaking when she saw a driver holding a sign with her name.

"Where are we staying?" Mark asked as they entered the limo.

"Somewhere in Las Vegas," Stacy said giving him a big smile.

"You love being a pain don't you?"

"Of course," she laughed as the car pulled onto the road.

"Come on tell me," looked into her eyes.

"Well originally I was planning Mandalay Bay but Planet Hollywood offered me a better deal so we are staying there."

"Stacy, I'll pay my way. I don't want you to pay for all of this," Mark's expression turned very serious suddenly. "I didn't tag along to be a freeloader."

"Relax Mark, the hotel is all taken care."

"What does that mean?"

"Sometimes there's an advantage to being a McMahon. It also helped a lot that my Dad is planning to have one of the pay per view events next year at Planet Hollywood," Stacy winked at him easing his concerns. She blushed under his gaze. "I'm really happy you're here with me," she almost whispered the words but he heard her loud and clear.

"I am too," he pulled her close resting his head against hers as they rode in silence the rest of the way.

Mark was feeling the pain more by the time they stepped into the hotel elevator. He tried his best to hide it from Stacy but he could feel the weight of her worried stare

"I'll be ok please trust me. I'll tell you when I need help," he said staring down into her eyes.

"I think we are going to stay in tonight and order room service so you can rest," she slowly caressed his arm.

"We'll see," he smiled enjoying the feeling of her soft touch.

"Have you ever stayed here before?" she asked as the elevator opened to their floor.

"No, normally stay at MGM Grand. What about you?"

"Only stayed at Mandalay Bay, I haven't been to Vegas for quite awhile," she slid the cardkey in. "The concierge said this is one of their best suites they call it a panoramic suite, lets see if they are telling the truth," she opened the door. Mark motioned for her to go in first.

"So far very nice," Mark said walking into the big living room with modern furniture and a big screen TV.

"Look at this," Stacy opened the curtain revealing a perfect view from one window of the fountains at Bellagio and the Eifel tower at Paris hotel.

"Wait till it gets dark the view will be even more amazing," Mark walked around checking out the two huge bedrooms and the bar area.

"They definitely didn't lie. It's amazing," Stacy checked out everything especially liking it had a huge whirlpool tub. "You can pick whatever bedroom you like," she said looking out another window at the view of the strip. Mark was about to say something when the knock came on the door.

"That must be our bags. I'll take care of it," he went to the door while Stacy sat down on the couch near one of the huge windows.

"Do you want help with the bags?" Stacy asked when he reappeared with her suitcase.

"Nope, I'm fine just stay where you are," he put her bag in the one bedroom then put his in the other. He grabbed his pain pills out of his carry on bag.

"You still look exhausted," Stacy said as he sat down next to her.

"It's the stupid pills messing with my system. Give me a few minutes then we can go wherever you like."

"How about you take a nap then we will decide about dinner?" she pushed his hair back from his face as he shook his head no.

"I slept on the plane enough."

"Come on don't be stubborn, we can always extend our stay if we like. We might as well rest up today for the rest of the trip" she ran her fingers along his chin as he shook his head no again.

"What if I keep you company while you sleep?"

"Hmmm maybe that will work," he stood up taking her hand gently pulling her up. "Let's see."

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Where we can both be more comfortable," he led her into one of the bedrooms. He felt her slightly tremble as he lay down on the bed pulling her with him. "Relax darling, I'm not up to anything naughty," he kissed her forehead. She smiled knowing she could trust him. She kicked off her shoes while he grabbed the remote. He lay on the pillows giving her an inviting smile. She nestled against him resting her head against his chest as he flicked through the channels finally settling on a world poker tournament.

"Have you ever played poker at the casinos?" she asked tracing his tattoos with her fingertips.

"Yeah a few years ago, I lost big time. What about you?"

"It's been a few years since I played. I won 10,000."

"Lucky you, we should play later," Mark ran his hand slowly down her back.

"Sounds good to me," she smiled enjoying his touch. Silence filled the room as they cuddled watching the tournament. It wasn't long before she heard Mark lightly snoring. She felt her cell phone vibrating in her pocket. She took it out seeing it was her father calling.

"Hi Dad," she softly said carefully leaving Mark's side and going into the other room.

"Stacy, I'm sorry to bother you but I wanted to know if you want Adam served with divorce papers," Vince asked making Stacy stiffen. She tapped her fingers lightly on the glass trying to calm her nerves.

"Yes, that's fine. Don't I need to sign papers before they can do that?" she asked.

"You might have to and we can have a courier bring you the papers to sign. I'll have one of the lawyers give you a call and you can make arrangements with them. Where did you end up going?"

"I'm in Vegas for a few days," she hoped telling him wasn't a bad idea. She didn't want any unwanted company.

"Good, enjoy yourself and don't worry about the divorce. I'll make it as painless as possible for you. You will be a free woman in no time."

"Hey Dad, just remember to leave Adam alone. I will deal with him," Stacy warned her father again.

"Pumpkin, relax and enjoy your vacation. I'll talk to you soon," Stacy hung up getting a sour feeling in her stomach. "I bet he already threatened Adam," she whispered. "Oh well Adam deserves it," she left her phone on the table heading back into her bedroom to unpack and wait for Mark to wake up.