Chapter 50

Encore

Rhi POV

I can't believe he just did that! I mean, cutting my food up like I'm a child? That's super embarrassing but super sweet. I don't think I would have been able to eat anything but the fries if he hadn't been that thoughtful I'd starve to death. It did taste awfully good though. I guess I was hungrier than I thought. Or, perhaps, it's a little more nutritious than a Bloody Mary?

I try to keep my giggle quiet but apparently I failed because Ana and Kate both look at me and ask in unison, "What are you giggling about over there?"

I smile, "Nothing really. I was just thinking at a hamburger is definitely more nutritious than a Bloody Mary. What a concept, right?"

They both look at me and roll their eyes. "We've been telling you that for years now. You know this. Glad it sunk in, for tonight anyway." Kate laughs, shaking her head.

I hear Alex sigh but he doesn't say anything. Scooting closer to him, I rest my head on his shoulder and stifle a yawn. He looks down at me and asks, "You OK baby? You're looking kind of tired."

Kate and Ana look at me. "Why don't we head back to the hotel so you can get some rest? It's been a long day and I think we're all tired." Kate suggests.

"I think that's a great idea." Ana replies. "I'm pretty tired myself. What do you think Rhi?"

I look at her and nod. "Yes, please. I could fall asleep right here." I laugh quietly.

We pay the check and get up to leave. Alex grabs my overnight bag and gently takes my hand, leading the way to the elevator. The four of us are all too tired to walk down the stairs and, considering I've had more tequila than I planned, I don't think I could've made it without stumbling.

We exit the restaurant and head toward the Bellagio. I'm so grateful I'm not wearing heels. I'd have to take my shoes off and walk barefoot, which I wouldn't recommend on the Strip. Ever.

"Hey guys? I just want to say thank you." I say.

Confused, Ana looks at me, "For what Rhi?"

Smiling, I respond, "For being considerate of us pint sized people who are stride challenged."

Kate and Ana stop suddenly, turn to look at me and say, in unison again, "What?"

Giving them a grin, I repeat myself. "For being considerate of us pint sized people who are stride challenged."

Ana starts laughing and Kate joins in. I turn and look at Alex and see him laughing too.

"Only you would remember to say something like that! Perfect timing too!" Kate continues laughing, throwing her head back.

I smile, shrug my shoulders, raise my hands and say, "What can I say? It's a gift!" I laugh.

It feels good to laugh at silly things, especially after the tension and drama from earlier. It's been kind of an emotional day. "I'm so happy that Alex is still here and that he hasn't bolted. He makes me so happy." I whisper to myself. "Yes, you are definitely lucky to have found him."

Alex leans down and quietly says, "I'm not going anywhere. I'm right where I want to be." He looks at me and winks.

"I said that out loud again, didn't I?" I ask as a blush creeps up my neck.

He nods and smiles, "It's quite all right. You can say that anytime you want. I like the sound of it." He leans down and kisses me.

We're waiting to cross the street to get to the hotel and I close my eyes to take in the warmth and sigh. Opening my eyes again feel like I was just given a warm hug. Vegas at night is so pretty and relaxing, to me anyway. It's one of my favorite places to visit.

I start to get nervous as we cross the street. I hope he doesn't want to dance tonight. I'm too tired. I don't think we'd put on a good show for anyone. Though the last one was pretty amazing.

As we're approaching the fountain, someone recognizes us from last night's video and shouts, "Hey! Are you guys going to dance for us again tonight?"

"You're really good together!" Someone else shouts.

Then I hear, "There's another show starting, I think it might be the last one. You guys came here just in time!

I keep the smile on my face happy and excited but inside I just want to get into the room and change into my comfy clothes. Alex looks down at me and smiles, "What do you think? Do you have one more in you?"

I think about it for a moment, "I can think of something I'd like in me." I murmur with a salacious smile. The look on his face is priceless; eyes wide, mouth drops open then turns up into a wide smile and his eyes darken. I laugh at his reaction, "Oops! I meant to say yes, I think I can dance one more dance. I like being in your arms." I smile shyly.

Kate and Ana look at us, huge grins on their faces.

Hmm… what are they up to?

The fountain lights come up and the music starts. Solomon Burke's voice soars out of the speakers and "Cry to Me" starts to play. I snap my head toward them, my hair whipping into my face, and see them grinning like Cheshire cats once again and they just shrug their shoulders.

What did they do? Better yet, HOW did they do it?

I look at them and give them a dirty look. They just laugh and continue to smile. I really like this version of the song. It's a little faster and has a deeper bassline beat, kind of like a remix. I like it a lot.

Alex hands my bag to Kate and pulls me into his arms once more and we start dancing. He looks down at me, eyes darkening, smiles and whispers, "Think we can do this like the last one or should we tone it down a bit?" He asks, the deep bass of his voice giving me chills.

I look up at him and smile, "Like last time, but not too much. Otherwise I'll jump you right here in front of all these people." I wink and laugh.

His eyes widen and he pulls me closer, if that's possible, "Save that for behind doors." When he looks around he says, "Apparently you've got some fans." He nods to the crowd.

I look over and laugh, "No, you have the fans. I'm just along for the ride."

With the dance still fresh in our minds, it seems to go a bit smoother than before. Maybe because before it was a surprise to both of us. It's too bad he's dressed in jeans and not what he wore earlier, the tails, top hat and pants. Whew! It makes me hot just thinking about it. He's the focal point of my being. He truly makes me feel good and is a great dance partner.

The dance ends, he pulls me close, and once again holds my head in his hands and kisses me. My god. My knees go weak and he catches me in his arms. My heart skips a beat and at that moment I realize something. This might be more than a weeklong fling.

That thought alone scares me to death. I haven't had these feelings in years, if not ever. I think it's time. Time to bear my soul, or past, to him. As much as I can right now anyway. He needs, no deserves, to know what monsters are hiding in my dark.

"You OK?" He asks me, looking down at me. God damn he's so tall!

I look up at him, smile and say, "Yes. Why?"

"You seemed to lose balance just then." He says.

Reaching my hands up to touch his face, I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him down to me and whisper, "Yes, I'm fine. You just make my knees go weak when you kiss me. I'm perfectly perfect right here with you. There's nowhere else I'd rather be." I smile at him and kiss him tenderly.

When I let go and we turn to walk away, Kate and Ana once again have their phones out, along with the crowd. Jeeze, you'd think people would let a couple have some privacy in a romantic moment.

We hear someone say, "Wow guys, that was awesome. Whew! Didn't expect to see that but wow! You two look great together. We hope to see you guys again tomorrow night."

We laugh and Alex responds, "Thank you. We're glad you enjoyed that. Have a good evening." We bow and turn to walk away.

"Kate! Ana! Put those damn phones away! Sheesh! You guys are worse than the other people!" I roll my eyes and continue, "I don't understand what the big deal is. We're just dancing."

Ana looks shocked and says, "Rhi, do you seriously not go on social media at ALL? Better yet, the internet? You and Alex are THE trending thing and all the media outlets are talking about it."

Kate laughs, "Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if someone tried to find and contact you guys for an interview or something. It's crazy."

My eyes get big and I try to keep myself from freaking out. "What?! That can't be true. You're lying, right? Tell me you're lying!"

I look at Alex, who is smiling, "Baby, they're telling the truth. I've seen it myself. It's crazy but you know what? It's awesome and a huge compliment. You should accept it and be proud." He winks, "Besides, something tells me you really know how to dance. You just haven't been anywhere but here that you can show off your moves. It doesn't help that the music is pre-selected. It's not like they do requests here." He laughs and looks over at Kate and Ana.

Kate interjects, "Actually, you can. If you're staying at the hotel. You can have 2 requests. Of course you have to pay for them but this was totally worth it." She gives us a huge grin.

I shake my head, "Leave it to you Kate to do something like this. It was pretty cool, wasn't it?" I laugh, feeling giddy.

"When you get a chance, search 'Mystery Couple in Las Vegas' and see what comes up." Alex grins and laughs when I roll my eyes. "OK, on that note, let's get you upstairs and resting. It's been a long day and you look exhausted." He grabs my hand, leading me into the hotel.

Walking into the hotel, I start to get nervous. I wonder if we will run into those assholes tonight? God I hope not. I don't want to deal with that bullshit again. We approach the elevators and the attendant is there waiting. He's got a huge smile on his face and his phone is in his hand.

"Oh god, not him too?" I mutter under my breath.

"Good evening ladies and gentleman. I hope you had a fantastic evening." He looks at Alex and me and says, "You two look amazing together when you dance." He looks directly at me and says, "You're a sensation and there's a lot of interest in finding out who you are. Don't worry, we won't disclose that information. I just wanted to warn you that you may be spotted by someone at some point. There's kind of a treasure hunt for you." I must have a strange look on my face because he continues, "I know, it's weird but it's true. Have a pleasant rest of your evening."

The elevator door opens and we step inside and as the door closes. I glance at Alex and see that he's got a confused look on his face. "He's such a nice guy. He was the one who was here when we checked in and kind of took care of everything, intercepting between us and crazy vacationers."

I don't know what he's thinking because his response is almost non-existent, "Interesting."

I roll my eyes, "Don't worry, he's harmless. That's the vibe I get and I'm pretty good at getting a read on people." He glances at me. "OK, OK. Sometimes I just make bad choices." This time, he rolls his eyes at me and I laugh.

As the elevator rises, my anxiety rises with it. Please don't be here, please don't be here, please don't be here. I can't deal with this right now.

The elevator 'pings' and we exit and start to walk down the hall. It's quiet, with no sound or movement anywhere. We start to walk past their room and I'm able to hold myself back from running past it. As we make it to our room, Alex lets go of my hand and takes Ana's key to open the door for us.

Filing into the room, I try to take my overnight bag from Alex so I can put it in my room, but he moves it up and out of my reach.

Placing my hand on my hip and look up at him. "What are you doing?! Give it to me!" I demand, playfully but still serious.

He just laughs with a teasing smile, "Do you seriously think I'm going to let you carry this? A gentleman always carries a lady's bags."

I have to laugh at that, a deep hearty laugh. "Just where is the lady you're referring to?" I look around dramatically.

Kate and Ana have already gone to their room so it's just me and Alex. He looks down at me, "I'm looking right at her and she's beautiful, even when she's got an attitude." He winks and leans down to kiss me again. He's so affectionate! "Come on, let's get you changed and ready for bed. I'll unpack your bag while you're getting changed. He nudges me and directs me toward the bedroom.