But when have I ever been a fan of good ideas?”
Rachel shrugged. “All right, I’m not your mother—although, your mother would be all over this—so I’m going to go. But you have to promise me you’ll be careful. You don’t know this guy.”
“I’ve got pepper spray in my purse, and I’m not afraid to use it.”
Rachel nodded, and walked past Ellie to Gabe. “Hey, Mr. Smooth-Talker. Let me see your driver’s license.” Following behind, Ellie laughed at her friend’s brashness.
“What?” he asked, clearly taken aback.
Rachel held out her hand. “Let me see it.”
Gabe didn’t argue, and Ellie watched as he produced his ID.
Rachel was lightning quick in snapping a picture of it with her phone. She grinned at Gabe. “Now if anything happens to my friend, I’ll know right where to send the police. Ellie, text me later so I know you’re safe. Let me know anytime if you need me to pick you up.”
“Cross my heart, I will.” She watched Rachel leave, and when she was out of earshot, Ellie turned to Gabe. “Sorry about her.”
“It’s fine,” he said with another amazing smile. “She’s just looking out for you. Being a good friend.”
“She is. She’s amazing. We’ve known each other since we were teenagers.”
“That’s nice. It’s good for someone to have your back.”
“She’s like the only person,” Ellie muttered. She hadn’t meant to say that, but the words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.
He frowned at her, and she knew she’d inadvertently revealed too much. “How about we get that drink?” He reached for her hand, but she pulled back from him.
“Why are you so sure I’m eager to go anywhere with a stranger?”
“Because you let your friend go home without you.”
“That’s true,” she conceded.
“All right, why don’t I tell you a little about myself? Then I won’t be such a stranger.”
“Okay,” she said, leaning casually against a cement pillar. “Tell me. You from here?”
“Yeah, I grew up here. Proudly battle-born-and-raised,” he told her, referencing the Nevada state nickname. “Except for the time I spent in England for university.”
“How nice.”
“What do you do?”
“I’m a lawyer. Business law,” she answered, still not used to saying the words. They didn’t feel natural.
His eyes widened, then narrowed in scrutiny. “Me, too,” he answered. “Strange we’ve never crossed paths before. I would have definitely remembered meeting you.”
“I’ve only been here for a couple of weeks. I just finished school back east.”
“New to the city,” he said with a nod. “I’d pegged you for a tourist. So, you’re brand-new and fresh-faced?”
“I guess so.”
“I guess it makes sense that we haven’t met. I just returned from Hong Kong, myself. I’ve been working over there the past couple of months.”
“Oh nice. So corporate law isn’t all filings and research.”
“It’s all of those things. But sometimes they let you go to exotic locales to file and research. How do you like practicing so far?”
“It’s a lot of work. Which I don’t need to tell you.” She started to think about her father, and how he would more than disapprove of her night spent on the Vegas Strip instead of in her office. She pushed it aside. “You know, can we not talk about work? I really need to take a night off.”
He looked relieved at her suggestion. “That sounds good to me. Can I buy you that drink now?” He held out his hand to her and looked around the busy casino. “I know a great place here. It’s quieter. We’ll be able to talk some more.”
She looked Gabe over. The smart, sensible thing would be to thank him for the offer, catch up with Rachel and go home.
But for one night, Ellie didn’t want to be smart. She wanted to have fun. Between her years in law school and her new job, she’d been working so hard lately, in her sensible suits, that it was time to finally release old Ellie for one more wild night. One more night of fun, that’s it. She’d earned it. And as she watched Gabe, with his cocky grin and mischievous eyes, she knew that he was the way to do so. Curving the corners of her lips upward, she put her hand in his and said, “Sure.”
As her fingers interlocked with Gabe’s and her palm flattened against his, an electric shock shot through her body, and she looked up at his profile. He must have felt her gaze on him, because he looked down at her and winked. It was dumb, reckless even, to go off with a stranger, something that she’d never done before. But something about Gabe made her brain shut off and follow her intuition—it told her that she was right where she wanted to be.
The crowd seemed to part before them as they made their way across the casino floor. Ellie was barely aware of the people around them as Gabe led her through the throngs, expertly navigating the crowd. She wasn’t sure if she was imagining many of them looking in their direction. She stiffened, wondering if any of them knew her from the days when she topped the gossip blogs, or maybe they knew Gabe, or maybe they were just admiring him, paying attention to the sexiest man in the room. He had certainly gotten her attention, Ellie reasoned.
She was surprised when he didn’t lead her to the trendy nightclub, but instead bypassed the lineup and led her to a staircase that took them to a quieter area above the casino floor. The bar had an air of sophistication and exclusivity. Class. It was quieter, less chaotic than the casino below. The place felt like Gabe.
After he shook the hand of the doorman, palming him some amount of money, an attendant led them to a secluded corner at the far end, a semicircle booth ensconced in a nook built into the wall to ensure them privacy. Ellie settled into the rich, leather booth, as Gabe did the same. When the server came to take their order, Gabe plucked the menu from the table.
“What’s your poison?” he asked, passing her the drink menu.
“I’m not picky,” she told him.
After a brief deliberation, Gabe ordered a bottle of champagne for them.
“A bottle?”
“Well, they don’t exactly sell the good stuff by the glass,” he told her with a sly wink.
“Champagne, though?”
He shrugged casually. “I don’t know about you, but I feel like celebrating.”
She sat a little closer to him, bringing her knee in contact with his thigh, pivoting her upper body to face him on the couch. “What are you celebrating?”
