Free Lovestruck in Los Angeles by Rachel Schurig Page B

keep from gaping.
    Okay, so in principle I was totally against Thomas spending tons of money on me. Money in general made me uncomfortable, and I usually felt out of place when surrounded by total luxury. But as soon as I saw that room, none of that mattered. It was spectacular.
    “Wow,” I whispered. We seemed to be floating above the entire city, which we could view through the floor-to-ceiling windows. The entrance opened onto a sitting area, and I could make out a plush king-sized bed in the connected bedroom. The furniture was gorgeous, clearly very high-end but still comfortable looking. The centerpiece, though, was the view. It seemed to go for miles in every direction, completely unobstructed. For the first time in our relationship, I couldn’t have cared less how much it cost—the room was gorgeous and I was thrilled to be staying there.
    On an impulse, I threw my arms around Thomas’s neck. I saw his pleased but surprised look before I buried my face in his shoulder. “This is amazing,” I said. “Thank you.”
    He laughed. “You’re very welcome.”
    “It is quite a nice view,” the concierge said, smiling at us.
    I had kind of forgotten he was there. I let go of Thomas and smiled back shyly.
    “I’ll leave your key cards here,” he went on. “You’ll find the concierge desk number by your phone. I would be happy to help you with any of your planning.”
    Thomas walked him to the door and thanked him again. Once the concierge had gone, he turned to me. “You really like it?”
    “I really, really do.” I turned to the window. “Think of what this will look like at night!”
    “Does Vegas live up to your expectations now?”
    I laughed. “Yeah. I guess I just needed to see the strip.”
    Thomas joined me at the window. We had an amazing view from there of what seemed to be the entire city. The strip was lit up below us, Caesar’s Palace to our left, Paris directly in front of us. “You wanna head down there?” Thomas asked. “Check it out?”
    “Definitely.”
    He looked down at his watch. “Should we make any reservations first?”
    “Let’s play it by ear tonight. See where we end up.”
    “Sounds good to me.” He held out his hand. “Shall we?”
    ***
    The next day we took the concierge up on his offer to book spa treatments for us, and I didn’t think any decision could have been better. After the most amazing hot stone couples massage I could possibly imagine, we were now wrapped up in some kind of seaweed thing—or was it mud? It felt like mud. Whatever it was, it felt insanely good. We’d both had a facial and, though I’d been joking initially, a pedicure. Thomas had been hilarious during it, giggling every time the poor technician touched his feet.
    “I’m staying here all day,” I murmured. “Seriously. You can go gamble if you want. I ain’t leaving.”
    “That’s fine by me,” Thomas said, his voice dreamy.
    “Did you see those Jacuzzis during the tour?” I asked, my voice equally dreamy. “I’m serious about staying down here all day.”
    “I did. And the saunas.”
    “And the relaxation room. With the freaking waterfalls in it.”
    Thomas chuckled. “This was just what I needed.”
    We had spent the first day in Vegas mostly walking on the strip. I had expected it to be a lot hotter than it was, but I guess late November gets chilly even in the desert. The high of sixty-five was perfect for walking outside though, so we weren’t complaining. We’d seen most of the big casinos, trying our hands at the slots, craps, and the black jack tables. Thomas had lost a hundred dollars so far, but I was up thirteen on the penny slots, a fact I had lorded over him all day.
    The casino floor had seemed slightly quieter today, probably because most people were spending Thanksgiving watching (and betting on) the football games. After the spa, we were planning to see the Cirque de Solei show, another reservation our concierge had helped us with. I was liking the