Chapter 4

They awoke early, the sun streaming through the curtains and bathing the room in a yellowish glow. Rob woke first, opened his eyes, then quickly shut them against the light. He turned to Mandy and kissed her on the face, then rolled over and kissed Adeline's tit.

And then the phone rang, completely startling him and waking the girls. "Who the hell could that be?" Rob said, clearly annoyed by the intrusion.

The phone continued to ring.

"Mandy-did you tell anyone we were going to be here?"

"Of course not," she replied, sitting up. "Who would I tell?"

"Well, someone's on the other end of that line, god damnit! The only person who knew Yd be here is my secretary, but she wouldn't call."

"Why don't you answer it?" Adeline suggested, her voice heavy from sleep.

The phone kept on ringing.

"No-let's ignore it," Rob replied. "It'll stop soon."

"But the hotel operator...." Mandy said.

"Let her think I'm asleep. Later I'll ring down and tell her not to send up any calls."

Finally the phone stopped, leaving the room silent.

"Well, I want a shower," Mandy said, then yawned and stretched her arms up, her firm breasts rising from the pull of her muscles. Then she rubbed her eyes with fisted hands and quickly stood up, a little dizzy at first. "Anyone want to join me?"

"No," Rob replied, obviously still preoccupied with the ringing phone. "You go ahead-I'll wash later."

"Adeline?" Mandy asked.

"No, I just want to he here a little while longer."

"Okay," she said, then walked off to the bathroom.

Rob turned to Adeline. "You know-this really disturbs me. What if it was my wife?"

"How would she know to call you here?" Adeline said.

"That's just it-she wouldn't. But if there has been some emergency, maybe my secretary told her. But I specifically told her not to tell anyone."

"Well then," Adeline said, "maybe it was her. Maybe you had an important call and she has to reach you to tell you about it"

"I don't know, but-"

The phone rang again. "Goddamnit!"

"Maybe you'd better answer this time," Adeline said gently.

Angrily, Rob got up and crossed the room to the phone. He picked it up and held it to his ear, not saying anything for a few minutes.

Then: "Okay, tell him I'll catch the eleven-thirty. Did you make a reservation for me?"

He paused for a few more minutes, then said into the phone: "Yes, that's right. The eleven-thirty. Tell him I'll be at the hotel by four o'clock."

He hung up and returned to the bed, Adeline's eyes riveted to the soft, thick cock hanging from his groin.

"Well, got some bad news....I have to leave. Big business problem. I've got to catch an eleven-thirty flight to Las Vegas."

Adeline looked at him quizzically. "Today?"

"Yes, today. In fact, I'd better start getting dressed."

He looked at the clock. "I only have an hour ... it'll take me an hour and a half to get to the airport and check my bag....Mandy had better hurry with that shower."

Then, suddenly impatient, he went to the bathroom and called over the running water: "Hurry up-I have to talk to you right away!"

Mandy shut off the water in a few minutes, then stepped out to see Rob waiting,, sitting on the toilet seat, the lid closed.

"What's up?"

"I have to leave in an hour for Las Vegas. I just got a call from my secretary."

"Oh, Rob!" Mandy said, her face showing disappointment. "Can't you go tomorrow?"

"I wish I could, but this is a big, implicated problem that has to be cleared up, and it involves a good friend. ... I can't let him down."

"Oh, shit!" Mandy said. "I really wanted to stay with you. I felt so good last night with the three of us."

"Me too, baby. Me, too. But this is business ... "I know, I know," she said disgustedly, then left the bathroom.

"He told you," Adeline firmly stated when she saw the expression on Mandy's face.

"Yeah. Well, I guess it's back to the dorm for another fun-filled campus weekend." Her voice dripped sarcasm.

Rob closed the bathroom door behind her, and she and Adeline heard the water running as he stepped into the shower.

"Goddamnit!" Mandy swore. "I really dug last night. I wanted to stay the whole weekend."

"I did too," Adeline said. "But, after all, he's got a business life, you know."

"Yeah, I know, but why does it always have to come first? Why can't he ever place me before that fucking business?"

"Because," Adeline answered coolly, "if he did put you first he'd have no money to bring you to nice hotels and buy you clothes."

Mandy grumbled something under her breath.

"Look," Adeline went on, "I'm disappointed too. Last night meant a lot to me ... it was the best sex I've ever had. But you've got to stop acting like a spoiled child. If you keep this up you'll turn him off."

"I know you're right," Mandy said, "but I'm just so pissed off. I wanted to get laid all weekend-now all I'll have are the memories of one goddamned night!"

Rob turned off the water then, and in a moment the bathroom door opened. He emerged with a towel wrapped around his middle.

"Hey-I've got an idea. You girls come along with me!"

Mandy and Adeline looked at each other, at him, then back at each other.

"Great!" they said simultaneously.

"You have enough clothes packed?" he asked.

They both said they did, then Adeline showered quickly, and they dressed and checked out of the hotel.

On the way to the airport Rob told Mandy and Adeline about Las Vegas-about the hotels and gambling, about the legal prostitution, about the big-time money floating around. Both girls were all ears, eager to learn everything they could before arriving there.

He explained that the man he had to meet with was an old friend, and the manager of the Desert Palm Hotel. It was, he said, one of the largest and most expensive places out there.

The hotel had top-notch entertainers every night, one of the best chorus lines to be found in the city, a magnificent casino, one of the finest French restaurants in the country, and three olympic-sized swimming pools as well as tennis courts and a full gymnasium with health spa.

By the time they arrived at the airport Adeline and Mandy were dizzy with excitement. Neither girl had ever been out west, and they were eager to see it all-the desert, the western sky, the big hotels and movie stars. Mandy thought about how warm it would be, how her skin would drink up the hot sun.

"As soon as we get there I'm going to buy a bathing suit and get right out into the sun. I hope I can get a decent tan in two days."

"Well, I'll be pretty tied up with one thing and another, so you girls will be pretty much on your own-at least during the day. I have to meet with Tony as soon as we get there, and it'll probably go on for at least five or six hours. And then tomorrow, all afternoon, we'll probably be on the golf course with a few other people."

"Will you be with us at night?" Adeline asked, hoping that the previous night wouldn't be her only sexual experience with Rob.

"Yep!" he said, then put his arm around her shoulders.

Mandy and Adeline stood off to the side as Rob approached the check-in counter and purchased two more tickets, then they had to run to the gate-it was eleven-fifteen, and the plane had started boarding fifteen minutes earlier.

They ran out through the gate and across the pavement to the stairs, then ascended and boarded the jet.

The stewardess showed them to their seats; first class, much to the girls' surprise and delight.

"I never flew first class," Mandy whispered to Adeline as they sat down.

Rob sat opposite them, said he'd have to excuse himself from conversation because he had to get some papers in order, then opened his briefcase and began pulling out folders, sorting through them and mumbling under his breath every so often.

The ride was long and boring, but Mandy and Adeline didn't care. They were high from the excitement, eager to get to Vegas and check things out. The stewardesses made sure they had drinks and magazines-they drank the drinks, ignored the magazines. The meal was delicious, and the service was better than Mandy had expected.

"You know," she said to Adeline, "after this, I don't think I'll ever fly anywhere unless I can afford first class."

"Me too," Adeline said. "And I hope we both can afford it some day....You used to tell me about how much it meant to you to five well and have money, and now, after last night and today-all this-I'm beginning to understand. It's like I suddenly feel more at home in more luxurious surroundings. It all seems very natural.

"I used to think that I'd feel uncomfortable, afraid I'd make some social blunder or break some valuable trinket-I don't know-I guess what I'm trying to say is that I've always been very middle class, and was afraid of money and luxury because I felt somehow that I didn't deserve it....Does that make any sense?"

"Sure it does," Mandy replied. "But I'm glad you got over it. If this thing works out with Rob"-she lowered her voice here, not wanting to attract his attention-maybe you and he can have a steady thing, too. Maybe we'll all get together sometimes, then some weekends you can be with him alone, and I'll be alone with him on other weekends."

"Wow-that'd be really terrific," Adeline said, her cunt heating at the thought.

"And he'll buy you clothes and take you nice places, like he does with me."

They chattered on, both stretching their necks to peer out the window now and then. When they heard the pilot say they were over the desert the girls' excitement keened. The No Smoking light came on, the stewardess asked everyone to buckle their seatbelts, and the plane began to descend.

Rob looked up from his paperwork, realized that he'd been totally absorbed in it for the duration of the flight, then stuffed everything back into his briefcase and looked at the girls.

It gave him immense pleasure to see their excitement. He'd been meaning to take Mandy on a little vacation-meaning to for some time. But now there was Adeline too, and much as he cared for Mandy, he felt equally drawn to Adeline. Where Mandy was aggressive and demanding, Adeline seemed shy and passive. There could be no comparison so far as looks or figure-each was beautiful in her own way. Neither was more nor less attractive than the other. In Mandy's face he saw a determined excitement; in Adeline's the excitement was more tentative. Mandy was so sure of herself; Adeline seemed cautious. They appealed to him equally, opposite though they were.

The plane dipped down more, then the landing wheels hit the pavement with a screech. It taxied down the runway, the girls looking out the window and oohing and ahhing at the sun and sand. Finally the plane came to a halt.

"Let's wait till everyone else gets off," Rob suggested. "I hate to fight with crowds of people."

They waited until the plane was nearly emptied, then rose and walked off the plane and down the steps into the bright, hot sunlight.

"Oh, it's too, too much!" Mandy squealed, throwing up her arms, lifting her face to the sky. "It's so warm! I can't believe it!"

Adeline's reaction was similar, but not so demonstrative.

They entered the terminal building, retrieved their bags, then hopped into a cab.

"The Desert Palm," Rob said to the driver, then leaned back and put one arm around each girl.

They both kept their eyes fixed to the passing scenery, commenting on the vivid colors of the desert plants, on the immensity of the sky, the warmth of the sun.

Then finally they pulled up before the hotel, an enormous, tall building constructed mostly of glass, with a number of fountains in a large, grassy square in front.

The doorman appeared instantly, helped them out, took their luggage and handed it to a bellhop, then escorted them inside.

Mandy and Adeline were transfixed. The lobby was the most beautiful they'd ever seen. Everything was deep, soft, rich-looking. The incredibly thick carpet beneath their feet; the handsome men and beautiful women crossing back and forth across the lobby, the mirrored walls, the feel of money-all combined to make them feel rich and beautiful, too.

There was commotion everywhere, yet it seemed unusually quiet. Adeline commented that she'd never seen so many people in one room being so quiet.

That's because they have so much money," Mandy answered. "When you're rich, you have to try very hard to not draw attention to yourself."

"Oh, I see," Adeline replied, though she didn't see at all.

Mandy turned to Rob. "I love it," she said simply.

For a fraction of a second he allowed her soft-spoken remark to feed his ego, making him feel once again like the worldly sophisticate treating two beautiful young women to a weekend in Vegas. But then, as he looked toward the registration desk, he saw his friend Tony.

"Look, why don't you girls go up and take a look at the suite. I have to meet with Tony now, so I'll see you later."

"Where?" Adeline asked. "Where should we look for you?"

"I don't know," he said hurriedly, obviously eager to attend to the business matter which had brought him here. I'll come up to the suite when I'm through-in a few hours. You just go on over to the registration desk and a bellhop will take you up."

He turned and walked away, leaving the two girls standing alone in the middle of the huge lobby as he met Tony.

"Rob, good to see you," his friend said, shaking his hand. "I've been waiting around all afternoon."

He put his arm around Rob's shoulder and, talking quietly, they walked across the lobby, heading for the bar.

This makes the Hilltop Inn look like a welfare hotel," Mandy said to Adeline as they surveyed the suite.

"I'll say," Adeline said. "Wow-this is really incredible....You know, I feel a little out of place, though."

"Why?" Mandy asked.

"Well, I feel like my clothes are shabby-looking, and my hair is all wrong-I'm afraid I'll stick out like a sore thumb."

"Well, that's silly, but if it'll make you feel better, you tell Rob when he gets up to the suite. I'm sure he'll let you buy a few things."

Mandy decided to shower, feeling tired and gritty from the flight, then to go back downstairs and pick up a bikini at one of the boutiques. When she entered the bathroom she was amazed.

Wall-to-wall mirrors; mirrored ceiling; sunlamp in the ceiling; huge, glass-doored shower stall; sunken marble tub; three-inch-thick carpeting; plushy velour towels; colognes and toiletries in the cabinets; she decided instantly that she wanted a bathroom like this for herself. Never again would she be satisfied by a tile floor with tile walls and a shower-tub combination. Never again would she be satisfied by anything less than wall-to-wall mirrors and velour towels.

"Hey, Adeline," she called, "come on in here-you've got to see this!"

Adeline entered the bathroom and drew a long, slow breath. "Wow...." was all she could say.

Showered and changed, the two girls left the suite. They rode down in the mirror-walled elevator, and when it stopped on the fifteenth floor to admit another hotel guest, Mandy nudged Adeline. "That's Bobby Macer," she whispered.

"I know," Adeline whispered back. They stared at him all the way down to the lobby.

When they got out of the elevator Mandy said, "I just bought his new album. I wonder if he's appearing in the nightclub here, or maybe at one of the other hotels."

Adeline shrugged her shoulders. She looked around the lobby again, her amazement renewed, then the two asked a clerk where they could buy bathing suits.

In the hotel's boutique they each selected a very small bikini-Mandy's in bright red, Adeline's a soft honey color.

They returned to the suite, changed quickly, then went back downstairs to the pool.

Feeling very beautiful and desirable, they lay in the sun on deck chairs by the side of the pool, sipping vodka Collinses and watching the other hotel guests.

Mandy was intrigued by the number of handsome men, many of them not much older than she and Adeline. But the women surprised her equally-for every man under forty-five, there seemed to be three or four women over fifty. The imbalance seemed almost ludicrous.

She commented on it to Adeline, who glanced around her, taking notice of the other guests. "You're right. It seems like such a waste-all those men and so few good-looking chicks. ... I think if we weren't with Rob, I could very easily be tempted to spend the entire weekend balling men-a different one every three hours!"

Mandy laughed. "I know just what you mean. I wonder what these guys do at night around here. I mean, I know the casinos are always jumping at night, with tons of people, but what about after the gambling ... what do they do then?"

"Well, if those older women are representative of all the available women around, chances are they go to their rooms and jerk off," Adeline commented, giggling. "I guess I'm getting higher than I thought from these drinks," she admitted sheepishly.

Mandy looked up just in time to see the poolside waiter passing with a tray of drinks.-She waved to him, and after he served a group of middle-aged women on the far side of the pool, he took Mandy's order for another drink, and Adeline's, too.

"Well, all in all," Mandy said, peering at Adeline over the top of her new sunglasses, "this isn't a bad way to spend a winter weekend. ... Or a summer weekend. ... Or a whole lifetime. If we were back in Vermont now, we'd be sitting in my room or yours, talking about how cold it was outside, and trying to find a way of killing time. And we'd also be agonizing over the fact that the only guys around are those jackasses from State."

Adeline nodded understandingly. She sipped her drink slowly at first, then suddenly downed the entire thing in a few gulps. "This," she said, "is to give me some courage."

"Courage for what?" Mandy asked.

"To go over and talk to that man sitting under the green striped umbrella."

"Where?" Mandy asked.

"Right over there," Adeline replied, trying to point him out without drawing his attention.

"All I can see is legs," Mandy said disappointedly.

"Well, if you want to switch chairs with me you can see him better. From this angle I can see his whole body and face, and he's really fine."

"Well, I won't bother to look-you keep him for yourself. I'll see if maybe I can find someone else."

"But what about Rob?" Adeline said, sounding suddenly guilty. "I mean, we came out here with him-he's laying out all the money-and I have a feeling he wouldn't like it if we started to mess around. ... Damn it-that guy over there is looking at me."

"If you want to go over, go ahead," Mandy said, "I'll cover for you if Rob comes around, but chances are we won't see him till much later."

Adeline started to get up, then sat back again. "I can't do it," she said quietly.

"Why not?" Mandy wanted to know. "I know you're shy, but if he's looking at you there's really nothing wrong with going over to him."

"I know, but I feel like I'd be betraying Rob."

"What Rob doesn't know can't hurt him," Mandy said caustically. The tone of her voice surprised her. "I didn't mean it to sound so harsh," she added.

"Would you do it?" Adeline asked. "I mean, would you go off with another guy while you're here with Rob?"

Mandy thought for a moment. "Well, when you put it that way it does sound like a betrayal, but I haven't made any commitment to Rob. I never promised him I wouldn't see other men, and he never asked me to. After all, he doesn't have the right-he's married, so he can't really say too much about what I do when I'm away from him."

"But that's just it-you re not away from him now."

"That's true," Mandy allowed, "but still, he has no claim on either of us. ... To tell you the truth, I'm getting just a little tired of him anyway. Always the same thing, always sneaking around. And now that I'm here, and there are so many good-looking men around-well, I don't think I'll have much guilt about being with someone else."

"I don't understand how you could say you're tired of Rob," Adeline commented. "He's really so sweet, and he's terrific in bed, and he has money. What more could you want?"

"A lot more," Mandy replied.