Chasing Rainbows

Emma immediately regretted dancing with her friends until four am. She wanted to sample every moment of their trip, and being in bed until lunchtime was not on her agenda. Saying that there was no chance that she was going to be able to wake any of the other three before then, so she took the time to go for a swim.

Despite being mid morning, the pool area was deserted. Emma walked over to one of the sun loungers and stripped down to the floral bikini she’d purchased specifically for the trip. She had fought her demons in putting it on, and still wasn’t as comfortable as she could be, the trip from lounger to dive into the water was rather more rapid than it could have been.

She managed a few lengths, then took herself to the edge and propped her elbows on the side, letting her body float behind her, her eyes closed face turned up to the sun. Bliss.

Emma had made it as far as a sun lounger when the whole of the sun deck was captivated by the arrival of her three friends a little later. Angelina struck an amazing sight her voluptuous body in a scarlet bikini that set off her dark skin perfectly, her paper thin wrap did little to cover her and she attracted every set of eyes. Isobel and Eve were behind her, in perfect contrast to each other, one dark and curvy, the other blond and willowy. As a group they were traffic stopping.

Within moments of arriving, the place was in uproar. A poor waiter was dispatched to bring drinks, and snacks, and Angelina was diving into the pool. The giggles and catcalling between her and the twins disrupted everyone there. Though no one really seemed bothered. For Emma it was embarrassing as she hated attention, and that was what they created. But it was Isobel’s time, and as she looked across at her friend, she could see the happiness etched across her face. So she pulled on her best acting face and giggled along too. As she lounged in the sun Emma hated the conclusions she was coming to. She wanted to be a successful actress more than anything, yet she hated unwanted attention, and was self conscious of her own form. Surely those two facts were in stark contrast to her desires? She was destined to not be what she dreamed, she had to realise that now, and she also had to accept that she’d wasted ten years of her life in chasing that dream.

With a sigh she turned back to look at her best friend lounging beside her and threw herself wholeheartedly into their antics, her own thoughts were far more detrimental to her happiness.  After several games of water polo, where none of the patrons were excused, the three headed back to their rooms.

Before dinner they strolled the strip, no easy feat in their heels and dresses, but they managed it and it was worth it, they giggled at the people they passed, Las Vegas attracted some very unique sights, and photographed each other outside the landmark and world famous hotels, and laughed at the tacky souvenirs, and it was in one shop that Isobel bought Nathan a souvenir Las Vegas wedding ring box. Emma knew he’d laugh at that! She didn’t think her parents would appreciate anything from there, but she did buy a rather crude cigarette lighter for Matthew at work. When you lit the flame, the man emblazoned on the body of the lighter mysteriously lost all his clothes! Matthew would LOVE it!

They ate dinner in a neighbouring hotel, Angelina’s choice - Chinese! And it was amazing! But as with every other night of the trip they overate and needed an hour after to relax and be able to breathe again.

                “So what’s on the schedule for tonight?” Isobel asked as they paid the bill.

Eve grinned, “well firstly rainbow shots, I have it on good authority...” she nodded in the direction of Angelina, “that a man who’s expert in making them will be at our disposal later!”

Angelina giggled, “I won’t tell you what I had to promise to get that little treat!”

Emma felt her jaw drop open in shock, and Isobel gasped, “Ange I would lever expect you to...”

The tall dark woman shook her head, “look I dated Caleb once, there’s not exactly a huge variety of eligible and/or handsome men here knocking the door. A late night date with him tonight is not that great a chore! And he is getting us access to SO many things that we wouldn’t otherwise!”  She gave an elaborate wink that sent Eve into fits of giggles.

                “And he’s got a hot friend!” her friend’s twin added in a rather lewd way which made Emma chuckle. The two women had more stories about more men than most people she knew.  Tonight it seemed they would add to that repertoire!

The shots were indeed rainbow, small glasses with stripes of seemingly immiscible liquids in red, yellow, blue and purple that tasted of sweet fruit and the underlying hit of alcohol.  Emma was nervous when it came to drinks like this, and as she watched Isobel throw them down her throat as though there was no tomorrow, she had a feeling she’d be responsible for getting the bride-to-be home, especially if the other two were planning a special night with the men they’d agreed to meet.

And she was right. Two hours later, not even eleven pm, and Isobel was closing her eyes as she sat opposite her.

                “You ok friend?”

Isobel nodded without opening said eyes, “fine...tired...must be jetlag!”

                “Not the half a dozen shots you necked earlier?” She asked but there was no malice in her voice. When Isobel groaned Emma chuckled, “do you want to go to bed?”

Isobel nodded, “I want to speak to Nathan...I miss him.” She opened her eyes and Emma sighed at the confusion in her eyes. She’d had such a busy few days, and it had all caught up with her. She was happy to take her to their room. She’d thought briefly about Blondie - Jacob and his poker game. She would have sat there with him, been the lucky charm that he reckoned she was, that was if it was convenient after all she was here with her friends, but as she hadn’t made concrete arrangements, and she hadn’t seen him since, she wrote off the evening as over.

Up in the room she managed to wrestle Isobel’s prized Jimmy Choo heels off her feet, but by that point her friend was groaning and approaching the tearful drunk stage, so Emma didn’t try and fight Isobel’s desperate crawl into bed. She knew her friend well and she was rarely drunk like this, and she deserved to relax, let her hair down. By the time she closed the bedroom door behind her the recumbent Isobel, her moans and tears of “I miss Nathan” and subsided to soft snores.

As she sat on one of the sofas in the adjacent lounge of the suite, her phone bleeped, Eve.

                ‘Is my sister in bed? The lightweight. We’ve got an hour before out hot date, don’t stay up there alone, come join us in the casino bar?’

Emma was torn, she shouldn’t really abandon her friend, but then Isobel was hardly dangerously drunk, but she’d have to check on her in an hour to make sure she was ok. So with a little reluctance, she headed back downstairs.

In the half an hour that she’d been upstairs, the whole of the floor had got busier, a lot busier. But Emma could still find the two friends with ease, drinking wine at the bad and giggling; attracting the attention of every man in the room, as they had everywhere they went. All bar one. The blonde man sat at the bar his eyes trained on the door, and then ultimately on her. He was across the room on a bar stool, a whisky in his hand, and his elbow on the bar. Relaxed, composed, and completely comfortable.

She felt a little self conscious, until he broke into a smile, ordering a drink and placing it at the space next to him as he watched her approach.

                “I didn’t think you’d come!” He offered sliding the beer in her direction.

And Jacob hadn’t believed she would, not for one minute. But as soon as she’d walked into the bar his whole evening looked a little brighter. He wasn’t one for nerves, but tonight was SO important to his life. Eight years of battling with his parents, eight years of fighting to be what he wanted to be, and it was all coming to a head. Since finishing his computer programming and applied math course his father had been pressuring him to go into the family business. His dream was to create games, for all platforms, but a different type of game, an interactive sporting game whereby friends could join up to play as part of the same team. Interactive and team game, but also multiplayer, he imagined playing for the Lakers sat in his California home, at the same time his best mate who was living in New York playing point guard with him, they already knew they’d play against Oliver’s brothers, them and their Celtics love. He could see the vision, and in eight years he’d ALMOST done it. The latest version of the game had a few flaws, and he needed to iron them out. If he did it, created this thing then all the major gaming companies would be fighting to take it out of his hands. Not that he wanted to sell it, but it was money, and he was desperate.

He’d not been at his father with an open palm, though his father did seem to portray a different story. The truth was that Jacob had managed to be self sufficient, through tutoring, some small programming contracts that he’d taken on, enough to survive. That was for as long as he lived in his departed grandmother’s house that was. But for some as yet unknown reason his father had given him an amazing twenty eighth birthday present - a back dated rental bill and an eviction order.

This poker game was seeing him gambling with five thousand dollars, all he had in the whole world. If he failed, then the only realistic future for him involved him succumbing to his father’s requests. And that was something that he was struggling to deal with. He’d sell his soul to the devil to avoid it if he could, instead he was lording it in Vegas, a dozen hands away from a half a million dollars, the winnings from the previous evening weren’t enough to meet the rent, but if he quadrupled it tonight, then he’d bought himself both time, and his future.

Jacob smiled at Emma, he’d found the woman gazing longingly at a pair of shoes the previous day intriguing, and the previous night she’d manifested into a vixen in her tight jeans, clingy top and killer heels. But tonight, tonight she was beyond words in a dress that was both demure and left little to the imagination, highlighting her curves, and those long legs... Looks aside this woman had made him think the impossible was possible. Now that she was here, well he knew he could win the game, he could do this!