All of Me

“I am. The show starts at eight.” She got in the elevator, and he followed.

“Thanks. What’re you going to do until then?”

“Shower, wash my hair and probably take a nap. Are you going to meet your friends?”

“I’ll probably relax for a little while, then see if I can find them.”

The elevator opened, and he followed her to her room. She unlocked the door and then turned back.

“I’ll pick you up at seven-thirty. Is that all right?”

“That’s fine.”

“See you in a little while.” He bent low and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. “Sleep well.” Then he was gone.

* * *

After showering and taking a short nap, Damian went in search of Troy and Kyle and found them in the casino playing blackjack.

Troy looked up from his cards. “What’s up? I see you got our message. I was wondering if you’d show up.”

“How long you guys been playing?”

“Long enough to lose damn near all my money,” Kyle grumbled, turning over his cards and showing another busted hand.

Damian laughed. “I’m glad I got here when I did. I need to keep my money.”

“Please, you have almost as much money as Midas.”

“Yeah, right. And you don’t? Kyle, you have more money than Troy and I put together.”

“That’s because Kyle is a miser,” Troy said and signaled the dealer to give him another card.

“It’s called managing your money properly,” Kyle said, mimicking the nasally tone of their high school economics teacher.

They looked at each other and broke out in laughter. Back in high school, they had teased Mr. Cornwell and laughed behind his back, but the three friends had taken the man’s words to heart, made some lucrative investments and were now financially well-off. Doing this had also given them the freedom to start their own business when they were ready for career changes.

“How was Dunn’s River Falls?” Kyle asked.

Damian smiled, remembering how good Karen looked in her swimsuit, how smooth her skin felt and how much he liked kissing her. “Great.”

“That good?”

Damian nodded.

Troy lifted an eyebrow. “You’re not planning to back out on us tomorrow, are you?”

“Nah, man. But I am going with her to Monte’s show tonight. Front row, reserved seats. Remember when we saw her dressed up that first day?”

“Yeah,” they both answered.

“Karen’s best friend had just gotten married to Monte. So he reserved some seats.”

Kyle threw down another busted hand. “I think I’ve lost enough money for one day.” He stood. “Let’s go listen to some music and grab something to eat, and then Damian can tell us all about Karen.”

They filed out of the casino and caught a performance in the atrium. There was no room on the main floor, so they ended up going to the next level. Afterward, over an early dinner, they lamented the fact that so many great singing artists, like the one they’d just heard, were going the independent route. With radio stations and music companies looking for quick money, the market seemed to be flooded with cookie-cutter mediocre talent.

The conversation turned to Karen. “I don’t know much about her, except that she’s a teacher,” Damian said.

“Did you tell her you used to teach?” Troy asked before forking up a piece of steak.

“No. I just told her I work for a consulting firm.”

“Good move,” Kyle said, toasting Damian with his wineglass. “You don’t need to divulge all your secrets to somebody you probably won’t see again.”

“Hmm.” For some reason, the knowledge that he might not see Karen again after this week bothered him, but he decided not to share that piece of information with his friends. He wanted to learn more about her. One week wouldn’t be nearly enough time for him to uncover all he needed to know. But it was a start. He checked his watch and realized he had less than an hour to change before meeting Karen. He finished his meal and stood. “What time do you want to meet in the morning?”

Troy shrugged. “Say breakfast at eight, and we leave around nine?”

“Okay. What are we doing?”

Kyle and Troy shared a smile. Kyle said, “You just need to bring a couple of changes of clothes. We plan to have a good time.”

Damian divided a wary gaze between the two men. “What are you two up to?”

“Just want you to enjoy yourself,” Troy answered. He chuckled. “We may never get you out of the house again, so we have to pack it in while we can.”