Bluffing the Devil(11)

"Oh God, yes! Please!? That sounds like pure heaven!" I agreed as I allowed Carly to begin to drag me in the proper direction of our hotel.

~

While Victoria and I enjoyed the amazing hot tub in the suite we all shared, Rhea busied herself with some project on her laptop, and Carly went on a mission to find the very best sweets in all of Atlantic City. I knew she would come back with something incredible and was looking forward to going into a sugar coma and sleeping until I couldn't possibly sleep any longer. A nice, long restful night would do me some serious good.

"So, what’s up with the creeper, Lex? He's everywhere, and it's making my trigger finger itchy," Rhea called from across the room.

I chuckled, "He's that guy I told you about that beat me in Reno last month. Remember? I was second and he knocked me out with some bullshit better kicker hand."

"Oh see, I was thinking that guy was… what did she call it, Rhea? Sex on a stick?" Victoria harassed me sweetly.

"At the time, he was yummy. That guy is a Monet though, you know? From far away, you’re thinking it’s incredible and amazing and the closer you get, the hotter of a mess it is until you are wondering what the hell you were going through when you thought him to be so sexy. Was I drunk that night? I swear I don't remember being drunk when I played ever before." If I weren't sitting in a giant vat of 110 degree water, I might have face planted out of embarrassment.

"No, you weren't drinking, that was just the first person that snagged your attention since… You were all girly and giggly, which was enough of a warning flag for me. Then I met him and he's just confusing. It’s like he's really sweet and nice, but at the same time he's creepy and has some hidden agenda. You're right to try to stay away from him. I don't trust him," Victoria announced with finality.

"Yes, but you never trust anyone, so that doesn't give brownie points for or against his case," I pointed out softly.

"Okay, you have an incredibly tiny point there, but how often am I wrong in not trusting someone? Let's be honest here. Show of hands? Anyone? Have I ever been wrong on a personal read up until this very moment?" she challenged with an eyebrow quirked.

Rhea and I shared a long look at each other, then had to nod in united agreement that Victoria had never been wrong before. She could read people, especially men, like a bold-print book with colored pictures and warning signs plastered across the pages. It was almost as if she had some ingrained inner-voice that just went through going "No. Yes. Victim. User. Abuser. Douchebag. Terrorist. Lawyer" you know, all of the important factors in determining if someone was good or evil.

"Right, thanks, and the funny thing is, I get that creepy vibe from him, but I am also picking up that he has a reason for it, and it's not he who chooses it. Do you have some secret life we don't know about, Lex? Have a bookie, or a husband we don’t know about? Girlfriend? Something? This guy seems like he knows you, and has a reason to want to be close. I don't get it just yet, but it’s a hunch."

Victoria wasn't asking me the questions for answers, she was being a brat as usual, but she did get my mind stirring. There was nothing in my past that was a secret or anything remotely exciting. I had no skeletons and my parents had made sure to keep it that way for me. I was coddled, protected, and guarded my entire life. Almost too much, I wouldn’t know how to be deceptive, or hide something from my girls anyway.

A loud crash into the front door made us all jump, except Rhea, who was always armed and calm. She soundlessly went to the front door of the suite and peeked through the peephole.

She huffed audibly, then snatched the door open, "What the hell, Carly?"

"Sorry, geez! I had all this stuff and didn't have any hands to open the door. I tried to knock, but it wouldn't work so I bashed the door with my knee. That junk hurt!"

"Carly? What in the world? How many sweets did you buy?" I asked seeing a shopping bag hanging from each wrist and a giant box between her hands. She looked as if she were going to topple over at any second.

"Dude, seriously. I got the best yummies in the whole world. Okay, maybe not the entire world, but pretty damned close!" she was almost buzzing with excitement as she breezed past us headed toward the kitchenette. We never cooked when we were staying at a hotel, but we always got a big suite so we could all have separate rooms but share the common area and have a kitchenette and Jacuzzi and such for just in case. Carly liked to use every excuse to make at least one thing in the kitchenette every time, but we usually talked her out of it by enticing her with a fancy restaurant or divine menu somewhere.

She plopped the bags and box down on the counter and started rummaging through things furiously.

"Okay, don't we have a kettle? For water? Tea? Yes?" she started to look around for it.

"Yes, under the cabinet on the right," I shouted toward the kitchenette. I wasn't sure if she could hear my normal speaking voice. "What are we making? They don't have any ready-to-serve sweets in this city? What a joke!" I wanted to cry. I was ready for bed and just wanted some sweets to stuff my face with first. Eating something sweet before bed might not be good for me, but I found it helped me wake up less light-headed and my dad always said it would help me have sweet dreams, and those dreams are what I had been chasing lately.

"Stop whining, for goodness sake! I just wanted to make my special hot chocolate to go with the pastries I found at this amazing little mom and pop shop on a side street. It will only take a few minutes and you know you love it, so shut up and go dry off already. By the time you're dressed, it will be ready. Sheesh," Carly complained. She was almost always watching a cooking show, or in the kitchen creating some masterpiece. She didn't go to school for cooking professionally, it was just her favorite hobby and since we all benefitted from the deliciousness she would create, no one ever pushed her to make more of it as a career or anything. She was happy being an accountant and was a genius with numbers. She could work in her office and handle things quickly without batting an eye. Numbers were in her head and she was great at it, but it wasn't her dream job at all.

She began whipping things together and my mouth immediately started to water for the hot chocolate. I don't know what she does to that stuff, but it's like crack or something. Completely delicious, so soothing, and I have the best dreams ever after I drink it. Truth be told, she could have just made that and not bought any pastries or anything, and I would have been totally happy. But, as always, she was my girl and loved to spoil me rotten.

Victoria and I reluctantly got out of the hot tub. You really aren't supposed to stay in extreme temperatures for long anyway, but I loved to get a really good soak in before bed also. Loosens the muscles, the heat relaxes me, and who doesn't want to feel weightless from time to time?

I quickly shuffled to my room and toed the door almost closed as I stripped off my bathing suit and slid on my pajamas. When I was drying my hair, I heard Rhea telling Victoria and Carly that she would be back in a bit and not to wait up for her. I popped out of my room quickly and caught her in the foyer of our suite.

"What's wrong, babe? You're being really weird. Is something going on? Do you need to talk?" I asked her as I held her hand.

"Nothing is wrong at all, love. Just a little bit of business. I’m good and I’ll be back in a bit for some of that delicious hot chocolate, a snack, and a nap. You have a big day tomorrow, and I wouldn't miss it for the world!" Rhea hugged me tightly and then silently slipped out the door. Even the door didn't click when she shut it. Damned ninjas.

I slipped back into my room, finished toweling off my hair, and then ran a brush through it quickly. Happily, my conditioner had decided to kick in, and I didn't have to wrangle the hair in place, just had to sweet talk it a bit.

I padded into the common area, what we called "the chill spot" and curled up in the corner of the amazing sectional style sofa. It was a semi-circle with recliners and a divan, tons of cushy pillows, and even little throw blankets. This was my kind of relaxing. I grabbed one of the blankets and wrapped it around me to hold in my warmth and a few moments later Carly popped out of the kitchenette with a tray of mugs.

"Here you go, your very own cup of, Carly's Chocolate Cocoon!"

"You gave it a name? Chocolate Cocoon? Seems appropriate," I agreed as I took a mug from the tray, and held it in front of my face to breathe in the aroma.

"Yep, 'cause it wraps you up in its awesomeness, of course! And it’s by me and it’s chocolate. You know, all the rest is just obvious," she joked.

"Well, all of it is incredible. You should market this stuff. It's better than sleepy time tea and vodka mixed together," Victoria agreed. She was the queen of cookies and totally addicted to cookies of nearly any kind. For her to not reach for a pastry first and snuggle on the other end of the couch with her own mug of Carly's Chocolate Cocoon meant that it was as amazing as we all touted it to be.