Goddess of Light (Goddess Summoning #3)(10)

"Promise?"

"Absolutely. And hey, here's a thought. How about you take some time for yourself. You're in Las Vegas, for God's sake! Hang out, have some fun. Hell, you might as well gamble a little."

"Gamble?"

"Pammy, that is what Vegas is all about," V said.

"I don't think I'd like gambling. It doesn't make sense to me. I'm supposed to give up my money and I don't get food or wine or clothes or a piece of furniture in return? I can't imagine it being fun."

"Pammy, I think you're missing the point."

"Which is?"

"Be a little crazy! Let loose! You might hit the jackpot."

Considering, Pamela cocked her head to the side. "You might have something there, V. Maybe I'm looking at this project all wrong. Instead of thinking tasteful, I should be thinking whimsical:"

"Yeah," V said. "The guy's loaded, and even though he sounds a little over the top, you said he seems nice."

"He is," Pamela said.

"Well then, look at it like this: E. D. Faust creates fantasies for a living. He is simply asking that you create one for him to live in. Stop stressing about turning it into an Architectural Digest layout. And, Pammy, when I said that you should take some time for yourself, I didn't mean it should have anything to do with work." She paused, and her voice became serious. "How long has it been since you've had a vacation?"

"You and I went - "

"No, I'm not talking about trips to market," V cut her off. "I'm talking about a vacation."

Pamela sighed. V knew the answer to that question as well as she did. It had been years. The last vacation she'd taken had been with Duane, and it had been a nightmare. Just the two of them, alone at a chic Mexican resort that catered to couples and their privacy. The resort had provided all the booze Duane could swill and lots of alone time for him to obsess over her. He hadn't let her out of his sight for six days. Just thinking about it made her feel short of breath. Since she'd left him, she really hadn't thought about taking a vacation. When had there been time?

"I didn't mean to bring up bad memories, Pammy," she said softly into the silent phone. "I just want you to think about how long it's been since you've relaxed and really had fun." V paused, took a deep breath, and continued in the same soothing tone. "You haven't even had a date since you left Duane."

"I have, too! I went out with... uh..." Pamela struggled unsuccessfully to recall the name of the textile representative who had taken her to lunch a few months ago.

"A g*y guy doesn't count - especially a g*y guy whose name you can't remember," V scoffed.

"What's-his-name wasn't g*y."

"If you're calling him what's-his-name, it doesn't matter whether he's g*y or not. Who besides him?"

Pamela chewed on her lip.

"That's what I thought. Pammy, you're in Vegas. It's Friday night. You have plenty of money. You are single and very available. No!" she said before Pamela could begin to ague with her. "Don't start. The sticky booger ex-husfreak hasn't bothered you in six months, and you've been officially divorced now for a year and a half. You are definitely not one of the aged or infirm. Hell, you even have all your teeth. If I'm any judge of women, what you are is ripe and ready - and you know I'm an excellent judge of women."

"You think I'm going to leap into some kind of tawdry weekend Vegas affair?"

V didn't need to see Pamela to imagine the stern line she'd pressed her lips into. "Hell no! I'm not that hopeful. Seriously, Pammy, all I'm suggesting is that it's time you loosened up and allowed the opposite sex at least a chance with you. You don't have one damn thing to do until Monday morning, so here's an idea - flirt a little."

"Flirt?"

"Flirt. As in engaging in coy, seductive conversation with a tripod."

"May I call him a tripod?" Pamela giggled.

"Only if you want to join my team."

"It might be easier."

"That's yet another heterosexual myth about homosexual relationships, but we're not talking about my pathetic love life, we're talking about your nonexistent love life. Pammy, it's the right time and the perfect place. You don't have to open your legs - just open your mind. See if you can interact with at least one man in more than a businesslike fashion."

Pamela heard the undercurrent of worry in her friend's voice. Had she really only interacted with men as business associates since her divorce? She didn't even need to finish formulating the question in her mind. She already knew the answer all too well. As she thought about it, Pamela felt a little spark of anger begin to stir within her. Duane would be thrilled to know that he had turned her into an asexual workaholic. It would mean he could still control her.

"Flirt," Pamela said.

"Flirt," V repeated sternly.

"Okay, you're probably right." Pamela forced cheerfulness into her voice. "I have been working too hard. I'm going to think of this weekend as a little escape from the real world, and this job as an adventure into the fantastic."

"And maybe you'll even gamble a little?" V coaxed.