Chapter 5
We pull up at The Venetian. It is enormous.
It’s the biggest hotel I’ve ever seen. There’s a long line of cars waiting to drop off.
There’s a huge water fountain outside and lots of people walking around, waiting at the lights to cross the street.
There are neon lights, hotels, and digital advertising screens as far as the eye can see.
I press a button to roll down my window.
I’m instantly hit with bright sunshine and a sweet-smelling heat.
Notes of popcorn, aftershave, petrol fumes and pizza.
I’m immediately reminded of Italy. Cherry is quick to show us the Wikipedia page.
Ged and Liam light up instantly. ‘Who? Who?’
Suddenly, everyone is swiping away on their phones, and the car is buzzing with excitement as we share photos of the hotel we are parked outside of.
I steal a quick peek at Matteo, who has been quiet since Birdie spilled her drink and looked openly smug about Luke being at the same hotel.
This potential new client must be very important.
She really has Matteo between a rock and hard place.
There’s a rumble of dissatisfaction across the limo.
‘There’s also the Bellagio, the Wynn, Caesar’s Palace… There’ll be lots of A-list singers around. I’m sure of it,’ says Matteo.
‘Of course there are,’ joins in Birdie as though she lives here. ‘Everyone knows this.’
From the window, mountains of suitcases are being slung on trolleys, hordes of staff are running to and fro, and throngs of people are going up and down the large travelators that take them up and into the hotel. The place is like a massive train station.
‘It has its own shopping mall,’ Cherry says, all breathy. ‘And… tattoo parlour!’
There’s a joint squeal of delight from the Dollz.
‘No,’ I say. ‘Whatever you are all thinking, it’s a firm no. A hard no. A definite no. We have zero time for anything that isn’t on the itinerary. Including spending half a day on matching tattoos.’
I must stand my ground with them otherwise the whole week will be carnage. They glare at me like disgruntled children.
‘So, before we go in,’ I say to the group. ‘I’ve put our itinerary in the Vegas group chat and added… Matteo.’ I give him a shy flutter of my lashes. It feels like such an intimate gesture to add him to our group. But we’re exclusive now so…
‘Whoa. Why have you gone bright red, Connie?’ demands Cherry, forcing a handful of jellied sweets into her mouth.
I glare at her.
She is oblivious. ‘Your cheeks. Are you too hot?’
Sweet baby Jesus. ‘No, I’m not hot. As I was saying, everyone needs to check their messages regularly for up—’
‘Well, then, there’s no need to be embarrassed, is there? You two are obviously exclusive now. Where are the rest of those candy gummies?’
My cheeks instantly flame brighter as she digs around the central bar area in the limo in search of something. Her attention span, perhaps?
‘Do they have these sweets in the hotel? I need more. They’re so lush.’
‘Have you added Sister Kevin to the WhatsApp group?’ barks Tash. ‘He needs to know when we’ll be singing so that he can come and watch every performance.’
Sister Kevin almost chokes on his bottle of beer as he tries to disguise his disappointment. But it is the cold, steely energy emitting from Birdie that causes the atmosphere to drop.
‘I would like to see you perform,’ she says, making it sound like a mild threat. ‘After all, Matteo has told me how amazing you are. I need to see it for myself. Apparently, you will have me in tears.’
‘Erm, thank you.’ I smile weakly and carry on.
There’s no way I am including her in our group chat.
No way on this earth. ‘I’ve also emailed you each a copy, and I’ve saved it to the cloud just in case anyone loses their phone, or forgets their passwords, and I’m going to ask reception to print out copies to send to your rooms.’
They stare blankly back at me as though I’ve just informed them that I’ve sent the itineraries by carrier pigeon.
‘Has no one opened their emails?’ I ask incredulously.
What’s the point? Of course they haven’t.
Big Sue, however, is more than pleased with this level of administrative thoroughness.
‘Nice job, Big Guy. Nice job.’ She is manspreading in her Gangsta Ken fluffy white coat, black vest top and medallion and appears to have drunk several bottles of beer which have given her a New York accent. She winks at me.
Big Guy? I hope to God that she will not persist with this nickname. It’s wildly unsuitable on so many levels. Liberty sniggers next to me. I risk a peek at Matteo, who also appears to be fighting a smirk.
‘Okay, Big Guy. What’s the plan before we get out of the car?’ Liberty all but yells. I roll my eyes at her. For her own amusement, she will make sure this new nickname sticks.
‘It’s not Big Guy. Never was,’ I say, facing the group.
‘The plan is to check in at reception, drop our bags in our rooms and meet back up to stay awake for the jet lag. Because we’re in a new time zone, the internet says we should ideally try to adjust our eating and sleeping times to Las Vegas time.
Which means we need to stay awake and sleep with everyone else. ’
Liberty is quick to interject. ‘You heard the boss. Big Guy is saying that we need to dump our stuff in our rooms and then start sleeping with everyone. That might be a struggle, even for me!’
The Dollz start hooting with laughter at my mistake. I feel my face burn even more. I’m clearly not very good at this leadership stuff.
Tash yawns openly. ‘Sod that. I’m off to bed. And there’s only one person I’m sleeping with.’
‘No,’ I say. ‘You can’t. We must stay awake, otherwise tomorrow you’ll be wanting to sleep when we’re supposed to be on stage.’
‘I’ll be in charge of keeping everyone awake,’ says Big Mand. ‘I’m used to shift work and staying up all night. I once stayed awake delivering babies for four days straight. I’ve got this, Big Guy.’
‘Can everyone stop calling me Big Guy just because I’m in charge of the itinerary?’ I say desperately.
Big Mand grins. ‘Okay, Big Guy. Calm down.’
I give up.
‘Right. Check in to your rooms. Freshen up but do not lie down on the beds. Meet at the…’ I consult my notes. ‘At the giant love sign in the lobby. The one everyone posts on Instagram. Apparently, you can’t miss it.’
‘You need to give an ETA,’ adds Big Sue from behind dark sunglasses. Her head is slouched to one side, her hands resting between her legs as though she’s about to start rapping. ‘A specific meet time. In zero hundred hours. An MO. A ten four. Capeesh?’
Tiredness sweeps through my entire body. What the fuck is she talking about? I inwardly lament. ‘Meet in exactly one hour from now. At the love sign. Everyone understand?’
I receive enthusiastic nods from them all. Matteo is grinning at me. It instantly boosts my spirits. I have a whole week in his company, and seven glorious days to enjoy time with my friends. I suddenly feel very lucky.
‘Great. Let’s have the best time ever!’ I raise my glass.
The party mood very much returning, everyone clinks glasses. It’s a lovely shared moment. Very mindful.
‘Sorry. Can we do that cheers again because I need to get it for the video of us arriving?’ I remember.
It’s bad enough keeping us all to schedule, never mind the responsibility of capturing it all on camera for the Netflix-level behind-the-scenes documentary that Ged and Liam seem to expect from me at the end.
‘And can you send the clip to me for my socials, please?’ Tash asks.
‘No, sorry. This footage is restricted to our pre-moon. You can have it after we’ve posted it,’ Ged says firmly, which pops the lovely ambiance instantly.
I let out a deep sigh. When will this mood yo-yoing ever end? I need to find a way to bring us all together. Something to unite us that’s bigger than the sum of our various issues and gripes with each other.
‘Is that Luke?’ booms Big Mand, pointing her finger towards the front of the queue of taxis and limos waiting at the entrance. We crane our necks to peer out of the windows. ‘Too late. He’s gone.’
‘Is that a confirmed sighting?’ asks Big Sue.
I hold my breath. Please no. Please no.
‘Copy that, ten four.’
FFS, what does that even mean?
Big Mand gives me a sympathetic half-smile. ‘It’s a confirmed sighting. Yes.’
My eyes fly to Matteo. He shrugs in a reassuring way. ‘Don’t worry. I’ll take care of him if he starts any trouble.’
* * *
Finally, our limo pulls into the unloading bay at reception.
At the very least, the Luke situation has momentarily distracted everyone, and has resulted in much positivity towards me, and how they all have my back.
Cherry even stopped stuffing jellies in her mouth to pat my knee in a comforting way.
We pile out of the limo. Me first, so I can capture the moment on camera.
Ged and Liam emerge with utter joy on their faces as they take in the grand entrance, its towering golden pillars reaching towards the sky and the breathtaking enormity of it.
The paintings above us on the arched dome covering the doorway could belong in a museum.
The boys are speechless as they cling to each other, exhilaration blooming from their faces.
As the Dollz clamber out, a little worse for wear after all those free drinks, and Cherry, high as a bath full of cocaine with all the sugar, they stop to gaze up and around. Stunned into silence.
‘This trip is going to be epic,’ Liberty whispers, a huge grin on her face.
‘Wild,’ agrees Big Sue.
‘Totally fucking awesome,’ adds Big Mand.
‘Un-fucking-forgettable,’ coos Cherry.
‘And savage,’ says Tash. ‘Totally and utterly savage.’
Matteo visibly gulps. I offer him a weak smile. ‘In a good way. Unforgettably savage in a good way.’