Chapter 6
Ari
Tania was twerking in front of me, trying to hype me up. But at this point, I was drunk and deep in my feelings about Josiah not texting me back.
“Friend, we’re in the prime section of one of the hottest pool parties in Vegas,” she said loudly. “What you need to do is put that phone down and turn the fuck up. It’s your bachelorette weekend!”
“I’m trying,” I said, shaking my head.
“You just don’t understand. I haven’t heard from Josiah since yesterday. I’m really, really starting to get worried.”
“Worried for what? You already know how he is. You know what he’s probably doing.”
I looked at her sideways. “And what does that mean?”
She paused, smacked her lips, then shrugged.
“It means that nigga is probably somewhere fucking around. I hate to be the one to say it, but you know how Josiah is and what he’s done?”
“Yes, and we have moved past that part of our lives,” I snapped.
“He wouldn’t do that, and especially not this weekend.”
She smacked her lips again. “Okay, I’m just saying. Have you checked the jail rosters here? I mean, you know that you can Google it.”
“I already checked,” I said quickly.
“And the hospitals. The hotel he stayed in?”
“Yes. I called this morning.”
“Well then,” she said bluntly, “If he’s not in any of those places, where do you think he is? I mean, don’t look at me like that. You signed up for it. That’s all I’m saying. You better enjoy your time while he’s enjoying his.”
I rolled my eyes because her brutal honesty was always unneeded in moments like this. Tania was the type to say whatever was on her mind and was argumentative as hell. Your typical fuckin Scorpio.
I grabbed the liquor sitting beside me and took a long drink, shaking my head.
I tried to blow off what she said while also keeping it in the back of my mind.
Tonight, I’m going to have fun, but after this?
I am searching Vegas up and down until I find his ass.
And when I do, I am dragging him into whichever room is closest and beating his ass.
The curtain at the back of the cabana was pulled back from the outside, and the security guard who had given us the section walked in.
I was sure he was about to tell us our time was up, but instead he smiled and tilted his head back, rubbing his salt-and-pepper beard that was so fuckin sexy on him.
“Y’all having fun today?”
“Yes,” we all said in unison.
“Cool, cool. But if you’re having fun here, you should come to Club Rocka later tonight. We have a section waiting on you there, my treat.”
“Your treat?” Tania asked.
“Yeah, I need to know y’all are having a great time in my city. Especially you,” he nodded his head towards me.
“So, am I gonna see y’all there tonight or what? I need to know so that I can put you on the guest list.”
“Of course you will.” I played right into his flirting because my mind wasn’t allowing me to have any pushback. This man was so fuckin handsome.
“Alright, then. What’s y’all names?” he asked.
“I’m Ari.”
“I’m Tania.”
“And I’m Cyn,” Cyn added.
“Alright, I’ll see y’all tonight then.”
He turned to walk out.
“Wait,” I shouted to stop him.
“We didn’t get your name.”
He glanced back with a grin.
“It’s Proctor, baby.”
He winked, then disappeared from the cabana.
“What the hell. We got to be the luckiest bitches in Vegas right now.” Cyn snapped her fingers showing excitement only because she was drunk.
“I’ve heard it’s like this when pretty girls come here. They are probably just trying to fill the club up tonight.”
“And we will proudly help them.” Tania and Ari gave each other a high five to celebrate the club invite. I wanted to be as happy as they were, but I still couldn’t be too happy because something in the back of my mind was telling me I should be worried about Josiah.
We stayed at the pool party way longer than we originally planned, but now that we had something to look forward to tonight, we knew we needed to head back to the room, eat, and reset.
Back in the room, we each took turns showering and washing off the sweat we’d accumulated in that cabana. While they were in the bathroom, I decided to treat the girls to room service so we wouldn’t have to leave again until it was time for the club.
I ordered myself a steak and both Tania and Cyn salads because they loved Caesar salads. While waiting for the food, I sat on the bed waiting for my turn to shower when the room phone rang.
“Hello?” I answered.
“Hi, this is Messiah from room service. How are you?”
“I’m good. Can I help you?”
“Yes, we attempted to charge the card on file for your order, but it was declined. We were wondering if you could come downstairs to update your card so we can send up the food.”
“Declined?” I said, sitting up.
“What do you mean it was declined?”
“It only went through for a payment of $35.20. The rest of your total will have to be covered with another card.”
“Okay, let me check my account real quick.”
I walked over to the counter where my phone was charging and grabbed it, logging into my bank app.
Once the screen finally loaded on this weak ass hotel WIFI, I swear my knees almost buckled.
There were four hundred fucking dollars in my savings and none in my checking. This account just had $20,000 on it that I’d saved up for this weekend.
“What the hell?”
“What’s wrong?” Tania yelled from the bathroom.
“You need a shot?”
“No, I’m good!” I called back quickly.
“Hold on just a second, ma’am. I’ll call you right back actually.”
I hung up the phone mid-panic, and my mind immediately went to who I needed to check with first about the missing funds.
I threw on some clothes and stormed out of the room before any of the girls could stop me. I already knew where Josiah was staying. We’d intentionally booked separate hotels so we wouldn’t run into each other in the lobby or anywhere else until the wedding.
When I got to the Bellagio, where he was, I walked straight up to the front desk.
“Hi, I’m Ari Westfield. I’m here to see Josiah. He’s in room 462.”
“Are you listed on the room, ma’am?”
“I don’t know. I booked it for him, but I don’t remember whether I put my name on it. Can I just go up? We’re getting married, and I can’t get in touch with him.”
“Well, we can check the room and give him a call, but we can’t allow anyone upstairs unless they’re listed on the reservation.”
“Wow really?”
“Yes ma’am. It’s hotel policy.”
“Well, can you please at least call him? I really, really need to speak to him.”
“Yes ma’am, no problem.” She typed into the computer and scrolled with the mouse for a few clicks before picking up the phone.
She tried his line several times, but no answer.
“I’m sorry, ma’am.”
“That’s alright, thanks.” I stormed away before I cussed her out or took my frustrations out on the wrong person.
My heart was beating so fast I felt like I couldn’t breathe.
Maybe this is a mistake on the bank's part. Maybe I should call them.
I was dialing the bank’s number, listening to the closed until Monday prompt, when I felt someone tap my shoulder.
“Why the hell do I keep running into you?”
I turned around, and of all people, it was Proctor standing tall, broad, and bowlegged in front of me.
“No, I’m not staying here. I was just here to see my friend.”
“Your friend, huh?” he asked with a slight chuckle.
“You over here creeping? Your nigga not answering, so that’s why you hanging around the lobby?”
“No, it’s nothing like that. I’m just having a few issues with my bank card and trying to figure it out.”
“Issues like what?”
“You're asking a lot of questions for a stranger,” I said sarcastically.
He laughed. “I wasn’t a stranger when I gave you a cabana and bottles earlier.”
“You definitely weren’t, and we appreciate it.”
“And I definitely won’t be a stranger after tonight either,” he said, looking me up and down.
“What’s the problem with your card, though? Tell me what I can do for you.”
His willingness to help threw me off. I’d never had a man step up and try to make my life easier. If anything, men had always made it harder, starting with Josiah, who made my life a living hell every chance he got.
“Nothing, I’m fine. Just about to go back to the room and go get ready,”
“Yeah, go get pretty for me.”
I started smiling at this nigga like my entire savings wasn’t gone with the wind.
As I smiled in Proctors face, my phone started ringing. Of course, it was the girls wondering where I’d been. I sent it straight to voicemail because Proctor was still standing right in front of me.
“So, tell me this, do you have a man back home?” he asked.
I hesitated, knowing damn well I was engaged to be married this weekend, but still, I didn’t want to tell him.
“I have a situation, but it’s nothing for us to talk about now.”
“A situation, huh?” He licked his lips.
“All I can say is he's as dumb as hell for letting you come out here by yourself. There are Plenty of vultures in Vegas ready to snatch the baddest bitch they find right up and fuck the shit out of them.”
The way he said that instantly turned me on to a point that I knew I needed to get away from his ass asap.
“Wow, you are a trip, Proctor, but why are you here?”
“Visiting my son. He has a penthouse here.”
“Oh. How old is he? How rich is he to have a penthouse here? I saw that the regular rooms are like $700 a night.”
“He's thirty-five, and he’s successful as hell. I’m proud of the lil' nigga.”
“Damn. So, you have a thirty-five-year-old, and you only look a little over forty.”
He smirked. “Yeah, I do, he was born when I was fourteen years old. But I’m going to let you go now. Tonight is a big night at the new club, so make sure you look beautiful as hell. I got y’all a real nice section waiting.”
“Yeah. I will see you later.”
He winked, full of desire, and then walked away with that lazy stagger. I watched him the entire way to the elevator until I turned to walk out of the hotel, remembering that I had real problems and Proctor was only a temporary distraction from those.