CHAPTER THREE

Ruby stood outside the magnificent hotel building. She didn’t know anywhere in Las Vegas. How would she get home? She stared at her phone for a second, then she decided to call Naomi.

"Hey girl, still in bed?... Sorry for disturbing your sleep. Can you please pick me up?" she asked, feeling sorry for disturbing Naomi’s sleep but having no choice.

"Sure... where are you at?" Naomi asked in a sleepy voice.

“Grand hotel,” Ruby replied.

“Grand hotel?” Naomi asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, please hurry, I’m standing outside."

“Okay, I will be there in ten minutes,” Naomi assured her before ending the call.

Ruby couldn’t help but count down to Naomi’s arrival. She felt uncomfortable standing outside the hotel, drawing a few glances from the hotel guests going in and out. She decided to play a game on her phone to pass the time.

It had past fifteen minutes since her call with Naomi. Ruby was getting uneasy and frustrated. She was about to call Naomi back when she heard a familiar voice.

“Ruby, I’m so sorry for keeping you here. The traffic was hectic,” Naomi explained.

“No problem. I’m just glad you are here now. Let’s go,” Ruby said, eager to leave. They both got into Naomi’s car and drove off.

Immediately the car came to a halt at the parking lot in Naomi’s apartment, Ruby dashed out of the car into her room. She was trying to avoid Naomi’s questions as she knew her friend would want to hear every little detail of last night’s encounter, and she was not ready to spill the gist. She kept wondering why the handsome stranger would leave without telling her or at least dropping contact info. She couldn’t get him off her mind, and it was driving her crazy.

She locked her room door and went into the bathroom for a quick shower. Stepping out with her towel wrapped around her chest and water dripping from her hair, she saw Naomi sitting on her bed. She was startled by Naomi’s presence.

“I thought I locked the door,” Ruby asked, surprise evident on her face.

“Yeah, about that... the lock is bad,” Naomi replied with a wide grin.

“Oh... okay... Can I help you with anything?” Ruby said, trying to keep herself busy to avoid the pending conversation.

“Come on Ruby, you know why I’m here. Just spill the gist already,” Naomi said, trying to persuade Ruby.

Ruby knew she had to tell Naomi about her night. They had never kept secrets from each other, but she didn’t know how to explain to her best friend that she had just had the best night of her life with a total stranger who disappeared by morning. Was she that bad in bed, she queried herself inwardly? Even if she was, he shouldn’t have left like that. Ruby was not a virgin, but she was not very experienced when it came to sex, and she knew that. She thought her inexperience might have chased the handsome stranger away or maybe he was just a jerk.

“Fine, I will tell you all about my night, but first let me change into something comfortable, dry my hair, and eat something. I’m starving,” Ruby said.

“Okay, I will order pizza. Hurry up,” Naomi said as she left the room.

Ruby put on her favourite loungewear, and quickly dried her hair, feeling hungry as it was past noon and she hadn’t eaten anything. She walked out of her room just in time as the pizza was delivered. She walked straight to Naomi, grabbed a slice of pizza, and started eating.

“Aren’t you eating?” she asked Naomi with a mouthful.

“I will, you seem so hungry. Are you okay?” Naomi asked, concern visible on her face.

“I am fine,” Ruby replied, still stuffing her mouth.

After eating, they both cleared the table. Ruby was praying Naomi would forget about their pending conversation and just let it go. Naomi walked out of the kitchen with two glasses of wine.

“Now we’ve eaten, Ruby. Time to spill,” Naomi said, handing her a glass of wine.

“Nothing happened. After you left, I ordered more drinks and a handsome stranger walked up to me, I took your advice and got laid,” Ruby said hurriedly, feeling embarrassed.

“Come on, Ruby, give me details,” Naomi sounded excited.

“I flirted with him for a bit and somehow suggested I was there to hook up with a guy, so he took me to Grand Hotel, and we had a great time, but he was gone before I woke up.”

“So what’s his name? How was his physical look? How was the sex?” Naomi bombarded her with questions.

“He didn’t tell me his name. For his looks, he was the most beautiful human I have ever seen, and the sex was out of this world. I have never felt this way about sex before,” Ruby replied truthfully.

“So we don’t know who he is, but judging from his choice of hotel, he must be rich,” Naomi said.

“Yeah, I think he is,” Ruby replied, sounding a bit sad.

“You don’t seem excited, Ruby. For the first time in your life, you did something out of your comfort zone, and it wasn’t that bad. You had a nice time,” Naomi said, trying to cheer Ruby up.

“I know, but still, I feel like he should have at least told me his name, you know?”

“Ruby, brush it off. It’s a one-night stand. What were you expecting?”

“Nothing... I guess.”

“Welcome to Las Vegas,” Naomi said with a smile, indicating that a one-night stand isn’t a big deal in Las Vegas. Ruby sipped her wine, still pondering what could have been.

“Before I forget, I spoke to an acquaintance today, and he told me that Teeka Interiors is hiring. The salary isn’t much, but it’s manageable. I don’t know if you are interested.”

“Of course, I’m interested... What position are they looking to fill?” Ruby asked eagerly.

"Secretary position," Naomi replied.

"I'm interested."

"Okay, I will call him and let him know."

"Thank you, Naomi. I appreciate all you've been doing to get me back on my feet," Ruby said, feeling grateful for having a friend like Naomi.

"It's fine. I know you would do the same for me and even more, so it's fine," Naomi said with a smile, leaning in to hug Ruby. She then called her acquaintance and scheduled an interview for Ruby. After taking down the interview details, Naomi ended the call.

"Ruby, your interview is next month. The CEO is out of town on a business trip and he loves to interview his staff himself, don’t forget to go with your resume" Naomi relayed the details to Ruby.

"That gives me enough time to prepare," Ruby said, feeling optimistic.

She retired to her room, already tired and grateful for how her life was going. With a smile on her face, she dozed off.

Ruby had been counting the days to her interview; she needed the job. She researched Teeka Interiors and was preparing herself for the interview.

**********************************

"Ruby, come out, breakfast is served," Naomi shouted.

She rushed out of her room in anticipation. "What did you cook?" She asked Naomi as she walked into the kitchen.

"My special pancake," Naomi replied, feeling proud of her culinary skills.

"I want four," Ruby said.

"Oh, someone must be hungry," Naomi teased. "I'm also brewing coffee, want some?"

"Yes, please."

Naomi served her friend while making small talk.

"Hope you are preparing for your interview; it's in two days," she asked.

"Yes, I am," Ruby lifted her mug to sip her coffee, and as soon as the aroma hit her nose, she started feeling nauseous. She ran to the bathroom to throw up.

"Ruby, are you okay?" Naomi asked with concern.

"I don't think so. I have been feeling nauseous, tired, and dizzy for a few days now," Ruby replied weakly.

"When was the last time you had your period?" Naomi asked.

"I don't know...I haven't seen it since I got to Las Vegas... Oh my God," Ruby began to panic.

"Calm down, I think I have a pregnancy test kit we can use," Naomi said, dashing into her room. In no time, she came out with the pregnancy test kit and urged Ruby to use it.

Ruby took the pregnancy test kit and hurried into the bathroom. She quickly took the test and waited for five minutes to get the result as instructed. The wait felt like an eternity. She hoped and prayed that she wasn't pregnant.