What Goes In Vegas Ch. 04

Carol stepped into her room. The bed was made, but little else had changed. And so she was pretty sure Ray had not returned during the day. She walked into the bathroom and studied herself in the mirror. She looked rather battered and worn, and her clothes were covered in dust from the desert. She stripped and got in the shower, scrubbing herself clean, then rechecked her body and saw that apart from her puffy, abused fanny, there was little sign of the rough sex she had endured.

She pulled on some jeans and a T-shirt and set a jacket aside for the trip to LA. Then, she sat on the bed and copied all the photos of DJ on her phone and emailed them to herself before deleting them.

She had two email addresses, one that she used all the time and another that used her maiden name. It was an address she didn't use anymore but had not deleted, as now and again when she did check it, there would be an email from some old contact. It was this second email address that she had given to DJ, and it was the one to which she had just sent all the photos.

She started packing her and Ray's suitcases when the photos were all copied over. At 4:15, when the bulk of the packing was done, Ray arrived back from the show.

"Christ, I'm tired; you look like you've had an easy day. Have you finished packing?"

"Not quite. I haven't done all of yours as I didn't know what you wanted to wear."

Ray came over and kissed her. She couldn't help but turn her head to the side; she felt so guilty. He picked out some casual clothes and then called out to ask her to finish packing for him as he headed for the shower.

Showered and dressed, Ray lay on the bed and motioned Carol to come and have a cuddle. But she made an excuse that she had more to do and told him to lie down and shut his eyes for half an hour and that she would wake him if he fell asleep.

Carol realised she had forgotten to put concealer on her neck to cover the hickies. So when Ray lay back and closed his eyes, she ducked into the bathroom and applied the concealer - sighing with relief that the bruise-like mark was already fading. She thought it would be gone in a couple of days, and she would be able to relax.

Carol came out of the bathroom and saw that Ray was fast asleep. Twenty minutes later, when it was time to head down and check out, she had to shake him hard to rouse him from his slumber.

Downstairs, Ray took their passports and joined the line to check out. Leaning against the wall, guarding the bags, and pondering whether she should come clean with Ray, she became aware of a presence alongside her. She almost jumped out of her skin when a woman spoke.

"High, I'm Barbara, Ed's wife. We met two nights ago but never spoke to one another."

Carol looked at the woman, her mind still half focussed on her infidelity and what to do about it when it came to her that Barbara was the England CEO's wife. She awkwardly stammered out a hello.

"Sorry, I was miles away. Yes, I wasn't in a good state of mind at the dinner the other night. I never really found a moment to say much to anyone."

"I can see you have a lot on your mind. Do you want to talk about it? Having an affair can be so taxing."

Carol wasn't sure she had heard correctly. Her stomach did twenty summersaults, and her mind floundered about, searching for a suitable response. She snapped her head up to look at the woman's expression and was slightly relieved to see no malice, just a friendly, sympathetic smile.

"Don't panic. I'm only offering you an ear to unburden yourself on. I don't want you to make any mistakes."

Carol's first instinct was to deny it, but Barbara's knowing look told her she was caught and would look stupid denying it.

"How do you know? Is it that obvious just by looking at me."

Barbara laughed, "No. I'm not clairvoyant or anything. I was in the Spa a couple of hours ago and saw you get out of a large dark vehicle and kiss a very handsome dark man. The kiss was not one that you give a casual driver. It was very passionate."

"Oh God! Please don't tell your husband."

"I have no intention of telling Ed or anyone for that matter, but I think you are close to telling Ray about your affair. That would be a huge mistake. So again, I'd like to talk with you and offer advice. That is if you would like it, as I have been in similar situations myself and know many of the pitfalls."

Carol looked over to where Ray was. And saw that he was now one back in the checkout line. "Can I sit by you and talk on the bus?"

"No, that won't work. I've been on a couple of these trips. The delegates are tired and will spread out to all the empty seats to sleep. So there will be nowhere private. Two questions: Is this your first affair?" asked Barbara.

"Yes, I'm wracked with guilt. I never, ever, thought I would commit adultery."

"I thought so. Observing you at dinner the other night, I formed the opinion that you were a good, faithful wife. Okay, have you stayed in the hotel in LA before?"

"No, it's my first time to the States with Ray."

As she said this, she studied Barbara for the first time. She decided the woman must have been stunning in her day, as she was a very handsome woman now, and she had to be in her early sixties.

Barbara continued, "Well, the hotel has a pool bar. I'll meet you there at 10:00 tomorrow morning. Please don't say anything to Ray tonight or before he heads to tomorrow's meetings. Think about how knowing anything about today would mess up his life and yours. Do you have children?"

And seeing Carol nod and mouth 'two', Barbara continued, "Well, that makes it even more important that you keep your affair to yourself. I'll see you in the morning." And she wandered away to stand by her husband, Ed.

Ray walked over, "All checked out," he exclaimed. "We have time for a coffee if you want."

Picking up their bags, he set off for the coffee shop, where they joined some other delegates to wait for the bus.

The bus was a fifty-two seater, and as there were only twenty-seven senior managers and six wives on board, everyone immediately spread out, trying to claim the spare seats. Ray threw his briefcase on the seat behind them but sat beside Carol. Then, looking quite concerned, asked, "What did you do today, dear? You seem a little out of sorts and distracted since I've arrived back."

"I'm alright, just one of my heavy periods coming on, I think. My stomach is cramping up."

"Bugger, I was looking forward to some fun and games. I'll just have to meet with Mrs Palmer and her daughters for the next few days."

Carol told him about her trip to the Grand Canyon. And that she had gone with the husband of the couple that she had gone dancing with the night before. She mentioned that she had met Tracy and Russell and that Tracy had made some lewd comments about her being with another man.

"I remember them at Mary and Ian's last party. Tracy tried to talk me into having a foursome. Said her husband fancied you. They're swingers, you know?"

"You didn't tell me that."

"Didn't want to upset you, and I knew you would never go for that, so I didn't bother telling you."

"Well, I should mention to you that the guy I went with was black, and Tracy made it pretty plain she fancied him, and I think she may have slipped him her phone number."

Ray asked her how she had met a black couple and when she had found out she was going to the Grand Canyon. Carol kept her explanations as close to the truth as possible, only bending the facts when she had to.

"Anyway, be prepared; Tracy is likely to bait you next time we meet them about my having a black lover. She certainly gave me hell when she saw us."

"As if! I wouldn't believe her if she told me she watched you with him. I know you; you would never play around."

Having said that, Ray rose, stretched out on the seat behind, and soon was lightly snoring away. Leaving Carol feeling pretty rotten about what she had done. She stretched out and tried to get some sleep herself. But closing her eyes only dredged up visions of her afternoon out at the Grand Canyon.

----

Ray left the room for his meetings at around 8:00 am the following day. Carol didn't sleep well, and it was almost 9:00 when she wandered down to breakfast. She saw Barbara exiting the lift, so she waited for her, and they got a table together,

Barbara asked if she had weathered the night without letting any secrets slip. And Carol told her what she had disclosed. But couldn't say much more as they were soon joined by two of the other wives. But Barbara did mention she had flown over the Grand Canyon on one visit.

Then whispered, "I don't think it would have been as interesting a trip as yours, though; I can't wait to hear about it."

After breakfast, they returned to their rooms to get changed for the pool and just before 10:00, they settled themselves at a table by the pool bar.

They each ordered a Pina Colada, and while they waited for it to come, Carol asked Barbara about Ray playing up at the final dinner. She explained that when she got home, Ray had been as drunk as she had ever seen him and told her he had been kissing another woman.

"I subtly quizzed him about it yesterday, but he acted as if he did not know what I was talking about."

"Ah, men, They are quite useless, aren't they? He did kiss one of the show models, but it went no further than that. Is that all you need to know?"

"No. I'd like to know how he came to be kissing her. Also, why did he get so drunk? I caught him cheating a couple of years ago, and he promised never to cheat again. That's why I was upset at dinner the other night, as he wouldn't take me to that dinner, but Ed told me you were going."

Barbara hesitated, then said, "Is this you're trying to find dirt on him so you can feel good about yourself, or do you want to sort it with him to make sure it is not a threat to your marriage?"

"I don't know. Maybe! But I need to know either way. It was partly me being upset with Ray that put me in the situation I got in."

"Okay, first, you need to understand who the trade show models are. So sit back and relax. It's going to be a long story."

She paused, trying to sort her thoughts in order.

"Ed has been bringing me to the trade shows both here in Vegas and the alternate one in Orlando for about ten years now. And over time, I have developed an almost morbid fascination with the showgirls. They are hired to look pretty and pull male clients onto the stand. Almost every stand will have one or two in some instances. But the money they earn working on the stand is a pittance to what they can earn on their backs at night. So many of them are actually up-market hookers."

Carol butted in and said she had heard Ray telling some mates about the show models two years before. And that they charged about $ 5,000 for a bonk.

"Yes, well, on the final night, they try and get a lot more than that. Over the length of the show, they try and groom clients. They may be visitors or the stand staff. But the big money is with nailing the big bosses. And it has become a tradition that this happens at the final dinner, where people get drunk and let their hair down. They aim to get at least one punter to cough up a big sum."

"But how does that relate to Ray? He's not one of the wealthy managers; that would be Bob or Geoffrey on our stand."

Barbara continued, "I pop into the show every day for an hour or so. I delight in watching them work. The model, with her eye on Ray, was beautiful and in her late teens. She had been flirting with him all week. I think she genuinely fancied him. He had bargained her down near $3,000 four days ago but couldn't get her below that. I think it was more of a game for him. I don't think he was genuinely trying to get into her pants.

Carol let out a small gasp and muttered, "The bastard."

Barbara put her hand on Carol's arm, "Look, he may have been serious, but I don't think so."

Anyway, she was all over him at the final dinner, but it being the last night, she wanted $8,000. He was sitting with Ed and me, and she really turned up the heat, sat in his lap, wriggling her butt around, and kissing him. I heard her saying she had an offer from an Asian guy on the stand next to ours for $10,000, so there was no way she was dropping below eight.

Well, after about an hour, she got angry with Ray and took off to another table to sit on some little Asia guy's lap. And soon they up and disappeared. Ray was pissed off and started drinking heavily."

"So he got plastered because he didn't make out, The rotten bastard."

"Pot calling the kettle black, don't you think?"

"Yes, I suppose so. Why do you have a thing about watching the show models."

"I suppose If I'm to get you to open up, I guess I need to tell you a bit about myself, and then maybe you will open up with me, as I'm incredibly intrigued as to how you managed to fuck a black man. Please appreciate this is something new for me. I have never opened up and talked about my past with anyone. So, all we discuss here today is between us. Okay?"

"Yes, I can keep a secret."

"Okay, here goes. I was a hooker myself for four years. So watching these girls work intrigues me."

Carol almost dropped her drink; she would have been less surprised if Barbara had said the Queen was her cousin. After all, she did look aristocratic. She squeaked out, "How?"

Barbara again told her it was a long story and started talking.

"I grew up in a coal village in Wales. My father was in a senior management position. By the time I reached my teens, he had worked his way up from cleaning up the coal dregs in the earth's bowels. He didn't want his kids to have anything to do with the mines, so he spent every working hour saving his earnings to send us all to university. My two brothers had all but finished their degrees by the time I was sixteen. Then calamity hit. The mines closed, with little prospect of him ever getting employment again. He did get a redundancy payment, but that would not last until he was sixty-five and could go on a pension. And so it looked like I would miss out on university and was destined to become a shop assistant.

Barbara took a sip of her drink and then continued. "I worked my butt off and managed to land a half scholarship at University College London. But I still needed to find a couple thousand pounds, plus money for board and keep. So, my prospects were looking pretty gloomy. One day, my father came home, took me aside and told me he had approached the guy who actually owned the mine and asked him for a loan to send me to UCL and that I had an appointment to see the guy the next day."

So 11:00 the following day saw me waiting at the bus stop, ready to travel into the city for a lunchtime meeting. I couldn't understand why my father was crying when I had left, and he told me I didn't have to do anything, that he would find another way. However, I was soon to understand. When I caught that bus that morning, I was an eighteen-year-old virgin; four hours later, when I returned home, my virginity was well gone. But I did have the promise of a free board in London and a cheque for the remaining university fees.

Charles was the pit owner's name. He owned a two-bedroom apartment in Camden Town, well, Primrose Hill, to be exact. He didn't use the apartment much, only three or four times a year when he came to London to sort the accounts and taxes. The apartment was only a fifteen-minute walk from UCL, which was ideal for me. I was under no illusions about his future visits to London and was quite prepared to succumb to his attentions to keep the arrangement going. To survive, I worked at a local bookstore, but the money was not good, so I was going hungry most weeks. I had dates with guys I met at Uni, hoping they would buy me a meal, but many were just as hard up as I was."

Barbara paused, but Carol waved at her to continue, fascinated as to where this was leading.

"On his first visit, I told Charles I was struggling and asked for more money. But the bastard had gotten a bit tight now he had taken my virginity. So, I only managed to wrangle £20.00 from him for a night of sex, but enough to keep me for the following month.

On Charles's second visit, about six months later, he brought a friend. They wanted a threesome, something I was not at all keen on. I mean, we are talking about two old men. Charles had to be seventy, and this new admirer was Charle's banker, a jew called Levi. He was about sixty and as ugly as sin.

I held out until the money they were offering became impossible to refuse. And so started my demise into the oldest profession."

Carol gasped out, "God, that must have been horrible."

"No, once the lights were out, I just closed my eyes, decided to grin, bear it, and thought about all the money. But as the night wore on, I started to enjoy it. Levi turned out to be an incredible lover, bloody kinky, but he got me off every time he did me. For the next few months, Levi came around every week and paid me two hundred pounds a pop. The average wage was around twelve pounds a week in those days. So I was suddenly well off and could buy clothes and eat well.

Then, one night, Levi turned up with a business acquaintance and negotiated for another threesome. I asked for five hundred pounds for the night. They didn't even blink; I wished I had asked double that amount."

The guy Levi had with him was half his age and must have fucked me six times, and in every position and hole, you could imagine. Levi himself took me several times. The next day I could hardly walk, but fuck was I satisfied, especially when I walked to the bank and deposited my ill-earned gains. My reputation must have passed quickly around the banking fraternity, as for the next three and a half years, I had two or three clients every week. One night, Levi brought me to an Arab prince to service. He paid two thousand pounds for the night."

"Does your husband know?" Carol asked.

"He knows my background and that I turned tricks to pay my way through college. But my past is something we have never discussed. So he knows none of the details I have shared with you."

"Did you see Levi or his colleagues after you had earned your degree?"

"I've never turned a trick since I graduated. But I did bump into a couple of the bankers through my work.

A couple of days after graduating, I called Charles and negotiated the purchase of his apartment. He didn't want to sell, of course, but early in my second year of Varsity, I had a hidden camera installed in my bedroom. Not for blackmail purposes but to satisfy my voyeuristic desires. During the meeting with Charles, I dropped a couple of photos of us together and said he could have both negatives and all the photos I possessed, but in return, I wanted to purchase the apartment. He capitulated almost immediately. Hard bastard, though. I had to pay close to market value, but it was the best deal I ever made. I still own the apartment, which is valued in the millions. So if you and Ray ever get to visit the UK, just ask, and you are free to use it. A couple of the other Delegates and their wives have used it when visiting London."

Carol laughed, "Is the camera still operating? I wouldn't be very comfortable staying there knowing you were taking photos or video."

"Ha! You have a quick mind. Yes, there are now several cameras installed. But that old camera is long gone. I would show you where they are and how to turn them on and off if you wanted?"

"That could be interesting. DJ took some photos and is sending them to me. I should have been horrified to learn he had photos, but surprisingly, it did not bother me, and I'm looking forward to seeing them. Anyway, continue. What happened after your graduation?"

"I was snapped up by one of London's leading law firms. A couple of the Firm's partners were quite progressive and knew the Firm needed to make changes. So they took me and another woman on as junior associates. Law firms in those days were almost totally male-dominated. Several of the partners were opposed to having women lawyers. And they tried hard to make life difficult for us. But my previous four years mixing with powerful older men taught me a lot. I was hardened and knew all their weaknesses. So, I have never questioned nor been unhappy with my time as an escort. I would never have succeeded as a lawyer if I had not had that experience."