Vegas, Baby

Steve McQueen

I have a nickname. Wait, no, I'll rephrase. I had a nickname. 

Virgin Mary. 

She is no more. James saw to that twice last night. Not that he knew. I didn't want to freak him out at the time because I had the feeling that he would make it into a really awkward situation when it needn't be so. It's not like I was a virgin by choice; I was a virgin by circumstance since I'd never found someone I liked enough to want to do that with. I'd had plenty of boyfriends in the past but it just never felt right or the mood always died when they found out that they'd be my first. 

"Are you ok?" James asked as he tightened his grip around my waist. I was the little spoon. "You're being really quiet."

I hummed. "Am I?" Feeling James nod against my shoulder, I sighed and turned in his arms. Pushing his hair from his face, I wait until I got a glimpse of his bright green eyes before speaking. "I have something I need to tell you but I don't want you to get freaked out. Ok?"

"Pinky promise," he agreed, finding my hand so that he could wrap his baby finger around mine. "Shoot."

"So, you were the first boy I've had sex with."

He stared at me. For the longest time, he stared. I could see the look of panic set in his eyes. Closing my eyes, I pulled away from him and stared up at the ceiling, biding my time before he said something. I was ready for the accusations, for the awkward questions, for the silent treatment. Whatever his reaction, I braced myself for it. 

"I'm hurt," he finally said. Here goes. "Do you really think that what we did last night was 'have sex'? Because I've had sex and believe me, that's not what we did."

I scoffed. "Just because I was a virgin doesn't mean I don't understand the mechanics of it."

"Mechanics?" James laughed, burying his face in my neck, his warm breath making me feel clammy. Lifting his head, he kissed my neck. "Nina, you're such a dork. What I was trying to say was, to me, that wasn't sex. That was... oh, God, I'm going to sound like such a pussy... to me, that was making love."

"Oh."

James nodded. "Yeah. But if you want to have sex, I'm up for that. Literally."

Pushing him away and muttering that he was gross, I picked up his t-shirt from last night and pulled it on, getting out of bed and going to the bathroom. Pushing the door behind me, I ran my fingers through my hair and tied it up so that I could get a proper look at my face. Nothing had changed. I looked exactly the same as I had yesterday and I felt exactly the same, too. Surely, after last night it should have made me feel more womanly or something but no, nothing had changed. 

Watching James walk into the bathroom, I averted my eyes as he jumped into the shower, totally naked. In the cold light of day, I was too embarrassed to perv over his perfect body but when I lifted my eyes to meet James' through the mirror, a knot formed in my tummy, one that would only untangle if I could have that little bit more of James. When he lifted his hand and motioned at me to join him, I didn't think twice about stripping out of his t-shirt and jumping into the shower. 

I didn't even think twice about having sex in the shower. It was wholly different from last night and I finally understood the difference between sex and making love. Last night, James had been gentle and generous, making sure that I was comfortable, that I was enjoying myself, that I felt loved. Today, it was primal. Carnal. Totally erotic. 

When I was totally spent, James held me in his arms, kissing my skin under the spray of warm water until I was able to stand on my own, wash my hair and slather some lotion on to rid myself of the smell of sex. 

An hour later, we were both dressed and ready to leave the hotel, knowing that James had even more plans for us. Once again, I wore a dress, teamed with a leather jacket this time. I found it funny that James also chose a leather jacket. He had his sunglasses on already and was sitting in one of the armchairs, staring out the window into the distance. 

"Do you know what they used to call Steve McQueen?" I asked, pulling my cross-body bag over my head. James turned to face me, not removing his sunglasses. "The King of Cool."

James tilted his head to the side and grinned. "And, your point being?"

"He's not the only King of Cool," I replied. Honestly, I've never seen James look sexier than he does right now. It's just a shame that we had plans. "Are you ready?"

The day was spent shopping in the morning, followed by lunch. After that, we did some more sightseeing, took in a casino or two, drank champagne- despite the fact neither of us was twenty-one and over- then as dusk fell, James announced his ultimate gesture for the day. 

A helicopter ride over the city.

"Are you serious?" I demanded, needing to know if this was a joke or not. When James nodded, I looked out the car window and saw where we were, knowing once and for all that he was telling the truth. Feeling giddy from a combination of excitement and the copious amount of bubbly I'd consumed throughout the day, I swiftly got out of the car and practically ran to the helicopter. "James, this is the best surprise ever. Thank you so much."

"You're worth it," he told me as he helped me climb on board. Once we were seated and strapped in, he held my hand and squeezed tightly. "Nina, I'm not sure if this is premature or something but my grandmother always said, once you know, you know. I think I'm falling in love with you and it scared the shit out of me."

Taken aback, I wasn't sure what to say to that. Did I say 'thank you'? Probably not. I've seen enough films to know that's not an appropriate response. I should just tell him how I feel. Be honest. 

"I'm falling in love with you, too." Watching James relax his shoulders, I lean over and kiss his cheek. "It's ok if that scares you. No one is perfect, although, you do come quite close to perfection, Mr Saylor."

"You, too, Miss Taylor."