The bachelor party - the ultimate celebration before one of your friends leaps into the commitment of marriage. My friend Shawn was about to be married, and I was one of his groomsmen. My good friend Andy would be his best man, and for the bachelor party, we planned to go to the Holy Grail of bachelor party meccas – Las Vegas. I was twenty-eight years old and spent the months leading up to his wedding working all the overtime I could, saving up cash for the best time ever. I ate nothing but hot dogs, ramen noodles, and Hormel chili to save a few grand for the trip.
We would spend a week in Vegas, staying in three different resorts, booking expensive suites in each one. It would be the best trip we would ever take as a group of friends, one none of us would forget.
On our first day, after settling into our fantastic room, our merry band of seven hit the Strip to get hammered. We are professional alcoholics and used to a mile-high elevation at home. It took some serious effort to catch an alcohol buzz at such a low elevation. We wandered from bar to bar, pounding ungodly amounts of hooch, then took a cab to Fremont Street to see some Old Vegas. Heading to a strip club right away, we couldn’t wait to blow our hard-earned money on seeing the high-class entertainment of legends.
Where I live, you can go into a strip club, have a seat at a booth, order a drink, chill for a minute, or go to a stage and tip money to a pole dancer. Girls may come by, sit at your table, chat for a bit, then ask if you want a private dance. I was under the impression that it was how strip clubs worked everywhere.
Vegas is different. Everyone is looking to hustle every last penny from your pockets as quickly as possible. Strippers will aggressively compete for your money and attention. It detracted from the fun a bit and was kind of a letdown for what I was expecting. A couple of us left the strip club to wander around Fremont Street, watching street magicians, and buskers and drinking more alcohol. My senses were constantly bombarded by noise, flashing lights, people yelling, and people everywhere.
Long story short, I ended up a couple of blocks from Fremont Street by myself, wasted. One minute I was with a couple of friends, then suddenly I was turned around and lost in a stupor.
I remembered the cab driver’s words to us as he dropped us off: “Hey, stay on Fremont Street, don’t wander around, it’s not safe!”
I looked around in a moment of lucidity. The dim light of the street was suddenly strange after being in the bright lights all day. A man, shorter than I, approached me wearing a green military jacket.
Maybe he can help me, I thought to myself.
“Hey, you lost?” he asked; I could now see a bandana riding low on his forehead. His face was scarred, and grizzled. He looked as though he had stuck his face into the blade of a running lawn mower at some point in his life.
“I’m good, just walking one off.” I tried to sound friendly, but I was leery.
“Shut the fuck up and run your wallet!” he snarled, brandishing a small knife.
In the span of a full second, I contemplated a heroic plan. Years of security training and training in martial arts had provided me with all the tools I would need to deal with this situation.
I’ll kick his ass, then throw him face-first into the gutter and everyone will cheer. A bystander’s video will probably go viral.
Shut up. You’re drunk; that is a stupid plan.
There wasn’t even anyone around to call an ambulance after I got stabbed over the seventy-five dollars cash I had on me.
“Give me your fucking money, asshole!” He waved the blade menacingly.
I handed him my wallet; he took it and stuffed it into his jacket before motioning for me to fuck off.
“Can I at least keep my driver’s license? My credit cards?” I asked him.
“No. Now get out of my sight, you fucking shit for brains.”
“No need to be rude, not like you can use them,” I chastised him.
He didn’t say anything else, but the look he gave me indicated that he wasn’t going to budge. Luckily, I left my main bank card in the hotel suite along with the rest of my cash. It would be a huge pain to recover some plastic, but I was unharmed.
My mood was soured the next day as I had to make calls and cancel my credit cards. Now my ID was gone to boot. I stayed in the suite to tidy up affairs while my friends were out having a good time; I would catch up with them later.
The suite we had booked was really cool, one of the highlights of the trip. Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, and a large living room were already littered with beer cans and liquor bottles. The view of the Strip was top-notch; I wondered how many famous people had done cocaine right where I stood.
I had just showered and was waiting for my bank to call me back when I heard a knock at the door. Assuming that it was housekeeping, I was about to tell them we needed clean towels. To my surprise, I opened the door to a gorgeous, African-American girl looking at me.
She probably has the wrong room.
“Are you Ben?” she asked me.
I looked her up and down. Her hair was straight, down past her shoulders, and she wore hoop earrings. She was wearing blue jeans and a tight, white T-shirt with a pair of black heels. She had a large sparkly handbag slung on her shoulder. Her face was smooth, and pretty; she wore eye shadow and pink lipstick.
“Uh, yeah, that’s me,” I answered, confused as to why this stunning smoke-show was asking for me.
“Hi, I’m Jamaica,” she introduced herself. Her dusky doe-eyes bored into my soul. “May I come in?”
“Sure,” I said, inviting her inside.
I was still bemused as she strutted in. She looked around, studying the cluttered room. I was suddenly ashamed of the mess.
“How can I help you?” I asked.
“Your friends sent me, said you could use some cheering up after a rough night,” she answered.
An escort.
She wasn’t dressed like what I pictured an escort to be wearing, but I gathered that was exactly what she was. Of course, my friends would send her up here.
“This is a nice room,” she said, still scanning around.
“Sorry about the mess, you want a drink or something?” I offered.
“Yes, thank you, Ben,” she answered. Her tone was warm and friendly.
I found a bottle of tequila and a couple of glasses and poured us each a drink.
“I don’t think we have any lime, how about some Fresca?”
“That’s okay, thank you,” she replied, sitting at a table to sip her drink.
I joined her across the table and slammed my tequila. I suddenly felt a twinge of panic as I realized I was talking to a prostitute. Could this be a setup, a police sting? I had never been in a hotel room with a hooker before; I didn’t know what to say. One misstep or mention of sex, and the cops could come busting in, and I would be arrested for soliciting a prostitute.
As if she could read my mind, she spoke to ease my fears, offering guidance to help me navigate unfamiliar territory.
“Have you ever been with an escort before?” she asked.
“No, never.”
“It’s simple, you’re just paying for my time.” She was smiling, trying to ease my nervousness. “I’ll stay for an hour, and we can have a blast,” she said, her smoldering eyes gauging my reaction.
I swallowed hard. “Yes, I’d like that. You’re, very beautiful.”
“Thank you, baby, you’re so cute.” She winked at me, giving her hair a toss.
“How much is your time worth?” I asked, blood rushing into my cock at the thought of what was about to happen.
“Four-fifty.” Her answer was direct, professional, and to the point.
I nodded in approval. Jamaica was smoking hot, and I figured she would be worth every penny. She lifted her bag onto the table, opening it and pulling several pieces of lingerie from it.
“You pick what you’d like me to wear, I’ll go put it on,” she said, buoyantly.
I started to relax; the police didn’t come rushing in the door. Eying the selection of lingerie, it was hard to pick something as she would have looked stunning in any of them. I ended up pointing to a neon-pink thong. She nodded in acknowledgment, picking it up along with the matching bra.
“You got a bathroom, baby?” she asked, stuffing the rest of the undergarments in her bag before picking it up.
I led her through the bedroom I’d shared with my friend Andy, pointing her to the bathroom.
As Jamaica was readying herself, I played with the lighting to help set the mood. Like many rooms in Vegas, this room was made to fuck in. There were mirrors on the wall and a dimmer switch turned on neon lights behind the headboard of the bed. Retrieving a wad of cash from my suitcase, I stripped off my pants and lay back on the bed in anticipation.
After a few minutes, Jamaica emerged from the bathroom. My jaw dropped; I was in awe of her beauty. The brightness of the fabric of her lingerie contrasted with her ebony skin. Her body was incredible; I admired her as she walked across the room. I held up the cash in my hand, and she approached me and took it. She put it into her bag before showcasing her body for me, expertly captivating me with deliberate and seductive motions. She tossed a couple of condoms onto the bed before playing with the clock radio and finding some pop music to play in the background.