Fenton was gone. The second bedroom was completely packed up and a maid was stripping the sheets.
"Did he say where he was going?" I asked.
She shook her head. "But the porter said his stuff was going to the MGM Grand."
My hand was on the door handle when there was a soft knock. I pulled the door open to discover Sienna. It was shocking to see here without the blinding orbit of her television camera crew. Instead, it was just her, the long blonde hair tied back in a neat ponytail and her blue eyes soft without the heavy dose of eyeliner.
"Is Fenton here?" she asked.
My chest burned. "No. He wants to be alone the night before a big fight," I said.
Sienna was not surprised at the bite of jealousy in my words. "I just wanted to tell him thank you. If you see him, will you let him know I said so?"
"Thank him for what?" I asked. I squeezed my eyes shut and raised my face to the ceiling. When I opened them, I looked back at Sienna. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay, I get it. And it's not what you think. Just tell Fenton thank you," Sienna said.
She looked so slim and lonely as she headed back to the elevators. "What, no camera crew?"
Sienna turned back to me. "I took the afternoon off. I needed a little time to recoup – I mean, relax."
"Well, if you want to relax off camera, why don't you come in? Once the maid's gone, I'll have an empty suite. There's a bottle of wine." I held the door open.
The reality star hesitated, looked at the elevator, and then at the open suite door. "Sure, why not. I could use a glass of wine."
The maid had tidied the second bedroom until it looked as if no one had occupied it in weeks. I kept looking at it as I opened the wine and almost spilled all over the white rug.
"Here, let me do that," Sienna said. She expertly handled the wine opener and had two glasses poured in seconds. "I used to be a waitress; it’s a necessary skill if I wanted good tips."
"You were a waitress?" I asked. "I always assumed you had a trust fund or something."
Sienna smiled. "Exactly. That's what I want everyone to think." She slumped back on the couch.
"It gets a little tiring playing the part?" I asked.
"Yes. You get it. You can't be a successful female sports agent without playing a certain part," Sienna said. "Yours is good, subtle."
"Thanks, I guess. Though, I think I'm going to drop the act." I sipped my wine.
"Me, too," Sienna said. "I think it’s getting in the way of my relationships. I mean, I can't really find anyone genuine if I'm not acting like my genuine self."
"Is that how you feel about Fenton?" I asked.
"Don't be stupid," Sienna asked. "Our acts go perfectly together, but even that ended up not working because he's so into you." She finished her glass of wine and got up. "I think it’s about time I try out my obscenely huge hotel room tub without the lighting guy adjusting the soap bubbles."
I walked her to the door and waited until her elevator descended. Then, I grabbed my purse. I had to see Fenton and the glass of wine had quieted down all my rational objections just enough for me to go right away.
I made it all the way through the lobby of the MGM Grand before I was stopped by Dana Maria.
"You can't be bugging him the night before the title fight. He left the party early to be alone," she said.
"Dana Maria, I'm glad I ran into you. I've got to tell you I'm sorry we never hit it off. I really admire you, even if I say all the wrong things," I said.
"Had a little wine tonight, Kya?" she asked. Dana Maria adjusted her sequined tube top and smiled at me.
"Just enough to say things I mean."
"Good. Then, you can tell me why you won't leave Fenton alone."
I wandered over to lean against the glass wall of a souvenir shop. "I can't. I don't want to. I don't know. All I think about is the last time I saw Fenton and the next time I'll get to talk to him. I wonder how he's doing and if he ever thinks of me."
"Oh, Jesus, girl, you've got it bad," Dana Maria said. She pulled me away from the wall and led me back out the front doors. "Now, let me tell you the truth."
"Please. No, wait, do I want to know? It’s bad, isn't it?"
Dana Maria shook her head. "The truth is I like you. And, I like you with Fenton. I like the way he looks when he talks about you, even when you've annoyed him."
I grabbed her arms, smearing her body glitter. "Really? You're not just messing with me?"
"And, what I like most of all is that you do what is best for Fenton, even if he doesn't like it. You kept on at him about the endorsement deal, even when it hurt your chances with him. So, now you have to do what's best again. Leave him alone until after the fight," Dana Maria said.
"But he's mad at me. I didn't believe him when I should have," I said.
She stopped me from going back inside. "It's good. Let him be mad. He always fights better with a little anger."
Dana Maria put me in a cab and sent me back to the Tropicana. I practically danced all the way back to the suite, even though it was empty. When I woke up in the morning, the quiet was strange, but I was excited. It was the day of the title fight and I was going to see Fenton.
There was a knock at the door and my heart leapt. I tried to calm myself down but the wild hope that it could be Fenton made it hard to breathe. I rushed to the door, only to feel a cold rush crash over me.
Jackson McRay leaned on the doorframe. "I was hoping to catch you alone, Kya."
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Fenton
I woke up in the same suite I had at the MGM Grand before they kicked me out. I half expected Kya to be curled up next to me. I held still for the onslaught of nightclub memories. But it was different nightclub. The fight promotion party. The memories rushed back.
Kya in a light purple dress. It caught the light, changing colors. I had to force myself to look away from her hundreds of times. Almost as many times as I saw the picture of my opponent locking lips with her. I flung myself out of bed and stomped into the main room.
"Good morning. Breakfast shake on its way," Aldous announced. "Please tell me you slept well. You don't look it."
"It's just weird," I said. "Like déjà vu. The last few days could have been a dream and here I am right back where I was."
Aldous handed me the green shake. "So, would you change anything?"
"I'd skip seeing Kev in that seventies low-cut shirt," I said. "A man as white as him should not try to pull off a medallion."
"Yeah, that gave me nightmares, too," Aldous said. He grimaced, but forced himself to drink the same healthy concoction he made for me. "But, seriously, would you have changed anything?"
"I know what you're getting at. I'm not falling for it," I said. "I knew as soon as your wife got here you'd be all hot to matchmake."
Aldous gave me his best innocent look. "Me? Never. I just want to make sure you don't have any regrets. It’s time to look forward, strategize. Visualize your fight, but more importantly, visualize what's on the other side."