“No, that’s why I’m asking. She doesn’t remember.”
“Sophie, what happened?” Nora asked. “I thought you went back to your room last night.”
“I said I was asking for a friend.”
“Like hell you are,” Nora said. “Spill it, honey. Tell us everything.”
“That’s the problem. I can’t,” I said miserably. “There’s so much I don’t remember.”
“Sophie, did you wake up naked with a man this morning?” Everly asked.
I nodded. “At the Bellagio.”
They all gasped.
“It was Camden Cox.”
They gasped again. Louder.
Nora took my hand, and her voice was uncharacteristically gentle. “Honey, are we talking about a situation where there wasn’t consent?”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “No, nothing like that. I’m sure if anything did happen, it was consensual.”
“I assume your inability to recollect is due to excessive alcohol consumption?” Hazel asked.
I nodded again.
“It’s okay, sweetie,” Everly said. “Just do your best. Start at the beginning. What happened after dinner?”
I explained how I’d decided to go to the casino by myself after they’d all gone to their rooms. About winning, and then Cox appearing. How I’d kept winning, and we’d kept celebrating. And how by the time we’d left Mandalay Bay with Drake Meadows and Marika, I was already drunk enough that everything from there on out was very hazy.
“So you gambled and partied all night with Camden Cox, the boy who pulled your pigtails when you were kids, and you woke up naked with him in his hotel?” Nora asked.
“That’s basically it. I remember bits and pieces, but—”
“Sophie!” An excited voice cut me off and a woman with platinum blond hair and a clingy red dress rushed over to our table. She had a butterfly tattoo right in the center of her cleavage. “I’m so happy I caught you this morning.”
She looked vaguely familiar, her face featuring in the misty, broken slideshow that made up last night’s memories. But I didn’t know her name or why she was so excited to see me. What was I supposed to say? Think, Sophie, think. “Hi. Nice to see you too. These are my friends Nora, Hazel, and Everly.”
“Tanya,” she said with a wave. “Oh my god, Sophie, you were the absolute cutest last night. When I get married, you have to promise me you’ll be my maid of honor.”
“Maid of honor?”
“The pics from Drake’s wedding are all over the internet already and you look amazing in all of them.”
“All over the internet?”
She smacked a piece of gum and nodded. “And the toast you gave? I still get a little choked up when I think about it.”
This time I stopped myself from repeating what she’d said in the form of a question. I’d given a toast? “Wow, I’m um… I’m glad you liked it.”
“So much. You’re a badass bitch. I gotta go; the crew is heading down to the Wynn for the buffet. I’ll see you later.”
“Bye,” I said, not even trying to hide my bewilderment as she walked away. She met up with a tall guy who looked like the drummer from—
No, he was the drummer from Monkey Rum. He was freaking famous. He gave me the rock on symbol with both hands. “See ya, Soph!”
Swallowing hard, I waved back.
“Holy shit,” Nora said, her eyes on her phone. “Sophie, you were in Drake Meadows’ wedding?”
“I guess so?”
“Let me see.” Everly grabbed for Nora’s phone and her eyes widened. “Oh my god, you were.”
“Apparently she gave a toast,” Hazel said.
“Maybe I did.”
“What else did you do last night?” Nora asked.
“Well… I’m pretty sure I was a ring girl at an MMA fight.”
“What’s that?” Everly asked.
“They walk around the ring in a bikini holding up a number to tell the crowd what round it is,” Nora said. “Where did you get a bikini?”
“I think I just took my dress off and did it in my underwear.”
Nora raised her eyebrows. “Hot.”
“No, it’s not hot. It’s crazy,” I said. “Oh my god, that’s probably on the internet too.”
“We’ll find it later, and I’m sure you looked fierce,” Nora said. “You have a banging body.”
That perked me up a little and I cracked a smile. “Thanks.”
“So, what happened with Cox this morning?” Nora asked. “Was he surprised to see you in his room or do you think he remembers more than you do?”
“He was asleep when I woke up. I really wanted to sneak out before he saw me, but my clothes were everywhere. I never did find my bra. Anyway, that’s not important. I have other bras. When he did wake up, he didn’t seem surprised to see me. He just said morning in that slight Southern drawl of his. I wonder where it comes from? He had it when we were kids, too.”
“Okay, focus,” Nora said. “He didn’t say anything about last night?”
“Not really. Although I didn’t exactly give him a chance. I fell flat on my face, then grabbed my clothes and got dressed. I bolted out of there as fast as I could.”
“I can’t blame you for that,” Everly said.
“Have you at least gone through the photos on your phone?” Hazel asked. “Those might give you more clues as to what happened last night.”
“That’s an excellent suggestion,” Nora said.
“Not yet,” I said. “I’m afraid to look.”
They all raised their eyebrows at me.
With a resigned breath, I took out my phone and opened the photo gallery.
The first ones weren’t so bad. I’d taken a few selfies with Cox at the craps table and I did look awfully cute. Nora had done a great job with my hair and makeup. There were several more with the other people who’d been playing with us. We sure looked happy.
I kept swiping through the gallery. Shots of people in the limo—there were Tanya and the drummer, Drake and Marika, and a few others I couldn’t remember. More selfies with Cox, holding up champagne flutes. Me hugging J.J. the limo driver.
Well, that was embarrassing. We’d hugged last night and I hadn’t recognized him this morning.
There were photos at another casino. Another one of Cox at what must have been the MMA fight. None of me as a ring girl. I wondered if Cox had taken any, and I couldn’t decide if I hoped he hadn’t or hoped he had.
It seemed like I’d taken a hundred at Drake and Marika’s wedding. Someone—maybe Cox?—had snapped a few of me giving a toast. And then more selfies.
But none of this was too bad. Maybe we hadn’t actually—
Except… Oh no.
Oh.
No.
“Oh my god, we did.”
Nora’s lips curled in a grin. “Did you take sex pics?”
“No, that’s not what I mean.” I stared at the photo and I knew. The memory that kept knocking on the back door of my brain suddenly burst in.
My hands trembled as I held up my phone so they could see the truth. The epic disaster that I’d wrought. The horrifying conclusion to my wild night in Vegas.