ExposedNYC

So, when I left off, I had just survived midnight having dinner with three showgirls in Vegas, without a kiss, but with plenty of champagne. Showgirl got a call from her boyfriend who works at Mandalay Bay, so we decided to head there, so that at least ONE of us could ring in a romantic New Year.

The downside? We were about two-and-a-half miles away at the opposite end of the Las Vegas strip, and the roads were closed (meaning no taxis!). But, being adventurous girls in heels, we set our sights on the destination and decided to play a game along the way.

Walking among the crowds of people spilling through the streets became much more entertaining after vowing that we would not arrive without each of us wearing a silly hat. I quickly became the ringleader, and successfully stole hats from four nice gentlemen…well almost. One conversation went:

“Can I borrow your hat?”

“Do you mean borrow it or have it?”

“Borrow it!”

“Sure, here you go.”

“Okay, you can have it back when you find us,”

After which we walked away at full speed.

So, festively topped, we continued our walk through mobs of people commenting on how tall the girls were, with me hanging onto an elbow on the end. Rhinestone caught the eye of two guys walking the opposite direction and shouted, “Hey, come back here!” They turned around and joined us, each with a full pitcher of beer in hand. They had just left Studio 54, bored out of their minds, and had no set destination.

Being the two single women in the group, Rhinestone and I each paired off and struck up a conversation. The guys were both from Canada, so we’ll call them “Canada” and “Neighbor”. Canada and I chatted as we walked down the street, and the cold weather gave him an excuse to wrap me inside half of his coat. I was instantly attracted to his intelligence, dark hair, and mischievous blue eyes.

We got to Mandalay Bay and met Showgirl’s boyfriend and a group of his friends at one of the casino bars. Canada and I sat in a corner and continued to talk about work, travel, and politics(!), before I brought up that I hadn’t had a New Year’s kiss. He gladly obliged, and when I pulled back after a couple seconds he grinned at me, saying, “That was ALMOST a New Year’s kiss. Should we try it again?” I certainly wasn’t one to argue with that!

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