The masseur smiled, noticing her demureness. “I ask just because it's almost like a policy. You'd be surprised how many people would rather receive a massage with nothing on. Let's get started,” he said.
Jewels let the robe slide off her shoulders and fall to the floor. The masseur picked it up and placed it on a spare massage table. She lay down on the table and let the Spanish masseur's fingers knead her back muscles. The masseur's hands lightly stroked her neck and shoulders, then went down her spinal column. He poured aromatherapy oil on the middle of her back and rubbed it into her backside. His hands then lowered to her thighs and legs, and he rubbed in the oil in circular motion. The massage was so ardent that Jewels almost thought the masseur was making love to her with his hands.
When her Swedish rubdown came to an end, she thanked the masseur and tipped him graciously. The curative massage immediately proved itself to Jewels.... It worked! She felt great. She had once been skeptical about massage therapy . . . until now. She could now attest to its power to heal. Jewels went back to the changing room to change into her clothes. She realized her bathing suit was wet and decided she'd just throw on her miniskirt and showcase the top of the two-piece bathing suit.
With her Prada bag in one hand and her shirt in the other, Jewels stepped out of the spa and walked to the beach, only a few minutes away. She grabbed her cell phone to see what time it was, as she had lost track of the hour thanks to the spa's aromatic treatment.
“Two forty-three,” she read, gazing at her cell phone screen. Then her phone buzzed. Rome flashed across the screen. Jewels smiled and answered the phone. “Hey, Rome! What's up, babe?”
“I just got through with this first meeting,” he answered, shaking his head. “The meeting went straight,” he assured Jewels. “I'm going to meet with someone else he wanna plug me with while we out here, and I'll meet you back at the hotel around four thirty. Sound good?”
“Okay. Be safe,” she said, coming up on the beach.
“Always.” He smiled through the phone. “Sounds like you're at the beach. Been anywhere else?” Rome said, trying to make conversation while he had her on the phone.
“The spa,” she answered. “I'm thinking I might do some shopping on the Strip, but we still have tomorrow. It's only the first day, and I already love Atlantic City!”
“Glad you're having a good time,” Rome said with a smile on his face. He then refocused his attention on his main objective and the primary reason they were in A.C. in the first place. “Well, I'll let you get back to the ocean. See you at the hotel.” He honestly didn't want to let her go and wished that he could be with her, instead of taking care of business.
“Okay. Bye,” Jewels said before hanging up the phone, feeling the complete opposite of him. She was ready to get off the phone and was anxious to burn the time until she saw him.
Jewels spent some time on the beach and in the ocean. Afterward, she grabbed something to eat from a Cuban restaurant on the boardwalk, ordering the food to go because it was nearing the time she was to meet Rome back at the hotel. She wanted to be in the hotel room when Rome arrived.
Jewels opened the door to the suite with her room key and found that Rome hadn't arrived yet. Or so she thought. Then, on the bed, she spotted a blue box with a white ribbon tied around it, adding to its conspicuousness. She tiptoed over to the bed and grabbed the box.
“Tiffany & Company,” she read on the box's cover. The bow unraveled with a pull on the ribbon. She popped open the box to find a eighteen-karat white gold watch with a pink face and diamond-encrusted roman numerals.
“Oh my,” Jewels said, amazed at the beauty of the watch. She lifted the watch out of the box and dropped the box on the bed. She put the watch on and held her wrist out in front of her. It looked good on her wrist.
Her attention shifted suddenly to the bathroom. There on the sink countertop was a handwritten letter, along with a bouquet of alstroemeria flowers. Rome was already pleasing her, and he wasn't even in the room. She didn't think what she felt was possible. She hurried over to the bouquet and read the note he had left with it.
To My Bonnie . . . From Your Clyde! Ride or Die! See you downstairs . . .
Jewels looked at the time on her new watch and checked her cell phone to make sure the watch was right. It was. She didn't have much time left. She had twenty minutes to take a shower, do her hair and makeup, and find something to wear. She figured it would be best if she ran the shower first and picked out what she was going to wear as her shower water adjusted to her preferred temperature.
The first thing she pulled out of the suitcase was a hot pink Aidan Mattox satin cocktail dress.
This will do
, she said, holding the elegantly modern dress in front of her. She dug back into the contents of the suitcase to find a pair of shoes. She pulled a pair of soft black-leather caged heels out of the pile. She looked up toward the ceiling, mouthed the words “Thank you, Lord,” and hugged the shoes.
Jewels felt like a princess. Rome was spoiling her, and she had yet to say yes to being his girlfriend. She inhaled her surroundings and then realized she had Rome waiting for her at the lounge in the lobby of Caesars. She quickly removed her clothes and accessories and took a shower, staying in just long enough to wash off the beach water and freshen up with her sweet-scented Victoria's Secret body wash. She washed her hair, deciding that she'd spritz it again and wear it loosely.
Jewels stepped out of the shower and dried off. She rubbed lotion into her skin and sprayed Michael Kors Very Hollywood perfume on her wrists and also applied the usual dabs behind her ears. She put on the one-shoulder dress, and its satin ruffles dangled at her kneecaps. The heels added four inches to her height, not that she was worried. Even in heels, Rome still had her beat height-wise. She scurried to the mirror to spritz her hair, scrunching a fistful of hair strands at one time. She picked at the hairdo and was finally satisfied with the way it framed her face. She opted not to take a purse with her and instead slipped her California driver's license, lip gloss, and two hundred dollars into the pocket of her strapless bra.
Dressed and anxious to see Rome, Jewels exited the room and took the elevator down to the lounge area. She spotted Rome and walked toward him. He was at the bar, downing a shot of Patrón. Her nerves were all over the place as she made her way to the bar and sat down in the empty chair next to him. They greeted each other with endearing smiles and a peck on the lips.
“You workin' that dress! And them heels . . . look good on you,” Rome said, shaking his head as he uttered the last three words.
Jewels smiled timidly and replied, “Why, thank you, Rome. You're looking pretty good yourself. I ought to be thanking you for this outfit, since you brought it. So thank you.”
Rome nodded, accepting her thank-you. So far the first outfit he had bought Jewels on his own was to his liking.
“The spa was awesome! I got a mineral bath and a Swedish massage. It was just what I needed . . . relaxation. I am having the time of my life out here.... Really, I am, Rome, and I haven't gone anywhere, really. I could stay here an entire weekend and not go anywhere else!” Jewels said excitedly. She was thrilled that it was only day one of the trip, and she had at least one more day to soak up the fun before it was back to St. Louis.
“Now, that's where I shoulda been today,” Rome said. But he knew he had to handle business. After all, that was the purpose of the trip.
The second meeting had been equally as good as the first one. However, the leaders were not keen on him getting into the Atlantic City drug scene, being that they were trying to stay afloat with all the other territorial gangs. Rome had sensed that they weren't feeling his ideas, but he wasn't interested in the deal, either, after talking. He had made plans to cancel all the meetings for the next day and to head back to the Lou with Jewels. If there was no business to attend to, then there was no reason to be there.
“Yeah, you should have. It was wonderful,” Jewels said. “I went to the beach, too. You shoulda seen me in my cute little two-piece.”
“I know it,” Rome smirked. “I bet these East Coast niggas was feelin' it too.”
Jewels rolled her eyes. “I don't care who was looking. I care about only one set of eyes,” she reminded him. “Well, the beach was beautiful. The water was so clean and clear,” she said. “Only thing that would have made it better is if you were there, Rome. Oh, my goodness, you would have been so relaxed!”
Rome smiled, feeling a slight buzz from the shot of tequila. “You ready for dinner?” he said. The grumbling of his stomach had initiated the comment.
“Starving, actually,” Jewels answered, remembering the Cuban food was in the room, getting cold. “Where are we going again?”
“Bobby Flay Steak,” Rome answered. “Right outside those doors. It's the best steakhouse and the best restaurant in Atlantic City.”
“And how would you know?” Jewels said, taking his hand once he stood up. She followed his lead, and they made their way out of the lobby.
“Because only the best is good enough for me, baby,” Rome said, scooping her into a hug as they walked to the restaurant, which was minutes away from the hotel.
“I can smell it from here, and, boy, does it smell delicious, whatever it is.” Jewels laughed.
Rome opened the door for her and followed her inside the restaurant. They had to wait an agonizing hour before they were seated. Both of them had no doubt that the wait was going to be worth it. Seven o'clock rolled around, and a hostess finally led them to an intimate table on the restaurant's first level. Jewels didn't hesitate to look around at the intricate and elegant design of the restaurant. A chandelier made of handblown glass was the focal point of the room, and a glass-enclosed wine tower stretched from the first level to the second. Once they were seated at their table, they were handed their menus and given a moment to decide what they were going to eat.
“Are you comfortable?” Rome asked, making certain that she felt like a queen.
“Yes, sir,” Jewels said, staring down at her menu. “You do know that I've been going to five-star restaurants nearly all my life,” she reminded him. She looked up and over at him.
“My bad.” Rome chuckled.
Jewels shook her head and returned to the menu. She couldn't decide whether she wanted steak or fish. Whatever she decided to have was going to be devoured as soon as the plate hit the table.
A waiter returned moments later with a pen and a pad in hand, then asked them for their choices off the menu.
“I'll take the Brandt Farms rib eye well done, with the creamed spinach and the baked potato. And a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon,” Rome answered confidently, not concerned in the slightest about the high price. “And she'll have the American Wagyu filet mignon, with the same sides as my plate, and an iced tea, please.”
The waiter collected their menus and headed back to the kitchen to give the cooks the new order. He returned momentarily with Rome's wine bottle, two glasses, and Jewels's iced tea. Then he excused himself to take care of the other tables he was serving.
Rome and Jewels conversed while they waited for their entrées. They were so into each other that the thirty-minute wait for their food seemed like only half the time. The waiter returned and decorated the couples' table with two sizzling hot plates, a well-done rib eye on one and a filet mignon on the other. Both were accompanied by creamy green spinach and a fluffy baked potato with butter melting in its split center.
“Thank you,” Rome said before the waiter could slip away to check on his other tables.
“Enjoy your meal,” the waiter said, then proceeded to the other tables he was waiting on.
Before Rome could ask Jewels if her meal looked appetizing, she was already carving her thick boneless steak. A smile spread across his face, and he took her cue and cut into his seared rib eye.
Not much was said as the couple ate their dinner. Occasionally, they would look up at each other and grin, their way of letting the other know the meal was delectable. The food on Jewels's plate was reduced to half, while Rome managed to finish everything he'd ordered except the bottle of wine. The two made eye contact once their bellies were full and their hearts were full of anticipation for what was to come next.
“I am stuffed,” Jewels said, resting her fork on the plate, sure she had had enough to eat. She waved the waiter over to get a to-go box and figured she would put it with the Cuban meal she hadn't gotten a chance to eat.
When the waiter returned with the box, Rome gave him his American Express card without even seeing the bill. The waiter took the card and walked away with a smile.
“Thank you, Rome, for dinner,” Jewels said before the waiter returned to the table with Rome's card and a brown bag in which to carry the wine bottle and her to-go box.
The waiter packaged the box and the wine and thanked the couple for dining at Bobby Flay Steak. Rome set two hundred dollars on the table and rose from his seat. He and Jewels left the restaurant hand in hand, leaving the waiter very happy that he had had the honor of serving them.
“So where to now? The room?” Jewels asked with bright eyes.
“I was thinking we take advantage of the Atlantic City nightlife and hit the club later on tonight. What do you say?” Rome asked.
“I say,” Jewels began, “we put this food back in our room first. I'm so down to go to the club. That way I can see if you got some real moves or not.” She waved her arm in the air rhythmically and giggled at her own actions.