Sin City Secrets

Celestia Donovan stared at the city lights from the massive floor-to-ceiling window, seeming brighter than the galaxy of stars. To her, Las Vegas was more of a city of dreams than the infamous city of sin.

The eight-mile Vegas Strip was partially visible from her luxury apartment situated the thirtieth floor with neon signs and dancing fountains. The sights were breathtaking to her, mostly because of its bold and free-spirited characters that her heart yearned forever.

“You can unpack everything tomorrow if you want,” the familiar voice of her mother dragged back her gaze as she turned around.

Kyla Donovan, ever the sharp, well-dressed woman, with her hair bunched in a classic hair-do, was Celestia’s mother. But their familial relationship was highly questionable.

Kyla was mostly absent while her daughter was homeschooled growing up. She was sent off to some Community College in an unknown town. Before she could finish it, Celestia had to return home because her mother was shifting to Las Vegas.

“Are you going somewhere?” Celestia eyed her mother’s charcoal pant-suit attire. “At this hour?”

“Well, clients in Las Vegas don’t mind late-night meetings as long their pockets get heavier,” Kyla clipped, her eyes glued to the phone in her hand, and then snapped her head up. “I am leaving Oscar by the door if you need anything.”

“I won’t,” came the quick answer.

A twenty-year-old girl shouldn’t need a babysitter-guard, but Celestia knew her mother wouldn’t agree. The very reason her entire life has been in shadows was her security and Kyla’s paranoia.

Bruno Donovan, Celestia’s business tycoon of a father, was gunned down in broad daylight, leaving behind the empire on her mother’s shoulder when Celestia was barely a month old.

“Takeout dinner is on the kitchen table. I hope you wouldn’t mind Mexican for one night.” And before the young lady could vehemently object of her dislike for the cuisine, Kyla had already turned around, her heeling clacking against the polished marble. In a few long strides, she was out of the room.

Turning her gaze back on the glimmering city lights, Celestia craved for a moment’s thrill. Incognito life was bearing heavy on her mind and weighed down her soul for so long that she was inching for a lick of danger. Besides, what was the point of being in Las Vegas and not sin a little?

In a flash, she reached for her MacBook and pulled up the software to create an ID that would look real enough for a nearby club or casino to grant her entrance. And serve her alcohol.

Seclusion from the world gave her ample time to hone her computer skills, and having self-taught specific programs and amateur hacking techniques, Celestia was confident enough to get away with such mischievous endeavours.

Within half an hour, she created a new fake ID for herself. According to it, she was a Jessica Woods, twenty-two-year-old and from Miami. Back in her mind, she even concocted a faux story for herself, just in case. Only the last step was to choose the nearest club from her newest apartment to make sure she could slip out and come back before her forty-something babysitter-cum-bodyguard, Oscar would find out.

Club Cosmos, she decided. In the era of Google, a search for the nightclub was as accurate as one could expect.

As she put on her best dress, letting loose of her ponytail and stood before the mirror, little did Celestia Donovan know her enthralling beauty could captivate any man’s eyes. It wasn’t alone her large, expressive brown orbs or the full lips or the natural blush she wore on her cheeks. Still, the look of eccentric innocence scattered across her features like beautiful freckles.

Peeking out of her bedroom, she couldn’t see Oscar in the vicinity and guessed that he had retired to his bedroom. It wasn’t the first time that she would slip under his nose; it had happened so many times that she has practically mastered the art of evasion.

Once she made it to the streets, she felt a small sense of freedom washing over her. Her Uber ride dropped her right at the destination as she stepped out in her brand new silver stilettos and trendy nightlife attire.

Club Cosmos has the flair of upscale clientele, and the bouncers made sure to scan the person they were letting in.

“You alone?” One of the beefy men looked behind her. At such a late hour, the evening was already in full swing, yet there wasn’t a line.

“Yes,” she faked confidence and cover charge.

“ID?” The same man held out her hand as she fished out.

Satisfied, she was granted the entry and strode into Club Cosmos.

The nightclub was nothing but pitch black except for rainbow strobe lights. To her left was the DJ, who often changed the song as the sound blared to the point of deafening madness.

Celestia loved the chaos of darkness and loud music. Thankfully, she can dance like nobody’s watching, drink without supervision, and slid away once again before anyone noticed her.

Pushing her way through the crowd that danced under the streaking lights and swirled in the smoky haze of dry-ice, she made it to the bar.

“Can I get a Cosmopolitan?” she yelled at the young bartender who nodded and swayed to the music at the same time.

“Thank you.” Celestia mouthed and reached for her drink, swivelling around to face the crowd.

As she sipped the red liquid, Celestia began to relish in her small moment of freedom. It was the only thing she could manage to feel good about, given her circumstances. The darkness, the music, the chaos…everything shrouded her identity yet letting her savour the thrill of the night.

She watched the two women pole dancing placed high in the centre of the dance floor. The night looked so young, she thought that the dawn would never arrive in a long time.

“Hey, beautiful!” A man leaned closer and immediately, she retreated.

“Busy. Excuse me.” Celestia shouldered her way past a couple of people, visibly drunk, to move away from the creepy man. To her relief, he didn’t pursue.

When she found herself on the edge of the maddening crowd, dancing to the loud beats, she swayed a little and took the mind of her life’s shadowy existence. The thumping rhythm roared loudly in her ears, blocking the rest of the sounds.

She was simply ecstatic.

Well, the happiness was short-lived though. Didn’t she learn about the story of the little red riding hood and the wolf?

A hand closed over her pert ass that instantly made her turn around.

“What is your problem?” she snapped at the guy, the same creepy one, who grinned and leered like a drunken fool.

Annoyed, and a little nervous, Celestia smacked his hand away from her body and disappeared into the crowd. This time, she didn’t make the mistake of stopping a few feet away or turning back but straight made her way out of the dancing horde.

“Damn it!” she muttered, looking for a way out of this place and stalked down a corridor with acid-green and pink neon lights. It looked like some VIP area with fewer men strolling around.

“Who are you?” A tall man blocked her path.

“I was just looking for the restroom,” she fibbed. Although the man didn’t look like he bought the lie, she was thankful when he let it have her.

“That way,” he said dryly and pointed behind her. “The right turn.”

“Oh, thank you.” She offered a smile and dashed out, as quickly as those uncomfortable stilettos could carry her.

Except, she couldn’t find the right turn. The place felt like a labyrinth to her. Dark corridors connected one another with dim lights emitting from the neon decorations. With all her dear life, she clutched onto the glass in her hand, wandering about for the exit. And finally, when she found a door, one with polished surface and gold accents and design on it, she pushed through it.

“What the fuck!” The harsh voice cut through as Celestia barely managed not to fall back on her back after crashing against the wall of hard muscles, like a ship hitting an iceberg.

The glass slipped from her hand, but not before splashing its reddish contents onto the stranger’s immaculate silk white shirt.

“I am…I am so sorry.” Vainly, she tried to wipe the stain off his shirt. Like that was going to work.

A harsh vice-like grip snagged her wrist and tore it away. “Who are you?” The voice was deep and highly displeased at the moment.

Until then, Celestia didn’t get a look at the towering man, but when she did look up—the blood in her veins froze under his frigid stare. His features were sharp like someone sculpted him out of the marble stone and forgot to polish the edges. But it was that ominous look that made him look more of a beast than a man.

“I-I am really sorry,” she earnestly pleaded and tugged at her wrist to free them of the savage hold.

A snarl tangled his features. “I. Asked. Your. Name.”

As if her tongue was plastered in her mouth, she kept shaking her head in fear of exposure. To her great luck, someone came rushing, looking for the man who held her arrested at the moment.

“Boss, they are waiting for you.”

The moment he looked away, Celestia took advantage of this small reprieve and ran. Adrenaline kicked in her system, and she fled before another danger touches her.