Chapter 182: The Hangover
"Another nerd," Ron complained helplessly.
But because the word "nerd" sounded too similar to Leonard's name, he was dissatisfied: "He's not a nerd, just an idiot. How could a nerd not know the difference between Las Vegas and ancient Rome?"
"That's true," the heavy-set man said, having been pulled away by his companions. Ron took the opportunity to lean over the counter and said, "Beautiful lady, please give us a villa."
The villas at Caesars Palace were large suites that could accommodate four people. Each person had their own room and private bathroom. Costing over $4,000 a day, they were the perfect accommodations for them.
Although the receptionist's eyes practically lit up at Ron, she still said with regret, "I'm sorry, sir, there's only one villa left, and it's been reserved by those four gentlemen."
"That's a shame," Ron said, not wanting to steal someone's reservation. "Then give me a better room, one that can accommodate the four of us."
Ron handed over his black American Express card, and the experienced receptionist's eyes immediately widened. Such cards were rare, typically held by Fortune 500 executives or government officials. Unfortunately, Ron had no desire to continue chatting with her. He took the room keys and led his friends to the elevators.
Interestingly, they happened to take the same elevator as the foursome, and their rooms were next to each other, just one floor down.
"I'm sorry we took your villa. This is a gift from my friends for my bachelor party. My name is Doug, and I'm getting married next week." A clean-cut man in the group was the first to extend his hand to Ron.
Ron, of course, wouldn't refuse a polite gesture. He extended his hand and shook it. "Congratulations, and have a great time."
"Ron, is that guy gay?" Raj asked curiously.
"If he were gay, he wouldn't be marrying a woman. In this country, while same-sex marriage isn't recognized everywhere, it's becoming more accepted. I have a cousin who's married to his partner. So there's no need for him to hide his sexuality and hurt an innocent woman."
Ron opened the door. The luxurious suite drew cheers from the three geeks, and even Howard's mood brightened slightly.
"Guys, pick a room, then shower and get ready. We'll be heading out in thirty minutes to one of the world's greatest adult playgrounds!"
"Yes!" Ron's plan drew cheers from Leonard and the usually shy Raj.
However, Howard remained glum as he opened his laptop and started typing.
After showering, Leonard called into the living room, "Howard, can I use your cologne?"
"In the black bag, on the top shelf."
Leonard opened Howard's black bag, revealing three neatly arranged rows of various colognes and a whole row of at least twenty condoms underneath.
"The first row has the musk you requested, the second row has the woody and botanical scents, and the third row has the pheromone blends, for special occasions."
Ron shook his head. "All these tools are needed to impress one nerdy girl? God, I can't believe how complicated you guys make dating."
"Usually, we wait in bars. After the jocks and lawyers have picked out the best options, Howard and I go after what's left—the desperate, the lonely, and if we're lucky, someone with really low standards,"
Raj replied with immense pride, an answer that made Ron feel genuinely sorry for them.
These poor guys, does dating really need to be this complicated? This is America, the land of opportunity where everyone respects success. As long as Raj showed off his family's wealth from his aerospace engineering career, the women willing to date him could probably form a line around the block in Pasadena.
However, Ron had no urge to share this insight with Raj. On the contrary, he found Raj's relatively innocent, earnest approach quite admirable.
While he still displayed his sheltered upbringing in various ways, he remained a hardworking individual determined to make it in America through his own efforts, a stark contrast to the spoiled rich kid who later gave up and only relied on his family's money.
Of course, even when Raj had gotten more cynical, he still seemed to have made considerable achievements in astrophysics.
"Let's go," Leonard said, getting impatient. Following Ron, maybe he could actually meet someone tonight?
"You guys go ahead. I'll reply to an email and then come down." Howard remained unmoved.
"It's not an email, you're stalking Leslie's Facebook page," Leonard said, ruthlessly calling out Howard's behavior.
"Fine, I was looking at her page. You know what? She actually posted that she dumped me..."
Seeing Howard about to continue his rambling, Ron decisively said goodbye and pulled them both out.
"Ron, I'm still a little worried about Howard."
"Let me tell you, Leonard—the slot machines, the free drinks from the cocktail waitresses, and the prime rib buffet for only twelve bucks," Raj became more talkative after drinking: "Let Howard and his self-pity party have fun up there."
"This is the real Las Vegas experience."
"If we didn't have to babysit two grown men who can only handle penny slots, I'd completely agree with you." Ron nodded.
"Maybe we can try something else?"
"No, slots are enough. Anything else is just donating money to the casino," Ron sighed regretfully: "Unless you have Sheldon's photographic memory and calculation abilities, then we could make a small profit like the guys in '21'."
Raj said unconvinced: "Hey, we're scientists too, why can't we do it?"
"Do you really need me to explain?" Ron spread his hands: "This is Vegas, no casino boss is actually stupid. They use six-deck shoes and shuffle them randomly. Even with above-average intelligence, it'll make your head spin."
Don't think Ron hasn't tried it. His brain is pretty sharp among regular people, but he can only manage card counting with maybe 5% accuracy, which is useless in a real casino.
Good-hearted Leonard was still worried about his friend: "Hey, guys, we're having fun down here, but what about Howard? Are we just going to leave him alone upstairs?"
"Actually, the solution to his problem is pretty simple." Ron took a sip of his whiskey and noticed a small cocktail napkin under his glass with a phone number on it. The busty cocktail waitress serving drinks waved at him flirtatiously.
Oh, the burden of being this good-looking~
"What do you mean?" Leonard asked quickly.
"Just find him another woman."
"How is that possible!" Raj's eyes widened: "He can't even get a date at Caltech, let alone here in Vegas!"
(End of Chapter)
If you enjoyed this chapter, leave a Power Stone or Review!
P@atreon/Soulforger (80+ advanced chapters)
Buy me coffee - ko-fi*com/soulforger01