Outside Hotel La Vue, the tall man opens a car door for Nikki and sees her off. He looks calm but he's actually anxious. His cell phone has been vibrating in his pocket with text messages— they are from Zach Jr., the robot. He knows that's highly unusual. After Nikki leaves, he immediately makes a call:
"Hey, thanks for the heads-up. What is the best way to explain this? And I'm actually going to Wes Warren's party right now."
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"Your apartment will be fine, no one wants to rob your place. Come on. Let's go." Marina pleads, pulling Rae's arm. They are now standing on the sidewalk.
"Thanks a lot, Marina." Rae knows Marina has seen how little possession she has in that apartment.
"You don't ever do anything! Other than going to work and doing your taxes ."
"Plus grocery shopping."
"Not funny!" Marina rolls her eyes, but then she sees something and she smiles big "Ha! Here comes a cab. It's fate. Get in." Marina opens the door and basically pushes Rae into a taxi. "To Hotel La Vue, please."
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On the balcony of his penthouse suite in Hotel La Vue, Wes Warren holds a champagne flute and chats with people. The tall man who receives texts from Zach Jr. is walking to the balcony. He moves close to the glass railing and he looks down at the street. He sees two dots getting out of a taxi and moving towards the hotel entrance.
"Zach!" Wes spots the tall man and shouts out, "Did you tell Camila that everything you do is because you are being lazy?" Wes extends his glass to point at a woman who's wearing a sleeveless bodycon dress.
"You're lazy, Zach?" the woman speaks with a flirty voice.
"Everyone knows Zach Evans is the hardest working man, but he works hard to make things easy for him. Oh snap. That should be the motto of Zabby," Wes claps and laughs.
The tall man is Zach Evans, founder and CEO of Zabby. He smiles mildly and joins the conversation.
"You're the greeting card man, Wes. You come up with the best line," Zach Evans raises his glass to him.
As Zach Evans chats, the elevator that's exclusively reserved for the penthouse opens. Rae and Marina walk out of the elevator and they are now inside this exquisite suite.
Rae feels very out of place. She's still wearing her black shirt and slacks with a pair of tennis shoes. Marina isn't dressed up either. Every girl here is wearing very little cloth, it's like they can't feel the cold at all.
"Free booze, come on." Marina motions Rae to the champagne flutes sit on the wet bar. Rae is very glad that Marina is by her side.
Zach Evans chats while he scans the crowd inside. Suddenly he pauses. He thinks that's her—user #2, Vienna Rae Novak. He feels like there's a rush of warmth and chill in him simultaneously. He can't explain what that is.
"Actually, let me go grab another drink, excuse me," Zach Evans heads inside, trying to approach Rae. But just as Zach leaves the balcony, Wes also spots Rae. It's easy to find them in the crowd because they are the only two girls who wear something that cover their chests and legs. Wes goes inside as well.
As luck would have it, Zach is held up by other guests who want to chat. Wes cuts through the crowd with a smile that seems to say "I'm preoccupied now." He easily reaches Rae before Zach. He taps on Rae's shoulder.
"Oh hey!" Rae jumps a little but she uses her upbeat voice.
"Hello Vienna..., I mean Rae. And Hello Marina. I'm so glad you guys came."
"Hi Wes. Nice party." Marina replies.
"So Rae, why is that you want to go by Rae but not your first name Vienna? It's so beautiful," Wes starts to chat with Rae. Marina gets the drift— Wes wants to talk to Rae. Marina slowly steps away, sipping a drink with a tiny straw.
"Oh, ha ha, um," Rae notices Marina leaving her, "do you not like Rae?"
"I like Rae." Wes squints, "You seem a little nervous. Do you still think I'm this horrible Zach?"
"Actually, about that..., do you want to step aside and talk about that? Do you really not know Zach?" Rae raises her eyebrows, trying to give him a hint. She's hoping that Zach Jr. can come clean with his plan now, if he has a plan for her. Although she feels there's a chance that the system simply re-sets itself and doesn't remember anything. And, she hasn't seen a message from Zach the robot.
"What's this face? Ha ha. Sure, let's head this way," Wes walks Rae to a lounge area that has fewer people. "Actually, I know a Zach, but I don't think he's your Zach." Wes chuckles and turns to face Rae. His eyes are looking down at Rae, and Rae feels that look is slightly different from the way Zach Jr. looked at her earlier at her apartment. Rae checks Wes out some more. She does feel that this man in front of her looks a little... more mature? Under the bright lights in this penthouse, she can see there maybe a few more wrinkles on his face, too?
"You are staring at me, Rae. You are funny." Wes says.
"I'm sorry..., oh," There, she says sorry again.
"Rae, I hope you are not dating that Zach."
"I'm not dating him."
"Are you dating anyone?"
"No."
"Oh, good," Wes smiles with meaning, and then he leans in close, "because I want to date you."
"Ha ha, why, ha," Rae chuckles nervously.
"You are very different," Wes's face is relaxed, he's watching her with curiosity. All of the sudden, Rae gets a feeling that there's a gaze behind her. She turns her head slightly, trying to confirm if someone is watching them, but before she can look, Wes moves one hand near Rae's face and it proceeds to go behind her ear. She can feel his hand brushing against her hair, and then almost touching the back of her neck but he doesn't. It feels different from when Zach's hand was near her face and was reaching for his jacket on the chair. But this man here is also very charming and looks just like the robot. Rae's heart is pounding hard. Without saying another word, Wes takes a step closer to Rae. He lowers his head.
"May I kiss you?" Wes speaks softly, like he's whispering.
Rae meets his eyes, very flustered. Just when she is about to say something, she feels her watch vibrating. She immediately looks down and her head accidentally pushes Wes's chin away.
"Oh I'm sorry." Rae puts her hand on Wes's arm.
"I'm OK. I hope you're not rejecting me already."
"I'm not. I was just startled by a text." She looks at her watch. It's from Zach Jr., it just says, "You're doing great."
"What?" Rae scoffs.
"Rae, are you enjoying yourself? I'm not boring you, right?" Wes asks, still standing close.
"No. You're not boring me."
"Do you want to go out with me tomorrow?"
"I'd like to but I have to work."
"After work?"
"It'll be after 9 PM, though."
"That's fine." Wes stares at Rae's lips. She feels her cheeks hot and throat dry.
"I'll...I'll text you after work."
"I can't wait," with that, Wes quickly seals Rae's lips with his.
Rae feels like there is electric current flowing through from her lower body up to her breasts. She doesn't know anything anymore, she just feels like she's been waiting for this. His lips are so warm, so soft, she wants more of them. To her surprise, she opens her mouth a little to invite Wes's mouth to go deeper. She hears him make a sound, like he is eager, too. His tongue slowly meets the very inner part of her lips.
"Oh..." She wants to pull away because she hasn't been kissed like that in a long, long time. She feels like she's about to fall down. Wes holds her closer to him by her waist, and then he releases his lips from hers.
He tastes nice, like dry champagne. She wishes she doesn't notice that because she kind of wants a little more.
"I want to save room for more of your kiss when we meet again." Wes looks deep into her eyes. For the first time in her life, she feels wanted by a man.