It was apparent even from the moment they arrived at Caesar’s Palace to get changed that Duncan was nervous.  He hid it well on the way in.  But on the way out, with Aliyah’s arm around his waist he was almost forgetting to breathe.  Who would have suspected that Duncan had never been on a date?  He was pretty sure more than a few girls had tried to get his attention.  But being the overachiever had come at a price.  He had intimidated every girl he had met who knew him.  If anything terrified him, it was Aliyah earning too much about him.  Being a writer or music player wasn’t so bad. But being good at just about everything else he tried?

As they stepped out of the private elevator a number of eyes fell on the pair.  The concierge, an escort or two, bellhops, and other staff members who had started to become used to seeing Duncan.  Most people had expected someone as young as Duncan to be a problem.  But in a very short time they had discovered him to be a very polite young man who was shyly spoiling himself.  He treated everyone - especially those who worked - with respect.

Duncan had mentioned to one person - the concierge - that he was going on a date.  He’d mentioned where and how he met Aliyah.  He’d only brought up the subject because he wasn’t sure about the rules of having a guest in his room.  He figured Las Vegas would have relaxed rules, but still wanted to make sure he wasn’t breaking any.  The concierge had in turn spread the word about Aliyah and that she wasn’t a professional, but a normal person, and should be regarded as a guest of the casino - and not just any guest, but one staying in a villa.

Gary was the first ‘normal’ person Aliyah ran into at the casino visit other than Duncan.  Oh they hadn’t been bad.  It was just too much of a Cinderella story. It was sobering to think about the fact that just the interest off Duncan’s money - after taxes - was paying for all this with ease.  He had described how just 1 billion properly invested produced about 10 million a month.  He was spending a tenth of that.  And he had over 3 billion.  So he was living off 3% of his interest.

Duncan grinned as they got into the limo, remembering to thank Gary.  “You know, I didn’t need a reservation to eat in the Nobu restaurant.  Priority seating comes with the room.  But I figured that would be cheating.  Lord, we could spend a day or two just touring the casino.  But you also said to pick something that is me.  And that isn’t really me.  I’m not so sure what is really.  But I think I came as close as possible in 30 minutes as I will ever get.”

The real museum he wanted to see was the Area 51 exhibit.  But that was in the National Atomic Testing Museum, which was in the Frank H. Rogers Science and Technology building.  He explained how he used to go to the National Atomic Museum on Kirtland AFB every day when he was 13 for over a month while living on base.  He didn’t much care for the idea of nuclear war.  Noone in their right mind would.  It was just the history and science he cared about.  He was a little like a kid in a candy shop - a 6’7” tall kid.  But he tried to be mindful of the possibility Aliyah might be bored or have already visited the place.

Then he mentioned their next date - one he hadn’t actually asked her on yet.  He told her next time SHE had to pick out where they went.  He revealed how he was going to give her a budget she HAD to spend.  And for a third date, they were going to try to set a budget to spend on others rather than themselves.

For dinner he had picked an Indian restaurant that was only a block or so away from the museum.  They had a choice of buffet or meals.  Duncan was the sort of person who would normally opt for a buffet.  He hated making choices.  But he also didn’t want to get up and away from the table while on a date.