Suddenly waylaid in Las Vegas, I decided to look at it as an opportunity rather than waste my time moping. Nicole, one of my casino hosts, was an intriguing possibility. I hadn't been in touch with her in more than a year, just after she was married to one of her high rollers. I could always just gamble the weekend away. Or I could try a dating app or sugar daddy site.

My mind, however, wasn't having any of that pretextual bullshit. My fingers were already typing out a text to Nicole.

"Hey stranger," I wrote. "Long time to see. I'm in Vegas for the weekend solo. Have a villa...