Matt Leinart Parties With Paris Hilton -- And 200 Others -- In Las Vegas

Well, I can say I ordered him a free cocktail last week. We -- just the two of us -- were at the bar at Gustavino's in NYC last Thursday and I said "I'll never get the chance to say this, so 'Buy the bar a round?"

I just hope Matt can focus on the field once training camp starts, but I think he can. It's a new level. Still, it's like he's turning 21 again -- what's one more big bash?

Thing is, he's a very nice person, so those 200 people who were in attendance were not there just for his name.

Paris Hilton & Matt Leinart: Cozy in Vegas

Thursday May 04, 2006 3:50pm EST
By Stephen M. Silverman
Hilton and Leinart on May 1
CREDIT: ALPHAX / X17

Matt Leinart celebrated being drafted into the NFL by partying at a Las Vegas nightclub on Tuesday with Paris Hilton.

For the record, Leinart was joined at the club PURE by more than 200 of his closest friends, including Nick Lachey, Wilmer Valderrama and Danny Masterson – but he spent the better part of the evening with the newly single Hilton, a source tells PEOPLE.

On his way into the bash, the 22-year-old, 6'5", Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, who was recently drafted by the Arizona Cardinals, told PEOPLE, "After this, it's all business, all NFL."

Inside, he danced with Hilton, 25, on the club's VIP beds. She called him "baby" and rested her head on his back, sometimes holding his hand, says the source.

The pair danced the night away – and at one point disappeared together behind closed doors in the club's private suite.

Later, Hilton treated the crowd to an impromptu concert, jumping on top of the DJ booth and belting out several songs from her upcoming album, including a rendition of Rod Stewart's "Do You Think I'm Sexy" – which she dedicated to Leinart.

When not on the dance floor, the pair nestled themselves into the corner of a VIP bed, where they kissed and hugged before leaving around 3:30 a.m.

Hilton and Leinart have been spotted together several times recently. On May 1, Hilton, wearing a brunette wig, shopped at the Grove in Los Angeles with Leinart, PEOPLE reports. That night, they partied together at L.A. club Shag. "They seemed really into each other," said one witness. "He was very touchy-feely."

Leinart's rep denies that they're dating, and Hilton's publicist, Elliot Mintz, says, "She knows Matt, she likes Matt. They are friends. I don't want to go any further than that. They have known each other a while."