I tried not to shrug. I knew Meek would be upset if I blew this off. I wasn’t concerned about the SUV. They could have been waiting for anyone. Despite my best efforts, sometimes seedy clientele ended up in The Citrine. So far, there hadn’t been any mishaps, but I wasn’t naive enough to think that some of the criminal element of Las Vegas hadn’t found my casino.
Meek and I made our way around the crystal fountains in the lobby and through the casino. Slot machines chimed, and card players chatted amongst themselves. We went through a service door and made for the security room: Meek’s favorite place to be. He liked to have eyes everywhere all at once. He was good at his job, and he took it seriously. That was for certain.
Meek and I relieved the security officer on duty, and he slipped away to take his coffee break. I ducked into the washroom to change into my suit and crammed my jeans and T-shirt into the bag. I hung it on the hook in the security room beside Meek’s jacket and then sat down beside him, crossing my ankles and stretching my back. I groaned as it cracked when I twisted from side to side.
“That’s disgusting,” Meek grumbled.
“So is the way you put four sugars in your coffee every morning, but I keep my opinions to myself,” I said, cracking my knuckles just to irk him.
Meek smiled with the corner of his mouth. “You’re nothing but a big, twenty-four seven headache, you know that, Greyson?”
I grinned.
Meek laughed, and we both goofed around for a bit before he told me he had to get back to watching the cameras. I had meetings to attend in an hour, but I wanted to stay a while longer to enjoy my friend’s company.
We talked about things that didn’t matter, only pausing when he thought he saw something of importance on the cameras. Every now and then, he did spot something, and he’d call to one of his security guys over the ear piece they all wore, and we would watch the team check out the situation to make sure everything was alright.
It was during one of these conversations between Meek and his guard, Dennis that I spotted her.
Her back was to one of the cameras, and she was in the lobby, presumably to check in. She was fourth or fifth in line and was accompanied by two other young women.
Her hair was raven-black and long enough to touch her lower back. It was thick and shiny, shiny enough that the security cameras caught the shimmer in it every time she turned her head.
She was wearing tight blue jeans that hugged her shape from hip to ankle, and a gray T-shirt and sneakers. The other two women she was with were dressed in vibrant colors and heels, but for some reason, she stood out more.
The cameras were too grainy to make out her features, but somehow, I knew she was beautiful.
“Greyson?” Meek called.
I looked over at him. He was wearing an expression that suggested this was not the first time he had called my name. “Sorry?” I asked.
“See something odd?” Meek asked.
“Oh.” I shook my head. “No. Everything is fine. I saw this girl.” My eyes flicked back to the monitors.
She was still there, chin tilted back as she admired the crystal fountain I had passed not even an hour earlier. I pointed her out to Meek.
“Yeah, she’s all right,” Meek said, clearly not all that interested,
“All right?” I asked incredulously.
Meek shrugged. “Go down and introduce yourself. Tell her who you are. I’m sure she’ll throw down right away.”
I scowled at my friend. I wasn’t looking to “throw down.” I also didn’t want to use my name to open certain doors for myself, especially where women were involved.
As I continued to watch her in the camera and they inched closer to the check-in counter, one thing became increasingly obvious: I needed to meet that girl.
Chapter 6
Skylar
Walking through the casino without bumping into someone else was a near impossible task, and the close proximity was making me anxious. I didn’t like the hustle and bustle, or the filtered air, or the way it smelled like people and carpet and cigarettes.
I let Nikki and my sister take the lead so I could follow in their wake and hopefully avoid people getting in my space. I watched Nikki’s back, amazed and horrified that she had brought two full-sized suitcases for her one-week stay in Las Vegas. When I had asked her about it on the airplane, she told me that one bag had all her shoes, accessories, and beauty products, while the other held all her clothes. My whole closet back home would have fit in one of the suitcases, and all the makeup I owned was presently stuffed in a ziploc bag sitting at the bottom of my purse.
I took my gaze off Nikki’s back and swaying blonde ponytail to look around the casino some more. Although it was overwhelming, I couldn’t deny how beautiful the place was. The ceilings were high—at least twenty feet—and made of something very shiny and black. I could see my own reflection in it as I stared up at myself. I could also look down Nikki’s very low-cut top.
Signs on the walls pointed to different areas within the hotel. There was one for the spa, which sounded more than appealing, one to the pool, to the rooms, to the shopping center, the bars, and the high stakes poker tables. The place was so much bigger than I ever could have imagined.
We followed the sign that pointed us to a tucked away corner hosting eight elevators that rode up the middle of the obelisk to all the rooms. One was waiting for us as Nikki pushed the up button, and we all piled on, having to make room for Nikki’s excessive luggage.
As soon as the doors closed and we started climbing upward, Renee hopped up and down on the spot and clapped her hands together excitedly.
“Okay,” she said. “What do we want to do first? Are you an unpacker, Nikki? Do you need to stay in the room for a bit and get organized?”
“Definitely.” Nikki nodded, flicking her ponytail over her shoulder as she inspected her reflection in the mirrored wall of the elevator. She was a beautiful girl, and she had always known it. “I can’t live out of a suitcase for a week. I need to know exactly where everything is.” Nikki smiled at herself in the mirror and turned one shoulder slightly so she could admire her own butt.
It took every ounce of self-control I possessed not to roll my eyes. Every surface on the elevator was reflective, and Nikki would most certainly see my face. So would Renee, and I didn’t want to cause any tension between the two of them.
We got out of the elevator on the thirtieth floor. The floors were royal blue carpet trimmed in gold along the edges, and the walls were black. Wall lamps cast warm light up and down the wide hallways, illuminating our way to our room at the end.
As we drew closer, a door just up ahead popped open, and two guys tumbled out. It was obvious that they had indulged in a bit of drinking, as their gaits were wobbly and uncoordinated. They were laughing and teasing each other, pushing one another back and forth the way drunk friends always did.
When they saw us, they stopped walking and tried to pretend they weren’t as hammered as they had let on. One was blond, and the other was bald with a shiny scalp that suited his sharp features. He gave us a brilliant white smile, which I returned from behind Nikki and Renee.
“Afternoon, ladies. You just arrive?” The man with no hair eyed me up and down. He ran a hand over his head, and I took a moment to acknowledge how handsome he was.
“Yes, we did,” Nikki said, continuing to walk forward. “And we’re in a hurry to get to our room. We’ve had a long day of traveling.”
Lies. The flight had only been three hours and twenty-five minutes long. All in all, with checking in, getting through security, and all the nonsense of getting our luggage after our flight, our entire travel time had only been a grand total of six and a half hours. It was only two in the afternoon Las Vegas time.
“Of course, ladies,” the bald man said with a polite nod. “Maybe we’ll see you around. Hope you have fun!”
Nikki blew past them and made an unimpressed sound in the back of her throat. They heard her and watched her
back as she went. I tried to offer them apologetic smiles as I passed, but I suspected they were a little too intoxicated to pick up on such a small gesture.
I glared daggers into Nikki’s back until we arrived at our rooms. Just because she wasn’t interested in a man didn’t mean she couldn’t let him down in a nicer way.
We paused outside our doors and searched inside our pockets for our room keys. As I fished mine out of my pocket, Nikki shot me a look.
“Don’t worry about those boys, Sky. We can do so much better. This is Las Vegas. The land of possibilities. Besides, we at least want a guy with money, right? Those two clearly had none.”
“It’s Skylar,” I muttered, irritated that Nikki always insisted on calling me by my nickname. It was a name my family had called me. Since Renee was my only living family left, she was the only one who used it, and hearing it on Nikki’s lips always sounded like nails on a chalkboard. Pairing that annoyance with her ignorant remark about the men not having enough money made me want to blow my brains out right there on the pretty blue carpet.
Nikki opened their door, and I opened mine.
“Okay, I’m going to start unpacking,” Nikki said. “I just need a couple hours, and I should be ready.”
“Okay.” Renee smiled. “Then we can go for a couple drinks and maybe an appetizer? Wander the Strip a bit, find a good place for dinner?”
“Sure,” I said. “I’m going to lay down for a bit and get a nap in. I’m exhausted.”
“Okay,” Renee said, giving me a look that I could read like a book. It said, I’m sorry about Nikki. Enjoy your alone time. I’ll try to keep her away from you for as long as I can. Love you.
After I closed and locked my door behind me, I took a deep breath and rested my forehead on the door. If this whole trip went anything like today had, I didn’t think I would survive. I would be booking a flight home on Wednesday.
I turned around and gasped. Maybe Wednesday was a little too soon. The room was absolutely stunning. The floors were, of course, black obsidian and riddled with snaking white lines. The bed was a four-poster of the likes I had never seen before. All the furniture was black and embellished with chrome details. The walls were the same royal blue as the carpet in the halls, giving the place a natural tie-in to the rest of the casino. Crystals were mounted on the walls and backlit with different colored lights, giving the room a pleasant ambient glow.
I could put up with Nikki to spend a week in this kind of luxury, couldn’t I?
The bathroom was exquisite, with a rain shower and jacuzzi that was much bigger than I expected from the photo Renee had shown me. Various types of soap were perched on the ledge, and I was already fantasizing about the baths I was going to have each and every night.
I tucked my suitcase into one corner and fell onto the bed. Yes, I could withstand this for a week.
***
I hadn’t actually intended on falling asleep, but I was jolted awake by a knock on my door. I sat up, rubbing sleep from my eyes, and clambered off the tall bed to hurry to the door. I opened it up to find Renee smiling at me.
Her smile faltered only a little when she saw me. “Uh,” she said. “Nikki is all ready to go. You still up for those drinks and appetizers? Nikki googled a trendy little spot just down the block from here she wants to check out. Apparently, they have the yummiest martinis on the strip.”
“That sounds great,” I said. “But I think I want to hang back tonight. Please don’t be upset, Renee. I just need to acclimate to this place, and I can’t go as fast as you guys. Enjoy some one on one time with Nikki. The two of you deserve it. I know you’ll be able to have more fun without me tonight. I want to enjoy the room and take it easy.”
“Okay, don’t worry. There are plenty of other nights for you to come out with us. Maybe order room service? I took a peek at the menu in the night stand. It looks fabulous.” Renee waved her fingers at me and slipped back into her room.
Relieved, I closed the door behind her and plunged back into the solitary silence of my room.
It was only six in the evening. I had so much time to do whatever I pleased, so I started filling the jacuzzi with hot water. I selected the lemongrass bubble bath, and then added a bit of lavender as well to calm my nerves. I was delighted to discover that there were even essential oils on the bathtub ledge. I added a splash of that, and soon, the whole bathroom smelled like a floral dream.
I grabbed my book from my suitcase and stripped out of my clothes to sink into the bubbling hot water. A neck pillow mounted to the side of the tub provided the perfect support for my head as I began reading.
I sat in the water until it began to cool down. I drained the tub reluctantly, wishing I could stay in it longer, but I had needs to attend to. My stomach was starting to growl, and I was sure I had waited too long for room service. I needed to eat as soon as possible. Otherwise, a hunger headache would set in.
I dressed in a pair of jeans and an oversized shirt with long sleeves. I untied my hair from its tight bun on top of my head, and my nose filled with the scent of my coconut shampoo as my locks tumbled down around my shoulders. I left my room smelling like a bouquet. My cheeks were still bright red from the water, but that was all right. I wouldn’t be out long. Soon, I would be returning to the room with my food in hand. Maybe I would watch some TV while I ate. It had been a long time since I did something like that.
I rode the elevator down and followed the signs in the casino to the food court. The place was busier now that it was evening, but it had a different sort of energy. It was a buzzing, excited, happy energy that made me feel less intimidated than I had before. People were laughing and joking at tables and by slot machines as I slipped between them.
Bells chimed and dinged as people won money. Victorious celebrations were taking place all around me, and it was impossible not to smile as I passed them. Some were winning thousands, others hundreds, but the electric excitement of it all made it feel like they were winning millions.
Maybe this place was more than I had given it credit for.
Chapter 7
Greyson
Meek was still sitting in his usual spot in front of the security monitors when I came in after finishing my day of grueling meetings and appointments. He looked up at me and gave me a nod and a grunt before turning his attention back to the screens.
“How was your day, Meek?” I asked as I took my bag down from the hook I had placed it on that morning. My leather jacket hung just to the right of it. Tara must have brought it back before her shift ended.
“Good. Same old stuff. That valet girl brought your bike back. It’s in the underground. Maybe give me a heads up next time? She’s quite the chatterbox, and I had to kick her out of here after she hung around for fifteen minutes prattling on about your damn bike.”
“Hey,” I said. “It’s a nice bike. God forbid you have some human connection that isn’t me or a guest you’re escorting out. Maybe it’ll soften those hard edges of yours.”
“Having hard edges is in my job description,” Meek said lazily, scratching the back of his neck and stretching with a yawn.
As I made my way to the bathroom to change, I clicked my tongue. “I believe your job description is actually something along the lines of ‘will do anything and everything my boss tells me to do because he is wise and I am not.’”
“Like I’d sign a bogus contract like that,” Meek said as I locked myself in the bathroom.
I changed into my jeans and shrugged on my leather jacket. My helmet would be with the bike. I stepped into my riding boots and rolled my suit up to tuck it back in my bag, and then I came out of the bathroom and slapped Meek playfully on the shoulder.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, then?” I asked.
Meek nodded. “Of course.”
As I was about to turn to leave, a long curtain of black hair on the monitor at the bottom right caught my eye. I paused, my hand still on Meek’s shoulder, and narrowed my eyes at the familiar figure.
/> It was the girl I had seen on the monitors earlier that morning; the girl who had plagued my thoughts during all of my meetings today.
Meek followed my gaze and rolled his eyes. “Good God, man, just go talk to her, will you? This is kind of sad, you know? You leaning over me like this to stare at a woman? It’s not like you.”
“I will go talk to her,” I said, watching as she disappeared from view of the camera. I looked to the other three she might pop up in. Food court, spa, or elevators. When she appeared near the entrance to the food court that backed onto the casino floor, I slapped Meek’s shoulder again. “See you tomorrow, buddy.”
Meek hollered after me as I swept out of the room. “That you will. And I’ll see you on the video camera in a few. Don’t embarrass yourself too much.”
I went straight for the food court. I couldn’t risk missing the chance to talk to her. My mind raced as I wove through the crowd in the casino. What if she was only staying for a night or two? What if this was her last night, and I hadn’t seen her until today? That would be terribly disappointing.
I shook my head to get a grip on myself. I hadn’t even met the girl, and I was already pining after her. How was that possible? I didn’t even really know what she looked like. All I knew was she had a smoking hot body and the most magnificent hair I had ever seen. It was hardly enough for my heart to be hammering in my chest the way it was right now, but I couldn’t help myself.
I rounded the corner to the food court and paused to look around. I was searching for that glittering mane of black hair. I spotted her at the back of a line to get sushi. I ducked through more people, trying my best not to bulldoze them over in my rush. I was thankful that I wasn’t wearing my suit, and I looked like a guest. I blended in, and no one thought anything of a biker in a hurry at the food court. In fact, I couldn’t have blended in better if I’d tried.
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