by Moxie North
“Booze is on its way,” she called out to the bartender.
She watched the bartender give her a chin lift. Her phone rang again and she flipped it open. “Layla Hayes.”
She listened as the concierge gave her the heads up that a repeat high-roller was coming through tonight. He was switching from another hotel, apparently it wasn’t up to his standards.
“He should have started here then he wouldn’t have had to move,” she informed the concierge.
“Sure, I’ll have his section ready and waiting. He drinks Hennessy Paradis if I remember correctly?” she asked the man on the phone. Hearing him look up the man’s dossier, he confirmed.
“Got it, thanks for the heads up,” she returned hanging up.
Standing she walked over to the bar and doubled checked the Hennessy. They had enough, hopefully.
The phone rang again and she grabbed it. “Layla Hayes.”
“Layla, is there a reason both of your sisters are mysteriously out of town this weekend?”
This was her father calling, wanting to know why her sisters managed to hightail it out of town for an unplanned weekend to Los Angeles just when one of the Hayes boys was due in.
“I’m guessing they were trying to avoid another matchmaking session, daddy,” she retorted.
“It’s not matchmaking, it’s encouraging the fates,” he chortled.
“No, it’s forcing your children to try and create a dynasty with another shifter family.”
“Well, would it be the worst thing? You know your mother and I would love for you girls to find your mates. No matter where they came from. The only Hayes daughter is apparently mated to a bear now. Can you imagine?”
“So I heard, sounds like they are happy though. Bear or not,” she laughed.
“Baby girl, you know I just want you happy and mated. Is that too much to ask?”
Sighing she knew her parents were actually trying to make all their children happy. But love them or not, the constant push to procreate was old, especially after two decades of it. Her siblings had been dealing with it longer.
“Daddy, was there a reason you were calling?” She gave her forehead another rub. At this rate she was going to need Botox before forty.
“Yes, Dax Hayes called and said he arranged for his younger brother Everett to come out and help us make sure we aren’t missing anything with our new security system.”
Nodding, even though he couldn’t see her. “Yes, this I knew and so did my evil missing sisters,” she snorted.
“Well, I want you to make him feel welcome. William will meet with him, but he needs someone more accessible if he needs anything. He will be busy with the security firm for most of his visit. If he needs something other than technical assistance, he needs a shifter contact. That would be you.”
“Argh, seriously, I’ve got Paolo coming in tonight. He’s probably bringing his giant freaking entourage and they are going to drink me out of all my good stock and probably puke and or OD on something tonight. I don’t know if I’ll have time,” she said, looking over her schedule on her tablet. She had nail and hair appointments tomorrow, a girl had priorities. Babysitting Dax Hayes’ baby brother was not something she wanted to pencil in.
“I’ll owe you one. I’ll keep your mom off your back for a whole month any time you ask. Even if I have to fly her to Fiji to do it,” he promised.
Layla’s mother was great. Pushy and overbearing, but great. Her mother was all about family, pack, and ensuring the shifter lines. She was still a mom though. That loving ability to compliment yet criticize at the same time was her specialty. And she always thought that Layla cared more about clothes and social worries than creating more cubs for her to spoil.
Growing up wealthy was hard to explain to someone that hadn’t experienced it. Luckily, and Layla thought mostly because they were shifters, they never were spoiled by things. The pack always came first. Money and living a wealthy lifestyle was actually pretty far down the scale of priorities. Still she never wanted for anything. She always had the best of everything. Toys, ponies, schools, and at a young age, designer apparel. Now she considered her wardrobe her uniform even her armor.
People expected her to look a certain way. Present a specific image. And she couldn’t lie, she loved clothes and shoes. Las Vegas was an easy place to shop. Every designer had one or more stores on the strip. Knowing all the sales people also helped.
“Fine, tell William he can give him my number if he needs anything,” she sighed.
“That’s my girl, always helping her old man out. You coming to the house this weekend? You know your brothers can’t resist a noisy run on a full moon.”
Layla usually spent the majority of her days in her room at the hotel sleeping. She kept a tiny out of the way room that was too small to book and had zero views. But it was a quiet and cool oasis when she didn’t feel like making the trip back to the family’s compound. There was no reason to move out, the house was big enough that they could go days without seeing each other. Their parents had built each of them a suite with bedroom, sitting room and generous bathroom and closet.
Being part of a pack was more than just running around shifted as big cats. It was family, blood or otherwise. The community is what kept them strong and safe.
“Sure dad, I’ll try to cut out early on Saturday as long as things run smoothly,” she said, still looking through her planner. Weekends were not a good time for her to leave any time before four in the morning. She had a club manager and usually only gave up responsibility to him during the week when she really needed a break to recover from a weekend bender.
“I’ll tell your mother you’ll be there,” he said like it was a for sure deal.
“Bye dad,” she finished and heard her dad say goodbye.
Great, a big fish coming in that liked to use her club like his own private playground and another shifter that might need hand holding.
“I love my job, I love my job,” she chanted to herself.
Turning to her bartender she told him, “Make sure to text me the minute that order shows up.”
Picking up her tablet and phone she strode out to follow up with the check-in desk and concierge to make sure they had Paolo’s suite ready to go. It wasn’t her job, but keeping all the cogs in the casino working together was what made the job a little bit easier for everyone.
Chapter 3
The jerk of the wheels on the plane hitting the runway jolted Everett awake. It was a short flight from California to Nevada but the second his ass hit the seat in the tiny first-class section of the plane he’d conked out.
His family often flew private, but Everett thought it was a waste of fuel when it was just him. So commercial was fine when it came to traveling alone.
The minute they parked at the gate, he stood and reached for his backpack and carry-on suitcase.
Being in the front of the plane, he was able to walk off and head to baggage claim. A tall man was standing at the bottom of the escalator with a tablet, the name Hayes displayed on it.
As he approached the man, he smelled shifter. Eyeing him up and down, he figured he must be park of the Klein pack.
“I’m Everett Hayes, nice to meet you,” he offered, holding out his hand.
The man in the suit cracked a smile and offered his hand. “Joseph. Do you have any luggage?”
Everett lifted his arm and showed him he had all he brought. They walked out into the baking heat of the Nevada desert and Everett and his cat took a deep breath. Heat, sand, and cooking concrete. It made his cat itch to go exploring.
“Nice shirt,” Joseph remarked.
Everett had chosen one of his favorite T-shirts for the flight, it said Talk Nerdy To Me.
“Thanks, I figured it was appropriate attire for the job. Hey, do you have anything here besides cactus and palm trees?”
“Not exactly the woods. I miss the woods,” Joseph commiserated.
“You should visit us, we have lots of room to roam.
I bet it’s hard here.”
“We make due. We’re over here.” Joseph gestured to a black SUV with tinted windows.
“Mind if I sit up front? Being alone in the back, seems silly,” Everett admitted.
“No problem, I hear yah. I drive for the hotel, usually only VIP’s so they are happy to ignore me. And they do like sitting in the back by themselves. It’s a short ride to the hotel but they managed to get trashed on the free booze in the back before we get there. Even if they hadn’t started on their private jets.”
“Yeah, my mom is busy gallivanting all over Washington with ours. Not that I like using it anyway. You notice how many private jets crash every year? Seems like an easy bet to take a big commercial carrier. Your odds are better at survival,” he joked.
Joseph laughed with him. “Damn straight. Hey, the pack is going for a run this weekend. I didn’t know how long you were going to be here, but I was told to extend the invitation to you. Our Alpha wants you to feel comfortable while you are here. Anything you need let us know. I have William’s contact information here, although he will probably be too busy most of the time. He does have two meetings on the books with you as soon as you are able to get settled in. He’ll let you know what he wants as far as security coverage.
He’s hired the top of the line, and he has no doubts about their ability to cover the casino. But we need to cover the pack too,” he said, handing Everett a piece of paper with numbers on it.
“The other number is Layla Klein, she runs the nightclub and is William’s youngest sister. She’s always at the hotel so she’s a good person to contact if you need anything else,” he explained.
Glancing down at the paper, he swiped on his phone and started entering the numbers into his contact list. He knew the rundown of the Klein family. He’d never met any of them in person. But his parents and Dax were all well acquainted with their pack.
“Thanks, can I get your number too?” Everett asked. Couldn’t hurt to have more people that he could count on in Vegas.
“Sure man.”
Everett took in the ride to the hotel, the flashing glitter of Vegas was in full swing. It was already hotter than hell. The strip was packed with tourists young and old. People leaning back on the sidewalks to take pictures of the towering hotels. Street peddlers posing for pictures and at least a few million drunk twenty-somethings. At least that’s what it looked liked to Everett.
His brain wanted to start figuring how much electricity was needed to power just the signage on the strip. Then he thought about the massive systems in place to keep the place from blacking out all the time. This was definitely a place to give even his busy brain an overload.
Pulling up to The Platinum, Everett did the tourist thing and craned his neck out the open car window to look up. It was impressive. All shiny steel and glass, the driveway they pulled into looked like a tropical jungle. Huge palm trees and lush plants surrounding the front doors. As the sliding doors to the hotel opened, you got a whiff of the air conditioning pumping out. That must be an impressive bill alone, he thought.
“Would you like me to carry your bags, sir?” Joseph asked with a grin.
“Nice, I’m not really used to the fancy treatment, so I think I can manage.” Everett shot him a wry smile. Stepping out of the car, he grabbed both of his bags from the back seat then came back to the window and thrust his hand through to shake Joseph’s.
“Head straight to reception and give them your name. They’re expecting you.”
“Will do, hopefully I’ll see you around, man.”
“Oh, I’m always around doing something for the pack. Talk to you later,” Joseph gave him a two finger salute and pulled away from the curb.
Turning back to the doors, he gave a sharp look to the bellhop coming his way. The man immediately backed off. Damn, he was a grown man. He could carry his own bags a few feet.
Growing up a Hayes came with certain perks and privileges for sure. But Everett always thought that the rich way of doing things was always so much more work. Waiting for someone to carry your bags, serve your drinks, or bring your car around. He needed his bags, he picked them up. He was thirsty he grabbed a drink, and hell no did anyone else drive his car. He had a 1969 yellow Chevelle that no one, and he meant no one, was allowed to touch.
If he hadn’t been so wiped from this marathon online raid, he would have considered driving. But then the thought of having to park his baby in some crowded parking lot full of rented mini-vans changed his mind.
Standing in line to check in, Everett took in the lobby. It looked like a fucking space ship. All chrome and reflective mirrors. Lights shining off of all the metal surfaces was distracting and his cat didn’t like it. Even his busy mind thought there was too much to see. Plus, everywhere you turned there were hot sweating tourists that didn’t dress for the bodies they had.
Lots of flesh and not all of it pretty. His cat kept wanting to sniff and scope out the territory. Everett was resisting, he didn’t want all those smells coating his nose. No matter how curious his cougar was.
Seeing an employee waving him forward, he stepped up and smiled at the cute woman behind the counter. She blushed a deep shade of red. Everett knew he was handsome, his brothers were good looking and so were his parents. His genes weren’t his doing, but he totally took advantage of them when he needed to.
“Everett Hayes,” he said to the smiling young woman.
Recognition flared in her eyes at the name. “Oh, Mr. Hayes, you didn’t need to stand in line!” She immediately started apologizing and coming around the corner of the desk. “We have your room all ready for you. Mr. Klein would like to meet with you at two, if that gives you enough time to get settled.”
It was barely noon, and it wasn’t like he had a lot of luggage to unpack. He might sneak in another nap though.
“Not a problem,” he replied, giving her a wink. That earned him a furious blush.
The woman guided him to the elevators and pressed the up button.
Chapter 4
“So you are going to show me to my room? What’s your name?” he said, a little more smoothly than necessary.
“Um, yes, I mean I’m taking you to your room. Mr. Klein was very clear that you were a VIP and that anything you needed just to ask. I’m Kimmy, by the way. I’m so sorry I didn’t introduce myself.”
“Well your nametag said Kim, but you just didn’t seem like a Kim to me. Kimmy, on the other hand, suits you perfectly.”
Everett watched her blush turn from red to almost purple. He shouldn’t tease her, but it was something akin to his cat batting around a ball of yarn. He couldn’t resist the temptation.
His cat gave him a mental nudge and he noticed Kimmy had stopped breathing as she stared at him. Reaching up and gently cupping her elbow, he gave it a squeeze and watched her suck in a breath.
Just then the elevator dinged and opened spilling out a group of rowdy kids. Keeping his hand on her elbow, he guided her into the elevator and dropped his hand once they cleared the doors.
His cougar was urging him to keep playing with the woman, but he was here to work. And little Kimmy was clearly way too tame for him or his cat.
She pressed the button for the third from the top floor. Then turned back to Everett, “We put you on a quieter floor. The top floor penthouses and comped suites can get pretty loud. We thought you would like something a little less busy.”
“That’s very thoughtful of you,” he purred. Damn, he was having trouble turning off the charm.
“Like I said, Mr. Klein wants you comfortable. Everything while you are here is, of course, on the hotel. The restaurants are all five star, please feel free to take advantage of our spa services. The pool deck is busy this time of summer, but there is plenty of fun to be had if you’re into that,” she said, giving him a knowing smile.
The elevator doors opened, Everett gestured for her to go first. She walked out and headed down the long hallway to the last door at the end. Swiping the
key in the lock, she stepped in and held the door open for him.
Everett walked into a room the size of his pool house. And that was still a two bedroom home essentially. This room might be bigger.
“This is the living room, there is a full kitchen. If you’d like one of our chefs to come up and cook dinner, just call through to room service,” she explained, walking and gesturing as she pointed out the features.
“This is the master bedroom, all of the main rooms have their own balconies with seating. In the bathroom the shower also doubles as a steam room. If you’d like the suite concierge can draw you a bath at any time,” she offered, giving him a knowing smile.
Taking in the giant California king bed and enough room for a couch and seating area, he said, “Not exactly the bath type.”
He heard a small ‘hmm’ come from her.
Everett did manage to keep his eye sight above the shoulders as she walked back out of the bedroom. Definitely too sweet. Not that he didn’t like sweet, but he needed some challenge. Cats loved to chase their prey.
“There is another bedroom on the other side of the living area also,” she explained.
“Well if I get bored in one room I’ll switch.”
Turning on her heels she gave her most professional smile and handed him the key card, “Is there anything else I can do for you, Mr. Hayes?”
Everett didn’t miss the innuendo there, but he was tired and hungry. And even a tasty morsel offering up whatever she was willing to offer up, wasn’t what he was hungry for.
“I think I’ll grab a bite and take a quick nap before meeting Mr. Klein,” he replied.
“Can I have something sent up for you?” she offered.
“Sure a nice steak would be great, thank you,” Everett had already started thinking about the dimensions of the space and the square footage.
“Of course, I’ll be happy to take care of that for you,” she replied. Sweet she may be, but she knew when a man had lost interest.