Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 78255 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78255 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
“Right,” I say, knowing that he’s referring to options I have. “What else do you have for me?”
“Your car is on its way back. Tracey is keeping an eye on those women. And you have some high rollers who are starting to make waves at table twenty-seven,” he says, scrolling through his phone.
Pressing a few keys on my laptop I bring up the camera above the blackjack table. Sure enough, there are two guys sitting there with a seat in between them. They both have a pile of chips in front of them. I study them for a minute before I realize they’re counting cards. I should know because I used to do the same thing in college.
“They’re counting.”
Lamar doesn’t wait for instructions. He stands and is on his radio barking out orders before he’s out of my office. I watch as the pit boss appears out of thin air with a new deck of cards for the dealer and observe as one of our undercover employees sits between the two guys. The men look pissed, but that’s okay because they’re about to meet Lamar and will likely shit their pants. Unfortunately for them, their winnings are no longer theirs and Lamar has someone going through video right now to see how much the men walked in with.
As soon as Lamar has the men headed toward security I clear my screen and start to work on my email, answering each one. Most are about the purchase of my third hotel and whether the investment will be beneficial. I have no doubt it will be, but that will depend on what I do. The current owner had approached me about a partnership. That’s not something I want. I like my investors to be silent, putting their money where their mouths are, so to speak. The setup I have now works and the last thing I want to do is answer to someone. It’d be like being married and like I said, marriage isn’t for me.
It’s after lunch when I pull up my social calendar and groan loudly. My assistant, Hannah, hollers from her desk, “I heard that.”
“What is all of this?” I ask, as my eyes cross when I see all the fundraisers and galas that are on my calendar for this week. Money, in the form of donations, is all these events are after. I open a few and see that I’m being asked to give a speech and drop my head onto my desk. I hate public speaking.
“Finn, I can’t help it if you’re the most sought-after keynote speaker in Nevada.” Hannah stands in my doorway, smiling.
“You can tell them no.”
She laughs and walks in, taking a seat. In her hand is a full-size calendar and pencil. Everything she does is in pencil because I change my mind frequently.
“You’ll need dates to take with you.”
I eye her out of the corner of my eye, but she doesn’t balk.
“Which one doesn’t appeal to you?”
“Only one?” I ask.
Hannah ignores me and looks at my date book. She’s been my personal assistant since I opened and everyone knows that if they want me, they have to go through her. It gives her power and I think she loves it.
“It’s two fundraisers and one gala. The gala, you need to be at. I can call Brandy and see if she’s available.”
Sighing, I turn and look out the window. Walking through the atrium is another brunette, in another short dress with all-too-high heels that are no doubt meant to attract the wrong type of men. Before she disappears into the casino, she turns and looks. I lean forward and try to get a better look. I’ve seen her before, but can’t place where.
“Finn?”
“Call Brandy. She’ll be available. I’ll do all three events,” I tell Hannah as I turn back around, but not before taking another glance out my window.
“You won’t regret it.”
“You say that every time, Hannah, and you know I regret each one of them.”
She winks and leaves my office as I pull up the security feeds looking for the brunette. I find her after a few minutes, sitting at a blackjack table. The men sitting next to her are all too friendly. I can’t tell if she’s cringing when they touch her or if she’s enjoying it.
Leaving my office, I go to the window so that I can get a better view of her. When I find her again, realization hits me square in the chest. I know her, but can’t remember her name or where from. I quickly leave the office and head to the floor, hoping she’s still there when I reach her table.
She is and her barely there dress is showing off her chest to anyone who wants to look. I find myself shaking my head when she catches me staring at her. That’s when I realize where I know her from—back home. But it’s been years since I’ve seen her. In fact, the last time would’ve been the night we hooked up and I dropped her off at her house. She begged me not to take her home, but we had just fucked and I thought it would be the nice thing to do.