“I can play,” I say softly, leaning in to kiss her lips. It’s a small kiss. Just a little tender peck. “If you want to play. But if you’re interested in getting to know me better, then you’ve got my full attention.”
“Really?” she asks, leaning in to kiss me back this time.
“Yeah,” I breathe into her mouth. “Really.”
“In that case, why don’t you come in? Because I’m dying to ask you questions.” She bats those long lashes again and I am mesmerized by her emerald eyes. She swings the door open to reveal a dimly lit hallway leading into the penthouse. I enter, my eyes on the far window, and then wait for her to close the door and lead the way.
“Would you like a drink, Fletcher? You might need one.”
“Huh?” I follow her a few steps, put off my game once again by the change in her voice. “Yeah, sure.”
Her heels click on the travertine tile floor as she walks briskly towards the living room. I follow, my eyes on her ass as I try to figure out what her angle is. But as soon as I look up again, I stop.
“Hey,” I say, putting my hands up. “I’m not into group shit.” There’s a man in a suit. A very nice suit, even I can see that. And the gay best friend standing at the bar on the far side of the room. “What’s the deal here?”
“The deal, Fletcher,” Tiffy says as she pours two glasses of Scotch from a decanter sitting on the bar, “is that you missed a meeting with me this afternoon.”
What the fuck?
“And since I’m really not used to getting stood up by employees”—she emphasizes the word—“I thought I’d pop in on your show and see you in action. I mean”—she walks back over to me with two drinks in her hand—“I’ve heard so much about you.”
I look at the drink she’s offering and decide I need it. It goes down smooth in one gulp and lights a fire in my throat afterwards. “You set me up.”
“I did not.”
“Mr. Novak,” the suit says, inserting himself between me and Tiffy. He looks familiar, but I’m off balance right now, so I don’t have the time to give it more thought. “We’re from corporate. I’m Cole Lancaster, general manager of the western division grouped under Preston Resorts. And you’ve met Tiffy here. Tiffy Preston,” he says, enunciating her last name so it’s clear just who she really is. The boss’ daughter. “Her father, the CEO, has instructed me to train her to take over the hotel when I’m promoted to COO next quarter. The Landslide Hotel and Casino is our last stop after the recent mergers into the Preston family. We’ve heard a lot about you from Amy, and to be honest”—he says it with a laugh—“we thought she was just fucking with us.”
“I’m not following,” I say through gritted teeth. But I’m not having any trouble following. Amy hates me. She always has. But she was just an assistant manager when I was hired by her predecessor nine months ago. She had no say in that decision. And since I’ve packed that house two nights a week every week since I started, once she took over three months back after the merger with Preston, she had to admit I was good.
“This unprofessionalism that you exhibit, Mr. Novak,” Tiffy says, taking over. “The tardiness, the missed meetings, the diva attitude. It’s not a good reflection on my father’s company. But I get it, Fletcher. I really do. You’re a performer. You have an ego that must be stroked and nurtured.” She shakes her head, closes her eyes, and laughs before she can continue. She’s making fun of me. “But propositioning patrons of this hotel for sex is something we will not tolerate.”
“I never propositioned you for sex, honey. You’re the one who propositioned me. I asked you to dinner.” Holy fuck. God loves me tonight. Because I can’t even remember asking a one-night fuck out for dinner before five minutes ago.
She looks over at Cole, who shrugs. He knows I’m in the clear for that. So I keep going. “In fact, you set me up. What I do on stage, what I did with you, that was an act, princess. I’m an actor out there. And you liked it so much you wanted more. Your assistant there—” I point to the BFF.
“Claudio,” he purrs at me with a smile and a wink.
“—Claudio screamed out your room number. And since he works for you, he’s part of this setup. So why don’t you take your self-righteous attitude and give it a little adjustment. I could just as easily say you sexually harassed me.”
“My God, please,” she screams, her face burning a bright red.
“Tiffy,” Cole says with a hand meant to shut her up. “Stop.”
“Yeah, stop,” I growl. “Save your breath for tomorrow’s meeting. Because I’m out of here. Thanks for the drink. We can pick this up again on the clock.” And I hand the empty glass off to a smirking Claudio as I exit the room.
Chapter Three
The door slams behind him so loud, it makes me jump. I am instantly pissed that he had that effect on me. Especially after what he did tonight. How dare that man? How dare he—
“Tiffy,” Cole says, walking to the door and looking out the peephole. “This is a problem.”
“Which part?” I ask. “The part where he gyrated his hips in my face tonight? Or the part where he placed my hand over his…” Jesus. That really happened. And I didn’t pull away.
“No, Tiff. The part where he says you propositioned him. What exactly did you say to him when you answered the door?”
“What? You’re kidding me, right? That jerk has been using his… position to…” Damn. I can’t even have this discussion with Cole.
“To pick a booty call out of the audience,” Claudio offers up with a smirk. “Is that what you were trying to say, Tiff?”
“Yes,” I say. “Yes, thank you, Claudio. That’s what he’s been doing, Cole! And my father is going to have another heart attack if he finds out how dirty this show is.”
“Oh, relax, girlfriend,” Claudio says, filling up his glass with Scotch and then pouring more into mine. “Your old man has been around more than one block. He knows exactly what’s going on here. He could’ve shut this show down months ago and he didn’t.”
“Yeah, he thinks he knows. But he has no idea that the star of the show is using his hotel to drum up…” Shit. Why does Cole have to be here? I can’t even with him.
“Sex,” Claudio offers again.
Oh my God. I’m really having this conversation in front of Cole. I might die of embarrassment.
“Yeah, Tiff,” Cole says as he gives my arm a comforting pat. “Your father isn’t the one I’m worried about. Did you proposition Novak at the door?”
“What? No!”
“Did he ask to come in? Or did he really ask you to dinner?”
“He did, but—”
“Shit,” Cole says, making a serious frown that causes his eyebrows to knit into a furrow on his forehead. “We’re going to have to tread carefully here.”
“I did not proposition him! I asked him if he wanted to come in! That’s all!”
“I don’t think that’s all, Tiff,” Claudio says before taking a long gulp of his drink. “You did kiss him.”
“What?” Cole exclaims.
“No! Look, Cole. He was just being all…” Fuck. Why can’t I talk about this stuff with him? I’ve known the guy for eight years, since I was a teenager and he just started working for my dad. And yeah, I have a little crush on him, but holy mother, I can’t even think about sexy stuff with Fletcher Novak without blushing in front of Cole. “You know, playerish and stuff.” Playerish? Something is seriously wrong with me.
“Flirty?”
“Shut up, Claudio! You’re making things worse here.”
“OK,” Cole says, gathering up his laptop from the table near the bar. “We’re just gonna go to bed…”
I lose track of his words as I stare at his mouth. He said bed. I’m like a fourteen-year-old boy.
“… and regroup in the morning. I have a call I have to take at eight-thirty, so if you see him before I get there, do not engage. Got it?”