Nothing to Hide

FOUR

FOUR

The Grand Hotel suite was a little too nice. With separate living and bedroom areas, the sleek, sophisticated décor screamed hands-off. In her Chicago apartment, the armchairs didn’t match the couch. Almost everything was purchased used or at a discount. Her home was clean, but only because Jane was obsessive about dust.

Rather than focus on her transformation into Eliza Doolittle, Roxie read the legal documents until a knock on the door interrupted her. On the room’s threshold, a smiling guy handed over her purse with all its contents. Young and sort of twitchy, he was polite and strode off with purpose like delivery of the purse was just one of many tasks he had on his to-do list. Or maybe he had better places to be.

The hour was late, so she elected to read the rest of the documents in the tub with a glass of wine. She called her friends too, to let them know that she was okay.

Returning to Toria and Jane’s hotel didn’t appeal. The soapy bubbles piled on the surface of her sumptuous pool were too indulgent. It wasn’t actually a pool, though it may as well be. The tub was big enough for half a dozen people, maybe more, not that its capacity mattered. Roxie had it to herself and didn’t plan on sharing any time soon.

Leaving the bathroom, her scrutiny progressed to the bed, which could probably accommodate the same number of people as the tub. Wearing only her robe, she climbed under the covers and closed her eyes.

Her next flicker of awareness came the following day. Sleeping late was her norm. Her friends hadn’t called, of course not, they knew better than to assume she’d be awake in any single-digit hour. Yes, she was nocturnal and owned it.

Room service was next on the agenda. After enjoying her first meal of the day, Roxie used every complimentary product in the bathroom and did her hair with the provided tools. The high life wasn’t so bad.

Putting on the previous night’s clothes felt sort of shady in the way it would if she was creeping out on a guy. Technically, Lomond had paid for the suite. Good thing she hadn’t needed to give it up to get a night’s sleep.

No one stood guard outside her room. Not that she expected they would, but it meant there was no one to ask if she was supposed to be available at any specific time. She couldn’t hang around the hotel indefinitely. No one told her to stay locked up in the suite. She needed clothes and to talk to her friends. They were only in California for another three days, that day included. Sitting idle was eating into her vacation time.

Using the cash in her purse to grab a cab to her girls’ hotel, she rushed up to their room. Her keycard granted her access to stride on inside. Except… there was no one home.

Hmm, disappointing.

While waiting for them, she changed her clothes and fixed her makeup. Then she stood in the closet, staring at her open suitcase, strewn with the tentacles of clothes she’d tossed aside or back to the pile. As always, Jane had offered to unpack for her over and over again. Roxie didn’t see the point when it would all just be packed again in a week.

If the plan was to stay in the fancy Grand suite, she’d need her things. Given how boring the day had been so far, Roxie would rather stick with her girls… if she could find them. Her cellphone was dead. Irritating, but not unexpected. Remaining optimistic, she connected its charger and waited.

Her trusty laptop kept her busy. She did a little work, purchased a dress, and read the news. A couple of bills needed to be paid, but she’d get to them… soon.

An hour went by. Should she be worried? She was starting to worry.

Snatching up her cellphone, she hit call on Toria’s number. A beep came from the door. Leaping from the bed, Roxie tossed her phone down at the same time the door opened.

Her friends came in but paused when they noticed her standing there, raising her arms in an exaggerated shrug.

“Where have you been?” Roxie exclaimed. “I was worried!”

“Shopping,” Toria said, holding up a couple of bags. “We’re meeting people for dinner.”

“People?” Roxie asked, surprised and curious. “What people? We know people here?”

“People we met at the show last night,” Jane said, putting her own bags aside to come over and hug her. “We didn’t know you’d be here.”

“Why didn’t you call?” Toria asked, taking her hair down. “Like I don’t know…” Her roommates were more than aware of her proclivity for forgetting to charge her phone. “We have a million things to do before tonight. I’ll never be ready in time.” It was only three in the afternoon, but Toria liked to linger over getting ready. “We’re meeting for dinner and drinks. You should come with.”

“Yeah,” Roxie said like it was obvious, because, duh, it was. “I’ve been bored out of my mind all day.”

“Bored?” Jane asked, jerking back in surprise. “How could you be bored living with the world’s number one playboy? What’s he like? Oh my God, you have to tell us everything!”

Managing a smile, Roxie couldn’t restrain her sigh. “About whom? Only people I met were an overworked assistant and a cutie errand boy.”

Toria rushed over to Jane’s side. “You haven’t met him?”

Roxie shook her head and backed up to sit on the corner of the bed. “I’m not sure that’s a bad thing. Guy seems like an asshole to me.”

“You know he’s richer than sin, right?” Typical that Toria would use that truth to excuse a multitude of sins. “I’m jealous as all hell… Where did you go last night?”

“A hotel… The Grand.”

Jane swung around to sit at her side. “He always stays at The Grand… Unless he’s in New York or London.”

Toria laughed. “She’s like a Lomond encyclopedia.”

Laying a hand on her friend’s head, Roxie stroked her hair. “This prize is wasted on me. You should totally take my place.”

“I wish,” Jane scoffed. “I have to be at work next week.”

“Yeah, you’re the only one of us who can do their job anywhere,” Toria said.

Was that why she’d won? She kept stroking Jane’s hair. “You’re so pretty.”

“Would you stop and be serious,” Jane said, taking Roxie’s hand from its task. “You have to live this for me.”

“And me,” Toria said. “You’re being whisked away across the world by a gorgeous, enigmatic millionaire.”

“Billionaire,” Jane corrected her.

“Billionaire, excuse me,” Toria said, descending to sit at Roxie’s other side. “You do deserve this, honey. You’ve had a crappy year where men are concerned. Forget about Porter trying to tie you down and get back to who you are. Go wild. Embrace the experience.”

“How do I do that?”

“You start by showing us the room in your fancy hotel.”

That might be fun. “It’s a suite.”

Jane squealed. “We’ll pack up your stuff and take it over there before dinner.”

“Good plan,” Roxie said, standing up, freeing herself from their flanks. “Now I know you two are alive, I can use the gym downstairs… That should give you a head start, Tor. Think an hour will be enough or should I make it two?”

Her friend sneered, but it was all in good humor. Toria was almost always late even though she’d start to get ready first. Although they teased her about it, Roxie didn’t mind waiting for her friend. If preening made her feel good, then who was anyone to judge Toria for that?

A night out with people and alcohol was a perfect recipe for a reset. She’d be optimistic about the prize by the time the morning came.

Their group was a real hoot. Roxie had missed the whole hookup at the show. While she’d been with Astrid and her contracts, Toria and Jane were networking.

The private dining area of the restaurant was filled with strangers. Mostly strangers anyway. Somehow, the range of the group extended to her computer room companions. With so many bodies and the alcohol flowing, they were a boisterous bunch.

The restaurant was a launch pad for an unexpected night on the town. One bar became two, hour piled on hour. They were bumbling down the street, bouncing off each other, singing and shouting. Where they were going was a mystery. But so was the name of the woman holding her hand.

The energy was incredible. Her skin was buzzing, her blood hot, and she couldn’t stop smiling. She wanted to dance; there was no better way to show her joy.

“Oh! Oh!” Ron bawled, jumping up and down. “This is it! Who’s ready to party?”

As everyone whooped and rushed forward, Roxie noticed where they were: Crimson.

The rest of their group stampeded toward the entrance. Her hand was dropped, so she was left there staring up at the bright red letters that somehow screamed sin.

“How does he do that?” she whispered.

“Come on,” Toria said, materializing from the rear of the tight crowd. “You’re our way in.”

Her friend cajoled her to the front of the group. Ron was spearheading the effort to get inside.

“We’ll spend money, a lot of money,” Ron was saying to the two guys behind the rope that held back the masses. “Look how many of us there are… and we know Zairn. We know him!”

A line of people extended along the side of the building. A line Ron wanted to cut.

“Here’s our ticket!” Toria called, pushing her forward.

The moment Ron saw her, his excitement bloomed. “Yeah! Yes! This is Roxie. She’s Zairn’s buddy! Like his best buddy!” Hooking an arm around her neck, he tugged her to his side, which pulled Toria to him as well. “She’s allowed in anywhere.”

“Anywhere?” the security guy asked, dragging his gaze from her feet to her face. “Not in here.”

“Hey!” The superior ease of his dismissal heated her blood. “Don’t look at a woman that way. It’s rude!”

“You’re not getting in, sweetheart.”

“I’m not your sweetheart,” she said, shoving Ron aside to put herself in front of the security guy, despite him being three times her size. “Isn’t it your job to make patrons feel welcome? We’re patrons, right here, all of us.”

“Yeah,” the security guy said, nodding at the line. “They are too.”

“So you couldn’t just suggest we wait in line rather than belittling and leering at women?”

“No one was leering, honey.”

Infuriated, her affront was bolstered by the alcohol coursing through her system. “I can’t believe a guy like you is in charge of anything.” She inhaled. “Lomond is a piece of work. I bet he selected you personally.”

“Ma’am—”

“No,” Roxie said, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “You are a bully. Drunk on your power. Who do you answer to, huh?”

“Ma’am, it’s my responsibility to ensure the safety of those inside.”

“Are you saying we’re dangerous?” someone called out from behind her.

“Yeah!”

A weight of bodies rushed up, tipping her off balance. The security guy grabbed her before she hit the concrete. Everything became sensory overload in a snap. People were everywhere, shouting and pushing. The mass of them closed in on her from every angle. The suffocating crush jostled her; she bounced off one person and then another. Adding to the commotion of shouting and cussing, she screamed. Terror and hilarity warred for control. It didn’t matter. No one would hear an individual voice in the melee of madness.

Unable to see through the darkness or hear any guiding voice, moving with the crowd was the only option. A glimmer of space to the side gave her hope until a jolt at her other side propelled her into another body. The shouting and shoving didn’t stop; if anything, it intensified. The rising sound of sirens did nothing to calm the free-for-all.

Toria’s advice to go wild had been prophetic. It was funny. They were making an impression. Crimson wouldn’t forget them in a hurry.