Nothing to Hide

TWELVE

TWELVE

Okay, so any uncertainty about Crimson was gone. More than simply a nightclub, it was a whole complex of adult fun… Not like porno adult fun, just everything for everyone.

There were quiet bar and lounge areas suited for intimacy or conversation. Of course, being in Vegas, there was a casino as well. A massive, sprawling casino spread across several of the vast floors. People could easily get sucked in and never find their way out again.

Because they were in Vegas, their trio placed a few bets, but they were soon drawn to the nightclub zone. For a group who hadn’t expected to be in Vegas, and after being thrifty about their drinking, it didn’t make sense to blow their rent money on games they barely understood.

At home, the three of them would go out two or three nights a week. More often than not, they went to a bar and then to a club. Dancing in the mass of others, all inhibitions thrown out, Roxie relished the indulgence.

On the Crimson dancefloor, time disappeared when she gave herself to the music. The sprawling club space had several bars and dance pits. Her friends were super excited and quick to point out the cylindrical glass room suspended from the cavern’s ceiling. Large and busy, the glass was braced in a frame of metal girders. Apparently, it was VIPs only up there.

Some guy had been paying her close attention for the last hour. He chose that moment to slide his arms around her waist to pull her body against his. Her girls were occupied dancing with his buddies. How had her party hooked up with theirs? What did it matter? It didn’t.

Whatever, he was whatever. Up close, grinding against her, kissing her neck, the guy obviously thought he was on the road to somewhere. Did she care? No. l**t was the furthest thing from her mind.

The Platinum Suite occupied her thoughts. Rather, the man she’d left there.

A light flashed over the glass room above, drawing her eye. That’s when she saw him. The man from her thoughts was in the VIP room.

Given the distance between them, it wasn’t easy to pick out details. He wasn’t paying attention to the twenty or thirty people drinking in the intimately lit space behind him. With a hand on the vertical metal girder that segmented the glass, he stood apart from everyone. A man surveying his kingdom; but not a happy one.

Maybe his meeting hadn’t gone well. Maybe he’d got bad news. Question marks everywhere. Why did she even care? Maybe it was the f*******n. Bad ideas didn’t seem so bad after a few drinks. He didn’t trust her and never would. In his suite earlier, he’d given her some insight. Trust was a commodity he couldn’t buy to guarantee.

Geez, the slobbering guy pissed her off. Enough with the tongue already. Backing out of his arms, she showed a smile and gestured off the dancefloor, hoping he’d assume she was going to the restroom.

Instead, Roxie checked her friends to make sure they were okay, and then took her phone from the clutch looped around her wrist to write a text.

Roxie sent the message to the number saved under “Casanova” and tucked the phone away.

Ballard was standing by the handrail at the top of the half dozen stairs that led to that particular dance pit. From there, he kept an eye on her and hadn’t strayed at all. Giving him the slip wasn’t possible, so she didn’t even try.

Honesty was the best policy anyhow… at least some version of honesty.

Walking right up to him, Roxie raised her voice to be heard. “I’m going back to the hotel!”

He bent down to speak near her ear. “The leech bothering you or joining you?”

“Neither,” she said, grateful that he’d remained low for her to speak in his ear. “Will you stay and look after my friends?”

“I’ll put you in your room and come back to watch out for them.”

Concerned, her fingers curled into his lapels. She shook her head before pulling him back to talk in his ear. “Anything could happen in that time. I don’t want them alone in a strange place, especially with those guys around.”

“I’ll have security watch them while I’m away.”

“Why not have security take me back?”

His next words contained a smile. “Because Zairn would have my a*s. Won’t take long. Come on.”

He gripped the back of her neck to weave her through the masses. As promised, he directed security to watch her friends. Roxie couldn’t hear Ballard’s words as he issued the orders, but his expression was reassurance enough.

The hotel wasn’t far; it didn’t take long to get there. Just as he’d said, he parked to take her to her room. The escort wasn’t really necessary, but it appeared he took his duty seriously.

“You need anything?” Ballard asked.

Roxie unlocked the door to go inside. “No, I’m good.”

“I’ll tell Z you got back safe.”

She nodded, thinking that wasn’t really necessary. “Thank you. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

The night wasn’t over yet. Observing through the peephole, Roxie waited for Ballard to walk away before running through her suite. Changing superfast, she grabbed a hotel robe and put it on over her clothes.

Gallivanting around a hotel in bare feet was weird, but they were in Vegas. Everything went in Vegas.

Only a few hours had passed since her first visit to the Platinum Suite. Casanova had been waiting for her then. She knocked on arrival, just in case, but no one responded. Now it was her turn. Leaning on the wall by the door, she waited. Maybe he didn’t get her message. Maybe he did and didn’t care. Maybe it was his plan to bring company back to the suite. Even if he didn’t, he still might have Tibbs or Astrid with him. If she was standing there in a robe when the elevator doors opened…

The elevator doors began to open. Like actually right then, in that second.

Pushing off the wall to stand on her own two feet, Roxie’s heart raced. Who was in the elevator? Was it him? How many people were there?

Zairn.

Alone.

He stopped just outside the elevator to look at her. Just to look. His expression gave nothing away.

“Are you going to keep a lady waiting?” Roxie asked.

Snapping to it, he crossed the hall to use his fingerprint to open the door. He went inside first, she followed. The rigid line of his broad shoulders was tense.

Roxie closed the door and trailed after him. “What?” she called to him. “No quip about waiting for a real lady to show up?”

He stopped at the bar, dropping a hand onto it as the other loosened his tie.

It wasn’t like him to put his back to her or to hesitate.

Could he be mad?

She asked, “Did I pull you away from something important?”

The moment her fingertips made contact with his back, he spun around, stealing her breath.

“Babe, you’re a beautiful woman. You’re sexy, you’re sassy, you’re amazing.” What was going on now? “Under any other circumstances, I would lay you down in my bed. Without hesitation.”

“Zairn—”

“We flirt, I know, we have fun. You’re fun, but…” He took hold of her shoulders, bracing his arms straight as he crouched to level their eyes. “I gave you a diamond, you think you owe me something. You don’t. That’s not how this works. You read too much into it. It didn’t mean anything; it doesn’t mean what you thought it meant. The contest is PR. God knows we need good publicity right now and if I screw you… It can’t be like we picked the winner based on which woman was best suited to ride my cock.”

“I know.”

“And you’ll say we won’t tell anyone.” He carried on like she hadn’t uttered a word. “I’d love to believe that, but my experience tells me—”

“Z,” she said, putting a finger on his lips. “Would you quit digging a hole for yourself? I didn’t message you for sex.”

Her hand fell from his mouth as she stepped back, reaching for the belt of her robe. The horrified trepidation that seized him was funny. Revealing her Lola Bunny pajamas wouldn’t help him understand why she’d summoned him.

“You didn’t message me for sex.”

“Nope,” she said, holding a hand out for his. “Though I’m not surprised that’s where your mind went. You’re crazy about me. You’re probably thinking about having s*x with me day and night. I’m surprised you haven’t sprained your wrist already.”

“Hmm,” was all he said as he put his hand in hers.

She led him across the room. “We are going to sit on your unbelievably massive couch and watch movies.”

“What?” he asked, surprised all over again when she pushed him onto the couch. “You pulled me away from the club because you want to watch a movie? An adult movie? If you’re trying to shock me, you’ll be disappointed.”

“I beg to differ,” she said, sitting next to him. “You look pretty shocked right now, Casanova.”

“Yeah, because no one’s ever…” Leaning back, his scrutiny of her intensified. “What’s going on? What is this about?”

“What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, right? Maybe for just one night, you don’t have to worry about being Mr. Insanely-Gorgeous-International-Playboy. Maybe tonight you’re just a guy vegging out. I love to party, I really do, but there are other ways to have fun. We’ve only known each other a couple of days, but I can tell you’ll benefit from my tutelage.”

“Oh, yeah, how’s that?”

Unfastening his tie, she tossed it away and began to unbutton his shirt. “I’m going to find the remote and a movie for us. You are going to change into your pajamas.”

“I don’t own pajamas.”

“Mr. Billionaire can’t spring for nightwear? Do you have sweats? A tee-shirt?”

“For the gym, yeah.”

“Okay, go put them on.” She pushed at his shoulder. “The longer you take, the more likely it is I’ll pick something really cheesy. Go.”

There hadn’t been a plan when she texted him. If she thought he’d open up to her, she’d spend the night talking to him like they had before. But he wasn’t ready to talk about himself and perhaps never would be. That didn’t mean she couldn’t help him.

He’d lived in the dark for a long time. Partying, being Mr. Social, was his lifestyle and maybe he loved it. But there were times when everyone could benefit from kicking back, releasing themselves from the pressure they were under. That was where she came in. Fun, not s*x, she definitely wasn’t offering that.