Chapter 4

Finn

The second floor of Allure, where our offices are located, has a panoramic view of the main level, enabling me to see everything that happens in the casino, hotel check-in and who is waiting in line for which restaurant. I have people employed simply to stand at the windows and watch. They more or less take notes on which machines are being played and what people are doing. What started out as a security precaution quickly turned into a way for me to make more money. This also affords me the ability to know which of my employees are exceeding job expectations and which aren’t. The casino business is cutthroat and the minute I let my guard down I’m going to get burned. There are many in town who would like to see me fail.

This isn’t my only hotel and casino, but it is my first and it’s where I do most of my business. The setup at Fick’s is the same, but the focus is on people who want to come to Vegas and have fun and do it cheaply. Rates at Fick’s are affordable and that means it’s always booked, whereas with Allure, it’s the best of everything.

With my hands pressed down on the rail so that I can avoid leaving my handprints on the tinted glass, I watch as a group of drunken women stumble into the casino. One wears a tiara and sash that says either BIRTHDAY or BACHELORETTE, and all of them have on the shortest dresses possible, giving off the impression that they’re looking to hook up.

“Easy prey,” Lamar says, stepping up next to me. Lamar Johnson is my right-hand man. At first he was hired to be the head of my security team, but became so much more during the first few months of employment. Being a former linebacker for the Running Rebels makes him a big-ass motherfucking dude and scary as shit. We clashed my freshman year in college when I hit on his girlfriend. He was going to beat my ass when I pointed out that his girl was all for it, and because I saved him from a doomed relationship we became friends. He was drafted into the NFL, but one concussion scared the shit out of him and he quit. Lamar was the first person I hired when I bought the hotel.

“They’re drunk too. It’s not even nine in the morning and they can barely walk straight.”

“I’ll make sure Tracey is watching out for them.”

I nod as I watch the group of women head toward the slot machines. Lamar radios Tracey, the floor supervisor, and lets her know what we’re seeing. Last year a series of rapes happened in the hotels along the Strip and since then we’ve fought hard to make sure it never happens again. Lamar implemented a plan to keep men and women safe from each other and to keep the hotel free from unnecessary negative attention.

“She’s on them.”

“Thanks. Can you send someone over to pick my Benz up from the Ferrari dealership? I left it there yesterday.”

“On it.”

Lamar disappears, leaving me alone to watch over my casino. Being one of the youngest millionaires in Vegas has its perks, this being one of them. I can spy on people without them knowing, and I’ve used it to my advantage. Many times I’ve spotted someone that I wanted to get to know better.

Finally making it to my office, my view overlooks the atrium. For the most part it’s meant to be calming, but is often distracting, especially when there’s a wedding taking place. I always wonder what the guy is thinking when he stands there staring at the woman he’s going to be with until they both give up or one dies. Marriage isn’t for me, not after I watched my dad move on with my mother’s nurse, who happened to graduate from high school two years before me and sucked every dick that passed through the locker room. My mom wasn’t in the ground a week before the naughty nurse moved in and the moans started echoing down the hall. Thankfully, I had a dorm to go back to and bailed the next day. I thought my dad would need me after my mom passed, but I was wrong. I love my dad, but my new stepmommy not so much. Gold digger doesn’t even come close to describing her.

There’s a knock on the door and by the time I turn in my chair, Lamar is walking back in. Rarely will any of my employees find my door closed. I don’t believe in hiding. That’s how my dad runs his business and people are afraid of him. I want my employees to feel comfortable around me, especially when they see me on the casino floor or behind the hotel desk. They shouldn’t be nervous when I’m around.

“Here’s the report on Fick’s.” Lamar hands over a stack of papers. The numbers tell me that we’re booked solid for the next six months. The restaurants are thriving as well.

“This is good.” Fick’s was a run-down hotel that was on the verge of bankruptcy. I bought it and shut it down for about six months so I could do some minor renovations. Fresh paint, clean carpets and new mattresses make all the difference. The biggest thing I did was lower the price of the rooms and within days of reopening, the hotel was fully booked and has been ever since.

“Damn good. The concept is something you should think about for the new one.”

I push these papers aside and pick up the photos of the hotel I’m buying. It’s next to Allure, which offers me the ability to connect them, making Allure larger, or going the novelty route and making it a themed hotel. The problem is the price tag and Fick’s concept doesn’t mesh. I’d lose money and I hate losing money.

“How long would it take to book the hotel if we went that route?”

Lamar shrugs. “Depends on what you decide to do.”

“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.

Once she gave me her address, I knew why. Living in the ghetto or slums has to be embarrassing, especially when it was someone like me bringing her home. The rich, spoiled kid who had a brand-new car, scholarship and just graduated from private school.

Mary?

Megan?

No, those names don’t sound right, but for the life of me I can’t remember her name. How the hell am I going to speak to her if I can’t call her by her name?

She looks nothing like the girl I remember. Time changes everyone, but it seems like time has been her enemy. She’s beautiful, gorgeous even, but she looks worn down and tired. Like she hasn’t slept in weeks. Of course, if she’s walking around Vegas dressed like that she probably hasn’t. Unfortunately for her, I can spot a stripper or hooker a mile away. By the amount of chips she has on the table it’s easy to see that she’s had a good week of tips. I’m saddened slightly by the fact that someone I’ve been with has now resorted to this type of business.

Watching her from across the room, she meets my eyes every now and again, making me wonder if she recalls who I am. We were young and the sex wasn’t exactly memorable.

Men gather around her, each of them paying more and more attention to her as she keeps winning. I step closer and seek out where the members of my security team are. A few of them linger, watching things as they unfold. My heart races when she pushes forward all her chips. I mentally calculate the number in my head and figure it’s over ten thousand. My eyes are focused on her as she looks at her cards. There’s a slight hesitation on her face, and as if in slow motion, the dealer flips the last card and her face falls as the chips are stacked into the dealer’s tray. And in a moment the money is gone.

As soon as I see her tears, I’m moving toward the table. I don’t care how much money I have, losing is never easy to take, especially when we’re talking thousands and the odds are barely over forty percent that you’ll even win. When she comes around the corner, I’m there, waiting for her.

“Get out of my way.” She pushes me with both hands, knocking me back onto my ass as she storms by me in her five-inch heels. Before I can react, security is on her, pulling her out of my casino as I stand and brush myself off. I make sure to smile at the onlookers, letting them know I’m okay so they can go back to spending their money in my establishment.

“Let me go,” she yells with her legs kicking out, giving everyone around her a clear view of the floss she’s using for underwear.

“Let her go,” I say, stepping outside. They do, and she barely stands on her own two feet. I catch her before she wobbles over.

“Don’t touch me.”

I look at her dubiously and straighten my suit jacket. “I’m fairly certain you pushed me first.”

“You deserve it.”

Putting my hands in my pockets, I excuse the two men who carried her out. I don’t know what I did to deserve to be pushed in my own casino, but I’ll let it slide. “How are you?”

She rolls her eyes and puckers her lips, sucking in her cheeks. “What do you care?”

I shrug. “I always care when I see someone from my hometown in my hotel, losing thousands of dollars.”

The mention of the money causes more tears. The amount she lost wouldn’t put a dent in my checkbook, only my pride, but it seems like she needed that money. Who the hell am I kidding, most people need that kind of money and it’s probably a blow to your ego to lose it. But something tells me that she needs it a little more than others.

“It was nice seeing you, Finn, but I have to go.”

My instincts tell me to reach out and grab ahold of her before she walks away. Her head whips around and she glares at me.

“Let me help you.”

“Excuse me? What makes you think I need your help?”

“I have a proposition for you.” The words are out of my mouth before I realize what I’m saying and the plan is fully formulated in my mind.