I’m not going to lie to you. This was getting harder and harder. And I mean that literally. And figuratively I guess too. Every kiss with her, touch, even look, and I was about a fingernail away from just forgetting everything else and fucking her. Yes. I said it that way because sometimes it’s just not hearts and flowers.

I also won’t lie to you about something else. Sometimes it is hearts and flowers. She had me that wrapped up and tied with a bow.

So why didn’t I? I could have, right? Should have? It’s because if it happened, I wouldn’t be able to share her or even remotely stand it when she went to work. I know this at least about myself. And I know how much she needs to work. She needs to earn this money and save her dad, so there it was. I was fucking noble and not fucking.

I gotta tell you, being noble is awful.

But at least, I was officially in the loop for this job. Petra, the CEO of Vallin Consulting, and the lady boss of the most lucrative call girl agency in the world had allowed me to continue providing security. No small thing, seeing as I still didn’t know what happened to Barchek, the waiter, or worse, Franco Maldonado.

I did kick the shit out of all three, and all three were missing. But I swear I did not make them disappear. In between Leslie’s jobs, I had to make progress on that front. I was tired of playing along with the blackmail by whoever really did the deed to those three princes.

All these concerns were kicking around my brain as I escorted Marilyn (because she was full Marilyn while she worked) to her date with Lorenz.

A bit about Lorenz: he was the oldest brother of a trio of brothers who were all in line to own a good chunk of Vegas. Their father, Antonio Maldonado, called the shots and one of the three would be the boss when he got too old to do it. Word was there was a power struggle between the brothers, which was all very interesting if you gave a damn about who controlled Vegas. I did not. I only gave a damn about getting this job done safely and then further down, getting myself out of here. When? Who knew?

As long as Leslie Detweiler was doing The Marilyn Jobs, I’d be hulking in the shadows making sure she came out in one piece. If I didn’t land in jail first.

Lorenz Maldonado had her for one week. Each night this week he could do what he wanted. At the end of the week, Marilyn would have two million dollars. Petra was also paying me. I’d make at least six figures this week and recoup some of what I’d shelled out to keep my involvement with our three disappeared amigos quiet.

It made a lot of financial sense, this job. Little Leslie Detweiler would be a millionaire and then some after this week. All she had to do was Lorenz Maldonado. All I had to do was not kill him for enjoying what he paid for. That would be my challenge and why there’d be no more kissing her gorgeous lips.

I was proud of her. She had laid down some conditions after her experiences over the last few weeks. No more threesomes, no BDSM, and no more jobs for under a million. That was ballsy. She also insisted I be there. I both loved and hated that. But she knew I’d be there even if I wasn’t supposed to. Shit may as well get a little cash from Petra for it instead of getting even more on her bad side.

Tonight’s assignment was at Lorenz Maldonado’s high rise apartment in The Diamond Hotel. He’d taken up residence in one of the suites. He vacated when needed, like when a president or prince booked the joint. But the rest of the time it was his little castle in Vegas.

We did the normal drill. I escorted her to the door and made my way to the surveillance room. I knew this hotel very well by now.

I watched the hallway closed circuit as she knocked on the door. Her black dress was backless, so the creamy skin that poured over her shoulder blades and spine was in full view from this angle. She’d lost weight in the last few weeks. The rounder hips were winnowing down. She was still all cleavage and soft round ass, but the arms, the thighs, the hips were getting smaller. I didn’t like that. Why was that? Was she eating? I needed to pay more attention to that.

The open back of the dress contrasted with the almost nun-like front. The neckline came across her collar bone and then draped at the waist, flowed over her legs, and just skimmed the top of her stilettos. A thigh-high slit in the leg and the open back, though, would do any man in for good. It was the glimpses of leg and back that made it sexy. The fact that her gorgeous breasts were hidden took it to the next level and drove you insane.

The door opened and Lorenz Maldonado was there, ready to devour her.

 I watched him usher her in. This was a different flavor of Maldonado. He was leaner than his two brothers. Instead of slicked back hair, he let it be close cropped at the sides with a slight wave at the top. If he wasn’t a casino heir, he’d have been a movie star I supposed. His dark looks contrasted so completely with her light skin and hair that they made a stunning couple as he led her through the apartment to the sitting room. Their conversation was making me sick already.

I hated my job.

“Hello. I’m Lorenz.”

“I’m Marilyn Fields.” She’d answered with her combo Marilyn Monroe Jayne Mansfield name. I felt like it was a little victory that she’d never told anyone else her name was Leslie. Little victories were all I could celebrate these days.

And then I watched. Lorenz lightly touched her bare back with his fingertips, but nothing too forward. He was guiding her to the dining area.

“Oh, this is beautiful!” She was right. The dining room wall was comprised of all windows from floor to ceiling. The spectacular light show that was Las Vegas was on panoramic display below.

“I’d agree.” And damn it she didn’t see but he was looking at her when he said, not the view. He appreciated her beauty, which honestly, it was about damn time. But it put me on edge. I’d thought I’d hated when her clients jumped her from the get go without appreciating what they had, but maybe this Lorenz was more dangerous. He appeared to recognize rare beauty right away.

“I hope you’re hungry,” Lorenz asked her.

“I am if you are?” She turned and let that imply more than dinner.

“You know you don’t have to do that,” Lorenz said.

“Do what?” Marilyn blinked her lush eyelashes at him and she played up her resemblance for all that it was worth. The full two-million bucks reflected in her facial expressions.

“You don’t have to do anything tonight or ever that you don’t want.” Lorenz took a step toward her but didn’t reach out to touch her.

“You paid a lot of money. I do have to. But I also want to.” Marilyn’s voice was breathy. Did I mention how much I hated my job?

“Let me get you a drink and I’ll tell you why I paid this, what, two million right? Two million seems a bargain by the way, now that I’m in your company.”

“Thank you.” I caught her now looking at him with different eyes than she’d used on her previous jobs. The real gaze, the gaze I’d thought was for me. The word “sucker” was swirling around my brain. Not Lorenz, but me. She was giving him Leslie. Fucking hell.

“What can I get you to drink?”

“I’ll have what you’re having.” Classic. Mirroring the client, they loved that shit.

“You drink Vodka martinis?” He smiled at her.

“I guess. I really don’t know what I like. I’ve only been legal drinking age for a year and I haven’t really tried much. Is it low class to say I do know I like a really cold beer?” She was opening up to him.

“Ah, no, it is not low class my dear. I like your honesty. I don’t have a beer in here right now but I’ll fix that if you decide to come back. Let’s go easy on the vodka then, you look like a light weight.” Lorenz walked to the wet bar and began to mix the drink.

He brought her drink over. She sipped the martini and her eyes widened and it also wrinkled her nose.

“Well. What do you think?”

“I felt it go down, hot and cold at the same time!” She laid a smile on him that worked like fucking crazy. It had to. He smiled back at her.

“Well, that’s ice cold Stoli for you. I ordered a range of food. Please, have a seat.”

He pulled out a chair at one end of the table and started to sit across the room from her. Good. Across the ocean would be better, but across the room would work for now.

Then she fucking fucked up my life. Marilyn seeing Lorenz at one end and her at the other took matters into her own hands. She stood up, picked up her plate and silverware and marched over to the chair on Lorenz’s right. So they took up a small corner of the long glass dining table.

“Do you mind?” She was tentative, maybe less than confident that this was a good play. Did she know her seeming lack of confidence in how to play these games was the ultimate in sexy? Probably. Petra warned me that her shtick was working on me too. It just seemed so real to me, to Lorenz too, clearly.

“No. I’m glad you’re not afraid of me. I assume my brothers were scary as hell and feared they might have ruined you or at least traumatized you for a while.”

Marilyn swallowed hard.

“I don’t want to speak ill, they had their moments, but I admit, they never did talk to me, so I’m already enjoying one of you twice as much as two of them.”

“Ah you know what to say to me, don’t you? We three are very competitive. I appreciate knowing I’m the best.” He lightly touched her cheek with his knuckles. She smiled at the contact. Goddamn it.

“So. Is that why you hired me?” She asked.

“I saw you with them, I wanted you, and most of all I wanted to get you away from them. I have no need to hire companionship, but I will say having this arrangement might be a lot easier than explaining to my companions that I, in fact, do not want to marry them.”

“Does that happen a lot, people wanting to marry you?”

“When you’re rich, yes, it does.”

“When you’re pretty not so much, I’ve learned.” She looked down. It was a sad moment.

“Pretty is really not the word for you. You go way beyond pretty dear. You’re really the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

“Thank you.”

“What’s your real hair color?”

“Oh, so you can tell it’s not blonde?” She winked at him.

“I can tell Petra has found someone who looks like a Marilyn in every way. But what I’m seeing is something deeper in your eyes.”

“Well, my hair color had been referred to as brown by the poets.” She giggled at her little joke.

“Blue-eyed brunette eh?”

“Just like you.” She reached up and stroked a lock of Lorenz’s hair.

“Yes. I got my mother’s eyes. It’s very annoying to my brothers.”

“Well, I’ve noticed they don’t really appreciate the finer things in my experience.”

“No. But they did find you. Now let’s eat. You look like you could use ten more pounds on those dangerous curves of yours.

“Really,” she looked down at herself.

“Really, your Marilyn impression will have to turn into an Audrey one if you don’t enjoy this steak!”

“I love a good steak.” And with that, they dug in. At least, she was eating and damn him for noticing she needed to. This week was going to suck. I listened as they charmed each other.

But then the conversation turned potentially deadly.

“So you know, maybe you don’t. That Franco has been missing for a few days.”

“I did see that.” She leaned back away from Lorenz. Maybe he was just setting the smartest of traps for her. I willed her to be very careful.

“The last Dom saw of Franco was when you three were together.”

“That date did go wrong. I can’t deny it. But what happened after I left? Your guess is as good as mine.”

“Your bodyguard. The one that brought you here, he beat the crap out of Franco. It’s a habit.”

“Is that why we’re only eating dinner so far? Are you worried?” She gave him a bit of a challenge. I hope she watched herself. I did not want to have to tangle with Lorenz. I would, but she had to know it would mean me fired and in jail, maybe even dead. I had no leeway anymore.

“No. I’m not. I don’t plan to do anything you don’t want to do. So your bodyguard will have no reason to bust in here. No safe word required. I do know that Franco and Dom are not so accommodating.”

“Not so.”

“If you know where Franco is. If someone you know has hurt him, my father will have you and whoever it was killed.”

“Are you threatening me?” The charm had gone out of the dinner conversation. Was he threatening her? He’d be a fool to hurt her. Especially if he thought she knew where Franco was.

“No. I’m hoping you stay safe. That’s another reason I hired you.”

“You hired me to keep me away from Dom?” She was confused. So was I.

“Yes. I’ll keep you close and him at a distance. And if you learn any more about what happened to Franco after your date with him, you’ll give me the information and then let me handle it so my family knows you are completely innocent.”

“I am.”

“Yes. I can see that. That’s part of why you’re so irresistible. You are innocent. It makes me very worried for you in this life my darling.”

Lorenz got up and indicated Marilyn should do the same. Instead of the bedroom, he escorted Marilyn back to the lobby of the suite.

“So you really didn’t get your money’s worth tonight?” She asked as they locked eyes at the door.

“I did. And then some. Here’s the deal. You decide when you are ready. I am not concerned about sex.  You are in a very dangerous position with my brothers, consider me a buffer. I wanted to get you away from them, and well yes, get to know you. You decide if this goes farther. But let me give you something to think about.”

Lorenz put a hand on her chin and she tilted her face up to him. He leaned in and softly placed his lips on hers. I watched as his hand slid from her chin to the back of her neck. But he did nothing else. No groping or grabbing. Marilyn sighed as the kiss deepened.

Then he pulled back.

“Good night Marilyn. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Good night Lorenz.”

***

She practically skipped down the hall to me as I greeted her to escort her home.

“That was so refreshing.”

“Was it now?”

“I’ll say. He knows more than one word.”

“He does at that.” We headed out to my truck. Leslie said she was used to trucks and insisted I didn’t rent a Town Car or Limo for her this week. Fine. Truck it was.

Normally I lifted her up to the seat, but this time, I went to my side and let her deal with it. I was unreasonably pissed.

“What’s wrong?”

“You think that Lorenz is quite the prince charming eh?”

“Well yes, he was charming, but…”

“But don’t forget he’s the head of a ruthless family and his money paid for you. He’s also short one missing brother. You need to be very quiet around him.”

“I know, I just – Forget it.” She stopped replying to my temper and looked out the window. I’d made her feel shitty for doing her job. Me being an ass was becoming a habit.

“Look I’m sorry. I got...” I stopped short of saying jealous.

“Jealous. You were jealous.”

“Let’s forget it, okay?”

We got to her place and I walked her in. We didn’t talk. I couldn’t.

“Can I make us some coffee?”

“An after-martini drink?” I snapped.

“That’s not fair.”

“You’re right. Lock your doors. I’ll be here for your appointment tomorrow. Good night Marilyn.”

“It’s Leslie. You know that.”

“Good night.” And I left her there, probably hurt, definitely confused.

She’d stay that way for days.

After our little tiff, I got a phone call. A call that helped me uncover just who was fucking with me. The information came courtesy of an old pit boss I knew. And by courtesy, I mean he knew I’d pay him big cash for a solid lead on who was framing me and blackmailing me for beating up Donny Barchek, that damn waiter, and, of course, Franco Fucking Maldonado.

“So you need information on Barchek?” Knobby Calhoun, that was his name; he had worked the floor in just about every second-tier place on Fremont Street.

“I do.” Knobby had my number from way back when he was bouncing, too. I’d been putting out feelers to all the pit bosses, concierges, bell captains, and housekeeping managers I knew. I was willing to pay for any good information on Barchek.

“Well get down here. I think there’s a guy winning big, Barchek-style, that you’re going to want to check out.”

I wound my way through Knobby’s gaming rooms but stayed hidden. I didn’t want to startle anyone, especially my quarry.

Sure enough, there was Barchek, ball cap, hoodie over it, sunglasses, pretty hard to make out his face, but it was Barchek, giving in to the urge to play poker. The little shit was alive and well and running up debt. Typical.

I let him finish his game and followed him out without him seeing me. Before long we reached a perfectly shadowed alcove between buildings and I came up behind him.

“So you don’t exactly look missing OR dead Barchek.”

“Fuck. Lincoln. What the fuck are you doing here?” Barchek backed up toward the side of the building I’d cornered him next to.

“Well, I heard you were back to work. Maybe the cops need to know you’re fit as a fiddle and playing cards again. I’m taking you into the police asshole.”

“What and say what? That you meant to beat me to death but didn’t?”

“Something like that.”

“Really. Well, fuck you and good night.”

That was the last thing I heard for a while.