Chapter 7

Greyson

Meek was still sitting in his usual spot in front of the security monitors when I came in after finishing my day of grueling meetings and appointments. He looked up at me and gave me a nod and a grunt before turning his attention back to the screens.

“How was your day, Meek?” I asked as I took my bag down from the hook I had placed it on that morning. My leather jacket hung just to the right of it. Tara must have brought it back before her shift ended.

“Good. Same old stuff. That valet girl brought your bike back. It’s in the underground. Maybe give me a heads up next time? She’s quite the chatterbox, and I had to kick her out of here after she hung around for fifteen minutes prattling on about your damn bike.”

“Hey,” I said. “It’s a nice bike. God forbid you have some human connection that isn’t me or a guest you’re escorting out. Maybe it’ll soften those hard edges of yours.”

“Having hard edges is in my job description,” Meek said lazily, scratching the back of his neck and stretching with a yawn.

As I made my way to the bathroom to change, I clicked my tongue. “I believe your job description is actually something along the lines of ‘will do anything and everything my boss tells me to do because he is wise and I am not.’”

“Like I’d sign a bogus contract like that,” Meek said as I locked myself in the bathroom.

I changed into my jeans and shrugged on my leather jacket. My helmet would be with the bike. I stepped into my riding boots and rolled my suit up to tuck it back in my bag, and then I came out of the bathroom and slapped Meek playfully on the shoulder.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, then?” I asked.

Meek nodded. “Of course.”

As I was about to turn to leave, a long curtain of black hair on the monitor at the bottom right caught my eye. I paused, my hand still on Meek’s shoulder, and narrowed my eyes at the familiar figure.

It was the girl I had seen on the monitors earlier that morning; the girl who had plagued my thoughts during all of my meetings today.

Meek followed my gaze and rolled his eyes. “Good God, man, just go talk to her, will you? This is kind of sad, you know? You leaning over me like this to stare at a woman? It’s not like you.”

“I will go talk to her,” I said, watching as she disappeared from view of the camera. I looked to the other three she might pop up in. Food court, spa, or elevators. When she appeared near the entrance to the food court that backed onto the casino floor, I slapped Meek’s shoulder again. “See you tomorrow, buddy.”

Meek hollered after me as I swept out of the room. “That you will. And I’ll see you on the video camera in a few. Don’t embarrass yourself too much.”

I went straight for the food court. I couldn’t risk missing the chance to talk to her. My mind raced as I wove through the crowd in the casino. What if she was only staying for a night or two? What if this was her last night, and I hadn’t seen her until today? That would be terribly disappointing.

I shook my head to get a grip on myself. I hadn’t even met the girl, and I was already pining after her. How was that possible? I didn’t even really know what she looked like. All I knew was she had a smoking hot body and the most magnificent hair I had ever seen. It was hardly enough for my heart to be hammering in my chest the way it was right now, but I couldn’t help myself.

I rounded the corner to the food court and paused to look around. I was searching for that glittering mane of black hair. I spotted her at the back of a line to get sushi. I ducked through more people, trying my best not to bulldoze them over in my rush. I was thankful that I wasn’t wearing my suit, and I looked like a guest. I blended in, and no one thought anything of a biker in a hurry at the food court. In fact, I couldn’t have blended in better if I’d tried.

I arrived behind her in line and found myself staring at the back of her head like a damn fool. Her hair was dazzling, and it reached her lower back to graze the waistband of her jeans. Now that I was looking down, I had to swallow. Her body was insane. She was incredibly fit, with lean muscle I could see beneath her shirt and jeans. I liked how plainly she was dressed, and a little voice in the back of my head started screaming at me to talk to her so I could see her face and see her eyes.

I cleared my throat, hoping it would be enough for her to turn around. It wasn’t. She remained still, looking slightly upward. I figured she was reading the menu board.

I cleared my throat again and leaned slightly forward, but not close enough to encroach on her personal space. “The yam rolls here are to die for,” I said. “And I recommend pairing them with a merlot.”

She looked over her shoulder at me, and something inside me started fluttering.

She was gorgeous. Her cheeks were flushed but bright, and her dazzling green eyes looked like two glittering emeralds beneath her bold black eyebrows. Her lips were full and pink and curved upward in a polite smile.

She looked me up and down in a way that didn’t seem judgmental, and then turned a bit more to face me more directly. “Yam rolls, huh?” she asked, still smiling. Her voice sounded like the sweetest melody I had ever heard.

I nodded. “Yep, delicious.”

“You look like more of a steak guy,” she said, showing me her teeth now in a more radiant smile. It almost took my knees out from under me.

I grinned. “You know, that’s not the first time someone’s said that to me.”

She shrugged one shoulder and began turning back to the menu board. Had I really lost her attention that quickly? I wasn’t used to this sort of thing. Usually when I spoke to a woman, I had her full attention within a couple of seconds. Usually, I had to try to wriggle away from the situation because I was the one who wasn’t interested. This was a chilling role reversal, and I felt like a fish out of water.

“How long are you here for?” I asked.

She turned back to me, still wearing that polite smile of hers. “A week. I just arrived this morning. Still trying to get my bearings. This place is massive.”

“You know, I could always give you a little tour.” Her eyes narrowed suspiciously, so I added, “I work here, so I know my way around like I know the back of my hand. I could show you the best spots in the casino based on what drinks you like, and so forth. If you’re interested, of course.”

“That’s very kind of you,” she said, and I detected the “but” lingering at the tip of her tongue before she spoke it. “But I think I’m going to spend the night in my room. It’s been a long day of traveling, and I want to relax. Thank you, though. I appreciate it.”

“Of course,” I said, letting her turn away from me this time.

Clearly, she wasn’t interested in chatting anymore, and I wasn’t going to push. I tapped her shoulder lightly, and she turned back.

“Seriously,” I said. “Get the yam rolls. You won’t regret it. It was nice talking to you. Enjoy your evening.”

“You’re not ordering anything?” she asked, one dark eyebrow arching. Somehow, the other remained perfectly still.

“No,” I said. “Not today. Places to be.”

“Right,” she said with a wry smile. “It was nice talking to you, too.”

I gave her my best smile and left her where she was in line. I hoped she was watching my back as I left, but I didn’t turn around to find out. If I had, I was afraid I would walk back and make a complete ass of myself trying to impress her again.

I went to the staff exit to catch the freight elevator down to the underground parking. I was horrified to see Meek standing there, waiting for me. He was smiling like a younger brother who had just heard his older brother being chewed out by their mother. In this scenario, I was the older brother. I tried to avoid his humorous stare as long as I could, but once we were both on the elevator, his laughter couldn’t be contained, and he burst into a fit, clutching at his ribs as he doubled over in hysterics.

“It wasn’t that bad,” I said defensively, crossing my arms across my chest. The leather of my jacket groaned softly.

Meek slapped his knee before straightening. He shot me an amused glance before chuckling again. “She shot you down just like that? Over and done with. And after you spent all day thinking about her.”

“I didn’t think about her all day.”

“Really?”

I frowned and scratched the back of my neck.

“Exactly.” Meek laughed, shaking his head at me. “Oh man, that was the highlight of my day. A woman turning down Greyson Kline. Definitely doesn’t happen every day. Maybe you should have left the suit on.”

“Maybe the next time I see her, I’ll have it on.”

“Oh?” Meek teased.

“She’s here for a week. I don’t intend on giving up. She turned me down tonight, sure, but she had good reason. She spent all day traveling. She wants some downtime. I can understand that.”

Meek chuckled as the doors opened, and we both made our way through the staff parking lot. Meek stopped at his car, a sleek black Audi, and pulled his keys out of his pocket. “The poor girl. She has no clue what’s about to befall her.”

“Why do you make it sound like I’m a terrible person?” I asked.

Meek shrugged and gave me a crooked grin before sliding into the driver’s seat. “Because it’s fun,” he said before he closed the door behind him.

I made for my bike, parked in its usual spot at the back of the parking lot. The helmet was secured to the side by the chin strap. When I pulled it off to put it on, I spotted a note tucked inside. I unfolded the yellow paper and smiled as I read it.

Thank you for letting me ride her today, Mr. Kline. My father was thrilled when I showed up at his house on it. He took her for a spin down the Strip and on the highway. Said it was the best ride of his life! Now Mom is a little upset because he wants to buy one. Anyways. Thank you!

I tucked the note in the pocket of my jeans and geared up. If I hurried, I would be able to blow by Meek on his drive home while showing him a rude hand gesture. I always enjoyed rushing past his driver’s side window. He never saw me coming, and the roar of the engine as I went zooming by always startled him. His wide-eyed expression and tight grip on his steering wheel was more than satisfying for me.