I was so late!

Elroy rarely ever arrived on time, whether it came to picking up or dropping off our daughter, or anything else that he didn't consider a priority, but he'd never been understanding of anyone else's schedule. So the fact that I'd rolled out of bed this morning an hour after my alarm had been unceremoniously tossed to the other side of the room was a problem.

Tiffany was still fast asleep, of course, so I tried to make as little noise as possible as I hurriedly dressed and grabbed a bottle of water for the road. Then I practically gunned it all the way to Elroy's ratty apartment, driving far more aggressively than was normal for me. My ex and I had a very...tentative relationship, and I generally tried to avoid conflict with him as much as I could.

I had a feeling it wouldn't work this time.

He jerked the door open almost immediately after I knocked. “You're late.”

I bit back my smart response as I stepped inside the apartment. “Sorry about that. I'll make it up to you.”

“Oh you will, will you?” He gave me a lewd smile as he ran his gaze up and down my body.

I suppressed a shudder of disgust. Elroy still had the golden blond hair and ash-gray eyes that had made all the girls back home chase him. Well, that and the tall, lean body that had always oozed sex appeal. He'd always been the resident bad boy, with his tattoos and smoking and drinking. I'd fallen for it back then, and it had taken me years to see his true nature.

“Yes,” I said easily. “The next time someone calls me for a reference for you, I'll lie.”

“You little b–”

“Mommy!” Mikala cried out as she ran into the room and flung herself into my arms. “Daddy said you forgot me.”

“How could I forget you?” I glared at Elroy over our daughter's pale hair but didn't let any of it creep into my voice. “Mommy just had to work late last night, and I slept in. How silly is that?”

Mikala's tinkling laugh warmed the parts of me that had begun to ice over in Elroy's presence. “That's so silly!”

“Working late?” Elroy leaned against the doorframe. “Is that what they call it these days?”

I opened my mouth to say something, then thought better of it when I remembered my daughter’s little ears. As much of a bastard as Elroy was, I couldn't bring myself to say anything like that. Besides, I knew if I called him out on his comments, he could reveal some things about my past that I really didn't want to have to explain to my six-year-old. We had an understanding, and it worked. I wasn't going to fuck with it.

“Thank you so much for taking her for the extra night,” I forced out through gritted teeth. “I really appreciate it. And I apologize for being late this morning.”

The asshole smirked. “I look forward to calling in my...favor.” Then he reached out and ruffled Mikala's hair. “Be good for your mommy, pumpkin. She looks like she’s had a rough night.”

I ignored him as I picked up Mikala's bag and herded her toward the door. She waved over her shoulder even as Elroy shut the door, and I wished – not for the first time – that she had a better father.

“What are we doing today, Mommy?” she asked as I strapped her into her seat.

I gave her a big smile. “You and Tiffany are going to hang out today. Mommy has to work.”

“All day?” Mikala's face fell.

“Maybe.” A piece of my heart broke off and fell into the I’m a horrible mother abyss. “But I promise that we'll do something fun to make up for it when it's done.”

“Okay.” She looked out the window as I began to drive, a too-serious expression on her young face. “Can Aunt Tiffany take me swimming at Tempest's house? She asked me to come over.”

“When did she ask you?” I spotted a gap in the traffic and darted into it.

“Daddy and I saw Tempest and Jack at the grocery store yesterday.”

“If Aunt Tiffany calls Mrs. Averill, and they both say it's okay, then you can go.”

Mikala cheered, her face lighting up. Then she was off chatting about the things she'd done with her dad, and how much fun she was going to have with her friend. I was glad she was happy now, but I couldn't shut off the guilt as easily. It stayed with me through dropping off Mikala at home and the whole way into the casino. Only as I stepped through the doors did I manage to push it aside and focus on my job.

I hadn't heard anything else from Enzo and Dorian since I left their suite at two-thirty this morning, but Earl had texted me at five, asking me to come see him when I came into work that day. I made a beeline for his office as soon as I got in, hoping that nothing else happened last night that I hadn't been around to fix.

Nerves jangling, I knocked on Earl's open door and stepped inside. “Hey, Earl, what's up?”

He was hunched over a pile of paperwork on his desk, as usual. As the manager, he worked tirelessly to make the casino resort the best it could be, which was why being the VP of Customer Relations was a no-holds-barred position. With Earl, it wasn't just that the customer was always right. The customer was downright infallible, practically divine. There was very little we wouldn't do.

“Hey, sugar, take a seat.” He pointed to the chair opposite his desk. “I wanted to get an update on how things are going with our two high rollers.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. He just wanted an update? I could do an update. I smiled easily.

“They're all settled into their suite. They're planning on leaving tomorrow afternoon, but I'm confident that they'll be so well taken care of during their stay that they'll automatically come back here in the future.”

Earl nodded slowly, dark eyes crinkled at the corners with a faint smile. His bald spot shone beneath the dull fluorescents. He'd given up on the combovers a couple years ago.

“That's great news, honey,” he said. “Keep it up. Whatever you need, you have. You just let me know what you need to get it. Contacts, favors, money. Whatever it is, it's yours. Just make them want to come back here. Whatever it takes. You do that, and the VP job is yours.”

Hearing him say it explicitly made my heart thrum with excitement. “Thank you. I won't let you down.”

I turned to leave, ready to clear a few things away in my office and then head out onto the casino floor. Earl liked the hostesses to work mostly out on the floor if we weren't dealing with specific guests. We sometimes sat and answered phone calls from the rooms, but he preferred those of us who were good at working with people to be out where we could do our best work.

And I was definitely good at working people.

Earl cleared his throat before I left. “Briana.”

I spun back around. “Yes?”

He leveled his gaze with mine, making it clear that whatever he said next was going to be important. “I do mean whatever it takes. You understand?”

My throat went dry, but I nodded. “Yes.”

“Good.” He waved his hand. “Off you go.”

I left his office feeling no more relaxed than I had when I first walked in, though it was no longer because I didn't know what was expected of me.

Whatever it takes. Whatever it takes.

His words tumbled around in my brain. Was Earl suggesting I sleep with one, or even both, of the brothers to make them happy, repeat clients? And if he was, was it really that big of a deal? After all, that was essentially what I did with Sinclair.

My stomach churned. I'd been able to justify my relationship with Sinclair. Could I do the same with the Gianelli brothers?

There was at least one thing I had this time that I hadn't always had.

A choice.