innocent, wide eyes hidden behind oversized sunglasses.
She’s lying so still that I almost think she’s sleeping but she suddenly sits up at the sight of a large macaw being carried by on the arm of an employee. The tropical pool area is right by the Fortuna botanical garden and aviary. It houses a variety of plants and is home to about twenty-five different exotic birds. Sometimes the bird keepers will bring one of the more social parrots out to meet guests. Her mouth forms that lovely “O” of surprise as she catches site of the brightly colored bird. I grin, remembering how I first saw her make that expression when I pointed out the eye-in-the-sky to her in our first conversation.
Suddenly a random guy comes sidling up, drink in hand. He’s paying zero attention to the parrot and is completely fixated on Lilly. As I take in the gentle curve of her waist and her toned legs, I have to say—I can’t blame him. The cameras only provide video, not audio, so there’s no way to know what he’s saying to her. She doesn’t look happy about it though. Her posture has changed, becoming stiff and uncomfortable. God damn it. I ball my fists into my pockets. Who is this shit-stain?
Then I see Mike step in, as if out of nowhere. Good man. He speaks briefly to the interloper. Whatever he says is enough for the guy to scoot. After a brief word to Lilly, Mike lumbers off. She settles back into her lounger. I can’t help but notice the troubled look on her face. I wish she would just fucking enjoy herself.
She peers around, looking up. I realize she’s looking for the camera. Come on, Lilly. You’re a smart girl… It only takes her a few seconds to realize it’s tucked away in the palm tree above her. She pushes her sunglasses up and peers at it closely. Having confirmed her suspicions, she gives the camera a glare, drops her sunglasses back down, grabs her bag, and huffs off. I smile to myself. She’s learning.
“All good, boss?” Terry approaches.
“Yep. Ben and Mike seem to have everything under control. I’m off to lunch.”
“Enjoy.”
The rest of the afternoon is my usual whirlwind of making rounds of the casino’s various departments, meeting a couple high-rollers who have flown in from abroad, and taking meetings with various business contacts. I learn that other casino owners have likewise gotten wind of Mickey’s tough guys roughing up the streets in Vegas. I’m not the only one on high alert, it seems, and my wariness is justified. Apparently this Tony and Bobby beat the shit out of some bartender recently—claimed the poor kid tried to rip them off and pad the bill. I text Terry the news. This looks like they’re definitely going to become a problem.
By the time five o’clock rolls around, I’m more than ready for a stiff drink. The afternoon kept me on the run and I hadn’t had a chance to check on Lilly. Since I didn’t get any calls from security, I assume all is well. But I’m curious about the rest of her day.
The elevator doors to the penthouse open. Before I even step inside, I’m greeted by her voice. “You’re punctual. Five o’clock on the dot.”
“Glad to see you’re ready for me,” I reply as I cross the threshold. She’s standing in the kitchen, wearing a dark blue dress that stops just above her knees. The strappy dress has a surprisingly deep neckline, I note. The enticing V leaves no doubt that she’s not wearing a bra. Her hair is pulled back in a small bun at the nape of her neck.
“I see you got a bit of sun today.” Her skin is slightly tanned.
“Ah. The eye-in-the-sky.” Her lips twist in a slight frown. “Spying on me at the pool? Have you just been playing peeping Tom all day?”
God, she’s cute. I can’t help letting out a big laugh. “You know, running not one but two billion-dollar casinos and hotels does keep me pretty busy during the day, right? I’m not skulking around looking at the security cameras 24/7. I have staff do that for me.”
“Hm. And I suppose you sent those tough guys of yours over to scare off the guy who was chatting to me at the pool?”
“Their names are Ben and Mike,” I respond quietly. “I didn’t specifically send them to do anything. I just told them to keep an eye on you. They’re good guys.