for my own memories, but Maximo had printed enough copies to have a set on each of his desks. The one of us kissing didn’t seem work appropriate, but he was the boss. What was he going to do, fire himself?
He stood, and I watched as he unrolled his sleeves, buttoning the cuffs before shrugging on his jacket.
It was like a reverse striptease, yet still managed to be hot.
“Whatever you do, make sure to be dressed and ready by five,” he ordered in the authoritative way that made me wet. “We’ll stop by the tournament then grab dinner.”
“Okay,” I said, even though the tournament part sounded less than thrilling.
There was a knock at the door, and Maximo called, “Yeah?”
Cole opened it and gave me a small smile before asking, “Ready, boss?”
Maximo raised his chin, turned off his wall of stalker security monitors, and pocketed his phone. “Do whatever you want but stay with Ash.”
I stood and mimicked his chin lift. “Got it, boss.”
He shook his head, but I could see the amusement curving his lip before I got his back as he walked out the door.
Once he was gone, Ash moved into the doorway. “What’s the plan? Shopping? Swimming?” His dimples appeared even as he held back a smile. “4D theater? Lunch?”
“What was that?”
“Lunch? It’s a meal you eat between breakfast and—”
I rolled my eyes. “The 4D theater part.”
“It’s like a theater, but in 4D.”
“Smartass.”
“Maximo said he didn’t get to show you yesterday but thought you’d enjoy it.”
I wasn’t sure what a 4D theater was, but it was one more than 3D so it had to be good.
_______________
A 4D theater was way better than 3D. The immersive short movie made viewers feel as though they were riding a roller coaster through the solar system. The chairs moved and vibrated. Bursts of cool and hot air whipped around. Bubbles and splashes of water rained down.
And, best of all, my feet stayed firmly on the ground.
It was my kind of coaster.
So much so, I dragged Ash on a few times in a row.
When we were done, we walked across the gaming floor toward the restaurants. “Moonlight has the laser show and there’s the 4D thing here. What gimmicks are at his other casinos?”
“Sunrise has a two-hundred-foot drop tower.”
Two-hundred-feet? In the air?
Barf.
No thanks.
He smirked. “Didn’t figure that’d be high on your list to try.”
“Nope, definitely not. What about Nebula?”
“Nebula’s gimmick is that it’s expensive as—”
“Hey, asshole, watch where you’re going!” someone shouted in front of us.
“Who the fuck do you think you’re talking to?” another guy shot back.
Ash didn’t step in or even pause to call security. Putting a hand between my shoulders, he stayed close and increased his pace to get us away from the brewing fight.
But it happened fast, calm to chaos in less than a second. The two men launched themselves at each other. Grappling, they slammed around before crashing into us. They fell to a heap, their wrestling bodies landing on Ash.
I was knocked on my ass, my head smacking the wall. Closing my eyes against the burst of pain, they shot open when someone gripped my arm and tugged. I expected a security guard or Ash, but it was Mugsy Carmichael’s flushed and sweaty face staring down at me.
“Come on, Juliet,” he said, his frantic eyes darting around as he yanked me up.
With warning bells sounding in my head, I tried to free my arm, but his hold tightened. “Ash!”
Covering my mouth with a palm that was moist and smelled like stale cigars, Mugsy shuffled us forward and used me to push open a darkened emergency exit. I braced for the alarm, but nothing sounded.
Nothing except the warning bells in my head growing to disaster sirens.
I tried to clutch the doorframe, but he shoved me outside so hard, I tumbled to the ground. Ignoring the burn of fresh scrapes on my knees and palms, I scrambled up to run. Before I could take a single step, he was in my space.
Gripping my upper arms, he gave me a smarmy smile, but frustration tightened Mugsy’s features. “I’m here to rescue you. After they saw Maximo dragging you around yesterday, marked up and handled like a piece of property, I knew I had to get you out of here before it was too late. I’ll take care of you.”
They?
The way he spoke and the manic look in his eyes made terror coat my insides.
“Let me go!” I shouted.
Surprisingly, he listened and released one of my arms. I spun away, but