“Did Serrano tell you the diplomat is trying to get tickets to the Angelo-Novak match next month? He wants to drop a shit-ton on bets and a suite.”
“I don’t give a shit how much he wants to spend, unless he’s willing to sleep in a room coated in plastic, he’s not welcome.”
“Better tell Serrano that.”
I checked my watch.
I had a shit-ton of preparations and inevitable fires to put out for the event that night. Stopping to deal with Janson had set me behind, so I needed to get caught up quickly if I wanted to have time for dinner with Juliet.
I didn’t have time to argue with Serrano.
But I also didn’t have the stomach to face a destroyed, golden showered room again.
Rubbing my palm down my face, I sighed. “I’ll talk to him.”
“Good luck. You know how he is with money.”
Yeah, he liked it and wasn’t big on turning away people willing to part with theirs. He’d set up a fight between chipmunks if he could get people to bet on it.
Pressing my thumb to the elevator’s panel, the doors slid open and I went inside. It quickly traveled up before opening on the ground floor.
I took off toward the arena to see what fresh hell awaited.
And to argue with Serrano about a piss-happy diplomat.
Juliet
Holy shit.
I’d known Maximo’s casinos were beautiful. I’d also known they’d be better than my expectations because that was how it went with anything to do with Maximo.
But I had no idea Moonlight would be so absolutely breathtaking—and I’d only seen the outside.
Located not far off the Strip, the curvature and points of the main building resembled the phases of the moon. There was another taller building behind it, which I assumed was the hotel.
I had my nose practically pressed against the window as we drove closer.
“He’s gonna be pissed,” Ash murmured.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
Fighting the urge to nervously fidget, I placed my hands in my lap before immediately moving my right one off so my tennis bracelet didn’t snag the lace overlay of my magenta minidress.
Is this what the other half worries about?
Ruining their beautiful clothes with their equally beautiful jewelry?
Ash bypassed the main entrance and pulled up to a small road I hadn’t noticed through the greenery. Rolling down his window to punch a number into the keypad, the barrier gate opened and he drove up the path that edged a pond.
In the center, there was a fountain topped with a beautiful sculpture of a woman in a flowing dress. Even though it was solid, the way the dress was sculpted made it look as though it were moving in the breeze. She held a bow with the arrow drawn, a mix of femininity and badassery.
“Who is that statue of?” I asked.
“Artemis. She’s the Greek goddess of the hunt and the moon.”
Continuing up the road, we drove under the overpass where a line of cars, limos, and idling taxis were backed up. Ash pulled into a tucked-away spot near security vehicles before killing the engine and getting out.
I opened the door and climbed out. “Do I need my bag?”
“I’ll bring your bag up to the room.”
I didn’t argue because I likely would’ve toppled trying to lug that sucker around—Vera’s idea of a weekend bag differed greatly from mine.
As we walked, he pulled his phone out and typed something. “Boss is near the shops.”
“Since I have zero clue where that is, lead the way.”
The electric doors slid open, and I stepped forward and gawked worse than a tourist seeing a line of showgirls for the first time.
Holy shit.
The outside was stunning, but it was nothing compared to the inside. The rounded glass atrium roof was covered in hundreds of thousands of twinkle lights that resembled the night sky. There was an attached twisting wrought iron arch spanning across with an illuminated half-moon.
Ash pointed to it, moving his hand with the curve. “Every hour it moves a spot to the next phase.”
“It’s so pretty.”
Crowds of people posed in front of the massive lattice wall in the center of the room. More twisted iron spelled out Moonlight in a whimsical font, the name surrounded by vibrant green vines and beautiful white flowers that entwined through the lattice.
“Moonflowers,” Ash supplied.
They found a theme and stuck with it, that’s for sure.
Everything fit, down to the tiniest detail. Even the tile under my feet were a soft blackish blue with the occasional silver old-timey moon design stamped on one.
I glanced around at all the security guards, employees, and prominent signs making it clear