use them for more than playing Madden. Conference room.” He unlocked and opened the last door.
Huge, intimidating, and looks effortlessly expensive and infinitely powerful?
Yup, definitely Maximo’s office.
Along with the typical desk with chairs in front of it, there was a couch and coffee table, a boardroom table lined with chairs, a bar that matched the one in the lobby—though his was stocked with alcohol, not coffee—and a wall of monitors like at home. The wide window behind his desk flaunted the beautiful view.
I could picture him leaning back in his chair, clutching a tumbler of whiskey as he stared broodily into the distance.
A king overseeing his kingdom.
I glanced around again before something occurred to me. “You don’t have a receptionist?”
“Multiple.”
I leaned out and looked pointedly at the empty waiting area. Lowering my voice with dramatic concern, I asked, “Can you see them right now? Do they talk to you?”
“Brat.” Backtracking from the office, he hooked me around the waist, bringing me with him. We got onto the elevator, and he pressed a button for four floors down.
When the doors slid open, it revealed another expansive lobby. A long reception desk took up the entirety of the opposite wall, and at least five people sat behind it—though there may have been more I couldn’t see. A massive version of the black and silver Black Resorts sign hung on the wall.
Eyes turned to us and lingered when they saw Maximo. They became fixated when they saw he wasn’t alone. But he didn’t acknowledge anyone as he took my hand and stepped out. He gestured to the desk. “Receptionists.” He turned us toward a long hallway. “Offices and conference rooms.” Reopening the elevator, we stepped in and he pointed up. “Three more floors of receptionists, offices, and conference rooms.”
Whoa.
Logically, I knew even Maximo couldn’t singlehandedly run an entire resort, but it was surprising how extensive the business side was.
“Why don’t you have any on your floor?” I asked.
“I like my privacy.”
Knowing even a tiny bit about some of his business dealings, that made sense.
He unlocked his office again, moving aside for me to enter. My iPad was on the coffee table, along with a paper bag and a large disposable cup I was praying was filled to the brim with coffee.
Before I could investigate, Maximo turned me to face him. “If you get bored, you can go walk with Marco or hang out in our room upstairs.”
“I’ll be fine.”
Who could be bored when they have coffee and a good book?
Moving behind his desk, he shook off his suit jacket and slipped it on a hanger. He rolled his sleeves to display his tattooed forearms before sitting at his desk.
Let me revise that.
Who could be bored when they have coffee, a good book, and an incredibly sexy man to stare at?
_______________
I was bored.
Reading in the office had been fun.
Though it felt a little stalkery, people watching on the wall of monitors had also been fun.
Fooling around frequently had been super fun.
But watching people play poker was not fun.
I didn’t get the appeal.
I definitely didn’t understand why they’d go bankrupt, get in deep with loan sharks, or lose their homes for it.
Clearly the fun was in playing, but it still seemed tedious. At least roulette had the big wheel. Craps had dice. Slots had blinking lights, loud noises, and bonus games. Those seemed more entertaining than staring at cards.
Standing to one side of the long room, Maximo talked with Georgie, the woman who ran the tournaments. I tried to see if anything interesting was happening at the tables.
Surprisingly, they didn’t hurt to look at anymore. Guilt wasn’t drowning me. I didn’t feel anything.
Except the aforementioned boredom, of course.
I thought I was doing a good job hiding it, but Maximo wrapped his arm around me and curled me into him, my front pressed to his side. “Just another few minutes then we’ll go eat.”
“Take your time, I’m good,” I half-fibbed because I’d been ready to leave five minutes after we’d arrived.
His eyes narrowed and his hand dropped to my ass. As he turned his attention back to Georgie, he tightened his hold on my cheek so hard, I had to choke down a yelp.
After another ten minutes, Georgie went to do her walkthrough and Maximo turned to me. “Let’s go.”
“Hold on, it just got exciting,” I said, watching the table where two people had pushed their hefty stacks of chips all-in.
They flipped over their cards, but I couldn’t see what they had. After the dealer added