Brett lifted his sandwich and took a huge bite. “So, she works with you, huh?” he asked as he chewed, stopping only to catch the pickle that fell down his chin.
I scrunched up my nose. “How do you get so many women? You eat like a pig.” My best friend was a bigger chick magnet than me.
“So, sue me. I’m starving. Eating pussy for breakfast doesn’t exactly fill you up.” He stuffed the last bit of sandwich in his mouth. “Besides, I’m charming as fuck and you’ve seen my dick. The thing’s a python.”
I laughed. “Too bad you’re ugly.”
“Awww. Now you just sound like a jealous little bitch. And you’re deflecting.” He looked at his Rolex. “I have twenty minutes before I need to get back to work. Tell me about the redhead. Is she as hot in the daylight as she was at night?”
I blew out a breath of frustration. “Unfortunately for me, yes. Her name is Gia Romano and she’s a spitfire. Already called me an asshole.” I finally took a bite of my own sandwich. With the way my morning went, I was barely hungry. Despite what I told my father, working with Gia was going to be a challenge.
“So, she’s got you pegged,” he chuckled.
“In her defense, I was a prick to her.”
Brett took a sip of his soda and leaned back in his chair, studying me like a fifth-grade science project. “And why is that? You didn’t seem to have a problem with her on Friday night.”
I shook my head at him and pushed my plate away, having completely lost my appetite. “Don’t do that.”
“What?” he asked innocently.
“Analyze me. Look for some deeper meaning to shit that isn’t there.”
“You mean like the fact that you might be interested in this woman?”
I threw my hands up in the air. “I don’t even know her. She’s from Waukegan. I didn’t even know where Waukegan was.”
“That’s another excuse. You could, I don’t know, try to get to know her with her clothes on.”
“What could we possibly have in common?”
Brett rested his elbows on the table and held up a finger. “You’re both hot.”
I chuckled.
Another finger. “You have insane physical chemistry.”
That was true.
A third finger. “You work in the same industry. In the same hotel.”
“None of that matters. She’s completely off-limits, according to my father. Apparently, my inability to keep the party in my pants is wearing on his patience. Suzette was the last straw. Hunter is champing at the bit for me to fuck up.” If that happened, I might as well move to Waukegan myself, because there was no way I would stay around to watch him take what was mine.
“You know what I think?”
“Is this going to be a Yoda moment?”
He picked up a french fry from my abandoned plate and threw it at my forehead. “Listen, dickbag. I don’t think this has anything to do with your dad. You haven’t had a real relationship in forever. I think it has to do with…”
“Don’t even say it!” I pushed away from the table and grabbed my phone. “You’re crossing a line.” I left him to pay the bill and got the fuck out of there.
“It’s been five years, man!”
I kept walking.
Five and a half, but who was counting?
When I got back to my office, Tom had a file waiting for me. “Here’s the information you requested on Gianna Romano. I got what I could on short notice, but I can keep digging if you want.”
“Thank you. I’ll let you know.” I grabbed the file from his hand and proceeded to my office, ripping my tie off and slamming the door behind me. Falling into my leather chair, I opened the file and took a deep breath. “Let’s find out who you really are, Gia.”
A copy of her driver’s license sat on top of the pile showing her Waukegan address and birth date. She was twenty-seven last month, four years younger than me.
I flipped the page finding a marriage license. My brows furrowed. I specifically asked her about a husband, and she assured me she wasn’t married. My finger ran over his name. “Where are you, John Parker?”
I moved to the next page and twisted my lips to the side. She divorced last year. Interesting. I sifted through high school yearbook pictures, parking tickets, and college transcripts. Tom, my diligent little lapdog, was thorough in his search.
Three years of work reviews from the Onyx sat at the bottom of the pile.
“Gianna is professional in every sense of the word.”
“Gianna Parker is an essential part of our team.”
“Gianna’s people skills and ability to coordinate successful events have made her indispensable.”
The glowing reviews made me wonder why she left a job where she was so valued, until I saw her salary. It was laughable and an embarrassment to the entire hotel industry. Hell, my assistant made more than she did working in Chicago. Gia tripled her salary with the move to Vegas.
I closed the folder with frustration. I didn’t know exactly what I was looking for, but none of what Tom found was of any use. There wasn’t a single thing that disqualified her from this job. I was stuck with her for the foreseeable future. Eve didn’t have shit on Gia in the temptation department. Not only was she beautiful, but apparently that pretty little head was full of brains. A dangerous combination for me and my lack of self-control.
I buzzed Tom and he scurried into my office within seconds. “Was there something wrong with the file, sir?” Seeing my scowl, he amended, “Mr. Dorsey.”
“There’s nothing wrong with it, it’s just not enough. Keep digging. I want the divorce agreement. Search for police reports. Anything she wouldn’t want us to know. Find out about the ex-husband, John Parker. I want to know his story too. Scour her social media accounts. If anything looks suspicious or salacious, you bring it to me.”
Tom looked up from the notepad he was writing on. “How deep do you want me to go?”
That’s what I loved about my assistant, he never asked why. If I said jump, he asked how high. “Use all the resources at your disposal. You have free rein.”
He nodded. “Understood. Is there anything else?”
“Have the valet pull my car around. I’m leaving early today.”
“Of course.” Tom slipped out of my office without further ado. Another quality that made him a perfect assistant was his lack of small talk. There was no “How was your weekend?” or any other bullshit I didn’t have patience for.
I turned and stared out over the casino floor like the king I was meant to be. Nothing was going to stand between me and my empire, especially Miss Gianna Romano.
She had to go.
