toward the CANN Casino, Hotel and Spa, an award-winning steel-and-glass masterpiece whose tallest point brushed the sky at almost fourteen hundred feet. “Just a day or so ago.”
“Really, that fast?”
“Yes.” She shifted her gaze back to his remarkably handsome face. “Victoria was venting to Mom about a dilemma. Her assistant resigned abruptly and gave no notice, in the middle of planning a Valentine’s Day–themed fashion show and several springtime charity events that Victoria says are very important to the foundation’s funding. Mom mentioned that she thought I could help, and Victoria called and asked if I could come over ASAP. I understand the fashion show is just a week away and is a very big deal.”
Christian nodded, thoughtfully rubbing his chin. “Speaking of abrupt notices, what about your employer?”
“She was totally understanding.” To his raised brow, Lauren continued, “For almost a year now, I’ve worked for myself.”
“Ah, I see. What’s your specialty?”
“Marketing, promotions, branding and PR. I have a small roster of regular clients and just finished a major campaign for a Southern university. Your mom needed help and I needed...a break...so here I am.”
“When was the last time you were in Vegas?”
“Three years ago, for a friend’s wedding.”
“So you haven’t been to our new hotel.”
“No,” Lauren replied. She looked beyond Christian and out the window. The limo turned into an impressive entrance bordered by marble waterfalls, the word CANN bold, shiny and backlit to stand out in the night. “But I’ve seen pictures. It looks amazing in magazines and now, up close, is even more impressive.”
The limo passed the main entrance and continued to a side door. Christian exited and reached back his hand to help her. “It delights me to hear you say that,” he murmured as a uniformed employee opened the door and greeted them. “For CANN, our goal for this location is quite simple—to be the most spectacular hotel in the world. We believe it is.”
Once inside, Lauren totally agreed. Unlike other hotels boasting casinos on the Strip, the area they entered was elegant, modern and most of all, quiet.
“Where’s the casino?” she asked.
“The main casino is two floors down, accessible by a separate entrance,” he answered, pulling out his phone to respond to a text. “There’s a private one for high rollers on a higher floor. We’ll go later, after dinner, if you’d like. It’s a whole other world.”
Lauren noticed that the employee who’d opened the door still walked behind them, a respectable distance away. As Christian put away his phone, he saw her glance back and looked, too.
“I don’t need anything. You can return to your post.”
“Are you sure there isn’t anything I can do for you, Mr. Breedlove?”
“Absolutely sure.”
“I understand it’s your birthday, Mr. Breedlove.”
He tsked. “Can’t keep a secret around here.”
“Not with us,” the employee responded with a small smile. “Happy birthday, sir.”
Christian walked over and shook the employee’s hand. “What’s your name?”
“Eric, sir.”
“How long have you been a part of our security detail?”
“Was just hired a month ago, sir.”
“I think our security manager made a very fine choice. Welcome to the team.”
“Thank you, sir.”
They continued down the hall and past an opening where Lauren glimpsed a vast lobby filled with well-dressed women and expensively suited men. For many reasons, she was glad they’d come through a private entrance. The paparazzi seemed to live for Christian. A splashy spread announcing her whereabouts was the last thing she needed.
A few moments later, they reached an elevator that blended seamlessly with the wall, its doors boasting the same design. She watched him place his thumb on a scanner discreetly located above a chair rail. When the doors opened, Lauren slipped her arm around the one Christian offered and held on, taking in the landscape of neon lights as the elevator ascended to Zest, the Michelin-starred restaurant she’d read about that was housed on the one-hundredth floor.
The doors parted, and the view from the room took Lauren’s breath away. Beyond the semiprivate booths and massive crystal chandelier were floor-to-ceiling windows that gave the illusion that there were no walls, that one could walk to the edge of the floor and touch the sky. The atmosphere in the main dining room was fairly quiet, dim and understated. All of that changed when Christian opened the door to the private dining room.
“Happy birthday, Christian!”
“You’re the man, Chris!”
Other shouts and cheers filtered through the applause as those who were sitting got to their feet. Lauren looked at Christian, who’d stopped just inside the door, clearly surprised to see the large crowd that filled the room. Two men broke away from the group and approached them. Had she not known about the twins, Lauren may have thought the champagne had kicked in and caused her to see double. They were identical—tall, dark, handsome, sporting the Breedlove dimple in their left cheek and swagger in their stride.
“The dynamic duo,” Christian said once they’d reached him.
“Gotcha, old man!”
“We did it, huh?”
“He didn’t see it coming.”
“Had no idea!”
Lauren stood mesmerized at the twins’ rapid-fire delivery, sometimes finishing each other’s sentences without a pause in between. Her eyes shifted back and forth between them, trying to find a way to differentiate between the two. They had the same soft black curls as Christian, but while his were close-cropped, theirs were longer, wilder. Studying them reminded her of a favorite puzzle at the back of one of her popular fashion magazines, where two pictures that looked identical actually weren’t. The test was to find the differences. There were usually several. Here, she was just trying to find even one. Then she spotted it. The one on the left wore a tiny diamond stud in his ear. The one on the right didn’t. Bingo!
“The dyno duo strikes again!” The two men high-fived before executing an intricate handshake. Their joy and excitement was contagious. Christian was clearly enjoying their friendly verbal sparring match. Just being around them made Lauren smile.
“Where are your manners, Chris?” Diamond Stud asked.
“Yeah, Chris. Introduce us to this beautiful lady.”
“To do that you two will have to quit talking.”
“Whatever.”
Said in stereo. Cute.
