Читать книгу Tempt Me In Vegas - Maureen Child - Страница 10

Two

Dave Carey watched the security footage from his office. He’d gotten a text alert the moment Terri Ferguson’s name had been entered into the hotel computers. She was here and now he had to find a way to get her gone.

He watched her now on the screen, a cold fist in the pit of his stomach. From his computer he could tap into any camera in the hotel. As executive assistant to Cooper Hayes, Dave pretty much had the run of the place. And it paid to always be on top of whatever was happening in the casino.

“She’s hotter than I expected,” he muttered, studying the footage of Terri Ferguson as she spoke to Cooper. “That’s not good.”

Cooper might think of himself as having a great poker face, but Dave had known the man since college. He could tell in a blink that Cooper was intrigued by his new partner. And that wasn’t good for Dave.

Hell, none of this was.

He tossed a pen onto his desk, leaned back in his black leather chair and kept his gaze locked on the tall blonde who had ruined his plans. Why couldn’t she have been short and ugly with an overbite and a dragging limp or something? No, she had to look like a damn goddess. Who would have guessed that women in a wilderness like Utah could look that good? He watched her smile at Cooper and more important, watched Cooper give her that hungry-lion-looking-at-a-gazelle expression.

“Damn it.” After years of putting in the time, helping Cooper build the Hayes Corporation into a global power, Dave had been on the cusp of finally getting what he deserved. Cooper had promised Dave that soon his loyalty would finally be rewarded.

And now some country-bumpkin blonde with great legs and a spectacular rack put it all in jeopardy.

Standing, Dave walked away from the image of Cooper staring at Terri Ferguson as if he were trying to keep from taking a bite of her. Moving across his office, Dave didn’t notice the high-end furniture, the thick carpets strewn across hardwood floors. He didn’t even see the wide windows giving him an awesome view of Vegas and the desert and mountains beyond. Instead, his mind was dredging up a meeting with Cooper nearly two years ago.

“Jacob’s not getting any younger, you know. And when he dies, the company comes to me. Once I’m fully in charge,” Cooper had said, lifting a glass of scotch in a toast, “I’ll see to it that you get a major chunk of Hayes Corp.”

Pleased, Dave had instantly wanted to know exactly how much they were talking about. But he came at the question subtly. “I appreciate it, Coop,” he said, “but what are you really saying?”

“I’m saying that you’ve had nearly as big a hand as I have, turning the company into what it is today,” Cooper said and Dave silently agreed. He was the one, after all, who ran around setting up meetings, taking care of minor issues before they became big ones and in general doing whatever Cooper didn’t have the time to handle.

“I couldn’t have accomplished so much so quickly if I hadn’t been able to count on you.” Cooper took a sip of his Scotch, then set it down again.

“That’s good to hear,” Dave said, nodding. Lifting his own glass, he took a sip and gave a quick glance around Cooper’s private suite. It was palatial and, as always, Dave felt a swift, hard stab of envy that he was just barely able to disguise. He was paid very well and still he couldn’t come close to living as Cooper did.

And damn it, he wanted to.

Dave’s parents had worked hard all their lives and never got anywhere. They hadn’t been able to help him with college. He’d put himself through and getting Cooper Hayes as a roommate had just been a damn bonus. Dave had gotten close to Cooper and slowly cut ties with his blue-collar family as he began to move in higher, glossier circles. By the time he graduated and went to work at Hayes along with Cooper, Dave had turned his back on his own past completely, in favor of his future.

Hell, he hadn’t seen his family in more than ten years and if anyone asked about them, Dave kept it simple and told people they were all dead. Easier that way.

“I’m going to want to make some changes once I have unilateral power. Jacob doesn’t see things the way I do. He thinks one hotel in London is sufficient. But why have one when you can have two or three?”

Musing aloud, Cooper said again, “Once I’m in charge, everything will change.”

“Well, that turned out to be true, anyway,” Dave muttered, slapping one hand to the window glass, warm from the October sun. This woman’s arrival had ruined everything. Now Cooper had a partner again. He wasn’t completely in charge and wouldn’t be unless they could get rid of Terri Ferguson. And until that happened, Dave wouldn’t get what he’d been working toward for more than ten years.

Oh, he knew that Cooper’s plan was to get little Miss Utah out of Vegas as quickly as possible. But Dave wasn’t fooling himself about this. He’d seen the interest on Cooper’s face as he looked at Terri Ferguson. And if Cooper was that attracted, the urgency to chase the woman off would fade. Pretty soon she’d be settled in, making plans, and Dave’s plans would be completely obliterated.

Pushing away from the window, he stalked back to his desk and sat down to stare at the image of the blonde who had, just by being here, become his enemy. As Cooper and Terri disappeared into the elevator, Dave shut down the surveillance feed. There were no cameras in the private elevator or the owner’s floor so there was no point in trying to track them.

Alone with his thoughts again, Dave’s mind raced with plans, possibilities. He had to find a way to get rid of Terri Ferguson and make it look like leaving was her own idea. He had to convince the gorgeous blonde that she was out of her depth. It wouldn’t be easy, of course. But Dave had handled tough assignments for years.

He could handle this, too.

But first, he told himself, it was time to call out the Big Guns, and he reached for the phone.

* * *

She wasn’t what Cooper had expected.

His own fault, really. He could have done research on her. He’d handed that off to Dave and then never followed up. Mainly because he hadn’t wanted to even think about having to deal with a new partner, for God’s sake. If he had done due diligence, he might have been prepared for his first sight of her.

The world he traveled in was populated by celebrities, wealthy business people and other so-called “elites.” When he’d heard that his new partner, Terri Ferguson, was a bank teller from Utah, somehow he’d expected...less. He wasn’t even sure what, really. Only that Terri was more—much more—than he’d imagined.

She filled his vision to the point of shutting out everything else. She was tall, which he appreciated. He’d always hated bending nearly in half to look a woman in the eye or to kiss her senseless. This woman probably stood five feet eight inches without the three-inch black heels she wore. Her dress was a deep, rich blue that hugged curves designed to drive a man crazy. The swirling hem of her dress stopped well above her knees, displaying long, shapely legs that were toned and tanned. The bodice was cut low enough to be tempting and she wore a black shrug sweater against the October chill.

Her long blond hair tumbled across her shoulders and down her back in thick, heavy waves and her summer-blue eyes were pinned on him. Just for a second, he indulged himself with another look at the full, rich curve of her breasts and his body stirred in response. Damn it. She was beautiful.

And a distraction he didn’t want or need, he reminded himself.

The only reason she was there, in his hotel, was to throw a monkey wrench into the middle of Cooper’s business plans. So it didn’t matter what she looked like, or that his body was tight and uncomfortable just looking at her. All that mattered was that he get her to sign over her half of the business in exchange for the huge buyout he was willing to offer her.

The bellman skidded to a stop when he spotted Cooper. “Mr. Hayes. I was just showing Ms. Ferguson to her suite, sir.”

“So I see.” Cooper took two long steps forward and stopped right in front of her. He was close enough to see the flash of something...interesting in her eyes. To hear the quick intake of breath and to notice how she squared her shoulders as if preparing for battle. Which, whether she knew it or not, he told himself, was the right reaction to this situation.

“You’re Cooper Hayes,” she said and he deliberately refused to notice the low pitch of her voice. Decided to not wonder how that voice would sound as a whisper in the darkness.

“I am,” he said. “I’ve been expecting you.”

Bill stood there, swiveling his head back and forth, watching the two of them as if he was at a tennis match.

“Sorry I’m late?” She smiled with the question and her eyes lit up. Completely irrelevant.

“You’re not late. I just thought you would arrive sooner than you did.”

Cooper noticed the bellman now getting even more interested in the conversation and he had no interest in supplying his employees with entertainment. Fixing his gaze on the younger man, he said, “I’ll take it from here, thanks.”

“Yes, sir.” Bill shot Terri what Cooper thought of as a sympathetic glance, then Bill turned and hurried back to the main lobby.

“Wow, he moved fast.” Terri sent a quick look over her shoulder. “Do you inspire fear in all your employees?”

“Not fear,” he corrected. “Respect.”

“Oh, of course. Wide eyes and a dead run are sure signs of respect.”

He took a breath. Apparently, she’d be harder to intimidate than the people who worked for him. “Are we going to talk about the bellman, or would you like to see your suite?”

Terri grinned. “I can do both.”

“Why am I not surprised?” he muttered. Gripping the suitcase handle with one hand, he placed the other at the small of her back, turning her toward the bank of elevators and one that stood alone, separate from the rest.

“Anyway,” she said, turning her head to take in the expansive casino behind them, “I’d have been here sooner, but there was a lot to do. I had to put in for a leave of absence at my job, get my car checked to make sure it was safe for the drive—”

“You drove?” He interrupted the flow of words because he was pretty sure that was the only chance he’d have to speak at all. “If you had called to let us know you were coming, I’d have sent the jet for you.”

“You have your own jet?” she asked, goggling at him.

“We do.”

“We have a jet. Right. Who doesn’t?” Shaking her head, she took a breath and said, “Anyway, I drove so I could stop off in St. George to see my mom and my aunt. Tell them what had happened and get them to babysit my dog for me because I didn’t know how long I’d be gone and I couldn’t ask my friend to watch her for who knows how many days—”

“You have a dog?” Cooper didn’t know why that hit him, but it did. It was something that hadn’t come up in Dave’s research, either. Cooper’d never had a dog. Or a cat. Or hell, even a hamster. Growing up in a hotel didn’t lend itself to pets. As a kid, that had bothered him. Apparently, it still did.

She grinned. “Yes. Daisy’s a cute mix of about a hundred and fifty different breeds, and she thinks she’s a Great Dane, so she needs a lot of attention and really doesn’t like being left alone. My mom loves her, so Daisy’s happy and—”

“What did your mom say about all of this?” Another interruption and he didn’t feel the slightest bit guilty about it. Until she spoke.

“You keep interrupting me. That’s rude, you know, but it’s okay for now.”

“Thanks so much,” he said wryly, but she apparently didn’t catch the sarcasm.

“Mom’s as freaked out by this as I am,” Terri continued. “Neither of us knew anything about my biological parents so we’re kind of shocked to find out my birth father even knew who I was, let alone where I was. Sorry. Rambling. The point is, I had a few things to take care of before I could come to Vegas.”

That bright, brilliant smile had knocked him back for a second but thankfully she hadn’t noticed. He felt off his game and that was something Cooper couldn’t afford. With that firmly in mind, he brushed aside her rambling. “Doesn’t matter. You’re here now.” Nodding, he slid a card into the slot of the stand-alone elevator. “This is a private elevator. It’s the one you’ll use to get to and from your suite. The other elevators stop at the nineteenth floor. This one goes directly to the top five floors and the roof.”

“Okay...” Another deep breath and he refused to notice how her breasts lifted with the action.

Focusing had never been an issue for Cooper. Until today, apparently.

“The waitstaff and housekeeping have their own elevators that will take them to the top floors for business purposes. The general public can’t access the higher floors.”

“Sounds very...secure.”

If she was joking he let her know by his tone that he didn’t find it funny. “As secure as technology can make it. Hayes Corporation offices are on the twentieth floor,” he said, turning his focus from her to the matter at hand. “And on twenty-one, two and three we have suites for special guests, dignitaries, celebrities...anyone whose security issues demand a safe, impregnable, luxury suite.”

“Impregnable. Right. Sounds cozy.” She nodded as the elevator doors whisked open.

“Our guests don’t come here for ‘cozy.’”

“Good thing,” she murmured.

He took that as a direct insult. “A cozy hotel is a B and B. A Hayes hotel offers luxury. Exclusivity.”

She blinked at him. “Wow. That sounds terrible.”

Surprised again, he said, “What about that is terrible?”

“Oh, just everything, but never mind...”

Cooper thought about arguing her ridiculous point but buried his irritation instead. Unknowingly, she was proving that he was right to want to buy her out of this partnership. If she didn’t understand the basics of the hotel industry, then she had no business being a partner. Certainly not his partner.

He took a breath. “The owners’ suites are on the twenty-fourth floor.” Cooper steered her inside the open elevator, slid his card into the slot again, pushed the right button and stood back, looking at her. With the mirrored wall behind her, he was able to take her all in at once. And he had to admit, every damn view he got of her was a good one.

Too bad she was such a pain in the ass.

The elevator swept up in a rush and she laughed, a rich, deep bubble of sound that whipped through the small, enclosed space and wrapped itself around his throat until Cooper felt like he couldn’t breathe. Pure enjoyment wreathed her features, when only a moment or two before, she’d been irritated, and damned if he wasn’t...captivated. Most women he knew were more guarded about their emotions. But Terri was honest and open and he found that intriguing.

She grabbed hold of the brass rail at her side, tossed her hair back and slanted him a delighted glance. “Well, that’s faster than I expected.”

“Express elevator.” His own voice sounded as tight as he felt. Cooper watched her staring up at the elevator roof and realized she was the first woman he’d been with in this elevator who didn’t turn and check herself out in the mirror. Every female he knew would fluff her hair or smooth her lipstick or simply give her appearance a mental thumbs-up. Terri Ferguson, though, was looking up at the digital midnight sky.

“That’s so fabulous. Like the lobby.” She shook her head. “I love the shooting stars. It looks so real.”

“I wouldn’t know. Living in a city with this much ambient light, you don’t see many stars.”

She leveled her gaze on him. “Now, that’s a shame.”

“I’ve never thought so.”

“Then you don’t know what you’re missing,” she said, looking at him with what could only be sympathy.

Well, Cooper Hayes didn’t need anyone to feel sorry for him. Especially over something as minor as not being a stargazer. Watching her, he figured this was just one example of how the two of them were from different worlds. She looked at the stars in the sky, and the only stars he was interested in were the celebrities who came to his hotels. Yeah, a partnership between them would be doomed. Best to end it as soon as possible.

She turned her gaze back to the ceiling, a soft smile on her face, when falling stars left trails of gold dust across a digital sky. Cooper didn’t bother looking at the illusion. Instead, he watched her pleased smile and wondered why the hell he was enjoying it.

Deliberately, he brushed it off and started talking. “We work with a company who designs and installs illusionist skies in the hallways, casino, the lobby. StarFire can follow you all over the hotel.”

“That’s amazing. I’m a little technologically challenged, so imagining people who can do that? Wow.” She looked at him. “It’s really great. I mean, everything I’ve seen since I walked in the door has been just beautiful.”

Her face was open and easy to read. So he saw her excitement, the touch of nerves in the way her teeth tugged at her bottom lip. The easy curve of that smile did things to him he really didn’t want to think about. Irritated, he snapped, “Glad you approve.”

And just like that, her smile wobbled and her eyes lost that sparkle.

Idiot.

Being charming with a beautiful woman had never been difficult for him. Before Terri Ferguson, apparently.

He spoke up again quickly. “The illusions are relatively new. Installed just a couple years ago, but everyone seems to like them.”

“I can see why.” She relaxed again, but her eyes still looked wary, as if she had walls up because she’d wandered into a hotbed of enemies. Which he really didn’t want her to be thinking. He needed her to see him not as an enemy, but rather as a man who was going to do her the favor of sparing her all the work necessary to keep a company like Hayes Corporation running.

“You said yourself this was a strange situation to be in,” he reminded her with a deliberately casual shrug. “Well, I only found out about you a few days ago, too.”

She blinked at him. “Jacob never said anything about me?”

“No. I didn’t find out the truth until a few hours before you did. So now we’re both surprised.” He tapped one finger on the key card folder she held. “Anyway, your card will take you to any of the top floors. Right now I’m showing you to your owner’s suite.”

She dragged in another breath, tossed her hair back over her shoulder and tightened her grip on the cold, brass rail. “Is that where my father stayed?”

“Only when he was in town. He mainly lived in New York.”

Even to him, his voice sounded cool, disinterested—and that wasn’t good. If Cooper’s plan was to smooth the way for her to become an in-name-only partner, then he needed to be a hell of a lot more amiable than he’d managed to be so far. It shouldn’t have been difficult at all, but his attraction to her was throwing him off balance. Not something Cooper enjoyed. “Jacob wasn’t in Vegas often over the last couple of years, so I didn’t see much of him. And I would have, since I live here in the hotel.”

Her gaze snapped to his. “You do?”

He’d surprised her and he supposed he could understand it. In her world, people probably lived in neat little houses with backyards and dogs and kids. People visited hotels; they didn’t live there.

“I practically grew up here,” he told her. “Always figured to move out eventually. Get a place away from the Strip, but I realized I like the Strip. And living here is easy. My office is right downstairs. Twenty-four-hour room service, and housekeeping.”

“Sure. Of course. Well, housekeeping I really understand. That would be handy.” She laughed a little and he heard the nerves in it. “Sorry.” She held up one hand and shook her head, smiling wryly. “This is hard to take in. Last week I juggled bills so I could pay to have my car fixed and now...”

“Now you can buy any car you want.”

She blew out a breath. “That hasn’t really settled in yet.”

“Get used to it,” Cooper advised quietly.

This was good. He wanted her to realize that the money she’d inherited could change her life. He wanted her to go out and play, explore the world. Hell, do anything but stay in Vegas and try to help him run his company.

“Your old world is over.” When the elevator doors opened with a whoosh, he added, “Welcome to your new one.”

A wide hallway where the sun shone through several skylights plugged into the ceiling stretched out on either side of the elevator. Pale blue carpet covered the floor, and the soft gray walls held framed photos of different hotels in the Hayes chain. Cooper watched her take it all in and felt a flush of pride. He was so used to his surroundings, he rarely noticed any of it. But her reaction to the place made him pause briefly to enjoy what he’d built.

“So many different hotels,” she murmured, walking up to the closest painting. It was the villa in Tuscany that boasted views from every room and a world-class spa.

“We’re in hundreds of countries,” he said, not without a touch of pride.

She turned her head to look up at him. “I hate to keep using the word amazing, but it’s the only one that seems to fit.” Then she looked up and down the sunlit hall. “Well, this is different. I’m used to narrow, dark hotel hallways.”

“None of our hotels have dark hallways,” he said and saw a flash in her eyes at his use of the word our. “Not good for business. Makes guests nervous.”

“But no StarFire skies up here? The illusions, I mean?”

“The illusions are for the tourists. Our guests. I prefer reality.” He glanced at the skylights and the sunlight pouring through. “I wanted real light up here. Feels less closed in this way.”

Pushing her hair back from her face, she asked, “Do you always speak in short sentences?”

“What?”

She smirked and he ground his teeth together. Fine. He did tend to speak with as few words as possible. Saved time. But no one had ever called him on it before. “Are you always so blunt?”

“Usually,” she said, turning to look up and down the hallway. “It’s easier to just be up front and honest. Lies tend to get all tangled and twisted.”

Now it was his turn to smirk. “Honesty may be best in Utah, but it’s not really popular in Vegas. Not exactly the way most business deals are made.”

“That’s too bad,” she said, then tipped her head to one side, her long, blond hair sliding off her shoulders to shine in the sun pouring through the skylight above. “Don’t you think?”

“Never thought about it.”

“Maybe you should.” She squared her shoulders again. She was still preparing for battle. “So, which way?”

He pointed down the hall behind her. “Your suite’s to the left of the elevator.”

She inhaled sharply and he took a moment to enjoy the lift of her breasts. Damn, he really was spending way too much time thinking about her body and wanting to see more of it. Preferably naked, spread across his bed with moonlight streaming through the windows. But he got a grip on the daydreams and deliberately pushed them aside. Yes, she was gorgeous, but he wasn’t going to get involved with the woman he was trying to get rid of. That would only complicate things further.

When Cooper had heard Jacob’s daughter was from Utah, Cooper had made the stupid assumption that she’d be some unsophisticated farm girl or something. And for that, he wanted to kick himself. He should have known better than to make assumptions. Maybe he should get out of Vegas once in a while.

As she walked down the hall in front of him, Cooper enjoyed the view. Her long legs made him wish they were wrapped around his hips, and her butt was a work of art. Her hair swung from side to side with every step she took, and her hips swayed in a silent invitation he was more than ready to accept. She flipped him a look over her shoulder and he saw how the dark blue dress she wore reflected in her eyes, making them a startling, crystal blue. Then she smiled and he felt the jolt of it slam home.

She was fascinating. More so than he’d thought she’d be.

More than he could afford to acknowledge.

Whatever he wanted to do to her, with her, he had to remember, she didn’t belong here and if he had his way, she wouldn’t be staying.

He thought of what little information Dave had found on her—only child, father deceased. Well, they shared that, anyway. She’d graduated from Weber State College with a degree in archaeology—as if that would come in handy in the hotel business. She lived alone in a condo she made regular payments on and worked at a bank as a teller and new accounts executive.

That was it. No dirt. No gossip. No angry ex-lover who made threats. No arrests, not even for jaywalking. She was so good it was almost eerie.

This kind of woman was not made for Vegas.

Which meant she wasn’t for him, either.

At the suite door, she took one of her midnight blue key cards from the folder and pushed it into the slot. Cooper stayed back, wanting to watch her reaction as she stepped into the luxurious owner’s suite.

He wasn’t disappointed.

She gave an audible sigh at her first sight of the place and stopped so suddenly to take it all in that he almost ran into her. “This is...”

“Amazing?”

She turned and gave him a quick grin. “Yes. Absolutely.”

Cooper walked around her and left her pink—of course it was pink—suitcase against the wall. He edged his suit jacket back and tucked both hands into his pockets.

Still watching her expression, he said, “It’s a three-bedroom, three-bath suite. There’s no kitchen, but there is a coffee bar that’s restocked every evening and a bar fridge with soft drinks, water and wine. The wet bar is across the room and if there’s a type of liquor you prefer and can’t find it, call downstairs and they’ll bring it to you.”

“Of course they will.”

He wasn’t sure what she meant by that, but ignored it and moved on. “There are snacks in the fridge, too, but room service will bring you anything you want any time of day.”

“Right.” She nodded, letting her gaze slide around the room.

He did the same. The suites had been updated and redecorated only a year ago. Jacob’s decorator had gone with shades of gray and smoky blue. There was plenty of chrome, lots of glass and wide-planked hardwood floors dotted with plush throw rugs. The balcony outside a pair of French doors ran the width of the building, affording both Terri and Cooper access.

“This is amazing,” she whispered.

“There’s that word again,” he mused with a chuckle. If she was this blown away by her own suite, it shouldn’t take long at all to convince her that she was completely out of her depth as a partner in this business. That was good, wasn’t’ it? Get rid of her quickly—especially because of what she was doing to him. “Follow me. I’ll show you the rest of the place.”

“Oh.” She spun around to look at him and her eyes were wide. “You don’t have to do that. You probably have more important things to do.”

He did. But he wanted to get a better feel for her and what she was thinking, feeling. And, as long as he was being honest with himself, he could silently admit that he liked looking at her. “Not at the moment.”

“Okay, then.”

Cooper closed the roller handle and simply carried her suitcase down a hall to the first of three bedrooms. He opened the door, stepped inside, then moved back to watch her again. Really, he’d never known anyone with such an expressive face. Her delight was clearly stamped on her features, and her eyes were sparkling. Maybe it was growing up in the business world. Or maybe it was Vegas itself, but it seemed that everyone constantly hid what they were thinking or feeling. As if letting anyone in meant giving away their edge.

And truth be told, that was how Cooper operated, as well. He’d spent most of his life building the walls that surrounded him. As a businessman, he kept what he was thinking, what he was after, under lock and key. The only one he truly felt he could be honest with was Dave. Everyone else was kept at a safe distance.

A woman as open and honest as Terri Ferguson was a risk to the walls Cooper had spent a lifetime building.

“This is amazing. Really.” She spun around to face him and pleasure was stamped on her features. “I swear I’m going to find another word to use. Once I get used to—” she waved her arms to encompass the lovely room “—all of this. Shouldn’t take more than a year or two.”

You won’t be here that long.

Yet, even as he thought it, he responded to the shine in her eyes, the wide smile on her face and he thought of things they could do together that would get the same reactions from her. Hell, he could practically taste that mouth of hers. She did a quick spin in place and the hem of her dress lifted higher above her knees, giving him one brief glimpse of smooth, strong thighs.

Instantly, he shut those thoughts down. He didn’t need them. Didn’t want them. And, he half resented that not only had she arrived to stick her nose in his business, but she was, without even trying, turning his dick to stone.

“Settle in. We’ll talk later.” His voice sounded gruff even to him. And a part of his brain quietly whispered, Charming, remember?

But screw that. He’d used up his daily quota of charm. He looked into her eyes and felt his world tip and he didn’t like it. Best to leave now. He wanted to get out of there while he could still walk.

“Okay, then,” she said, already turning away from him to wander into the adjoining bath. “I’ll see you later.”

“Right.” Fine. Hell.

She didn’t even watch him leave.