Page 10 of Royal Pain

I slipped through the living room, likely because the girls were too drunk to notice, grabbing my purse and heading out. It also felt good to be slinking around like some criminal. As I headed to the elevator, I laughed softly to myself. At least I was feeling better mentally.

Emotionally would always be another story, an ugly one that took at least a full bottle of wine to tell.

Gage

My two brothers I’d consider wild children. They’d been told more than once all the risks they enjoyed taking would come back to bite them. They had, but not in the way my mother had been worried about. There’d been no skydiving accidents, no mauling by tigers or wrecks on the racetrack.

Just a few run-ins with the law.

But given my father’s influence, those had been handled quickly.

I’d been the studious one, the kid who enjoyed his education, craving more. I’d been afraid of heights, claustrophobic, and my terror involving all creatures at Halloween had made me fodder for my brothers. They’d even chased me dressed as the monster from theHalloweenmovie chain and my personal favorite, the one I’d been goaded into seeing, Freddy Kruger.

Yeah, those nightmares had almost made me resort to peeing in the bed all over again like I was five.

Thankfully, I’d grown out of most fears. But that didn’t mean I wanted to jump out of a perfectly good plane.

I chuckled all the way down in the elevator, realizing I’d changed a hell of a lot over the past few years, enough so my brothers no longer enjoyed opportunities to make fun of the scaredy cat in the family.

I headed through the main lobby, checking out the two casinos. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Thankfully. There were no screams of drunk women and no cries for help. Maybe I could have a quiet drink after all.

“Sir. I have a purchase order if you don’t mind signing it.” The young man was a new hire, second in command to the series of chefs I’d hired. He was on the administrative side, certainly not considered a cook himself. But he’d organized the creative yet vulnerable group, two of which continued to have tantrums when they didn’t get their way.

“Of course.” I took the iPad from him, flipping through the various screens. Only when I noticed octopus did I lift my head, furrowing my eyebrows. “Octopus?”

“Oh, yeah. They’ve cooked up some pretty interesting and very creative dinners.”

“I’ll say. And no, I won’t taste the dish.” I finally signed off, handing him back the computer. “Thanks, Mark. I’m glad you found me.”

“Yes, sir. I’m like a lion, a predator. I always find what I want.”

I glanced at him in amusement. “I’ll keep that in mind.” I headed through the crowd, narrowly avoiding being accosted again, although I had a few regulars nod out of respect or wave, which didn’t bother me.

Our regular members had been both pains in the ass and godsends, our bread and butter. Now I catered to them rarely, mostly allowing the doms and subs on my employee roster to handle that.

I was going to head to one of the smaller, darker cigar bars that the three of us had insisted on having in both resorts. It was usually catering to men but there were always a few women who loved a good Cuban. I was headed in that direction when I realized I should probably check the pool area. It was one of three pools, but the one where the almost drowning had occurred was the main focus.

For the first time in as long as I could remember, I was wearing shorts and a short-sleeved Henley. I usually only wore shorts when I stayed at the private bungalow. But it was after nine, most guests already having left the pool area.

It was still warm, the incredible LED lights shifting colors. While there was some activity at the tiki bar, a few guests enjoying drinks and more tropical music, there were not that many. Imoved down the side where CPR had been performed. There was no sign of anything happening.

Although I was certain it would be the buzz at breakfast the next morning.

As I rounded the corner, something caught my attention.

Not something.

Someone.

I stood in the shadows, studying the beauty sitting at the end of the bar. With her long legs ending in sandals, her hair in a ponytail, she was a vision of loveliness. I debated ignoring her, but the electric connection held my curiosity. Why did she of all women spark my interest? There was only one way of finding out.

How she was sitting on the stool blinded her to my approach. Fortunately, there were a couple of spaces next to her at the bar. As soon as I arrived, slipping next to her, the bartender acknowledged me immediately. There wasn’t a single man or woman working behind the bar who didn’t know what I preferred to drink.

Without the man asking what I wanted, he began to pull my personal favorite brand of whiskey from the top shelf, making it just the way I preferred. I was odd in that I preferred the liquor chilled, a lemon rind rimming the edge of the glass. With flair, he eased the cocktail napkin down, placing the drink in the center.

Up until then, the beautiful Evangeline hadn’t paid much attention. Only then did she turn her head slightly after the bartender issued his traditional salute. It was just somethingthat had gotten started the day he’d been hired. He liked to call me the captain.

I settled back in the barstool, trying to keep from chuckling like the evil man I truly was.

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