Page 2 of Devour

Tomorrow.That’s the day of the wedding. Quickly, I give all the information for them to contact me. I just need a dress for dinner.I can do this.

I. Can. Do. This.

As I walk away from the counter, my phone has two missed messages. My driver has been waiting and is about to leave.No, no, no.

“Thank you! I appreciate it!” I turn to the guy behind me, the one who had also been at the conveyor of sadness. “Good luck!”

“Gram, we have to hurry. Our ride is here. He’s right outside that door over there.” My purse bounces against my hip as I hurry through the airport to the glass sliding doors.Please still be there.

I see a black sedan with a single man sitting inside. That must be him. I’m so flustered I don’t pay attention to the license plate information. I thank the airport assistant and help Granny stand from the wheelchair. She only needs it to get through the airport. She’s actually quite feisty and hates that I make her use it.

He isn’t paying attention so I throw open the passenger door. “Hey! Jack?”

The man jumps startled, but then he raises his eyebrows. “Yes.”

I open the back door for Granny. “I’ll sit up front, Gram. Is that okay?”

“Of course, dearie. He’s a cute one. We need to order more of these.”

Looking back to the driver seat, I take in the gorgeous broody man at the wheel. He’s dressed really nice. Who wears a suit to drive people around in a sedan? Eh, it’s Vegas. The man could be a model with his full pouty lips and startling gray eyes. A head full of thick wavy black hair and dark eyebrows. The man is stunningly beautiful. I wonder if he’s a struggling actor or someother entertainer. I’ve heard of people doing rideshares as a side gig until their careers take off.

Maybe in another life I’d have time to wonder more about this. However, there’s the more pressing matter of my lack of underwear and needing to make it on time to a rehearsal dinner.

Two

Nicholas

My passenger door being jerked open was unexpected.

“Hey Jack!” she yells. Shit. She’s probably going to yell at me to move, but there’s nowhere for me to go.

“Yes?” I ask.

She opens the back door for an elderly lady to climb in. I hold my hands up and shout, “Whoa!” But then lower them when I see the full view of the disheveled woman who is in a red dress that looks like it was from the fifties and who is sweating and panting as she climbs in the front seat.

“Thanks for waiting! Not to be a pain, but we’re in a hurry.”

Excuse me?She smiles widely at me. Her pearly whites shine bright against her red painted lips. However enticing her smile is, I’m annoyed with her head nodding for me to go. Apparently, my confused expression isn’t conveying to this woman that I’m not who she thinks I am. There’s been a serious misunderstanding.

I hold a finger up and begin. “Excuse me –”

“I know! I’m sorry.” She interrupts me, fucking interrupts me. “That was so rude. It’s just I have to get to The Red Château, like I should’ve been there twenty minutes ago. It’s crucial.”

The Red Château.What are the odds that she’s going tomycasino?

She frowns. “You know where it is, right?”

I almost chuckle. “Yes. I’m familiar.”

“So you do know where it is. Great. Please. I’ll tip extra. Just we have togo.”

Tip. That’s cute. I haven’t been tipped since I was a teenager working for my former boss and idol casino boss, Cleric, as one of his lackeys. Now I do business with him and have my own casino.

Sensing this woman is in a fragile state and about to completely snap, I force a smile. “As soon as the traffic moves, I will too. Oh. Your prayers have been answered. Buckle up.”

When I offered to pick up this car for longtime friend and VIP client,Journi Reign, I had no idea it would lead to such an adventure. This is a pleasant turn-of-events. I was wanting to do something mundane. Even I need a break from torturing assholes, entertaining the elite, conducting shady dealings, and living the fast-paced life in the casino. What a twist of fate. I took the wrong ramp, got stuck in the traffic of arrivals, and now this woman jumped in the car with me and brought her grandmother.

I own one of the top casinos on the Vegas strip, The Red Château. I wanted a French name in honor of my mother, who came here from France. She passed when I was young. My mother would’ve probably liked this nut in the car with me. I have taken on a lot of dangerous men, but this woman has managed to catch me off guard. In fact, this is the most interesting thing to happen to me in a long time. I won’t deny it’sthose red lips that intrigued me enough to give her a ride. And the grandma said I was cute.

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