Page 13 of Dirty Big Sins

As long as possible, I thought to myself. If I left this suite then I’d be forced to talk to him instead of just ignoring his texts and not allowing his entry into my space. Out there I couldn’t control him.

I almost laughed. No one controlled Vincent. I knew damned well the time I’d had to myself had only happened because it had been granted by him. If he wanted in, he’d come in. A sudden pang of regret cramped my stomach, and I turned away from Julie and Nina to hide my grimace.

I wasn’t supposed to feel disappointment that he hadn’t pushed me harder. That he hadn’t done everything possible to see me, even if that meant by force. I was supposed to be grateful he’d respected my wishes. And I was. Except for that little subconscious piece at the back of my mind that wanted to forget all about this ordeal and pretend this was all some kind of big mistake.

“You know what?” I heard Nina rustle behind me and I knew I had to pull myself back together quickly. “We’re going out tonight.”

I swiveled back around to find her standing right in front of my desk. “I don’t think that—”

“Of course you don’t, but I don’t care. I am not taking no for an answer. And if I have to pull rank on you, I will. Enough is definitely enough. You’re getting out of this suite and we’re going to have some fun.”

I sighed hard, trying to fortify myself for whatever she said next.

“I’m calling the rest of the girls and we’re going to make it a girls’ night out. There’s a new club at one of the strip hotels I’ve been dying to check out. We’ll scope it out, get drunk as hell and then I can write off the entire thing as a business expense.”

“The rest of the girls?” I had no idea who she was referring to, but this definitely didn’t sound good.

“Yes! My friend Izzy is going to love you. She’s already a big fan. You may have seen her husband around the hotel. Houston handles a lot of our security work. And since Gabe’s brother Levi and his wife, Tori, are in town this week, I’m sure I can steal her away from him for one night. Julie, you’re coming too, right?” Nina threw the question over her shoulder.

“Uh... Sure?” She sounded skeptical, likely because she knew exactly how I was feeling about this idea. As in, it was a bad one.

“I think I’m going to invite Nova too. I think we should all get to know her better?”

“Who is Nova?” I didn’t know who any of these people were, but there was something about the reverent way Nina had said the other woman’s name that piqued my curiosity.

“She’s the new fashion designer that works here at The Sinclair. No one had heard of her until about four years ago when she showed up in Las Vegas and hosted a whopper of an event at the Aria hotel and rose to almost cult status as the ‘it designer’ in town. It’s all but impossible to get an appointment with her. I’m sure you’ve probably seen her around though. She is hard to miss. Gorgeous, unbelievable figure. Long dark hair with purple highlights, perfect skin that looks almost translucent. Almost always wears either black or dark purple, no matter how hot it is outside.”

I knew exactly who Nina referred to. I’d seen her in the lobby the first day I’d arrived and had been so captivated by her appearance I hardly found it in me to turn away without staring too long. Since then, I’d caught glimpses of her in the bar and the parking garage. I’d assumed she was some kind of a performer, not an artist.

“She works here?”

Nina laughed, obviously understanding my surprise. “Kind of. Like I said. It’s almost impossible to get an actual appointment with her. However, she is the main attraction and sole proprietor of Novique, an exclusive haute couture offering by The Sinclair. And considering our guests will do almost anything to get one of her designs, I’d say she is a hit.”

“Interesting,” I said almost absently as I wondered more about her.

“Yeah. I’ll see if I can get her to join us. It could make for a colorful evening.”

I scowled. “I think I’ve had enough color in my life for now, don’t you think?”

Nina shot me a wicked smile. “Absolutely not. You are Zia. If anything, you need to inject more color. Show this town who you are and why they should come to your restaurant to eat. Besides, it will be the perfect Instagram opportunity if you and Nova are together.”

“We’re already sold out for opening night,” Julie offered before I could respond with the same information. “Our social media efforts alone have been very effective.”

I almost laughed at that. My Instagram account had exploded after I hired Julie and I believe it directly attributed to my success thus far. She was a genius when it came to that kind of stuff. My haphazard approach to social media, while fun, had not exactly produced much when it came to organic results.

“Don’t get her started unless you want to spend the rest of the night talking about growth and themes and stats and followers,” I quipped.

“I can’t help it if I like all the nitty gritty data that comes with social media. I thought you liked the work I’ve done on your account.” The look of alarm on her face made me finally feel a crack in the doom and gloom that surrounded me. I didn’t quite smile, but I definitely laughed on the inside.

“Oh, I do. I’m just glad you love that aspect of it because I don’t. If I had to take the time to analyze every post or try and figure out which were the perfect pictures, I’d go out of my mind. It’s hard enough for me to keep up with the comments. I prefer to be spontaneous with the information I share.”

“Don’t even try to pawn those off on me,” she whined. “We’ve had that conversation a million times. You need to connect directly with your audience. It’s what makes the difference. Without them, where would you be?”

Considering I was already teetering on rock bottom, I didn’t have an answer. She was right. The people who watched our show had the power to make or break my future. And I wasn’t about to forget that.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound ungrateful. I’m not. Every single one of those people who take the time to interact with our efforts are important. I’m just feeling a little of the pressure on my time. It’s important to me that everything I work on is the absolute best I can make it. Whether that’s the restaurant or the show. It’s all equal to me.”

“That’s all the more reason why you need a night out. It’s time to let off some steam. Release the pressure for one night. You need it. We all do. So here’s what I’m thinking. We’ll start out with drinks and dinner at my place. The weather this evening should be perfect for rooftop dining, and it’s been a while since we’ve had a gathering up there. We’re definitely due. And before you offer, no, you will not be cooking. This is a night of relaxing and fun with friends.”

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