Page 8 of Forever Desired
Chapter Three
“Great show, Athena. See you tomorrow,” Olivia called out.
“See ya.” Athena smiled, waving. She watched her background singer exit the dressing room and blew out a deep breath. The show had gone exceptionally well. The crowd had been hyped for her, and it made it easy for her to entertain. The entire show, she couldn’t keep her eyes or mind off the handsome man who’d sat at the table with Mr. Cooper.
They had been warned the owner of the hotel might be coming to the club, and she wasn’t sure if the mystery man was the infamous Mr. Ludovici.
Whoever he was, she couldn’t stop looking at him.
“Do you think that man sitting at the table with Mr. Cooper was the owner?” Liza asked, brushing her hair up into a high ponytail.
“I don’t know.” Athena shrugged. She slid her feet into her flip-flops and stood from her chair.
“Whoever he was, he was certainly smitten with you,” Liza teased.
Athena laughed and shook her head. She gathered the rest of her belongings and tossed them inside her duffle bag. She may not have known who the handsome man was, but he’d screamed money and wealth.
“He was just caught up in the show like everyone else.” She threw strap onto her shoulder and took one last look at her reflection in the mirror. Gone was the sexy songstress who’d performed before a packed house. Now, it was just regular Athena Chambers. No makeup. No expensive dress. Just a fresh-faced Athena dressed in her t-shirt that hung off her shoulder and a pair of black leggings. “I’m tired and can’t wait to get home.”
Her apartment was fifteen minutes from the strip. There was no way she could afford to live close to the hotel. The area she could wasn’t the greatest of neighborhoods and surely wasn’t safe. In a few months, she’d be able to move to a safe area. Since starting this job, she’d done nothing but save as much of her earnings as she could.
“Everyone desires the sexy Athena,” Liza said dramatically.
They giggled and walked toward the door.
“Whatever.” Athena opened the door and waved Liza through. It was close to two in the morning, and Athena wanted to do nothing but fall across her bed and into a deep sleep. She stepped out of the dressing room and froze.
A woman leaned back against the wall with a small smile on her lips. Her long blonde hair rested on her shoulders. Her dark pant suit was tailored perfectly to her thin frame, and she reminded Athena of a high-fashion model.
“Ms. Chambers?” the woman asked with a thick accent.
Athena glanced at Liza then turned back to the woman.
“Yes, that’s me,” she answered, gripping the strap of her bag. She recognized the woman from earlier. She had been at the table with Mr. Cooper and the mysterious man. “Can I help you?”
“My name is Devin. Devin Albini.” She stuck her hand out.
Athena glanced down at it for a second before taking it in a strong handshake.
“Apparently you already know who I am. How can I help you, Ms. Albini?” Athena could feel Liza shift next to her. At the moment she was glad she was still there.
“I am the assistant to Mr. Ludovici, and he saw your performance tonight and would like to meet with you.” Her eyes flickered to Liza while she paused. “Privately.”
“Oh.” Athena glanced down at her clothes and her bright-pink toenails peeking from her flip-flops.
“And what you have on is fine.” Ms. Albini smirked, apparently seeing Athena’s hesitation. Her lips spread into a smile, showcasing her bright white teeth. “Believe me. We are not even leaving the hotel. It won’t take long. I’m sure you are very tired.”
Her facial features softened, and Athena felt a little less creeped out that the owner, who was probably a billionaire a few times over, wanted to meet with her, a lounge singer.
What the hell?
What did she have to lose?
Her job?
She didn’t think her performance had been that bad. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Thinking back to him sitting at the table, he had been hard to read. His intense stare had her stomach up in knots. For just a second, she’d almost forgotten the words to the song. Even once she’d walked away from him, she’d felt his eyes on her as if he were undressing her. The entire performance, her skin had tingled, and she had to fight to keep from singing only for him.
When thinking of an owner of a casino, she’d imagined him to be an older, overweight rich man. Not a physically fit, devilishly handsome man who made her core clench with need from a memory.
