“Ace,” she says, glancing at her friends who are completely confounded.
“Ace, as in Ace Royalle?” one of the woman with her asks. She's a platinum blonde, petite and curvy. Not my type, because my type is right next to her. Emmy Rose.
“And you are?” I take the blonde’s hand and then kiss it suavely. I want Emmy's friends to like me, and I know they will.
“I'm Claire. I work here. And this is Tess, she does too.”
The other girl gives a squeak—I kid you not—and a small wave. “Hi! I just love what you've done to the place!”
Tess has perfectly styled hair, pink nails, pink lips. Standing next to Emmy, who is effortless and currently looking everywhere but at me, Tess looks like an eager beaver. I don't have the heart to tell her she's barking up the wrong tree.
Instead, I take a more direct approach.
“Emmy, I need to speak with you about something,” I say.
“Oh, I'm actually not working today.” She shrugs, and it makes my cock twitch. “You can find me tomorrow when I'm on the clock.”
“It can't wait.”
“I didn't know you oversee the cocktail waitresses,” Claire says, looking at me pointedly.
Okay, so, this blonde isn't charmed with the fact I'm the fucking boss. Who does she think she is?
“I oversee Emmy.” I speak coolly, but what I want to do is take Emmy by the hand and pull her away from the fucking buffet. I've got a different kind of all you can eat on my mind.
Emmy gives a snort and my eyes land on hers.
“What?” she asks, feigning innocence.
“Now.”
“Okay, okay.” Turning to her friends, she says, “Save me a seat, I'll just be a sec. Oh, and see if you can get me some of that spicy tuna before it's all gone.”
“Okay….” Claire says, watching closely as I grab Emmy by the elbow and lead her off the floor.
“What the hell, Ace? I'm having dinner.”
“At the fucking buffet?” I shake my head, surprised she would eat here on her day off.
“What? Is that too low class for you?” she asks, as I pull her toward the bank of elevators. “Claire got a two for one coupon from Davey—can't beat that.”
I press the up button.
“I have no idea what you're talking about. Davey? Coupons?”
“Yeah, well we didn't all grow up privileged,” she says. “And we don't all own fucking hotels. Davey is your employee and so is Tess. And so is Claire.”
“Like I’m going to work on memorizing the names of the hundreds of people who work here.”
An elevator door opens. I take her hand and pull her inside. She steps in the doorway, feet planted on the marble floor.
“I thought you needed to talk about something. We can do that down here,” she says. The doors start to close on her and she raises an arm to stop them.
“Get in here,” I tell her.
“No, I don't know what you think this is … but it isn't.”
“You’re in new clothes. Where'd you get those?” I ask.
“Low blow, for one. And two, I'm wearing these because they’re fucking cute, not because they’re from you. You can't buy me. I'm not your whore.”
Just then the elevator across the way opens and a short, balding man steps out with three female escorts: faux fur coats, fishnets, and minidresses, their cleavage spilling out. Surely he ordered them from the directory next to his bed.
“I didn't say you were a whore.” My voice drops, and all I want is her in here with me. I want the doors to close on us. I want my sweaty body pressed against hers.
She isn't a whore. She's mine.
“Well, don't treat me like one then.”
Her eyes are on mine, and I feel the electricity pulse between us. She may say she doesn't want to be treated like a whore, but I can tell by the way her lips quiver, the way her perfect tits rise and fall, the way she arches her back hungrily—that she wants to be fucked like one.
“I'll treat you like you want to be treated,” I tell her.
“Then let me go.” Her voice is soft, as if she's scared. Scared of what she wants. Needs.
“You don't want that.”
I tug on her arm, the final shove she needs to give in to what she is thinking about. In one fell swoop she steps inside, the doors close, and my mouth is on hers.
EMMY
Oh fuck.
One second I'm all strong, resolved, and determined to tell Ace that in no shape or form am I his thing, a fuckable, disposable woman … and the next second I'm literally licking his neck.
My hands are on his ass, pawing him as if I haven't touched a man in years. When he and I both know that is far from the fucking truth.
His tongue grazes my ear, causing the heat between my legs to spread, making me squirm in his arms.