Page 28 of Bound To Be Mine

“You do this often?” I asked. “Vegas weddings?”

“Few times a year. It’s a good market, lots of money, lots of high-profile clients. But I prefer LA. I know the vendors there. I know the venues. Vegas is fun, but it’s always a little more complicated.”

“Because of the location?”

“Because everyone wants to party.” She finally looked up from her phone. “In LA, people want beautiful and elegant. In Vegas, they want beautiful and elegant and also bottle service until four in the morning. It’s a different energy.”

The Uber pulled up to the Bellagio. Mandy was out of the car before it fully stopped. I followed, catching up to her as she strode through the casino floor like she owned the place.

I noticed people watching her. Men mostly but some women too. She was beautiful, yes, but it was more than that. She moved with confidence and purpose. She knew where she was going and she didn’t hesitate.

We reached the ballroom entrance, and Mandy stopped. She turned to me, her expression serious. “Okay, here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to check everything one more time before the guests arrive. You can shadow me, but don’t touch anything. Don’t annoy me with a bunch of questions. I just need to focus. We can talk after.”

“Understood.”

“Good.” She pushed open the doors. “Welcome to the main event.”

I stepped inside and stopped.

Holy shit.

10

MANDY

Iloved how shocked he was by the ballroom. His eyes went wide, and for a moment, that carefully controlled expression cracked just enough for me to see genuine awe underneath. It was satisfying in a way I hadn’t expected.

My work had knocked his socks off. If I could impress a guy like Briggs Blackwell, the celebrity guests and billionaire tech gods were going to have their minds blown.

“This is impressive,” he said.

“I know,” I said, unable to keep the pride out of my voice. Because yeah, it was spectacular. The string lights I’d worried about earlier had turned out perfectly, creating the illusion of a starlit sky. The centerpieces glowed softly, each one a small work of art. The cake stood in its spotlight like a religious artifact. Everything was perfect.

“Now, the real work begins,” I said. “I hope you’re prepared to move.”

“What?”

I was already moving, my heels clicking against the polished floor as I made my way to the kitchen entrance. I pulled the earpiece from my clutch and put it in. The little mic was in my hand.

“Testing,” I said.

“Got you,” Zoey’s voice came through.

Zoey had been holding down the fort here while I managed the wedding ceremony. Another reason I didn’t care for the Vegas weddings were the two separate venues. Unfortunately, until some mad scientist developed teleportation, I could not be in two places at once.

“I’m headed to the kitchen,” I said. “Where are you?”

“With the DJ and the band.”

The next ten minutes were a blur of final checks. I confirmed with the catering manager that the appetizers were ready to go. Checked with the DJ that he had the couple’s entrance song queued up correctly. The band would play after.

I made sure the bartenders were all set. Verified with the photographer that he had the shot list I’d sent him three times. The videographer was an actual Hollywood director. We had cameras on tripods in three different locations. He was using software on his tablet to control the shots. It was all a very elaborate production.

And through it all, I was acutely aware of Briggs following me. My sexy shadow, I thought, then immediately chided myself for the thought. Professional, Mandy. This is professional.

But damn, the man looked good in that suit. The navy brought out his eyes, and without a tie, with the top button of his shirt undone, he looked almost human. Approachable. Still gorgeous enough to make my brain stutter occasionally, but less like a marble statue and more like an actual person. He was still a little uptight, but I had a feeling that was his baseline.

I caught him watching me as I directed two servers to adjust the placement of the champagne tower. He was taking mental notes. Probably looking for a reason not to let me join his little party. Joke’s on him, I was the party.