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I swallowed. He wore all his masks well and this devil one was damn scary. That didn’t mean I would cower in his presence. “Everyone has a limit,” I said, adamantly. Then I turned away as his hired bullies got on the plane and the flight attendant closed the plane door behind them.
It was a matter of time. I prayed to whatever power would listen that I could get out of this and my mother and Liam would be safe. I dozed a bit on the flight so I would be sharper when we arrived. I had no idea when I may have to act quickly.
There was a car waiting when we landed. I wasn’t given any information where we were going. What I knew was that I was that much closer to Liam.
The limo came to a stop in front of a building with a glass panel façade. Its design was fascinating in a way that kept my eyes lingering as it was something I’d never seen before. There were three doors spaced out the width of the building. A doorman met the car as if he’d known we were coming. Dad’s security got out first, then we were hustled toward the center door as if there were threats waiting for us.
An elegant woman, dressed in business attire, met us in the foyer. “Welcome to the Baccarat Hotel, Mr. Cortez. We have our signature two-bedroom suite ready for you.” As we walked, she continued to speak. “It is our best room. With the closures we can’t offer you dining in the restaurant, but we will bring that dining to you.”
My father showed no outward appearance of being impressed. He got to business. “I’ll need a stylist, and were you able to book a spa appointment?”
She leaned in. “Our spa is technically closed, but we secured someone willing to come to your suite as long as you wear a mask.” When my father didn’t speak, she quickly added, “We will provide the mask, of course.”
His nod was short and business like. “The stylist is for my daughter.” His glance my way was filled with disdain. “We have an important meeting to attend tomorrow.”
The woman turned her attention to me. I wondered if she’d thought I’d been his much younger arm candy until he said otherwise. “Oh, lovely. Yes. What size are you?” she asked me.
A flush rushed to the surface of my skin as all eyes were on me. I wasn’t one who adored the spotlight. I give the woman credit as she sensed my distress and jumped in. “No bother. I’m a good judge.” She winked at me and headed to elevators. She stepped in and used a card to access a button. “Our concierge will meet you upstairs and show you around.”
The hotel Liam and I’d stayed in had been nice, but this was over the top elegant.
Upstairs we were met by staff in front of double gray doors, in a hallway with walls covered in art deco gray wallpaper. The doors were heavy and thick and opened to a wide room with white furniture, including sofas and tables. Accent pillows and other decorations had pops of gray and red throughout them. I caught the host mentioning that the art on the walls and the sculptures were unique to each room. The other thing he said that caught my attention was that the mirrors in each room also doubled as TVs when activated. Fancy.
The master bedroom was grand with a modern four poster bed in metal framing, but I kept my oohs and aahs to myself. The second bedroom had two beds and I feared Father had plans to assign a guard to share the bedroom with me.
Before our assigned staff left, Dad ordered food and sent Shawn with the host to the suite he’d gotten for his bodyguards. I let out a sigh of relief as he sent the other goons out into the hallway to wait when the host left with Dad’s food order.
“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” I asked when we were alone.
“We are meeting your fellow tomorrow morning.”
I smiled. “I thought you said he wouldn’t come through. So far he has.”
“Nothing’s in stone, Daughter.”
“So why the stylist?” I asked, flippantly.
“You can’t go to the meeting dressed like that.” His disdain was obvious.
“You let me meet David dressed like a hooker,” I challenged.
“David was a boy. We were appealing to his baser side. Royce is a King of men. Well respected among businessmen in this country. He won’t be swayed to allow even a bastard son to marry a whore. He also won’t appreciate wealth thrown in his face. We have to be subtle in our choices. No labels shown, but labels known. A man like him will know something’s worth by its tailoring, not obnoxious symbols of a fashion house displayed for all to see.”
