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The first thing I notice as the doors on the service elevator slide open is the heat. Followed by the steady rumble of washing machines. It’s still early, only a little before seven, and the few people who were working the night shift are heading out while the incoming shift is bustling around checking their supply carts. A middle-aged woman, clearly in charge of things, is writing room assignments on a large whiteboard on the wall.
I can see the name Elinor L. written down to clean the rooms on the twelfth floor, so I know that Ellie is supposed to be here, but she isn’t. When she notices me standing in the doorway, the head housekeeper approaches me, frowning.
“Can I help you, sir?” Her voice is stiff, and the tight lines around her mouth show her displeasure at my unexpected presence. I can be charming when the situation warrants, and right now it does. I don’t want to cause any problems for Ellie by looking for her.
Extending my hand, I introduce myself, “Excuse me for interrupting, ma’am. I’m Blake Stone from K&S Securities. We have recently been retained by Mr. Cerelli to evaluate the security of the hotel and casino. I was just taking some time this morning to give myself a tour and get a feel for the layout of the building.”
I give her a genuine smile. I’m not lying. This is something I would have been doing, regardless of meeting Ellie last night. I just might not have been doing it today. Or this early in the morning. I’m surprised when her already slightly sour expression worsens, and she doesn’t take my proffered hand. Her behavior seems odd, so I let my hand drop to my side and wait.
“Is there something in particular that I can do to assist you, Mr. Stone?” she asks sharply.
“Yes, ma’am. Just a brief tour of your department, as well as your name and position here?” I pose it as a question, but there is no doubt that I’m making a demand.
“Of course, Mr. Stone. I’m Margot Smith. I’m the head housekeeper. Please give me a moment to complete assigning duties for the day and I will be happy to assist you.”
I nod my acquiescence and lean against the wall to wait, watching as she returns to the board and writes names into blank spaces. I notice that Ellie is not only assigned to the twelfth floor, but also to several bathrooms on the casino floor, giving her more to do than any other employee. I don’t like that, but now I know where to find her today. When Margot finishes up and coolly motions for me to follow her, I do, knowing that I will be able to find my girl as soon as I get some work done.
Chapter Six
Ellie
I’m late. Dang it, I’m late! Ms. Smith is going to kill me! Not literally, but still she’s sure to assign me to bathroom duty in the casino! It’s the worst! It’s not that she’s unfair, but she does demand that we are all punctual and that we do our jobs well. Since I’m already late I will just have to hope that she is in a forgiving mood and will understand, since she is the one who sent me to help the kitchen with the delivery.
The housekeeping room is empty when I get there, which is the last thing I wanted. I really lost track of time talking to Ana. My eyes land on the assignment board my heart sinks. I was the only one who was late today. There is no way I’m getting out of here on time. Ms. Smith has me on the twelfth floor alone, and I made enough room service deliveries up there yesterday to know that there were several groups of college students on the twelfth floor, and the rooms were trashed. That alone would have been punishment enough for being tardy, adding the bathrooms is overkill. At least I’m not waitressing this afternoon. Thank goodness for small blessings, I suppose.
Blowing out a frustrated breath, I gather up the necessary supplies and make sure that my cart is well stocked. I don’t want to have to come back here to fill it up if I don’t absolutely have to. If I get to the bathrooms now, they won’t need much more than a quick once over at the end of the day, plus there’s no reason to even step foot up on twelve before people start checking out.
I’ve missed the darn bus again. Watching its tail-lights pull away from the curb with a rumble and a cloud of black exhaust, my shoulders slump under the weight of another long day. As I expected, the college students left a disaster behind in most of the rooms they were in. It was a good thing that I did the bathrooms early, otherwise they may not have gotten done during my shift at all. As it was, Ms. Smith finally took pity and sent me home two hours late when I came to restock my cart.
Lowering myself onto the cold metal bench I pull my cardigan tight around me. It’s getting cool tonight and I didn’t grab a jacket because I didn’t think I would need one. Guess I was wrong. I won’t forget tomorrow. At least waiting for the bus means that I can finish eating my lunch. Mom boxed up what was left of last night’s dinner. Huevos Rancheros is usually one of my favorites, but not so much when it’s a day old and cold. I pick at the food in the small container disinterestedly, pushing the chunks of avocado that have turned completely brown to the side and taking an unappetizing bite of cold eggs and beans before putting the container back in my purse.
I’ll eat when I get home. Mom always has dinner waiting for me, no matter what time I get in. It’s just lame that I won’t get there for at least another hour now. Opening the e-reader app on my phone I settle in to read the romance novel I’ve been trying to finish for a couple weeks. At least missing the bus means that I can have some uninterrupted reading time.
“Ellie?” A vaguely familiar voice saying my name startles me and I look up into the striking face of the man from the bar last night. Geez, he’s amazing looking.
“Oh, hello.” I say, mustering up a tired smile. It’s hard at the end of the day to pretend to be cheerful when I’m beat and heading home to who knows what. It all depends on the kind of day everyone had while I was gone.
“You don’t have to do that.” He offers.
“Do what?” I ask, genuinely confused. What was I doing?
“Act like you aren’t dead on your feet.”
I arch an eyebrow at him, skeptical about him making that kind of assumption. Even if it is true. “I’m okay.” I tell him, forcing myself to smile a little more brightly. This is the guy who left me a fifty-dollar tip for serving him pie and coffee. I can pretend that I’m not exhausted for a few minutes and make polite conversation. What I don’t know is if I should acknowledge his generosity or not. I think about it for a second. Probably not. It would embarrass me and might make him uncomfortable as well.
He’s just standing there, waiting for me to say more. At least I think so. “Are you enjoying your stay in Vegas?” I ask, injecting enthusiasm I’m not feeling into my words. I figured that he would launch into some tale about the shows he’s been to see, or whatever five-star restaurant he’s been to like most guests do when I ask that question.
But not him. Nope. He bursts out laughing. “I haven’t seen any of Vegas except for the lounge last night and the inside of Xavier’s penthouse.”
“Oh.” I squeak nervously. He’s a friend of Mr. Cerelli’s. Sitting straighter, I tuck a strand of hair that has come loose from my braid behind my ear.
“I also had a tour of the housekeeping department this morning from Ms. Smith.”
Why is he telling me that? Am I in trouble for being late? The thought makes my cheeks burn and my stomach churn with worry. “I was late this morning.” I blurt, apologetically. Better to fess up than to hide it. That’s what Dad always told Lizzie and me when he knew we’d done something wrong. I’m not about to lie to this man. He seems to be the type that would have influence and I’m not willing to jeopardize my job by being anything less than truthful.
He shrugs one broad shoulder nonchalantly and takes a step closer to me. I can’t help but notice he’s limping slightly. Scooting to one side I pat the seat, offering him a place to sit.
“I’m sure that you had a good reason if you were late, Ellie.” He says, stretching out his bad leg and taking the offered spot beside me. The bus stop is small and his massive bicep brushes against my shoulder. I can feel the heat of him radiating off his big body in the small space.
