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He gives a fake attempt at a good-natured laugh. “Always calling me on my shenanigans. Never a moment’s rest with you. You’ll be pleased to know construction began without a hitch this morning. It’s looking like it’ll be finished by the end of the summer.”
Every word Rosenbaum says makes sense on the surface, but after a couple of minutes, I’m tuning out. My mind’s drifting back to Falynn. Frustrated and agitated, I grimace and hang up with him.
Louis raps his knuckles on the door to my casino office just as I’m seriously considering the trip to the gym.
“They’re all settled in. I told Tasha she should still celebrate her birthday at La Pergola, if that’s all right with you.”
“Falynn and Tasha are welcome to do anything they want on my property grounds. You know that. Alert all of the staff.”
Louis rubs the back of his neck. “Actually, I was asking ’cause…well, you’ve got that dinner in a couple hours with the mayor and—”
“I’m capable of dining with the mayor at La Pergola if Falynn chooses to dine there with Tasha.”
“You are? You seemed kind of off at the Venetian.” My darkening glare makes him quickly backtrack. “What I mean is, I’m sure it’s uncomfortable being around each other. If it was half as awkward for you as it was for me with Tasha.”
“What’s the story there? You’ve never mentioned a relationship with Tasha before.”
Louis rumbles out a weary breath and invites himself into the seat opposite my desk. “Gio, it’s a mess. I never said anything ’cause she swore me to secrecy. It all started two years ago. I was in town. She was still dancing at the Dollhouse. One night, I went to see the show.”
“Went to see the show, or went to see her?” I raise a brow.
“You got me. I was curious. She let me take her to a very late-night dinner. We had some drinks and got to talking. You’d never believe it, but Tasha—she’s a very sweet girl when we’re alone.”
“Lou, you realize it can be an act, right? No doubt I like her. She’s very special to Falynn, which means I will always have her back, but she’s never hidden the fact she’s about her earnings.”
“This was no acting. I might not be the most knowledgeable on women, but trust me, she was letting me in. She even told me a little about her family. Stuff she said she’s never even told Falynn. We had a good time. It went on for a few months. I was flying in whenever I had a few days off to see her,” he explains, his expression glum. “But she cut me off because she said she didn’t want feelings involved. I guess it started getting too real.”
“You should move on.” I stand up and grip his shoulder in solidarity as I pass him and move to my minibar to fix drinks. “You’ve been waiting for this girl for years now. She doesn’t want a real relationship. You can’t knight-in-shining-armor your way into her life.”
“Then shouldn’t you be moving on from Ms. Falynn?”
The fucker.
I grind my teeth pouring the cognac into our glasses. He has a point, though I’d rather not admit it.
It’s true I’ve refused to move on from Falynn. Seven months have gone by and I love her more now than before, if humanly possible. Seeing her today has only solidified this undeniable fact.
“Don’t compare,” I say moodily. “It’s different with us.”
“True, but it’s still kind of the same. We’re both lovesick over women who don’t want us. Maybe you’re right. Maybe we should move on.”
As Louis vents aloud his new pessimistic thoughts, the tightness in my chest only intensifies. The discomfort I’ve felt for seven months without Falynn. Discomfort that’s living life without my heart.
I don’t agree with Louis. Instead, I change the subject, handing him his glass of cognac. It seemed like the right thing to do to discourage Louis from pining for Tasha, but as I take my seat at my desk and my mind lingers on Falynn, I’m not so sure anymore.
This evening, Louis and I are double booked—we squeeze in time for a visit to Kilroy just before the dinner at La Pergola. I let Louis lead the situation. Tasha’s the woman he has feelings for. We turn up at Kilroy’s office in Centennial Hills and scare the shit out of him.
As usual with men who put their hands on women, he’s a pussy bitch when he has a chance to fight men bigger and stronger than he is. Louis slams him against the wall and tells him how he’s in the mood to introduce him to his favorite pair of brass knuckles.
Kilroy pisses himself, begs us to leave him alone. He claims he’ll never go anywhere else near Tasha again.
“You swear?” Louis asks.
“I swear…I swear!” he gasps out, his air circulation cut off by Louis’s giant hand.
“Good. Because if you do, I’m knocking the rest of your teeth out.”
“The rest?”
