“The casino has… loans available for our bigger players,” Matt replied smoothly.
A knot of dread formed in my gut as realization dawned. “And that loan… is it under my name?”
Matt’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “It is.”
I opened my mouth, but no words came out. How could the casino allow someone to borrow that kind of money under a different person’s name? Unless…
“It’s just business,” Matt said, as if reading my mind. “I don’t care whose name the loan is under.”
Swallowing hard, I tried to maintain my composure under Matt’s piercing gaze. “What do you intend to do with Sean?”
“You don’t need to worry about Sean. I’d be more concerned about your own ass if I were you.”
That was both a relief and not. Sure, Sean had royally screwed me over, but he was still my friend. But now wasn’t the time to dwell on that.
Desperation clawed at me. “Look, I can work here at the hotel to pay off the debt,” I blurted out. “Give me a job, any job, and I’ll work day and night until it’s all paid back.”
A laugh escaped Matt, rich and full of amusement. “Do you have any idea how long it would take you to pay off a hundred grand with a hotel job?”
“I don’t know,” I muttered, glaring at him. “A couple of years?”
“Try a couple of decades.” He paused, eyes glinting with something darker. “But lucky for you, this particular loan is under my direct jurisdiction. So, I’m willing to cut you a deal.”
Interest piqued despite myself, I asked warily, “What kind of deal?”
Matt’s gaze raked over me in a way that made me feel stripped bare. “I need… a new boy toy to keep me company.”
My stomach churned at his words. The thought of being some kind of plaything made bile rise in my throat. “You’re kidding,” I spat out.
“Think it over,” Matt said casually, as if discussing the weather.
“No,” I shot back immediately. “I don’t do that.”
“That’s unfortunate.” He sighed, as if disappointed but unsurprised. “But I’ll give you a week to reconsider.” His eyes gleamed with wicked promise.
A week? Like hell I’d need that long.
“Just remember,” he added nonchalantly, “there’s a thirty percent interest rate monthly on that loan.”
Thirty percent? My breath caught in my throat as I realized the debt was only going to keep growing exponentially. I wanted to strangle Sean for getting us into this mess. Five years of friendship, through thick and thin, and this was how he repaid me—by gambling away money we didn’t have and leaving me at the mercy of a sadistic billionaire.
The scrape of Matt’s chair against the floor jolted me from my thoughts. He stood, towering over me imperiously. “Follow me.”
Unease coiled in my belly. “Where are we going?”
A sardonic smile played on his lips. “To your new home.”
Your new homeechoed in my ears like a bad joke on loop as I trailed behind him out of his office. Home? More like my new hell. I envisioned a damp, windowless basement, complete with rats and rusty chains—perfect for Matt’s twisted sense of hospitality. Or maybe a grimy cell with iron bars and a stench that clung to your skin, a place where the light never touched.
I braced myself for the worst as we strode down the opulent hallways of the hotel, my heart pounding with each step.Moments later, Matt swiped a keycard and pushed open a door, revealing…
A penthouse that looked like it belonged in the pages of an interior design magazine. This wasn’t some dank dungeon; it was a luxurious suite that screamed opulence from every corner.
My jaw went slack as I took in the open floor plan flowing seamlessly from a grand kitchen equipped with state-of-the-art appliances to a plush living area adorned with leather sofas and abstract art. The master bedroom sat beyond, its king-sized bed looking inviting enough to melt into. And the veranda—God, the veranda—offered a panoramic view of Las Vegas that made the city’s glittering lights look like diamonds strewn across black velvet.
“You’ll be staying here,” Matt said as if he were offering me a Ritz-Carlton suite for the weekend.
“You’re kidding me?” The disbelief dripped from my voice. There had to be some catch; places like this weren’t handed out without strings attached.
