Chapter One
I squeezedmy eyes shut and inserted my key card to open the door.
The handle hit the opposite wall with athunk, and I inhaled a slow, calming breath. Then, with the bravery of a knight charging into battle, I opened my eyes.
“Oh, shit!” My hand flew to my heart as I zeroed in on a person hiding behind the curtains. “Sir? Um, Miss? Checkout was hours ago. You’ll need to leave as soon as possible so I can prepare the room for the next guest.”
The person didn’t move, not even the slightest twitch. My eyes narrowed. Wiggling my nose, I caught the scent of plastic. I scowled.
A blow-up doll! Ugh! Why do people have to be so gross? At least take the damned thing home.
I released an annoyed huff and entered the room. The suite wasn’t in the worst condition I’d seen. There wasn’t any blood or human waste smeared on the walls or floors, but it wasn’t pretty either. Someone had twisted the bedsheets into a rope that wrapped around the chair in front of the desk. Bits of food dotted the bed, and coffee rings stained the nightstand.
And then there was the damn blow-up doll. Whoever had stayed in this room had sprung for one of the more realistic models, but they hadn’t wanted to take their toy home with them.
I can’t imagine why.I sighed.My job is such a pleasure.
I pulled my cart right up to the door and began to work, starting with the sheet. Once it unraveled, I was pleased to find that there were no visible bodily fluids staining the fabric. I tossed the sheet into the tiny hamper attached to the cart and moved on.
Time ticked by in a haze of vacuuming, wiping, tucking, and scrubbing, but after twenty minutes, the room was clean. Or as clean as hotel rooms ever really got. Whoever stayed there next would have no idea what I’d seen. Even though my job sucked, I did it well and took pride in that fact.
I’d just finished placing the small containers of lemon-scented soap, shampoo, and conditioner on the shelf in the shower when a faint knock came at the door. A fake smile bloomed on my face. It was probably some housewife wanting to steal more coffee from my cart. Why they didn’t just sneak a packet while I was busy was beyond me. They paid enough for their rooms to justify at least a month’s supply of free coffee. I would have done it in a heartbeat—then again, I wasn’t even close to their income bracket.
The knock sounded again, louder and more persistent.
“Coming!”
I’d made it two more steps before catching a whiff of a familiar scent that told me whoever had knocked wasn’t a housewife on vacay. They reminded me of dry cotton balls. Smelling both ancient and very virile.
Ugh, what does Sherwood want?
Despite wanting nothing to do with the hotelier, I kept the smile on my face as I turned the corner. My boss stood there, dressed to the nines in a tailored, navy suit, polished brown shoes, and a gold pocket square that gave him a pop of color. He always had been a stylish vamp.
“Hi, Sherwood. How can I help you?”
The vampire’s lips tilted up into a sexy and dangerous smirk. It was a smile I’d seen ensnare dozens of human patrons who didn’t realize the danger it posed.
“You can always help me, Marian.” His posh English accent washed over me. Women swooned over that voice, but not me. I knew the cunning and ferocity that hid behind class and elegance. And I wanted absolutely nothing to do with it. Well, nothing besides my paycheck and benefits.
“One way or another, you can always help me.” He gave me a pointed look and licked his lips. The subtext was crystal clear, and it pissed me the hell off.
My fists clenched behind my back. “I meant with hotel work, sir. Not . . . anything else.”
I wanted to scream;No, I will not come whore for you!But, like always, I swallowed my words. If I wanted to pay rent and eat, I’d hold my tongue.
Las Vegas was a vampire town, and I was a fox-shifter, one of the few left in the area. I had no family or close friends to ask for help; I had to make my own way. Losing this job, when it had taken meagesto get full benefits and two raises over two years, would suck vampire balls.
Plus, Sherwood had only eversuggestedthat I could make more money working in one of his high-end brothels. As much as I hated that, I understood why he’d offer. A lot of shifter women worked in brothels. Patrons, even the ones who didn’t know they were shifters, couldn’t resist the animalistic side of my kind between the sheets. Shifters brought in top dollar over every other kind of supe and humans. And Sherwood Nottingham, the vampire billionaire on The Strip, was a businessman.
Sherwood shook his head. “A pity for me.” He pulled out his pocket watch and glanced at it. “Albus claims that you’re behind on this floor. He says this has been happening often?”
Of course, it had been happening, and that rankled me. I hated running behind, but my manager had been assigning me all the post-bachelor party rooms. Didn’t like that much either, but I knew that it was no use complaining.
Sherwood always took Albus’s side in work matters, because my manager was his mate’s child. While I suspected that the hotelier didn’t like Albus much either, Vegas was nothing but nepotism at its finest. Especially where vamps were concerned.
“For the last three days, I’ve been running behind. My rooms have needed extra tending.”
“Hmm, well, pick up the pace. Anna’s been complaining that she’s had to cover for you.”
