“That she is. Oh, and didn’t I tell you to call me Alex last time we met?”
“Yeah, you did.” Wade blushed. “Liam always insisted on first names too, just not in front of the guests. I’m glad you’re sticking with it. That was one of the things we all liked about him.”
Going into this sale, Alex knew he would have to deal with the cult of Liam Doyle. His friend had been the toast of Vegas for several years. In addition, he was adored by his employees, even though he had run a tight ship. A sense of nostalgia over Liam still pervaded the place. Alex respected that but he would have to make it clear he was not Liam Doyle. “Liam speaks highly of you too, Wade.”
“Thanks. He was a good guy.Isa good guy. I gotta stop talking about him like he’s dead.” Wade hit the elevator button. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“A lot of folks around here are worried about layoffs. Should they be?”
The elevator arrived on the fourth floor with barely a whisper, opening directly into his new office space.
“I like you, Wade. You speak plainly,” Alex said as they got out. “Look, I’m not planning any massive reorganisations. I know how Liam operated. We learned the business from the same people. If anything, I want to make a few improvements.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“The casino business might be a whole new adventure for me, but in running my nightclubs, I’ve learned a thing or two. It’s time to tweak a few things around here.” He turned and opened his arms toward the fourth-floor office. “Starting with this.”
Liam’s former office space was also his home away from home. A workaholic, Liam had designed his office to incorporate a luxurious living space as well. Alex knew his friend had spent many a night in his casino sanctum, rather than going home to his own condo. It had led to burnout.
Alex preferred to live offsite and had been renting a luxury property in the nearby community of Summerlin. However, now that work was to begin in earnest, he figured it was best to live onsite. The workload was bound to be intense for some time, and it would be helpful to be in the thick of things. Still, Liam’s vision for the flat was nothing like his own.
“I respect Liam,” he said, gesturing to the sumptuous office before him, “but this isn’t me.”
Wade laughed. “I always thought it was a bit much myself.”
“If I’m going to be living here, I need something more zen-like.”
“Zen, huh? That doesn’t sound like Vegas at all.”
“Maybe not, but simplifying my life has helped me get through the past year.”
Wade caressed the overstuffed Italian leather couch. “So all of this is going to go?”
“All of it.”
“You’re different.”
“Change is good, Wade. Embrace it.”
Alex walked over to the enormous window at one side of the office, the one with the view of the Strip. In the daytime, it reminded him of an amusement park. The other casinos resembled hulking carnival rides. It came alive at night, the entire area pulsing with activity and desire for sensation.
Everyone in this city wanted something, someone. In most cases, they found it. Sometimes it was as easy as calling a number on a card. He had no doubt, however, that other visitors to Vegas sought something they couldn’t identify. A magic moment that would either change their lives or help them escape the life they knew.
Either way, they all sought pleasure in one form or another.
Alex would provide that pleasure. He would create the perfect escape, a refuge so addictive they would have no choice but to return again and again.
All he ever wanted was to be a success, to make his parents proud. Maksim and Natasha Markov had given him everything. Unconditional love, a first-class education, and space to make lots of mistakes.
He’d certainly made mistakes with Shannon and the whole world knew it, even if they didn’t know the extent of it.
Guilt gnawed at Alex’s insides as his former girlfriend’s voice spoke to him from the grave.
You did this to me, Alex. It’s all your fault.
He clutched the windowsill, closed his eyes, and forced calm into his being.
