“Well, my love, I know it’s not exactly the same, but we’re working with a blank canvas here. So however you want this place to be is how it’ll be.” He turns to face me. “We’re going to make thisourhome, not just mine.”
Swooning so hard I’m dizzy, I bite my lip. “Sold.”
He winks, and I take the razor from him, swiping it up his throat to finish his shaving for him.
“If you killed me right now, it’d totally blow my mind,” he whispers. “Just saying.”
I laugh out loud, kissing his ridiculous mouth. “Maybe tomorrow.”
First stop: food. In the car, Diablo is naming a bunch of fancy restaurants, but I see a Waffle House and my eyes light all the way up. We go in and eat everything, and it’smaravilloso. Then we run around shopping for way too long, until I’m hungry again.
We go for ice cream at this place I saw on Instagram, and when we’re on our way home, Diablo tells the driver to take the strip so I can see it at night, all lit up for the first time.
“This is so cool.” I’m shimmying, gawking at the Bellagio fountain, and Caesar’s Palace, and the Paris.
“Tomorrow I’ll take you on the High Roller,” he grins, more beautifully content than I ever imagined he could look. “That’s the giant Ferris wheel. It gives you the best view of the strip.”
“Can’t wait.” I thread our fingers.
“For now, though, would you like to see one of my businesses?”
“That depends…” I peek at him warily. Because that could meansomany things.
He chuckles. “Trust me, you’ll love it.”
The car pulls up in front of a giant hotel calledDarling, parking in the super special VIP spot that’s obviously for celebrities and hotel owners since it blocks traffic like a mofo. We get out and Ivory takes my hand, pulling me along, inside the hotel. But once we’re in, we don’t go toward the casino or shops. We take a different door that leads to a private area.
Inside is a bouncer and a clerk’s window, which feels reminiscent of Club Edge. Of course they don’t check our ID’s or make us sign anything since, well…he’s Manuel Blanco.
“Jefe,” the bouncer nods as we stalk past him, down a flight of stairs.
When we reach the bottom, I’m looking directly into a very long hallway that splits off in two directions. There are neon signs above both.
One saysVixens, and the other saysVices.
“Pick a side, any side,” Ivory drawls.
“What’s the difference?” I blink.
He doesn’t answer me, just smirks.
I roll my eyes and nod right, for Vices.
His grin widens. “Good choice, pajaritomalo.”
Tugging me by my hand, we head for the long, dark corridor.
“Why does this feel like a cross between Edge and the Pen…” I shout to him over the thumping music.
“Hmm… I never noticed.” He winks.
Before we make it two steps, someone comes out of the Vixens side. A young woman.
I stop short, my every muscle tensing. My heart flies up into my throat so quickly that I cough.
She doesn’t see me at first. Diablo doesn’t notice either.
Until I call out, “Avia…?”
