My thumbs are already moving.
SHANNON:Just arrived. Wish me luck.
ROBERT: My slut doesn’t need luck. She needs a pussy full of cum.
My mouth falls open in surprise, and he continues before I can type anything.
ROBERT: If Adrian edges you again, don’t you dare take care of yourself. Save it for me.
I laugh and send him a kissing emoji before sliding my phone and wedding ring into my clutch.
Time to go.
The casino noise hits me when I push through the doors. I’ve heard it twice before, but it always sounds different. Probably because I’m different.
Diana is polishing a glass behind the bar and spots me before I reach her. Her dark hair is pulled back, roses and thorns winding up her forearm. In another life, I would have wanted to befriend her, but my sneaking around and lies aren’t the best start to a friendship.
“Well, well.” She sets down the glass. “Look who dressed up.”
“It’s a special occasion.”
“So I heard.” She pours me a whiskey without asking and sets it on the bar in front of me. “They’ve been waiting for you.”
My pulse kicks. “Both of them?”
Diana leans forward, dropping her voice. “Listen. I like you. So I’m going to tell you something.”
“What?”
“Tony alone is intense. Adrian alone is brutal.” She gives me a look, woman-to-woman, the kind that says she’s seen this before. “Together? They’re a lot. You sure you know what you’re getting into?”
Jesus, how does she know what’s really going on? Suddenly, I’m concerned the entire casino knows, but I quickly push the thought aside. Diana doesn’t strike me as an idiot, and she’s probably seen how I look before and after I visit Tony.
“No.” I pick up the whiskey. “But I’m going anyway.”
Diana laughs and shakes her head. “Brave or stupid. I still can’t decide.”
“Both.” I take a sip, and the burn steadies me. “Definitely both.”
My phone buzzes, and I fish it out of my purse, expecting a text from Robert.
TONY:My office. Now.
I set down the glass without finishing it and place a twenty on the bar.
“Thanks for the warning.”
Diana watches me go and calls after me, “Good luck, Shannon. You’re going to need it.”
The elevator ride feels longer this time.
I know this hallway now. The plush carpet. The expensive artwork. The brass nameplate at the end that says Antonio Ricci. Private.
But tonight’s different. There are two men in dark suits standing at the far end of the corridor. They’re not casino security. These men have military posture, and they watch me as I pass. One speaks into his sleeve.
Since when does a casino manager need that kind of protection?
I file it away. Right now, I have other priorities.
