“Marty,” Mary warned and looked around. “I just know you, and I wanted to give you a heads-up so you could keep a … cool head when Stone comes down here.”
“A cool head.” I laughed humorlessly. “Me? You would think I had some kind of anger issue with this heads-up, Mary?”
“Marty.” She sighed, and I could see just how tired the woman was.
“And if some other guy tries to get fresh with one of us, we’re just supposed to what? Turn the other cheek and let them? Because men like that are allowed to get away with it and get whatever they want?”
“That’s not what the Steel Sinners want,” she said quietly. “You did the right thing. Pope was proud at how he found Mr. Monopoly hunched over,” she whispered. My eyes closed.
The memory of being at the end of my night shift that day was clear in my head. I’d been ready to go home. The last callbefore clocking out had irritated me, but it was the job. With a smile on my face, I’d headed to one of the VIP hotel rooms. A member of Elysium had partied a little too hard and needed someone to clean up a mess.
Nothing out of the ordinary for the rooms where the rich and famous stayed. But when I’d shown up, Mr. Monopoly, the jerk who had always creeped me out, opened the door. It was obvious he was on something. Drugs or booze, I wasn’t sure. Not that it mattered.
He’d opened the door with nothing but a towel wrapped around his hips, leering at me like I was a thick, juicy ribeye while he was on a KETO diet.
Again, nothing out of the ordinary. The guy was a creep. Not the first I’d had to deal with and not the last. I went in, minding my business, to clean up a mess, and when I slipped into the bathroom, the asshole cornered me. The guy had pressed his body against mine and caged me in while asking how much I’d charge him for the night. Gross. It had been a while for me, but there wasn’t enough money in the world for me to take the guy for a spin. He hadn’t liked when I’d, as politely as I could, turned him down.
Men like him never liked being told no.
Thankfully, his phone had rung, and I’d used the distraction to slip out of the bathroom. I tried to escape, but he was faster. He pushed and pinned me down on the bed. I’d be eternally grateful that whatever he’d been on wouldn’t let him get hard enough to do anything. But the fucker had been handsy while he said disgusting things. Shit about knowing my place and going on about how the Steel Sinners would soon be making us wear dirty little maid outfits because at the end of the day, the maids were no better than the sex workers on the Strip. And if he wanted to, he could get Pope, the president of the Sinners, to whore us out at his request.
And when Pope made the call, I’d be the first one he’d buy, and he’d make sure I wouldn’t earn one cent off of it.
I had no idea how the hell I hadn’t thrown up all over him.
I should have.
Instead, I’d kicked him in the balls just before he tried to slip his hands under the skirt of my uniform and rolled away. When I’d stood up and stared down at the disgusting man agonizing in pain, I will admit, anger got the better of me.
The right thing would have been to run out.
To go get help and report what had happened.
But I would never be accused of being the sharpest tool in the shed.
Instead of running, I’d hit him, three times, before rushing to get out only to find a Steel Sinner at the door wondering what the commotion was about. Onlookers behind him were murmuring things. I’d known how I looked—slightly disheveled but for the most part unscathed. Especially when compared to Mr. Monopoly, who was still hunched over on the edge of the bed, groaning in pain.
“This job isn’t for everyone, kid,” Mary said, snapping me out of the memory.
“I’ve been here for the last three years,” I reminded her, hating how defeated I sounded. Three years. I’d worked here for three years and didn’t have any idea of how the hell to leave. Other casinos didn’t pay as well as the Steel Sinners did. Still… “Maybe I should?—“
“Don’t finish that thought,” Mary warned. “You know if you say what I know you’ll say, I gotta start looking for someone to take your spot.” I glanced at her, and her own gaze settled on mine. “I hate having to train new girls,” she complained. My lips twitched.
I knew that no matter how much of a hardass Mary could be, she had a soft spot for me. It was why she hadn’t written me uponce for being late when she totally could have. And that’s why whatever was said at this stupid-ass meeting, I’d find a way to keep my mouth shut.
“I’ll behave,” I begrudgingly promised, hoping that my face would keep that promise, too.
3GRIFFIN
Iheaded down to the underground level, where our staff had lockers and breakroom space, not to mention where housekeeping supplies were stored next to a laundry room we housed. Originally, when we’d opened the doors to this place, we’d outsourced the laundering of bedding and towels and the various uniforms our staff wore. But we’d grown enough to where there was a whole department of people who took care of it. It was crazy to see how far Elysium had come.
“Mary.” I nodded at the older woman who reminded me of my sister.
“Griffin. How are you?” she asked, the surprise clear in her eyes as she looked over my shoulder, no doubt probably wondering what the hell I was doing down there and where the fuck Stone was.
“It’s going. I’ll be doing the meeting about being discreet,” I shared, scratching my inked-up arm. I wasn’t sure why the fuck this needed to be said. Stone hadn’t told me a whole lot after discovering his temp was over one oh two and he rushed to take an ice-cold shower before gulping down some Nyquil when Cruz had returned.
So, I was unfortunately going to have to wing it.
