CHAPTER ONE
ROBERT JENKINS, ELVIS TO those who truly knew him, woke up to the scent of cherry lip balm and too much whiskey as he stretched his eyes, trying to get them to focus. A tangle of blond curls lay on the pillow beside him, snoring softly, and no matter how hard he tried, he simply couldn’t remember her name. Brooke? Brandy, maybe? All he was sure of was that it started with a B. Well, maybe not so sure. All he remembered really was that they had met at the casino bar’s karaoke last night, drank too many whiskey sours, and someone challenging him to sing “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” which they regretted as soon as he picked up the mic. It was their fault for not asking him if he could sing before issuing the challenge. He couldn’t, of course, but that never stopped him. It actually worked out in his favor as his team always bought him drinks just to get him to stop.
He had no shame about his voice, and he could never say no to the King, so he nodded, took a long swig of his drink, and headed for the stage. Grabbing the mic, he belted out the tune, or rather, screeched it, if he were honest, and while most winced and covered their ears, Miss B—damn, what was her name?—just laughed and swayed to his singing. That was all it took forhim to pay their tab and follow her to her room at the casino hotel.
Holding his breath, he eased himself out of bed as if sneaking his way out of enemy territory. He had done both plenty of times, and there was no way he wanted to risk waking her up and having a conversation, letting her know he had no idea what her name was.
He found his shirt peeking out from under a chair and then grabbed his boots as he looked around for his pants. As he stood there, scanning the room, he heard movement coming from the bed and closed his eyes as he sucked in a breath.Shit.
“Planning on making a quick getaway, are you?”
He stood taller, turning around and giving her his best smile. “Well, I need to get to work and didn’t want to wake you. Trying to be a gentleman and all.”
She scoffed. “I prefer the way you were last night. Now that was far from a gentleman and fun as hell.” She bounced her brows at him as she propped herself up with her elbows after tucking the sheet under her arms. “You were on a mission once you got here.”
He laughed as he dropped the boots to the floor and slipped his shirt over his dark blond head. “Well, once I get going…” He yanked the shirt down his torso and smiled at her, his brows arched.
“Can I ask you something without you thinking poorly of me?” she asked, her head tilted to the side as a slight blush colored her cheeks.
He found his pants on her side of the bed, along with his boxers, and snatched them both off the floor. “Shoot. I’m an open book.”
She scrunched her face up as if waiting for something bad to happen. “What’s your name?”
He paused, one leg halfway to his pants’ opening, and stared at her. Then he simply busted out laughing, shaking his head. “Robert, but you can call me Bobby. My friends all call me Elvis.”
“That explains your playlist last night at the bar.” She sat up straighter, her hands clasped in her lap, the sheet barely covering her breasts.
“Well, since we’re sharing identities…” He cocked a brow at her, a smirk twisting his lips.
Her laughter brightened her eyes. “So I wasn’t the only one, huh?”
“Too many whiskey sours, darlin’” he said, finishing slipping into his pants. “At least, that’s what I’m using as an excuse.”
“Bella,” she told him, sliding out of the bed, the sun peeking through the curtains raking her naked body with golden light.
“I knew it started with a B!” He buttoned his pants and moved to where she stood. “We definitely need to, um, you know, do karaoke again.”
She nodded, sliding her hands around his waist and snuggling up to him, her breasts close enough that he could just lean down and suck on her hard nipples. “I put my number into your phone last night with my name.” She winked at him, a mischievous grin on her lips. “Use it whenever you’re ready to sing for me.” She bit her lower lip as she swayed in his arms.
He leaned down and kissed her nose. “You got it, darlin’.”
Five minutes later, with socks and boots snuggly in place, he slipped out of her room and headed for the elevator. His steps were loose and relaxed, never in a real hurry unless bullets were flying or Abbie back at the office was yelling. As soon as the elevator arrived, he stepped inside, glad it was empty, and hit the button for the lobby, where the hotel had given Silver Security a conference room for their use.
He fell back on the wall as the elevator kicked into gear and closed his eyes, taking in a slow breath. The hotel had originallyasked Garrison Security Innovations to provide the security for the VectorPoint Global, a cybersecurity summit being held at the casino’s hotel. However, they had too many of their team scattered in different places, so Dane had suggested Sage’s brothers. He also offered Elvis and Hawk as a bonus. Elvis had been quick to agree, loving the chance to pretend he was the high-end muscle with a badge and an earpiece. Hell, they might even give him a blazer to wear to make him look official.
The elevator dinged, and he lumbered out, wincing at the bright sun shouting from the glass front doors. He could use a little less cheerfulness from the day until his hangover subsided a little more.
Ducking into the hotel’s VIP wing, he moved down the hallway until he saw a door marked with a makeshift sign that read “Private Event Staff Only.” Taking a slow breath, he knocked once, having forgotten to get his key card from the team yesterday.
Levi Silver, Sage’s eldest brother and the founder of Silver Security, opened the door, took one look at him, and barked out a laugh. “Jesus, dude, you look like a wrung-out groupie. What the hell happened to you?”
“As the King would say, I was taking care of business,” Elvis drawled as he stepped inside, giving Levi a wink. “Don’t be jealous now. Green never was your color.”
“I can tell you what didn’t happen,” Hawk said from where he sat at the table. “He didn’t make it back to our room last night.”
Elvis merely shrugged, a devilish grin pushing up his cheeks.
Levi chuckled, shaking his head. “Trust me, looking at your condition right now does not make me jealous.” He shut the door and crossed back over to one of the chairs. “Did you even come back to the hotel last night?”
