“You had to pick the most complicated dress.” She lifts her damp hair over her shoulder.
“You were avoiding me,” I remind her. “But all tied up, you can’t go anywhere.”
There’s a heavy pause as I work my way up her spine before she speaks. “For now, but I’m only here for a few years. I’ll be leaving sooner or later.” My fingers still at the reminder. “Is that why you haven’t been sleeping well?”
Weighing my options, I settle on deflection. “It’s getting cold. Can’t get comfortable, is all.” I finish tying her up, a small, silk bow holding the entire thing in place. One simple tug and the web I wove can come unraveled like it never existed at all.
Elysium looks stunning, though she would in anything. Running my hand down her side, the black lace resting on top of the red silk gently scrapes against my palm.
“Until you get a warmer blanket, you’re welcome to crash with me, if you want. I miss our movie dates,” she admits, and my hand tightens on her hip, pulling her back.
Resting my head on her shoulder, I close my eyes, soaking up feeling her pressed against me. “But you’re not staying.”
She sags against me, seemingly defeated, though I’m not sure what to make of it. “Not forever.”
Tilting my head, I kiss her neck before pulling away, flopping onto the bed. “Best brush your hair then so we can head out. Hourglass full of quicksand, only the sandman will win.”
She raises her eyebrow in challenge as she starts working through her damp tangles. “Wouldn’t Father Time win in that case? Who has time to dream if you’re running out of time?”
Withdrawing my knife to start flicking in the air above me, I close my eyes, unsure with each snatch of my hand if I’ll miss. “Sandman always wins in the race against time, when dreams are all we have left in this world.”
Everett bypasses the valet without slowing down and I smother a smile. Power plays aside, it took all of five minutes riding with him to pick up on his love for the classic car.
My jacket was in no shape for the apparent dress code and I’m beyond grateful for the leggings beneath my dress as he parks, the cold blasting me in the face as I open my door. The stretch between the parking lot and the casino's entrance is wide open and absolutely freezing. At this rate, I’d be surprised if we didn’t get snow in the next week or so.
The weather hardly seems to bother either of the men beside me though, so I don’t bring it up. I simply quicken my strides to keep up with them, running my hands over the goose bumps on my skin.
“Holy…”
I thought the whole dress code thing was weird, just another way that Julian maintains his image, even with his employees. Yet now, I’m honestly feeling underdressed for the occasion. The place is a ritzy hotel with the main floor acting as the casino, and by the look of the crowd, they likely lose more in a single night than I’ll see in my entire lifetime.
“Agreed.” Everett’s mouth twists into a sneer as he does a cursory scan.
The lobby is gleaming marble with a massive chandelier hanging down in the center, sending dozens of small rainbows dancing across the room. There’s a long desk to our right with three people standing at attention behind computers, working on checking guests in and out. To our left is a set of elevators that lead to the rooms above, and directly ahead is the gambling floor.
“Now, now,” Grave chastises, turning to walk backwards, simply assuming people will move out of the way.
And they completely do. Quiet muttering spreads out around us like hushed ripples, nervous glances being tossed in Grave’s direction. Everett they barely acknowledge despite the sheer size of the man, and I have to wonder just what sort of reputation Grave has that it can make the giant beside me seem hardly worth mentioning.
“No need to sully Elysium’s first night out on the town by pouting. After all, how often does Julian give us a pass to come here?” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a wad of cash. “And so supportively, at that.”
“So what exactly am I supposed to be doing?”
Everett places my hand on his inner arm before drawing me in closer, leaning down to whisper in my ear. “Learning how to be invisible.”
He straightens up, keeping my hand resting politely on his arm as we make our way onto the thin, maroon and gold carpet of the casino floor, leaving the lobby behind.
I simply scoff. “Trust me, I’ve got that down in spades by now. I’ve run crying to the police with a broken arm before; I couldn’t get anyone to give me attention when I was literally begging for it. I’ve been invisible since the day I was born.”
The displeasured grumble that vibrates his chest is practically a growl. “I’m not sure if I’d rather you tell me that story or not, to be honest. It’s already a challenge not to go back to that bastard’s house.”
Grave snatches a drink off of a passing waitress’ tray, downing half of it within seconds. Her lips press into a thin line before flicking towards me and Everett. I’m able to witness the second things click into place for her, her eyes widening as she bites back any retort she was about to make. She disappears swiftly, heading straight towards the bar where a couple of other servers are waiting for their drinks to fill them in on our arrival.
“What the hell did you guys do to make everyone this terrified of you?”
Grave finishes his pilfered drink and sets it on top of a slot machine. “Ev works security here from time to time, but it’s only as an emergency fill in. They’re just jumpy; think we’re here to collect some poor sap for the boss and worry we’re going to scare people off.” I glance at his feet and up, biting my tongue, but he doesn’t miss the action. “What?”
Rubbing a palm over my mouth, I smother my smile. “Was just wondering if you were the reason they decided on the carpet color for this place.”
