Stripped Bare (Vegas Billionaire 1)

With my hands pressed down on the rail so that I can avoid leaving my handprints on the tinted glass, I watch as a group of drunken women stumble into the casino. One wears a tiara and sash that says either birthday or bachelorette, and all of them have on the shortest dresses possible, giving off the impression that they’re looking to hook up.

“Easy prey,” Lamar says, stepping up next to me. Lamar Johnson is my right-hand man. At first he was hired to be the head of my security team, but became so much more during the first few months of employment. Being a former linebacker for the Running Rebels makes him a big-ass motherfucking dude and scary as shit. We clashed my freshman year in college when I hit on his girlfriend. He was going to beat my ass when I pointed out that his girl was all for it, and because I saved him from a doomed relationship we became friends. He was drafted into the NFL, but one concussion scared the shit out of him and he quit. Lamar was the first person I hired when I bought the hotel.

“They’re drunk too. It’s not even nine in the morning and they can barely walk straight.”

“I’ll make sure Tracey is watching out for them.”

I nod as I watch the group of women head toward the slot machines. Lamar radios Tracey, the floor supervisor, and lets her know what we’re seeing. Last year a series of rapes happened in the hotels along the Strip and since then we’ve fought hard to make sure it never happens again. Lamar implemented a plan to keep men and women safe from each other and to keep the hotel free from unnecessary negative attention.

“She’s on them.”

“Thanks. Can you send someone over to pick my Benz up from the Ferrari dealership? I left it there yesterday.”

“On it.”

Lamar disappears, leaving me alone to watch over my casino. Being one of the youngest millionaires in Vegas has its perks, this being one of them. I can spy on people without them knowing, and I’ve used it to my advantage. Many times I’ve spotted someone that I wanted to get to know better.

Finally making it to my office, my view overlooks the atrium. For the most part it’s meant to be calming, but is often distracting, especially when there’s a wedding taking place. I always wonder what the guy is thinking when he stands there staring at the woman he’s going to be with until they both give up or one dies. Marriage isn’t for me, not after I watched my dad move on with my mother’s nurse, who happened to graduate from high school two years before me and sucked every dick that passed through the locker room. My mom wasn’t in the ground a week before the naughty nurse moved in and the moans started echoing down the hall. Thankfully, I had a dorm to go back to and bailed the next day. I thought my dad would need me after my mom passed, but I was wrong. I love my dad, but my new stepmommy not so much. Gold digger doesn’t even come close to describing her.

There’s a knock on the door and by the time I turn in my chair, Lamar is walking back in. Rarely will any of my employees find my door closed. I don’t believe in hiding. That’s how my dad runs his business and people are afraid of him. I want my employees to feel comfortable around me, especially when they see me on the casino floor or behind the hotel desk. They shouldn’t be nervous when I’m around.

“Here’s the report on Fick’s.” Lamar hands over a stack of papers. The numbers tell me that we’re booked solid for the next six months. The restaurants are thriving as well.

“This is good.” Fick’s was a run-down hotel that was on the verge of bankruptcy. I bought it and shut it down for about six months so I could do some minor renovations. Fresh paint, clean carpets and new mattresses make all the difference. The biggest thing I did was lower the price of the rooms and within days of reopening, the hotel was fully booked and has been ever since.

“Damn good. The concept is something you should think about for the new one.”

I push these papers aside and pick up the photos of the hotel I’m buying. It’s next to Allure, which offers me the ability to connect them, making Allure larger, or going the novelty route and making it a themed hotel. The problem is the price tag and Fick’s concept doesn’t mesh. I’d lose money and I hate losing money.

“How long would it take to book the hotel if we went that route?”

Lamar shrugs. “Depends on what you decide to do.”