Risk (The Men of Matiz 1)

I know two wrongs don't make a right. I'm acutely aware that I'm violating protocol by even considering what I'm about to do, but sometimes rules have to be broken and lessons have to be learned the hard way.

I reach forward, grab a handful of blonde hair on the back of Jerry's head and just as I'm about to smash his smug face onto the hard tile to guarantee his nose is indeed broken, I feel something brush against my shoulder.

I turn at the touch, my gaze sweeping over the handsome face of the man whose lap I landed in earlier. Broad shoulders, messy hair and evening stubble greet my eyes. "Hey, Nolan Black. How's your night been?"

***

"You're inviting her for a drink too?" Lacy, one of the resort's deputy night managers, asks. "I thought it was just going to be me and you. You know, just us two."

Really? You'd think after everything that's happened tonight, the fact that Nolan Black is hot for Lacy wouldn't shock me. It does. I get that some men are into older women. I didn't peg Nolan as one of them, but then again what do I know about the man other than he smells fantas

tic and his ex-non-girlfriend pockets everything in sight.

"Three's a crowd," I announce, loudly, way too loudly. Both security guards leading Jerry away, turn back to look at me. "You two go have fun. I don't want to get in the middle."

I couldn't get in the middle if I tried. Lacy has wrapped her arm around Nolan's waist and with every step he takes to the side, she mirrors it with one of her own. They look like a pair destined for the finish line of a three-legged race.

"Lacy and I are not having a drink." Nolan tries another side step, but Lacy doesn't miss a beat. "We're past that point. There's no need for it now."

"So you're good with skipping the drink and just going back to my place?" she asks in a rush. "I told you foreplay isn't necessary. You're a fast learner."

"Foreplay is always necessary." A man's voice to the left catches me off-guard. "It's often the best part."

I'm not going to argue with the handsome stranger. He's almost as good looking as Nolan. His black hair is long enough to skim the collar of the white dress shirt he's wearing. His green eyes are as mesmerizing as his smile. He pulls one hand out of the front pocket of his gray pants as he approaches.

"I'm Crew Benton and you are?"

I reach for his hand giving it a squeeze. He's not my type, but he definitely checks all the boxes on Adley's list of what constitutes the perfect man. If I can make a connection for her maybe Leo will finally cease to exist in her mind and heart.

"I'm Ellie Madden, and I'm pleased…"

I'm interrupted mid-introduction by a woman who taps me on the shoulder. "She's Ellie Madden, and she's officially fired."

Chapter 5

Ellie

"Fired?" I furrow my brow, confused by the word. The head of security at Echo Resort just fired me in front of a bunch of total strangers. "Ms. Griffin, I don't understand what you mean."

"What is there to understand, Ellie?" She peers down her nose at me. "You're no longer employed here. You can collect all of your things from your locker tonight."

"Tonight?" I bark back. "I'm fired as of this minute? Now?"

"Exactly." She taps the toe of her expensive shoe on the floor. The woman is dressed to impress tonight. The pink cocktail dress she's wearing shows off curves I never knew existed beneath her typical outfit of choice. I've never seen her in anything that wasn't navy blue or white. Sometimes it's a skirt with a blazer. On the breezier days, she changes the skirt out for a pair of slacks. A white blouse is always part of her ensemble. If it has ruffles down the front, she's feeling adventurous.

Tonight must be an all-out circus based on the fact that she's wearing makeup and her hair isn't tucked into the tight braid it's usually in. It's a wild, blown-out mess.

"You're firing me because of what I did to Jerry?"

"Jack-off Jerry?" she volleys backs. "What did you do to him?"

Wait. What? Who calls him that other than himself?

I point at the pool of Jerry's blood that is now surrounded by four yellow caution signs that were placed by one of my co-workers. The resort is committed to cleanliness, so I have no doubt that someone with a bucket and a wet mop is on their way. "That."

She looks down at the floor, shaking her head. "Jerry deserves worse. He's the scum of the earth, that one. "

My forehead scrunches as I try to piece together exactly what's happening. I see Adley standing behind Ms. Griffin. She's listening intently to our conversation. She's not alone. Crew Benton, the man who just introduced himself to me before I was promptly kicked to the curb, is also within earshot, as are Nolan Black and Lacy. If my humiliation wasn't off the charts before, it's launched into the stratosphere now.