Behaving Badly in Vegas (Vegas Love #3)

1. Prologue

Prologue

It’s been said that power corrupts.

I disagreed.

It wasn’t power that corrupted me. It was the pursuit of power.

My brother Trent and I were in competition with each other from the day we met.

He was the legitimate heir.

I was the bastard.

There was no love lost between us, only the desire to be the favored child and to reap the benefits of that title. The prize was Mystique, the Vegas resort and casino that was our legacy. One day, our father would retire, and the hotel would be handed down.

There would only be one CEO, and I’d do anything for it to be me.

Nice guys finished last, and I wasn’t a loser. I’d cheat, steal, and lie to get what I wanted. I just never imagined Trent would make it so easy for me .

Sleeping with Gia, our new director of entertainment and events, was a violation of company policy. He’d been warned.

I leaned against the wall in my father’s office, waiting for my brother.

He walked in, finding not only my father, but me and his mother, Rose, as well. “What the hell is going on?”

“Shut the door,” my father said.

“Family meeting? It’s been a long time since we’ve had one of those.” He nonchalantly sipped his coffee, not having a clue what was about to hit him.

My father leaned on his desk and folded his hands. “We got your email.” When Trent didn’t respond, he continued, “As a matter of fact, everyone on this floor got it.”

“I didn’t send an email. To anyone.” He looked at the three of us, searching for answers. “What’s going on?”

“You really should be more careful,” I piped in.

My father turned his laptop toward Trent and pressed play on the attached video. I didn’t need to see it to know what he was watching. The video I took of him and Gia fucking in his office wasn’t the best quality, but there was no doubt who it was and what they were doing.

I could barely keep the smirk from my face. His secret escapade with Gia was over. I finally won.

His hand reached out and smacked the laptop closed. “Who’s seen this?”

I chuckled from my perch by the door. “Everyone.”

“I didn’t send that. I didn’t even make the tape! My office is supposed to be private!”

“It came from your email,” I said.

He looked to our father and Rose for help. “I swear to God, I did not make that video, and I certainly wouldn’t share it if I had.”

Rose squeezed his hand. “We suspected you didn’t.”

What? I’d been careful. I snuck around for weeks, spying on him and collecting evidence. There wasn’t a single thing that traced back to me.

“Then who did? Who would do something like this, not just to me, but to Gia?” Trent asked .

“I’m guessing the culprit is in this room.” My father’s gaze landed on me.

My brother jumped out of his chair and charged, taking me to the ground. “You fucking piece of shit!” He only got one good punch in before my father pulled him off. “Let me go!” Trent shook with rage.

“Sit down, son!” my father ordered. “We’re going to get to the bottom of this.” He pushed Trent into a chair against his will and turned to me. “Why?”

I straightened my lapels and wiped the blood from under my nose. “I knew there was something going on between them, but I had to prove it. Say goodbye to your job, Trent.” He’d specifically been warned not to sleep with Gia and, as usual, he thought the rules didn’t apply to him. My brother was a pompous asshole, and it was time he got put in his place. It was too bad the pretty redhead got caught in the crosshairs.

Trent dropped his head between his hands. “What about Gia? She’s going to be humiliated.”

“She put in her resignation this morning,” Rose whispered.

That was a shame. I was going to miss the sexy little minx.

“You’re fired,” my dad said calmly.

I started to laugh until I realized my father’s eyes were on me and not Trent. I pointed to my chest. “You’re firing me? He’s the one who broke company policy.”

My father shook his head. “What you did goes so far beyond that, not to mention illegal. You’ve damaged the reputation of this hotel, violated the privacy of my employees, humiliated Gia, and cost me an event coordinator.”

“Gia? That’s what you’re worried about?” I huffed. “Pretty pieces of ass are a dime a dozen. She’s totally disposable.”

“She’s not disposable, you stupid fuck! I’m in love with her!” Trent shouted.

My father smiled—fucking smiled—at him. “Then you better go get her and bring her back.”

“You’re not firing him?” I asked incredulously. “That job is supposed to be mine! ”

“You have thirty minutes to clean out your office before I call security to escort you out. You’ve burned your last bridge with this family.” My father got up from his desk and opened the door.

“Fuck you! I don’t need this family or this bullshit job!” I stormed down the hallway to my office where a box had already been placed on my desk. I opened the drawers and grabbed the few personal items I had, dumping them in the box. I ripped my Stanford diplomas from the wall and closed my laptop.

I should have known no matter how hard I worked, no matter how much I did for this company, I was never going to get the recognition I deserved. Trent always had been, and always would be, the golden child who could do no wrong.

I was the fuckup. The one who always had to prove himself. My best would never be good enough and I was done.

Done with this family.

Done with this job.

Done pretending to give a shit.

They didn’t want me here? Then I was gone. I didn’t need any of them.

Arrivederci. Sayonara. Adios.

There was only one place I wanted to be… The Sapphire Club. I’d get drunk, watch the strippers, and maybe get a blow job to round out the night. And I was going to do it all on the company credit card. One last fuck you . I was owed at least that much.

I’d worry about my lack of employment tomorrow. It wouldn’t be hard to find a job. Any company would be lucky to hire the former CFO of Mystique.

Tonight, I was throwing myself the biggest pity party in history. One last hurrah before shit got real. I’d deal with the aftermath later.