Behaving Badly in Vegas (Vegas Love #3)

3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Charli

“I need a favor,” I said, setting the bag from his favorite deli on my brother’s desk.

He peeked in the bag. “You’re bribing me with turkey and cheese?”

“Don’t be silly. There’s extra avocado and salt and vinegar chips.” It was a stretch, but I was out of options and Tom was my only hope.

“Spit it out, Charlotte.” He opened the bag of chips and offered me one. I shook my head in refusal, never understanding how he could eat those things. He shrugged his shoulders and popped a chip in his mouth, savoring the flavor on his tongue. “You know Trent hates personal distractions, so if we could hurry this up, I’d appreciate it.”

“Ugh! I still don’t understand why you’re someone’s personal assistant. You’re way too smart for this job.” My brother had an IQ of one hundred forty-five and had a perfect score on his SAT in high school. It was a nightmare having him as an older brother. I never lived up to the expectations he set for us with our parents. Imagine their disappointment realizing their daughter was average. Oh, the horror .

He pushed his glasses up his nose. “It’s temporary and it pays the bills. I’m this close to making a breakthrough.” Tom was a self-proclaimed computer nerd, spending hours holed up in his apartment working on a secret project. He tried to explain it to me once, but he might as well have been speaking a foreign language for all I understood.

“I finished my physical therapy today,” I said, starting with the positive. I’d come a long way in the last four months.

Tom looked at the brace on my leg. “How does it feel?”

“It’s still sore, sometimes stiff, but they want me to continue strength training on my own.” I was an aerial performer for one of the biggest shows in Vegas. As a kid, I drove my parents crazy with my constant need to flip and spin, so they signed me up for gymnastics. It didn’t take long for me to realize my true passion wasn’t just to flip and spin but to do it while suspended thirty feet above a stage. The more challenging, the better.

“When are you getting back in the air?”

I pulled a chair over and plopped in it. “That’s where the favor comes in. The doctor said it would probably be another six months before I would be ready. Now that my official therapy is done, the show has put me on leave with no compensation until I can perform again. If I ever can. My apartment lease is almost up, and I’m broke. I need your help.”

“Fuuuck… this is worth more than a turkey-and-cheese sandwich.”

He wasn’t wrong. “Why do you keep dismissing the avocado? You love avocados.”

He scowled and shoved another chip into his mouth.

“I’m happy to stay on the couch. Please… only until I find another job. I’m desperate.”

He rolled his eyes. “Like I’d say no. I’ll clean out my office for you. There’s no bed, but there’s a couch. Where are you going to look for a job?”

It was a valid question and one I’d been pondering since my skills of climbing a silk rope in under five seconds and twirling without barfing weren’t very marketable outside of show business. “I don’t know. I can’t stay on my feet for very long, so waitressing is out, along with half a dozen other jobs.” I tapped a finger against my lips. “Think you could ask Trent about a job at Mystique for me?”

Tom stopped chewing midbite and stared at me. He swallowed the turkey as if it were a rock making its way down his throat. “Absolutely not! You don’t want to work for him.”

“Maybe not, but I need a job. What did you call this? Temporary? Surely, I can file paperwork, or whatever it is you do.”

My brother scoffed. “I don’t file paperwork. It’s a lot more complicated than that, and the man is… difficult.”

A door slammed and the devil himself strode down the hallway toward us. I’d only met him once before. He was handsome, but I’d heard enough stories from my brother to know not to let his good looks fool me. “Tom! Coffee!”

My brother scurried off to the break room like a scolded puppy. I probably didn’t want to work for Trent Dorsey, but surely there was something in this hotel I could do. I pushed out of my seat and thrust my hand out. “You probably don’t remember me, but I’m Tom’s sister, Charlotte. Well, my friends call me Charli.” He quirked an eyebrow and I got the message. We weren’t friends. “Charlotte Bently.”

He ignored my outstretched hand and shoved his fists in his pockets. “I remember. What can I do for you, Miss Bently?”

I let my hand fall as if it hadn’t been rejected. “I’m in need of a job. Temporarily. I was wondering if there might be something available here at Mystique.”

Trent let out a sigh. “I can send you down to HR and put in a good word for you. It’s the best I can do. No promises. No guarantees. I don’t like to vouch for people, but Tom has been an excellent employee. I trust it runs in the family and you won’t disappoint me.”

Without thinking, I lunged at him, knocking him back a step, and wrapped my arms around his tall body. I clung to him a bit too long because… whoa! There was some solid muscle hiding underneath that suit. “Thank you so much! You don’t know how much I appreciate this.”

“Charlotte!” I unwound myself from Trent at the sound of my brother’s voice. “What the hell are you doing?” he growled .

I bounced on my toes. “Mr. Dorsey is going to help me get a job. Here. At Mystique. We can carpool together.”

Tom handed Trent his coffee. “I’m so sorry about that, sir. My sister is… passionate.”

Trent wiped invisible lint from his suit and straightened his jacket. “It’s fine. I’m happy to help,” he said with a scowl and a sip of his fresh coffee.

If that was his happy face, I certainly didn’t want to see his unhappy face. “Thank you again. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this.”

“I haven’t done anything yet. I’m not even sure we have any job openings.”

I nodded in understanding. Honestly, I’d scrub toilets if it meant I’d be able to afford my own place. Okay, maybe not scrub toilets, but anything else. My brother was great, as far as brothers go, but he was a bit uptight and introverted, practically married to his computer.

“Sir, excuse me for asking, but I saw Hunter in the conference room? Is he coming back to Mystique?” My brother asked Trent.

Trent’s hand squeezed the foam cup until the dark liquid brimmed. “I don’t know. There’s a bit of a family issue going on.” His jaw ticced. “I need to let Gia know he’s here.”

As Trent walked away, I whispered to Tom, “Who’s Hunter?”

“Trent’s brother.”

“Who is Gia? And why would she care if Trent’s brother is here?”

“Gia is Trent’s wife. She works here too. There’s bad blood between the three of them,” Tom said without further explanation.

“Oh. Care to share?” It was so like my brother to only tell half a story and leave out all the juicy parts.

“Actually, no. I don’t care to share,” he snapped. “I’m not into spreading gossip and if you plan on working here, you’ll need to learn to quell your curiosity. Mystique prides itself on discretion. They pay us well to not see or hear anything.”

“Jeez. Lighten up a little. It was just a question.”

“Questions like that can get you fired. Keep your head down around here. ”

I crossed my arms like a stubborn child. “Fine.” Living with him was going to be miserable and I already dreaded it.

Trent came back down the hall, followed by a gorgeous redhead. He reached for her hand, and she quickly twined her fingers with his as they disappeared behind a closed door.

Penny hurried over and splayed her hands on Tom’s desk, displaying her huge diamond ring. “Did you hear?” she asked, slightly out of breath. I knew who Penny was. She was another PA at Mystique, and I had a suspicion my brother crushed on her a while ago, although he never admitted it to me. She married the most eligible billionaire in Vegas. It was a Cinderella story that had made front page news and was covered extensively by the Las Vegas Not So Confidential . The latest stories speculated she was pregnant with a big red arrow pointing at her maybe baby bump. I tried to sneak a peek, but it was hard to tell.

“What’s going on?” he whispered and leaned in close. For someone who, minutes before, lectured me about spreading gossip, he was all ears.

“Hunter’s bad behavior finally caught up with him. A baby was dropped off on his doorstep. The paternity test results came in and it’s his. Can you believe it? This is crazy. Mind blown,” she rambled, barely taking a breath.

I didn’t know who Hunter was or why this info was so mind-blowing. It wasn’t like illegitimate babies were a scandal in Vegas. With all the crazy shit that went on in this city, it was astonishing traditional families existed at all. Even the term traditional was challenged on a daily basis. Family was what you chose it to be, not what society decreed. Love was love. Traditional roles were less important than the intensity of the relationship.

“Get the fuck out!” my brother exclaimed. “Ten dollars says he’ll try to wiggle his way back into the family business.”

Penny visibly shivered. “I hope not. With what he did to Gia and Trent, he can’t be trusted.”

What did he do to Gia and Trent?

“Yoo-hoo. Just a reminder that I’m standing right here. Care to fill me in?” I asked .

“Penny, you remember my sister Charlotte, right?” Tom motioned to me with a flick of his wrist as if I were a pesky child.

Penny smiled at me. “Of course. I’m sorry for being so rude, it’s… gah! I love good office gossip, and this is big. Big!” The petite brunette threw her arms in the air and shook her hands like she was in a Broadway musical. “I can’t say too much,” she whispered. “It’s all very hush-hush.”

“This is going to throw Trent over the edge,” Tom groaned. “He’s going to be even more miserable to work for with Hunter creeping around again. Those two are like oil and water.”

“We don’t even know if he’s coming back, but why else would he be here?”

My head ping-ponged between my brother and Penny as they contemplated all the scenarios. For someone who despised gossip, my brother was as invested as a clucking magpie, leaning into Penny and throwing out possibilities.

The gossip was a waste of my time, especially since it was difficult to be invested in the life of someone I’d never met. My top priority was finding a job, preferably one that would pay me enough to make staying with my brother short-lived.

I nudged him with my hip. “I’ve got to head out. Can you tell me where the HR department is?”

Pulling himself away from Penny, Tom hugged me. “Good luck. I hope they have something available. Go back to reception and hang a left.”

The directions were vague, but surely I could find my way. I should have typed up a résumé or something. Going to apply for a job empty-handed was completely unprofessional. I looked down at my black yoga pants and Taylor Swift T-shirt and groaned. Not only did I not have a résumé, but my clothes hardly screamed give me a job at an upscale hotel . Tom always looked sharp, even if I thought the bow ties were a bit much.

The door at the end of the hall burst open and a blond-haired man with the eyes of an angry angel clenched his fists and stomped out, turning back to address the people chasing behind him. “I shouldn’t have expected more than crumbs from you. You’ve treated me like a black sheep my entire life! ”

“Who’s that?” I whispered.

“The Dorseys,” Tom whispered back. “Mr. and Mrs. Dorsey, Trent and Gia, and the one yelling is Hunter.

“You’ve alienated yourself from this family, not the other way around. Actions have consequences,” the older man said. “You can’t start back at the top. You need to earn your trust back in this family. A junior position in the financial office is all I can offer right now.”

“We do care about you,” the woman said. “Getting a live-in nanny is the only sensible option. I’ll send Ms. Peters over. She’s a lovely woman and would be wonderful for the baby.”

Hunter continued down the hall toward us. “I’m sure she would, but I’m also not under any illusion that she wouldn’t report everything I do right back to you. I’ll find my own damn nanny.”

My ears perked up. Nanny? It wasn’t exactly the type of job I had in mind, but I liked kids. How much trouble could one baby be?

Reckless.

That’s what my mother always called me.

I called it adventurous. Exciting. Exhilarating. I never met a challenge I wouldn’t dive into headfirst.

My mind made up, I stepped into the path of the charging bull. “I’ll do it.”

Hunter jerked to a stop, hands on his hips. “Do what?”

He was even more attractive up close. His features looked sculpted from ice, his eyes cold as the Arctic. “I’ll be your nanny. I’m good with babies, and more importantly, I need a job,” I said, jutting my chin out.

A collective gasp sounded from Penny and Tom.

Hunter eyed me up and down with a smirk on his handsome face, no doubt taking in my very unprofessional attire. “And who the hell are you?”

I held my hand out. “Charlotte Bently, but you can call me Charli.”

Just like Trent, he ignored my outstretched hand. “What are your qualifications?”

Technically, I had none. “I used to babysit. I was good at it.”

“When can you start?”

“Today. ”

“It’s a live-in position.” He glared at me.

I glared right back and crossed my arms. “I assume I’ll have my own room.”

“Of course.” He gritted his teeth. “Twenty-five hundred a week plus room and board. You report to me and only me. My daughter so much as farts and you’re there to wipe her ass. Understood?”

Jesus. What was I getting myself into? Twenty-five hundred dollars a week was hard to pass up, especially when I wouldn’t have to pay rent for an apartment or crash with my brother.

Everyone—Tom, Penny, and the Dorseys—waited anxiously for my response. Was I crazy for taking a job from this man that so many held animosity for?

Probably.

But to be fair, I didn’t know his story. For all I knew, it was a family issue that had nothing to do with me or possibly something that happened at the hotel. Again, it didn’t involve me.

He didn’t look evil. Yeah, he was angry because of whatever happened in that conference room, but he was also extremely handsome. If the job ended up being a bust, I’d simply quit. It wasn’t like I was signing a contract in blood, although it was very possible I was making a deal with the devil.

Tom grabbed my arm and pulled me to the side. “I forbid you to take this job.”

I raised an eyebrow at him. “You forbid me? Last time I checked, you weren’t in charge of me.”

Trent stepped over, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I agree with Tom. I’ll find you a job here at Mystique with fair compensation.”

“More than minimum wage?”

“I can’t make any promises, Ms. Bently.”

“No disrespect, but I need more than minimum wage and I’d have a place to stay. This is a win-win.”

“Don’t do it, Charlotte,” Tom begged. “I’ll clean out my home office and we’ll make it real nice. You can stay as long as you need. Please. ”

My brother’s offer tempted me, but I’d still be stuck in a crap job. There was no way I’d be able to save money for my own place.

Hunter tapped his foot impatiently. “Do you want the position or not? I don’t have time to stand around with my thumb up my ass.”

Jesus Christ.

His personality left a lot to be desired, but money was money, and I needed it badly.

I looked at my brother and mouthed I’m sorry , then turned back to Hunter and straightened my shoulders, trying to look as professional as I could with Tay Tay splashed across my chest. “I want the job.”