CASINO SHUFFLE (28 page)

Max was still avoiding her legs, and prayed that he wasn’t blushing again.
 
“It’s my job.
 
You know,” he fumbled for the words.
 
“To make you comfortable while you’re here.”

“I thought you were off the clock?”

“Good point.
 
Okay, I just think you’re adorable.
 
And a good actress.”

She reached out her hand and patted him on the knee.
 
“Now you’re coming around.
 
Next you just have to pay attention during one of my movies.”

“Which one should I watch?”
 
His knee tingled even though her hand was gone.

“Most guys like the one where I skinny dip in the lake.
 
But then again, you’ve seen the real thing, haven’t you?
 
Ah.
 
Blushing
again.
”

“You know when you tell somebody they’re blushing it only makes it worse.”

“I know,” she said, smiling.
 
“That’s why I do it.”
 
She adjusted her hat, lifting it up one side and tucking her long blonde curls into the crown.
 
“I like this hat.
 
I might have to keep it.”

“It looks better on you.
 
Did you ever do a western?”

“Nobody makes westerns anymore except for aging actors who still get big box office.”

“I like westerns.
 
The good guys always win.”

“That’s why nobody makes them anymore.
 
Audiences don’t want the good guys to win.”
 
She stood up, stepped closer to him.
 
From his seated position on the desk, her mouth was inches above his own.
 
She unfurled the bow tie and reached over his head, draping it across his neck, then swiftly tied it, her tongue between her lips in concentration.
 
“Not bad.
 
Haven’t done that in awhile.”
 
She leaned down and kissed him softly on the lips.
 
It startled him.
 
She laughed.
 
“One for the good guy.”

He breathed in the taste of her lips.
 
“Wow.”
 
That word hung in the air, dumb and immature.
 
He struggled back to reality.
 
“Thanks.”

“You know what I’m going to say now?”

“I’m blushing again?”

“Yup.”

“Well so are you.”

She put her hands on her cheeks.
 
“No kidding, what do you know about that?”

“You’re right.
 
It is cute.”

She ran her hand across his cheek.
 
“I like the real world.
 
Thanks for letting me visit it with you.”

“Anytime.”

She sighed.
 
“I have to go back upstairs now, don’t I?”

“That’s up to you.”

She poked a fingernail into her mouth.
 
“Hmm.
 
My stuff is in the suite, but I don’t want to go back in there.
 
Not ever.”

“Okay.”

“My manicurist said I should avoid stressful situations.”
 
She chewed on her nail.

“What do you need from the suite?
 
I can get it for you.”

Her eyes widened.
 
“Really?”

Then it all came rushing back to him.
 
This wasn’t the real world at all, because he wasn’t a butler, there was no way he could get into the suite, and besides that, he had no authority to go into the suite.
 
He wouldn’t even make it past the security guard.

“See?”
 
She made a small adjustment to his bow tie and slipped her sunglasses back on.
 
“I made a good choice for my butler.”

Max saw his reflection in her dark lenses.

He was surprised to find that he did look a little like a butler
.

Chapter Twenty

Shannon
tugged on his sleeve.
 
“What if she’s still in there?”

“You think they’re having a sleepover?”

“Well, sometimes
Brandon
takes a while.
 
He’s…gifted.”

“Let’s just stick to the facts.”

“That is a fact.
 
He takes him like an hour to finish.”

“Including a shower afterwards?”

“No it’s a full hour of penetration.”

“All of it with his penis?”

“…for the first orgasm.
 
Then in a few minutes he can go again.”

“By
go again
do you mean a full replay or just highlights?’

“The whole thing.”

“Now I hate him too.’

“Are you really going in there?”

He had no idea how, or what he was going to do once he was in there, but he seemed to be going in that direction anyway.
 
“Looks like it.”

“So what if
Brandon
sees you?”

Good question.
 
“I’ll pretend I’m doing turndown service.
 
I’m a butler, right?”

“Right.”
 
She was chewing her nail again as they walked down the 23
^rd
floor hallway. “What if he freaks out on you?”

“I’ll just…wait.”
 
He stopped and turned to her.
 
“What do you mean by
freak out?”

She popped her finger out of her mouth.
 
“Didn’t you read about the waiter with a camera phone that ambushed us at Spago?
 
Brandon
broke a wine bottle over his head and stuffed olives up his nose until he choked.”

Max unconsciously touched his nose.
 
“He choked through his nose?”

“It was a lot of olives.”

“Was the waiter wearing a tuxedo?”

She chewed her lip in thought.
 
“They wear bowties and aprons.”

“No problem.
 
I’m wearing a tuxedo.
 
No guy would ever hurt another guy wearing a tuxedo.”

“Not a big James Bond fan, are you?”

“That’s the movies, not real life.”

“Like I can tell the difference.”

They began striding down the hall, flanked on either side by their mirror images passing between gilded frames.

Shannon
said, “Also he has a gun.”

“I’ve seen James Bond movies.”

“No, I mean
Brandon
has a gun.”

Max stopped again.
 
“What happened to the olive thing?
 
I could deal with the olives.”

“It’s part of the image.
 
Strippers, platinum jewelry, .45 automatic.
 
You’ve seen rappers in videos.”

“Again, not real life.”

“In the case of rappers, it’s real life.”

“Great.
 
Okay, are you sure he brought it with him?”

“I have no idea.”

“Do you really think he would shoot a butler inside a suite in a casino hotel?
 
Does he just walk around carrying a loaded gun and shoot anyone he doesn’t recognize?”

“Well that would be silly.”

“So let’s assume he won’t shoot me.”

“Oh I hope he doesn’t.”
 
She ran her hand up his arm.
 
“I like you, Max.”

“Besides, there’s a security guard right outside your door.”

“Good point.
 
Do
they
carry guns?”

“I’m not sure.
 
Let’s go find out.”

They walked the remainder of the way to the suite.
 
There was a new security officer at post outside the door.
 
Max walked over to him and looked at his belt.

“No gun,” he said.

The officer smirked.
 
“Are you serious?”
 
He turned to
Shannon
.
 
“Welcome back, Miss Moon.”

“Has anyone come out of the suite?”
 
Shannon
asked.

The guard shook his head.
 
“Just you.”

“Swell,” she said, stuffing her hands in her coat pockets.

Max walked her a discreet distance away.
 
“What do you want out of there?”

Shannon
narrowed her eyes.
 
“Bring me her head.
 
No wait.
 
Bring me
his
head.
 
Oh hell, just bring both their heads; you can help me carry them.”

“No one’s getting head from anybody.”
 
He shook his head.
 
“You know what I mean.”

“Fine.
 
Just get my purse.
 
It’s on the leather sectional in the living room.”
 
She winked at him.
 
“Where we first met.”

“Stop trying to make me blush.
 
Do you have your key?”

“No.
 
Don’t
you
have a master key or something?”

“Uhm.
 
I’m off the clock.”

“So go get one.”

Wow, she was good at this.
 
“Wait a second.”
 
He turned to the security officer who was very obviously not listening to them.
 
“Excuse me.”

“Yes sir?”

“Do you have a master key on you?”

“Yes sir.”

“Can you use it to swipe me into the suite?
 
I have to get her purse.”

“As long as she’s okay with it, I’ll do it.
 
Are you ready now?”

“Ready.”

The security officer swiped the magnetic key in the door lock.
 
The light on the lock flashed green followed by the sound of the lock disengaging.

Shannon
grabbed Max’s hand.
 
“Are you sure about this?”

“Sure I’m sure.”

“Really really sure?”

“Really.”