High Stakes (Vegas Vampires #1)(32)
Author: Erin McCarthy

The door to Donatelli’s room swung open before he could knock. "Mr. Donatelli is waiting on the veranda."

Ringoignored the doorman and walked right past him to the sliding glass doors. The rush of heat hit him as he opened the door and stepped onto the patio. Donatelli was lounging in a wrought iron chaise in the shade, a glass of red wine in his hand, black Italian sunglasses covering his eyes.

"Columbia."

" Donatelli."

The man didn’t look at him, but stared out across the Strip, and lifted his cigarette to his mouth. "There will be no payment. You didn’t do what I asked you to."

Though Ringo was not an emotional man, the patronizing nonchalance of the Italian irritated him. But he just shrugged and leaned over the balcony, the sun hitting him in the face once he cleared the overhang of the balcony above. "I did what you asked. I killed him."

"I asked for specific requirements and they were not met. You neither killed him nor removed his head."

"I hit him. He was dead." But suddenly Ringo wasn’t sure that he had. If Kelsey had drugged him, maybe the shooting of Carrick hadn’t been successful. He’d thought it had gone off. That he’d plugged his mark straight in the heart twice, but maybe his per- ceptionswere off.

If he had demanded payment from Donatelli without complet ing the hit, then his reputation was going to be damaged.Which wouldn’t be good for business.

"Let us not argue over this. Go to The Ava and see if you killed him or didn’t kill him. I’ll give you until tomorrow morning to do the job,then I’m hiring someone else."

Ringoground his teeth together, but managed to say, "Fine." And this time, he’d stay the hell away from leggy brunettes and keep his mind on work.

Women were career suicide, and Ringo didn’t want to wind up dead.

Chapter Twelve

"So how rich are you?" Alexis asked him as they entered the main gaming room on the first floor.

Ethan glanced down at her, amused. "I don’t believe that is any of your damn business."

"Oh, come on. If I’m going to be your campaign girlfriend, I need all the facts." She looked up at him with bald curiosity.

"Here are the facts. This hotel and casino opened in the year two thousand to replace a venture I’d had in the early nineties when Vegas decided it wanted to go clean and cater to families. That replaced a smaller-scale hotel I’d had in the seventies. The Ava matches the pomp and grandeur of any other luxury hotel on the Strip. We have over two thousand guest suites, eight bars, six restaurants, a full service spa, three pools, two fitness rooms, and an indoor shopping complex that is designed to look like a Holly wood movie lot in the thirties and forties. "We have a three-screen movie theater that plays two current releases and one black-and-white classic. It’s a very successful establishment."

Arms crossed as she surveyed the room, Alexis glanced up at him. "You’re proud of this hotel."

"I am." He liked the challenges it presented and the over-the-top grandeur. And the longer his immortal life lasted, the more he wanted to connect himself to the earth, to the feeling that people knew him, that he wasn’t just a shadow shifting through life unknown.

"How the hell do you find time to run such a huge business and be president?"

"Being president really isn’t a full-time job. Maybe twenty hours a week when I’m actually in office. Campaigning can be time-consuming, but Seamus organizes my schedule. He tells me where to go and I do it."

"And what to say?"

He heard the insult. "Not always. I do think for myself." She snorted.

Which couldn’t go unchallenged."For example, Seamus doesn’t approve of you as my choice for a mortal girlfriend. But I told him I didn’t give a damn. I want you."

Alexis caught his innuendo, which was just as he’d intended. Her eyes narrowed as she stared up at him. Even with rather im-pressive pointy-toed heels on, she was still much shorter than he was. She licked her plump bottom lip, which made him want to direct this tour right back up to his suite, when she broke eye con-tact and started walking.

The way she went boldly into the room, charging ahead of him, attracted attention. The floor manager looked flustered to see him, and Ethan realized he wasn’t usually around at four in the afternoon. He was never with a woman. Not on his casino floor anyway. Normally, he kept his affairs private, and in recent months there had been no affairs at all because of the election. He’d been a good little vampire.

It was absolutely killing him. Celibacy was for monks and ugly people.

"Mr. Carrick, what a surprise. Is there anything I can do for you, sir?"

"No, thank you, Jason.I’m just giving a tour to a friend."

"I’m his girlfriend," Alexis said and stuck her hand out. "Alexis Baldizzi ,ClarkCounty prosecutor." She pumped Jason’s hand while he murmured a startled greeting.

Alexis smacked Ethan on the wrist. "I’ll just introduce myself since you’re too rude to do it."

Now Jason was wide-eyed.

Ethan was annoyed, but refused to show it."Sorry, my dear.How inexcusable of me."

"See what I have to put up with?" Alexis asked Jason, hands going into the pockets of her jeans. "Now he’s mocking me."

"I am not." He couldn’t quite keep the edge of irritation out of his voice.

"Don’t start with me, Ethan. I am so not in the mood." She gave him a glare. "Now get me a drink."

He hadn’t expected Alexis capable of flouncing, but she did an admirable job. Clearing his throat, he said, "Excuse me, Jason, I need to, uh, get her a drink."

"No problem, sir."

Fuming, Ethan caught up with her. "You’re not supposed to make me look like an idiot. You’re supposed to make me look considerate. And just with vampires, I might add," he said in a low undertone.

"Jason isn’t one?"

"No."

"Well, how the hellam I supposed to know? How do you know if you meet someone for the first time?"

Ethan steered her past the bar. "I can sense it. Smell it."

Her lip curled." Eew. What do mortals smell like?"

"Blood, among other things.Vampires smell like cool water, and their strength is like an aura surrounding them."

"Seriously?"She ground to a halt. "I smell like blood to you? That is so incredibly disturbing."

Oh, wonderful, he’d curled her stomach. "I can smell it, yes, but it’s only part of the overall sense of you. I smell vanilla, clean flesh, mango shampoo." He leaned closer, whispered, "I smell your desire for me."