Page 26 of Grim

“I don’t know what you’re up to, Kenna,” Grim snarled quietly behind me, “but this is a huge deal for my hotel. Don’t fuck this up on me.” He waved for me to step in.

“See, that’s the problem. You don’t know me at all.” I ignored him then and bent to climb into the Hummer. I was sure I gave Grim a good show. To my surprise, he waited until I was settled then slid in next to me.

Thankfully, it was a short drive to Secrets.

Grim stayed on his phone while I read a few more facts that Zara sent me.

When we parked, Grim got out as the driver opened the door. He turned as I carefully swung my legs to get out and held out his hand. I took it, and he lifted me out with little effort on his part.

“You’re welcome.” He tapped at my skirt as he moved aside to let the others out. That was the first decent thing I’d seen him do yet.

“Welcome to Secrets.” Grim slipped into work mode as he directed the group up the stairs of the new hotel entrance. He kept close to DJ Clay as he gave them a tour and tried to imprint a vision of the lobby and casino on their imaginations. I kept pace with Grim as DJ addressed a few questions directly to me. I was sure he just wanted to see how much I really knew.

“And this would be the club. You’d be up there.” Grim pointed to the stage. He must have pulled double time to get the walls up and the skeleton of the stage built. It might have already been done, I reminded myself, as I hadn’t come into this area when I was here that night. I hated to admit I was impressed. The club was huge, and the massive blueprints he’d blown up on a touch screen to one side gave a 3D view of what was to come. “The acoustics will be perfect.” Grim began a technical description of just how that was planned.

“This is pretty sick.” DJ Clay stroked his chin as he thought.

I moved around the room to envision it in full swing. I tuned out the others and brought the scene to life in my mind.

“What do you think, Miss Lodge?” DJ Clay’s voice broke through my thoughts. I turned around and knew my eyes were lit with excitement. If I was this enchanted, I knew he’d be able to feed off it.

“I think this is the place any DJ would dream of entertaining in. How could you not bring them in by the thousands just to see this place?”

As I hoped, his eyes went wide as he looked around.

I moved around the room, ready to paint a story. “A new hotel opens on the Strip, a trusted name behind the owner. Every room in the place screams with a promise of sinful pleasure.” I lowered my voice to make it husky. “A hot new DJ spins from Friday to Monday but disappears off the radar the rest of the week.” I added that last bit, as I knew DJ Clay needed his alone time to reboot before the next show.

I pointed at Grim. “And Mr. Gates is the perfect person to market this place. Just look at him. He’s everything you know you shouldn’t want.” Grim’s cold eyes held mine and one eyebrow lifted. “His very presence screams dark desire. Men want to be his friend, and women want more than just those dark, sexy eyes on them.” All eyes were on me, so I used my final hook. “My opinion. If you’re going to break out as a headliner show, you do it here, where everyone is excited to experience something new. Something daring. Something,” I paused for dramatic effect, “sinful.” Grim licked his lips then tore his gaze away from my fingers that stroked down the front of my shirt.

“You’ll have the penthouse on the sixteenth floor, with a fully stocked bar,” Grim started. “Of course, all meals comped on the nights you perform. I’ll come in twenty percent above the going rate. That’s more than the Taro or Mac would offer, but my offer only stands until midnight.”

I tried to hide my shock. Everyone wanted DJ Clay, so why would Grim give him half a day to decide?

DJ Clay moved his gaze from Grim, to his guys, then to me.

“Okay, Mr. Gates, no need to wait. You got a deal.”

“Excellent.” Grim snapped his fingers, and his right-hand man Jesse came out of nowhere. “Jesse has the paperwork ready to go. He can email a copy to your lawyer immediately. So, if you’d like to give him a call, we can have this settled within the hour.”

I watched as Grim answered every question with ease and expertise. He obviously knew the contract front to back. When they were done, we all piled back into the stretch Hummer, and they cracked a bottle of Fireball whiskey to seal the deal. I felt the want to complement Grim on his business skills, but his stoney face was stuck in his phone again and the moment passed.

Once we were dropped off back at the hotel, I spotted Minnie and waved. I started to head toward her to tell her my good story, but Grim’s hand suddenly gripped my elbow and pulled me aside.

“I should have you fired for the way you overstepped?—”

“I didn’t overstep.”

“And you have a nasty habit of cutting me off,” he steamed.

“Have you met you?” I shot back. “Admit it or not, I helped you get that deal.” His eyes flashed with anger, and he backed me up against the wall. His fingertips dragged down my arms, sending electricity to my nerve endings. Just as I thought he was going to lose it completely, his face changed, and he smiled. A darkness came over him, and his eyes drew me into their depths like nothing I’d ever felt before. Sounds dissipated and colors muted. It was almost frightening.

“Well, sweetheart, if you want to play with me,” he licked his lips slowly, and his voice came from somewhere deep down inside, “game on.” His thumb brushed along my jaw as his fingers circled my throat, then he backed off and headed for the elevator.

“Fuck,” Minnie mouthed from across the lobby as she fanned herself. I moved and tried to gather myself. I wasn’t sure if I should be intrigued that he didn’t fire me or be terrified that I’d just started a war with Grim Gates.

Grim

I strummed my fingers on the black velvet armrest of the medieval-style chair. I had it placed so it sat slightly higher than the rest at the table. It was a tad dramatic, but I wanted to make a statement. I wasn’t the type to sit in the background. Establishing dominance was key in my world and something I always planned carefully in my everyday dealings. Besides, I always lived up to my name.

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