Goddess of Vengeance - Jackie Collins [49]
But she was young – too young?
Hell no, he was Billy Melina, he could hook up with anyone he wanted.
‘Absolutely not,’ she said, shaking her head. Then after taking a long beat she added, ‘I don’t suppose . . .’ Trailing off, she looked at him expectantly.
He caught her drift and hurriedly said, ‘Sorry – no. Much as I’d like to be there for you, it ain’t gonna happen.’ No way, babe. Are you kidding? Lucky would have my balls for breakfast.
‘No?’
‘No.’
‘I get it,’ she sighed.
And then she thought – But there’s no way I’m giving up on Billy Melina.
No way at all.
* * *
Once a year Lucky planned a board meeting for all her original investors, hopefully a celebration of how well The Keys was doing in such a downward economy. Generally Vegas had taken a big hit, but not The Keys – oh no, business was on an upward spiral.
The day before the meeting she gathered a group of her key executives who early on had each received shares in her company. Being part of the process was the biggest incentive of all, and everyone appreciated Lucky’s generosity. She’d learned from Gino that making people who worked for her feel like part of a family group was a key move. Actually it was something she enjoyed; personal interaction couldn’t be beat for creating a loyal group of executives who were always there for her.
A lunchtime gathering took place on one of the flower-filled outdoor patios, where Lucky made sure to have a one-on-one conversation with each individual. She had the knack of not only remembering everyone’s name, but she also knew the names of their spouses, kids, and family pets if they had any. Lucky was much adored by the people who worked for her. They were extremely dedicated; they too strived for The Keys to be the best it could be.
As Lucky moved between groups, stories were exchanged about difficult guests, high rollers who weren’t worth the trouble they caused, con artists, stars and their egos, jewellery thieves, card sharks, petty criminals, fake identities, and beautiful women passing themselves off as high society – when in fact they were highly expensive call girls. All Vegas hotels and casinos suffered from the same proliferation of scammers, but Lucky liked to think her security team worked at the top of their game. She enjoyed hearing the stories, always interesting, sometimes bizarre, often hard to believe.
Jerrod, her Head of Security, was the best. Formerly a captain in the Israeli army, nothing and no one got past him.
Jerrod was Lucky’s rock and, like Danny, she trusted him implicitly.
* * *
Oh my God! What have I done? Denver thought, panicking slightly.
You’ve invited Bobby to meet the family, her inner voice replied, unruffled and in control.
Why? she asked herself, still panicking.
Because you know it’s time.
The problem is – will they like him? And will he like them?
You’ll just have to wait and see, won’t you?
Fortunately she was due in court to prosecute a famous actress who was up on a shoplifting charge, so she didn’t have much time to think about Bobby and her somewhat eccentric family. But she was anxious all the same; she so wanted them to like him.
And they will.
What if they don’t?
Stop obsessing.
On her way into court she got a text from Carolyn asking what she thought of Vanessa.
Hmm . . . interesting question, but she had no time to give her opinion of Vanessa now. She had a high-profile shoplifting case to win, a family dinner to worry about, and an upcoming trip to Vegas.
Briskly she texted back. Seems nice. But she didn’t add or not. Had to keep a positive attitude. It was Carolyn’s life.
Then she dived into court with work on her mind.
* * *
Now that his slippery Russian investors had finally signed on to put up the money for his L.A. and Miami clubs, Bobby was more than ready to meet the architects and designers he’d chosen to work with. Mood in L.A. had to be a total winner considering the fierce competition. Clubs in L.A. came and went all the time, so Mood had to stand out as the place to be.