Concealment (The Cassano Series Book 1) Read online

  Grabbing hold of my forearms, Adrian pulls me off of him and yells at a valet guy to get his car.

  “Fuck!” Pacing the sidewalk by the driveway, he laces his fingers behind his head. “Jealousy, Victoria. You deserve an award. I’ve managed not to feel that emotion for almost ten fucking years, but I feel it now.”

  I’m dying to tell him the truth, but I can’t, especially not after seeing Noah Sanders here. I have to find out how he’s connected to these men.

  “Adrian, Rick is only a friend. I thought I was supposed to attend functions with your clients.” I’m reeling off my words, desperate for him to understand.

  “I want to trust you, but everything that has happened tells me I can’t. Go back inside.”

  “No, I don’t want to.”

  “Well, I guess you can cozy up with the valet guys next since I’m getting the hell out of here.”

  “You jerk! How could you even say something like that?” I launch my shoes at him, but he ducks before they soar over his head. My hands are fisted as I scowl.

  “You’re fucking crazy,” he snaps.

  “No, I’m passionate and pissed. There’s a difference. Oh, and eager, too, so I hear!”

  The Aston Martin pulls up in front of him.

  “Adrian, bro, wait,” Simon yells after coming up beside me.

  “Go to hell,” Adrian says icily before he’s in his car and peeling out of the driveway.

  “You ran him off,” I shout to Simon with a glare.

  “He’s leaving because of you, not me, sweetheart.” He holds a finger up at my face, and I want to break it.

  “I told you that you were not going to be friendly with my brother and someone else at the same time. He saw what he needed to see. You won’t be a headache now.”

  “You are an asshole.”

  Simon’s arm flies up and drops back down, his expression one of astonishment.

  “Are you wanting to get fired?”

  “No. I’m sorry, but for the record, I care about your brother.”

  “You can’t work in Elite and see him. You have to be able to spend time with the men who pay to play, and this situation is already fucking that up.”

  Jersey pulls out a piece of gum that looks like Nicorette and pops it into his mouth. His foot is tapping as he swings his head to the side to flip the hair out of his face.

  I cross my arms and purse my lips.

  “So, you’re saying I have to sleep with men for my paycheck?”

  His hands fly up in front of him.

  “Whoa, I never said that. We pay you to work in the lounge. It’s up to you whether you want to see anyone outside of there.”

  My eyebrows raise. “Then why did you say I have to? Huh?”

  He blows out a loud breath. “You’re a real pain in the ass.” His Jersey accent is thick, and I wonder if that’s why he goes by the nickname or simply because he’s from there.

  “It’s not required, but all the servers have wanted to spend time with our clients. They’re wealthy as shit, so it’s a no-brainer.”

  I huff. “Not every woman is after money.”

  “Look, these men don’t have to go hunting for a piece of ass. Most of them want a beautiful girl to have on their arm for parties like this one.

  “If they get sex, it’s a bonus, but they’ll find it one way or another from someone.”

  “You really won’t fire a woman for not sleeping with a client?”

  “No, and I don’t lie or sugarcoat. But Adrian watches the cameras like a hawk, and if he sees them flirting with you and then loses his shit like he did back there, it’s going to hurt our business.”

  “So, you’re saying choose him or the job.”

  His head falls back, and he stares at the sky as I exhaust his honesty. “I guess I am.”

  “Everything alright out here?”

  I glance to Rick, who has walked up on us. My heart rate increases, and my nerves can’t take much more.

  “I’ll leave you two alone,” Simon says before he starts toward the house.

  “I see you and Adrian have a history.” Rick conjures up a faint smile, but it’s obvious he isn’t pleased.

  “Brief but recent. I didn’t know until tonight how much it must have meant to him.”

  His hand slides through his light brown hair as he gazes out toward the long driveway.

  “Did it mean as much to you?”

  “Yes, but I didn’t realize that either until tonight.”

  Calm and collected, he steps away to retrieve my shoes I’ve thrown.

  “He’s a lucky man,” he says as he places them in my hands.

  “I can’t say he feels that way, considering he left.”

  “My driver is still here in case anyone needs a ride after drinking. I imagine you would like to go home.”

  Wrapping my hand around his arm, I lean up and kiss his cheek.

  “Thank you, Rick, for being understanding. I didn’t intend for any of this to happen.”

  “Goodnight, Vicky.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Adrian

  “I knew you would be working,” Simon says after barging into my office.

  “Get out.”

  “Shit, Ace, can you give me a chance to apologize?”

  “It must be easy to apologize now that you accomplished your goal.”

  Sighing, he begins unbuttoning the sleeves of his dress shirt at his wrists. He rolls them up and drags a leather chair over to another that is off to the side in front of my desk.

  “What the hell are you doing?” The only light on is from a lamp on my desk, but it’s enough to see his smirk as he takes a seat in one chair and props his feet in the other.

  “I’m getting comfortable. We need to chat.”

  “What, about how you don’t think before you act?”

  “We’ve had enough damn talks about that. No, I want to talk about this Vicky.”

  “Her name is Victoria, and she’s not a ‘this.’”

  “You made that pretty clear tonight. Bro, I’m sorry. I had no idea you cared about her that much.”

  “I don’t.”

  “Bullshit. I know you charged out of there because if you hadn’t, you would’ve kicked Rick Jacobs’s ass.”

  I toss my pen on the desk and sit back as I slide my hands down my face.

  “Adrian, I thought you would see her with Rick, think she’s a whore and be done with her.”

  “She’s not a whore.” I glare at my brother like I never have before.

  “I shouldn’t have said that.” He holds his hands up in defense. “She’s a hard-ass. She had the nerve to call me an asshole.”

  A smile naturally curves from my mouth. I don’t want to feel anything warm toward her, but picturing Victoria bitching Simon out is funny. I would’ve stuck around to witness that.

  “I can tell she has feelings for you, and considering you haven’t cared about anyone outside of this family for as long as I can remember, you should make nice with her.”

  “Make nice?” Simon and his strange little phrases.

  “Hear her out. Tell her you like her. Fuck her finally. Whatever, just stop the sulking and working so damn much.”

  “You’re one to talk. I don’t see you in a relationship, and you live here almost as much as I do.”

  Simon is staring at the ceiling, slouched in the chair and comfy with his ankles crossed on the other cushion.

  “I’m nine years younger than you. I don’t need to worry about keeping one chick happy. Fuck um’ and chuck um’.

  “Well, sometimes I have to buy them dinner, but that’s alright since I need to eat before sex, too. It’s when I have to buy them jewelry and purses and shit that it becomes tedious.”

  “Do you ever listen to yourself?”

  “Are you ever going to stop criticizing me?”

  After looking at the clock and seeing it’s midnight, I stand and stretch.

  “Come on. Let’s get out of here.” />
  Simon’s legs fall between the chairs. He begrudgingly rises and stretches, too.

  “That chick from Rick’s place is waiting for me at D/s. I better get down there before she’s too trashed to fuck.”

  I shake my head, hoping he grows up before he’s thirty. “I haven’t seen Zev for days. Tell him to call me.”

  Jersey gives me a hug reserved only for us brothers, where we clasp hands at the chest and pat each other’s back.

  I guess I should be impressed he even showed up here to make things right. He didn’t have to. Now, whether I can take his advice about Victoria is another thing.

  I was foolish to think her career wouldn’t interfere with what I’m doing at the hotel and casino.

  I can’t let her destroy the progress my brothers and I have worked so hard to make, but staying away from her seems impossible.

  Victoria

  “Oh, Caine, I’ve missed working with you down here on the main floor,” I say before I slide my empty beer bottle across the bar to him. He smiles at me with his blue eyes.

  “You worked with me for four days.”

  “Yeah, but you’re sweet. The Cassano brothers are uptight assholes. I need another.”

  “That would make number five, and you’re drinking them fast.”

  “Please.” Batting my eyelashes at him, I stick out a pouty lip.

  “OK, one more, but you drink it slowly.” He gives me a point of the finger before he turns around to get the one thing that can numb my broken heart this evening.

  I was beginning to think I didn’t have one of those, and I performed my job a whole lot better when I was oblivious to its existence. I’m getting depressed again.

  “I’m going to go get my groove on. Can you take a break and go dancing with me at one of the clubs?” I ask him.

  “No, I can’t do that,” he replies, grinning.

  “You’re missing out,” I say in a sing song as I slide off the bar stool. I stumble to the right before arms grip mine from behind.

  I turn my head, and a nice old man stands me back up. “Thank you, sir.” I’m off to go clubin’. Want to join me?”

  He chuckles loudly. “No, no dancing in a club for me.”

  “Vicky, maybe you should stay put and let me call someone to come get you,” Caine says.

  “Don’t tell me what to do. All the men around me think they can make decisions for me.” I glare at him. “Well, not tonight, buddy.”

  I stumble away, feeling the effects of my drinks. How many did I have at Rick’s earlier?

  I hear the thumping of the bass when I reach the entrance to Caged, one of the clubs in the hotel. I wait impatiently behind the few people in line.

  “I need to see ID, sugar,” the extremely tall and wide bouncer says to me. “That’s so flattering.” I dig through my wristlet, which has been hanging there all night, and find my identification.

  I have to pee. First thing I need to do is find a bathroom. Once inside, I shove my way through the crowd, and man is it ever busy.

  After I go pee, I’m getting a beer and finding the dance floor. I can’t even remember the last time I got the courage to dance, but I have it tonight.

  ***

  “You’re no fun,” I say to the man who just demanded I get off the bar. OK, he had to have the bouncer remove me from the bar, but it was worth it. I got to dance my ass off for a few minutes, anyway.

  The bouncer leaves, and I start to stumble, so the other man grabs hold of me. I’m against his chest, so I take a peek up at him.

  “Wow, you look like someone I know. He’s uptight like you, too. What’s your name, and what gives you the right to interrupt my dancing?”

  “I’m Xavier Cassano, and this isn’t Coyote Ugly. That’s down the street.”

  “You’re Zev?” I ask excitedly.

  “Yes, and how do you know that name?”

  He views me suspiciously as he stands me upright. It figures another Cassano got to boss me around tonight. Or is it tomorrow already?

  “I work in Elite.”

  “I’ve never seen you before, so I find that hard to believe.”

  “Why does everyone say that?” I poke him in the chest. “Adrian placed me in there himself, and because of it, my life is all kinds of fucked up.”

  “Shit, you really work here. Jersey told me about you. Come on.” Grabbing hold of my forearm, Zev pulls me behind him toward the exit. “Hey, I know Jersey, too, and slow down.”

  We’re soon outside the doors of the club since Zev’s a big party pooper.

  Shocker.

  “Who can I call to pick you up?”

  “I’ll take the bus.”

  “I’m not letting you walk out of here.” He points to a somewhat comfy looking chair that he’s dragged me to. “Sit.”

  Geez, they’re all bossy. I plop down on the seat. There are two of them next to each other with a small table in between.

  Oh, this is nice. My feet hurt from the uncomfortable heels I’m wearing, so I pull them off and drop them to the floor.

  Curling up in the chair, I rest my forearms on the arm rest and my head on top of them before staring up at Zev, who briefly scratches the back of his shiny hair.

  He resembles Adrian, and it’s making me sad. Simon has auburn woven throughout his brown hair like Theo, but Zev’s is ebony like Adrian’s.

  I close my eyes, unable to fight the sleepiness creeping in, and the pain my heart is trying not to feel.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Victoria

  After pulling the roof of my mouth away from my tongue, I swallow. There is a swooshing sound in my ears, and my stomach is queasy.

  Something smells different yet familiar. It’s woodsy with a bite of citrus. I press my nose against the pillow more and inhale another breath.

  My eyes snap open as I make the realization I’m not in my bed. Sitting up promptly, my eyes dart around the space. Adrian’s bedroom.

  Oh, lord, what have I done?

  I look next to me, and the bed is made on the other side. My dress is off, and I’m in a plain, white t-shirt. Leaning forward, I bury my hands in my face.

  I’ve spun completely out of control. Generally impulsive, yes, but never have I been as irresponsible as I was last night.

  Zev!

  The memories of dancing on a bar flood my mind. Shit, I met the mysterious Xavier Cassano while drunk off my ass.

  Looking to the clock on the nightstand, I see a piece of paper taped to the front of it. “JB” is handwritten on the outside.

  I have a feeling it’s for me. Reaching over, I pull it free. When I glance down, I see the small garbage pail next to the bed.

  Humiliation is operating the jackhammer that’s going to work on my head. I rub the front of it, trying to ease the pressure before I open the note.

  I told you to take better care of yourself. Your reckless behavior could’ve gotten you hurt last night.

  I’m in my gym. I would prefer you stay, but I’ll understand if you choose not to.

  P.S. There are juice boxes in the refrigerator.

  I flip the note over to read the initials again on the front. “JB.” Juice Box. Wow, what a sexy nickname. Actually, I guess it’s sort of sweet.

  Straight to the restroom I go. The stuff Adrian had purchased for me during my last stay is sitting on the counter.

  A sting of guilt intertwined with more humiliation crawls wickedly through me like a spider, its web growing by the minute.

  There’s a bottle of water and pain reliever next to the faucet on the sink. I take two and brush my teeth with a new pink toothbrush.

  A shower is next, but it’s cut short as the heat makes me sick. I barely step out and get a towel around me before I’m hurling into the toilet.

  Water is dripping everywhere and running down my legs. This is disastrous. I hear him come in before he touches me. He holds back my soaked hair that is splattered in vomit.

  This situation keeps getting worse by
the second. Once I’m sure I’m done, I stand and close the toilet seat.

  “Sit,” Adrian says as he turns my body.

  “Bossy much?” I stare straight ahead, unable to make eye contact with him.

  “Are you this contrary always?”

  “Thank you for helping me. This is so embarrassing. I haven’t been myself since meeting you.”

  I let my eyes roam from his black gym shorts to the V trailing up over his hips. Glistening sweat covers his rock-hard abs and chest, and when my eyes reach his, they’re staring at me intently.

  “You’re holding vomit.”

  “You’re checking me out while I’m holding vomit.”

  We both chuckle, and warmth not only spreads to my face but to my heart, as well. Adrian picks up the glass of water with his free hand and holds it out to me.

  “Take some sips. Do you think you could get back in the shower if I keep the water cool?”

  “Yes, I don’t think there is anything left in my stomach.”

  “Then get in, and I’ll wash away the vomit.”

  “I have to brush my teeth again first.” I step in front of the mirror, and Adrian never lets go of my hair.

  “You don’t have to keep holding it. It will be washed off of me soon enough.” We’re staring at each other through the mirror, and even feeling like death, I want to have sex with the gorgeous man.

  Adrian

  Letting go of Victoria’s hair, I turn on the shower while she brushes her teeth.

  It’s as if we’re reliving what happened at the beginning of the week, but I’m praying for a better outcome this round.

  I was shocked when Zev called me last night. I had just gotten into bed, but I jumped out of it and dressed in a flash after he told me he was with Victoria.

  There she was, curled up in a chair in the lobby. Sitting next to her was my brother with a shit eating grin on his face.

  “I have to say I’m impressed. You definitely stepped out of the box. There is nothing submissive about this one.”

  “Did you touch her?” I asked him aggressively.