Chapter 6
Chapter Six
I t was a nightmare of his own making.
Alex s temper was always smoldering, like the embers at the end of the bonfire parties they used to have out in the desert back in high school. Usually, he kept a bucket of water nearby to douse any flame-ups and covered it all up with a smile and a fuck-all-this attitude.
The smile had failed, and the bucket must have been filled with gasoline instead of water because the fire had raged out of control today. And now he was paying for it.
So…who s going to run the Sweetlys party? His assistant, Yasmin, leaned on the doorframe of his office as the elevator doors shushed closed behind Evie, whose anger lingered like smoke in the hall. Joey Campo s a good kid, but I don t think he can manage this.
His pulse still roared in his ears. He cracked the knuckle of his middle finger, then he set his palms on the smooth surface of his desk to cool them. No, the rest of the staff would run right over Evie s doe-eyed assistant. I ll do it.
Yasmin raised an eyebrow. You don t know the first thing about managing parties.
How hard can it be? I m sure Evie left a file somewhere.
Harder than you think. Besides, Jack expects you to be at the party shaking hands and looking good, not sweating over how to get another case of champagne at the last minute. Next time, maybe don t fire your event planner hours before an event begins.
You can do it, then. Yasmin had worked for him almost since the beginning. She knew everything about his operation.
Oh, no. She shook her head. I have plans tonight.
Cancel them. I ll pay you double overtime. Triple, he amended when she shook her head again.
No can do, boss. It s my nephew s graduation.
Alex groaned and buried his head in his hands. Who could he coerce to manage the party at the last minute?
A brilliant idea struck him, and he raised his face. Mary!
You want me to pray with you? Yasmin pursed her lips. You know I m not Catholic.
Not Hail Mary, he said, though this was a desperate act. Mary Forza. Get her on the phone, please.
On it. Yasmin went to her desk outside his office, and a minute later, his phone buzzed.
Taking a deep breath, he forced a smile onto his face and picked up the handset. Mary.
Hello, Alex. What s up? A keyboard clacked in the background.
You busy? he purred like they both had all the time in the world.
Always, she said. It s Saturday, and we ve got two bachelor parties tonight, plus some airport transportation. What can I do for you?
He remembered how she used to gripe about driving people to and from the airport. The drivers earned a pittance for the hours they sometimes waited, especially during times of extreme weather. The Forzas cut had to be even smaller. She must not be able to turn down customers. He hoped once she got the planning business off the ground, she could kill off the airport shuttle.
I have an opportunity for you, he said. An event planning gig.
The keyboard clicks stopped. You want me to plan an event?
Here s the best part: the event is already planned. All you have to do is execute it.
Execute? When?
He winced. Leave it to Mary to cut right to it. Tonight.
Tonight? What happened? Is Evie sick?
Not exactly.
Then what exactly?
He d known Mary too long to bullshit her. Alex rubbed the spot over his eyebrow that twinged. She booked the Richardson wedding into the small ballroom. The small ballroom for a five-hundred-person event! I already freed up a hundred rooms by making a deal with the Bellagio. The goddamn Bellagio! If she d asked me, I would have shuffled things to free up the grand ballroom, but she didn t. We argued, and I…I let her go.
You fired your event planner over a ballroom mixup. That you could have easily resolved. And you ve got an event tonight?
Put that way, it seemed ridiculous. But in the heat of the moment, he d only seen how Evie never did things his way. Which was the only correct way. I can t afford for anything to go wrong with the Richardson wedding. He had to wrestle back control of this conversation. Tonight s event is an anniversary party. A high-stakes one, but he wouldn t reveal that. Look, I ll pay you five thousand dollars if you can be here within the hour.
I don t know, Alex. She paused. My brothers would be on their own tonight.
Ah. She d given him the lever he needed. But I need your help, too.
She was silent a moment, so he added one more incentive. I ll give you credit for the entire event. You can add it to your event planning portfolio.
I couldn t. It would be dishonest to claim that I d done the whole thing.
Of course. Mary had always been honest. Incorruptible. That was why he didn t regret standing her up all those years ago. He d only have dragged her down into the dirt with him. So he appealed once more to her benevolence. He let his voice go soft, like it pained him to beg. It truly did. Will you help me? Please?
Dammit, Alex. But he could hear the laughter in her voice. Toss in a day of spa treatments, and you ve got yourself a deal.
* * *
That evening, between the soup course and the entrée, Alex found Mary in the hotel s kitchen, her dark hair piled on top of her head with a clip and sweat glistening at her temples. Wearing a knee-length black dress with chiffon sleeves that revealed her muscular arms, she stood at the stainless-steel prep counter, loading dinner plates onto a server s tray. Her shoes were black, too. Sturdy, serviceable, unsexy heels like she d wear to church. But when she raised up on her toes to lean over the counter to grab a plate, her calf muscles rounded in a way that made him wonder what they might feel like wrapped around his waist.
No, he reminded himself, she was a good girl. Not the kind of woman he dated these days. She was doing him a favor tonight. He d thrown away his chance for anything else long ago.
He crossed his arms, not budging when a server brushed against his suit as he hurried past. You re an event planner, not a sous chef.
She blew her bangs off her forehead. Tonight, I m whatever it takes to make this party run smoothly. And your kitchen doesn t have an expeditor, so I m it.
Thank you. The party has been flawless.
I m only executing on Evie s plan. It s not hard. She set down a plate a little too forcefully, and the tray wobbled. Alex grabbed it and steadied it.
Looks like hard work to me. He nodded his thanks to the server as she lifted the tray of meals and carried it out to the dining room floor.
Mary shook out her hand. Did her broken finger still bother her after all these years? Something he hadn t felt in a long time panged in his chest.
She started filling the next tray. I like hard work.
I know. Back in high school, not only had she earned all A s on her report card and served as the secretary of the young entrepreneurs club, but she d worked after school at the family business.
You do, too. She pierced him with her clear-eyed gaze for just a moment before she glanced down at the plate in her hand and handed it back to the saucier. This one s missing the balsamic glaze.
I do like to work hard. But I play hard, too. He winked.
Mary s lips tightened for a second. You make no secret of that. Now get out of my kitchen and back to your guests.
He chuckled. Come join the party when you can. I d like to introduce you to the hosts.
Really? She fanned her face before reaching for the next plate. I m a mess.
You re beautiful. It was true. Her face was flushed, and concentration made her deep brown eyes sparkle. Even the sweat-dampened curls framed her face attractively. He wanted to reach out and coil the one at her nape around his finger, but he d ceded the right to touch her long ago. It was a good thing she didn t bother to look up at him, or she d have caught the weakness on his face.
He turned to leave. I expect you to join me for dessert. I m saving a seat next to me.
Ha! she barked. That ll be the day, when there s an empty chair next to Alessandro Villa.
But Alex kept his promise. As soon as the first tray of chocolate mousse emerged from the kitchen, he excused himself from the seat he d borrowed at the councilwoman s table, next to her flirtatious daughter. He returned to his seat just below the head table and pulled up a spare chair himself, then waved to a server to bring a fresh place setting.
The anniversary couple had finished their desserts and descended from the head table to chat by the time Mary finally joined him. She d let down her hair, and the curls cascading down her back were frizzled.
He rose and kissed Mary s warm cheek. Her hair smelled sweetly of balsamic vinegar and chocolate. Jack and Janet, I d like to introduce you to the woman who s responsible for tonight s successful party. Mary Forza, of Forza Events. Mary, meet Jack and Janet Sweetly.
Hello, Mary. Janet shook Mary s hand. Janet s petite frame and short gray hair couldn t have contrasted more with Mary s solid build and voluminous dark locks. Do you work with Evie? She was so helpful with all the decisions about the party.
Well, I… Mary turned wide eyes to Alex.
Mary stepped in when Evie was unexpectedly…unavailable.
Unav—
He spoke over Mary. Hasn t she done a beautiful job?
Exquisite. We ve been so well cared for. Haven t we? Janet nudged her husband.
Yes, yes. He tugged at his tie.
Stop pulling your tie, dear, Janet said. You ve gone positively feral since you retired.
Semi-retired, Jack said.
What do you do, Jack? Mary asked.
He smoothed down his tie. I own an investment firm here in Las Vegas.
Jack helped me buy this place. Alex gestured to the frescoed ceiling. He d paid some local art students ten thousand dollars to paint it, but it looked like a million bucks.
It was a solid investment. I wish all my projects were as successful. Jack raised his champagne flute.
Smiling, Alex tapped his glass to Jack s. May our next partnership be just as lucrative. The list of people Alex trusted with a deal like the Paradise was so short Jack s name was the only one on it. He d asked his friend for a lot of money to buy the hotel, and he was leveraging Jack s reputation, too. Yet he d almost ruined Jack s party. He owed Mary for rescuing it. She d turned the snake eyes he d rolled into a win-win.
The return on my investment in this place keeps my wife in baubles. Jack tilted his head at Janet. She wore diamond drops in her ears and a diamond eternity necklace. Plus, there was her whopper of an engagement ring, snuggled up next to her sparkly wedding band.
Janet patted Jack s shoulder. You know I don t care about that, darling. She touched her necklace. Well, maybe I do care about it. A girl likes a little bling, you know? She winked at Mary.
Did Mary like bling? He d never seen her with anything but her mother s gold cross at her neck. From his observations, Mary dated nice men from church. Accountants. Hotel managers. Teachers. Alex barely kept from curling his lip. Not the kind of guys who could cover her in diamonds the way Jack did for Janet. The way she deserved.
Alex had lost count of the jewels he d given to girlfriends. But Mary wasn t like the women he dated. She d demand more than a few gemstones. She d want all of him, even the dark parts he kept hidden. More than he could ever give.
You two are so sweet together, Mary said. I don t think it s the diamonds that have kept your love alive for forty years.
No, Janet said, it s the little things. He always asks me about my day. And after dinner, he mixes me a little cocktail before he washes the dishes. And puts them away. She hummed out a little sigh.
Mary echoed it. You found yourself a winner.
Alex kept in a snort. It couldn t be that easy to win Mary s heart. Mary s man would have to get along with her lunkhead brothers, go to Mass every Sunday, and be exactly the upstanding, honorable member of the community Alex wasn t.
He d done her a favor by not showing up for prom.
Jack curled his hand around Janet s. Let s make a last round of the party so we can go home.
Janet s eyes widened. We can t leave our own anniversary party early.
Not even for… Jack whispered something in her ear.
His wife blushed. Maybe everyone is almost ready to go. Lovely meeting you, Mary. Thanks for all you ve done tonight.
Mary said, It was my pleasure. Happy anniversary.
Thank you, dear. And thanks, Alex. Janet kissed his cheek. The hotel is spectacular, as always.
When the couple walked away, Alex indicated the chair next to his, and Mary sank into it.
Tired? he murmured as he scooted her chair closer to the table.
Only my feet. I m not used to wearing heels for this long.
He sat and leaned toward her. Get used to it. You re my new event planner.
She d already picked up her dessert spoon, but she set it down with a snort. What the hell are you talking about?
You ve done an impeccable job tonight. You need experience for your portfolio to build your business, and I need an event planner, at least temporarily. Someone has to plan the Richardson wedding.
She narrowed her eyes, then dug her spoon into the chocolate mousse. You can thank Evie for the impeccable party when you beg her to come back. She popped the spoon into her mouth, and her shoulders lowered as her long eyelashes fluttered closed.
He cleared his throat and looked anywhere but at her plush lips as she eased the spoon out from between them. I m not asking Evie to come back. Our relationship was always…contentious. You and I work well together. I need the Richardson event to go perfectly. I m seeking the gaming commission s approval for a new business venture.
Tilting her head, she stared into his eyes. He held steady under her gaze, letting her peek at the vulnerability under that word, need. He tried never to need anything, but he could trust his old friend Mary not to take advantage.
You ll let me run the wedding my way, she said. No interference.
Under two conditions. First, I ve got an assistant planner, Joey Campo. He s part of the deal.
Mary tilted her head. If you have an assistant…
Kid s only twenty-two. He s not capable of running a wedding of this significance. But he s got a good work ethic, and he can help you.
That s not a terrible condition. What s the second?
Being La Villa s wedding planner has to be your sole focus. Let your brothers handle the shop.
Primary focus, she amended. I can run this event and support my brothers, too.
As long as I m your priority.
You mean the wedding.
Of course. The wedding is your priority.
Then I ll do it. For my full fee plus a second spa day.
Be sure you try the white truffle facial.
I m looking forward to the four-handed massage. With your two buffest masseuses.
Deal.
She extended her hand to shake his. As he cradled her work-roughened hand in his, he knew he d gotten a bargain.