8. Lowri
LOWRI
“ L et me show you something,” Sean says as we finish breakfast.
“What is it?” I ask, following him. He doesn’t say anything until we reach a door in the hallway near his bedroom.
“Place your right hand against the panel.” He points to the wall.
Curiosity has me speculating as to what secret lies behind the door. I’m not sure if I’m nervous or excited as I place my palm flat against the five-by-eight-inch, black acrylic panel mounted on the wall. A second or two later, there’s a click.
In a deep, gravelly voice, Sean says, “Open the door.”
I turn the handle as my imagination runs wild. Is he revealing a naughty playground? Other than in my mental fantasies, this party girl has her limits. Does he expect more than I’m ready to give? If it’s his version of Fifty Shades of Something , should I run or stay?
Opening the door slowly reveals something entirely unexpected, and I’m not sure if I’m disappointed or relieved. “Huh? It’s an elevator,” I say, turning to him with a mystified gaze.
“It is. It will take you to your suite, which is directly below mine. Your handprint opens the door, allowing you to easily travel between your suite and my apartment without having to use the hallways. This way you can leave most of your clothes in your room. If Cassie drops by, she won’t suspect you’re staying with me. ” He grins.
“Does everyone who stays in my suite have direct access to yours?”
“Of course, not. We disable the elevator unless I’ve reserved the suite.”
“That’s why you upgraded my room. Wait a minute though. How often do you reserve the suite? You said you rarely have women stay over. What’s up with that?” Without meaning to, I let my emotions show. I woke up accidentally married, but I’m not ready for my temporary husband to be a liar too.
“My friends use it a lot. My male friends. It makes it easier to handle security and access to my floor if they stay in the suite below. Am I detecting a little jealousy in my new wife?”
“Don’t flatter yourself. I merely wanted to know if you’d been truthful with me about avoiding relationships, even short ones. It was presumptuous of you to assume that I’d be interested in hooking up again, particularly after we agreed we wouldn’t.”
He smirks. “I didn’t hear any complaints last night.
I’ve also had security give you access to the Maze, which means you can move around the hotel quickly while we finish planning the party.
I’ll have my assistant, Emily, give you a tour of our underground tunnel system and an app for your phone so you won’t get lost.”
“That sounds great. What else do we need to do for the party?”
“Finalize the food and beverage order, select the décor, and approve the room layout. Also, Evan wants to meet with the magician ahead of time. I can book him. I’m hoping you can oversee the rest. Emily set up a meeting with the event coordinator for 11:00 a.m. this morning.
She’ll text you the info. Unfortunately, I’m stuck in business meetings most of the day. ”
“No problem. My schedule has a little flexibility while I’m here.
I can take care of the remaining details for the party.
Don’t forget to call your lawyer. We need unwed as quickly as possible.
Unfortunately, my law license doesn’t allow me to appear in court in Nevada, or I’d take care of it myself. I’m only licensed in California.”
“I promise to take care of our misadventure. Don’t give it another thought. Let’s meet on my balcony for drinks at 7:00 p.m. to share updates,” he suggests, kissing me quickly on the forehead as I step into the elevator.
Less than a minute later, the doors open.
I find myself in the walk-in closet in my suite’s bedroom.
Hmm. I can’t help wondering how many women have taken that ride.
Rather than dwell on that thought, I find the bathroom and indulge in a long, hot shower before readying myself to meet with the event planner.
After applying makeup, I start putting on my earrings and bracelet when my eyes catch the flashy wedding ring on the bathroom vanity.
I debate what to do with it. It doesn’t feel proper to wear it on my finger even though I told Sean that I’m keeping the ring until our marriage is annulled.
Instead, I put it on my gold neck chain with the heart pendant from my mom and tuck it into the neck of my shirt for safekeeping.
Grabbing my phone, I hurry to the lobby.
A couple of minutes after arriving, I recognize Emily as she approaches.
She’s an unassuming woman who I’d guess is somewhere in her late twenties or early thirties.
She’s wearing a light-gray suit and dark-rimmed glasses.
Her hair is pulled back in a tight bun, reminding me of a librarian.
It’s clear she’s quite attractive despite her attempt to look nondescript, which makes me wonder why she’s hiding her beauty.
It’s none of my business, so I squash my curiosity when she extends her hand.
“Hello. Welcome back, Lowri. I don’t know if you remember me. I’m Emily.”
“Emily, it’s nice to see you again. Thanks for helping me today.”
“It’s my pleasure. We’re excited that Prince Evan and Ms. Edwards will be back in a couple of days. Isn’t it romantic that he wants to throw a party for her?” She sighs.
“Definitely. Cassie will love the party if we can pull it together in time.”
I barely notice, but a longing and sadness pass across Emily’s face that’s quickly replaced with her perfunctory smile.
Did she lose a love, or does she merely wish for one?
Either way, that’s another reason I’m not interested in relationships.
One way or another, they result in pain and heartache. No thanks.
Emily says, “We’ll work fast. Our team is fantastic and will make it happen. Let’s start with a quick tour of the Maze, and then I’ll take you to the Olympic Torch Bar to introduce you to the event planner for the party. Will that work?”
“That’s perfect. I’ve heard about the Maze from Cassie. I’d love to see it.”
“Follow me, and I’ll show you. It’s an extensive network of tunnels, rooms, and storage facilities underneath the hotel and casino.
It saves time moving between various parts of the property by avoiding the crowds.
It’ll be particularly helpful when Mr. Cartwright is with you because people often try to stop him when he attempts to move through the casino,” Emily says.
“Cassie said the Maze reminded her of a small-scale subway system that never sleeps.”
“That’s an excellent analogy. They have the lighting set to mimic around-the-clock daylight. And rather than trains, golf carts zip along the tunnels, moving people from place to place. If you walk through the Maze, watch out for speeders.” She laughs.
When we stop in front of a bigger-than-life-size bronze sculpture of a Greek goddess with widespread wings, Emily asks for my phone to load the MazeApp. While she works on that, I admire the statue. The goddess stares at the wreath that her left hand extends skyward. She’s majestic.
Who is she? Roaming my eyes over the nearby wall and the sculpture, I finally spot a discreet engraving on the base, declaring she’s Nike, Goddess of Victory . Wow. If I’d paid more attention when we studied mythology, I would’ve remembered that Nike was a woman. Gotta love powerful, kickass women.
Handing my phone back, Emily says, “Here you go. Now place your palm against the inside of Nike’s right hand.”
Following her instructions, I hear a familiar click, and a door snaps open. This time I know to expect an elevator like in Sean’s apartment. I’m surprised again. A stairwell is hidden behind the sculpture.
As we descend into a brightly lit tunnel, Emily says, “The Maze is fairly easy to navigate using the color-coded, neon emblems and arrows painted on the walls.” Then she has me pull up the app and gives me a quick tutorial on how to find my current location, program a destination, and follow a navigation route.
She even shows me how to summon a golf cart.
“You can go between any two places in under 10 minutes in a cart. The palm scanners only allow approved personnel into the Maze. It’s the most secure path to take around the property,” she explains.
After the tour, I meet with Amy, the event planner, and bury myself in preparations for Cassie’s party. As we’re working, the cold diamond in the wedding ring tickles my cleavage. I’m reminded of my bizarre situation.
Sean said he’ll fix it, but counting on a man is the ultimate challenge for me. I prefer to be the one in control. Unfortunately, Vegas is his turf, not mine. That means he’s the one with connections to quietly undo our accidental trip to the altar.