Chapter Fifteen #2
“Long story short, she gave Roe the heads-up she needed to escape without being seen. And she did manage to snap a few pictures before it went south.”
“Oh, right,” I agreed, reaching for my phone and plugging in the code. I quickly swiped away my texts with Milo before finding the camera feed and handing the phone over.
Then I got busy filling my makeshift plate with a little bit of everything as Milo and Dom took turns grunting at my phone.
I curled up on my chair, using my legs as a table as I stared out the windows at the moon on the water below.
I was vaguely aware of the men talking but went ahead and let it become background noise as I focused on my own thoughts again.
And they were, as they always were with Milo, conflicted.
Because on the one hand, the pressure on my lower stomach reminded me that we hadn’t finished what we’d started.
But on the other, I knew I had to be thankful for that. Because I’d been about to be incredibly reckless.
I mean, no, I hadn’t had to worry about pregnancy since my mom put me on the Pill when I was fifteen because she said it would help my (nonexistent) acne.
That said, that wasn’t the only worry when it came to unprotected sex with practical strangers. Especially ones I had to assume got around often.
I didn’t even know how that happened.
I was always careful. Always.
I mean, I once dated a guy for six months, both tested, me on birth control, and still made him use condoms. And he had not been happy about it either.
I simply didn’t do careless when it came to my body.
Well, this wildly unhealthy meal aside.
I knew I was going to be bloated and uncomfortable after, that I might need to wear a compression garment for my next shift until I could flush the salt out of me. I just couldn’t bring myself to care.
The worst thing that could happen was Frank pulling me aside and telling me I was getting chunky. Which he’d done before. And to give him the tiniest bit of credit, he’d done it with a lot more tact than my former agent, photographers, designers, and my own mother.
“Roe?”
My head whipped over, finding Milo watching me with a look that made me think he must have called me more than once.
“Yeah?”
“You okay?”
“I was just thinking that my dresses aren’t going to fit after I eat all of this,” I told him, waving down at my half-eaten plate.
“Curves are good,” Dom said, shrugging. “Gives a man something to grab onto.”
I shot him a smile. “Good to know,” I said before focusing back on Milo. “Was there anything useful?”
“Maybe. There was something fishy in that last picture you took. Gonna see if one of our guys can clean it up a bit to make out more of the words.”
“Sorry. My hands were shaking so bad.”
“Don’t be sorry. We’d have nothing without you. Hopefully, it leads to something we can use.”
“Do you need me to go back in?” All the food I’d just shoveled in threatened to come back up.
“I think we need to shelve that now. You’ve almost gotten caught twice. And now they’re going to be watching the place like hawks. It’s not worth it.”
“My job can’t be done.”
I hadn’t earned that much money.
“We’re just… putting a pin in things. If Frank wants to invite you to sing at private events, that might be worth doing still. But nothing outwardly covert right now.”
“Okay. He will ask again. He always does.”
A pained look sliced across Milo’s eyes, but he was quick to blink it away.
“I also added Dom’s contact to your phone. Just in case you can’t get in touch with me.”
“I’m always around the casino so if shit is going down, I’ll probably be closer,” Dom explained.
We mostly ate and talked about different people working at the casino, since they wanted my input on anyone that I knew.
I wasn’t much help in that department, since my job kept me pretty isolated. I mostly only interacted with the bartender, bussers, Archie, and Frank’s closest henchmen.
Eventually, everyone started to clean up. Dom made his way out. Then I excused myself to the bathroom to get myself presentable again.
Overstuffing myself made me feel puffy and tired. There was no rekindling what we’d started before.
And that was for the best, I tried to convince myself as I pulled off my dress, put on my sweatshirt, and pulled my hair back into a ponytail.
If I was going to walk home at night, I tried to do it looking as unappealing as possible.
That didn’t mean there wasn’t a certain level of disappointment spreading through me, though, as I made my way back out into the suite.
“I wish I could walk you home.”
“I’m not that far away.”
“Why won’t you let me order you a ride-share?”
“Because it is an eight-minute walk. And a, what, three-minute drive? I’d be home before the car even got here.”
“It’s really frustrating when you make a good point that I don’t like,” he said, getting a jingle of laughter out of me.
“I’ll be fine. I do this walk every night.” Though not usually so late.
“Text me when you get there,” he demanded as he followed me into the elevator.
My heart squeezed at the request, at the genuine concern beneath it.
It had been a really long time since I had someone to care about me like that.
“I will.”
As the doors closed us in, Milo’s hand shot out, grabbing the back of my neck. This time, gently.
And when his head lowered and his lips found mine, they were soft and coaxing.
I wasn’t sure what he was looking for, but I knew I wanted to give it to him.
So I kissed him back until I felt it in my toes.
Then the doors chimed, and we had to pull apart.
I felt like I was floating as I made my way outside.
The feeling continued for roughly thirty seconds.
Until a hand grabbed me.
Hard.
Fingers bruising.