He set down the flute. “What about you?”
“What about me?”
“I don’t see a ring.”
Lauren’s hands flew up in a defensive position. “No, and you won’t.”
“Dang, girl, you sound even more adamant than me.” Christian chuckled and lifted his glass. “To the single life.”
“Hear, hear.”
“So...why didn’t Faye come with you to visit my mom?”
“It’s more than a visit. I’ll be working here.”
“Oh, you’ve relocated for work. Who with?”
“Victoria. I’m her new personal assistant. As I understand it, I’ll work primarily on events for your family’s nonprofit organization.”
A slightly raised brow was Christian’s only reaction. Inside, he felt a pang of disappointment. So much for the thought of a one-night stand with Lauren, or a short-term girlfriend to cuddle with during the cold winter months. He didn’t date women involved with family business. Directly or indirectly, anyone working with his mother was no longer fair game. Any other day he would have figured it out sooner. But that week’s promotion, his birthday and the shockingly extravagant birthday gift had dimmed his awareness and caused him to be off guard.
However, now Lauren’s presence was becoming crystal clear. His mother, Victoria the matchmaker, was at it again. It was no secret that she wanted him to settle down, get married and start a family. All of which were not high on his agenda. And then there was another darker thought. Maybe his mom wasn’t matchmaking. Maybe Lauren was manipulating her. It wouldn’t be the first time a woman had used Victoria’s passion for helping others through the family’s foundation as a way to get to him.
He sighed, settled against the car’s supple leather seats and thoughtfully sipped his champagne. The possible truth behind Lauren’s visit cleared away the ardent desire her appearance had first aroused. The last thing he needed was a potentially messy fling with the daughter of one of his mom’s good friends. He’d just been promoted to president of a multibillion-dollar hotel, casino and spa conglomerate with properties on five continents. What he needed in a female companion was someone fun with no ulterior motives or long-term expectations. Right now, he was married to the family business, and for the foreseeable future, CANN International would be his only wife.
He was sexier and more handsome than Lauren remembered. The teen who’d stolen her twelve-year-old heart and remained her secret crush all through high school. Tall, lean, sporting curly black hair in a clean, cropped cut that was shorter on the sides and fuller on top. The eyes were the same—dark, intense—and his magnetic smile still had the power to render her breathless.
Even after she’d begun dating, and throughout a fairly serious relationship that began in college and lasted four years, Lauren had loosely followed Christian, the Breedloves and CANN International’s ever-expanding empire, which was often in the news. A few years ago the company made history by building the first seven-star hotel and casino in North America, a distinction given to them by Top-Tier Travel Digest, the bible for agents and others who catered to the wealthy, the world’s 1-percenters and the 1 percent of the 1 percent.
Socially, Christian was a paparazzi favorite, often making the gossip columns and the tabloids while attending Hollywood premieres and high-society events with a gorgeous girl on his arm. Last year, when he made the coveted Thirty Under Thirty list, she’d bookmarked the online article and shared it with her sister Renee. Every year, the names were compiled by business industry legends who pegged the next group of savvy, successful businessmen on the rise, the ones to watch.
Christian was not only jaw-droppingly good-looking, but he was a smart, progressive thinker as well. Were she in the market for a boyfriend, the man seated beside her had all kinds of potential. But she wasn’t looking, and especially not for someone like the almighty Christian Breedlove. Not wanting to be manipulated by a rich, powerful man was precisely why she’d fled the East Coast.
“How’d that happen?” Christian asked as the limo headed down the crowded Strip toward their final destination. “You deciding to move here to work for Mom?”
“Very quickly,” Lauren said, hitching in a breath as they inched toward the CANN Casino, Hotel and Spa, an award-winning steel-and-glass masterpiece whose tallest point brushed the sky at almost fourteen hundred feet. “Just a day or so ago.”
“Really, that fast?”
“Yes.” She shifted her gaze back to his remarkably handsome face. “Victoria was venting to Mom about a dilemma. Her assistant resigned abruptly and gave no notice, in the middle of planning a Valentine’s Day–themed fashion show and several springtime charity events that Victoria says are very important to the foundation’s funding. Mom mentioned that she thought I could help, and Victoria called and asked if I could come over ASAP. I understand the fashion show is just a week away and is a very big deal.”
Christian nodded, thoughtfully rubbing his chin. “Speaking of abrupt notices, what about your employer?”
“She was totally understanding.” To his raised brow, Lauren continued, “For almost a year now, I’ve worked for myself.”
“Ah, I see. What’s your specialty?”
“Marketing, promotions, branding and PR. I have a small roster of regular clients and just finished a major campaign for a Southern university. Your mom needed help and I needed...a break...so here I am.”
“When was the last time you were in Vegas?”
“Three years ago, for a friend’s wedding.”
“So you haven’t been to our new hotel.”
“No,” Lauren replied. She looked beyond Christian and out the window. The limo turned into an impressive entrance bordered by marble waterfalls, the word CANN bold, shiny and backlit to stand out in the night. “But I’ve seen pictures. It looks amazing in magazines and now, up close, is even more impressive.”
The limo passed the main entrance and continued to a side door. Christian exited and reached back his hand to help her. “It delights me to hear you say that,” he murmured as a uniformed employee opened the door and greeted them. “For CANN, our goal for this location is quite simple—to be the most spectacular hotel in the world. We believe it is.”
Once inside, Lauren totally agreed. Unlike other hotels boasting casinos on the Strip, the area they entered was elegant, modern and most of all, quiet.
“Where’s the casino?” she asked.
“The main casino is two floors down, accessible by a separate entrance,” he answered, pulling out his phone to respond to a text. “There’s a private one for high rollers on a higher floor. We’ll go later, after dinner, if you’d like. It’s a whole other world.”
Lauren noticed that the employee who’d opened the door still walked behind them, a respectable distance away. As Christian put away his phone, he saw her glance back and looked, too.
“I don’t need anything. You can return to your post.”
“Are you sure there isn’t anything I can do for you, Mr. Breedlove?”
“Absolutely sure.”
“I understand it’s your birthday, Mr. Breedlove.”
He tsked. “Can’t keep a secret around here.”
“Not with us,” the employee responded with a small smile. “Happy birthday, sir.”
Christian walked over and shook the employee’s hand. “What’s your name?”
“Eric, sir.”
“How