Collared (Vegas Nights Book 1) Page 15

  Jason didn’t even answer. He just stood, wordlessly, walked to the window, opened the blinds and pointed to the sidewalk below.

  Reluctantly Pax followed, knowing that if Jason wasn’t even answering, it had to be bad. It was. Pax’s suite looked down on the sidewalk outside the casino lobby. From his seating area, he could see both the entrance to his own casino, and the entrance to Aubergine. Both were madhouses. Paparazzi toting cameras of all makes and sizes lined the streets in various attire. Some had suitcases, as if they were planning to stay while the story was hot. Others toted backpacks and water bottles. Some had video cameras. In the streets between the two casinos, there were news vans. Lots of news vans, from both the local stations and the national ones. He swore under his breath, and looked helplessly at his friend for answers. “How did this happen, and what do I do?”

  Finally, Jason had an answer. He sprang into action, grabbing the open tabloid from its place on the coffee table. “Okay, so the catalyst of the story, was the picture on the cover. Whoever took it apparently is very active in the online BDSM scene, and recognized you from club publicity pics over the years. So, then, on a lark, they drove here, and snapped this picture last night.” Jase pointed to a photo Pax hadn’t noticed earlier, one that had apparently been taken as he and Diamond had entered the club just last night. “This one,” Jason pointed again, to a photo of Diamond in club attire posing with the Tanners and their submissives, “was available on the Tanner’s website. I’ve already contacted them via email and asked them to remove it as soon as possible.”

  “Oh good. Thank you, Jase. You always have my back.” Pax paused for a minute, looking over all the photos, before speaking again. “So, this one, right here, the one taken in LA sparked the whole thing?”

  “Yup. If we can figure out who took it, we might be able to shut this down or at least take precautionary measures to keep something like this from happening again.”

  “I know who took it. Or I mean, I know someone who does. So this guy, he’s in the club scene?”

  Jason nodded gravely. “Possibly. He could just be an online lurker who obsesses, but doesn’t have the guts to actually play.”

  Judging by what little Pax did know of him, the second option seemed more likely. “Great. Just my luck. I insisted on going with Diamond because I was afraid of her running into over exuberant, crazed paparazzi, and instead, I only see one the entire trip. And he apparently recognized me, because he’s some sort of closeted dom wannabe freak?” Pax but his head in his hands and sighed deeply. “This is all my fault. I wanted to keep her safe, and instead I put her in danger.”

  “Dude. Don’t be so hard on yourself. For real. How could you have possibly known that this would happen? I mean, what are the odds? There was a much higher chance of her being harassed by them in LA then there was of someone knowing who you were and putting together a story from that.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. I know. I just can’t help but feel guilty. I led the vultures right to her doorstep. She hid out here successfully for four years. One week with me, and her cover is blown.”

  “Pax, pull yourself together, man. You can’t change what already happened. You have to be proactive. We need a plan, and most of all, we need to keep Diamond safe, and out of the tabloids.”

  “You’re right. I know you’re right.” Grateful for his friend, he took several deep calming breaths, and tried to regulate his heart, which currently felt like it could beat out of his chest and fall on the floor at any moment. “Okay, it’s almost six. Let’s order breakfast, and make a plan. When we have one, we’ll wake up Diamond.”

  * * *

  The ringing of her phone woke her, and she mentally cursed the fact that she had been much too busy and distracted to mute it before she went to bed last night. Rolling over, she squinted at the screen, peering at the number in confusion until it came to focus. It was her father. Before seven on a Monday morning? What in the hell?

  Praying the early hour was more an indication of her father’s absentmindedness and not an actual emergency, she answered, mumbling a garbled hello.

  “Diamond, it’s Dad. Are you okay? Are you safe, baby? Is Pax there? Can I speak to him? I’m so sorry. I never expected this to happen or I would have gotten a restraining order on Fitch years ago.”

  Baffled at the nonsense coming out of her father’s mouth, Diamond pulled the phone from her ear, and held it in front of her, glaring at it in confusion. When her father had first started speaking, she had shot up in bed at the concern so plainly evident in his voice and the first thought she had had was that she had slept through an act of terrorism or a national emergency. Now her father mentioned Fitch, the tree creeper, and she was lost. Fumbling in the bedcovers, she found the remote, and switched the TV on, dropping the phone when her own face filled the screen. A series of images flashed in quick succession while a newswoman babbled in the background.

  The pictures seemed random, and outdated, going back to her with her parents as a small child, some press photos her family had done when she was a teen about to leave for college, and finally, the ones taken the day of the accident. She stared at the screen in disbelief. Why was this being hashed again—like her own personal Groundhog Day?

  The photos changed again, and Diamond let out a blood curdling shriek as she recognized the one she had posed for Friday night at the club. Then it went live, and she saw that the reporter was standing in front of the hotel, and that the sidewalk and streets were jammed with photographers. She screamed again.

  The minute the second scream left her throat, Pax and Jason both burst into the room, looking as if they were about to pounce. They scanned the room on high alert, only relaxing, when Diamond pointed at the TV screen in anguish. “I—do you—have you… is this real?”

  Pax was on the bed at her side before she could form a full sentence, and Jason stood watch at the door like a guard. His eyes were trained on the window, rather than her, and it was only then that Diamond realized that she was fully naked under the white blankets, and that the blanket was down around her waist, flashing her ample boobies to the room. This day wasn’t off to an auspicious start.

  “We are aware of the situation, and we are doing what we can to get the situation under control. Jason’s been up here since five, and he was making calls and sending emails before that. I need to talk to your dad though, as soon as possible.”

  “My dad?” she questioned, processing the new information that she had just received. “Oh! My dad! He’s on the phone!” She began frantically patting the bed sheets around her with one hand, while holding a cover over her chest with the other. She located the phone, and handed it to Pax.

  He took it and stood, walking over to Jason and all but pushing his friend from the room, giving her the privacy to dress. All she had here was the short black dress she had worn last night, so she put that on. When Pax was done with her phone, she would go up to her suite to shower and change.

  The TV had blissfully moved on to the local weather report, so she turned it off, and joined the men in the sitting room. She still wasn’t sure what was going on, or how she had ended up on the news, and what Fitch had to do with it.

  Pax wasn’t in the room when she entered, so she was alone with her old boss who had just gotten a private showing of her breasts, all before she had even had coffee or fully opened her eyes. It was definitely a Monday. Jason, whom she hadn’t seen since before he had fired her, was acting as if they were old friends. Before her butt ever hit the couch, she had a cup of coffee in her hands and a bowl of fruit in front of her.

  Jason looked just as awkward as she felt as he took the couch opposite the one she was on, and rubbed his hands together nervously. “Pax is in his office,” he stated, jerking his thumb towards the closed door behind him.

  Diamond just nodded, sipping the coffee slowly, and letting it settle, doing its magic throughout her body. It was no longer super-hot, so she drank it fast, relishing each sip of the sweet liquid.
As the cup emptied, she became more alert and aware with every sip, and found herself desperately wishing that she could draw out her blissful oblivion just a bit longer. She had a feeling that whatever had happened would have effects that were life-changing, at least for a while.

  When the last sip was gone, she set the cup on the table in front of her and eyed her old boss. “What’s going on?”

  “We’re still in the process of figuring it out,” Jason began. “But, the bare bones are that a photographer at your dad’s house recognized Pax as being a part of the BDSM club scene, followed the two of you here, got a photo of you going into the club together last night, and did enough digging online to find out that you’ve spent the last four years hiding in plain sight.” He sighed. “That’s the bare bones. The spin the media is putting on it is a different story entirely.”

  “Right. They’re good at that. So the shot of that crowd outside the club this morning? That was real?”

  “Unfortunately, yes. And it’s getting worse. Plus, we have reason to believe that the photographer is staying in the hotel, or at least that he did last night. That’s what Pax is working on right now. All we had to go off of was a nickname, and with 3500 rooms it was getting us nowhere fast.”

  “Okay, and once we find out his name, Pax kicks him out and this all goes away?” Diamond questioned, being purposefully obtuse. She had dealt with the media enough to know it wasn’t that simple.

  Jason rolled his eyes, and leveled her with a blank stare, before pushing an open tabloid towards her. “I don’t know what the plan is yet.”

  Diamond was staring at the open article, growing incensed at the grave injustice of having her private life advertised as front page news, and the fact that no matter how hard she tried she couldn’t put her mother’s death fully behind her. The media wouldn’t allow it.

  A hard growling moan left her throat, startling ever her. She scrunched the paper in her fist, and left the wad on the table. “I can’t deal with this right now. I’m barely awake, and I need a shower and some clean clothes. I’m going back to my room. Tell Pax to call me later.”

  She moved to the door but Jase was faster. He stood in front of it spread eagled, with his arms at arm’s length across the frame, shaking his head violently.

  “No.” He was firmer than she ever heard, and she wondered if he had dominant tendencies in his private life also. “I don’t know much,” he continued, “but I know that you are not leaving this room anytime soon.”

  She gaped at him as the severity of the situation sank in. “But, I have nothing here. Not even underwear or a toothbrush or anything!” Her face crumpled, and tears began to fall hard and fast.

  Jason’s eyes bugged, his gaze darting to the closed office door. She could tell he was afraid to leave his post at the door, but he also did not want to be stuck out here alone with a crying half naked showgirl.

  Luckily, Pax came out then, and handed her phone to her. He took in the situation and chuckled. “Good guy, Jase. Di trying to make a run for it?”

  Jase relaxed his stance, and nodded.

  “Pax, I need my things! I have nothing up here! I need my toothbrush and clean clothes and my computer, and my makeup, and all of my things! I need to go be in my own space!”

  “I’m sorry, you can’t. We can get your things. I can send Jase and one of the girls up there later, but, you aren’t leaving this suite. Consider yourself grounded until further notice.”

  “What!” she all but shrieked, indignantly. “That’s insane! That’s preposterous! I can’t be grounded, I’m a grown ass woman! And beyond that, I didn’t do anything wrong.”

  Pax looked for a moment like it killed him to do so, but he put on his dom face and sprang into action. Figuratively speaking, because really he remained in the same spot, and only took action with his words. “Okay, sweetheart, listen up. No matter how upset you get, or how unfair life seems at the moment, you are still my submissive, and you need to speak to me with respect. We know you did nothing wrong. We know this isn’t your fault. If anything it’s mine, but as Jase has already pointed out to me several times, I can’t focus on that right now. Grounded is just a term—and I get that it’s a sucky one—but it is what it is. I cannot have you roaming the halls right now. God only knows how many crazed paparazzi are inside the casino. This suite is the only place I truly know you’re safe. This is a locked floor. Nobody gets up here without a key, and the only people with keys are a few trusted staff members, Jase, and myself. And Jase and I have to be on top of this. We need to get to work ASAP. Which means you’re going to be up here alone, and I need to count on you to stay up here. And if the only way to do that is to ground you and threaten you with the spanking of a lifetime if you leave, that’s what I am going to do, understand?”

  Diamond sighed, resigned to her fate. When he put it that way, there really wasn’t much she could say to argue. Pax truly did have her safety and best interests at heart. “Yes, sir. I understand.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Pax and Jason exited the elevators on the casino floor completely in sync, a force to be reckoned with. Both men wore their usual black cargo pants, black Rojo tees, and combat boots. Their cells phones and hotel pagers were strapped to their belt loops, and they had their ass kicking faces on. When they teamed up like this, people moved and shit got done—but neither of them could have been prepared for the scene they found as they stepped out of the elevator.

  The casino was packed, standing room only. “Holy shit, you’d think Diamond was the damn Queen of England or something,” Jase whispered

  Pax could only nod his agreement. He had never seen it like this, and if half of these people were actually spending money, he’d have been thrilled, but the majority of them appeared to be just standing around waiting for something to happen.

  “We need a new plan.” Jase was in charge, less emotionally invested in the situation. It was easier for him to step outside his head and see what needed to be done. “We need to get to the check in desk. You have this guy’s real name?”

  “Mitchell Fitzpatrick.”

  “Okay, that’s the first thing we do. Find out if he is indeed registered here, and go from there. Secondly, who’s your favorite most trusted staff, present company excluded of course?”

  “Of course.” That at least coaxed a smile from Pax, as they waded through the crowd towards the lobby. “Um, the college kid, with the red hair, Will. I trust him.”

  “Okay, we get Will on the radio, and have him call your cell. Once you have a secure connection with him, you make it clear that his only job today is to be your yes man. Anything we need, and he is the only staff member allowed anywhere near your suite for the time being.”

  “Okay, that sounds good. What else?”

  “Um....” Jason looked around, finally at a loss. “I’m going to get the lawyers in here. We might need to make a statement or something.”

  “Fine. What about Diamond’s stuff?”

  “Is there a woman on staff who you trust? Preferably one Diamond knows?”

  Pax nodded.

  “Good, tell Will who it is. Have him find her, escort her to Di’s suite and get several days’ worth of stuff. I can call up and ask for a list. And, Pax?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Something tells me were starting to look conspicuous together. Either that, or you’ve been recognized as the mystery guy.”

  Pax looked up, and realized he was completely surrounded. The vultures had formed a circle around him, and several were already snapping pictures. He was frozen in shock. It was Jase whose arm came up, covering Pax’s face from the camera lens. It was Jase who called security on the radio, and it was Jase who gave the instructions to throw out the offending photographers. When they were free, it was also Jase who pulled him into an employee lounge and locked the door behind them, hanging a “closed for maintenance” sign on the door just to be safe.

  They were both winded when they finally broke away from the
crowd and for a few minutes, they just stood there, eyes wide, chests heaving, hands on knees and stared at each other.

  It was Pax who spoke first. “Thank you, man. I don’t think I would make it through this day without you.”

  “To be honest,” Jase wheezed. “I don’t think you will either. We need a new plan.”

  “Ya think?”

  “You go back upstairs. Do what you can from up there. I will handle things on the floor, and you and I will be in constant contact. When the lawyers come by, we’ll meet in your office. Don’t worry, bro, I’ve got this. I won’t leave you hanging.”

  “What about Aubergine? They’re there, too.”

  “Yes, but they know she’s not. Aubergine is just a side interest. They’re digging for details and interviews. I’ve already briefed my staff on what to say and who’s allowed to say it.”

  “You’re amazing. Truly. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. Now, stop being a sap. You can thank me later. We’ve got bigger fish to fry. Like getting you back upstairs without that happening again.”

  * * *

  When Crystal and Will came up later with Diamond’s things, Pax pulled Will into his office, giving the two girls time to talk.

  Diamond couldn’t believe her dumb luck as she stared at the only friend she had made her so far. Incidentally, the same friend who had seen her in a very compromising position late last night. Her face burned just thinking of it. Not only had she been publicly chastised in a very peculiar way, she had been found out as the boss’s sub by a co-worker. And now that same co-worker had been deemed by Pax as the only female employee he trusted enough to enter Diamond’s suite and dig through her personal things? Of course. It was still Monday after all.

  “Thanks for getting my stuff,” Diamond said, stupidly. “I was afraid I’d have to wear this dress all week.”

  “It’s no problem. Truly. And I’ve been wanting to talk to you anyway, since last night.”