Chapter 1

Aiden

My eyes open slowly, immediately squinting from the sunlight peeking through the elegant, semi-transparent red curtains. I’m in the presidential suite of the hotel that will be mine someday, but how I got here is a mystery. As my eyes shift over to the right side of the California king bed, I see the curves of an unknown woman. She sleeps with her back facing me, barely covered by the satin sheets. My reputation of being a womanizer proceeds me, and I continue to live up to my name by having no clue how many women I’ve slept with.

         Every time I go out with my best friend, Tony, it’s a wild night that I typically don’t remember the next day. We were fraternity brothers in college, and even though it’s been four years since we graduated, we can’t seem to retire from our partying ways. I remember us taking shots of tequila at the club last night, but everything else following that is a blur.

         An alarm on my phone sounds from the living room, jumping me out of the bed. Shit. I’m late for the board meeting. As I rush to make myself look like a businessman, not smelling like a neighborhood pub, I can already hear my father giving me his usual lecture. Evan Stakes, the CEO of Stakes Casino, has always been a hard-ass for as long as I can remember. He views me as his troublemaking, only child whom he dreads handing his beloved company over to.

I always keep several clean suits locked away in this suite for occasions such as this.

Being an heir certainly has its perks, and I’d be lying if I said I don’t take advantage of them all.

As I put on my tie in front of the bathroom mirror, I sense a presence behind me. I turn to see the mysterious woman watching me curiously with only the bed sheets wrapped around her. Her thin lips part, forming a seductive smile. “My girlfriends are going to be so envious that I spent the night with the son of Stakes Casino himself.”

         I study her disheveled strawberry blonde hair and her heavy eye makeup that has smeared onto the temples of her forehead. “I apologize if I said or did anything inappropriate. I had entirely too much to drink.”

         “Not at all.” She flirtatiously lowers the sheets, revealing her perky, C cup breasts. “I was hoping we could see each other again.”

         I walk past her as if she is nonexistent, retrieving my navy suit jacket that is draped over the couch. “I don’t do repeated hookups.” The suit jacket twirls in my grasp behind me as I place my arms into the sleeves. “But I’m sure you knew that already.” I exit the suite, rushing to the casino that is adjacent to the Stakes Hotel. The offices are all on the second floor of the building, so passing through the casino floor is unavoidable.

         The melodies of the slot machines harmonize together as I speed past them. The aroma of coffee that the cocktail waitresses deliver to the patrons who have been gambling since last night floats through the air. The employees in all departments greet me with a respectful nod as soon as they see me. After exiting the employee elevator to the second floor, I pass through clusters of employees, some ending their shifts while others begin theirs. That’s the beauty of a twenty-four hour business.

         I enter through the wood double doors of the boardroom as silently as possible to avoid unwanted attention. My stealthiness doesn’t stop my father from giving me the evil eye from the front of the room. He continues to give his speech about the business’s profit margins while seven sets of eyes glance at me as I slide into my chair at the end of the glass table.

         When the meeting concludes, the executives leave the room after shaking the CEO’s hand firmly. My father turns to face me once they have all left, giving me the most annoyed expression. “You continue to be an embarrassment to the Stakes brand. I just don’t know how to get through to you. You’re twenty-five years old, still acting like you’re eighteen.”

         “I just overslept, Dad.” I release a heavy sigh as I slouch in the office chair. “I still handle my responsibilities.”

         He scoffs as he places some folders into his briefcase. “I know exactly what you’ve done. You get drunk with your frat brothers as if you don’t have a company to run.” He pauses to point his index finger at me. “And you can’t keep using the presidential suite as your personal brothel.”

         I turn my head as I mumble under my breath. “Just like you did at my age.”

         He slams his briefcase closed, giving me a serious glare. “That’s exactly the problem. You are following too closely in my footsteps. You will never inherit the company because you can’t get your shit together.”

         I have been at odds with my father my whole life. He is the type of parent who can never be satisfied regardless of their child’s accomplishments. My eyes hold his gaze in a challenging manner. “And what exactly does ‘getting my shit together’ entail, Dad?”

         He places the palms of his hands against the table, leaning himself towards me. “Settle down, Aiden. Find a nice woman and marry her.” His eyes become glossy, expressing his never-ending disappointment towards me.

The words roll off my tongue inadvertently, as if the desire to please him from my inner child comes to the forefront. “I have a lady that I am dating seriously.” Shit. What just possessed me to lie to this man’s face like that? I maintain my composure despite the inner monologue taking place in my mind. "Might even have thought of proposing."

Evan’s demeanor expresses both intrigue and disbelief as he raises himself to stand normally. “If what you say is true…” He picks up his briefcase, glancing at me before exiting the boardroom. “Bring her to the house for dinner tomorrow night.”

Chapter 2

Aiden

I throw my head back against the black office chair, regretting that I formulated such a troublesome lie to my father. Some nausea from still being hungover kicks in, making me close my eyes to stop the ceiling from spinning.

Just where am I going to find a decent woman to play the role of my serious girlfriend in less than twenty-four hours? My father will see straight through these women that I meet in the clubs. I need a woman who is classy and educated. They seem few and far between in the city of sin. I often wonder how my father even expects me to settle down with all the temptation that comes with living in Las Vegas.

         Suddenly, I am startled by the sound of someone’s shoes trailing against the gray and red tiled floors. My father’s secretary, Marissa Thornton, freezes as she leans over the long, glass table to pick up papers the executives left behind. Her long, wavy brown hair slides forward in front of her, covering the right half of her face. She combs the thick strands of hair back with her fingers, revealing her smooth, dark complexion. “I’m sorry, Director Stakes. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

         “Oh, I wasn’t sleeping. I just have this crazy hangover that-” My thought is cut off by an incredible idea. My dad already admires his secretary, she’s single and only a year younger than me. I should make her an offer that she can’t refuse.

         Marissa continues to pick up the papers, placing them into a neat stack in her hands. “Rough night, huh?”

         “Y-yeah.” I have never asked a woman out in my life, so I feel bizarrely outside of my comfort zone. But this is a business arrangement, so I should just treat it as such. “Can you join me for dinner tonight?”

         She raises her eyebrow, never expecting that sentence to come out of my mouth. “No, sorry. That would be unprofessional.”

         “Oh.” I throw in an awkward chuckle to lighten the mood. “I should have given more details upfront. This would be a business dinner to discuss a career-advancing opportunity for you.”

  After giving me a look of suspicion similar to the one that my father had given me, she replies, “What time?”

  I rise from my chair, towering over her from the opposite side of the table. “Your shift ends at six, right? I’ll have my driver downstairs for us at six thirty.”

The remainder of the workday drags on as I take all the steps necessary to get over my hangover. At six fifteen, I wait patiently on a red sofa by the employee elevator. Marissa walks towards me five minutes later, the clanking of her red heels giving away her position.

I rise to my feet, pressing the elevator button then watch the employees that pass us as she stands to my right side. “I hope my father isn’t driving you too crazy.”

She giggles, securing her large handbag over her shoulder. “I’ve learned all his quirks over the course of these two years.”

  The elevator doors open and I gesture for her to enter first. “No kidding.” I press the down button then the doors close shortly after. “He used to make me do secretarial work for him when I was a teenager, so I don’t envy you at all.”

  Marissa exits the elevator then moves to the right as she waits for me. We walk against the red and gray carpet of the casino floor, passing many patrons as they game at their machine or table of choice. One of the security guards opens the front door for us. “Good evening, Director Stakes.”

   I acknowledge him with a nod, then escort Marissa to my black Rolls-Royce Phantom where my personal driver, Terry, opens the left back door. “Hey, Terry. This is Miss Thornton.”

She shakes his hand politely. “You can call me Marissa.”

         Terry offers her a pleasant smile. “Nice to meet you, Marissa.” He guides her into the back seat. “Please make yourself comfortable.” She thanks him before he closes the door, then he does a brisk jog around the back of the car to open the back right door for me.

         Marissa spends most of the car ride trying to mask her awe of sitting inside a car worth half a million dollars. My lips crack a smile, thinking it’s so wholesome. “You’re not used to things this expensive, are you?”

         She meets my gaze with a wide smile. “Is it that obvious?”

         “Yes.” I chuckle as we pull up to the entrance of the restaurant. The concierge opens the door for Marissa while Terry opens my door. I give him a friendly pat on his shoulder. “This should only take an hour.”

         After we are seated at our VIP table within its private room, the waitress pours us my favorite bottle of French champagne. Once she leaves the room with our food orders, I get right down to business. “My father believes that I am dating a woman seriously with the intention of marriage. I need you to be that woman and enter a marriage contract with me.”

         Marissa swallows some of her wine at that exact moment, causing her to cough several times. She watches me in disbelief, lowering her glass to the table. “You want me to lie to my boss?”

“Yes.” I choose not to sugarcoat what needs to take place. “We only need to be married for one year, then my dad will make me the CEO. At that time, I will appoint you as the director of operations. We both have something to gain from this.”

She looks down at the middle of the table as if the words she wants to respond with will magically appear there. After a long pause, her dark brown eyes look up beneath her long eyelashes. “I need to think about it. This really is a lot to take in.”

“That’s understandable.” I take a large sip of my wine. “But there isn’t much time. You have until tomorrow morning when I see you at the casino, then the offer expires.”