Vanilla and Vice (Empire Sevens Book 1)

by Tabatha Vargo

“Please don’t feel like you have—”

  “I’d love to show you around.”

  The way he was looking at me gave me butterflies, and I felt my cheeks getting warm.

  “Okay.”

  Luke took me to The Strip, and as we walked, he pointed out some of his favorite places.

  We ended up at the top of Circus Circus playing amusement park games and riding rides. I left the building with a stuffed panda bear wearing a pink tank top and a stomach full of junk food.

  “I bet you when left your house, you didn’t think you would be playing tour guide today, huh?” I said as we walked The Strip back toward Aunt Kennedy’s condo. “I really hope you didn’t have other plans. I’d feel bad if you didn’t get to around to them because of me. I feel like Aunt Kennedy just kind of threw me on you, but I had an amazing time.”

  He laughed. “Not at all. Trust me, you saved me from a very boring day with my brother. Also, I had a great time, too. I don’t know, maybe we should plan to go out like this again.”

  I stopped and faced him, my large panda latched to my side. “Are you asking me out on a date?”

  I had never been on a date before. I wasn’t sure what protocol was, but I assumed it would be similar to the day we spent together. Games and fun. Maybe a good night kiss.

  “What if I am?” he asked as he shoved his hands in pocket and rocked back on his heels.

  I chuckled, enjoying our little flirtatious game.

  “Well, if you were asking me out, I guess I would say yes.”

  “Good. Then I’m definitely asking you out. Saturday? I could pick you up at six o’clock?”

  I nodded. “Okay. Sounds good.”

  When we got to Aunt Kennedy’s condo, we stopped just outside the building and said our goodbyes. Instead of a good night kiss, Luke kissed me softly on the cheek.

  “I’ll see you at work,” he said, slowly backing away from me.

  I was blushing. The heat on my cheeks was slowly spreading into my hairline. “See you then.”

  I watched him walk away and didn’t go inside until he turned the corner and was out of view.

  As I stepped into the condo, I found myself really looking forward to Saturday night.

  12

  ZANDER

  THE SUN WAS SETTING low over the desert, the tall buildings of Sin City blocking out its last attempt to light the way. With my wrist resting on the steering wheel, I let my eyes wander over the people walking The Strip while I sat a red light and waited for it to turn green.

  That was when I saw them.

  The bar back from Empire and Eden.

  They were walking beside each other, both with a few bags in hand, and she was laughing at something he was saying. Attached to her side was a stuffed panda bear with a Circus Circus tank top on.

  Circus Circus.

  Were they on a date?

  And then she laughed again, her face lighting up.

  Her smile.

  It was like the sun changed its mind about setting and came back out.

  The area around her seemed brighter than everywhere else.

  I noticed they were standing in front of Kennedy’s complex. My eyes moved over their surroundings to see if Kennedy was close by, but they were alone.

  Then he leaned in and kissed her cheek, and a fiery shot of jealousy ripped down my spine.

  The urge to get out of my car and rip his face off was real, but instead, I pressed down hard on the gas once the light turned green, letting my tires squeal as I sped past them.

  Jealousy wasn’t my thing.

  No one had what I wanted anyway.

  But I knew I had to amp it up if I wanted Eden to quit, and I knew my new ideas were going to be just the thing to get the job done.

  “NEW UNIFORMS,” I said, going into Kade’s office as he packed for his trip to New York.

  His flight was leaving in two hours, so I knew I had to catch him before he went to the airport.

  “What?” he asked, looking up from his desk.

  “You wanted something new. Why don’t we switch up the girls’ outfits starting the night before fight night?”

  “Okay. What did you have in mind?”

  “Do you trust me?” I asked, feeling the intensity in my gaze.

  “You know I do.”

  “Then leave it up to me.”

  “Run with it.” He closed his briefcase and then eyed me suspiciously. “This sudden uniform change wouldn’t have anything to do with Blondie, would it?”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about. We said we wanted to do something new.”

  “Yes, we did.” He shook his head and chuckled to himself. “Word of advice: don’t let Kennedy catch on to what you’re doing.”

  “I’m not scared of Kennedy.”

  Kade smirked. “Right.” He moved around his desk. “Are you going to be okay while I’m gone?”

  “Of course, I am.”

  Kade and I took turns flying to New York while we were in the process of opening our new hotel there, but this was the first time one of us would be gone longer than two weeks.

  “Your car’s here,” Cole interrupted, stepping into Kade’s office with his announcement.

  Kade eyed me a bit longer, the side of his mouth lifting in a knowing grin. “You’re sure you have this under control?”

  Crossing my arms, I lifted a brow at his question.

  I was the king of control.

  Everyone knew that.

  At my expression, he laughed. “Okay then. See you in a couple of weeks. Be good while I’m gone, and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

  I snorted sarcastically at his choice of words.

  “There’s nothing you wouldn’t do.”

  “Exactly. Have fun.”

  With that, he walked toward the door, allowing Cole to take his bags. And then he was gone, leaving me to wonder if I really had things under control.

  I would never admit it to anyone, but I had never felt more out of control in all my life. I was hanging on when it came to my sex addiction and Eden, but if I were honest with myself, I would admit that I was barely hanging on by a tiny thread.

  I spent the rest of the day taking care of business. I had three conference calls and even managed to deal with the contractors taking care of our new security, the additions to the pool area outside, and a new men’s locker room since the flooding had ruined some of the fixtures.

  It was almost time for me to wrap up and go to dinner when Kennedy tapped on my office door and let herself in.

  “Are you busy?” she asked, closing the heavy door quietly behind her.

  “I was just getting ready to go to dinner. Is everything okay?”

  She nodded. “Yes. I just wanted to get your signature on a few things before you left. I know you’ll be back tonight to walk the floors as usual, but I’m leaving early, and I didn’t want to miss you.”

  I nodded, waving her over to take the seat in front of my desk.

  I didn’t give her time to hand over any documents for my signature or to even say another word before I put different, less critical information on the table.

  “We’re switching up the girls’ uniforms,” I said before she could even sit in the chair across from my desk.

  She instantly frowned, but my expression didn’t waver. I’d expected a fight, and I had prepared myself beforehand.

  “What? Why? There’s nothing wrong with the uniforms. They're demur and classy and—”

  I interrupted her. “Kade and I think it’s time to change things up. So we’re going to introduce the new uniforms the night before fight night.”

  She stared back at me, her brow lifting the way it usually did before she flew over the edge.

  “Do I at least get to see these new uniforms?” Her tone was harsh, and I could feel the anger slowly bubbling beneath her skin.

  “Of course.” I grabbed the paper the designer had used to draw the uniforms on and slid it toward her.

 
; She uncrossed her legs and leaned forward, grabbing the sketch with a bit of an attitude. She didn’t look at it more than a few seconds before she dropped her hand and stared me down.

  “You’re serious with this?”

  “Very much so.”

  “Again, there’s nothing wrong with the uniforms we’ve been using for the past few years. If you and Kade want to change things up, why don’t you hire the kind of girls who get paid to wear this stuff?”

  She tossed the paper onto my desk, and it floated down and almost over the side.

  “Why do you have to question everything I say, Kennedy?” I asked, pinching the bridge of my nose.

  Already, I was feeling a migraine forming behind my eyes. The past few weeks had been hell with Eden around. I could have easily tossed her out without reason, and honestly, I had considered it several times.

  The only reason I hadn’t was because of Kennedy, yet she argued with me at every turn as if she had built the Empire on her own back.

  “I don’t. I’m just saying—”

  “Just put in the order,” I snapped.

  Her face tightened, and I had a feeling she was about to lose her shit on me, but that didn’t happen. Instead, she stood, snatched the paper from my desk, and slipped the sketch into her planner.

  “Whatever you say, sir.” She snapped her planner closed.

  She was being a smartass.

  Kennedy never called anyone sir.

  “Thank you. Pay whatever you have to pay so we have these in time for fight night.”

  She nodded her understanding with pinched lips. “Anything else?”

  “This is Vegas, Kennedy. No one’s going to be offended by the uniforms.”

  “You mean none of the men will be offended.”

  “That’s not true. I’m sure some women won’t be offended.”

  “Whatever you say, Zander.”

  I knew she didn’t mean that, and when she walked out of my office twenty minutes later with a slam of the door, I knew she was cursing me inside her head.

  I wasn’t exactly proud of my actions, but I was getting desperate, and I needed to take drastic measures.

  There was no way the angel called Eden would ever be willing to wear something so skimpy. She would quit on the spot once it was handed to her and she was told to put it on.

  I would win the war Eden had no idea she was a part of. Even if I had to fight dirty.

  Zander: one.

  Eden: zero.

  13

  EDEN

  “WHAT IS THIS?” I asked, holding the top Jena handed me with two fingers as if it were something disgusting.

  My eyes skimmed the slinky material.

  It was practically sheer.

  “It’s the new uniform. Change your clothes and let’s get on the floor. Our shift’s already started,” Jena answered.

  She was already dressed, and when I took a minute to look at the full uniform on her, my stomach dipped in panic.

  The skirt was gold and super short. Like almost-see-her-vagina short. I could see her body through the sheer black top, which had golden flecks in it that shined under the overhead lighting.

  It was completely see-through.

  The only reason I couldn’t see her breasts was because there was a tiny green vest over them. So small that it barely covered her girls. As in, I could see side boob and top boob and bottom boob. Basically, her nipples were all it covered.

  Gross.

  On the back of the vest were the words Empire Sevens. The front had no adornments besides the single gold button between her breasts that held the garment together.

  No.

  Never.

  “Did Kennedy make us wear this?” I asked, appalled.

  No way would Kennedy be okay with these uniforms.

  I couldn’t do it.

  I wouldn’t do it.

  It was too skimpy.

  Too sexy.

  Too everything I didn’t feel comfortable wearing.

  I didn’t bother changing. Instead, I waited until Jena left the locker room, and then I made my way to Kennedy’s office.

  “Come in,” she called out when I tapped on her office door.

  She was sitting behind her desk, as usual, her head down as she pored over a thick pile of documents on her desk. When she looked up, she had a cute thin pair of glasses sitting on the bridge of her nose.

  “Hey, babe, what’s up?” She smiled.

  Closing the door behind me, I held up the uniform and frowned.

  The smile on her face fell away, and she shook her head. “Oh. Yeah. Those disgusting things. I’m sorry, Eden, but it’s Vegas.”

  My mouth popped open. “But seriously? I could almost see Jena’s nipples through this thing.”

  She slid her glasses from her face and massaged the bridge of her nose. “It’s what Zander and Kade want. As much as I wanted to fight them on this, there are bigger fights that need fighting. I’m sorry, hon, but it’s the uniform, and this is the job. As much as I hate it, everyone has to wear it.”

  I nodded, biting my bottom lip.

  Part of me wanted to walk out and never return. The thought of walking around the floor and serving drinks mostly naked nauseated me. But the other part of me—the part that wanted to eat and maybe one day have her own place—knew Kennedy was right.

  I didn’t have a choice.

  After dressing in the locker room, I went to work, struggling not to cover myself as I worked. Instead, I tried to hide behind my tray as much as possible without spilling my drinks.

  Two hours later, I had almost forgotten what I was wearing. We were swamped, and the customers kept coming. The sounds of slots filled the room. Drink orders were being shouted, and I was moving as fast as I could, making sure the drinks were served, and the customers were happy.

  It was the group of men at table seven that reminded me I was working half naked.

  “Damn, baby, you have an amazing body,” the tallest of the group said as I set their drinks on the table.

  I knew he was the tallest because even though they were sitting, his head was still at least a foot higher than the others.

  I didn’t respond to his compliment.

  Instead, I smiled and nodded, remembering how visible my nakedness was and wondering if the new uniform had anything to do with the massive tips I had been getting over the past couple of hours.

  Reaching across the table, I cleared the empty bottles, piling them on top of my tray to make room for the new drinks.

  “You guys need anything else?” I asked.

  They all burst into laughter, making me stiffen with discomfort.

  “Oh, yeah. Looking at your uniform is giving me all kinds of needs,” another guy at the table said through his laughter.

  Quickly, I turned, ready to flee their gawking eyes and lewd comments, but instead of walking away, I walked straight into a warm, broad masculine chest.

  The smell of his cologne filled my senses, making me dizzy with delight. His large hand wrapped around the top of my arm to keep me steady, and I shivered at his touch.

  “Gentlemen,” he muttered above my head to the men at table seven behind me. “A little respect goes a long way. Treat the waitresses here at Empire Sevens with any disrespect, and I’ll make sure you never step foot in my establishment again.”

  I stood there, face to face with his massive chest as I listened to the conversation they had around me.

  “Sorry, Mr. Hale, we were just fucking around.”

  I wasn’t sure who spoke to Zander, but it was apparent I wouldn’t have to worry about the men at table seven again.

  The rest of the night followed the flow.

  Men hitting on me.

  Talking about my body.

  Making me feel like a piece of meat on display.

  Several times, I considered walking out. Once, I went to the back door and thought about fleeing back to Kennedy’s condo to take a breather, but I didn’t.

  I held my
head high, and I did my job. I needed the paycheck, and I wasn’t about to be the one woman to complain even if I already had to Kennedy.

  It was Vegas.

  That was what Kennedy told me.

  And she was right.

  Vegas was gaudy and sexual. It was sinful and dark. And if I wanted to be a part of the town and work in its industries, I had to do just that. Even if it was against my morals a tiny bit.

  I was a beggar.

  And beggars couldn’t be choosy.

  When my shift was finally over, my feet were throbbing, my back was stiff and sore, and I had a headache the size of Nevada.

  All I wanted to do was go to the locker room, change my clothes, and go home, but that would not happen. As soon as I rounded the corner on my way to the locker room, I ran into Zander once again.

  The hallway outside the locker room was quiet, which was strange since it was rare to find a silent moment at Empire Sevens.

  “Your shift is over?” he asked, shocking me.

  Zander hadn’t said many things to me, but when he did, it wasn’t usually very civil, and it was always bossy.

  I nodded, crossing my arms over my chest since I was acutely aware that my vest had shifted a bit while I helped clean the bar.

  “Yeah. I’m just headed to get changed, and then I’m going home.”

  His emerald eyes moved over my face as if he was assessing me, and then they dipped, landing on my crossed arms and staying there as if he was able to see through my arms and straight through my vest.

  “The new uniform,” he started as his eyes finally moved away from my chest and back to my face. “Do you like it?”

  I huffed. “Do you want to hear the truth, or do you want to hear whatever will let me keep my job?”

  At that, he chuckled, yet again shocking me.

  “I’ve always been fond of the truth.”

  I swallowed, shifting on my sore feet to take the weight off my right and put it on my left.

  “Honestly, I don’t like wearing it.”

  His brow lifted. “And why is that?”

  “I don’t like the way it makes me feel.”

  He moved closer, the scent of his cologne swirling around me. “And how does it make you feel?”

  My eyes flickered to his, holding his green gems with mine. “It makes me feel cheap. The men, they …”