Hotel Ruby (9 page)

He looks doubtful. “Of course I do. I'm your brother. Besides, Dad's credit card can handle a room service charge. I was hoping for lobster.”

I laugh, and Daniel and I walk toward the elevators. “Please come to the rooftop tonight?” I ask. “I don't want to meet people by myself.” I'm not nearly as sociable as Daniel. I've learned to operate within the buffer of his charisma, avoiding the main focus so I can choose my words. Be funny. Now I'll have to work on the spot.

“What about that cute girl from housekeeping?” Daniel asks, pressing the button for the elevator. The doors open immediately. “You two were getting along famously. Besides, Aud. I wasn't invited, remember?”

“You're just mad she didn't fall all over you.”

“A little,” he allows. “But it's only Wednesday.” He winks, and I push his shoulder, my tension faded. Even with tonight's emotional hiccup, I've been having fun. I can't remember the last time that happened.

The elevator stops on his floor. “You always have plans,” I tell Daniel, still hoping he'll change his mind about the roof. He walks out and shrugs apologetically.

“I'm very personable. It's a gift and a curse.”

“Uh-huh.”

He chuckles and heads down the hallway toward his room. I sigh, my shoulder against the elevator wall. Daniel's pursuits are wasted on Catherine, in my opinion, but I'm not going to bring it up. He seems happy with her, and more than anything I just want to see my family happy again.

It's just after sunset when I follow Lourdes through the metal door onto the roof. The air is warm, humidity sticking to my skin. The music is low and haunting—the slow scratch of violins, an echo of a voice singing. One of the servers from the ballroom walks by and presses a cold bottle into my hand. He's dressed in a white T-shirt and black pants. His hair is no longer slicked to the side, but spiked out and shaggy around his ears. He winks at Lourdes.

“Welcome back, gorgeous,” he says. Lourdes flashes him a smile and spins dramatically to watch him walk away. It's flirtatious but playful. Jokey in a way you can only be with your close friends.

“Everyone's really happy to see you,” I say, taking a sip of my beer. “How long have you been gone?”

Lourdes slides her gaze in my direction. “A while. I was
suspended.” I mouth an “Oh,” but she laughs. “It wasn't anything illegal,” she explains. “Kenneth and I just have a difference of opinion.”

“I can imagine,” I say. “He seems like he'd be a terrible boss.”

“You have no idea.”

I glance around the roof and find the server who handed me the drink. He joins another guy, and they climb onto the edge of the roof, their legs dangling over the side. I point them out to Lourdes. “Isn't that dangerous?”

“Yep. That's why they do it. In case you haven't noticed,” she says, motioning around us. “Most everything fun is dangerous. I'm sure Eli has told you as much.”

My heart rate spikes at his name, and I turn to her. “I don't really know him that well.”

She laughs. “You will—it's Elias. We've all fallen in love with him at some point or another.” She leans in like she's telling me a secret. “Our lot has been together for a while, Audrey. It's about time we had someone new to stir things up. I am truly torn about your entire situation.”

“My situation?”

“You're leaving soon,” she says, taking my drink to sip from it. “But part of me wants you to stay at the Ruby.” She hands back my bottle. “Now come meet my friends.”

Lourdes starts toward the group sitting on a row of metal cylinders near the wall, laughing and causal in the
fact that they do this all the time. I guess if there's a party every night, one you're not invited to, this is a pretty cool alternative. There's an older guy about halfway across the roof wearing a green army jacket, even though the weather has grown muggy. His head is shaved and he's handsome, and he grins the minute Lourdes and I get within three feet of the group.

“Ah . . .” he says, putting his boot up on a crate, blocking our path. “It's about damn time,” he says with a slow drawl. “This place has been torment without you.” He darts a look at me. “Now what do we have here? I don't believe you're supposed to bring guests to the roof, Miss Fuller. Is she an exception? What would Kenneth say?”

“I don't really give a shit what Kenneth thinks,” Lourdes says sweetly, reaching to run her fingers over his arm. “Besides, Jerome, he's not the boss of her.” Her smile fades. “Or me.”

Jerome lowers his boot from the crate. “He'd beg to differ. But you know I have a soft spot for you.” He waves us past. “Have fun, darlin',” he tells me.

“Thanks.” My questions are starting to multiply, but Lourdes walks on and I don't want to get left behind. I jog to catch up with her.

We stop in front of a group of five or six people. The waitress from the restaurant who gave me ham, the valet who flirted with me when I first arrived, even the quiet girl from housekeeping, among others, are here.

“There's our girl,” the valet announces, smiling at Lourdes. “Nice to see you again. We've—”

“Yeah, yeah, you've missed me.” Lourdes brushes away the sentimentality, humble but endearing. The group watches her with adoration. A hint of sympathy. Then their attention shifts, and they lean forward, waiting for me to speak. I'm suddenly speechless.

“This is Audrey Casella,” Lourdes says for me. “Her brother's the hot blond one.” The girls and a thin guy sipping from a martini glass all smile and nod to each other. I want to roll my eyes, tired of people always noticing Daniel for his looks.

“He's also a nice guy,” I add. They glance around and laugh like I've told a joke I don't know the punch line to. “No, really,” I say quieter, turning to Lourdes.

“I'm sure he is,” she says. “But we don't really judge people based on how nice they are. The nice ones usually go to the party downstairs.” The valet reaches to touch Lourdes's thigh to get her attention, and when she looks down to where he's sitting, he hands her up a bottle. “Thank you, Joshua,” she says, then holds up the drink in cheers. “To our new guests,” she announces. “May they extend their stay and keep us company.”

“Cheers to that,” Joshua says with a sly grin before taking a drink. The others murmur their toasts, and then Tanya moves aside for me and Lourdes to sit down. I take an extra sip, trying to calm my nerves. I don't know any of
these people—and I'm intimidated, especially when they seem to know everything about each other.

“So tell me, Joshua,” Lourdes says, stretching her leg to lay her foot across his lap. He immediately puts his hand on her ankle, stroking his thumb over the skin. “How long have you and Catherine been rekindled? I had to hear about it from the dishwasher.” Joshua's fingers still, and my heart sinks.

“Rumors,” Joshua says, moving Lourdes's leg off of him. “I know better than to deal with her. Not since the last time she stabbed me.”

“Catherine stabbed you?” I demand, my worry for my brother spiking. The group looks over at me, and I earn a few stares from across the roof.

“Shh . . . ,” Lourdes tells me. “We're not supposed to gossip about the guests. And Joshua's fine. He's making it sound more dramatic than it really was.”

“Yes,” Joshua says sarcastically. “I tend to exaggerate when women stick knives into my belly.”

“What's funny about that statement,” Tanya calls out, “is that ‘women' is plural.” They all start to laugh, but I'm wondering if my brother is in danger. I want to ask, but at the same time I can't tell if they're joking or not. And I'm not sure how they'll react if Daniel is hooking up with someone's girlfriend. I'll get the details from Lourdes when the others aren't around.

Lourdes swears from next to me, and I turn to follow
her line of sight. Elias, dressed in a pressed black suit, is walking across the roof terrace and heading straight for us. I realize I'm grinning like an idiot, and I try to play it cool before anyone notices.

“For Christ's sake,” Tanya says, leaning back against the wall. “This place is going to hell tonight.”

“Oh, relax,” Lourdes tells her. “It's not like it's his first time up here.”

“This can only end badly,” Tanya adds. I glance back at her, wondering what exactly she means. Do we have the same idea of what ending badly is? If so, I'm screwed.

“Eli,” Lourdes calls. “Twice in one day. This has been quite a homecoming.”

Elias reaches our part of the roof, and my momentary doubt is overshadowed. The soft light casts him in a silhouette—tall and angular. His shoes scuff to a stop and his face comes into view, painfully handsome. He smiles warmly, the kind of smile that deserves one in return.

“Just happy to have you back,” he says to Lourdes, sitting on the edge of another metal cylinder. “And you know I'd turn up more, but Kenneth can be a tyrant sometimes.”

“A true villain,” Lourdes adds. She holds Elias's stare until they both break the moment by laughing. Elias shifts toward me.

“I was hoping I'd catch you at dinner,” he says quietly. “Caught up with your brother outside the restaurant instead. He wasn't pleasant.”

“I can imagine.” I sit back, more at ease in the group now that Elias has arrived. He exudes calm, comfort. He's an old friend I haven't gotten to know yet. “And why were you looking for me?” I ask him, leaning closer. “Don't you have a boring party to get to?”

“I do,” he concedes. “But I'd much rather follow you around all night.” His eyes shimmer, passionate and wild. The pull between us is magnetic, and it's hard not to imagine crashing my lips against his. Around us the group pantomimes conversation, pretending they're not listening. Elias moves closer, and my gaze is drawn to his mouth. “I'll come find you after the party,” he says.

“You could just skip it,” I suggest. Joshua chuckles from behind me, and Elias looks up, silencing him. “What's so important about those parties?” I ask. “Why do you have to go? And don't tell me it's because of Kenneth. He's the concierge.”

Elias folds his hands in his lap, and I watch as he works his jaw, the sharp lines, the tightening muscles. He's laughed off every other mention of Kenneth, but now I see his true resentment. I wonder if it has to do with Lourdes's suspension, or if it goes deeper than that. A hush falls over the moment.

“There are rules,” Tanya says when no one else speaks up. “Like any job, if we don't follow them, we're punished. Although I haven't been working here as long as these guys, I know to keep my mouth shut. And if you want to
enjoy your stay, enjoy the sights”—she glances at Elias—“you don't piss off the concierge.”

Her threat isn't leveled at me; I turn to Elias. “Would he kick you out of the hotel?” I ask. “Is that even a bad thing?”

“Elias's family helped build this place,” Joshua answers for him. The two exchange a heavy look, tense with history. It occurs to me that the history might have something to do with Catherine. When she asked Elias to dance last night at the party, he refused but then mentioned Joshua. I wouldn't be at all surprised if she had created some weird hotel love triangle. “Elias is never going to leave,” Joshua continues. “Hell, the party is
for
him.”

Stunned, I start to ask if that's true, but Lourdes is adamantly shaking her head. “Don't even go there, Joshua,” she says like he's a petulant child. “Eli can't help that he was born with a silver spoon.” She flashes him a playful smile, and Elias chuckles, his tension fading. “Besides, we know exactly who these parties are for—Kenneth's enormous ego.”

“House rules,” Tanya calls out, and the group repeats it back and then takes a drink. Elias nods, since he doesn't have a bottle, and although I'm not exactly sure what the “house rules” are, I sip from my beer.

“Now,” Lourdes says, poking Elias with the toe of her shoe. “You should probably get downstairs before Catherine comes looking for you. I don't think any of us want to deal with her mood swings.”

Catherine, again they toss out her name. But this time
her clear link with Elias pinches with the beginning of jealousy. So much for mastering that particular emotion. I'm definitely going to ask about her—for both mine and Daniel's sake. I don't know these people. Don't know their pasts, their relationships. I'd rather not stumble into some unseen drama, especially when I have plenty of my own.

Elias levels his gaze at Lourdes. “Take it easy on her,” he says, motioning to me, and Lourdes grins her response. Elias stands and brushes off the back of his black pants. I give him a once-over, admiring his suit, his class. Now that he's about to leave, my resolve to avoid confrontation wanes.