Daddy’s Girl by Miley Maine
Erik
The instant Savannah and I leave the conference room and head up to the penthouse, I know something is wrong. She seemed fine -- happy even -- chatting with my friends and their dates, but once we’re alone her whole demeanor changes.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, unlocking the door to the penthouse and opening it so Savannah can enter.
She takes a few steps inside, looks around in awe, then sinks down on the couch.
Not quite the reaction I was expecting. The penthouse is equally as nice as my suite on the strip, and I figured given we haven’t had the chance to spend some quality time together, Savannah would love this.
I sit down next to her, pull off my jacket, tie and shoes, and then wrap my arms around her.
Savannah’s head drops against my shoulders, and she starts sniffling.
“What’s wrong? What’s happened?”
My heart pounds, imagining Dimitri has done something terrible to Savannah at work, but surely if that was the case, she would have told me earlier. No, something must have happened at the conference…
Lauren!
I wince. I didn’t even know my ex was in town, I haven’t seen her since we broke up, but of course, she was here, and she had to be at the conference. I should have known, given her friendship with the resort owner’s wife, Maria.
But how did she know about me and Savannah?
“I’m sorry for whatever Lauren said to you. Please believe me when I tell you every word out of her mouth is a lie.”
Savannah raises her head and gazes directly at me. “Do you think I’m a gold digger?” she asks.
“What?! No! Is that what Lauren said? Well, it couldn’t be further from the truth. I know you’re not with me for my money. You’re not like that--”
Savannah nods slowly. “Sure, okay, but how about everyone else? James’ date, Emmanuelle, thought I was an escort like her. And well, if people see us together, aren’t they going to assume the worst, based on my age and stuff?”
“Who cares what people think? My friends know the truth, and that’s all that matters.”
Savannah tilts her head to one side and narrows her eyes. “Is it really? What happens if you start losing business because people think you’re with some gold-digging whore?”
“You’re not a gold-digging whore, and if anyone says that about you, I’ll set them straight. Not that anyone will. No one cares who I date as long as my company is doing well. You’re letting Lauren’s words poison things.”
Savannah sighs and rakes her fingers through her hair. “You know, I saw pictures of you and Lauren together. Maddie showed them to me on her phone before I decided to take you up on your offer. I couldn’t understand if you previously dated someone like her what you could possibly see in me.”
I feel my insides burn with rage that Lauren is once more having this sort of impact on my life. It also breaks my heart that Savannah has been so downtrodden by Dimitri that she’s unable to see she’s a hundred times the woman Lauren is.
“To start with, my ex is a vapid, insipid, vain bitch who only cares about herself. The saying ‘beauty is only skin deep’ must have been made with Lauren in mind, because no matter what outward appearances suggest, inside she’s rotten to the core. She’s controlling and manipulative, and my relationship with her was hell.” It hurts admitting those things and remembering the past. What Lauren put me through was almost enough to make me swear off women forever. But Savannah has to know the truth. “And even if all that wasn’t the case, the reason I’m with you and want to explore our relationship is because I feel a bond with you that I’ve never experienced with anyone else. Perhaps it’s because we’ve both lost our fathers, who knows? But the moment I met you I felt a connection, and the more time we spend together, the more I see we have in common. You see me for who I really am, not just my status or what I can do for your public image.”
Savannah nods and wipes her eyes and I pull her in closer again, pressing my lips to her forehead. “Please, don’t give what Lauren said another thought. I think you’re amazing, and I want to continue seeing how this goes--”
Savannah offers me a wry grin and moves her head so that her lips are now pressed against mine. She wraps her arms around my neck, and says, “That’s good, because seeing you up there, talking about your business was super-hot.”
I raise my brow and smirk. “Was it?”
“It was. I love a man who can command a room.”
I chuckle, and then have a sudden spark of inspiration. “If you enjoy seeing me in business mode, why don’t you join me and this client I’m speaking with for lunch? Though I warn you, they’re notoriously hard to please. I’m hoping I can convince them to open their own fitness branch, but well, they’ve been fobbing me off with excuses for years.”
“You’re sure you want me to join?”
“Yes! It means I get to spend more time with you, and then when the meeting is a total failure -- which it will be, nothing I can say impresses this client -- at least I’ll have you there to console me.”
Savannah chuckles. “Well, when you put it like that, how can I refuse?”
“Thank you. Honestly, having you there to hold my hand under the table will be a huge help.”
“I didn’t think you needed any help when it came to business, especially not from the likes of me.”
“Nonsense, you graduated UNLV with a Bachelor’s in Math, that’s no easy feat. And besides, once you meet Rebecca Montgomary, you’ll understand why I need the moral support.”
Savannah’s eyes widen. “That’s who your client is?”
“Yes, and she’s one of the toughest in the business. She owns the--”
“The Springhill Suites on the strip, I know. Everyone in Vegas knows who Rebecca Montgomary is. She’s like royalty around here.”
“Exactly. If I got her to agree to franchise a fitness center at the Suites, well, it would be a big money deal. Likely worth millions, but in all the years I’ve presented the idea to her, she’s never accepted. I’m surprised she even agreed to meet me while I’m here.”
“And you’re sure you want me there? If this deal really is as important as you say it is, surely you want to speak to Rebecca Montgomary with no distractions around.”
“Believe me, I’ve tried that. I’ve tried everything. At this point I don’t think anything I can do will make this worse, so why shouldn’t you have lunch with Las Vegas royalty?”
“Well, I would like to meet her. She’s a very inspirational woman.”
“She is. She’s achieved a lot in her life.”
After a few moments of silence, I ask, “Are you hungry? Or did you have enough to eat at the conference?”
“I had plenty at the conference, thank you,” Savannah says with a smile, some of her earlier enthusiasm returning. “The catering here is really great.”
“It is. The whole resort is wonderful, it’s just a shame the owner’s wife is such a bitch. She and Lauren were cut from the same cloth.”
“I think she must have been the woman I overheard Lauren speaking to when I was hiding in the toilet. Maria something?”
“Yeah, that’s the one. Maria Clement, wife of Joshua. Joshua is a good guy; he and Robb used to be close, and then Maria came along. He changed after he married her, which is why he doesn’t hang out with us anymore.”
“And who were those women with Robb and Lucas? I know James’ date was an escort, but how about the others?”
I let out a small chuckle. “Is me saying ‘it’s complicated’ enough of an explanation?”
Savannah’s eyes widen. “No! Now you’ve said that I want to know all the details. As long as you’re not betraying your friends’ confidence.”
“The guys won’t care, and besides, I trust you won’t go gossiping. Jayne, Robb’s date, is an old family friend. He and Jayne are in a sort of ‘arranged’ engagement situation, though it’s what neither of them want, they’re doing it to appease their parents, and protect Jayne.”
“Why does Jayne need to be protected by someone?” Savannah asks, leaning in towards me with interest.
“She’s gay, but not out to her family. They’re the old fashioned, old money type and would never accept it. I think Robb and Jayne’s current plan is to have a marriage of convenience but continue to see other people in secret.”
Savannah’s eyes widened. “And Robb’s okay with that? Doesn’t he want to be with someone he loves?”
“Robb and Jayne do love each other, just not in the way their families want them to. Robb is willing to sacrifice his happiness to ensure Jayne’s family don’t disown her.”
“That’s super sweet, but damn, it’s a shame they can’t both be happy and free.”
“Yeah, it is. I feel very fortunate that my parents never made similar demands, but then, my family had a much humbler beginning than either Robb or James’ families did. Me and Lucas are the ‘outcasts’ in that sense, as neither of us come from generations of rich families. We’re both self-made.”
“How did you all meet?”
“Through Lucas actually. He used to live in the same city as me, we’ve known each other since high school. Not long after graduating, he had a bad break up. The woman he was with slept with his brother. He left. God only knows why he moved to Vegas, but he did, and started working security for James. James and Robb are old college buddies, and then when I came to Vegas to visit Lucas, we all became friends.”
“Oh wow, poor Lucas. That must have been awful, having your own family betray you like that.”
“It was, he went through a very dark period when he first moved here, getting involved with drugs and an underground fighting operation. And I felt so powerless to help him. I wanted to move out here too, but I couldn’t. My father was just beginning to get sick, and I had the starting’s of my fitness company to focus on. By the time I did have the freedom to travel more, Lucas had already sorted himself out -- with James and Robb’s help.”
“Well, it’s lucky he found them. It seems like the four of you have a strong bond. It reminds me of the bond between me and Maddie. I’ve known her since kindergarten, and we both grew up on the strip. At one point, we tried to set her mom up with my dad, but it never worked out, otherwise we’d be sisters now.”
“I’d love to meet her,” I say genuinely. The more I hear about Maddie, the more I’m sure she’s an important part in Savannah’s life, and well, that means I want to at least get to know her.
“Yeah, we’ll have to all get together at some point. Hopefully I can uncover some damning evidence against Dimitri soon.”
“How is that going?” I ask, afraid of the answer. I know that Savannah has to pretend to be interested in Dimitri, and while she won’t have sex with him, that does mean she has to not flinch away from his advances.
Savannah sighs. “He’s very handsy, but I’ve managed to convince him waiting will be worth it. I just don’t know how long I can hold him off for.”
Anger bubbles to the surface. “Let me get you out of there.”
“No. If I leave, who will gather evidence against Dimitri?”
“We’ll find some other way. You’ve planted the bugs, right? So, Lucas and his team will be monitoring the feeds. That might be enough.”
“What if it’s not enough? What if he hurts Maddie or one of the others?”
“What if he hurts you, Savannah?”
“I have the knife Lucas gave me. Can we please just wait a little longer, and see if the surveillance equipment catches anything?”
“Okay, we’ll wait a few more weeks, but if Dimitri starts putting pressure on you, Savannah, let me know. I don’t want you having to compromise yourself just to bring him down.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t.”