If Bastien had his way, that would never again be me.
Despite the mild October weather, the air inside the SUV was stifling.
And it didn’t get much better inside the hot kitchen we had to walk through after we entered through the rear of the hotel. A series of tight, no-frills hallways that the regulartourists would never see were equally suffocating. For a brief moment, we passed a hallway that lead to the casino floor, and the chiming of slot machines and shouts from the table games mocked me. It felt like a siren’s call screaming for my attention, reminding me of my last visit to Las Vegas.
I’d been drafted to come participate in some war games at Nellis Air Force Base, located only milesfrom the Strip. But that trip had been so different from this one. I’d been one of the guys. A regular solider. Hell, I don’t think most of the men I’d met even knew that I was a European prince. I was just Lieutenant Luc Greiner. Pilot. Soldier.
But that was then. And this was now.
As if to highlight my thought, we passed a contingent of lifts, where the regular people waited to ride one ofeight elevators up to one of the sixty floors. My security retinue pressed against me to prevent anyone getting close, and in the process drew the attention of everyone in the vicinity.
“Oooooh! Who is it? I can’t see!”
“I think it’s Machine Gun Kelly.”
“No, he’s not tall enough. MGK is like six six and plastered with tattoos. I think it’s Scott Eastwood. You know, the actor? Look at his scruffybeard. It’s totally Scott Eastwood. Oh, God, he’s so hot. I loved him in that one movie…”
Dimitri smirked at me as we walked farther down to the elevator markedPRIVATE ACCESS ONLY. We paused as another bodyguard whipped out a black card with Commonwealth Hotel emblazoned on the top and shoved it in the card slot. While we waited for the elevator to appear, Dimitri leaned toward me and said,sotto voce, “I guess you’re still anonymous in some places,monsieur.”
I smirked back at him and shook my head. That was why Dimitri was my favorite. Despite the differences in our stations, he never resisted the opportunity to jerk my chain.
The guards in front of me moved toward the elevator as the numbers grew smaller. The elevator doors opened to reveal an empty car. As I took a step towardit, I saw a blur in my peripheral. Dimitri had a woman pinned against the wall. I hadn’t even seen her approach us.
“Ouch! Let me go. I just want an autograph! Scott? Scott! I love you! I want to have your babies!”
Dimitri laughed as the other members of my security team hustled me onto the empty elevator. “I think a baby is a little more than an autograph.”
“No! Wait. If you just let me meethim, you’ll see. We had a connection. He looked at me back there.”
“Ma’am, I can guarantee you he never even saw you.” Whatever else Dimitri said was muffled by the closing elevator doors.
None of the other members of my security team said a word as the elevator carried us to the top level and my penthouse suite. The floor was deserted when the elevator doors opened, and a few steps off, I sawwhy. My suite was one of only six doors on the entire level. Like always, I stayed in the hallway with two of my bodyguards while the third did a sweep of the suite. It must’ve been huge, because while we were waiting, the elevator made another trip. Dimitri popped out and joined us in the hallway.
“Everything taken care of in the lobby?” Nicolas, the senior member of the security team, askedDimitri.
“Oui, monsieur,”Dimitri replied respectfully. “Security arrived and escorted His Highness’s, uh, fan away.”
Dimitri’s eyes met mine; his were full of mirth. Like he knew how much it irked me that that woman thought I was a Hollywood actor when it was actually the opposite.
I didn’t need recognition. What I wanted was to be just a regular person again. I’d enjoyed a relatively anonymousexistence in France for a few years, and I missed it now. Don’t misunderstand me; there are definite perks to this life—I didn’t have to screw around with baggage claim at the airport, I could get anything I wanted without even lifting a finger half the time—but it was all so lonely. Everyone wanted a piece of mebecauseof my title. I’d never simply be Lieutenant Greiner again.
Once we finallygot the all clear, I passed through the ornate double doors and made straight for the glittering bar only steps from the doorway. Being so moody and emotional definitely called for a drink. Opening the fridge, I saw it had been stocked with all my favorites—Carlsberg beer, Perrier sparkling water, strawberries, and a whole shelf of Krug. Since I was feeling nostalgic, I grabbed a bottle of Carlsberg,popped off the cap, and took a few swallows before I turned and faced the room. Make that rooms.
It might as well have been an apartment. Across from me was a two-piece bath, and the opposite wall opened into a hallway that no doubt led to more than one bedroom. But the huge room in front of me was impressive. Several clusters of sofas broke up the enormous ballroom-sized space. All leather andshiny and no doubt brand-new, probably in honor of my visit. A large crystal chandelier hung in the center and rivaled any at the palace back home. And an honest-to-God bowling lane was set up on the far wall, just past the toilet.
But none of that captured my attention longer than a glance. No, it was the floor-to-ceiling windows that made up the wall spanning the entire suite. With my beerhanging loosely from my hand, I crossed the suite to the windows and gazed at the sparkling lights showcased in the distance. I had a panoramic view of the famous Bellagio dancing waters fountain show—just sixty-something floors down.
In the distance, I heard a phone ring in the suite, but I ignored it. One of the guys would no doubt answer it. Instead I pushed open the sliding glass door andstepped out onto the balcony. After the stifling air of the plane, the airport, and the press of bodies to get through the hotel and into the tiny elevator, the feel of the cool breeze against my face was almost orgasmic.
Almost.
Merde,how long had it been? I couldn’t even remember. When I first got the news of the deaths in my family, I’d been passed out next to a brunette flight attendantI’d hooked up with only hours before. I couldn’t even remember her name. Had there been anyone since then? I searched my memory but between the pain, the endless ceremonies, and processions, I came up blank.
It couldn’t have been almost a year. I would’ve known if I’d been celibate that long. Wouldn’t I?
“Monsieur?” Nicolas poked his head out the balcony doors and drew my attention away frommy sad self-reflection.
I took a few pulls from my beer, then answered. “Yes.”
