Sliding a hand under the water, she sank into the bath, making the pleasure of the morning last.
CHAPTER 16 – JULIS
Down at the employee’s bar for cocktail hour, Layla stepped through a gauntlet of Hotel Guards with pikes in the vaulted glass atrium and into the soaring Egyptian art deco lounge. All around, Hotel employees chatted at colorful silk chaises scattered through the vaulted hall of stone Buddhas, potted palms, and Egyptian-painted columns. It was the same place where she’d had her Hotel debut back in August, and though the space had been foreign then, it was well-known now. Layla hardly needed to glance around before she spotted Adam, sitting on a barstool at the classy copper bar tucked into the potted palms where Rake André normally worked.
Adam raised a hand, hailing her with a pleasant smile. Casual tonight, Layla had worn one of her cocktail dresses from Concierge Services, her sable curls up in a side-chignon. She didn’t even realize she’d chosen the same dress Adam had first met her in until he grinned with obvious pleasure. The stretchy cream dress with burgundy lace shoulders was one her favorites, and Adam’s eyes glowed as she slid up to a barstool next to him, propping her burgundy heels on the stool’s rung and crossing her legs. She’d worn some of Mimi’s jewelry tonight just to keep it classy, the sapphire and diamond teardrop set winking in the overhead spotlights.
The bartender, a woman named Amira that Layla knew from yoga class, came up with a big smile, her chocolate skin hailing from India but in the Twilight Realm. Amira was a Dakini and one of Rake’s regular partners, but beyond that, Layla didn’t know her much.
“Hey, Layla.” Amira moved up with a lovely smile, her honey-brown eyes entrancing. “What can I get you tonight?”
“Your best bourbon, with a small splash of water. And don’t bullshit me,” Layla grinned. “I know Rake keeps the good stuff under the bar.”
“Coming right up!”
With a laugh Amira moved off, leaving Adam and Layla alone at the end of the bar. He was grinning at her, but there was something more in those jade-violet eyes of his as a sweet apple and honey scent rolled off him. Dressed in a snappy ensemble of charcoal pants and a matching vest, complete with a hunter-green silk tie that brought out his eyes, he had an honest-to god pocket watch on a gold chain clipped to his vest, which he tucked away as Layla settled. Russet leather wrist-bracers studded with antique brass rivets matched his russet Oxfords, making his entire outfit pop, elegantly punk-chic.
“Hey, sexy.” Adam grinned as Layla settled in, receiving her drink from Amira.
“Hey, yourself.” Layla sassed, feeling suddenly awkward at his greeting like maybe they were on a date after all.
“I’m not sexy?” Adam grinned, making big eyes and batting his blond eyelashes.
“You know you are.” Layla gave him an eyebrow lift, turning on her barstool and taking up her glass. She hated to admit it but Adam had style, and he was damn sexy. But before she could sip to cover her attraction to him, Adam smiled like a rogue, lifting his Tom Collins and clinking glasses with a chuckle.
“Yeah, I know I’m sexy. Deal with it.”
“And so suave.”
“That’s just my shampoo.”
Layla laughed. Despite his asinine tendencies, Adam had wit, and Layla had to admit she actually liked it. She shook her head, though she couldn’t stop a grin. Sipping her bourbon, she found it was the same one she had up in her rooms, Rake’s secret stash from New Orleans. Mellow and sweet, it filled her with a blissful ease, and Layla sighed with delight as she sipped. Whoever made it created nectar of the gods.
“That smells good,” Adam eyeballed her drink, setting his own back down on the polished copper bar. “What is it?”
“Rake’s secret sauce. Not my secret to divulge.” Setting her drink down also, Layla faced Adam with a professional brusqueness. “So where do we start, talking about the clan?”
“Whoa! No foreplay?” He grinned like a brigand.
Layla flushed scarlet. A wave of heat rolled off her skin, scented with citrus. She opened her mouth to protest his teasing and tell him that in no uncertain terms was this a date, when he laughed and shook his head, holding up a hand to forestall her.
“I’m kidding! I’m kidding. You really haven’t been around Dragons much, have you?”
“I just imagine the most asshat frat boys I used to serve at the bar in Seattle, and it works pretty well.” Layla grumped sourly, though a sip form her bourbon immediately cured her sourness.
“Not all Dragons are asshats.” Adam sipped his drink in a decidedly lurid fashion, still grinning at her. “Just me.”
“Great. So I have full permission to toss my drink in your face at some point tonight?” Layla sassed, wondering if her little prophecy might just come true.
“Absolutely.” Adam grinned back. “Others surely have.”
The conversation halted suddenly, and they were left staring at each other. Layla felt Adam’s honey-smooth energy falter as his green eyes deepened and the smile on his face slipped. He covered his intensity by sipping his drink, but Layla had felt it. Something deep lingered inside him. Like Dusk, Adam was far more than he seemed, and had learned how to cover it up with a blithe, teasing demeanor as much as Dusk covered his depth with brusque, affable do-it-all camaraderie. Layla cocked her head, a smile touching her lips as she suddenly understood far more about Adam.
“Are you nervous about meeting me tonight?” She asked, though she already knew the answer.
Adam’s blond eyebrows lifted, but rather than bullshit her, he set his drink down to the copper bar with a sigh, meeting her gaze. “I am, actually.”
“Why?” Layla’s brows knit, curious to know more about the real Adam she was seeing now. It was the same person who had faced off with Adrian in the pavilion, she realized suddenly. The feel of his power was soft yet strong in a way she couldn’t quite describe, like a good perfume. She felt it curling around her as Adam gave a soft laugh. Turning his Tom Collins glass on the bar with his fingertips, his ornate emerald and platinum dragon-ring flashed in the light of the beaten-copper spots overhead.
