“I doubt that,” she responded. “He was too preoccupied with the grand opening of his hotel-casino to be thinking about leaving impressions.”
“We should go to the grand opening,” Melanie said as the elevator doors opened to the sixth floor. “I know Oscar Presley has been assigned to write a piece for the paper. But now that you know one of the owners personally—”
Bianca chuckled. “I wouldn’t exactly put it that way,” she said, then admitted, “But he did invite me.”
“Then it’s settled,” Melanie said, practically jumping for joy, as if they had both won the lottery. “I’m sure he won’t mind if I tag along, and maybe I’ll even put a few dollars in the slot machines.”
“I’m sure he won’t mind,” Bianca agreed, especially when they would probably fade into the woodwork with all the city’s dignitaries on hand to welcome the Aloha Seas to Las Vegas.
Melanie beamed. “Now I just have to decide what to wear. You never know who we might run into.”
Knowing that her friend turned heads all the time, Bianca was certain that would be no problem. “I’m sure we’ll both look great no matter what we wear.”
“Maybe so,” Melanie said. “But there’s nothing wrong with a little icing on the cake, so to speak.”
Bianca grinned. “Whatever you say.” She reached her workstation. “I’ll talk to you later.”
Sitting at her desk, Bianca attempted to concentrate on a few articles she was working on. If only her thoughts weren’t filled with images of Tanner Long.
* * *
Tanner walked into the hotel. Everything sparkled, and it was a damned good imitation of Hawaii, complete with palm trees, sand, pool replicas of the ocean, an amazing luau area, and authentic Hawaiian cuisine and drinks. There were two nightclubs and a concert hall. Of course, there was also a casino that was pure Las Vegas with plenty of slot machines, blackjack tables, card dealers and a professional and friendly staff to keep things running smoothly.
He thought about Bianca. Perhaps it was serendipitous that their cars had collided. Otherwise he might never have laid eyes on the beauty. He was a firm believer in fate and that all things happened for a reason.
He liked the idea of getting to know Bianca better. But first, she had to show up for the grand opening. Then they could take it from there, assuming she didn’t bring a date. He certainly didn’t mind a little competition from time to time. But when it came to women, he preferred not to have to compete for anyone he had his eye on.
And currently that was Bianca Wagner, whom he knew far too little about at the moment. He hoped to rectify that soon.
“There you are....” Tanner heard the familiar voice, breaking his reverie.
He turned to see his brother approaching with Frank Regan, the general manager.
“For a minute there, I thought you’d gone to the wrong place,” Solomon said.
“I had to make a slight detour,” Tanner explained, gazing at his brother. They were the same height. Many had said they would be hard to tell apart between their close features and size, except Solomon chose to wear his black hair long and curly instead of shaving it all off. Tanner was glad that set them apart. The last thing he needed or wanted was to have people getting him confused with his brother and vice versa. Particularly where it concerned the ladies, as their tastes were about as different as night and day.
“Oh, right, the accident,” Solomon said.
“What accident?” Frank asked, scratching his thinning blond-gray hair.
“Just a slight fender bender,” Tanner said. “I took care of it. No big deal.”
“Glad to hear that,” Solomon told him. “We’ve got less than forty-eight hours till the big opening, and there’s still a lot to be done.”
Tanner smiled. “Including cost cutting?”
“Hey, someone has to watch the bottom line,” his brother said with a chuckle.
“And you’re the right man for the job. Don’t you agree, Frank?”
“Absolutely,” he said. “Together, you two are unbeatable.”
“Which makes the three of us that much more formidable,” Tanner told him, patting the fiftysomething general manager on the back. They began walking and Tanner regarded both men. “So bring me up to speed on anything I’ve missed, and I’ll do the same.”
“Well, for one, you missed the glamorous Kendre Kelly rehearsing for her opening act in the concert hall,” Frank told him.
Tanner frowned. She was one of the top singing talents around these days. They had secured her services for the next three months. He would have more than enough time to see her perform.
“Is she as good as they say?” he asked for effect.
“Better,” Frank claimed. “Back me up on this, Solomon.”
“Yeah, she’s good—including on the eyes.”
Tanner chuckled. “Leave it up to my brother to focus more on her looks than talent.”
“Look who’s talking,” Solomon tossed back. “I’m not the one who dated a hot-to-trot dancer, awed much more by her beauty than her footwork.”
“Guilty as charged,” Tanner said. “But then, she didn’t work for me. Have to draw the line somewhere.”
Solomon grinned crookedly. “Understood.”
Tanner wasn’t so sure he did, knowing Solomon had a weakness for beautiful women. The fact that Kendre was now employed at the Aloha Seas would not likely change this any.
For his part, Tanner could also appreciate a lovely, sexy woman. Bianca Wagner came to mind again. Good thing she wasn’t working for them, so there were no barriers standing in the way of them getting together, assuming the opportunity presented itself.
* * *
Bianca resisted the urge to overdress for the grand opening event, preferring to keep it simple and stylish with a sleeveless blue A-line dress and low heels. She decided to leave her hair down and loose, and wore little makeup, as usual, preferring the natural glow of her complexion.
Accompanied by Melanie, she entered the packed Aloha Seas and both women were immediately in awe.
“This is so cool,” Melanie said, taking in the glamor and glitter of the tropical-themed hotel. “Makes me want to check out Hawaii in person.”
“You should,” Bianca told her. “You’d love it there.”
“I’m sure I would, especially with the right man on my arm.”
Bianca smiled. “That’s always a plus,” she said.
“Aloha!” Bianca heard the familiar deep voice. She turned to find Tanner standing there with another tall, well-dressed man who, by the looks of him, could only be Tanner’s brother.
“Hello,” she said.
Tanner grinned. “Glad you could make it.”
“We wouldn’t have missed this,” Melanie said enthusiastically.
“This is my friend, Melanie,” Bianca said.
“Nice to meet you,” Tanner told her, shaking Melanie’s hand. “And this is my brother, Solomon.”
“Ladies,” Solomon said, smiling.
Bianca smiled back. She could see the resemblance between the brothers right down to the neatly trimmed mustaches and goatees, aside from the fact that Solomon had hair atop his head and Tanner