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Chapter One
The scream caught in her throat woke her up and she fumbled for the bottle that she had placed on the nightstand for this reason. Her eyes were still shut as her mouth closed around the cold glass neck, and the warm amber liquid burned its way down to her stomach.
She had fought so hard against sleep, hoping to stave off the dreams she knew would come. She drank faster, finishing off the bottle quickly. She had more stashed in her closet. As a rule, she never drank. Except today. Today was the anniversary of her mother’s death. It was also her twenty-fifth birthday.
As hard as she tried, there was no escaping the ever present reminders. It would be all over the news and social media, posted and re-hashed a million times over by super-fans everywhere. Her mother, actress and starlet Elizabeth Barret had had an illustrious career that spanned over thirty-five years before her death. She was the original American sweetheart.
The fans meant well, they didn’t know the effect of their memorial posts every year. They weren’t thinking of her being in the car with her mother, or the gory details of the accident she re-lived every day. How could they? Her father had paid greatly to have those details kept from the media. So far, they had never come out.
Tossing the empty bottle on the floor, she debated opening her eyes and leaving the comfortable nest of her bed to retrieve another. Better not, she thought. I want to be numb, not dead. Getting completely obliterated before 10:00 am was not part of her birthday plan.
She snuggled back down against her pillow, drawing the covers over her head to drown out the lights and sounds of the Las Vegas Strip below her. The city never slept.
Luckily for Diamond, after a night performing in the lounge downstairs as a showgirl, getting to sleep was never a problem. Her small suite was comped as part of her pay, and set in an offshoot area of the casino, far from the hustle and bustle of the other rooms.
She could, and often did, sleep until noon without interruption, but not today. Her sisters wouldn’t call out of respect for her wishes that her birthday not be acknowledged, but her father wouldn’t be able to help himself.
Early riser that he was, he would call shortly before her alarm went off around ten, knowing that she hadn’t worked last night, and wouldn’t be sleeping in. Her father, jeweler to the stars, was as predictable as clockwork.
At exactly one minute before ten, her phone rang. “Hello?” she mumbled into the phone, hoping it sounded more like he had awakened her, and less like she had already been hitting the bottle.
“Listen, darling.” Her father sounded rushed, not bothering with the niceties of wishing her a happy birthday. “I hate to tell you this, but someone leaked the details. It was bound to happen eventually. There were just too many damn cops and paramedics on scene to pay them all off. I must have missed one. I’m actually surprised it didn’t happen before this, and I’m really sorry for it to have happened on today of all days, but you know how the media is. Damn vultures. Are you there?”
She wasn’t. She was already running for the bathroom. She barely made it to the toilet before losing every ounce of her liquid breakfast. If this was how her day was going to start off, she shouldn’t leave her room at all.
The alcohol tasted even worse coming up than it had going down, and she could hear her father calling to her through the phone which she had dropped in her rush to the toilet. Once she was sure every last drop of alcohol, and possibly a bit of her stomach lining was expelled from her rebelling body, she crawled back to the phone where her father was waiting patiently.
“That’s it. I’m coming down. This ridiculous notion of hiding away and forgetting your birthday to honor her memory, and forget her death isn’t working. For anyone.”
“No, Daddy,” she gasped. “Please don’t, I’m fine. And I’ll make sure to stay away from the TV and internet for a few days. Stay there. Emmy needs you more than I do. I’ll see you next week at graduation.” Her youngest sister was graduating from her prestigious private school with high honors, and Di couldn’t be more proud.
She could practically hear her father grinding his teeth against his inner struggle as he fought his fathering instincts against her wishes. “Fine, but if you change your mind, you call me, and I’ll be there in a heartbeat. I’ll take the jet if I have to.”
“I’m fine, Daddy. It was just... a shock. I’m going to climb back in bed, order room service and raunchy slapstick comedies, and ignore the rest of the world until tomorrow. It’s a perfect day, really. I’m even looking forward to it,” she lied.
“Okay, baby, if you say so. But remember, I’m here if you need me.”
“I know.” She smiled into the phone for a half a second before hitting the disconnect button and collapsing onto the floor in a sobbing heap, no longer able to escape the images that plagued her nightmares.
* * *
“Room service,” a voice called from outside the door.
Paxton Donovan, Pax, as he was known to his employees, and the rest of the Vegas nightclub circuit opened the door with a smile.
“Morning, Will,” he greeted the young college student who rolled in a cart boasting a six egg white and spinach omelet, a wheatgrass smoothie, black coffee and a copy of the New York Times.
“Morning, boss.” Will smiled as he efficiently unloaded the cart and set up Pax’s breakfast table, knowing by now, just how he liked it. “You working Rojo tonight, or Aubergine?”
Pax grunted. “Aubergine. Jerry has a wedding or some such he has to attend, so I’m bouncing.” Pax owned Rojo, a highly exclusive hotel and casino well known for boasting the only specialty BDSM club on the strip. Aubergine, next door, was where he had gotten his start. Over the years, the owner, Jason, had become his best friend, and now he was half owner, a fact that was well known at Rojo, but not anywhere else. He had become owner, simply for the sake of bailing Jason out of a jam, and he split his time between the two nightclubs with his main focus here at Rojo. Jason did the same, highlighting as a disciplinarian here at Rojo once or twice a week.
Will simply nodded in response. Will was your typical horny college student who enjoyed the perks of working at an exclusive Las Vegas casino. He could often be found at the bar on his nights off, simply taking in the scenery. So far, to Pax’s knowledge, Will never played, only watched, but he was respectful and followed the rules, so Pax hadn’t said anything. Will was a good kid and a good employee.
“Is there anything else I can get for you, boss?”
“No.” Pax gave a dismissive wave. He had a lunch meeting, and wanted to enjoy his breakfast and morning paper in peace, before his day began. Once it started, it didn’t stop until the club shut down for the night.
“Very good.” Will nodded as he left.
