Call My Bluff_A Las Vegas Themed Anthology - Elizabeth Knox Page 0,1

down at the phone. “You aren’t understanding what I’m telling you. There is no way for me to build a hotel made of glass with the way you want it designed.”

Again, he begins to laugh. “What I don’t understand is how you’re the best if you can’t create a hotel like this. There’s another similar to my design in Tokyo.” I know the hotel he’s speaking of. It’s designed by a personal friend of mine, Vittorio Ricci. The only way V could construct it was because his client caved and accepted through the center of the structure there would be beams, killing some of the clean lines he wanted. In every corner of that hotel they have a small wall which covers up the support beams and concrete barriers. And I mean small, it was barely approved for the permits.

“You’re not creating a hotel, Mr. Saint. What you’re wanting me to build is a mass gravesite because the one thing I can guarantee you is that it will come crashing down, killing every man and woman constructing it. Listen up and for the love of God, don’t interrupt me again. I will not put my people, or anyone else’s team at risk like this. I will personally make it my mission to call every reputable architect in this business and let them know what kind of careless man you are. Is that understood?”

“I will take you for every penny you have,” Roger declares, sounding frustrated.

“Go ahead and try. Haven’t you heard, my fiancé did that to me once before. I’ll recover you old bastard.” I snarl, slamming my finger down on the button to end the call.

“Holy shit,” Courtnay, one of my interns from the local college blurts out. She’s new, inexperienced, but is an incredibly hard worker. She’s one of two interns I have here at my company. Tara is the other and I’ve about had it with her bullshit. She’s the type who will only ever be an assistant. Has those fuck me eyes and constantly goes after my executive team. She’s the type of woman who wants to ride her way to the top. It’s why I allow Courtnay to come to these meetings. At least she’s serious about the job.

“Do you have something to say?” Kim, my Director of Engineering asks her. She’s been with my company since I started it twelve years ago, being one of the first people who put their trust in me.

Jackson, my Director of Surveying chuckles from the other end of the table. “Pretty sure it’s Courtnay’s first time witnessing our big ol’ boss losing his shit. Get used to it, sweetie. Declan isn’t a fan of people like Roger.”

“You mean callous pieces of shit who have no regards for others safety? Yeah, not a fan.” I retort.

“I uh . . . I was just a bit surprised at the ex-fiancé confession . . . thing . . . you know the uh . . .,” The poor girl struggles with her words.

“I hated that woman the moment I saw her. I told you Declan. Didn’t I? I told you she was trouble!” Jackie, my assistant hisses toward me. I ended up stealing Jackie from my father’s office. She’d worked for him for years, but much like Kim, she had confidence in my abilities and decided to switch her career path. At the time my business started up she’d just returned from maternity leave with her first daughter and wanted something that might have part-time hours so she could spend time at home.

“How about we don’t get into this right now? Everyone here doesn’t need to know all my personal business,” I declare, making sure to look straight at Jackie and Kim.

“But it would be rude to not fill Courtnay in,” Kim states.

“Yeah it would be,” Jackie confirms, “Declan here had his entire fortune stolen from him from his piece of trash fiancé. She wired all the money to an offshore account and before anyone figured it out it was all gone.”

“What?! How in the hell does anyone get away with that!?” Courtnay gasps, placing her hand on her chest. Shit, she really looks bothered.

She got away with it because like the dumbass I was, I added her to my accounts. Every single one had her name on it, so in the eyes of the bank the account was as much hers as it was mine. She took advantage of it. It’s hard to believe ten years have passed by since