Chapter 1

I'd just walked into the office when my coworker Vincent Edens sidled up to me, all smiles.

"Mickey, who dropped you off downstairs?"

I said it as a joke. "My girlfriend."

His tone turned sour and mocking. "So you've been dating in secret and didn't say a word? I saw the car. That's a nice ride. When are you going to bring her around so we can all meet her?"

My friend, Bryan Kensington, was slim, delicate-featured, and lately, for reasons no one could explain, had developed a taste for wearing women's clothes. I liked to joke that Bryan was my girlfriend.

I'd crashed at his place the night before, and he'd driven me to work that morning. I hadn't expected a coworker to actually see it. Vincent, though, had taken the joke seriously and wanted to come along to meet her.

I couldn't help laughing. "Next time," I said.

His face went cold, and he rolled his eyes. "What's that supposed to mean? Because she's rich, you're hiding her from us? Aren't we friends?" The sarcasm in his voice was hard to stomach.

He kept needling me. "Or maybe you know you're not good enough for her, and you're scared one of us might steal her away?

"Wouldn't surprise me if she dumped you soon anyway. Rich people like to stick to their own kind."

I'd had enough. "Since when is my relationship any of your business?" I grabbed the wireless keyboard off the desk, ready to swing it at his face.

Jimmy Luft, another coworker in our office, saw where this was headed and rushed to grab my arm. "Come on, don't be mad. Vincent's just in a bad mood today."

Dirk Walters, another coworker, moved to hold back Vincent, who looked just as ready to throw a punch. "That's enough, Vincent. Drop it."

I set the keyboard down and gave a cold laugh. "Apologize, or I'll rip that nosy mouth of yours off your face."

Vincent knew he was in the wrong, and with both of them pushing him to apologize, his eyes went red with anger.

"I didn't even say anything wrong! You're both ridiculous for taking his side!"

He shoved Dirk out of the way and stormed out the door.

Jimmy laughed, a little awkwardly. "He's fresh out of college and doesn't think before he talks. Don't take it personally. Might be smart to keep him away from your girlfriend, though."

I didn't answer. I sat back down at my desk and got to work.

Bryan liked women, was a man himself, and, whatever he thought of his new taste in dresses, was straight through and through. Vincent had exactly the same equipment Bryan did. There wasn't much competing to be done there.

After that, Vincent started paying close attention to me, even sneaking up behind me to look at my phone.

Around then, our General Manager, Liza Minnelli, texted me again: [Hey there, Mickey! The Laurelwood Hotel just started a buffet. Want to grab a meal together?]

She'd probably figured out who I really was. Ever since I'd started my internship at the bottom rung of my own family's company, she kept "running into me" and asking me out to eat.

I was about to send a polite decline when I felt someone staring at the back of my neck. I turned around, and there was Vincent again, peeking at my phone.

I killed the screen and glared at him. He just picked up his water cup and strolled off like nothing had happened.

Once he was gone, I finally texted Liza back, turning her down and telling her to focus on her work. Then I answered Bryan's message.

As luck would have it, a college classmate's birthday party was happening that same week at a party venue right next to the Laurelwood.