Read Online Fast and Loose by Fern Michaels - Free Book Online

another breath to keep on living. He thought of the bad press this was going to bring down around his ears. He gulped down the coffee, which was growing cold. He picked up his cup, walked back to the bar, and told the bartender to add two fingers of good whiskey. A first for him. He’d never in his life drunk on the job. Well, there was a first time for everything, and this was one of those times.
    Back in his chair in the corner, Kelly pulled the sheet of paper out of his pocket where he’d scribbled the names of the arriving guests. Other than Harry Wong, the world’s number one martial arts expert, who had been in Las Vegas for demonstrations many times, he recognized the name of only one person: Jackson Porter Sparrow, the director of the FBI. Well, shit, shit, shit, shit! He rubbed at his temples, his eyes closed. When he opened them, his vision was slightly blurry. Standing in front of him was the biggest man he’d ever seen in his life, one Philonias Needlemeyer, owner of not one, but two penthouse apartments here at Babylon. Bert had introduced him to the giant a few years back, but this was the first time he’d seen him since.
    He tried to smile but knew he failed. He stood and held out his hand. “Dixson Kelly, Mr. Needlemeyer. Bert Navarro introduced us right after I came to work here.”
    Philonias held out one massive hand. “I remember that. You look like you might need some aspirin, Mr. Kelly,” Philonias said, setting down a tempting-looking salad on the bar table.
    â€œOncoming migraine, sorry to say. Anything I can help you with?”
    â€œNo, but thank you for asking. I’m good.” Philonias saw Kelly’s eyes go to the spindly bar stool. He laughed, a great booming sound. “Not to worry. I’m not going to sit on it. I’ll stand up and eat, the way I always do. I’ve heard that two Aleve will knock out a migraine within minutes. I don’t know if that’s true or not. Just thought I would mention it. Well, it was nice meeting you again, Mr. Kelly. Good luck with that migraine.” That ended Philonias’s end of the conversation. He turned his massive body toward the table and attacked his salad.
    For no reason that he could fathom, Kelly felt like the big man chowing down on the healthy-looking salad in front of him had just issued a threat to him. He shook his head once, then again, to clear his thoughts. He never could think straight when he had a migraine. Either that, or he was losing it entirely.
    Kelly felt like his head was on an anvil that was being pounded with a very heavy mallet. He walked as fast as he could out to the main floor, then to a boutique at the end of the hall, where he bought a bottle of Aleve and swallowed two of them dry. Then he headed for the elevator that would take him to his apartment. He needed to think. Really think.
    What the hell, he wondered, had just happened in the Tiki Bar?

Chapter 5
    K elly pressed the digits on his in-house cell that would connect him with his assistant, Pete Justice.
    â€œPete, I need you to take over for me for the next two hours. I have something I need to attend to.”
    Assured that his orders would be followed, Kelly yanked at his tie with the perfect Windsor knot as he simultaneously tried to shrug out of his jacket. He tossed both on a chair as he kicked off his shoes, then flopped down on the couch, which was more comfortable than his bed. He took a second to set his internal clock for a ninety-minute nap, which hopefully would take the edge off his migraine. He’d promised Bert he would be on hand to greet his guests when they arrived. Knowing Bert, his ass would be grass if he didn’t follow through on that promise.
    Dixson Kelly woke precisely eighty-eight minutes later and realized that his headache was gone. Maybe it wasn’t a migraine, after all, just a stress headache brought on by Bert Navarro’s orders. Nonetheless, he got up gingerly,