One Night Gamble Read online

  She wasn’t getting this job. She knew it now. There was no way that Casey was going to approve hiring someone who had hooked up with him at a night club.

  She wouldn’t hire her, either.

  She wasn’t interested in getting back in her hot car and driving over to see her Gran, so instead, she walked toward the garden exhibit that was at the back of the Jokers Wild Casino. It was a large hedge maze that changed daily. It was one of the things that appealed to her most about working for the casino. The Jokers Wild wasn’t just about gambling—not that the other casinos and hotels in Vegas were, either. They all seemed to pull out the stops to ensure that they were reaching the largest possible audience.

  The maze was just one of the things she liked. It was indoors, but it seemed like it was outside. The air conditioning was a welcome relief as she walked through the maze. It was quiet at this time of day.

  She found a bench nestled in between the hedges and sat down. It was time to come up with plan…what was she on now, plan Z? It seemed like every time she really felt that she had an opportunity, it fell through.

  “Mind if join you?”

  Casey.

  Mr. Waltham.

  “Sure,” she said.

  …

  Casey had been surprised to discover that Talia’s name was on the list of candidates, but he hadn’t really put it together—realized what it meant—until she’d walked in the room. He had a hard time concentrating on anything other than remembering how she’d felt naked in his arms the night before. But he had seen the horror in her eyes when she recognized him and then the way all the color had left her face.

  So he’d played it cool.

  Using all the skills he’d honed over the years as a poker player, he’d bluffed for all he was worth. He was even careful to hide his tells, which he knew Nicholas would recognize. Thankfully, Nicholas had been focused on his list of questions, so Casey did his best to put that incredible night out of his mind.

  That was one of the downsides to doing business with men he’d known since they were all ten years old. They knew each other very well. Understood each other’s hot buttons.

  Still, every once in a while, he’d catch a whiff of her jasmine-scented perfume and when she spoke, that low husky timbre of her voice brushed over his senses and reminded him of the moment when she’d said his name against his abdomen before moving lower.

  He shifted his legs as his body reacted to the erotic memory.

  If he needed a reason not to hire her, it was that.

  But as she left, he knew he wasn’t being fair to her. They’d met in the club as two strangers, neither of them knowing their paths would ever cross again. She had told him of her plans to get out of Vegas, to take a job to get the experience she needed and then move to Los Angeles. That was her goal.

  And that was another mark against hiring her. They wanted to build a solid relationship with the people they hired, hoping that they would be lifelong employees of the Jokers Wild Casino. But Talia hadn’t told her plans to her possible employer. She’d told the guy she had slept with the night before.

  He knew there was a moral line here. Something that he had to be very careful not to cross. But how could he do that?

  “I liked her,” Rio said. “She’s got some great ideas. I could see implementing a few of them into the Mitchel Stunt Spectacular. Hell, if you guys don’t hire her for the casino, I’m tempted to ask her to come and work for us.”

  Was that the solution? Let her go and work directly for Darien and Rio? Keep himself out of the picture? He hated that idea. He wanted her here. In his casino. In his world. In his bed. He knew that he had to be careful with that last part.

  “She is really well qualified,” Casey said. He would see what Nicholas’s opinion was, then go with the majority.

  “I liked her, too,” Nicholas said. “Why don’t you go and call Darien, Rio? See what he thinks.”

  “Good idea,” Rio said, then walked out of the room.

  “Okay, so what is there between you?”

  Of course Nicholas would pick up on that.

  “What?”

  “You and I have always been straight with each other. I don’t use my mind tricks on you and you don’t bluff me,” Nicholas said.

  Fuck.

  Just fuck.

  “We hooked up at a club last night,” Casey said. “But I like her for this role. I mean if we hadn’t, well, got together, she would be my top pick.”

  “I like her, but this is a big investment for us, Case. I don’t want to take a chance on a lawsuit or anything like that,” Nick said.

  “It was one night,” Casey said, feeling a tightness in the back of his neck as he said it. He was trying to bluff Nick, trying to convince his old friend that Talia meant nothing to him.

  Why did he do this? What was it about him that made it impossible for him to ever be straight with anyone when it came to emotion?

  His mom.

  He didn’t need a therapist to tell him his own story. He knew the answer and as much as he always liked to think he wasn’t like her, he knew there was more of her in him than he let on.

  Nick put his hand on Casey’s shoulder. “It won’t be. If I didn’t know you, I would almost believe you were done with her, but she’s different. She’s funny and cute and exactly what you need.”

  “How do you figure?”

  “She’s all the feels that you keep hidden away. I wonder if that’s the appeal for you,” Nick said.

  “Stop trying to analyze me.”

  “Fine. Shall we let the cards decide?” Nick said.

  “Yes, but my deck, not yours.” Nick was a master illusionist and his deck was always marked.

  “I’m wounded.”

  “As if.”

  Casey walked over to the credenza and pulled out a fresh deck with the Jokers Wild logo on the back. He broke the seal, tossed the box aside, and took a deep breath. He loved the way new cards smelled. He cracked his neck and then started shuffling the deck. The sound of the cards folding into each other soothed him and he freely admitted to himself that shuffling was his panacea.

  He’d learned to play from one of his mom’s boyfriends when he had been five or six. The guy had shown him how to shuffle and then taught him the rules of the game. When Casey looked back on the time with his mom, those moments—when that guy, Joe, had taken time to play with him—were always his best. Of course, Joe had always allowed Casey to win, though it was only when he was older that he’d realized it. But it had started him thinking that cards might be his way out of poverty. And he’d been right.

  “High card decides if she gets the job or not,” Casey said.

  “If that’s what you want, then okay,” Nick said.

  Casey looked at the intensity in his friend’s silvery eyes, then shook his head and turned back to the cards in his hands. Nick wasn’t above playing him. And Casey was confident he’d get the high card. He’d always been lucky at cards.

  And unlucky at love. But that could be as much about the fact that he didn’t trust emotion, that he’d never let any woman close to him.

  The words whispered through his mind as a reminder of the few times he’d struck out. He’d sort of half-heartedly tried relationships once or twice but he’d needed his space and frankly, he hadn’t met a woman who could compete with cards.

  Last night had been about heat and passion. Today was about getting the best person in place for the job.

  He pushed the deck to Nick and his friend lifted a section of the cards. Casey reached out and did the same.

  “What’d you get?” Casey asked, looking down to see he’d pulled the Jack of Hearts.

  “Eight of spades,” Nick said.

  “Jack,” Casey said, showing his card. “She can start on Monday.”

  Rio came back in and confirmed that he, too, wanted Talia on board. He’d discussed her with Darien as well, so it was unanimous. Casey left the boardroom and went to his office, pulling up the secur
ity camera footage. He clicked around on the different camera views and saw a familiar brunette walking through the maze behind the casino. She was still here. His luck was holding when it came to Talia, and he wasn’t one to ignore something like that.

  …

  He sat down next to her and she caught a whiff of his cologne. She remembered how much stronger the scent had been, right in the dead center of his chest. She closed her eyes and then fumbled in her purse for her shades. She should have hightailed it back to the Glen View, instead of staying here trying to collect her thoughts.

  She could be doing Hot Zumba with Gran at a Silver Sneakers session, working out her frustration at herself and the karmic universe that seemed to be always having a chuckle at her expense. But instead, she was sitting next to Casey and reliving everything they’d done the night before. And if she was totally honest, she didn’t regret a second of it.

  “So…obviously last night, I didn’t know who you were,” she said. “I mean, in your publicity photo, you’re wearing a hoodie and dark glasses.”

  “I know. It never occurred to me that you were anyone other than Brown Eyes.”

  She flushed. It was a silly nickname and last night she’d liked it. Okay, she still did. “Yeah. I wish…I could regret everything but to be honest it was fun, and I needed it. I’m guessing I didn’t get the job.”

  Casey leaned back, spreading his legs. “We want you for the role. You are definitely qualified, and we like your ideas as well as the social media plan you brought to us. I don’t want you to let last night stand between either one of us making a solid business decision.”

  Business decision… She looked at him, trying to figure out what was going on here. Had she really gotten the job?

  “Me either,” she admitted. “I’d really like to work for the Jokers Wild. You guys are creating something that’s so much bigger than just a normal casino.”

  He nodded. “I have to be straight with you, Talia. I don’t know that last night was a one-off. I still want you.”

  “Is that part of the job offer?” she asked.

  He shook his head and straightened up from his relaxed pose. “No. That’s why I’m out here with you. I want you in the role and I want you in my bed, but the two are mutually exclusive. Your job here, if you want it, will require professionalism. You’ll essentially have three bosses. Dare will probably delegate a lot of stuff to Rio. He’s very rough around the edges with no filter, so he usually stays away from the staff.”

  “While I’m at work…I’d just be doing my job, right? There’d be no calling me into your office to try any kinky fantasies you have?” she asked.

  “Only if you were on a lunch break and it was something you wanted,” he said with a wink. “But seriously. I want you to know that in the workplace we would be nothing more than employer and employee. In the interview, you were polished and professional. I saw the moment you thought about bolting but you stayed and muscled through it. I respect that.”

  She shrugged. What could she say to that? “I’m not a quitter. But I don’t want to make things awkward for you, either.”

  He put his arms along the edge of the bench and she noticed how careful he was being. Last night she’d seen him out of control only once, and it had been a brief instant when he’d been inside of her. If she hadn’t opened her eyes at that moment, she would have missed it.

  She realized how much he concealed from the world. It was probably a smarter way to approach life.

  “I promise that if you want the job, I’m not going to be pervy around you and I’m not going to talk to the other guys about anything personal between us.”

  She wanted to believe him. But he was a gambler. A poker player renowned for not giving away a damned thing. Was she fooling herself? Was this like when she’d been eight, and she’d believed her dad when he said he’d could double the allowance her mom gave her?

  God, she hoped not.

  It would truly suck if it turned out she still had the same soft, gullible heart she had as a child.

  “If I said yes, I would need to focus on this job. So, no dating. Okay?”

  He pulled the dark sunglasses she’d only seen him wear in his promo poster and put them on. “Of course, Brown Eyes.”

  He stood up and started to walk away.

  “Gambler?”

  “Yes?” he asked, looking over his shoulder at her.

  “Don’t call me Brown Eyes.”

  He laughed, shook his head, and walked away. She just sat there, watching him. She’d just taken a chance. And it wasn’t on the slots or the horses. It was on a man.

  What the f—?

  But her heart said he was different and she needed this job. She wanted out of Vegas, needed to be free from the chains of her past. And this was the type of high-profile job that would help her make her move. So really, she’d had no choice.

  There weren’t many new casinos opening up and the Jokers Wild was her best bet. Now all she had to do was play this through to the end. But she’d have to remember that Casey Waltham was an expert at winning. If he wanted her, he’d have her. So she’d just have to make sure that he was on her side…even though he was with the house. And life had taught her that the house always won.

  Chapter Six

  Talia showed up for her first day at work in the most professional outfit she could put together, thanks to Gran. She wore a “classic” black shift dress and a string of pearls. Gran had tried to convince her to wear her hair up, but she took a glance in the mirror and realized that Gran was making her look like Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffany’s. She had kissed her grandmother on the cheek and left the house wearing her one good pair of pumps, with a cardigan in her bag in case it got cold.

  And now she was sitting in the employee parking garage, staring at herself in the mirror. Her stomach was a knot of nerves, and she’d been trying to come up with a credible reason why she shouldn’t just turn and run.

  But, frankly, she had no choice. She still had a huge balloon payment to make to a loan shark on Gran’s home in less than six months. Thank God, it was the last of them. So she was close to getting her grandmother back her house and paying off her dad’s final debt.

  Her phone pinged, and she glanced down.

  Unknown Number: It’s Casey. Why are you sitting in your car? Come up to my office for coffee so we can discuss the social media plan.

  She saved the number, marking the contact as Mr. Waltham. After all, he was her boss. She was going to keep it professional all the way.

  Talia: On my way.

  She got out of the car and started walking toward the bank of elevators that led up to the casino and the floors that housed the employee offices. Her heels echoed as she walked through the sparsely populated area. Adjusting the strap of the messenger bag she’d chosen to carry today, she reminded herself that there were cameras everywhere in Vegas. She knew he’d be watching her, so she needed to seem like she had her shit together.

  She got on the elevator, pressed the button for the executive office floor and then turned around to look at the mirror wall at the back. She smiled at herself, then felt silly, so she looked away. The doors opened on the executive floor and she stepped off onto a thickly carpeted hall that had a repeating pattern of playing cards that led toward a reception desk.

  The woman behind it looked up as Talia approached.

  “Good morning. Can I help you?”

  “I’m here to see Mr. Waltham. I believe he’s expecting me.”

  The receptionist nodded. “Have a seat, I’ll let him know you’re here.”

  She did as the woman directed and had no sooner sat down than Casey appeared at the end of the hall. “Talia, come on down.”

  She stood up and walked toward him. He wore another one of those designer suits he’d had on in the interview, this time with a shirt in a deep royal-blue color that made his sky-blue eyes seem bluer. She noticed that his aftershave was understated and closed her eyes for only a brie
f second as she brushed past him into the office.

  Her skin felt tighter, more sensitive as she remembered the feeling of having his hands on her body and she knew she was going to have to purge those memories. Maybe she should text Sami and go out tonight. Find another guy to hook up with so that the last man she slept with wasn’t Casey.

  But the thought of anyone but him touching her just felt wrong. She wanted him. This feeling wasn’t an itch that could be scratched by just anyone—it had his name on it. Something about him called to her.

  “Coffee?”

  She nodded.

  “I wasn’t sure how you take it, so I brought everything,” he said, handing her a to-go mug and a little bag that had packets of sugar as well as artificial sweeteners, and some little pots of cream.

  She wondered what it said that he knew what she looked like naked, but not how she took her coffee. Ugh. This was why she always stuck to a plan. When she went off on her own steam, she always screwed things up.

  “Thank you, but I’m not sure we should have coffee together. What if your partners were around?” she said.

  “They would assume we were talking business,” he said.

  His calm reasoning just made her feel tenser. This was a mistake. Trying to pretend she could work with him was rattling her.

  He put his hand on her shoulder and she glanced up into that intense blue gaze of his.

  “It will be okay.”

  She nodded. She wanted to believe him. Hadn’t that always been her downfall, believing the charming rogues in her life? How many times did she have to fall for a smooth-talking man before she learned?

  “Of course it will,” she said. Take control of this, she told herself firmly. “In fact, last night, I started working on a campaign design for the launch of your high-stakes poker room and the first annual Jokers Wild tournament.”

  “I look forward to hearing the details,” he said. “But I asked you here this morning before work hours so we could talk.”