Total pages in book: 33
Estimated words: 30717 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 154(@200wpm)___ 123(@250wpm)___ 102(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 30717 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 154(@200wpm)___ 123(@250wpm)___ 102(@300wpm)
Patrick chuckles deep in his chest, a sexy, masculine sound.
“I’m sure every man in the room tonight was thinking the same thing I was, which is that we were lucky to have a breath of fresh air in the stale rooms of the Degas. You know that the casino shit gets old, sweetheart. It’s always the same dudes ready for a hand, the same garish show girls, the same old people from Florida with an oxygen tank next to them. It’s rare for someone as fresh and pretty as you to show up. Maybe you were there to win, but who isn’t? I wouldn’t respect a dilettante.”
I clutch is broad shoulders, leaning against the comforting bulk of the alpha male.
“But Patrick, it’s worse than that,” I confess in a sob. “I was trying to swindle you. I cased the room yesterday afternoon, looking for advantages. I even took the measurements of the room because I wanted to see if there was any way I could gain an advantage.”
The huge man is silent for a moment, his chest like granite. Oh shit, I think to myself. I’ve blown it. Patrick O’Lachlan is going to dump me on the floor and then report me to the Degas. Not only that, but all the casinos in Vegas know each other. I’ll be banned from every table in Sin City.
Yet the big hand on my back begins rubbing comforting circles again, warming to my core. I turn to the billionaire, still a teary mess.
“Did you hear what I said?” I repeat in a whisper. “I basically cheated.”
The hand pauses for a moment, but then continues its circles.
“I know,” Patrick speaks in a low voice.
That gives me pause.
“You know?” I parrot dumbly. “What do you mean, you know? How could you know?”
“I was there,” he says, meeting my gaze with that piercing azure one. “In the room.”
His admission is so startling that I sit bolt upright in his lap.
“You were there? Where? When? What...?”
Even worse, suddenly I remember what I did with the laser pointer and the diamonds. My pussy was used to transport precious gems, and hot color floods my cheeks once more.
“Please say you didn’t see,” I murmur with a panicked look at his features. “You didn’t see, you didn’t see,” I chant hopefully.
But Patrick shakes his dark head.
“I saw everything, sweetheart.”
Suddenly, the floor drops out from beneath me and I’m in free fall. My head rushes as my vision blurs, and I realize that I’m up against an opponent who will smash me to smithereens ... while I say please and thank you.
9
Patrick
Ashley looks as if she’s going to faint and I hold her curvy form closer.
“It’s fine,” I reassure in a deep voice. “I liked what I saw.”
Her eyes are literally beginning to cross but then she closes them and takes a deep breath before opening those blue eyes again.
“So you saw,” she states baldly. “Everything.”
“Everything,” I confirm in a low voice. “I saw the laser measuring device, and how you took the dimensions of the room. Then I saw you examine the crystal chandelier, and how you dropped to your hands and knees, and well ... you know what happened next. I saw everything,” I confirm.
The beautiful blonde looks faint once more.
“Oh my god,” she whispers. Then her eyes snap open. “But how did you see? Were you spying on me from a video feed? They don’t have cameras in the betting rooms, or at least I don’t think so! Do you know someone at the hotel? Oh my god, are you linked to management?” she sputters with disbelief.
I shake my head.
“I was sitting in a corner of the room. It was dark, and I’d come to do the same thing as you. Actually, I’ve been to that particular suite before, but I figured I’d reacquaint myself with it, for much the same reason that you were there: to get the lay of the land. It’s not cheating. I just like to know where I’ll be, how the seats are positioned, where the dealer will be standing, and how the servers will approach. I don’t like to be startled, and especially not when I’m balls deep in a high stakes game of cards.”
The young blonde stares at me, licking her glossy lips unconsciously.
“So you were there the whole time,” she says in a shaky voice.
“I was,” I confirm. “I got there maybe twenty minutes before you arrived, and had already gotten my bearings. I was sitting in a dark corner, silent and motionless, just letting the atmosphere seep into my bones. Imagine my surprise when you showed up.”
“Oh my god,” Ashley moans, dropping her face into her hands. “I can’t believe you witnessed my dirty acts!”
I shrug, a smile playing about my lips.
“It was debauched, but I liked it,” I intone. “I figured out what you were doing pretty quick, and then when you added the scene with the diamonds at the end, I have to say I was intrigued. In fact, I was determined to meet you for real after witnessing that little act,” I add with a devious smile.