Art of War (A Stern Family Saga Book 3)

by Monique Orgeron

  This girl has some balls. Interesting. “Tell me, Murphy, what makes you think you can run a casino?” I see her hesitance about answering, so I say, “Indulge me.”

  “I have a degree in business from Brown, and I have run my mother’s large strip club for many years now. Even before I got my degree. Trust me, Catherine, I have dealt with your type of people for a long time, and I don’t scare easily.”

  I look at her with intent. How dare she presume to know what type of people we are? But I can’t say she’s wrong. So, I ask her, “If you owned this casino straight out, what would you do with it?”

  “Catherine, I don’t know why you’re asking me all these questions. Why don’t you just say what you came to say and then leave?”

  I hope she’s good at reading people because she’ll know my patience is running thin. She must because her eyes drift down and she starts talking.

  Clearing her throat, she says, “The casino is in bad shape, it looks like my father neglected it for a while. It needs to be modernized for the newer generation. Something hipper with a nostalgic feel. Today, people like the new mixed with the class of the old. You know, like bring in dancers that look like they’re from the old days in Vegas. Maybe a burlesque show once in a while. Poker needs to be an event here in the casino. I don’t know why it wasn’t made a priority. We only have one restaurant, and it’s a buffet. I want people to come here for a date night, and a buffet will not do the trick. That’s just a few of the things I would do.”

  As I watched her talk about everything that I already had planned to do, I saw the fire and drive she has for it. She came alive describing her dream for the casino. This girl has a lot to contribute. Then it dawns on me, why fight her? I can bring her in, making her and my son happy. She’s the one, she’s smart and strong, and she obviously has the power to put my son in his place, which so far I have been the only woman to ever be able to do that. She’s perfect for him. No wonder he has been so smitten.

  My turn. “Ms. Larussa, I agree with all you’ve said, but of course we do have an issue. You owe me a lot of money that I know you will not be able to pay back. However, I would like to make you a proposition.”

  I can see her thinking carefully before she asks, “And what would that be, Catherine?”

  “I am willing to keep you on at the casino, and I would be willing to allow you to keep a small percentage of it. If you agree to marry my son.”

  She stares at me like I’m crazy, which is what I expected, but then she laughs out loud. Like, a hysterical laugh, one that I didn’t expect. I sit back, patiently waiting for her to regain her composure.

  She finally starts to speak through her laughter. “You can’t be serious. Did Zander put you up to this?”

  I say nothing. I refuse to speak to her until she stops her nonsense.

  Finally, she stops and takes a deep breath. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

  “Yes, I am.”

  “Does Zander know you’re proposing for him?”

  “I am simply proposing a business arrangement, and no, he doesn’t even know I’m here.”

  “Wow, lady, you are something. It will never work.”

  I shrug my shoulders and tell her, “I don’t know about that. I’ve done it before, and I’ll have you know, they are perfectly happy. They have even blessed me with my first grandson.”

  “No, I meant it won’t work. I don’t care what you offer me, I will never marry Zander. I will find a way to save my father’s casino on my own, you can bet your ass on that. Now, if that is all, I would like you to leave, I have work to do.”

  I stand, shocked at her refusal. How dare she pass on my offer, like it isn’t the only lifeline she has.

  I grab my purse and tell her, “You will be sorry you acted this way and turned my offer down. I will give you time to reconsider, but know this: you have no one here to help you fight me. I promise you, little girl, it is much better to be my ally than my enemy. You will learn why everyone fears me.”

  Now she stands with her hands on her desk and says, “I’m not alone, according to you. I saw your face, you let it slip. I saw the fear in your eyes. I’m off limits, remember? I have something that you’re scared of, I have Zander. I don’t think he would appreciate you coming after me like this. Would he?”

  All I want to do is slap her across her smug face, but I can hold my own with my words and cut her deep. So, I tell her, “Ah, but I don’t have to be the one to get rid of you, dear. The way I hear it, you have someone else who wants you out just as bad. Pity you don’t have me to help you out with that problem.”

  My head turns when I hear the door open; she must have pressed a call button. Craig is at the door, waiting for me to leave. I start to walk off, smiling right back at her, then I stop in front of Craig.

  “Craig, how is your mother doing? I haven’t seen her in such a long time.”

  His face falters, and he looks down at the floor. I turn back to Murphy and give her the most devilish smile I can muster. I hope the bitch got my message. I can touch anyone, anywhere.

  26

  Murphy

  Did she just threaten my mother? Fuck her. Theo better come through for me because if all fails, I don’t know what I’ll do. I could maybe bring in a family from home. One that I know would be willing to help me, but then I’d be in the same boat I’m in now. I need to do something. Maybe if I throw an event and start creating more revenue, but will it be enough and fast enough? I don’t know.

  I decide to work for a few more hours. Time’s ticking away, and I haven’t accomplished anything. To hell with it all. I grab my purse to leave the casino. I bypass everyone, not telling them I’m leaving for the night. I head straight to the parking lot, where the car I rented is waiting. Shit, I forgot to get my keys out. I’ll have to go looking through the deep hole of my purse that I like to call the Bermuda Triangle because everything gets lost in it. Once I get to the car, I throw my bag on top of the trunk and start my search for the damn keys.

  “Here they are….ouch, hey.” Someone grabs me from behind. He yells, “Shut up, bitch!” He holds a knife to my throat, and I freeze. “You were warned, and you didn’t listen. You have a short window before I come back and put my knife in your throat and fuck this pretty ass. Leave our city now. Don’t ever come back, or you’re dead. You hear me?”

  For emphasis, he pushes the knife into my throat. I feel the sting of the blade as it cuts me. Then I hear someone else yell, “Get your fucking hands off her now!” The guy who has me by the throat throws me down to the ground hard. Then I hear footsteps running. The guy must have taken off, then I feel hands. I scream, but the hands soften their hold and I hear Zander’s voice. I turn and see him kneeling beside me as I start to back away scared and shaken.

  “Red, it’s me, Zander. Are you okay?”

  I try to stand, but my legs are too wobbly. Zander grabs my arms and lifts me to my feet. I’m still too shaken to say anything and I know a tear or two have escaped my eyes.

  He grabs my chin, and I push him away. “Hey, let me look. I need to see where you’re cut.”

  I remember the blade. I must have been so scared when he threw me down that it slipped my mind that I had been cut. He tries again, but it does nothing to calm me; instead, I get pissed.

  I push his hands off me and yell, “Leave me the fuck alone. Get away from me.”

  “Hold up, Murphy, I didn’t do this.”

  “I don’t care whether you or someone else did it. You will be the one to eventually hurt me. Tell your mother I still refuse to marry you. She can take her threat and stick it up her ass.”

  He’s stunned, so I take the opportunity to grab my purse and keys to get in the car. I lock the doors. He starts banging on the window, begging me to stop, but I put the car in reverse and take off.

  27

  Zander

  I need to see Red. I can’t figure out what keeps luring me in, but I just need to be near her, it’s been too long.
I allowed her to keep me away longer than I wanted. So, I’m here, ready to kick those walls she has between us down. Walking towards the back of the casino, I see a figure, then notice that a man is attacking a woman. I start speeding up, and that’s when I notice it’s Murphy. That’s where I make my mistake; instead of keeping my wits about me, like I should, I fuck up and run, yelling for him to get his fucking hands off her. When he sees me coming, he throws her to the ground. I want to run after the guy and kill him, but I saw her hit the ground hard. All thoughts of the man leave me, and all I see is her. I kneel down, reaching out, but she backs away like I’m the perpetrator.

  “Red, it’s me, Zander. Are you okay?”

  She attempts to stand, but she’s too shaky. I grab her and lift as gently as I can in case something is broken, but when I try to look at where she’s bleeding from, she pushes me away. Then she cuts me like a knife. She knows I didn’t do this, she must know. But then she starts telling me about my mom threatening her and something about how she won’t marry me. What the hell is going on? I’m so stunned that it gives her enough time to get in her car and drive off, leaving me begging her to stop.

  She’s going to talk to me whether she likes it or not. I make it to my car and drive after her. I follow her to her hotel and catch her right as she’s about to get in the elevator. I grab her arm, startling her. I push her into the elevator, leaving my hand on her.

  “Zander, don’t do this, please just let me go.”

  I don’t say anything. I am not having it out in a damn elevator.

  Once the doors open to her floor, I pull her out with me and head straight for her room. “Key.” That’s all I can say with how frustrated she has me. When she doesn’t respond, I growl and shake my palm at her. She finally digs the key card out and hands it to me.

  I open the door and push her in. When the door shuts behind me, I grab her by both arms, pulling her to me. I kiss her hard, knocking the wind out of her. She tries to push me away, but it’s not going to stop me. I kiss her until her mouth opens and I feel her warm tongue mixing with mine. My heaven, damn this girl. When I release her, she yells at me, “Stop, Zander!”

  I go in for another kiss, but then I see Kyle standing in the doorway with his pajama bottoms on, eating a bag of chips. When he sees Murphy’s bleeding, he runs toward her, coming between us. “My God, what happened?” He turns to me, yelling, “Did you do this?”

  I take my suit jacket off and throw it on the couch. “No I didn’t.”

  He stares at me, trying to look mean but failing miserably, then he asks, “Then who did?”

  “I don’t know, but I plan on finding out. Come on, Red.”

  I grab her arm, look at both doors across from each other, and ask Kyle, “Which one’s hers?” He points to the door he just came from.

  I start to pull Murphy as she says, “What are you doing?”

  “I’m going to get a look at that cut whether you like it or not.”

  I continue to pull her through the bedroom, straight into the bathroom. Slamming the door, she gasps. Then picking her up, I sit her on top of the counter.

  “I’m fine, leave me alone, Zander.”

  “I want to see your injuries, now raise up your chin.” She’s fuming, and I’m loving the way it makes her look like a petulant child. “Raise!” She finally listens, and I start looking to see how deep the wound is. It’s not bad at all, so I grab a towel off the shelf and run the water.

  “What are you doing now?”

  “It’s not too deep, so I’m going to clean it properly. It might not need stitches, but it could still get infected.” I wring out the wet towel and look at her, letting her know to raise her damn chin again. She lifts, and I start wiping the blood off.

  “Did anyone ever tell you that you have a terrible temper?”

  She goes to holler at me, but I stop her by putting my finger over her lips. “I said it was terrible, but I find it adorable. Like a spoiled little girl.”

  “I am not a spoiled little girl.”

  That makes me smile. “Right there, that’s what I’m talking about, you have something to say about everything. Like a child. Maybe I should spank you like one?”

  Her eyes go wide, and I kiss her again, shutting her up before she could start. I end the kiss with telling her, “You’re so damn cute.”

  Knowing better, she says nothing, but I can see in her eyes that she wants to stab me. Normally that’s a look I would avoid, but with her, I would probably let her dig the knife in. I whisper out, “I’m so stupid when it comes to you.” I go back to washing her neck. She asks, “Why?”

  I shrug and answer honestly. “I really don’t know. Give me your knee.” I rinse the towel and bend down to inspect her knee. It’s scrapped, but not too bad. Her injuries are so minor that I find myself being thankful to God that they weren’t any worse. I look up and see her watching me clean her off. When I’m done, I kiss her boo-boo away like you would a child, which she does not find amusing. I straighten back up and throw the towel in the lavatory.

  We both don’t make any other moves, and we remain silent until she asks, “Why are you here, Zander?”

  I chuckle and say, “Damn if I know.”

  “You know I can’t marry you?”

  I look at her and say, “I didn’t ask you to.”

  “Well, no, but your mother did. She said she was willing to let me stay and keep a percentage of the casino if I married you.” I start to laugh, and she asks, “What’s so funny?”

  “My mom, she did this already.” She looks at me with confusion written all over her. “With my older brother Gabriel, she found a woman and trained her to become his bride. It’s a long story. I always wondered if she was going to find me one, too. You should be honored.”

  “Honored that she wants an arranged marriage? I’m starting to believe you’re as crazy as she is.”

  “Red, don’t you see? If my mother made you that proposition, she thinks you’re worthy of her son. That you can contribute to our family. That means she thinks you are the one. You’re special.”

  “Well, it’s not going to work, buddy.”

  “And why not? It sounds like a great deal, you get me and your casino.”

  “Who says I want you?”

  I get right in her space, between her legs. “I say you do. You can’t tell me that you don’t feel it every time we kiss. There’s something that draws us together.”

  Her eyes are burning with desire, as she stares up at me. But it shifts, I can tell the second clarity hits her, she starts shaking her head. “Nope, no way, you big oaf. Let me down.”

  She pushes me back and jumps down, wincing in pain from her knee. Then she swings the door open, and Kyle practically falls in.

  Murphy waves her arm. “You see him? That’s your spoiled child. Move.”

  She pushes past Kyle, too, then he comes back with, “I had to make sure he wasn’t hurting you, but look how sweet he is. He cleaned all your boo-boos.” He then jumps on the bed and continues to eat his chips. Kyle says, “Oh, and by the way, I think you should consider marrying him. You two were made for each other. I give my permission.”

  She shoots daggers at him, trying to shut him up. Then she kicks her heels off. I finally notice the height difference. “Wow, you are short. I’ve never seen you without your heels.”

  “Get out, Zander.” I stand my ground. She then sits on the side of the bed by Kyle and says, “Undo me.”

  He reaches up and unzips her dress. Ignoring it, I say, “We need to discuss this.”

  “No, we don’t, Zander. All I need, is for you to leave.”

  She stands and starts removing her dress in front of Kyle.

  “Hey, what are you doing?”

  “I’m getting out of this dirty fucking dress, what does it look like?”

  “It looks like you’re getting undressed.”

  “Precisely. Oh, come on, Zander, really? You’ve been inside me, for goodness sake, now you want
me to act all bashful in front of you?”

  “I wasn’t worried about me.” I look over to Kyle, who is still eating his fucking chips.

  They both start giggling, and then Red says, “Him? He doesn’t care.”

  “What if I care who sees you?”

  She continues to undress until she has nothing on but her beautiful sexy black lace bra and panties. Shit!

  “Well, first of all, you have no rights to me, and secondly, he thinks I have cooties or something. He also thinks my vagina is gross.”

  I look over to Kyle, and he’s nodding his head, holding onto a fucking chip as he says, “It’s true, so true.”

  I look back at her, and she looks down at her beautiful, heavy breasts and says, “But he does have a strange fascination with my breasts.”

  Kyle jumps in, saying, “I think a lot of gay men do. Maybe it’s something to do with our moms. Hmm, I don’t know.”

  “Then cover them,” I tell her.

  “Why? He won’t touch them. I’ve tried, he still thinks I’m gross.”

  I’m pissed now. “What do you mean, you’ve tried?”

  Kyle giggles and eats another chip. “I thought I was in love with him when we were younger. I thought I could change him, make him straight. But all it did was make him run screaming to our moms that I was trying to molest him.”

  Kyle hollers out, “She was, it was horrible. I don’t know how you straight guys do it.”

  She shrugs, then says, “So, I beat him up, and we’ve been besties our whole lives.”

  She walks past me, and I can’t help it. I watch her glorious ass shake the whole way till she puts on her robe. I have no idea what Kyle’s talking about. I would love to get her cooties. She comes back, with her robe tied tight, and says, “Now I’m tired, so I need you to leave. Kyle needs his beauty rest, and I have work tomorrow.”

  “I don’t want you going back over there unescorted. How about you lay low until I find out who did this and why?”