by Nell Stark
“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” Vesper said when she noticed, though Nova could have sworn she seemed pleased.
“Old habit.”
The corridor forked to reveal the kitchen on the right and a small living room on the left. The tile on the kitchen floor was a pale shade of green and chipped in a few places, but the room was bright and clean. Nova followed Vesper in and set the bag down on the counter.
“So, this is the kitchen.” Vesper pointed through the doorway. “That’s the den, where the sofa is. And the bathroom branches off from there, too.”
And your bedroom, Nova wanted to add. “Mind if I take a look?” she asked instead.
“Go right ahead.”
The den was rectangular in shape, with the couch taking up most of the back wall. Nova set her duffel down next to the glass-topped coffee table and looked out the large window to her left. Below, the roof of the car wash shimmered in the heat, but directly ahead, a string of green and gray mountains loomed above the valley floor. The knot of anxiety in her chest loosened at the sight.
“Have you ever gone hiking in those mountains?” she called out as she glanced briefly into the bathroom and bedroom. The former was tiled in the same pale green as the kitchen. The latter boasted a simple queen-sized bed with a white coverlet. It was all too easy to imagine herself beneath the covers, moving languorously above Vesper as their legs twined together.
“I organized a hike for the Hamiltons once, up to Charleston Peak. It was beautiful.”
Nova returned to the kitchen to see that Vesper had laid out napkins and utensils on a small wooden table in the corner, its surface inlaid with blue and white tiles. “I might have to put that on my to-do list before I leave,” she said as she unpacked the takeout bags. “I’m definitely a water person, but in the absence of an ocean, mountains are the next best thing.”
“TJ and his father are mountain people, as you can probably tell.” Vesper’s voice was slightly muffled as she rummaged in the refrigerator.
“And you?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never seen the ocean.”
The words smacked her down more effectively than a breaking wave. She couldn’t imagine never having wiggled her toes in the sand; never having licked sea salt off her own lips; never having felt so small and yet so powerfully aware while staring at the place where the sea kissed the horizon. The ocean was a part of her, and she felt its absence like a phantom limb. But Vesper couldn’t miss what she didn’t know.
Vesper crossed the room holding a ceramic pitcher painted to resemble a lemon. “Lemonade,” she said as she plunked it down on the table. “But I have wine and beer if you’d like something stronger.”
Nova bent to fiddle with the hem of her shorts, not wanting Vesper to see her face until she was sure she had mastered her emotions. Even a hint of the pity she felt would ruin everything. “Lemonade’s perfect. Thanks.”
For a while, their discussion centered on the food. Vesper hadn’t been wrong. Bright Sun’s drunken noodles were loaded with flavor. As they ate, she shared a few stories about some of the most exotic dining requests she’d received from clients, including a man who had been intent on tasting fugu, the dangerously toxic Japanese puffer fish. During one of the lulls in their conversation, Nova realized she had been given exactly what she’d wished for: a relaxed date with Vesper that had nothing to do with poker.
“I might want this every night,” she said, wondering whether Vesper would realize she wasn’t just talking about the food.
“I confess, there have been weeks when I’ve eaten from there multiple times.” Vesper either hadn’t noticed the subtext, or wanted to ignore it.
“How did you find it?”
“The day I moved in, there was a line out the door, so I knew that was a good sign.” She pushed back her plate and regarded Nova thoughtfully. “Speaking of which: I didn’t mean to put you off, earlier. I don’t talk about my past very much.”
“I’m sorry I brought it up.” Nova wasn’t surprised, but she couldn’t help wishing Vesper felt comfortable enough to entrust her with some of the details. “We don’t have to talk about it.”
“No, it’s fine. I just…” Her gaze dropped to the tabletop. “More than anything, I think I’m self-conscious. I came here with practically nothing—one suitcase full of clothes, a few thousand dollars, and the number of the landlord here.” She gestured to the apartment. “He’s the brother of one of the dealers I worked with in Albuquerque.”
“What made you leave?” Nova didn’t want to press Vesper for more details than she was willing to share, but she wanted to know more than simply what had happened. She wanted to know why.
“I didn’t have any reason to stay once I’d built up a small nest egg and my cousin graduated. I could have worked my way up the ladder there, but it was a small-time scene compared to Vegas. When I arrived, Valhalla had just opened, and they hired me to deal the card games on the graveyard shift.”
“Ouch. That must have been painful. What made you choose casino work?”
“I started off waitressing in one. Pretty soon, I realized the dealers made better tips, so as soon as I could, I went to dealer school.”
Nova thought back to her own life as a seventeen-year-old. By that time, she had exhausted all of the math courses at her high school and was taking more at the local community college. She was the captain of the chess team. Every spare moment, she spent surfing. She earned a little money on the side tutoring her peers, but other than that, she hadn’t worked a job during the academic year. Every night, she returned to her parents’ modest split-level in Claremont, where they shared the evening meal together. When she had told them she wanted to attend Stanford instead of getting a free ride at Berkeley, they hadn’t batted an eye.
She had taken her privilege for granted. Guilt formed a lump in her throat, making it difficult to swallow. “You’re amazing,” she managed to say.
Vesper stood and began to stack their empty plates. “I did what I had to.”
It was the second time Nova had expressed her admiration, and the second time Vesper had completely downplayed her accomplishments. Nova couldn’t stand it. She followed Vesper to the garbage can, and when she turned around, Nova gently but firmly grasped her shoulders.
“Vesper. You left your home to protect your family. You built a life for yourself out of nothing. You’ve climbed the ladder from dealer to host.” Nova stared down into her eyes, bright with remembered pain. “You’re the most remarkable person I’ve ever met. I wish you could see yourself the way I do.”
When Vesper started to shake her head, Nova lost hold of her self-restraint. Her words weren’t working, but there were other ways to communicate. She raised her hands to cup Vesper’s face and finally gave in to the pull of gravity. Vesper’s mouth was soft and warm and yielding, and Nova felt more than heard the whimper of pleasure that rose from her own throat. She wasn’t ashamed. Her fingertips were trembling against Vesper’s jaw, but she wasn’t ashamed of that, either. When had a kiss ever meant so much?
A wild, starving part of her wanted to plunge inside and claim Vesper in some deep, visceral way, and she shuddered with the effort of reining herself in. Vesper had suffered at the hands of the men who had tried to take advantage of her. The last thing Nova wanted was to be like them. Tenderly as a ripple on the water, she mapped the contours of Vesper’s mouth with her own before reluctantly pulling away.
Eyes wide and cheeks flushed, Vesper looked even more alluring than she had a few moments before. As Nova watched, her tongue darted out to moisten her lips, tasting the echo of her kiss. Such a tiny movement, yet Nova found it unspeakably erotic. It was all she could do not to slide her hands down to grip Vesper’s waist and pull her closer. Instead, she let her arms drop to her sides.
“I’m not sorry I did that,” she said hoarsely. “I’ve been wanting to for weeks. But all it will take is one word from you, and I’ll walk out of here. You’ll never have to see me
again.”
Vesper didn’t speak. She took one step forward, slid her arms around Nova’s neck, and pulled their bodies flush. Nova had just enough time to gasp at the sensation before Vesper rose to her toes and kissed her.
This kiss was nothing like the other. Vesper slipped her tongue inside, setting off fireworks in Nova’s brain. When she sucked hard, Vesper’s hips rocked forward. Nova wrapped her arms around Vesper’s lithe waist, clutching her tightly as her fears receded. Vesper had initiated this. She wanted it. And dear God, her mouth was so sweet.
As their tongues tangled together, Nova stroked up Vesper’s spine while pulling her even closer with her other hand. When Vesper’s fingernails bit into the nape of her neck, Nova was filled with the desperate urge to get closer. She leaned back against the counter and shifted her thigh between Vesper’s legs, groaning when Vesper flexed her hips again in response. Her. Vesper wanted her.
“You feel so good,” she whispered, flicking her tongue out to taste Vesper’s earlobe before trailing a line of kisses down her neck. Vesper tilted her head back even as she continued the rhythmic, circular movements of her hips. When Nova nipped at the skin above her collarbone, Vesper cried out softly. Inflamed by the sound, Nova crushed their mouths together, feeling her control slip away as their tongues battled for dominance. Vesper’s unabashed sensuality was melting away the dregs of her reason. Soon, she wouldn’t be able to stop. If Vesper had been any other woman, she wouldn’t have hesitated to suggest they move to the bedroom.
Instead, she pulled back. “Vesper. I—I’m losing my grip, here. I think I need to cool off.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Her voice was breathless, and her eyes glinted with a sensual ferocity.
Nova rubbed her thumbs lightly over the twin swells of Vesper’s hipbones. “Does that mean you don’t want me to go?”
“I don’t want you to go.” Vesper glanced behind her shoulder and sighed. “But I have to. The ladies will be expecting me to cheer them on at blackjack tonight.” With a reluctance that didn’t seem feigned, she stepped away. “I’ll probably be back late.”
“Okay.” Nova wasn’t sure what else to say. I’ll miss you was the first thing that came to mind, but that would sound pathetic, if not downright clingy. “Any chores I can do while you’re gone?” she said instead, wanting to at least make herself useful.
“No.” Vesper fixed her with a stern look. “And no cramming, either. You should relax. Sleep. The next few weeks will be manic. You’ll do better with a clear head.”
“A little assertive, aren’t you?” Nova teased her.
Vesper walked across the kitchen, opened a drawer, and extracted a key dangling from a metal ring. She returned to press it into Nova’s palm, then lightly traced the edge of her wrist with a single fingertip. “You have no idea.”
Desire sliced through Nova like an invisible sword. She had no doubt that Vesper would be as demanding in bed as she was outside of it. “Just to warn you, I’m no pushover either.”
“I never thought you would be.” Like a cloud moving across the face of the sun, Vesper’s expression grew thoughtful. She raised her free hand as if to cup Nova’s cheek, but then evidently thought the better of it, toying instead with the top button of her shirt. “We’re on the same page about…this. Right?”
Nova buried a surge of uneasiness. “Why don’t you tell me what you’re thinking, and I’ll let you know.”
Vesper’s eyes searched her for a long moment. “I like you,” she said, almost brusquely. “But I don’t have time for anything serious, and in a few weeks, you’ll be gone.”
“That’s true.” Relief almost eclipsed her disappointment, which was itself unexpected. Why should she mind that Vesper’s expectations were the same as hers had always been with the women she’d fooled around with? Vesper was right. In a few weeks, the tournament would be over, and then she could return to Palo Alto with a golden bracelet and enough prize money to buy the house she had promised her friends.
Only the chances of winning a bracelet seemed less and less the more she played. And the prospect of returning to her former living situation made her feel more claustrophobic than comfortable. She missed her roommates, but as the days passed, she communicated with them less and less. And even in her neediest moments, she had never craved any of them the way she had come to crave Vesper.
Refusing to think through the implications of that realization, she brushed her lips fleetingly across Vesper’s, hoping to whet her appetite. “I’m up for whatever you want,” she said, praying that her voice sounded more casual than she felt. “You’re in charge, okay?” And then, she bent her head so that her mouth was a mere fraction of an inch from Vesper’s ear. “At least, until we’re in bed.”
When Vesper exhaled sharply, triumph sang through Nova’s veins. A moment later, though, Vesper had mastered herself enough to take a step backward, eyebrow arched in a perfect bow. “You’d like to think that, wouldn’t you?” she said defiantly.
Nova had heard and felt enough of Vesper’s responsiveness to be confident in her instincts. Besides, Vesper spent all day, every day making power plays and brokering deals, perfectly in control of the chaos that was her chosen occupation. Wouldn’t she want someone else to take charge during intimate moments? “Go work,” was all she said aloud. “I’ll be here.”
“I’m glad.” Once the words were out of her mouth, Vesper seemed oddly flustered. Nova retreated to the sleeper sofa and pretended to be absorbed in figuring out the remote as Vesper moved purposefully around the apartment. By the time she was at the front door, Nova had figured out how to turn on the television and navigate the channels.
“Sure you can’t stay here and watch cheesy TV?” she asked with a feigned nonchalance.
“Yes. No.” Vesper worried at her lower lip with her teeth. “Yes, I want to. Okay? No, I can’t. I’ll see you later. Call if you…need anything.”
She was out the door in a heartbeat, leaving Nova alone on the couch. The show played on, unheeded, as she tried to process everything that had happened over the past few hours. Last night, she had slept in a king-sized bed at Valhalla. Tonight, she would crash on Vesper’s sleeper sofa. There was no place she’d rather be.
The thought should have frightened her, but it didn’t.
Chapter Fourteen
Vesper stood between Hazel and Susannah, watching Priscilla roll the dice. On this, their last night at Valhalla, Priscilla had finally decided to try her hand at craps, and so far, the results were spectacular. She had started off placing ten-thousand-dollar bets, but as her confidence level rose, so had her wagers. As Vesper watched, she pushed one hundred thousand dollars in chips on the pass line.
Across the table, Theodore Senior was focused on the action, but TJ raised his head and caught her eye. From the expression on his face, she could tell he had never seen someone risk that much money on a single roll of the dice. Word had spread about the high roller in the craps pit, and onlookers were trickling in for a look. While Priscilla blew on her fingers for luck, Vesper signaled to one of the waitresses that she should get extra help. Watching a game like this made people thirsty. Quenching that thirst made them looser at the tables.
The spectators murmured as the other players began to offer encouragement. By this time, almost all of them were betting with Priscilla. Her current hot streak had lasted fifteen minutes. As her fingers curled around the dice, a hush fell over the crowd.
“Here we go,” she said, her voice clear and strong. The dice skittered across the table, hit the back wall, and rebounded to reveal a five and a six.
“Yo-leven,” the dealer proclaimed, his voice all but lost beneath the triumphant shouting. TJ pounded his father on the back, and Mary, who was playing to Priscilla’s right, jumped up and down in her excitement.
“You did it, you did it!” she cried, throwing her arms around Priscilla.
“Settle down, now,” Priscilla said, patting her hair to make sure the enthusiasti
c embrace hadn’t mussed her updo. But she was smiling broadly, and her eyes were bright with excitement.
Three bartenders returned with trays full of complimentary drinks, trailed by a second pit boss and a security officer. Vesper nodded to them, unsurprised. This table was the hottest action in the entire casino right now.
When Priscilla pushed an even larger stack of chips onto the line, the murmurs began anew. Soon, Vesper was hearing “one-twenty-five K’s” repeated throughout the throng. She didn’t know whether to hope for Priscilla’s hot streak to continue or to snap. The more she won, the more she would inspire everyone around her to play in the hopes of having similar luck. On the other hand, she was up well over a million dollars by now, and Vesper’s bosses wouldn’t like that much.
As Priscilla prepared to shoot the dice, Vesper felt her phone buzz. Jeremy. She excused herself to Mary and Susannah and retreated toward the door. “What’s up?”
“Ms. Blake,” Jeremy said in the tone he always used while speaking with her in front of clients. “Mr. Deloreo and I are minutes away. He’d like you to meet him in the lobby.” From the strain in Jeremy’s voice, she could tell he didn’t like the message he was delivering.
“I’m in the craps pit, and that’s where I’ll stay. He can find me there if he wants. Mind delivering that more diplomatically?”
“With pleasure,” Jeremy said, now sounding amused.
She ended the call and returned to the table to find that Priscilla had set the point at eight. TJ promptly made a come bet, while Theodore Senior placed a field bet. Priscilla rubbed the dice between her hands and her lips moved silently. At times like these, with an entire room hanging on the outcome of one flick of the wrist, even Vesper felt caught up in the action. As she looked at the faces around her, she saw her own anticipation mirrored and magnified. The only difference between her and them was that she never lost sight of the sword above their heads.
