Betting on the Billionaire in Lockdown

by Ivy Nelson

  “Um. Hi. Sorry. I didn’t think you would still be asleep.”

  He folded his arms and waited for her to speak.

  “I remembered something about my first day in Vegas. Can you please put some clothes on?”

  He cracked a smile and dragged a hand through his hair.

  Turning, he ambled to the dresser, making sure she caught a glimpse of his muscular backside. He was proud of his ass. It occurred to him that he didn’t show it off nearly enough.

  He tugged on a pair of lounge pants and a black t-shirt and motioned her inside.

  “What did you remember?” he asked.

  “Collin said something while you were away from the table when I commented on your surly mood. It didn’t strike me as odd until you told me last night that he might be involved in your current predicament. Did he bring Miller Holdings to the negotiating table?”

  Memphis shook his head and sat on the edge of his bed. “No. To my knowledge, they approached us out of the blue which is part of why I was so skeptical.”

  Rylee nodded. “OK. So, when we were playing and you stepped away for a phone call, he commented on your mood and that he was sad you couldn’t even enjoy his bachelor weekend. Then Evan said we all knew the mess you were in was bullshit. After that, Collin said he felt bad for bringing Miller in and starting this mess, and when Evan said he thought Miller came to you, Collin got pretty shifty and seemed uncomfortable. Even told Evan not to mention it to Kimberly.”

  “God Damn it.” Memphis stood and paced in front of his bed while Rylee leaned against his door and watched him.

  “I really appreciate your help with my family,” she murmured after a few minutes of silence.

  “I appreciate you hearing me out last night. I know this is hard on you, Rylee, but I’m grateful you’re here. I’m grateful Hunter hired you and I got to meet you. I’m just sorry it’s under such awkward circumstances and that I’ve fucked this up so badly.”

  He wanted her to come to him, touch him, kiss him again, but he knew it would take some time to earn back her trust.

  “So, is that helpful?” she asked, sidestepping his confession of his feelings.

  “It is, lover,” he whispered. “It’s extremely helpful. I know I’m looking in the right direction now. Smug of him to take blame in front of you. I guess he had no idea who you were either, though.”

  “He was here yesterday, wasn’t he? Did you know then that he might be involved?”

  Memphis nodded. “I did. My attorney advised me not to confront him just yet. I’ll meet with Jeremy this morning and then with Collin again this afternoon and at that point I will confront him. Hopefully, the State Attorney can be convinced to drop the charges against me and transfer them to him instead.”

  “If I can help let me know.”

  “So, you’re not leaving?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know where we stand sexually, but I’m willing to stay if it keeps you out of jail. I just need you to understand how fucked up it is that you tell me blatant lies are a deal breaker for you and then you pull a stunt like this. I’m conflicted.”

  He wanted to pull her into his arms, but he resisted.

  “I get it. I swear. And I’ll spend as much time as you need making this up to you.”

  “Hunter wants me to come sit in on a high roller tournament on his dime later today or maybe tomorrow. Is that something I could do or will that cause you problems?”

  He hated the idea of her leaving. It felt like if she did, she might not return. But he couldn’t keep her here against her will. Rylee wasn’t the one on house arrest.

  “I’m sure we can work it out. They warned me not to use you to bring in contraband, but you should be free to go to the strip.”

  When Rylee was gone, he jumped into action on his phone. It was time to get this damn chip out of his skin and get on with his life.

  He just hoped that life could include a certain professional poker player.

  “I need you here ten minutes ago, Jeremy,” he barked when his attorney complained about the early hour.

  Eventually, he got his message through and his attorney said he would be there within the hour.

  After that, he called Collin and asked him to come over for a lunch meeting.

  As he was walking to his office, Rylee poked her head in and said she was heading to the strip to have breakfast with Hunter before she started playing poker.

  “Don’t spend all his money,” he teased, hoping to get a smile out of her. It worked and she gave him a little wave.

  “I hope you get everything worked out today.”

  “I’m pretty sure I will, thanks to you.”

  13

  ♥♥♥

  Rylee sat to the left of the dealer button and contemplated her next move. She was up twenty-five grand and had the potential to triple that with this hand.

  The rest of the players stared at her or their cards and waited for her decision.

  Finally, she called the bet and waited for the dealer to turn up the river.

  It was a gamble, but it paid off. She tossed her pair of queens on the table to reveal a three of a kind. She won the pot. The men around the table grumbled and she knew they were tiring of her cramping their style.

  She was about to ante up for the next round when her name sounded over the speaker system asking her to come to guest services.

  She frowned and nodded for the dealer to color up her chips.

  Shoving the stack of chips into her pocket, she stood and left the high-roller poker room and looked for the guest services counter.

  “Mr. Novak asked you to check the news, Miss Colton.”

  She frowned but pulled out her phone. There were half a dozen missed calls and even more texts.

  She quickly navigated to the news app.

  Collin Jenkins Arrested on felony fraud charges. Memphis Foster will go free. She stared at the headline.

  She scrolled through the urgent texts from Memphis asking her to call him.

  Pressing the green button, she called him back.

  There was no answer, so she called Hunter.

  “I take it you finally got the message?” he asked.

  “I did but now he’s not answering his phone.”

  “Hang tight. He’ll call you back. His company is about to be turned on its ear, so he’s got a lot of cleanup to do. You can go back to playing poker or I can set you up in a room if you want to get away from everything for a while.”

  “Thanks. I might take you up on that if I don’t hear from him soon. For now, I’m just going to wander around.”

  “OK. Keep an eye on your phone.”

  As she shoved her phone in her pocket and turned to find a slot machine to play—her father would be appalled—a familiar figure stepped onto the casino floor.

  His eyes were frantic as he scanned the crowd, but she couldn’t move to go to him.

  When he spotted her, he broke into a jog and pulled her into his arms.

  “It’s over, lover,” he whispered.

  She enjoyed the feel of his arms around her for a moment before she stepped back.

  “I’m happy for you, Memphis. What happened?”

  “After I confronted him with the evidence we had, I got him to confess. His personal assistant also played a large role and is facing criminal charges. Kimberly called off the wedding. The company as a whole has agreed to paying a hefty fine in addition to assisting in the restitution owed the families who were hurt, and we’ve agreed to oversight from a business watchdog organization for the next three years, but I’m not going to prison.”

  The relief in his voice made her want to hug him again, but she needed to know where they stood.

  He stared at her for a while before he finally said, “Rylee, I’m so sorry for all the pain I’ve caused you. Forgive me, please?”

  “I can forgive you. But I’m not sure where that leaves us,” she murmured.

  He stepped closer to her. “It’s your c
all, Ace. You gonna fold or go all in?”

  She couldn’t help but grin. “There you go with the really terrible poker metaphors again.”

  He let out a laugh.

  After another moment of silence passed between them, he picked up her hand.

  “You’re killing me, lover.”

  “Am I your lover?”

  He nodded. “My lover, my sub, my wife if you’ll have me someday.”

  “You sure you don’t want to see the rest of my hand first? It might not be worth the risk.”

  He pulled her so she was flush against his chest.

  “I wouldn’t bet on that, Ace.”

  She stared up at him and knew she was a goner.

  “OK. I’m all in.”

  He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her fiercely.

  “I love you. You’re the best bet I’ve ever made.”

  He scooped her up, causing her to squeal. “Where are you taking me?” she asked as he strode through the casino.

  “Home. We still have three weeks of solitude and I plan to make the most of every day.”

  “But you’re not on house arrest any more. Surely you have to go back to work.”

  They crossed through the entry doors and into the stifling Vegas heat.

  “The beauty of being the boss, Ace. I’m officially on vacation and so are you.”

  A car was waiting for them and he helped her into the backseat.

  “I love you too,” she murmured as he wrapped an arm around her and told the driver to take them home. “Do you actually own the house?”

  He nodded and grinned. “So do you. I wasn’t lying about that. Speaking of lying. I’m so sorry for all the ways I mislead you.”

  She unbuckled and straddled him, holding his face in her hands. “It’s OK. We’re going to pretend you’re still on house arrest and you can spend the next three weeks making it up to me.”

  His hum rumbled in his chest and sent a shiver through her as she leaned down to kiss him.

  “I hope you don’t think I’m going to switch roles with you, Ace. I’m still in charge.”

  She grinned as his hand snaked into her hair and pulled. “I wouldn’t have it any other way, Sir.”

  ♥♦♣♠

  Thank you so much for reading Betting on the Billionaire in Lockdown. I hope you enjoyed it! If you want more from Ivy Nelson, keep reading for links! As always, if you enjoyed the story, I would love a review. Want more love under lockdown? Get Unequivocally His in Lockdown by my good friend, Meg MacRose where Tansy never expected a one-night indiscretion with her best friend’s brother to end with her being unequivocally his for weeks in lockdown. She couldn’t love her enemy, could she? Keep reading for other great romances in the Love Under Lockdown series.

  More from the Love Under Lockdown Series

  Seducing the Band in Lockdown: Sydney never thought she was that type of girl. She never knew she could love more than one man. She never thought she’d have so much fun seducing the band in lockdown.

  Lockdown in the Call Room: Marcy hadn’t been able to convince Shane to stay on as a full-time doc, but maybe being trapped together during a snowstorm might make him change his mind.

  Writer’s Retreat Lockdown What if you're told you have to choose between leaving the man you've lusted after for months or risk your life? That’s the choice Becky faces just when she thinks she’s making progress in seducing said man.

  Curves Under Lockdown: Allie has a crush on her brother’s best friend… He’s much older, hot and makes her hyperventilate just from looking at her. She’s got enough problems to deal with… She can’t let herself fall! Worse than a quarantine? Quarantining with a man you’ve always wanted… and your brother.

  Love & Hate Under Lockdown: I never expected to be stuck in lockdown with my soon-to-be ex husband. Considering that he loves to rile me up so we can fight, which inevitably leads to sex, I don't know how I'll survive the next thirty days. There's no way I'll admit that I still love him, not when I hate him in equal measure.

  Playing with the Band in Lockdown: With five band members competing for her body, Sydney isn’t going to get bored in lockdown. But if Xavier can’t control his jealousy and sibling rivalry, Sydney’s heart won’t be the only thing to explode.

  Acting the Part in Lockdown - He had a reputation for being a playboy on set. She didn’t want to be another notch on his bedpost. Their on-screen chemistry was so hot, the director had to call cut. But is she just acting the part?

  More from Ivy Nelson

  The Doms of D.C. are waiting for you in the D.C. Power Games Box set!

  This set includes all three steamy romantic suspense novels from Ivy's well reviewed D.C. Power Games series PLUS a never before released short story!

  Set includes:

  Power Relinquished

  A whistle-blower, a strip club, and a conspiracy that reaches to the highest levels of government mixed with more chemistry than you can imagine make this a can't miss read!

  Power Desired

  A thrilling story filled with suspense, sensuality, and power exchange set in a city where power is everything.

  Power Reclaimed

  When your boyfriend is a cop and you find out your father is an internationally wanted terrorist, life gets complicated.

  Grab this must-read steamy series today!

  Need some sexy Billionaires in your life? Check out the Diamond Doms series! You can read the prequel for free by signing up for my newsletter here! Or jump straight into book 1.

  Blood

  Elijah Barrett fell in love with a stranger in a nightclub.

  After a brief encounter he can't get this angel out of his mind. But then she walks into his office for a job interview. Turns out she's no angel, but the daughter of the man who killed his mother.

  Heist

  He didn’t steal the diamonds, but she definitely stole his heart.

  A diamond Heist, a romantic encounter, and the possibility of spending the next twenty years in prison. That's one hell of a week for Patrick Sutton.

  Bling

  A bad business decision and a brother with revenge on the brain could cause Garrett to lose Isabelle forever. If they can work through the hurt caused by their families, they just might have a chance to save their relationship.

  Pressure

  Lance is running out of time to save Club Solitaire. Will the pressure get to him, or will he be able to get past his differences with Marissa and save the second home they all love?

  About the Author

  Ivy Nelson is an emerging contemporary romance author, hopeful romantic, and passionate advocate, who is versed in all things steamy, sultry, and sensual. It all started back when she read her first steamy romance novel at the age of fourteen. From that point forward, it became her favorite genre—one she wanted to write in herself someday. Sylvia Day’s writing style cemented that passion and gave her just the inspiration she needed to be an author herself. In December of 2018, Ivy published her debut novel, Power Desired at the age of thirty-two.

  Most recently, Ivy completed the “D.C. Power Games” series and the third book in her “Diamond Doms series” titled “Bling”. In a not-so-distant past, she was a student-affairs professional at a university and earned her political science degree, which explains her politically driven romance debut.

  When she isn’t penning steamy scenes or attending writing/kink/BDSM conferences, you can find this contest-winning karaoke singer and bookworm passionately supporting human rights or growing her Sims 4 empire. She is also a wine aficionado and certified whiskey taster (no, really, she has the certificate to prove it). All that aside, Ivy loves spending quality time with her amazing son and husband of three years at their home in Houston, TX. To find out more about Ivy and her work visit www.ivynelsonbooks.com

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  Ivy Nelson, Betting on the Billionaire in Lockdown