by Marie Carnay
A flurry of fabric cascaded out the dressing room door and a saleswoman with an armload of silk and taffeta hustled out of sight. In seconds, she was back, carrying a single dress in her arms.
“I fail to see the good in any of this.”
“We’re showing Willa exactly what she’s getting into. Besides,” Trenton paused to take an exaggerated drink, “she deserves some fun.”
“Nothing about dress shopping is—”
The door to the dressing room opened and Hank fell silent. Whoa.
Even Trenton had to pick his jaw up off the floor.
Willa stepped out and the saleswoman guided her onto a platform perched in the middle of a curved wall of mirrors. She’d always been beautiful; it didn’t matter if she wore jeans and a T-shirt or a sexy black dress, but this…
Trenton set his glass on the side table so he could focus solely on Willa.
The dress was flawless. The bodice hugged her curves in deep green velvet and the low scoop in the front showed off her spectacular cleavage. A wide, beaded belt wrapped around the middle, topping layers of black and green silk and organza that whooshed down to the floor.
He’d seen his fair share of models and actresses, Willa put them all to shame. Trenton wanted to slip his arm in hers and parade her around Vegas, showing her off to every person in the city.
The saleswoman beamed as she helped Willa spin around in the mirror. “Hand dyed silk and velvet, custom made in Paris for the fall season.”
Willa glanced up, eyes darting between Hank and Trenton’s reflections in the mirror. “How do you like it?”
Hank spoke up first. “You’re stunning.”
The pink of her cheeks deepened as she looked at Trenton. “What you do think?”
He stood up with a smile. “It’s divine.”
Willa turned to face him directly, motioned for him to step closer. As Trenton stopped a foot away, she lowered her voice to a whisper. “There aren’t any price tags in here and she won’t tell me how much it costs, Trenton.”
“Your point?”
“I don’t need you to buy me this. It’s got to cost a fortune.”
Trenton stepped back to address the saleswoman. “Tell me, does this dress cost a fortune?”
The woman smiled. “Not for you, Mr. Beauchamp.”
He turned back to Willa with a grin. “See? Nothing to worry about.” He looked her up and down before continuing. “There’s only one thing missing.”
Willa frowned. “What’s that?”
“You’ll see.” He turned to the saleswoman. “Can you have it altered and ready to go this evening?”
“Of course, Mr. Beauchamp. We can have it ready by five.”
“Perfect.” He glanced at Hank and his smile turned into a grin. “Davio’s is next.”
HANK
He’d stayed silent for Willa’s benefit, waiting until she’d disappeared back inside the dressing room to talk some sense into his brother. Hank grabbed him by the upper arm and tried to keep his voice down. “She’s never done anything like this before, Trenton. You’re going to freak her out.”
“Nonsense.”
“The dress was one thing, but taking her to the most expensive jeweler in Vegas is too much. Besides, she makes jewelry for a living. Don’t you think she’ll be offended if you offer to buy some from someone else?”
Trenton brushed him off. “Have some faith, Hank. I wouldn’t be that crass.”
“Could have fooled me.”
“Everything all right?”
He’d been so caught up in his irritation, Hank hadn’t noticed Willa approach. She’d changed back into her jeans and sweater. God, the woman could wear a paper bag and she’d be the sexiest thing in the room. She didn’t need a ball gown to make her beautiful.
“We’re fine.”
“If you don’t want to go wherever it is Trenton has in mind, we don’t have to.” She smiled at Trenton. “The dress is lovely, but you can change your mind. I don’t even know where I’d wear it.”
His brother glanced at him with a defiant warning in his eyes. “I might have a place in mind.” Trenton slipped his hand around Willa’s arm and steered her toward the front door. Hank followed a step behind.
Trenton leaned close to Willa, but Hank heard him anyway. “Don’t worry about Hank. He’s just a bit jealous he didn’t think of this first.”
Willa glanced back at him, eyes hopeful. “Is that true?”
Hank exhaled. Whatever his brother had planned, Hank didn’t want to ruin it with his bad attitude. It was time he gave Trenton the benefit of the doubt. “Maybe.” He quickened his steps until he strode beside Willa on her free side. “Let’s go to Davio’s and see what Trenton’s cooked up next.”
A few minutes later and the door to the most exclusive jeweler in the entire state shut behind them. The burly security guard with his squiggly earpiece turned the lock and flipped the open sign to closed. Guess his brother called ahead.
Milton Davio stepped out from the back, a magnifying monocle still stuck in his right eye. “Gentlemen, what a pleasure. It’s not often I get a visit from the two most eligible bachelors in the city.” He popped the eyepiece out and set it on a velvet-clad tray in front of him. “What can I assist you with today?”
Trenton ran his hand down to rest on the small of Willa’s back. “Ms. Gordon here is a jewelry designer. I’d like to buy a few loose stones for her.”
Understanding smacked Hank upside the head. He had to hand it to Trenton, the man had come up with something good.
“I don’t understand.” Willa glanced at Hank as he stepped forward, confusion knitting her brows.
“What I’ve seen from your collection, your pieces don’t contain many gemstones, but are they something you can work with?”
Willa’s mouth opened and shut, her gaze flitting between the diamonds in the case and Hank’s expectant face. “At home I can, but I don’t have all of my tools. I only brought display pieces to the trade show, nothing to work with.”
“I’m sure Mr. Davio would welcome a fellow designer into his studio for a day, isn’t that right, sir?” Trenton smiled at the man and he nodded in agreement.
“Of course. If Mr. Beauchamp vouches for you, then you’re welcome to use my facility.” He waved his hand over the case. “What type of stones were you considering?”
Trenton beamed. “Diamonds of course.”
WILLA
She almost choked on her own spit. Diamonds? Was Trenton serious? First they took her to a couture dress shop and made her try on gowns that cost so much they didn’t have prices. Then they took her to a jeweler and offered her the use of a state of the art facility she could only dream of using.
Now they wanted to buy her diamonds?
Willa held up her hands. “I don’t think diamonds are necessary.”
“Just take a look. If there’s nothing you want, that’s fine.” Hank’s offer made her exhale in relief. He stepped closer, his voice barely a whisper as it tickled her ear. “But if you see something you could use, we’re buying it.”
She tried to move her head to look him in the eye, but he reached out and held her still. “I’d love to see your talent fully realized, Willa. Just imagine it. A necklace of yours, draped around your neck. A glittering diamond nestled between those scrumptious breasts of yours. The green dress flaunting all of your assets.”
Her tongue darted out to wet her lips. It sounded like a dream. “I’ve never worked with diamonds before.”
Milton pulled out a tray full of rows of loose diamonds in every shape and size.
Hank smiled against her ear. “First time for everything.”
She turned back to the tray. Large and small, ranging from a heart to a square the most beautiful diamonds she’d ever seen twinkled under the shop’s lighting. Mr. Davio set to explaining each gem’s quality and rating while Willa stared, her teeth clamped tight together to keep from gawking.
Diamonds.
She had
a chance to make a necklace with diamonds. Thinking back to all of her sketches, Willa ran through her ideas in her head, trying to come up with something worthy of such a stone. All at once it came to her.
She pointed at the teardrop.
Mr. Davio smiled. “Excellent choice, my dear. It’s a grade IF, so internally flawless. D color, although it’s one of the clearest I’ve ever seen. Excellent cut, and if memory serves me right, this little darling clocks in at just under five carats.”
Willa swallowed. She might not work with diamonds but she knew what all those numbers and descriptions meant. The diamond sitting all alone on the tray in front of her was as perfect a stone as one could find.
She couldn’t ask them to buy it. She couldn’t fathom the price.
Hank rubbed the space between her shoulder blades. “Do you like it?”
She nodded.
“Can you work with it?”
She managed to move her head a fraction.
“Then we’ll take it. Thank you, Mr. Davio.”
“Any time, Mr. Beauchamp. If you’ll give me a few moments, I’ll set up the back for Ms. Gordon.”
Thirty minutes later, Willa stood in front of the most elaborate set up for jewelry making that she’d ever seen. Her fingers shook as she reached out to touch the magnifier. “I don’t think I can do this.”
Mr. Davio smiled like her father when she’d hesitated before getting on her first bike. “Of course you can. If it helps, pretend it’s just glass.”
“And not a stone worth more than my car?”
“Exactly.”
She exhaled and turned back to the workbench. The minute she’d seen the teardrop shaped diamond, she knew it was perfect. On the plane ride to Vegas, she’d sketched out a necklace that needed a stone pendant, maybe quartz or a cut crystal. A diamond never crossed her mind.
But using a diamond would elevate the design to spectacular. She smiled at Mr. Davio. “Would you be able to assist?”
“Of course my dear.” He patted her hand. “Now let’s make something beautiful.”
Chapter 16
WILLA
The necklace settled into the curve between her breasts and Willa stepped back to look at her reflection.
Who is that woman staring back at me? She hardly recognized herself. The green gown fit like a glove, tailored to perfectly accentuate her best assets and skim over the ones she’d rather forget. The gold necklace warmed her skin and the diamond drop sparkled like a miniature chandelier, the million cuts catching the light from overhead.
By the time she’d made it back to her room, the dress had been delivered and a note sat on the entertainment center.
Call the concierge to send up hair and makeup. We’ll meet you at the high roller room in two hours.
Willa had read the note twenty times before the words sunk in. The high roller room? Wasn’t that where sheiks and celebrities went to blow thousands of dollars in a single hand of poker?
She stared at herself in the mirror. Too late to back out now. She’d let the stylist sweep her blonde hair off her neck and the makeup artist make her eyes look huge. Even if she couldn’t admit it out loud, she looked good. Damn good.
Showing off might not be her usual MO, but she could pretend for one night and look good doing it. Willa smiled one last time at herself in the mirror and flicked off the light. I’ve got this.
The high roller room sat in the middle of the casino floor, blocked off from the rest of the gamblers by walls of glass and enough security to make even Tiffany’s jealous. She walked up to the velvet rope with only a slight wobble in her ankles.
The security guard took one look at her and ushered her inside. Hank and Trenton sat at a table with a handful of gamblers, lost in conversation. Trading in their suits for a pair of dashing black tuxes, they looked every bit the casino moguls they turned out to be.
Hank with his well-trimmed beard and broad shoulders. Trenton with his lanky athleticism and cocky grin. It wasn’t until that morning that Willa had seen what an amazing duo the Beauchamp brothers could be. Taking her around without hiding who they were, enjoying themselves without worry. It had been mesmerizing.
As she watched, a redhead in a slinky black dress slid between them, her pert little breasts shoved right in their noses. Neither brother gave her a second glance and Willa smiled.
When she’d spoken to Bree on the phone, she’d still been full of doubt. How could she walk arm-in-arm with two men? How could she live down the stares and comments and outrage from people she didn’t even know?
Now, Willa understood. None of it would bother her at all. Not when a pair of such sexy, thoughtful men only had eyes for her. So they were richer than she’d imagined. So, what? They didn’t shove it anyone’s face or make her uncomfortable. They owned their success, but not in an asshole sort of way.
She shifted her weight on her heels as Hank looked up. His jaw flexed as his gaze wandered up and down her body. He shooed the redhead out of the way and tapped his brother on the shoulder. Trenton turned and the look in his eyes had Willa squirming in her heels.
Combined, the Beauchamp brothers put any single man to shame.
“Willa.” Hank stood and reached for her hand, holding her arm’s length so he could gawk. “I’m speechless.”
“What he’s trying to say, is that you’re gorgeous and we are the two luckiest men in all of Las Vegas.”
“We’ll see about that.” One of the gamblers seated at the table grumbled. “Can we get started now, or do you need a few more minutes to preen?”
Willa turned to face the complainer. He couldn’t have been much older than her, wearing a sport coat over some faded graphic T-shirt and a baseball cap. Clearly, he’d missed the memo. She glanced back at Trenton. “Now what?”
He pulled out a chair. “Now we play poker.”
“Okay.” Willa pulled up her dress and sat down as Hank and Trenton took their seats on either side of her. The cranky guy sat in the last chair to her left with the redhead seated next to him. A pair of men dressed in business suits slid into the remaining chairs.
Willa exhaled and tried to take stock. She’d never played anything more serious than penny poker as a kid. She had a sense this wasn’t one of those games.
A woman wearing a white button down with her hair pulled back into a neat bun at the base of her neck addressed the table. “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I’m your dealer for the next four hours. The game is standard Texas Hold ’Em. Opening bet is one hundred thousand dollars.”
Willa’s eyes almost popped out of her head. She grabbed Hank’s leg under the table. “What did she say?”
He leaned close. “Don’t worry we’ve funded your account.”
She pushed him back. “I can’t take your money, Hank.”
Trenton chuckled from her other side. “If you win, you won’t.”
Willa exhaled as each player pushed a black chip out to the center of the table. All eyes were on her, waiting. The last thing she wanted was to cause a scene. With shaky fingers, she slid her chip out to meet the others.
Seven hundred thousand dollars in poker chips sat in a pile on the felt. She crossed and re-crossed her legs as the dealer handed out the cards.
Every player around the table pulled their two cards up and glanced at them. Cranky guy threw a black chip on top of the pile. Everyone followed suit. Oh god. She followed the pattern.
One million, four hundred thousand. She had to stop counting.
The dealer flipped up three cards and set them on the table. The ten of spades, the ace of diamonds, and the five of hearts. Willa glanced at the cards in her hand: the ace of hearts and the queen of clubs.
Her pulse raced. Between her hand and the community cards, she already had a pair of aces. She racked her brain, desperate to remember the order of winning hands. She glanced up at cranky guy. He was watching her.
She swallowed.
He threw a blue chip on the pile. Willa glanced down at the s
tacks of chips in front of her. Twenty-five thousand dollars. She pushed one of her own across the felt before the dealer flipped another card. Ace of clubs.
She inhaled. Three of a kind. The redhead and Trenton folded. One of the businessmen pushed out a green chip. Ten thousand dollars. Everyone matched it.
The dealer flipped the last card. Willa clamped down on her tongue to keep the shock off her face. The Queen of Hearts.
Willa glanced at her cards and back at the five laid out on the table. She had a full house. There were only a few hands that could beat her. She fingered the diamond at the base of her necklace and waited.
The businessman and Hank folded.
It was only Willa and the cranky curmudgeon. He stared at his hand for what seemed like forever before throwing out a chip. Black.
Oh, God. There had to be two million dollars on the table. If she lost, Hank and Trenton would be out a fortune. If she won, she could buy her own dress and the diamond sparkling against her skin and more.
Willa bit her lip. Vegas was all about taking chances. She’d come there to get out of her comfort zone and the horrible, lonely rut she’d fallen into. A chance like this might never come along again.
She pushed a black chip across the table. The dealer asked for their cards. Willa and the cranky guy flipped them over. He had a flush, aces high. Willa couldn’t remember if that was enough. Please don’t be enough.
She glanced at the dealer.
“Hand goes to the lady. Full house.” The pile of chips on the table slid her way and Willa grabbed ahold of Trenton to keep from falling over.
“I won?” Her words came out breathless, barely a whisper.
“You did.”
“Oh my God.” Blood whooshed in her ears and Willa could barely think straight. She’d just won millions of dollars and Hank and Trenton were as nonchalant as could be.
