“Okay boss, let’s buy it before the sales associate tries to arrest me. Should I check the price tag?”
“No! If you look at the tag you won’t buy it. Now hurry and change. We have to find shoes, and we have to head to the salon. We need to be there in an hour or we’ll miss the appointment.”
Mya dragged me from store to store. She gushed over all the shoes but finally settled on a pair of four-inch heels even though I protested. She was unstoppable. I was on the verge of passing out from exhaustion.
“Are we almost done?”
“We need to head to the salon. Remy will meet us to pick up our shopping bags.”
Finally, I can sit. Even though it would be in a salon chair, it would be sitting. I followed Mya and five minutes later we arrived at the salon. I fell into the waiting room chair as Mya made her way to the receptionist.
Remy entered the salon minutes later. His large brooding features severely stood out of place.
“Hey Remy, coming to get your nails done?” I asked him.
He peered down at me. “Trying to be a smart ass?”
“I don’t think I need to try.”
“That’s true. You’re already a smart ass, and a pain in the ass, and if I could think of another ass, you’d probably be that too.”
I smiled. “Oh Remy, you do like me.”
“Oh yeah, I just thought of one more; jack ass.” He smirked. “Give me your stuff and let me get out of here.”
I chuckled and handed him the bags. He fled as my name was called out. I heaved myself out of my chair and followed Mya and the receptionist to a private room.
“What happens in here?” I asked.
“She makes you beautiful,” Mya said.
“What’s the difference between out there and in here?”
“About two thousand dollars.”
I choked.
“Just sit down and relax. Greyson makes that much every ten minutes he works.”
“Every ten minutes?”
Mya shrugged. “Maybe not every ten minutes. It’s probably more like every hour.”
“I really didn’t want to know.”
“Why not? It’s not like you’re after his money.”
A brassy woman with short hair popped into the room. “I would be after his money,” she said. “A woman can never have enough. If a man is going to make that kind of money year after year, I want in on it.” She ran her fingers through my strands of hair which still had burnt chunks. “So, what are we doing today?”
Mya rambled off a list that included hair extensions, bright red chunky highlights, and a mani-pedi. Mya would apply my makeup at Greyson’s.
A second woman entered the room to assist with the transformation. I closed my eyes and let it happen. There wasn’t any reason to fight it now; I’d come this far. This scheme better work or David would be sorry he taught me how to punch.
“Remy, is Greyson at the penthouse?” Mya held the phone to her ear. “Make sure he’s not there and then come pick us up. I don’t want him walking in on us.”
“We could just go to my place,” I said.
“I dropped off all my makeup at Greyson’s. We need to go back there. Plus, I want him to see you once you’re dolled up.”
“I’m sure I’ll see him before the night is over.” Maybe not if he had dinner plans with Cat. My fingers curled into a fist.
“Oh?” Her eyes twinkled. “Do you have special plans?”
“No, I’m playing Dagor as a favor so I’m sure he’ll want to know every thing that happened.” Unless Cat keeps him too busy to talk to me. Damn her! She was probably lying and I’m falling for it.
“I meant to ask you about that. Who is Dagor? And why do you have to play poker with him?”
“He has some information Greyson needs. I can’t divulge the whole situation. If I can make Dagor talk, it might help Greyson.”
“He never tells me any thing.”
Remy pulled up to the salon He glanced at my hair and shook his head as we walked to meet him. I heard him muttered “shit” under his breath.
“What?” I asked. “Is it bad?”
“I’m not saying a word.”
My eyes shot over to Mya. “Does my hair look bad?”
“No! Remy, her hair is perfect.”
“I know it is,” he said. “Too perfect.”
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“I shouldn’t have opened my mouth.”
“Well you did. So start explaining.”
His eyes flicked back at my hair. “I’ve just seen a lot of perfect hair come and go.” He ushered us into the limo and then slid in front.
Mya scooted to the front. “Remy, did you make sure Greyson’s not in the penthouse?”
“He’s offsite. I have to pick him up in an hour. You won’t have extra time to spare.”
“That should be fine. I only need to do her makeup.”
He nodded. Mya settled back in her seat. Her eyes drifted to the window. Sadness settled on her face that I had never seen before on Mya.
“Mya, are you okay?”
“I was just thinking about David. I always dressed up for him. I would go crazy and spend so much time. He would laugh and tell me I was beautiful whether I spent ten seconds or ten hours getting ready.” Her eyes rested on her wedding ring. “I really miss him. I know it’s been two years but I can’t stop thinking about him. I don’t know if he’s dead or if he ran off with another woman.”
My heart broke in half for her. “Mya, wherever he is, I’m sure he wants to come home to you soon.”
“Sometimes I think that too, but then I wonder if I’m not just trying to fool myself.”
I couldn’t say more to her without blowing David’s cover. “Let yourself be a fool. There’s no harm in believing what you want to believe if it gets you through the day. It’s your life, Mya. Live it however you want. If David comes back, he can see you’re a strong woman who is able to follow her heart.”
A smile crept on her face as Remy rolled to a stop in front of the casino.
“Come on,” she said. “At least I can dress you up for the other Miller brother.”
Remy collected the bags from the trunk and helped us upstairs. He deposited us and the bags in the penthouse and escaped with a quick foot.
“He doesn’t like girly things, does he?” I asked Mya.
“No, it freaks him out. But he does like to look at the end result.”
“Then he fits in with the rest of the male population.”
An hour later Mya pronounced I was ready. I turned to inspect myself in the bathroom mirror. My jaw dropped. A woman stared back at me, but I didn’t recognize her at all. Is this a hallucination? Perhaps that conk on the head affected my eyesight.
“Mya, are you sure I’m in here somewhere? I can’t even recognize myself.”
“That’s what we were going for, right?”
“Yeah, I guess. I just didn’t realize it was possible.”
“Dagor will never be able to figure out who you are. You’ll receive about a hundred requests for dates.”
“I don’t want guys hitting on me.”
“All girls want someone to ask them out on a date.”
“I think I’ve had my fill for the moment.”
“Not possible. I love it when guys ask me out. I always tell them no, but I still love the chase.”
“Are you still dating Stupid Head?”
“Yes, but I don’t know if I like him as much as I did when I first met him.”
I heard the front door open.
Mya jumped up and down. “He’s here. I can’t wait for him to see you.”
“You should tell him it’s me before I go out there.”
Mya shook her head. Her wide blonde curls bobbed along with her head. “No, it’s going to be a surprise.”
“It’ll be a surprise all right.”
She clutched my hand as we strolled to the living room. Greyson had already settled at the table
with his laptop. His eyebrows crinkled together as he read the screen.
“Greyson,” Mya called.
He answered though his eyes remained glued to his laptop. “What is it, Mya?”
“Look up, silly.”
He unglued his eyes from his monitor long enough to take in Mya then they drifted back to the laptop. A split second later they shot over to me. A perplexed look spread across his face.
“Well?” Mya asked. “What do you think?”
“Think about what?” His question was guarded.
“About Nadia! Did your brain fall out of your ears?”
I chuckled.
At the sound of my voice, Greyson’s eyes widened. “Shit.”
My hands snapped to my hips, hitching the dress up slightly. “Why is it every time I wear a dress a man says ‘shit’?”
Greyson opened his mouth to speak but I was already on my way out the door. Mya scowled at Greyson and followed me. She fidgeted in the elevator.
“Mya, why are you fidgeting?”
“I’m so confused. Why did he say that and then let you walk away without following you?”
“He knows not to follow me.”
“How do you do it? You know, make them understand.”
“They’ll never understand,” I said dryly. “But you only have to snap once and they know.”
I blew through the elevator door as it opened. The sight of Caleb caught my eye; I veered over to him. Mya was on my heels. As I stalked my prey, I noticed he was chatting to a blonde with enormous breasts. I smiled. Paybacks a bitch, Caleb.
If Greyson didn’t recognize me then Caleb might not either. I bumped against him. He was solid and hardly moved an inch.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” I said, altering my voice to the same frequency as the bimbos he loves to date. “Silly me. I didn’t see you.”
The blonde turned to glare at me for the intrusion.
“No problem,” he said. He took in the length of me. His gaze rested on my eyes. “I’ve only seen green eyes like yours once before.”
A flash of nervous energy nearly broke to the surface. I had to stay calm and play aloof.
“Can I buy you a drink?” He asked.
“No, but thank you. I have to get back to my boyfriend.”
“Too bad.” He turned back to the blonde who was amazingly still there.
I sauntered off and winked at Mya.
“What was that about?” She asked.
“I just found us a ride.” I opened my hand to show the valet ticket.
“Is that Caleb’s?”
“Yes, but it’s mine for tonight.”
“How did you do it?”
“Lupier taught me. I didn’t think I could do it.” I smiled at the ticket. Caleb was most likely going to be at the casino for hours. I would have his car back before he missed it.
We exited the casino and headed to the valet. I handed him the ticket.
“Caleb just dropped off the car,” the valet said.
“And I’m picking it up.”
“I don’t know if I should give you the car or not. It’s against company policy.”
“You can either give me the car now or explain to Caleb why I don’t have his love nest ready for him when he returns from working the tables. He’s expecting a lot of girls tonight, and I need the car to arrange every thing.”
The valet’s mouth dropped open. Mya giggled. He fumbled with the keys and finally snagged a set from the box and raced to the car. Moments later, I was behind the wheel and Mya was in the passenger seat.
“Do you want me to drop you off at home?” I asked.
“No, I want to go with you. This is fun.”
“Mya, Dagor is a nasty guy. And I’ll have to play in the high stakes room.” If I showed up with Mya, David would kill me.
“I can help you.”
“I know you can. I need you not to help me this time. I’m not really sure how I’m going to pull this off, so I need to stay focused.”
“Okay, drop me off at home.”
Guilt nagged telling me I should bring her. She could have been an excellent sidekick to round out my look, but then I would have to tell her what was going on so she didn’t slip up. Too many secrets would be revealed and none of them would be pleasant.
I pulled into her driveway. “Mya, thank you for all of your help today. I really couldn’t have done this without you.”
She smiled. “It’s okay. I just wish Greyson wouldn’t put you in such a bad position. Take care of yourself. Don’t let Dagor get too handsy. Once he starts he won’t want to stop.”
I thanked her for the advice as she hopped out of the car. I backed out of the driveway once I perceived she was safely in her house.
My hands were shaking by the time I steered the Porsche to the casino Greyson said Dagor would be. I steeled my nerves as I slipped out of the car and stepped into the entrance. I was a long way from the strip, and this casino was a long way from being on the up-and-up.
The décor was from the Rat Pack heyday and was never updated. Large dusty bulbs dimly lit the casino and worn burnt-orange carpets laid the flooring. They didn’t have to worry about the latest flashiest tourist gimmicks. Most tourists wouldn’t even find this casino since it was so far from the strip and lights. Serious Vegas patrons played here. Most of them appeared as if they escaped from jail or were one con away from jail.
I found my way to the high stakes room where there was a spot open. I perched on a chair and scoped my surroundings. The players were already in a hand and no one took notice of me. From David’s description of Dagor, he wasn’t in the room. I was about to stand up and move from the table when a hand pushed me back down into my chair.
“Hello baby.”
Chapter 14
I turned to glare at the person who was holding me in my seat. A man in his late forties, with cold eyes and a deep scar above his eye, peered down. He looked like a man who was use to getting what he wanted. From David’s description, this had to be Dagor. I swallowed. It was show time and I was ready to pee my pants.
My chest constricted as he grabbed the shirt collar of the man next to me and yanked him out of his seat. He planted himself next to me and took over the man’s stack of chips. The man shot a second look at Dagor then scurried away.
“I was thinking this table might be a little too much for me,” I said, attempting to stand up.
“Don’t worry, baby. I’ll show you the ropes.” His voice was deep and gravely. His hand grasped my arm and pressed me back into my chair.
My stomach was slick with nausea from Dagor’s presence. Everything about him, from his oily dark hair to his narrow eyes, made me want to be as far away from him as possible. I never took much stock in womanly instincts, but with Dagor, the alarms were clanging like a ten-alarm fire.
I bought in with my credit line. One hundred thousand dollars of chips were passed to me. I giggled nervously as I stacked them.
I peeked at the two cards dealt to me. They were garbage. Since I didn’t care about winning, I tossed in a handful of chips. It killed me to throw away money, but I had to remember it wasn’t mine and I was trying to help. Dagor tossed in chips too. I followed his lead and tossed chips in as the dealer laid down the flop, the turn, and then the river. I had five random red cards. Mya, please forgive me for what I’m about to do.
I hopped up and down in my seat raising my dress precariously high. I flipped over my cards to reveal that I had all red. The players at the table gawked at my cards in bewilderment.
“Baby, you need to have the same suit not just the same color,” Dagor said, taking a peek at my legs with vulture eyes.
“Oh, pooh! You mean I didn’t win?” I yanked my dress down.
“Where did you get the money, baby?”
I slid my eyes to him under my glittery lashes. “Big Daddy gave me the money before he died.”
“You’re a woman with money and no man to make you happy.”
I threw in chi
ps. “The money makes me happy. Big Daddy liked his special nap times. I don’t miss them.”
“A girl like you needs a big daddy in her life. I can be your next one.”
“Really?” A little piece of me died inside. This was not going in the direction I wanted. I had to redirect the conversation without causing suspicions. “I do miss him sometimes. Like yesterday, I won money at Lost City Casino and I found out it was fake money. Big Daddy would have dealt with it, but I don’t know what to do.”
“I’ve heard about that. I can help you.”
I turned to him. “You can?” I tossed in more chips. I didn’t even know what my cards were.
“Sure, I know a person on the inside that can switch the money for you.”
I bounced up and gave him a large Mya-style hug. “Oh, thank you.”
His hand grasped the back of my leg and was moving up quickly. My skin shriveled in response to his touch. I sat down before he made his way too far.
“You must be pretty important to have some one on the inside of the Lost City Casino.”
“I am, baby.” His hand brushed up my thigh and headed past my dress hem. I deadened all my senses to keep me from jumping in revulsion. “Are you going to take me up on my offer?”
“What offer?” I threw in chips again.
“You become my girl, and I will solve all your problems.”
“Does this include special nap times?”
“It includes whatever times I want.”
“I don’t even know who you are. You’re not a bad man who makes fake money, are you?”
“Baby, I’m a bad man, but I don’t make fake money.”
“You know who makes it, and that can’t be good.” I ogled at him with the biggest doe eyes I could muster. I wanted information, but I didn’t want him to catch on to my intent.
“Yeah, I know who makes it. I helped set up the operation. I’ll make sure you get your money; I protect my own. I’m only bad when I’m pushed. So, what do you say?”
I didn’t know what to say. “Well, I’m not sure. There’s another man who wants to take Big Daddy’s place too. I wouldn’t know how to choose.” He can’t be buying this. Are there women in this world who have this dilemma?
The Big Blind (Nadia Wolf) Page 15
