by Rosanna Leo
Like Wade said, Patrick was no more than a kid, maybe nineteen. But this kid had quietly pilfered funds from one of the casino counters. He worked as a ticket agent, selling tickets to some of their musical shows. He’d been caught pocketing some of the cash that crossed his desk, to the tune of a couple of thousand dollars.
He glanced at Liam and whispered, “Oh, shit. Oh, shit.”
Liam shook John’s hand and congratulated him on catching their thief. Not exactly Ocean’s Eleven caliber, but frustrating all the same. He sat next to John while Wade leaned against the closed office door, watching.
Liam didn’t know Patrick personally but something in his frightened demeanor was awfully familiar. This wasn’t a hardened criminal of the Hugo Vaughan variety. He got a sense Patrick regretted his bad judgment. Sure, he was shaking like a leaf at being caught but there was a measure of bravery in the thrust of his shoulders, as if he’d accepted he’d have to face the music. This boy reminded him of himself as a younger man, one who made a hell of a lot of mistakes. He rested his elbows on the desk and contemplated a plan of action.
The old Liam wouldn’t have even been here. He would have told his team to call the police and end the matter. But since he’d met Kate, he’d started to read between the lines. Yes, there were people in his life who’d surprised him with their callousness, but others continued to shock him with their hidden depths. Things weren’t always as simple as they appeared.
He looked Patrick in the eye. “Why did you steal from me?”
“Am I going to jail?”
“That depends.”
The boy took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Mr. Doyle. My dad just lost his job and money’s tight. My parents can’t pay the bills. I try to help but it’s never enough and so much passes through this place. I didn’t think it would be missed. I did the wrong thing. I know I screwed up. I know you’re going to fire me but please don’t send me to jail. My parents need me.”
A kid trying to hold his family together, trying to make decisions in a grown-up world. Liam sympathized in more ways than one. “What did your dad do for a living?”
“He was a janitor at one of the other casinos but he got downsized. He was with them for years. Supervised his own crew.”
He turned to Wade. “Don’t we have an opening at Vice in Facilities?”
“Yep.”
Liam stared at Patrick for a moment then bridged his finger over his lip. “Tell your dad to come to the HR office at Vice tomorrow. I’ll tell the HR manager to expect him.”
The boy stared, then blinked. “What?”
“You can stay, Patrick, but I’m transferring you to a back-office job, one where you won’t have to worry about temptation. We’ll be keeping our eye on you, but it’s still a second chance. Most people wouldn’t get one. What do you say?”
“Hell, yes, sir!”
They shook hands. Or, more accurately, Patrick rang his hand like a dinner bell on the ranch. “Then keep your nose clean. John here will report back to tell me how you’re doing.”
John, who matched Wade in bulk and height, merely nodded at Patrick, which said more than words could.
“Thank you, Mr. Doyle. I promise not to let you down.” He jumped out of his chair and out of the room.
Once the kid was gone, Wade turned to Liam and grinned. “Who’s the softie now? More of your new girlfriend’s influence?” He and John traded laughs at the boss’s expense.
Damn Neanderthals. Liam stood, letting them have their little moment. Maybe he’d screw around with their vacation time to get them back. He stifled his own chuckle at the thought.
As they left the casino, he did wonder about Kate’s influence on him. Jesus, it seemed all he did was wonder about her these days. He checked his watch. It was still early. Maybe he could head back to his condo and sleep for a few hours and then hit the gym. He needed an outlet, needed to get physical with something.
Since tasting Kate yesterday, feeling the rush of her wet pussy, he’d been out of his mind—especially after seeing the look of disappointment in her eyes. Clear as day, her face had fallen because she’d realized she’d liked how he touched her. Him, the big, bad casino owner. On some level, she still saw him as the enemy and she hated herself for being tempted.
Hell, he was tempted too, and with a force that verged on the frightening. Her body had felt right under his fingertips. Her scent was burned into his brain, making him want to keep her naked and fuck her senseless. And her taste. He was still reeling from her particular sweetness. For someone who claimed not to eat sugar, she’d tasted like sugar pie, hot from the oven.
Sugar. She probably thought he used the pet name out of habit with any woman, but he’d only ever used it with her.
He shook his head and banished those images of Kate that would only come back and haunt him later.
Hating that the bothersome redhead had once again drifted into his consciousness, Liam grunted and returned to his waiting car, slamming the door behind him. Damn. Forget sleep. Maybe he’d go straight to the gym after all.
As his driver maneuvered the Escalade through Vegas traffic, Liam stared at the passing sights without really seeing them. Why was he so obsessed with this woman? So she was afraid to submit to him. There were worse things in life, like having Michelle ripped from his arms and out of his existence. Like watching his mother die when he was five years old. Like watching a heart attack kill his father nine years later, then having his stepmom turn on him when he was just a kid, like out of some fucking fairy tale. He’d wallowed in misery for a good part of his life, and was determined no one would ever do it to him again.
And yet the way Kate had looked at him after being so intimate made him feel defeated, as though she thought him no better than a wad of gum under her shoe.
Ah, hell. He needed some perspective. It just hurt because he was hard up. In his quest to get Michelle back, he’d avoided the dating scene, not that he’d felt like it anyway. Now his body was paying him back, making him lust over a woman who equated him with Satan. What was he bloody well thinking?
He was thinking, despite her bruised face and frightened demeanor, that she looked beautiful. Now that he’d had the opportunity to examine her many times, he wasn’t sure how he’d ever thought her anything but beautiful. He could admit that much. With her cheeks flushed in anticipation, she’d been the most ravishing woman he’d ever seen. And she’d wanted him as much as he wanted her.
Yet her face had changed so quickly. She hated herself for staying in a casino hotel, felt she’d betrayed her morals, and she blamed him for all but forcing her into it. Well, she’d have to get over that. If the loan shark had found her home, he’d be able to find her regular haunts. At least under his roof he could have a security detail for her.
He stared out the window as his driver headed back to Vice. A drunk, young woman carrying a pitcher of beer wobbled on the sidewalk nearby. She toppled, spilling the brew all over in front of a frowning, elderly tourist. Sin City at its finest.
Sometimes he was so tired of this place.
Was Kate? Surely a non-gambler couldn’t enjoy living so close to the Strip. As he once again wondered about her opinions, he fought the urge to pound her out of his brain.
Shit, why am I doing this?
Because you want her.
Yes, sheltering Kate at Vice was lunacy. She might implode from indignation alone. Was he just being a Good Samaritan? He’d never pictured himself in the role. Frankly, he’d been too busy trying to stay alive during his formative years. After losing his parents, things had degenerated so badly he’d barely bounced back.
But he had. He was a fighter.
And as a fighter, he’d learned to wear a mantle of distrust around his shoulders. The philosophy served him well, in business and in life. He knew there were few people in this world he could truly count on, at least of those who weren’t on hi
s payroll. After all, he’d been betrayed by so many who were close to him. And the sense of abandonment he’d experienced after losing his parents was unparalleled.
He’d tried to be a good person and do a good thing by temporarily housing Kate. But he knew his motives ran deeper than simple philanthropy. She moved him. She excited him. And he needed to be inside her like he needed food and drink.
So what should a fighter with abandonment issues do? Well, clearly he had to persuade her to give into her own hunger. Because now that Kate was on his turf, he wasn’t letting her go.
By the evening of her second night at Vice, Kate was going stir-crazy. Staring at the same four walls, no matter how exquisite they were, made her break out in hives of restlessness. She needed to have a break from hotel TV programming and room service. She needed to stretch her legs.
Granted, the room service had been spectacular. Even though she’d tried to order the cheapest things on the menu, she’d been dazzled by the quality. The only room service she’d ordered before Vice was at some dingy hotel in Reno, where she’d had the processed chicken fingers with a side of nausea. But at Vice she’d had Angus burgers, freshly-squeezed juice and a breakfast platter of bacon and eggs Benedict that had her salivating just remembering them now. Liam had taken great pains to ensure even the casual fare at Vice was worthy of Michelin stars.
Just as he’d taken great pains to make her comfortable. Every few hours, she received calls from Liam’s assistant, a lady named Pearl, asking if she needed anything, and the man himself popped in frequently. He never stayed long. Each visit was fraught with tension, but he brought her lots of little treats. To say nothing of how Wade’s security detail stood sentinel outside her door. She felt like freaking royalty.
Or maybe a prisoner. No, definitely royalty.
Okay, more like a pretend princess with a lop-sided crown.
As nice as everything was, she needed an hour or two of fresh air, or a reasonable facsimile. Surely a change of scenery wasn’t off-limits. She’d spoken with the police again. They approved of the idea of her holing up at Liam’s hotel. Of course. It saved them from having to send officers to babysit her. However, they’d told her to stay put if she could. Any crook who’d break into a woman’s apartment and try to rearrange her face couldn’t be trusted not to do it again.
But a girl could only order pay-per-view for so long. She needed to see other people. It seemed her only option was to go for a walk within the confines of Vice, as much as the idea pained her.
“Oh, come on. It’s not as if you’re rolling the dice. You’re just going for a walk.”
She caught her reflection in the mirror and almost changed her mind. Her shiner had deepened into a hideous brown, as if covered in grotesque shadows. Thank God it hadn’t puffed up too much.
Still, did she really want to promenade around Vice like that? Perhaps she could disguise the bruises. Grabbing her makeup case from her suitcase, she headed to the bathroom.
With a light touch, she applied some foundation, taking care to add a little extra on the tender spots where her skin had turned green. When she’d finished, Kate judged the final product and decided she still looked like a woman trying to mask a hideous bruise. Sighing, she picked up her purple eye shadow, the one she never used because the aubergine shade overwhelmed her fair skin. Applying some to her eye shadow brush, she proceeded to paint her other eye, very much hoping the end result would be a stylish, smoky eye on both sides of her face.
She gazed at herself in the mirror. Between her red ponytail and colored eyes, she resembled a whorish, sleep deprived Pippi Longstocking. Realizing she’d never completely camouflage the black eye, she released her hair from its ponytail, brushed it and flipped it so the fall of hair mostly covered the bruised eye. Veronica Lake, she could never hope to be, but it was good enough.
Letting her hair down reminded her of when Liam had done the same. The moment had gone down in her personal history as one of the most seductive ever. To feel his big hands in her hair, with a gentle yet demanding touch, made her wonder if he was the sort of man who liked to pull hair in bed. The sort who would turn her onto all fours, gather her hair in his palm, and pound her to heaven.
She blinked hard and tried to dislodge the aggressive yet enticing vision from her brain. “Yikes.”
After taking a few cleansing but otherwise ineffective breaths, she changed into the best clothes she had brought with her. Clean jeans and a cotton top with a few sequins scattered beneath the neckline might not win her a prize at Fashion Week, but they’d do. She spritzed herself with her favorite perfume, the one that made her smell like her mom’s garden, grabbed her purse and opened the door.
Wade, now on duty, turned to greet her. He took in her outfit and hair with a raised eyebrow. “Hey, you look nice. Goin’ somewhere?”
“I was hoping to escape my suite for a little while. The walls are closing in on me.”
The big man smiled. “I get ya. Let me alert the team and I’ll show you around.”
“No chance of me getting away on my own for a bit?”
“Not if I value my job. Liam left strict instructions to cover you at all times.”
Ignoring the sudden flutter of nerves at the mention of Liam, she closed the penthouse door. “Well, I guess some company would be nice, too.” She deposited her key card in her wallet and heard Wade on his walkie-talkie, detailing their whereabouts to whoever was on the other end. Then he pulled out his cell phone and quickly texted someone.
“Who are you texting?”
“Liam.”
Of course. “Why?”
“He wanted to know when you left your room.”
“Surely he doesn’t need to know every time I pee.”
Wade suppressed a grin. “Something tells me the busy man will still appreciate knowing.”
Soon she was walking the casino floor, observing some of the customers with Wade in tow. It was easy to spot the gaming addicts from the various expressions on their faces—ranging from vacuous to obsessed. Each turn she took around the great room made her feel a little sadder. However, there were plenty of people there who just wanted a good time. Newly-married couples, singles on vacation. She even spotted a few who looked familiar. She suspected some of the ones wearing shades were celebrities. Liam certainly had a varied clientele. They weren’t all compulsives, either. Most just wanted to have a little fun.
For the first time in her life, she regretted taking such a hard stance on gambling. Who was she to judge everyone for the failings of a few? Addiction was inside us, and one way or another it tried to find a release. If she searched hard enough, she could probably find an addiction in everyone.
She certainly had one, a tall man with an intense gleam in his eyes.
They turned a corner and moved into an alcove with endless rows of slot machines. Kate noticed a man sitting at one, and something about his sandy hair made her look twice. She took a few more steps until she could make out his face.
Donny.
Lisa’s husband sat transfixed in front of the slot, his hand hovering over the various buttons. She cleared her throat, hoping to catch his attention, but nothing short of a crumbling sinkhole under him would distract him from his game.
She moved toward him but Wade put a hand on her arm. “You know that guy?”
“He’s my friend’s husband. I just want to say hi.”
Wade frowned and pulled out his cell, murmuring something into it. Ignoring him, she approached Donny and smiled. “Hey, Donny.”
He didn’t look up.
“Donny?”
“What?” He stared at the machine, frowning, and then pulled out his wallet to count his cash.
“Donny, look at me,” she said in a louder voice. “Lisa’s worried about you.”
His head snapped up at the mention of his wife. Donny’s lip curled, his usua
l greeting. He didn’t like Lisa going to New Horizons and hated her association with Kate and the other members. “Shit. Did Lisa send you to spy on me?”
“No, of course, not.”
“Then piss off.” He turned back to the machine.
“Look,” Kate said, “maybe we could pop over to one of the cafes here and grab a coffee. You look like you could use one and, frankly, so could I.”
“I don’t want a coffee.”
“Okay, a sandwich, then. Are you hungry?”
Donny growled.
“I just want to talk with you.”
“Leave me the fuck alone, bitch.”
A male voice sounded from over her shoulder. “What did you say to the lady?”
Liam was there standing next to Wade. Kate’s heart skipped a beat. His anger was clear as he moved next to Donny.
“Liam, it’s okay,” she said.
“No, it isn’t.” He addressed Donny. “I asked you a question.”
“And I’m not answering.” He looked Liam up and down. “By the way, you can piss off, too. I don’t need you jokers preaching or handing out pamphlets about sin and vice. I’m in the middle of something.”
Liam hauled him out of his chair and pushed him toward the doors. “Not anymore, you’re not.” Wade followed at the ready. Kate scurried after them.
“Hey,” shouted Donny. “Take your hands off me! Who do you think you are?”
Customers lifted their heads to check out the commotion. Well, some of them did. Others didn’t bat an eye, still focused on their activities.
Liam offered him a small smile. “Oh, no one important. Just the owner.” He shoved Donny toward the revolving door at the entrance. “Get out of my club and don’t come back.”
“But,” Donny stammered. “It wasn’t my fault. She interrupted me.” He looked at Kate as if seeing her for the first time. “Why are you here anyway? Shouldn’t you be at one of your precious New Horizons meetings, tearing families apart with your stupid New Age bullshit? Because of you, Lisa kicked me out. I’m fucking homeless because of you.”
