by Evelyn Glass
“They’re sending a camera?”
“Yeah.”
“I feel like an animal on display doing tricks,” Beast muttered as he scooped potatoes onto his fork.
“It was part of the deal. It was your idea to make a circus out of this.”
“I know. But I meant for everyone else, not us.”
Shayna giggled. She didn’t like it that much either, but she was able to ignore the camera and pretend it wasn’t there better than he could.
***
There were only two people at the clinic from the show, the camera operator and a sound girl with a boom mic. “Shayna? I’m William Biggs, but people call me Big Billy,” the man said, pulling the camera from his shoulder as Shayna removed her helmet. He’d obviously been filming as they rode up on Beast’s Harley. “This is Lauren,” he said with a nod. “I spoke with Dr. Lowerence and he agreed to allow us to film so long as we don’t film the staff or customers. What I’d like to do is go inside, have you come in, then I’ll follow you around as you do whatever it is you’re going to do. Is that okay?”
“Fine. But understand I’m not here for the show, and if you get in the way or start ordering people around, we’re done.”
Billy smiled. “No problem. You won’t even know we’re around.” When Beast looked at him, he chuckled. “Okay, maybe you will. Just ignore us and we’ll stay out of the way. We probably won’t use but about sixty to ninety seconds of this anyway. We should be able to capture plenty to work from without being in the way.”
Shayna nodded. “So long as we’re clear.”
Billy nodded. “Crystal. Let us go inside. Let the door close, give me a ten count, then come on in.”
As Big Billy and Lauren entered, Beast turned to Shayna. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
She smiled. “Not the cameras so much, but being here, with you? Yeah. I think I am.”
He gave her a quick kiss. “Your public awaits,” he said gesturing her toward the door.
As she and Beast entered, Billy, smoothly pivoted out of their path and followed them into the back room. Good to his word he and Lauren stood out of the way as Beast exchanged the shirt in Harley’s cage with the one he’d been wearing yesterday, the dog coming to him and allowing him to pick him up.
As Beast nuzzled the dog, placing him and a bowl of food on a table, Pete began to speak softly, Lauren swinging the mic over to pick up his voice. Harley was just finishing his breakfast as Pete completed the story of how Beast had quite probably saved the dog’s life by drawing him out. A true professional, Lauren hadn’t made a sound, but tears were streaming down her cheeks as Pete spoke.
They continued to film as Shayna wiped at her eyes, touched by the compassion in Pete’s voice as Beast settled to the floor with Harley. He gently roughhoused with the dog, shoving him away on the slick floor, laughing as the dog came running back only to get pushed away again. When that game became old, Pete produced a rope that Harley pulled and tugged on until he began to yawn.
Beast picked the dog up and cuddled him until Harley was a sleep. He held the dog a long time, sitting in the floor and alternately smiling at Shayna and Harley.
“Shayna, may I speak with you a moment,” Pete said tugging her into the hall. “Is there something I need to know?”
“Know? About what?” she asked, her brow furrowing.
“Steve called me this morning. He’s retracting his recommendation.”
She pursed her lips. “I understand.”
“Well I don’t. Enlighten me.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“How about the truth?”
“The truth? Dr. Hench came onto me right before the final and I turned him down. I thought that was the end of it, but he called me last night and threatened to hold up my transcript. He didn’t say anything that couldn’t be explained as a misunderstanding, but his meaning was clear. I threatened to report him to the ethics committee if he ever contacted me again or if he held up my transcript. I guess now that he didn’t get what he wanted, he’s decided to not help me get what I want.”
Pete looked at her a moment. “I find that hard to believe about Steve.”
She shrugged. “I don’t know what to tell you. I would still like to come to work here, but if you want to rescind your offer, I understand.”
Pete continued to watch Shayna’s face. She looked miserable, but not guilty or like she was scrambling to make up a story. While it was hard to believe Steve would do such a thing, her story did fit nicely with Steve’s story. When he’d called, he said he’d made an error in judgment about Shayna, and after thinking about it, he decided he could no longer recommend her. So what could have happened to change his enthusiastic recommendation after she left school? Maybe she didn’t let him get into her pants?
“No. I didn’t hire you at Steve’s recommendation. Your position is safe.”
She released a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. “Thank you, Dr. Lowerence. I appreciate you giving me this chance.”
“What did I tell you about that doctor stuff?” he grinned.
“Sorry, Peter, uh, Pete.”
“That’s better. Let’s go see what your boyfriend is up to in there.”
“Beast?” Shayna said softly as she tapped her wrist, Big Billy whirling the camera to point at her as she entered the bullpen.
“Yeah, I know,” he said, smiling at the sleeping Harley. He’s such a damn cute dog! Maybe the club needs a mascot.
He got to his feet, waking Harley in the process, but when Beast put him in his crate, the dog curled up in Beast’s shirt, yawned hugely, then closed his eyes again.
***
Beast spent a few moments more scratching ears and heads of the guests as he worked his way out of the room. He never had a dog as a kid, and he wasn’t sure he was ready to be a dog owner just yet, but Harley was starting to win him over.
Big Billy and Lauren trailed them out, filming as they mounted up and Beast thumbed the Harley to life before they roared out of the parking lot.
Beast dropped the hammer on the bike. He’d intended only to drop off the shirt and make sure the pup was eating, but he’d spent almost an hour sitting on the floor with the dog. They were going to have to haul ass to get back and get ready in time. He grinned as he opened the taps on the throttle a bit more and skillfully cut through traffic.
***
“Is everything okay?” Beast asked at the first break as he and Shayna enjoyed lunch at Tops’ Choice.
“Yeah, why?” she asked as she took another bite of her salad. It felt funny sitting in the restaurant with the unblinking eye of the camera staring at them. Beast kept glaring at it, but she smiled and ignored it.
“I saw Lowerence take you out of the room. You’ve seemed a little down since we left. Was he upset about the camera?” He glanced at the camera again. “I would be.”
“No. It was Dr. Hench again.”
“How so?”
“He called Pete and withdrew his recommendation.”
“He recommended you for the position?”
“Yes.”
He nodded, then popped the rest of the burger into his mouth and chewed as he thought. “It’s becoming clear now. That asshole needs a visit from the Reapers. I’ll send—”
“No! Don’t do that. He’s not worth it. Pete wasn’t happy with him either and I still have the chance to prove myself. It’s okay.” She placed her hand on Beast’s arm and grinned as he first looked at her hand then the camera. “Just ignore it! You do that in the poker room.”
“That’s different.”
“Why?”
“It just is. I have to focus in there.”
“So focus on me,” she purred sliding her empty plate aside and leaning in, using her arms on the table to push her breasts up.
He chuckled as she turned on the sex. “Oh, you’re good. You’re very good.”
She leaned in a little more. “You’re pretty damn good yourself.
”
“Too bad we have to go back so soon. I could show you how good I can be,” he rumbled as he leaned in, his voice dripping promises.
She felt a chill that made her want to shiver. “Show me tonight.”
He smiled. “Count on it.”
She stared at him until she was unable to hold his intense gaze and broke eye contact. “Tomorrow we may have to eat quick then go do something else.”
He grinned, delighted that her color was rising. “When I eat, I like to take my time.” He chuckled softly as she blushed. “We’re talking about lunch, right?”
She leaned back, giggled, and looked away, wondering if the camera could pick up her blush from that distance. “Is that what you were talking about?”
“No.”
She leaned in again. “I didn’t think so,” she purred.
“I wish you wouldn’t do that.”
“What?”
“Talk to me like that.”
“Like this,” she breathed in her sex kitten voice. “Why?”
“Because I’m going to have to stand up in a moment, and the camera is going to see a raging boner.”
She barked out a laugh then leaned back again. “We wouldn’t want that.”
He grinned, glad he could make her laugh. “No, we wouldn’t.”
***
“Shayna?”
“Yes,” she asked as she turned toward Trevor.
“Before play resumes, I want to ask you a question.”
“Okay, what?”
“If I were to tell you that you were no longer a hostess for the tournament, what would you do?”
She went hot in fear and anger. “Am I being fired?”
Trevor chuckled. “Calm down. Nothing of the sort. What I meant was, if we were to relax the rules a little, how would you and Conor interact?”
“I don’t follow.”
“Would you still knock on the table for him?”
“Of course.”
“Would you give him a kiss for luck?”
She smiled. “I see where this is going. You want to spice it up a little, right?”
He smiled. “Yes, to some degree. I still want you perform your duties as you always have, but since we’re going to be playing up the fact that you two are a couple, and everyone in the room knows it now, I don’t see why you can’t loosen up a little.”
“The other players won’t object?”
“Won’t matter if they do. You have to abide by the same rules of the game as you always have, to keep it fair, but so long as cards aren’t on the table, I don’t see why you have to pretend Conor is just another player.”
She smiled. “Yes, I would probably give him a kiss for luck, but it wouldn’t be a wet sloppy kiss, not with everyone watching.”
“Thank god for that. I don’t know if the men’s, or if I’m honest, the women’s, hearts could take it. I saw the video from your visit to the vet this morning. That stuff is pure gold. Conor on the floor with the puppy, that doctor what’s-his-name doing what amounts to a voiceover. You can’t pretend that stuff, and you can see that you and Conor have a connection. I don’t see any reason to hide it any more. Just keep it clean, okay?”
Shayna grinned. “Nothing rated over PG, I promise.”
Trevor winked at her. “Remember what I said about that twenty-five grand? Best money I’ve ever spent.”
Her grin grew even wider. “I knew I should have asked for more money.”
Trevor smiled and turned, but stopped after taking a single step and turned back. “I’d have paid it,” he grinned, then turned and continued on his way.
When the players returned and took their place, Shayna was there, waiting for the dealer to nod. When he did, she rapped sharply on the table with her fingers, but then surprised everyone, Beast most of all, by giving him a slow, but innocent kiss.
“For luck,” she whispered as she backed away and returned to her position, smiling as the camera continued to focus on Beast’s shocked expression before it faded into a slow and easy smile.
“Who’s ready to play cards?” he asked, rapidly rubbing his hands together. “I’m feeling lucky tonight!”
“Lucky bastard,” Paul muttered with a grin. “I should be so lucky to be kissed by someone who looks like that. How the hell can you concentrate on cards with that waiting?”
Beast waited for the chuckles to die down as the hole cards were dealt. “It’s hard.”
“I bet it is,” Fawn purred with a wink as the table burst into laughter and the players looked at their hole cards.
“Fifty-thousand,” Beast said when his chance to bet arrived, tossing in five chips. It was a stupidly large bet, but at this moment, he felt he couldn’t lose.
Shayna bit her lip, watching the first hand. Beast was playing aggressively, more aggressively than she could remember him playing before. She worried the kiss had thrown him off his game, but as the hand progressed he seemed as cool and calm as ever.
She’d lost count of the pot, but it was well north of a million when Paul, the last player still in with Beast, called. The two players showed their cards. Beast had the Six and King of Clubs in the hole, with the Three, Seven and Queen of Clubs on the board for a Flush. Beast was already raking in the chips when she finally worked out the other player’s hand. The Professor’s hole cards of a Four of Hearts and Six of Diamonds combined with the Three and Seven of Clubs and the Five of Spades to give him a straight. With a sigh she relaxed. Beast hadn’t lost his touch.
***
“You ready for dinner?” Beast asked, pulling Shayna in and giving her a quick kiss. If she was going to kiss him every time she tapped the table for luck, he didn’t see any harm in kissing her once the game play was over. Besides, he was in the mood to celebrate. He was afraid to look at the logic of it too closely, but he didn’t seem to be able to do any wrong since Shayna had kissed him for luck. He’d bled Fawn LeMay and Paul Melichek, The Professor as everyone was calling him, badly. If they hadn’t called play for dinner, he was certain he’d have eliminated possibly the two best players in the room. They were going to be the two players to beat, and though he hadn’t been able to knock them out of the tournament, he’d hurt them. He glanced at the ranking board, where he was sitting pretty at number five.
It was clear they were going to end early tonight. There were only twenty-nine players left in the tournament, and it was only eight o’clock. As soon as four more players were wiped out, they would be done for the evening, and looking at the totals for the four bottom players, it probably wouldn’t take long. A half dozen hands at most for the weakest player, Tom Hayden, with only three hundred ten thousand to his name. He and Neil Orson were the last two amateurs still in the tournament. With Beast at five and Orson at nine, the security expert and the real estate developer were swimming in deep water with the sharks.
“Sure. I could use a break,” Shayna replied.
“Where do you want to go?”
“How about Le Bistro? It’s on the mezzanine.”
“Italian?”
“French!” she giggled. “Their veal is to die for.”
“Can we get in?”
She smiled as she led him out. “I have connections, so let me worry about that.”
When they arrived at Le Bistro there was a short line waiting to enter, but Shayna sashayed to the podium without slowing. “Can you squeeze us in?” she whispered to the woman. “I have to be back to the tournament in an hour.”
Karen smiled. “Yes, I see you’re right here,” she said as she looked at the reservation log and picked up two menus. “Right this way please.”
“Nice,” he murmured as they followed the woman deep into the restaurant.
“Karen and I used to hostess together,” she explained.
“Here you are,” Karen said depositing them at a table for two in the back of the restaurant. “Enjoy your meal.”
As Beast pulled out her chair, Shayna caught Karen’s eye and grinned as Karen’s
mouth fell open in exaggerated surprise as she fanned her face with both hands. She was still smiling as she slithered into the chair and Beast pushed her up to the table.
“Such a gentleman.”
He grinned at her but made no comment as he took his own seat and picked up his menu. “What’s good here?”
