by L. P. Dover
“Really?” I asked in disbelief.
“She said she tried to talk to Will about it, but he didn’t want to listen.”
“Can we trust her?”
Thankfully, she didn’t hesitate. “We can. I like Diane. I don’t think there’s a bad bone in her body.”
“I sure hope not because now she knows who you are and I’m assuming me as well.”
She nodded. “But that’s not all I found out today. I asked Ronnie if I could talk to her girls and she agreed. When I went to the ranch, I told them I was there for an interview. All I did was bullshit with them for a few and asked them about their experiences with Vegas men. They all thought I was new in town, which in all honesty, I kind of am. Anyway, we got on the subject of men who like it rough. Can you guess who their top man is?”
“Drake?”
“Nope, Chazz. And obviously, they lived to tell about it. The only person no one has lived to tell about is Mark.”
“Fuck me,” I grumbled, holding her face in my hands. “As much as I want to solve this case, I don’t want to see you get hurt. If Mark wins you this weekend, I don’t think I can let you go.”
She kissed me gently, pressing her forehead to mine. “You don’t have a choice.”
“I don’t like you doing this,” Diane hissed in my ear. I looked over at Jason, his whole body tense.
“You’re not the only one.”
“Why can’t you just get warrants to search their homes? Isn’t that how it usually works?”
“Not when you’re dealing with powerful men. You wouldn’t believe how corrupt the system is. People like Jason and I can’t be bought. Besides, we don’t even have proof that any of them are guilty.” The men were on their third round for the night and I knew it was about time for the real game. “I probably need to get back over there and join them,” I remarked. Diane pulled me into her arms and I could feel her body shake. “You okay?” I asked, whispering in her ear.
“Only if you are.”
I chuckled lightly. “I’ll be fine, I promise. I’m not an amateur. I do know how to kick some major ass.”
“I’d like to see that,” she laughed, pulling away.
Smiling, I grabbed her hands. “Thank you for everything. For the life of me, I don’t know why you’ve been so nice to me.”
“You remind me of someone.”
“Who?”
Her eyes grew teary. “The daughter I never had. You’re beautiful, strong, brave, and selfless to come out here and risk your life for the sake of others. It’s rare to find that these days.”
“I see the same qualities in you too, Diane.”
“Aylee?” Jason called.
I glanced over my shoulder and he nodded toward the table. “It looks like I’m being summoned.” William came up behind Diane, holding her shawl. “And I think you’re being summoned as well.”
Diane quickly looked back at William and then turned to me, speaking low, “Be careful, especially with Mark and Chazz. I don’t like what I heard about them today.”
“Me neither, but I’ve dealt with unsavory men before.” Squeezing her hands one last time, I let them go and joined the table. “I see you boys don’t know how to have fun without me,” I teased. Jason stood and pulled a chair out for me. When I sat down, he brushed his fingers down my arms, making me shiver. “Thank you.”
“Are you sure you don’t mind playing tonight?” Drake asked.
I smiled wide. “Not at all. But since I’m playing for myself, what are the rules?”
Drake glanced around the table. “I’m sure everyone will agree that you have immunity. Since you’re the ultimate prize, we’ll be the ones offering the money. Is that fair?” he asked, waiting for everyone’s answers. One by one, each man nodded their heads. It was the same group as before: Drake, Chazz, Mark, and Jason.
“What happens if I win? Do I get the money and that’s it?”
Chazz was the one who answered this time. “Actually, we all agreed beforehand that if you were to win you’d get the money, but you will have to pick someone to fuck tonight.”
“So I get to choose? I think I like this game.” Jason growled low to where only I could hear and squeezed my thigh under the table. “Let’s get started.” My only problem was that if I won, who the hell was I going to pick?
The dealer took his place at the table, shuffled the cards and looked straight at me. “Lady’s choice.”
“My favorite, Texas Hold’em.”
He dealt out the first two cards and I was impressed. I had an ace of hearts and a two of hearts. By the time the dealer was ready to throw down the river card, the pot was already to eighty thousand and I was one card away from a flush.
The final card . . . a six of hearts. “All right, gentlemen, it’s time to place your bets,” the dealer instructed. Blowing out a frustrated sigh, Jason set in another five grand, knowing very well whatever the outcome I wasn’t going to pick him.
Mark glanced over at me and then at his cards, throwing in his five and raising fifteen grand. He was mysterious with his dark hair and dark eyes; a very handsome man. However, underneath all of that brooding sexiness he could be harboring a dangerous secret. None of the girls at the ranch had lived long enough to give me the story on their night with the allusive Mark Chamberlain. The rest of the men called, matching his raise.
They turned their cards over first and Jason actually had a straight; I was impressed. Mark had three kings, Chazz had three fours, and Drake had two pair. “It looks like I have you beat, gentlemen,” I announced happily, showing my cards.
Jason sat back in his chair. “Well done, firecracker.”
“Thank you,” I said, picking up the wads of money. “I think I seriously need to do this for a living.”
“No you don’t,” Drake blurted. I peered over at him, lifting my brows. “Only because you’re so good at what you do. I’d hate for you to waste your talent.”
“I have plenty of talents, Mr. Blackwell,” I said, wishing I could slap the smile off his face.
Chazz slid his chair back. “And some of us would like to see those talents. Which of us do you want to fuck tonight?”
Forcing a smile, I batted my eyelashes and completely turned my back on him. I had three other options and I sure as hell wasn’t going to pick Drake again. Jason stared at me – his jaw tight – knowing very well I couldn’t choose him.
I walked by Chazz, putting my arm on his shoulder and leaning down to whisper, “I’m going to make you work a little harder for my goods, stud.” I nipped his ear and stood, making my way to Mark. Holding out my hand, I said, “Do you accept?”
Chazz slammed his glass on the table. “Dammit!”
I turned to Chazz and gave him a private smile before addressing Mark once again. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
“Are you sure this is what you want?”
Did I want to take the risk of getting killed or maimed? No, but I had no choice. He was the one I really needed answers on. “I’m giving you my hand, aren’t I?”
He took my hand and stood, glancing around the table. “Meet me out front. I’ll get the car.” Letting my hand go, he avoided my gaze and turned, stalking off toward the door.
What is his deal? Jason glared at his retreating form, looking just as clueless as I was. Before leaving, I put all of my money in my purse and intentionally dropped some by Jason’s feet. “Uh-oh,” I said, kneeling on the floor. “Stay close,” I whispered.
“I will.”
Getting to my feet, I focused on Drake. “Enjoy the rest of your evening, Mr. Blackwell. Thank you for inviting me to join the game.”
Lifting his glass, he took a sip. “It’s been my pleasure. Be sure to come again next Saturday. I don’t think Davies is going to relax until he gets you out of his system.”
“I’m looking forward to it.” I looked over at Jason one more time and then started toward the door. I didn’t like the unknown and Mark was definitely that. The only thi
ng I could dig up on him was that he worked for William, his wife died two years ago in a car accident, and he spent his free time in casinos. Other than that, his life was a mystery; he wasn’t in any other activities.
Taking a deep breath, I reached inside my purse and made sure I had everything I needed. My gun was safely tucked away, along with my phone and the serum. I was ready to go. Mark stood by his black SUV, leaning against it with his arms crossed at the chest, with the passenger door wide open. Clutching my purse, I smiled and descended the stone stairs, my heart pounding out of control. I had no clue where he was going to take me, but I had to believe Jason would be right behind.
“Thank you,” I murmured, getting into the car. Mark slammed the door and then walked around the front, looking awfully uncomfortable. When he got in, I turned toward him. “Are you okay?”
He huffed. “I sure as hell hope so.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“You wouldn’t understand.”
I scoffed. “You’d be surprised, Mr. Chamberlain. Where exactly are you taking me?” We were headed back toward downtown.
“We’re going to my condo. I live a few blocks away from the strip.”
“I figured you’d live in a hoity-toity mansion like your friends.”
He chuckled. “I used to, but since I’m by myself I didn’t see the need anymore. I moved out to the strip about a year and a half ago.” We pulled into a parking deck attached to another building that was a smaller high rise compared to the other ones around. He pulled out a key card and pushed it inside the slot for the elevator door to open. “This will take us right up to my floor.”
“Nice.” I walked inside and he pressed the button for the fifth floor, his uneasiness making me nervous. When the elevator opened, he didn’t touch me as we made our way down the hall. Once inside, it reminded me of any normal bachelor pad. The furniture was black leather and everything was crisp, masculine. It wasn’t like the flowers you’d see all over the living room my uncle had back home at the B&B.
“Would you like something to drink?” he asked, throwing his coat across one of the kitchen chairs. I followed him into the kitchen where he pulled out a couple of beers. “I don’t have any of the fancy shit like Blackwell.”
I held out my hand for the beer. “Don’t get me wrong, I love a good wine, but I’ve been opening myself up to trying more beers. My favorite is called Baby Maker. It’s so good.”
His lips drew back in a smile. “Baby Maker? I’ll have to try that one.”
“You’ll love it, trust me,” I said, taking a sip of beer.
He nodded toward the couch. “Do you want to have a seat?”
“Sure.” I walked around him and did a quick glance around his condo. It looked like there was only one bedroom and a bathroom. Not exactly the place you’d murder and hack someone up. If he was the killer, he hadn’t done any of it there. Sitting down, I plastered on a smile and patted the seat beside me. He sat down and tilted his beer back. “I don’t think you’ve spoken more than ten words to me since I met you. Why is that?”
He cleared his throat, avoiding my gaze. “Caught that, huh?”
I nodded and he finally peered over at me, his dark eyes curious. “I just know your job would require you to have more social skills. Not to mention, I can feel how uncomfortable you are.”
“You’re good, Ms. McFadden. If you want honesty, I chose not to talk to you in hopes of avoiding this exact situation.”
“Why?”
“Because I have no desire to fuck you or anyone else for that matter. The guys have been throwing women in my lap for a year. I’m just not interested.”
“Oh,” I replied, taken aback. That wasn’t what I was expecting to hear. “Are you gay?”
I knew he wasn’t, not unless he came out after his wife died. In response, he shook his head and laughed. “I’m not gay.”
“Then why do you bring women here if you’re not interested?”
Guilt was clearly written all over his face, but over what? Why was he so fucking hard to read? Blowing out a heavy sigh, he leaned his head back on the couch. “I bring them here hoping I get the desire to fuck them. It just never happens, at least not until I met you. Even then, I still don’t think I have it in me.”
“Me? What makes me different?”
He ran his hands over his face, gaze weary. “You remind me of my wife.”
“I didn’t think you were married,” I lied.
“I was married. She died a few years back. The night I saw you I thought I was in the twilight zone. You both have the same red hair and blue eyes. For the longest time, I thought I could move on from her death, but I can’t. I’m not ready. The only reason I would have sex with you is because it’d be easy to imagine it was her.”
“So you haven’t slept with anyone after her death?” He shook his head. “Wow, I honestly don’t know what to say. I’ve lost my parents, but never someone as close to me as a lover. I can’t imagine the pain.”
“At first, it was unbearable, and it didn’t help that Blackwell and Davies kept trying to get me to fuck other women. I decided then to put on this charade so they stay off my back.”
“If you don’t sleep with the girls, what do you do with them when you tell them you don’t want their services?” Purse in hand, I was ready to grab my gun if need be. He didn’t look like he was about to attack, but you never knew. Grief could make you do fucked up things, but I wasn’t expecting what came out of his mouth next.
“I give them money for their silence and send them on their way.”
“Silence? What do you mean?”
“I give them money to say we had sex even though we didn’t. That way it gets the guys off my back and it makes them think I’m fucking other women.”
“Never would’ve thought that.”
Finishing his beer, he set the bottle down on the table. “Well, there you have it. How much do you want to stay quiet?”
My heart went out to him and I could feel my eyes burning. Hesitantly, I reached over and placed my hand over his. He tensed at first, but then slowly relaxed. “I don’t need anything, Mark. As far as anyone’s concerned, we had sex tonight and it was mind-blowing. The money isn’t important to me. Besides, I already have a purse filled with it.”
He turned is hand over in mine and squeezed it before letting it go. “That you do. How about I take you home?”
“That’s not necessary. I can find my own way,” I insisted, getting to my feet.
He got up and grabbed his keys off the counter. “I’m sure you can, but I’d feel better knowing you got back safely.”
“Thank you. Do you mind if I use your restroom first?”
“Not at all. It’s over there,” he said, pointing across the room. I hurried over and shut the door, pulling out my phone.
Me: Heading to the hotel. Or at least I think I am.
Jason: What happened?
Me: I’ll tell you later. Right now he wants to take me home. Are you close?
Jason: In the parking deck. I’ll see you when you get off the elevator.
After putting my phone away, I flushed the toilet and washed my hands before opening the door. “I’m ready to go.”
Mark was by the front door and he opened it for me. Sliding past, I waited for him to lock the door and join me by the elevator. “Just so you know, it’s not because you’re not beautiful,” he murmured.
We stepped into the elevator and I smiled. “Your heart’s still hurting; I understand that. And thank you for the compliment. At least you didn’t call me cute. I hate that.”
The elevator door opened and he chortled lightly. “My wife used to say the same thing. When I first met her, I told her she was cute. The look she gave me!” He shook his head and looked as if he was picturing her face.
Opening the door to his SUV, he helped me in. “I know you’re hurting now, but one day it won’t be so bad. When that time comes, don’t feel guilty about opening your heart
again. You deserve to find happiness.”
“Maybe one day I will.”
Three days had passed since my night with Mark. Jason and I switched hotels the day after and decided to stay at the Bellagio since that was where Drake and his people liked to frequent the most. Diane called first thing Sunday morning to see if I was alright. Even though she woke us up at six in the morning, it was endearing to know she cared.
The only problem I had with Mark’s story was that all the girls who’d been sent to him were dead. His story was heartbreaking, but I didn’t have the proof to back it up. On the positive side, he let me go and took me home just like he said he would. Not to mention, there weren’t any other prostitutes missing.
Putting his arms around my waist from behind, Jason moaned and bit my ear. “Why don’t we go out and see the city tonight?”
“Like a date?” I asked, grinning wide.
He turned me around and I melted under his stare. “If that’s what you want to call it. We have four more days until I’m sure you’ll be paired up with that worthless cocksucker, so I figured we could have some fun to get my mind off of it.”
“Your mind? What about mine?”
Lowering his hands to my ass, he squeezed and pushed his arousal into me. “Don’t worry, I know how I’m going to keep you occupied.”
“First, we need to get something to eat. I’m famished and I need my energy if I’m to keep up with you tonight.”
He smacked my ass and pushed me toward my room. “Get ready so we can come back and have some fun. I have a new game I want to play.”
“Oh yeah? Does it involve taking off clothes?”
Licking his lips, he lowered them to mine and bit my lip. “Most definitely. And you can’t forget touching . . .”
My insides clenched just thinking about it. I kissed him quickly and backed away. “Give me about fifteen minutes and I’ll be ready.”
I headed toward my old room. The only thing in it was my luggage, since I’d been sleeping in Jason’s room. Digging through the bags of clothes Diane gave me, I pulled out the dress she liked so much. It hit above my knee, flaring out at the waist with colorful flowers and a belt. It was actually very pretty. Instead of wearing a shit ton of makeup, I applied a little mascara and lip gloss.
