High Stakes
Book One in the Nashville Nights Next Generation Series
Cheryl Douglas
Copyright © by Cheryl Douglas
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, including photocopying, graphic, electronic, mechanical, taping, recording, sharing, or by any information retrieval system without the express written permission of the author and / or publisher. Exceptions include brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Persons, places and other entities represented in this book are deemed to be fictitious. They are not intended to represent actual places or entities currently or previously in existence or any person living or dead. This work is the product of the author’s imagination.
Any and all inquiries to the author of this book should be directed to [email protected]
High Stakes © 2012 Cheryl Douglas
Nashville Nights Family Tree
The Turners
Trey and Sierra Turner—Nashville Nights, Book One, Shameless
Jared and Elaine Turner—Trey’s parents
Alisa Turner—Next Generation, Book One, High Stakes
The Coopers
Josh and Lexi Cooper—Nashville Nights, Book Two, Fearless
Jay and Victoria—Josh and Ashley’s son and daughter-in-law / Nashville Nights, Book Seven, Hopeless
Mike and Tori Cooper—Josh and Ashley’s son and daughter-in-law / Nashville Nights, Book Eight, Careless
Aiden Cooper—Josh and Lexi’s son / Next Generation, Book Two, Trade Off
Brianna Cooper—Josh and Lexi’s daughter / Next Generation, Book Three, Game On
Eva Cooper—Mike and Tori’s daughter / Next Generation, Book Eight, Blown Away
The Spencers
Luc and Marisa Spencer—Nashville Nights, Book Three, Ruthless
Nikki Spencer—Luc’s daughter / Nashville Nights, Book Five, Relentless
Ryan Spencer—Luc and Marisa’s son / Next Generation, Book Three, Game On
Evan Spencer—Lun and Marisa’s son / Next Generation, Book Four, Burn Out
The McCalls
Ty and Avery McCall—Nashville Nights, Book Four, Reckless
Anna McCall—Ty and Avery’s daughter / Next Generation, Book Five, Fast Track
Nick McCall—Ty and Avery’s son / Next Generation, Book Six, Time Out
J.T. McCall—J.T. and Derek’s brother / Nashville Nights, Book Five, Relentless
Nikki Spencer—McCall – J.T.’s wife / Nashville Nights, Book Five, Relentless
Lauren McCall—J.T. and Nikki’s daughter / Next Generation, Book Seven, Face Value
Derek McCall—J.T. and Derek’s brother / Nashville Nights, Book Six, Heartless
Ashley McCall—Derek’s wife, Jay and Mike Cooper’s mother / Nashville Nights, Book Six, Heartless
Dedication
To the devoted readers who inspired the Next Generation series.
I am so grateful you weren’t ready to say good-bye to your favorite characters.
Neither was I.
High Stakes—Book One, Nashville Nights, The Next Generation
Former party girl, Alisa Turner, made a deal with her daddy, Trey. He’ll provide the seed money for her new business venture as long as she promises to stay out of trouble. Too bad her good intentions tumble 30,000 feet when she meets a sexy stranger on a flight to sin city.
Hotel mogul, Liam Bryson, has never believed in love at first sight, but when a sexy little siren twenty years his junior tempts him into a night of high stakes Blackjack, he’s suddenly playing for keeps.
Alisa wakes up in Liam’s bed the next morning, cursing Tequila and the five carat diamond on her left hand. She demands an annulment before her over-protective father finds out she reneged on their agreement, but her new hubby isn’t prepared to let her go without a fight.
Chapter One
“Have you seen this garbage?” Trey Turner asked, tossing the rolled up newspaper in his daughter’s general direction. “That’s the third time this month I’ve seen your face in some rag, drinkin’ or partyin’ with—”
Alisa held her hand up. “I’m not having this conversation with you again. I’m twenty-five, not five. That means I get to decide what I do and with whom I do it.” She loved and respected her father, but if he had his way, she’d live under his roof and abide by his rules until she was too old to care about having fun.
“Oh yeah?” He smirked. “Who bought you that fancy condo you just had to have, or how about that new A7…” His eyes fell to her shoes. “Gucci?” He whistled under his breath. “Must’ve cost a pretty penny. Might be the last pair you buy for a good long while. I hear waitresses are only makin’ minimum wage plus tips. That’s probably not enough to buy designer shoes or purses.”
“You’re threatening me?” Alisa couldn’t believe what she heard. She and her father had always been close. He may not always agree with the choices she made, but he never threatened to cut her off before.
“Call it what you want.” He shrugged his broad shoulders. “I’ll do whatever I have to do to keep you from self-destructin’ the way I did.”
Alisa knew her father’s history with alcohol. When her parents divorced, before remarrying more than twenty-five years ago, he’d hit the bottle hard and nearly destroyed everything he worked so hard to achieve. But she wasn’t him. She was young and single, trying to enjoy life a little before settling down into the life of domestic bliss so many of her friends seemed to favor. The life she’d almost had, before another woman stole it from her.
“Daddy,” she said, quietly. “I know you love me…”
“More than anythin’,” he whispered, drawing his fingertip down her cheek. “You and your mama are my whole world, angel. If anything happened to you, it would kill me.”
Alisa knew her parents had lost a child before she was born, and her father never quite recovered. He still seemed to blame himself, and as a result, he worked that much harder to protect his only child from harm, even if it meant suffocating her.
“I know that.” She smiled, trying to soften her words. “But you can’t expect me to live in a bubble. I have to live my life and make mistakes, just like you did.”
His hand fell to his side. “I’m not gonna watch the booze take you down the way it did me, and if that means I have to enforce a little tough love, that’s what I’m gonna do.”
There was no way to win an argument with her father once he’d made up his mind about something. Her only option was to negotiate. “So you’re just gonna cut me off, huh? Just like that?” She crossed her arms. “You want me to move back home so you can keep an eye on me 24/7?”
“Don’t tempt me,” he warned, pointing a finger at her.
Trey Turner could only be described as intimidating. Most people wouldn’t be brave enough to cross him, but his love for her gave Alisa a distinct advantage. She knew that she and her mother were his only weak spots and she hated to exploit that, but until she came up with a game plan, she needed his help.
“You really think Mom’s gonna let you do this to me?”
“Your mama isn’t gonna cross me, young lady, so don’t even think about tryin’ that angle.”
Alisa knew he was probably right. Her parents were a force of nature, always strong, united, and impossible to breach. “Fine. What do you want from me, an oath signed in blood?”
Trey sighed as he sat down behind his desk. He suddenly looked tired, and Alisa felt a pang of guilt for causing him so much distress. He was a mountain of a man, who’d always ruled with an iron fist, but sometimes she forgot he was just a man, and the years were slipping away too quickly. One day, she wouldn’t have him in her life anymore and she’d live with the regret of days like this one.
>
“I’m sorry,” she said, sinking into the chair across from him. “I don’t mean to embarrass you.”
He looked up, seemingly surprised. “Is that what you think this is about?” He shook his head. “Darlin’, you could never embarrass me. I’m so damned proud of you…” His voice trailed off and he looked wistful. “You’ve always been such a high achiever, straight A student, all those dance trophies, gettin’ your picture in those magazines…”
Her modeling days seemed like a lifetime ago. She’d loved the years she spent in front of the camera, strutting down runways, but at her age, she had to face facts: her best days were behind her. She’d decided to bow out gracefully instead of waiting for someone else to deliver her fate. “I’d rather not talk about that, if you don’t mind.”
Trey looked at her a long time before he asked, “What the hell happened to the little girl I used to know? Did that business really mess you up that bad?”
She tried not to think about those days. It hurt too much to realize at twenty-five, she was already past her prime, and no one, including the man she’d built her dreams around, seemed to want her anymore. “Modeling was the only thing I ever wanted to do; you know that.”
“Yeah, and you made a lot of money over the years.” He leaned back in his leather swivel chair and tipped his cowboy hat back on his head so he could look her in the eye. “Hard to believe you wasted every goddamn dime of it.”
She winced. They’d had this argument more times than she could count since she’d come home to stay, and her father never seemed to tire of it. “Living that life isn’t cheap. I knew you wouldn’t understand, so I couldn’t very well ask you for the money to support it, could I?”
“We sent you to that fancy school in New York so you could get a good education and pursue your modelin’ career. Was there more to it than that?”
Alisa gripped the wooden armrests on her chair, bracing herself for the question her father had never had the courage to ask… until now. She suspected he’d been too afraid of the answer, so he opted to remain in the dark. “What do you mean?”
“You blew through a hell of a lot of money in eight years, Alisa. Were you doin’ drugs? More importantly, are you still? Is that why these pictures keep showin’ up?”
Knowing he even considered that a possibility hurt her. “No, I’m not now, nor have I ever used drugs. You want to know what I was addicted to, Daddy? Designer clothes, shoes, purses, jewelry…” She cleared her throat and forced herself to look him in the eye. “I was living in a world where measuring up was damn near impossible. There was always someone prettier, smarter, someone who made more money. You lost five pounds and they’d tell you that you were too thin. You’d gain ten pounds and they’d tell you that you were too fat.”
“You never told me that,” he said quietly. “Why?”
“You would’ve made me quit, and I didn’t want to. I wasn’t ready.” She twisted the ring on her finger, a braided platinum and diamond band her parents had given her for her sixteenth birthday. “It does a number on your self-esteem, feeling as though you’re never good enough. Buying nice clothes made me feel better about myself. It made me feel pretty.”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I had no idea you felt that way.” He smiled. “You’re so beautiful. I always thought you knew that.”
“All of the girls in that world are beautiful. Everyone’s special for a minute; then she’s not. I had my moment, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything, but it’s over now, and I know I have to figure out where to go from here. But the truth is, I haven’t got a clue.”
Alisa had spent the years since she graduated from college trying to figure out how to move on. Volunteering, working as an apprentice, trying to uncover some hidden talent, but she had yet to find her passion. She was beginning to fear she may only be good at modeling, and since she didn’t have that anymore, it left her with… nothing. And that terrified her. She was too young to feel so useless and inept.
Trey regarded her carefully as he slipped a silver pen between his fingers. “The way I see it, you need somethin’ to focus on.” He winked. “Somethin’ to keep you outta trouble and out of those tabloids I hate so much.”
She knew he was right. As it was, most of her girlfriends were either working full time, pursuing graduate degrees, or involved in serious relationships. It was time for her to find a purpose, if only she could figure out what that was. “What did you have in mind?”
Her father had enjoyed a career in country music that spanned more than three decades and he was still selling out stadiums all over the world during the years he chose to tour. Music was in his blood. Too bad she hadn’t inherited his gift.
“Fashion has always been your first love. You studied at the best school in the world. Why not put that fancy degree to good use? You could start your own business.”
“Are you serious?”
“Sure, why not?”
“Uh, these things take money.”
Trey chuckled. “Good thing your daddy has plenty of that.”
“I couldn’t take any more of your money.” Especially since he’d already reamed her out about the condo, the car, even her shoes.
“You wouldn’t be takin’ it.” He leaned forward, bracing his arms on the desk. “You’d be borrowin’ it. We’d structure it the same way we would any other business loan. Except this contract would have a few unique stipulations.”
She knew there had to be a catch. Her father was too shrewd to offer her a dream job on a silver platter without insisting she meet his terms. “What are they?”
“I’m not askin’ for much.” He smiled. “You simply agree to work your butt off to make this business a success and keep that pretty little face of yours out of the papers. Shouldn’t be too hard, right?”
She considered the implications of letting him control her actions. She’d always had to fight for her freedom, something Trey never seemed ready to relinquish. If she accepted his loan, she would be agreeing to live according to his rules, but at least she would have a reason to get out of bed in the morning. A business she could pour her heart and soul into. A purpose.
She reached across the desk to offer her hand. “You have yourself a deal.”
He shook her hand before bringing it to his lips. “I know you’re gonna make me proud, baby girl.”
Alisa sat in the office long after Trey left. She was making notes, doing research, making plans. She felt alive for the first time in years, and she couldn’t wait to throw herself into the plans for her new boutique.
“Hey, I didn’t know you were still here,” Sierra said, coming up behind her. She set her hands on her daughter’s shoulders and peered over her shoulder. “What’re you doing?”
“Daddy and I had a little chat.”
Sierra glanced at the crumpled newspaper lying on the floor. “Yeah, he had that when he came back from the store this morning. He was pretty angry.”
“I know.” Alisa set her pen down and turned to face her mother. Everyone said she looked so much like her mother, same blond hair, though Sierra’s was now streaked with subtle silver highlights, light blue eyes, slight frame. The years had been kind to Sierra. She was still a stunning woman. Alisa could only hope they were as kind to her.
“So, what happened?” Sierra propped her hip on the edge of the desk and crossed her arms. “Did you two argue?”
Alisa smiled. “He threw his weight around some, made threats, but then he made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.”
“Really?” Sierra raised an eyebrow. “Now I’m intrigued. Do tell.”
“He didn’t talk to you about this?”
Sierra laughed. “No. He did talk about sending you away to a convent, but I told him he’d never get away with it.”
“That sounds like Daddy.” She smiled. “Seriously, he offered me a business loan, and I accepted.”
“A business loan? Really?”
Alisa wasn’t upset that her mother seemed surprised by the ne
ws. Since she’d returned home, she hadn’t shown much interest in anything other than partying and trying to convince the world she was over the man who publically humiliated her and broke her heart.
“Yeah. Daddy pointed out that I’ve always loved fashion. I have the degree… so why not?”
“Indeed. Why not?”
“So you think it’s a good idea?” Alisa had several close girlfriends, but her mother was always her rock. She consoled Alisa through teenage angst, agent rejections, failed tests, and the worst of all, the day she had to break off her engagement when she found out her fiancé was cheating on her with his high school sweetheart.
Sierra reached for her hand. “I think it’s a great idea. As long as you’re sure this is what you want.” She narrowed her eyes. “I know your daddy can be tough to say no to when he gets an idea in his head, but this is your life, honey. We can’t tell you how to live it.”
That’s where her parents differed. Sierra had always allowed her daughter to make mistakes, and she was always there to pick up the pieces, never telling her she’d been irresponsible or reckless, even when she had. Trey, on the other hand, wanted to protect and shield her from pain, and he seemed to suffer more than Alisa did when she made an error in judgement. Like agreeing to marry Nick Sinclair. Trey was out for blood after that fiasco, and he vowed if that man ever crossed his path again, he’d haul out his shotgun and use him for target practice.
“I feel good about this, Mom. I think this is exactly what I need right now.”
Sierra rubbed Alisa’s hand between both of hers and smiled. “Honey, you don’t get over a broken heart overnight, and throwing yourself into something else isn’t gonna help you to heal, much as you might wish it would.”
“I know that.” She raised her chin. “This has nothing to do with Nick, if that’s what you think.”
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