High Stakes

by Cheryl Douglas

He grinned. “Well away from the strip. It’s a nice little boutique hotel, but they have a decent casino, if you like gambling.”

  She laughed. “I like it a little too much. That’s the problem. I never have the restraint to quit while I’m ahead.”

  “I know the feeling.”

  She tried to reach for her small Vuitton suitcase when it finally made its way around, but he beat her to it. “Thanks. Well, I’m staying at the Bellagio, so I doubt our paths will cross again.”

  “You like being in the midst of the action, huh?”

  In fact, she couldn’t imagine visiting the popular casino alone. The scenario he’d described earlier was probably more accurate… room service and falling asleep in front of the TV. “No, it’s just that I usually stay there when I visit with friends, so I figured, why not, since I’m only here one night.”

  “One night, huh?” He smiled. “Listen, if you’re interested in stepping outside of your comfort zone, I happen to know that the new chef at Bryson’s is terrific.”

  “Bryson’s, that’s where you’re staying?” She’d heard great things about the exclusive boutique hotel chain and had to admit she was curious to find out what the hype was all about.

  “Yeah. You’ve heard of it?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Who hasn’t heard of it?”

  “Good things?”

  “Sure, it’s supposed to be lovely. But I’m sure they’re booked.”

  He grinned. “Does that mean you’re willing to consider changing your plans so we can have dinner together?”

  “I shouldn’t, but…”

  “But you will?”

  “Why don’t you find out if they have any rooms available while I visit the ladies’ room? If they do, we’ll take it from there.”

  “I don’t think that’ll be a problem.”

  Liam watched her walk away before he reached into his briefcase to pull out his Blackberry. He scanned his contacts for the number for the reception desk at his Las Vegas hotel. Connecting the call, he waited, hoping she wouldn’t come back before he’d had a chance to speak to one of his employees.

  He wasn’t ready for Alisa to know that he was that Liam Bryson just yet. He trusted his instincts, but he’d like to get to know her better before he told her who he was. Women inevitably got that glazed look in their eyes when they met him and he knew they were mentally calculating his net worth. That was the reason he was so selective with the women he took to bed. Dating models and actresses was fun, but since one reckless night resulted in an unplanned pregnancy fourteen years ago, he’d been much more careful. He loved his daughter too much to expose her to a woman willing to use her just to get into her wealthy father’s good graces.

  “Good evening. Bryson’s. This is Tiffany speaking. How can I help you?”

  “Tiffany, this is Liam Bryson. How are you?” He’d never met the young lady answering the phone personally, but he believed in treating all of his employees, from the housekeeping staff to his CFO, with respect until they gave him reason not to.

  “Hello, sir. I understand you’ll be staying with us for a couple of days?”

  “Yes, I’m looking forward to it.” Liam had never been in the awkward position of having to ask one of his employees to exercise discretion before, but he didn’t see another option. “Listen, I have a friend joining me this evening.”

  “Of course, sir.”

  “She’ll need her own suite.”

  “Oh, I… uh, I’m afraid we’re booked, sir.”

  Liam pinched the bridge of his nose. He was tired and frustrated after an exhausting week, and dinner with a beautiful woman was exactly what he needed to take his mind off business for a while. “Give her half of my suite.” His was a three-bedroom, two-bath suite with bedrooms and bathrooms on either end and an adjoining door between. It was ideal for families traveling together, long-term guests, or people who preferred more space than the standard suites provided.

  “Of course, Mr. Bryson. I’ll see to it right away.”

  “One more thing, Tiffany. My friend doesn’t know I own the hotel, and I’d rather she not. Can you let the rest of the staff know I’d like to keep a low profile tonight?” He knew that was no small order, since each of his hotels employed nearly a hundred people on any given night.

  “Um, of course, sir. We look forward to seeing you soon.”

  Liam looked up just as Alisa exited the restroom. He watched the appreciative stares from men as she passed, but she seemed oblivious. He admired the fact that she seemed so unaware of her obvious effect on the opposite sex, whereas most women who looked like her would enjoy playing it up.

  “So, what’s the verdict?” she asked, smiling up at him.

  “We’re all set.”

  “I’m impressed. You must have some clout at that hotel to get a room on such short notice.”

  She had no idea. “You could say that.” He reached for her hand. “You ready?”

  “Don’t you have any luggage?”

  “My things are already at the hotel.” He was supposed to take his private jet today, but he’d let his brother take it instead. Matthew wanted to surprise his wife with a romantic getaway to Liam’s vacation home in Barbados, and since there was very little he wouldn’t do for his younger brother, he agreed to fly commercial so Matt could take the company plane. Given the turn of events, Liam would have to remember to thank his brother later.

  “Oh, okay then.”

  He slipped his hand through hers as he led her outside to the pick-up zone. A familiar silver stretch limousine waited for them at the curb, and his usual driver, Ted, jumped out.

  Liam ushered her into the car without waiting for Ted to open their door. If Ted used his last name, Alisa was bound to put two and two together. He held his finger up to Alisa. “Just give me a minute.”

  She smiled. “Of course, take your time.”

  He glanced at the older man, comfortable in the knowledge that the enormous tips he always provided should be enough to buy him the favor he intended to ask for. “I’d prefer if you didn’t use my last name tonight, Ted.”

  He raised a bushy gray eyebrow as he tried, unsuccessfully, to suppress a smile. “As you wish, sir.”

  Liam scowled as he slid inthe backseat to join her. He knew this ruse was ridiculous. It was only a matter of time before she figured out he was worth hundreds of millions of dollars, which would inevitably color her opinion of him. He wanted a few more hours of just being Liam before that happened. He liked her already, and he wanted her to like him, too. Just because he was a decent guy, not because of his bank balance.

  “Are you okay?”

  Her gentle question tugged at something deep inside of him. When was the last time someone outside of his family had asked if he was okay? “Fine, thanks. I just needed to have a word with Ted about something.”

  He suddenly felt guilty for keeping secrets from her, for lumping her in with the legions of women who’d come before her. His instincts told him that she was being genuine and she deserved the truth, but he had no way of knowing whether he was being played until he got to know her better. Perhaps she recognized him the moment he sat down next to her, and she’d been playing this game ever since, just to keep him interested. He had to admit it was working. He was definitely interested.

  “I’m glad I agreed to this,” she said, resting her head against the leather seat as she closed her eyes. “I’ve been working fourteen hour days for months now. This is exactly what I needed tonight.”

  Impulse had him reaching for her legs and propping them on his. He plucked her sandals off and let them fall to the floor.

  She opened her eyes and looked at him. “What are you doing?”

  “Just helping you relax.” He began swirling his thumb over the pad of her foot, eliciting a deep moan from her that went straight through him. “Feel good, sweetheart?”

  “God, Liam, that feels amazing.” She moaned again as she threaded her hands through her hair.

&n
bsp; He wanted to take her right there in the backseat of his limo, in the middle of a crowded city street, with little more than a sheet of glass to protect them from prying eyes. When she began massaging him with the heel of her other foot, he groaned.

  Her eyes flew open and she glanced at the bulge in the front of his pants before her cheeks turned a charming shade of pink. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

  “Don’t be sorry.” If she were any other woman, he would have made his intentions clear, but he didn’t want tonight to be about sex. He wanted to know if a woman could like him just because he was a decent guy. He’d been treated like a money-making machine for so long, he was beginning to feel like one. And tonight, in the arms of the right woman, he just wanted to feel like a man again. “I’m not gonna lie, Alisa. I want you. You’re a gorgeous woman, but that’s not why I invited you to spend the evening with me.”

  She set her feet down on the floor. “Why did you ask me to join you tonight?”

  He moved closer to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. He let his hand linger beside her head as he set his arm on the back of the seat. “I meet a lot of women. Most are beautiful, but few, if any, make me feel something. You do. I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t explore that.”

  Her straight white teeth sank into her bottom lip as she seemed to consider his words. “I feel the same way. You’re all wrong for me, but—”

  “Why do you say that?” He didn’t want to be wrong for her, not when he sensed she could be so right for him.

  She tipped her head to one side, looking him in the eye. “How old are you, Liam?”

  He winced inwardly. Of course, a young, gorgeous woman like Alisa probably thought of him as a dirty old man. He rarely considered age a factor when deciding whether he wanted to date a woman, because he knew the relationship wouldn’t last past a date or two. He had his limits. He wouldn’t date anyone too young, but he knew Alisa was well past the age of being legal. “Forty-four. You?”

  “Twenty-five.” She smiled. “I can’t say I’ve ever dated anyone that much older before.”

  He prided himself on staying in good shape, but he didn’t fool himself into believing he had the stamina of a twenty-year-old anymore. The prospect of aging didn’t usually bother him… until he compared himself to the twenty-something men Alisa usually dated. “Does it bother you, the fact that I’m so much older?”

  “Me? No. But my father would probably have a coronary if he found out.”

  It pleased him that she was at least thinking past tonight. “Daddy’s little girl, are you?”

  “You could say that.” She looked at the hands clasped in her lap. “But, um, it kind of goes beyond that. My dad is financing my business, and I can’t afford to piss him off right now.”

  “And seeing me would piss him off, huh?” Knowing that her father was using his money to try and control her annoyed Liam, especially since he’d watched his father do that to his mother for too many years.

  “Um, yeah. He’s a good guy, but he’s just a little overprotective.” She sighed. “He hasn’t had an easy time of it, and he just doesn’t want to see me make the same mistakes he’s made.”

  “Any father would feel the same way.” He knew he would lay down his life for his own daughter, so he couldn’t blame Alisa’s father for wanting to protect her. “It sounds like you two are close?” He slid a strand of her hair through his fingers, marveling at how soft it felt.

  “We are. I don’t want to disappoint him. That’s why it’s so important to me that this business venture is a success.”

  He smiled as he slid his hand into her hair and began massaging the back of her neck. He watched her eyes drift closed as the craving for a taste of her lips intensified. “I know a thing or two about business. I’d be happy to look at your business plan.”

  “That’s sweet of you. I just might take you up on that later.”

  It seemed so natural to want to help her. Most people weren’t shy about asking for what they wanted from him, but knowing that she didn’t expect anything made him want to give more freely. “It would be my pleasure.” He could feel the tension in the back of her neck and he longed to ease some of her stress. “Turn around, sweetheart. Let me see what I can do about some of those knots.”

  “Oh no, you don’t have to do that.”

  He reached over to release her seatbelt. “I know I don’t have to, but I want to. Come on, turn around.”

  She shifted her body and slid her long blond hair around her shoulder. “Thanks.”

  He rubbed her shoulders, trying to ignore the long, smooth column of her neck until he couldn’t anymore. His mouth hovered just above the creamy flesh as he whispered, “Now would be a good time to tell me to back off.”

  “I can’t.”

  Those two simple words summed up his sentiment more accurately than he ever could have. He couldn’t control what was happening between them, the overpowering urge to hold her, touch her, taste her… For a man used to controlling everything, she made him feel powerless.

  He skimmed his lips over her collarbone until she sighed and leaned into him. His tongue was on a mindless quest that began and ended with giving her pleasure. He nipped, kissed, and licked her delicate flesh until she was panting and breathless.

  “We have to stop,” she whispered.

  He hadn’t even tasted her yet, and he was already greedy for more. “I don’t want to stop.” He slid her tank strap down and kissed the gentle slope of her shoulder. “I want you. God, Alisa, I need you.”

  “Please,” she whimpered, reaching around to thrust her hands into his hair. “We can’t do this. Not here. We just met. This is wrong. Please.”

  Her desperate plea snapped him out of his lust-induced state as he pushed back on the seat, putting some distance between them. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.” He raked his hands through his hair as he called himself every foul name that came to mind. “I didn’t mean to push. I sure as hell didn’t mean for that to happen.”

  “Don’t apologize. I wanted you, too. But not here, not like this.”

  His mind flashed to the last time he’d been in the back of a limo with a woman. She insisted on pleasuring him and he never saw her again. His stomach roiled in protest when he realized he almost let his libido override his better judgement again.

  Alisa was too classy to have sex in the back of a limo. She deserved six-hundred-thread-count sheets, a bottle of chilled Dom, and an unforgettable morning after. He may not be able to control his need for her, but he could at least give her that.

  “I want you,” he whispered, palming her cheek. “So damn much, I can’t stand it. But if you don’t want to take this any further, I’ll understand.” He couldn’t promise her anything beyond tonight. They lived in different states, led different lives, but if she would grant him just one night, he was determined to make it a night she would never forget.

  “I do want to.”

  Chapter Four

  Alisa didn’t know what to expect when they pulled up in front of the hotel. She’d already consented to sex. Would he just take her up to his room… and… She got chills just thinking about what she’d agreed to. She always chose her lovers carefully, and there hadn’t been anyone in the year since she’d ended her engagement. The thought of being intimate with a sexy stranger nearly twice her age was exhilarating and terrifying. She knew nothing about this man, aside from his first name, age, and the fact that he was in the hospitality industry. But perhaps it was better that way. They could both walk away with a few nice memories of the night they shared and no expectations.

  She hung back as he approached the front desk. Several upscale clothing boutiques and jewelry stores lined the walls leading to the elevators and she was so enthralled in window shopping she didn’t hear him approach until she felt his lips brush her hair.

  “See something you like?”

  Alisa was admiring a diamond and platinum ring featured in one of the brightly lit windows. It was a lar
ge oval diamond with smaller diamonds encircling it, and a filigree pattern all the way around the narrow band. She was struck by how much it resembled the ring her grandfather gave her grandmother on the day he proposed.

  She’d always admired that ring, and her nana told her she wanted her to have it someday. Alisa and her grandmother were so close, she didn’t ever want that day to come. She didn’t need a ring to remind her of the wonderful times they’d shared, not when she thought almost every day of the life lessons her grandparents had taught her.

  “That ring,” she said, pointing to the sparkling oval diamond. “It reminds me so much of my grandmother’s engagement ring.” She wrinkled her nose. “I know it may seem kind of old-fashioned by today’s standards, but I think it’s breathtaking.”

  Liam admired the ring before turning to her. “Is that the kind of ring you would choose, if you were to get engaged?”

  “Um, I don’t know.” She allowed him to take her hand as he led her toward the elevators. Her break-up had been very public, because of her fiancé’s profile as a country music singer, but she had no reason to believe Liam heard about it. He certainly hadn’t indicated that she looked familiar. “I was engaged once before.” She didn’t know why she chose to confide in him, but the words were out of her mouth before she could censor them.

  “Is that so?” He released her hand to punch the button on the elevator as he still held her small suitcase with the other hand. “Did you end things recently?”

  “No, it’s been a while.” She stepped onto the elevator ahead of him and watched him press the button for the top floor.

  As the doors slid closed, cocooning them in the dimly lit, private space, he said, “I guess his loss is my gain.”

  She’d never had such a strong physical reaction to a man before, as though some magnetic force drew them together. “It hurt at the time, but I know it was for the best.”

  “Of course it was,” he said, smiling. “If you hadn’t ended that relationship, we wouldn’t be standing here.” He brushed a strand of hair off her face, as he got lost in her eyes. “I believe everything happens for a reason, and maybe you had to go through that experience to end up here… with me.”