Evernight Publishing
www.evernightpublishing.com
Copyright© 2014 Beth D. Carter
ISBN: 978-1-77130-795-6
Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs
Editor: Karyn White
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
DEDICATION
Thanks to Stacey for your emails, Karyn for your guidance, & to Evernight for giving me to a place to share my stories.
THE BET
Romance on the Go
Beth D. Carter
Copyright © 2014
Chapter One
Ember hadn’t known much about pool before her date with Kenny Winthrop, but now, after two rounds of watching him beat Mr. Sexy over there, she had a pretty good idea of the rules.
She stood in the corner, her feet aching in the three inch heels. The last thing she’d thought she’d be doing after working at the coffee shop all day would be standing on her feet. Kenny had been one of her customers, coming in every morning and ordering a large non-fat vanilla cappuccino. He’d flirted, complimented her, and when he’d asked to go out, she’d said yes. She knew who he was, of course. The Winthrops were one of the oldest families in New England, and the name graced a lot of buildings on the nearby college campus.
She’d been expecting dinner, candlelight, and romance. After all, his family was worth millions, so he could easily afford the best. A part of her had been thrilled when he’d asked her out because she’d grown up having to count pennies. Not worrying about how to pay for a meal was like taking a step into heaven. She’d worn her best little black dress that both gave the illusion of sexy but still managed to keep her demureness.
Instead of a beautiful dinner, however, Kenny had taken her here … to a college dive bar to play pool. She was starving, uncomfortable, and cold since she didn’t have anything on her arms. She’d tried urging Kenny to leave, but he’d met a few friends, and, well, that was that. He’d begun drinking, and every once in a while he’d grab her to plant a sloppy kiss on her lips. Right now she’d pay someone to take her home, but thinking Kenny was going to be a gentleman all night, she hadn’t brought any money.
And then … well, then he showed up. A handsome piece of hotness walking on two legs, flashing his white smile and winking one emerald eye at her. He’d challenged Kenny to a game, throwing down a hundred dollars, but had promptly lost. He’d thrown down another hundred only to lose again and now five hundred dollars, the current bet, rested in the middle of the table. Ember’s heart pounded because she’d figured it out. Mr. Sexy was a hustler, and he was luring an inebriated Kenny into one more game. She knew what was going to happen.
Kenny’s friends crowded around him, whispering. Ember glanced over to the hustler, and her wide brown eyes met his glittering emerald gaze, and for a moment, the world faded away. He was tall, perhaps six one or two, and muscular. He wore all black, and truthfully, he didn’t look to be the type of man who would wear pastels. Dark, powerful, with a hint of danger. She had no doubt that he knew how to throw a punch and how to take one.
And he caused butterflies to erupt in her belly. Warmth flooded through her body as her heart rate sped up, causing her juices to dampen her panties. Never before had she had such a reaction to a man, something so potent that she could envision herself at his mercy, falling to her knees in front of him and sucking him down while his hands buried in her hair. She’d never really been the type of girl who liked giving head, but there was something about this man that made her body stand up and sing. She wanted to taste him so badly that she was salivating.
The few men she’d been with had been nice. Pleasant. But instinctively she knew this hustler wasn’t any of those things. She didn’t think he’d hurt her, at least not physically. She didn’t get the vibe of psycho killer, but emotionally … well, she had a sneaky suspicion that this man had caused a lot of heartbreak to the female population.
She snuck another glance toward him and saw his cool green eyes focused on her. Oh lord, her heart just about pounded out of her chest. Her mouth went dry, and suddenly, she wasn’t as cold as she’d been just a moment ago. One corner of his mouth lifted, as if he knew her thoughts.
Kenny turned back and accepted the bet by placing five hundred dollars of his friend’s money down to match what the stranger had anted up. Kenny was strutting around like this was going to be an easy win. She watched him rack the balls, and then Mr. Sexy bent over, wiggling his perfect ass in her direction, breaking with a solid crack. The balls scattered, a solid sank into a pocket, but he missed the next line up. Confused, she watched as Kenny edged him out, although Kenny wasn’t playing that great either. She had thought for sure the hustler would wipe Kenny clean. After all, a thousand dollars rested on this game. And then, just as she thought Kenny was going to win, Mr. Sexy managed to hit in his last one before sinking the eight ball to win the game. Kenny and his friends stood there, staring with their mouths hanging open like schmucks.
“What the hell just happened?” Kenny demanded.
“Come on,” Ember murmured, touching his shoulder. “I’d like to go home now.”
“Shut up, bitch,” Kenny growled at her, tossing up a hand, which knocked hers away. She blinked and took a step back. Kenny’s friends sniggered at her, and suddenly she felt very uncomfortable being around them. She would have to figure out some other way home because her instincts were screaming at her to get away from this creep as soon as possible. He may have money, but he sure didn’t have class.
“I’ll play you one more time,” Mr. Sexy told Kenny.
“We don’t have any more cash on us,” Kenny snarled.
“We’ll play for her,” he said, pointing at Ember.
Ember eyes widened in fear and took a step back, but Kenny grabbed her arm and dragged her forward. She ineffectively slapped at his arm, trying to dislodge his hold, but his grip was unbreakable.
“The thousand dollars against her? Sure!” Kenny said gleefully, and she looked at him like he was a maniac, and with every second that passed he was truly turning into one. She tried to jerk away, to run, but his fingers dug into her arm, and she winced, knowing there’d be bruises. He thrust her to one of his friends to hold onto her, and she turned fearful wide eyes toward the hustler. His gaze narrowed on the fingers wrapped around her upper arm. Anger turned them into green fire. This next game would determine her fate, and she almost hoped Mr. Sexy would win because at least she would have only one man to contend with instead of Kenny and his friends.
Talk about the worst date ever.
This time Mr. Sexy racked the balls since it was Kenny’s turn to go first, and he broke with a loud crack, and two balls sank, a stripe and a solid. He decided to go after stripes and knocked his next intended target in. Ember’s stomach was a pit of nerves. Kenny missed the next shot, and then it was Mr. Sexy’s turn.
She looked at him, and he winked. She really didn’t know how to interpret that wink, but as she watched, he proceeded to clean up the table. Ball after ball, he made shots that had to be nothing short of magical. Some curved, some bounced, for the first time she saw his skill with a pool stick, and it impressed her that he was able to hold himself back so much to rake up the money. They all watched spellbound as he lined up the eight ball and sank it. While Kenny and his goons stared with their mouths open, Mr. Sexy laid his stick onto the poo
l table, grabbed up the money and put it in his pocket. Then he walked over to where Kenny’s friend held her and grabbed the man’s shirt at the throat, pulling upward until he began gasping at the tightness of the collar.
“Let her go,” he said so softly it sounded menacing.
Kenny’s friend let her go immediately, and Ember stumbled away. Mr. Sexy pushed the man away and pinned the others with a blazing glare, his hands fisting at his sides. “I take it, gentlemen, that you won’t bother this young woman again, right?”
“You’re welcome to the frigid bitch,” Kenny snapped. “I’ve been trying to nail her for a week now, but she wouldn’t put out without a date. But when can we play again for the money?”
In the blink of an eye, the hustler hauled back and punched Kenny across the jaw, causing him to crumble into a heap. Both of Kenny’s friends looked at each other and then slowly backed away. And with that, Mr. Sexy gently took Ember’s hand and led her away from the pool area. In fact, he didn’t stop until he led her out of the bar to a black Dodge Challenger. With its black hubcaps and black grill, it looked just as dark and mysterious as its owner.
Ember pulled on his hand, halting him.
“I’m not … not … collateral for that asshole,” she whispered.
“Do you want to go back to him?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Hell no,” Ember stated emphatically.
“My name is Saber.”
“Really? That’s your name?”
“That’s the name I go by. What’s your name?”
“Ember.”
He smiled, his lips curling on the ends to give him that devil look. “Is that really your name?”
Something deep inside her flared to life, and before she realized what she was saying, her answer came out a bit flirty. “It’s what I go by.”
He laughed and linked their fingers together. Heat traveled from their touch, up her arm, to infuse her whole body. Holy moly. Just touching the man made her panties wet. Who the hell was this man that he could turn her on by just a look or touch? Lust rolled through her, and she saw the answering need in his gaze.
“I knew it’d be like this,” he whispered. “The first moment I laid eyes on you, I knew we’d be explosive.”
“You hustled him for money—”
“I hustled him for you,” he corrected.
“Do you … do this a lot?”
“Hustle poor little rich boys? Yes. And I’m damn good at it. But I’ve never wanted anything or anyone as bad as I wanted you.”
And then his mouth swooped down to claim hers, and everything else faded away. His kiss deepened immediately, his tongue sweeping into her mouth to possess her with raw intensity. Ember opened for him, her tongue meeting and dancing with his. He withdrew and plunged, nibbled and devoured, until they were breathless.
He backed her up until the hood of his car was at the back of her legs, so he picked her up and set her on it before pushing her thighs open. Her dress rode up dangerously high, but she didn’t care. Nothing mattered but being here with this sexy stranger, a man who’d won her in a game, made everything fade away. He stepped between her thighs and nestled against her aching center. Her pussy wept for him, and feeling his bulge pressing against her was making her fast lose control.
Saber pulled her back with a groan.
“You’re coming with me,” he told her. His voice had gone husky with lust, and he didn’t ask for permission. She wasn’t even sure anymore if she wanted to say no. This was crazy!
He pulled her off the car hood and thrust her into the passenger seat before slamming the door and walking to the driver’s side. She had just enough wits left to realize now would be the perfect time to escape because she was, after all, leaving with a stranger. She knew absolutely nothing about Saber, including his real name, other than he was really great at hustling pool and that his kiss was downright sinful. Oh, and he’d just won a thousand dollars, as well as her, in one night.
Things like this didn’t happen to Ember, so she had no clue what to do.
He slid into the driver’s side and started the powerful car. She felt his gaze on her, and slowly, she turned her head to meet it. His desire for her was obvious, shining boldly in those rich green eyes, and her body reacted immediately. She may not know this man, but her body did, and for once in her staid, ordinary life, she decided to go with her instincts.
Chapter Two
He drove away from the dingy, smoky bar, into the night. They didn’t talk, but she didn’t really need any words. The special zing between them crackled through the silence, revving her up. She couldn’t help but stare at Saber, taking him in. Midnight hair curled over his collar, a chiseled jaw that told the story of his strength, not to mention the width of his shoulders and his biceps bulging with muscles.
“You keep staring at me I’m going to pull this car over and kiss you again,” he said, breaking the silence. He flashed her a quick smile that showed an impressive line of white teeth. “And I’d much rather our first time to be in a comfy bed, so I can spread you out and feast.”
The words sent tingling shivers all over her body.
“First time? You make it sound like we’re going to be together for a while.”
“We are,” he told her arrogantly.
“I have a life.”
“Really? With Mr. Rich Boy?”
She snorted. “Not hardly. I only went out with him because he seemed nice.”
“Nice? That man is in that bar every weekend, drinking and playing pool, picking up girls for a quick fuck out back. He’s anything but nice.”
The words made her feel stupid, and she squirmed uncomfortably.
“So what impressed you about him?” Saber asked. “Was it his bank account? Daddy’s money too good to turn down?”
“That’s not fair!” she cried. “I didn’t know his nasty side. We were on a date. That’s what normal people do! They date!”
He didn’t say anything, just stayed focused on the road. The sexual tension had shifted into something a little more acerbic, and she didn’t like it.
“I … I have two jobs, and sometimes that’s not even enough,” she said, trying to explain. “When Kenny came into the coffee shop and started flirting, I thought he was a nice guy, so when he asked me out I wanted to have one meal that I didn’t have to worry about paying for. God, that sounds so mercenary now.”
Saber sighed. “No, not mercenary. I know what it’s like trying to make ends meet. It’s why I began hustling.”
“Do you usually make a thousand dollars in one night?”
He shrugged. “Depends which pool hall I hit up.”
“I wish I had a skill like that,” she admitted softly. “I’d hustle, too.”
He sent her a sharp glance. “It’s not all it’s cracked up to be. I can’t hustle in one place too long. I have to keep moving. I have to pick my targets, study them, make sure I know exactly who they are. I don’t hustle people who can’t afford it, so that’s why I target college bars, or the upscale neighborhoods.”
She didn’t voice aloud that she thought that sounded way better than her measly life. Her daily struggle to exist wasn’t all that exciting. During the day she worked at the coffee house, and at night she waitressed at a diner. Most of the time her tips supplemented her living expenses, but if bad weather showed up or something equally distressing, then customers wouldn’t come in and she was counting pennies.
He turned into a diner, and all of a sudden her stomach began rumbling like mad. She felt her cheeks get warm as she pressed her fist against her empty belly. Saber chuckled.
“After your impassioned speech about food I thought this might help us get better acquainted.”
“I, ah, I don’t have any money,” she whispered.
He grabbed her hand and kissed the top of it. Her heart almost flipped out of her chest at the contact, and she felt her nipples turn into very hard little buds. “I have a thousand dollars in my pocket, courtesy of
your horrible date. Sound good?”
She nodded. He let go of her hand and got out of the car before walking around to hold open her door. Wow, sexy bad boy had manners. Would the craziness never cease?
The diner was packed with the twenty-something crowd that still had stamina to go out and party. Ember hadn’t ever been like that simply because she’d been working since she was sixteen. Drinking and partying, to her, were a waste of money.
Saber took her hand again and led her to a booth in the corner. She slid in first, and then he sat in the seat with the wall at his back. Almost immediately, the waitress came over with two plastic cups of water and two napkins rolled around silverware.
“Hey, sweethearts.” The older, robust waitress greeted them with a big smile. Ember knew right away she’d been a lifer, stuck working in a diner her whole life. “Menus are right over there in the holder. My name is Margie, and I’ll be right back to get your orders.”
With another impersonal smile she slipped away to check on her other tables. Ember took a sip of water and then grabbed the menu. She was starving since she hadn’t eaten all day, and everything looked fabulous.
“What’re you going to have?” she absently asked Saber.
“You.”
Ember blinked and jerked her wide eyes to his. He stared at her unblinkingly, and she felt a slow flush rise from overheated pussy. Damn! How’d he do that with one look?
“Um, I meant this menu.” She waved the large plastic covered card.
“Well, since we’re in a public place and you don’t know my proclivities yet, I’ll order their breakfast steak.”
Proclivities? She cocked her head. “What sort of proclivities?”
He leaned on his elbows, closer to her, and pitched his voice down to a seductive whisper. “I like sex, Ember, and I think I’m going to love sex with you. Sex in the shower, sex on the couch, sex bent over the hood of my car. And yes, even sex in a public place. Like right now, I would sit next to you and slide my hand up your dress to your tight little pussy. I bet you’re very wet, so wet my finger can slide right in.”
The Bet Page 1
