Naughty and Nice

by Sarah J. Brooks

  In response, she held up her left hand, where he placed the jewel on her ring finger. She stared at her finger for what seemed like an eternity, unable to believe that the same man she called a man whore had proposed to her. It wasn’t the ideal proposal, but he did it, nonetheless.

  “Now it’s official,” he said, his voice thick.

  Though she was happy and tried to forget what she saw, the picture of him with Ruby still niggled at her. “Are you telling the truth about you and Ruby?”

  “She was helping me choose your ring,” he replied. Her mouth fell open. “What exactly did you see? Did you see me hand her a jewelry box like the one your ring came in?

  “No.”

  “By the way, what were you doing there?”

  “I was having lunch with the client from Barbados; remember you opted out of that meeting. You said you had an important meeting to go to.”

  “And it was important. If you’d waited long enough, you would have seen the jeweler as well.”

  Bringing his hand up, he brushed the back of it against her cheek. She raised her eyes to meet his. “You’ve got to learn to trust me,” he drawled.

  She tipped, pressed her lips to his while his arms wrapped around her, pulling her close. Her arms wound around his neck as she parted her lips to allow his tongue.

  “Ahem, excuse me.” David’s voice broke them apart. “Didn’t mean to interrupt. I’ll come back.”

  He made to leave, but Zoe stalled him. “No, it’s okay. I need to run upstairs anyway.”

  Needing some time to absorb what just happened, she dashed through the door and ran upstairs. When she was safely inside the room, she inhaled and exhaled deeply.

  “Good job, Scooch.” David beamed.

  “Dad, when will you stop calling me that?”

  It was embarrassing, though he felt closer to his father hearing the name. His father gave the name to him since before he was a toddler. It had always been the name his father called him, which was reserved for them only.

  “Ahh, stop complaining. Now tell me, did you get down on one knee, profess your love?”

  “What nonsense Dad.” He chuckled. “This isn’t a Hallmark movie.”

  David looked at him strangely. “What exactly did you say to that young lady?”

  “I just gave her the ring and told her I wanted to get her something …” he paused. “What does it matter? She accepted, didn’t she?”

  “Aaaah,” his father let out a frustrated groan. “Do you know what every woman dreams of?”

  “No, what’s that?”

  “They dream of the perfect man that will give them the perfect proposal and the perfect wedding.”

  He sneered. “Did you see that ring? Do you know how much it cost?”

  David gripped his shoulder. “Money isn’t everything, my son. Doing things the right way is more important. A girl like Zoe can afford that ring; it means nothing to her.”

  “Are you saying she doesn’t appreciate it?”

  His father’s shoulders slumped. “For a confirmed bachelor who plays like a Casanova, you’re really dumb!”

  “Look Dad,” he began, but his father interrupted him.

  “No, you listen. Telling her why you need her is more important than buying her a hundred thousand dollar ring. Did you at least tell her … you know … what’s in here?” he tapped Gael on his chest. David swerved, looking around in confusion. “You made me forget what I came for.”

  “You’re getting old Dad.” He chuckled, though what his father said to him weighed on his mind.

  His father strolled to the kitchen door, scratching his head. “There’s one more thing.”

  “What’s that?” Gael asked.

  “You need to call your mother.”

  His jaw tightened. “I’m not ready for that yet, Dad.”

  “Just think about it,” the man said before leaving.

  He might have bridged the gap with his father, but he wasn’t ready to make peace with his mother.

  Chapter 20

  Zoe paced the room. Too many things were happening at once. Gael was not going to be pleased with what she was about to tell him; her nervousness caused her stomach to quiver so much that she felt she would hurl. How was she to tell him this?

  “He loved me, right?” she whispered. “Otherwise, he wouldn’t have given me this ring, right?” her mind was in a tizzy.

  She picked up the phone and stared at the face. Should she speak with Florine about this? No. She’d have to handle it on her own. She got herself into this mess; she should be the one to get out. Moreover, she was sure Florine would bust a vein as well. Not only was she risking everything, she wasn’t sure how she’d handle the situation.

  She was still pacing when Gael knocked the door. She knew it was him before he even said her name. Wringing her hands together, she wobbled to open it. His face was serious as if he had something on his mind. When he entered, she closed the door.

  “We need to talk,” was what he said, and her heart flew to her mouth.

  “I need to talk to you too,” she replied, taking in a quivering breath.

  “You go first,” he said, and she was thankful because she knew she wouldn’t be able to wait much longer.

  “I have been …” she swallowed hard and walked to the bed where she sat. A second later, she rose and started pacing again.

  “What’s going on?” Gael questioned, his concern evident.

  “I—I—I’ve been keeping something from you for a couple of weeks now.”

  “I don’t know how to tell you this.” She wrung her hands together and closed her eyes.

  “Just say, damn and stop with the suspense already!” His voice lifted with his impatience.

  “I’m pregnant.”

  “What?”

  “I’m pregnant!”

  Gael let out a breath and sat on the bed. “Is that what you’ve been working yourself up over?” he asked.

  “But you said you didn’t want kids,” she replied. “Just before we broke up …”

  “We didn’t break up, you took a break, not me,” he argued.

  “That’s … well … you said …” her voice trailed off when he reached for her hand and pulled her to sit in his lap.

  “Is this why you’ve been so emotional?”

  “No … maybe,” she partly denied.

  “I didn’t say I never wanted kids. I said I wasn’t sure I wanted kids,” he said. “There’s a difference.”

  “So you’re not mad at me?”

  “I should be, given that you were planning on running away with my child. How long have you known?”

  “Three weeks,” she admitted.

  “You broke up with me a week ago!” he exclaimed. “Why did you break it off if you knew you were pregnant?”

  “I didn’t want you feeling like you were obligated to do anything for us. I saw you in the restaurant, and I lost it.”

  With a gentle hand he gripped her chin and nudged, encouraging her to turn her face to him. “You were jealous,” he murmured, lowering his head.

  “No, I wasn’t,” she whispered against his lips. “But …”

  He raised his head, narrowing his eyes. ”What?”

  “Why’d you propose to me?”

  When he said nothing, she rose to her feet. At least he wasn’t upset about the pregnancy. She wasn’t sure what he was feeling. They were getting married, and that should be enough, she knew that. Nevertheless, she felt that something was missing.

  “What’s the matter?” he asked, pulling her back down.

  “Nothing,’ she lied, trying to hide the fact that she wasn’t as happy as she wanted to be.

  “Don’t you want the baby?” he asked, raising one brow.

  She kept her eyes forward. “Of course. Do you?’

  “Yes, I’m happy.”

  “You don’t look happy,” she observed. “What did you want to tell me?”

  “Oh. My father made me realize something. You we
re perhaps expecting a better proposal, right?”

  “Well, girls are … it doesn’t matter …”

  “You matter. I know I can’t take back the proposal, and it makes no sense trying to surprise you now …”

  “I was surprised … really,’ she chimed in. “I love the ring too.”

  “But?”

  “But nothing, the ring is nice.”

  “I guess I didn’t tell you I loved you, and that’s why you’re depressed?’

  “Yes …” she said, then realized what she said and corrected herself. “No!”

  “So what if I tell you I love you?”

  “Stop playing ga—”

  “I love you Zoe Archer.”

  She craned her neck to look into his eyes. It was dangerous looking into Gael Matheson’s eyes; she learned that a while back. They still pulled her into their oceanic depths, hypnotizing her.

  “I love you, Gael Matheson,” her voice was thick with the emotions swirling around inside her. “I love you.”

  “I love you,” he repeated, cupping her face and bridging the gap between their lips. “I love you,” he whispered one last time before their lips sealed in a tender kiss.

  *** THE END ***

  SPECIAL XMAS-GIFT No. 2: ONE COMPLETE SERIES FOR FREE!

  The Billionaire’s Casino

  Sarah J. Brooks

  Chapter One

  I took a deep breath and looked myself over in the mirror, trying to decide if this was good enough. I knew I had to look professional; that part wasn’t hard. The hard part was looking hip and appropriate for a job interview.

  Anyways, it was too late. I’d left my house and taken the bus for half an hour and was walking down the street. I was getting closer and closer to the casino where I had the interview. My heart raced as I made my way up the new steps of the brand new casino.

  That’s the thing about Las Vegas. There is always a new casino coming up; most get run into the ground pretty quickly. Most don’t last long, but that didn’t matter because I just needed the job, and this place was hiring.

  I’d heard the rumors about this one. The owner was supposed to be successful, apparently he’d just come to town a while ago, but no one else knew much more than that—like why he’d decided to come here.

  I reached the top of the steps, and my left hand shot out for the door. I pulled it open and stepped inside.

  The front was lavish. Black, white and blue were the colors they’d gone with. It was all modern, with leather stools in front of the slot machines.

  I stepped towards the counter, plastered a smile on my face and toyed with my hair for a split second.

  “Hi.” I sounded chipper. “I have an interview coming up at noon.”

  The girl glanced down at her computer. “Rebecca?” I nodded. “Alright, just head down that hall and to your left.”

  “Thank you!” I smiled wider and headed for the room where my fate would be decided,

  pausing for a fraction of a second as I was just about to reach the door. Positive body language, I reminded myself. I’d spent the week prepping for it. Reading every article online that I could find, trying to increase my chances of getting this job. I knocked once and stepped inside.

  “Hi.” My eyes widened as I stared at the man in front of me. He was not the kind of overly wealthy-wants-to-spend-his-money kinda billionaire.

  First things first; he wasn’t over middle-age, that was for sure. I bit my lip as his eyes ran over my body.

  “Hello, please come on in.” He put a couple papers away and turned his full attention to me.

  Taking a deep breath, I stepped into the office before closing the door behind me. I strutted over to the chain that sat across from his desk, pretending that I was actually somewhat confident I was going to get the job—it wasn’t like I’d just missed out on like half a dozen jobs this week alone.

  The man held his hand out to shake mine. “Dean.”

  “Rebecca.” I shook his hand firmly. His hands were a lot rougher than I would have ever expected. I took a deep breath looking him up and down. He had green eyes and high set cheek bones, and with a square jawline, he almost reminded me of Superman in a cute way. Giving myself a mental roasting, I remonstrated Don’t be a geek.

  I was here to be professional. I was here to create a good example and try to convince him that he should hire me.

  I crossed my legs, sitting straight. His green eyes sparkled as a smile spread across his face, revealing a set of perfect white teeth.

  “So tell me, what makes this job interesting to you? I hope you don’t mind jumping right into it, but frankly, I value both your time and mine.”

  I laughed softly. “I’d rather skip the pleasant talk and jump right into it honestly, much easier to get things cleared up when you don’t beat around the bush.” I could tell he liked that answer and adjusted my back to make sure I was keeping it straight as I cleared my throat and got ready for my lie. “This job appeals to me because I think casinos like this are the backbone of Las Vegas.” Focusing my eyes on his face, I was careful not to stare right into his eyes for fear of appearing too dominant. “Without them, there really is no Vegas as it’s known. I was born and raised here—love Vegas, and I want to see it keep growing like it is. With your new casino here, and your casinos around the country, I think you are going to provide something new to Vegas and, as much as this is just going to sound like flattery, I did a little research about your other casinos, and I think you have what it takes to step up the Vegas casinos. To keep it fresh and bring something new in, which is what we need.” I knew it was a little thick, but it had been the best thing I could come up with, and I wasn’t going to go with the honest answer of just needing the money.

  “So you did your research about the company?” He raised an eyebrow as he leaned towards me, and taking a deep breath, I could smell his cologne.

  “I did a little thinking it would be best to know what kind of company I was applying to work at.”

  A wide smile crossed his face. Clearly he’d liked my answer.

  “Why did you leave your last job?”

  “Honestly?” I bit my lip. As okay as I was with lying, I did want to be as honest as possible, not wanting to get this job just because of knowing all the right words. “I worked there all through high school, and I got to a point where the manager was expecting me to do work that I wasn’t being paid for. While I didn’t mind doing the work, it was hard for me to see people getting paid more who did half the work I did. So I spoke to my manager about my options, and they weren’t willing to help me find middle ground, so I handed in my notice.”

  Dean nodded as he listened carefully though I couldn’t tell if he liked my answer or not. My gut twisted. Crap. I should have just lied. I need this job.

  “And why do you think you would be a good fit for this job and this casino?”

  “I have over ten years of experience in retail. I’ve learnt the best way to work with customers and make them feel important; I know in the retail world the number one thing you can do is make your customers feel like they matter, and although I have to admit I’ve never worked in a casino, I feel that the most important thing you can do in any business is make your customers feel like they are important. I know how to do that, and how to deal with difficult customers; on more than one occasion I’ve stepped up to help co-workers resolve issues with customers.”

  “So you are used to working in groups?”

  I nodded. “Although I have to admit I like working alone better; I am able to work in a group, and I seem to do well with it.”

  I took a deep breath, trying to keep myself calm while waiting for his next question. He stared at me for a few seconds.

  “Tell me, Rebecca, why do you think I should hire you?”

  “Because I will benefit the company.” Taking a deep breath, I continued, “I know that sounds like I’m full of myself, but honestly, I’m a hard worker, and dedicated to doing a good job no matter what job
I’m doing. I work well with people, learn quickly, which means I’ll be easy to train and, other than my last job where I stopped overworking myself while being underpaid, I’ve never had complaints from managers or co-workers.” I blew out a deep breath trying to keep myself calm as I smiled waiting for him to say something else. I was trying to figure out if I’d done a good job; if my chances of getting hired were reasonable or if I was never going to get a chance to work here.

  Dean stood. I quickly jumped to my feet.

  “Well, thank you for coming down here.”

  “And thank you for taking the time to interview me,” I said quickly as he held his hand out to shake mine. We shook. “Do you have any questions?”

  “Yes.” I bit my lip waiting for his answer, having prepared myself for most of the questions I could find that interviewers normally asked. My big hope was it would be one of the questions I’d prepared for. “What size are you?”

  My eyes widened.

  “Excuse me?”

  A smile spread over Dean’s face. “We’ll need to know if your size is here or if we need to order your uniform.”

  My heart skipped a beat as my breath caught in my throat.

  “Y-you mean …”

  “You’ll be able to start training tomorrow?”

  “O-of course.”

  “Perfect. Please arrive for noon.”

  I nodded. “Of course. Thank you. Thank you so much.”

  We shook hands again, and I left, my heart racing. Heading out of the building, I didn’t see anyone behind the counter, but I did have a huge smile plastered over my face as I stepped outside and made my way towards the bus stop. I can’t believe it. I got the job. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and grinned widely.

  Finally, things were starting to look up. Now I’d just have to work my ass off hard enough until I could pay for college.

  ***

  The next day, I arrived much earlier than anticipated, but that was the joy of bussing. I’d let Katie borrow my car since she had to drive further than than me, and hers was out of commission. At least, she’s going to drop the car off for me when she’s done work. Which meant not having to take the bus home. I would be able to drive.