Queen of Spades (The Player's Club 1)

by Reana Malori

  “I’ve missed you, Terra.”

  “I’ve missed you, too. It was a surprise to see you, but if Dad had to send anyone, I’m glad you were the person he called.”

  Curling his hands into tight fists by his side, he tried to focus on keeping his desires in check. If he didn’t do something to control how he was feeling about Terra, he would break every rule in his book. Glancing down at her lips for longer than he should, he wondered what she’d do if he stole a kiss.

  Fuck it. Maybe it was time he let himself lose control and go for what he wanted.

  Just once he could be free and enjoy life. Freedom for him did not have the same meaning it did for others. His life had taken a left turn when he should have taken a right. But he’d been given a second chance. Come hell or high water, he was going to have Terra by his side. She was his, had always been his. That he was standing beside her now when for all intents and purposes, they never should have crossed paths again, was proof of that.

  Shoving his large hands in his pants pockets, he thought of anything he could to get his mind back to the business at hand.

  Puppies. Rainbows. Aunt JoAnne and her long chin hair. Yup, that did it.

  “Okay, tell me what you’ve figured out so far.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  “Are you hungry?” Terra leaned back on her office couch. She’d taken off her shoes and blazer a couple hours ago.

  Glancing at the clock, she noticed it was after six and the sun was setting outside. “Hmph,” she said under her breath. They’d been behind closed doors for more than five hours and none of the girls had strolled into her office to find out what was going on. That wasn’t like them at all.

  “What was that sound for?” Damian asked as he continued flipping through the papers she’d printed.

  “Nothing. It’s just odd for me to get a few hours of peace and quiet without someone coming to my door.”

  A smile teased his lips and she couldn’t help but admire the man sitting in front of her. Aside from their rocky start, which she could admit was partially her fault, they’d been able to settle in rather quickly and get down to business. He’d asked to look through some of the financial papers, including from before they’d purchased the business and current income reports. The employee files were screened and searched for any anomalies. They’d reviewed background checks and any family connections among the employees. At one point, she’d gotten on her laptop and researched old newspaper articles to see if there was any news about the land or the property that might be coming back to bite them.

  Nothing. Zilch. Nada.

  Damian motioned over his shoulder with one hand. “Well, I noticed one of those women from downstairs peep through the window a couple of times. She never stayed long. I think she just wanted to make sure I wasn’t doing something to you that I shouldn’t.”

  His eyes did that thing again where he looked at her from the bottom of her feet to the top of her head. The intensity of his gaze sent a flare of electricity racing through her body, her stomach clenching as he stared at her for longer than necessary.

  “W-Which one?” Embarrassed at the stutter in her voice, she briefly closed her eyes in disgust.

  Laughing out loud, he shook his head, “The scary one.”

  “Oh, you mean Dylan? She’s my head of security. I want her scary.”

  “Not her. The other one. Heart something or other. That one. Looks like her mind was picturing scenarios with me trussed up and my entrails hanging out while she took scientific measurements.” A shudder passed through his body as if picturing it again and Terra burst out laughing.

  “That’s Emmaline. Yeah, my dad really likes her.”

  Damian was quiet for a moment as he stared at her. She soon became uncomfortable under his searing gaze and shifted her position.

  “I’m sure he likes all your friends. You seem very protective of each other.”

  “We are.” It had only been a few hours that she’d known him. She wasn’t ready to give up all her secrets. Not yet, anyway. Let him squirm a bit longer. Standing, she walked over to where her shoes and blazer were and pulled them on. “I’m hungry.”

  “There’s still too much to do. We can eat later,” he said. Motioning toward the papers spread over her round meeting table, he didn’t stop reading and flipping through the pages.

  “Damian,” she called out in a sweet tone. “In three minutes, I’m walking out that door to get me some food. You can either come with me or stay here and starve. And by the looks of you, I doubt you’ll want to starve.”

  Fifteen minutes later, they were sitting down at one of the highly rated casino restaurants. Their table allowed them to look over at the floor and watch the flow of people. Drink orders given to the waitress, they were quiet for a few moments before she noticed Damian adjusting his position. She slid her eyes to him and watched him adjust his pants. She smiled at the thought of why he always had to do that.

  “Why are you smiling?”

  Damn, why could this man ever just let shit go? “Nothing.” Time to change the subject. “Tell me about you.”

  His lips slammed shut and he simply stared at her. The silence became uncomfortable, but she wasn’t going to be the first one to break the silence. Nope. She wasn’t going to do it.

  “Cat got your tongue?” Well, there went that little internal pep talk.

  And there was that smile again. The man was too cocky for his own good.

  He took a sip of his drink as he continued looking out over the crowd. “There’s not much to tell. I’ve lived my life and I work hard. What else is there?”

  “Well, there’s a lot more than that,” she said with a laugh. “Working is not all there is. And from that short sentence, I question if you’ve actually lived the life you were meant to. Do you ever have fun? I want to know more about the man you’ve grown into.” Not sure why she was so focused on getting him to open up, but she was. Damian Blake was an interesting mix.

  When they’d first met earlier today, his crass words and Neanderthal behaviors had infuriated her. She’d wanted nothing more than to get him out of her office and away from her presence. Within moments, she knew him coming there had been a mistake. He was nothing like the person she expected her father to send to her. That didn’t take away from her intense attraction to him, no matter how much she tried to fight it.

  Once they got down to business and began looking at the business records and financials, she’d seen a new side of him. And once that side of Damian Blake showed himself, she’d became more than just attracted. She was intrigued.

  “I have fun. When it’s warranted.” At that moment, the waitress came back to take their food orders, offering drink refills as well. Once she walked away from their table, Damian looked over at her. “What about you? All work and no play makes Terra a dull girl.”

  Truer words were never said, but she’d never have admitted that to the man sitting across from her. “I’ve had plenty of fun, thank you very much. Right now, I’m focused on this business. Once things are settled, that’s when I’ll start focusing on the play.”

  Nodding his head as she spoke, he continued looking at her once she quieted. Tearing her gaze from his, she watched his finger as it rubbed the glass holding his liquor. Bourbon. It fit him. He looked like a man who enjoyed his drinks strong and his women soft.

  She continued to stare at his hand while his index finger rubbed along the condensation. Lifting the drink to his mouth, he took another drink. Some of the bourbon lingered on his bottom lip and his tongue snaked out to gather the liquid.

  Her breath hitched as a vivid picture of that tongue licking her breasts, her stomach, and her plump nether lips flowed into her mind. Biting her bottom lip, Terra was so focused on her internal fantasy, she didn’t hear Damian calling her name.

  “Terra,” he called out, this time loud enough for others in the restaurant to notice and look their way.

  “What?” Blinking at him, her face flushed a deep
burgundy as she came back to the present. Was it hot in here? Gulping down some of her drink, she looked around for the waitress. It was taking that girl entirely too long to return with their drink refills.

  “I’m just wondering what has you so distracted.” The smile on his face said he knew exactly what had her mind wandering.

  “Nothing. I’m just worried about this place.” Why did he have to be so damn fine?

  “That’s why I’m here. To help you fix it.”

  Smiling at him, she tried to relax and allow things to just flow, which was not her style. “I know you’re gonna try.”

  “I need you to trust me on this. We’re going to figure out what’s going on. I promise.”

  “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.” She wanted to trust him, but she wasn’t quite there yet.

  His hand reached across the table and grabbed hers.

  Her father trusted him. He’d sent him to her and she needed to trust in that. Not even on a good day was she the type of person who allowed life to pull her along for the ride. She was all about bending things to her will. Pushing so hard until her approach was the only one left. If she could force the world around her to operate the way she wanted it to, that’s all she needed. Damian Blake threw a wrench in her well-laid plans.

  “Never. If I tell you I’m going to do something, I will. I don’t make empty promises.”

  Just then, her cell phone buzzed. “Hold on, I need to see who this is,” she said, removing her hand from his. She pulled out her phone and unlocked the screen. Just then, the waitress brought over the meals, sitting them on the table in front of them.

  Emmaline was the one who’d sent her the message, but it was a group text. Terra knew they’d all plotted and planned who was going to be the designated texter.

  Reading the words on her small screen, Terra’s eyes bugged. Her girls were seriously tripping because this didn’t sound like Emma at all. Nope. These were Dredd’s words. Naked bodies, big dicks, and hot sweaty sex. She almost choked on her drink.

  Laughing at the absurdity of the message, she couldn’t help but respond back with an emoji resembling a big middle finger sticking up. She wasn’t sure why she even kept them around.

  “Something funny?” Damian’s voice pulled her away from her phone. He was giving her an odd look. “You laughed out loud and I haven’t said anything.” He looked annoyed.

  Looking down at her phone, she knew that it had been rude of her to engage in a text conversation with someone else while sitting here with him.

  “That was Emma. She was just checking up on me.” Locking the phone screen again, she intentionally placed the phone face down on the table and committed to not look at it again for the entire night.

  Picking up a bite of his meal with his fork, he motioned toward her plate. “Eat.”

  “You’re very bossy.” Picking up a bite of food, she savored the flavor of the steak as she chewed.

  “I know. Is that going to be a problem?”

  Shaking her head, she swallowed her food. Taking a sip of her drink, she shrugged. “No. Why would it? It probably makes you better at what you do.”

  “Are you seeing anyone?” he blurted out.

  She coughed, covering her mouth with the linen table napkin. “I wasn’t expecting that.”

  “Why not? With everything I’ve said to you today, why wouldn’t it be a question I’d ask? My intentions have not changed, Terra. I still plan to pursue you.” Glancing down at her phone, he looked back up at her with a hard look. “You need to understand that I will not allow you to be with anyone else while I’m here. Is that clear enough for you?”

  Did he just stake a claim? “Excuse you?”

  “You heard what I said.” He turned back to his food, eating in silence as she sat across from him stewing in righteous indignation.

  No one told her what to do. No one but her momma and daddy, and even they didn’t try it too often. She was too independent for that and would do what the hell she wanted anyway.

  Arrogant. That’s what he was. And overbearing. No wonder he was a fixer. Someone like him wasn’t fit for regular society. His boorish and chauvinistic approach to women must have resulted in several slaps to the face. Glancing at him as he sat across from her, she took in his hard visage. Okay, not many women would take the risk of slapping him or putting their hands on him in any way that didn’t involve sweaty, sticky, heart-pounding sex.

  She managed to ignore him for all of five minutes before her mouth got the best of her. Silence wasn’t something she handled well. Her mind preferred to be constantly stimulated by sound, activity, or calculations. That Damian could sit at the table, eat his food, drink his bourbon and not mutter one word in her direction drove her bananas.

  “Is it going to be like this the entire time?” she asked, placing her napkin on the table.

  A small smile lifted one side of his mouth. “That’s up to you.”

  Thinking of the best way to say the words tumbling around in her mind, she twirled her drink around, watching the lights reflect off the glass.

  “If you want this to be strictly business, we can do that.” She shot him a look of surprise because he sure as shit hadn’t acted that way today. “Yes, Terra, I know how to control myself. I will not force you to accept my attention. But I also see the way you look at me. I know when a woman desires me and have made a point to only go after women who will be…receptive to my charms.”

  “I just think you moved too fast. Maybe there could be something, but you didn’t give me time to figure that out. Within fifteen minutes of our meeting, you got a case of diarrhea of the mouth. No woman wants to hear that when they first meet the man who’s supposed to be saving her business. It was unnerving.” It felt good to admit she wasn’t used to how he’d approached her. It could be that she’d been sheltered growing up and then at college, she knew her father had people watching her. No one had ever spoken to her that way. Ever.

  “Why wait? Listen, sweetheart, from the moment we saw each other, you and I both knew things would never be the same again. Whether or not you want to admit it, your world shifted. As did mine. You can sit there and deny your attraction to me until you’re blue in the face. But you and I both know, that this…” he motioned between the two of them, “…is happening sooner rather than later.”

  Huffing slightly, she crossed her legs. Her foot dangling a few inches off the ground began bouncing. She tried to convince herself that she wasn’t nervous, but it was a lie. He brought out things in her that she hadn’t expected.

  He was in the wrong damn package.

  Not looks, because he was sexy in any language. No, it wasn’t that at all. She’d had a plan for her future. For the type of man she wanted to be with for the long haul. And that man was nothing like the one sitting in front of her.

  God knows she loved her daddy. Learned how to be a strong woman while sitting on his knee or observing him and her momma. It wasn’t in her blood to act bourgeois or to put on airs, as her grandma used to say. It didn’t matter that her parents lived in suburbia with two cars, a dog, and had family barbeques every Sunday.

  Inside, she was still rough, raw, uncouth, and too prickly. A long time ago, she’d decided to find a good man. A nice man. Someone with a nine-to-five job in a glass office building. A man who had no idea how to dispose of bodies where no one could find them. That’s who she needed to be with.

  Because to have someone like her father—like the man sitting across from her and undressing her with his eyes—it was just unacceptable. That rabbit hole would send her spiraling, and that’s the last thing she wanted for herself.

  “I can’t be with you, Damian. Not the way you think,” she explained.

  “Yes, you can.” He licked his lips, but she knew he hadn’t done it to get her attention.

  Sipping a drink shouldn’t be sexy, but with him, it was. Her thighs clenched tighter as she tried to get hold of her libido.

  “We won’t be any goo
d together. Once we figure out what’s going on with the casino, whatever we have will need to end. Why go through all of that?”

  His eyes bored into hers, challenging her to keep his gaze. She couldn’t. “Are you trying to convince me, or yourself?”

  “Does it matter?”

  “Yes,” he growled. “It does matter.” Throwing his napkin on the table, he leaned back in the chair. “I think it’s time we called it a night. I can’t get away from thinking of you sprawled out on the bed underneath me. You, on the other hand, can’t get out of your own way.” The waitress placed their bill on the table and slid away without saying a word.

  Terra looked in her direction as she scurried away. Positive the young woman heard what Damian said to her, she shook her head. She’d have to make it a point to ensure that waitress didn’t open her big mouth and spread rumors around the casino about the badass CEO being called to task by a man. That just wouldn’t do at all.

  Turning her face back to Damian, she watched him sign the bill. “You’re a guest of a hotel executive. Your meals and hotel room are comped.”

  “I don’t want them comped. I don’t do anything for free and neither should you. I pay my own way.”

  Well, damn. With his ornery attitude, she’d make sure not to do anything nice for him in the future. “That wasn’t my point.”

  “Don’t care. I pay my own way,” he snapped as he closed the billfold holding the signed receipt. “Ready?” he said, motioning with his hand for them to leave.

  As they walked out to the main floor, she was torn about what to do. What to say to him. Had it only been one day? In less than eight hours, she’d gone through every emotion in the spectrum.

  He stopped in the lobby and pulled her to the side. “Do you have your keys? Are you heading home?”

  “Why? Want to come with me?” Just where in the hell did that come from? Terra, get a fucking grip, she chastised herself.

  While she wasn’t afraid of the occasional one-night stand, she hadn’t even tried to go down that road during the past two years. And she sure as shit would never suggest her home as the rendezvous point.