Betting on Love

by Alexis Abbott

  I feel the weight of my gun at my side, not willing to let the cameras see me put my hand on it. I don’t know what I’m about to walk in on, but I know there’s a damn good chance it’ll turn into a bloodbath.

  Hadley

  I feel like I’m prying open the toothy maw of some ancient dragon to peer into his stomach.

  I feel like I’m being interrogated by the most murderous man in the world.

  I am not so egotistical and stubborn as to pretend I’m not afraid. I’m definitely afraid. In fact, I’m just about scared out of my damn mind right now. I am standing in the very belly of the beast, trapped in this tiny, buzzing room filled with camera monitors and endless keyboards and buttons.

  It rather looks like a scene from some cheesy 90s flick about the Y2K scare. I know the people who work down here in this darkened, dusty, claustrophobic room must know my face by now. They are the ones who watch the screens, who stalk every winner and loser upstairs in the bustling rooms of the casino. They regard us shrewdly from below, judging and taking notes, deciding how strong or weak we are, how much of a threat we pose to the way of the world here in this microcosm.

  Everything is shoved in together, the rights and wrongs and cosmic karma and great odysseys for money and pride, balled up into a tight fist. The casino is a clenched hand, a pressure cooker in which people at the ends of their old money ropes or on their first big new money spending spree. Everything is intensified by a thousand here. Everyone is under scrutiny, all the time, whether the eyes that watch us are visible to us or not.

  Down here lives the oculus. This is where they watch us.

  I’m standing under the grim, flickering light of a single bulb dangling from the ceiling. It’s a stark contrast to the wealth and luxury of the upper floors. Who knew that underneath the pomp and opulence of the casino floor there lay a dungeon-like chamber of pale, weary watchers?

  Right now, though, all the people who usually work down here have been rushed out. I don’t know where they went, but when the door closes solidly behind me, I realize with a twinge of fear that I am all alone with Jerry Laskin. That is by design, of course. He wants me alone. He wants me vulnerable, off my game. He’s going to try and intimidate me into giving him whatever it is he thinks he wants from me. An apology? Probably not. He’s clearly not the kind of man who needs to hear “I’m sorry.” A confession? Most likely. Jerry will want to trick me into admitting exactly how I’ve been winning all these games.

  But that’s not all he will want from me. I am no fool. He wants more than my admission of guilt, of how I’ve been using the power of psychology and counting cards to walk away with his money. He will want to punish me. I don’t know what sort of penal system he has etched out in his dark mind but I know it’s got to be something terrible. He doesn’t strike me as an especially forgiving man. And winning his money is possibly the greatest and most egregious sin I could possibly commit against him.

  Men like Laskin—like Carl Owens—live for the money. He lives to see those dollar signs rolling in. It’s his obsession, his lifeblood. It’s what keeps him moving forward, his sole motivation outside of spite. Those are dangerous fixations, but he has clearly learned how to avoid taking the punishments for himself. He’s got an unending parade of lackeys and fallback guys to take the hit. He outsources his pain, his losses.

  The winner takes all, and he always wins. But not this time. Not with me in the building. No matter how corrupt he is, no matter the kinds of criminal maneuvers he uses to get ahead, he can never compete with my ability to smash the competition.

  I’m an enigma to him, and I can see a shining glint of curiosity in his beady black eyes as he looks at me. But I am first and foremost a threat, and that fact takes precedence over all else.

  “I believe a congratulations may be in order here, yes?” he says finally, his voice every bit as gruff and gravelly as his appearance.

  I force a coquettish giggle and bite my lip. I feel my cheeks start to flush slightly rosy pink. Perfect. Just as planned. This is my angle.

  “Luck must be my lady tonight,” I remark with a playful shrug. “I just can’t believe it.”

  “Hmm,” Laskin grunts, nodding very slowly. “I can’t believe it either.”

  “Pardon me, but you said something about a VIP suite, and this doesn’t exactly look like any kind of suite at all,” I point out. I bat my eyelashes subtly and grace him with a smile.

  “You’re right. This is not the suite I promised. This is, ah, a pit stop on the way, if you will. I hope that doesn’t bother you,” he says quietly, that false smile still plastered uncomfortably on his ugly mug.

  “Oh, of course not,” I tell him with a wave of my hand. “No problem.”

  “I just have some... questions. For the big winner,” he notes, his smile looking more and more sharklike as it remains frozen on his face.

  “Ah. Well, in that case, ask away,” I reply cheerily. It’s important that I don’t show fear.

  “I’m looking to expand, you know. Broaden my, ah, portfolio, if you will. Is that something you can relate to?” he asks rather cryptically.

  I frown. “I’m sorry. I don’t follow,” I lie.

  Jerry licks his lips, staring me up and down for a moment. He steps closer, and I can feel his rancid breath on my body. I don’t move. I hold my ground. It’s all I have. He could so easily break me in half…

  Just then, the door swings open with a bang and we both look over at the doorway in shock. My heart skips a beat when my eyes meet his—it’s Dominick! Somehow he’s managed to find me. I stare at him with wide eyes, wondering what the hell he’s got planned. Laskin is every bit as confused and startled, and I can see an angry twitch working in his jaw.

  “You’re interrupting something very important here, Dominick,” Laskin snarls.

  “My apologies, sir. But there’s been a security breach I needed to inform you of. It’s serious. All hands on deck. Thought you might like to be made aware of the situation,” Dom rattles off matter-of-factly. Laskin tenses up, looking back and forth between Dom and me. I can tell he’s reluctant to leave me now.

  Finally, though, he groans and snaps his fingers to beckon Dom into the room. “Take my place. Watch over our esteemed VIP winner for me while I go take care of business,” he ordered Dominick. “I won’t be gone long. Oh, and remember to treat our guest here with... respect.”

  He winks at Dominick and then slips out of the room. Dom immediately shuts the door and rushes over to me, grabbing both of my hands tightly in his. There’s a bright fire flashing in his gorgeous eyes.

  “How did you find me?” I ask in a hushed tone.

  He shakes his head. “Never mind that. It’s not important. Right now, I need you to listen to what I have to say. Okay? Can you do that for me?” he asks fervently.

  I frown at him, a little offended. “Yes, Dom. I know how to listen. I’m not a child.”

  “Good. Then prove it. I have a lot to say. First of all, you know my boss Jerry Laskin, that man who brought you down here,” he began.

  “Yes. We’ve met. He’s... enchanting,” I say acidically.

  Dom gives me a warning glance and I sigh, pretending to zip my lips closed.

  “Hadley, he’s been watching you. This is bigger than just some debt collection. Especially after the way you swept the competition tonight. You’re a prime target. This is why they haven’t taken you yet. Because of your ability to play. Carl didn’t offer you up just to... clear his debts. Or at least, not the way you thought. He wants you to play for him, and he’s not going to take no for an answer,” Dominick says grimly.

  “Dom, I figured that much out on my own. Why do you think I came back here?”

  “Hadley, no. This is bigger than either of us realized. He wants you to help him with this massive hostile takeover plot, and I can tell you from personal experience that he will use whatever methods possible to get you there. Not one of those methods is gentle,” he explains, glancing toward th
e door.

  “We don’t have much time, do we?” I ask, knowing the security breach was a lie. He nods.

  “Exactly,” he says. “We need to move quickly. I don’t know what he wants, but—”

  “A massive hostile takeover that he needs a solid winner for? Dom, he’s going to be trying to take on the other casinos. Jerry Laskin wants to weaponize us. He wants to use us to take down the casinos one by one, lower their defenses, make them vulnerable. But why?”

  “So that he can swoop in and take them for his own, at a very discounted price,” Dom says darkly.

  “Like some fucked-up game of Monopoly,” I sigh. “Shit. What an asshole.”

  “Yeah, well, the mafia is made up almost entirely of assholes, you’ll find,” he replies.

  “Except you,” I clarify, looking at him sidelong. He smiles softly.

  “Don’t count me out just yet. I may not be as downright evil as some of my colleagues but I think the title of ‘asshole’ still suits me pretty damn well. But either way, we’re both going to be assholes if Laskin pulls this off. You’ll be tied to the mafia, too. You’ve dealt in high-risk and danger before, but this… this would be an entirely different animal, Hadley,” he warns.

  “We have to do something,” I murmur to myself. Then I suddenly look up at him with round, bright eyes. “This is going to be risky, but... Dom, I have an idea, and you’re not going to like it.”

  Just as she’s about to tell me, the elevator beeps outside our room, and the door slams open.

  Dominick

  That was bad, and leaving Hadley behind is even worse, but we have no choice.

  I have to trust that she can handle herself in there, alone, with Jerry. Deep down, I know she can. She’s more skilled at just about everything than most people give her credit for, and I know she can handle herself in this situation.

  She said she had a plan, though. Something that would be risky. Something that I wouldn’t like. Before she could tell me, though, Jerry walked in, red faced and annoyed. It was lucky for me that one of the other enforcers had just caught a big cheat Jerry was on the lookout for, so my lie wasn’t exposed.

  But now she’s alone with him, and I have to trust that she’ll be getting out of that room. If Jerry wants her to be able to gamble for him, he’s going to try to butter her up, first. Offer her a deal she can’t refuse. It won’t be until later he’ll start using other measures to keep her in line.

  That doesn’t make it any easier for me to leave her in the dragon’s den with the boss himself, though. I hate having to leave things in someone else’s hands. I always have.

  The most I can do right now is try to keep up contact with her as soon as she gets out of there, and tell myself that she will get out of there.

  Earlier this morning, I remember someone clearing out of one of the VIP suites on the upper floors. I don’t want cameras to see me heading to Hadley’s room too often, so I decide to try to commandeer this one. I head to the elevators and ride it all the way up to the uppermost floors, where the real money stays. I head to the room in question and see a maid just finishing up inside, pushing her cart out. She looks at me, then looks scared for a moment as I approach, putting a finger to my lips.

  “You never saw me here,” I say quietly as I slip her a $50 and use my card key to open the door. “And nobody will bother me in here for the next few hours, understand?”

  “Yes, of course, sir,” she says hurriedly, and she bustles away, leaving me in peace with the room. I head inside and text Hadley the room number and nothing more, hoping she picks up on the message.

  I pace around, thinking things over, waiting for Hadley to make it up to me and reassuring myself that she’ll be here. I never rely on anyone unless I’m positive they’re going to pull through, and god, do I need Hadley to pull through for me.

  We’ve both been jerked around for too long by too many people. Beating the shit out of Carl felt good, but it’s a bitter feeling in hindsight, knowing I was just softening him up and intimidating him for a bigger plot Jerry is masterminding. And I know Hadley has been chafing under Carl for so long that she must be itching to be rid of him. The only thing I don’t know is whether she’ll be willing to cross that necessary line to do what needs to be done.

  God knows I’m long past that line with Jerry. I’ll pull that trigger without a second thought.

  I wait for what feels like an hour, or maybe several hours. Finally, I hear a knock at the door. Instinctively, my hand goes to my gun, and I approach the door silently, every muscle in my body tense. If Jerry got to Hadley, then there could be a whole group of enforcers waiting to storm in the door and take me down in an instant. If that happened, I was going to give them hell, but that wouldn’t do shit to help Hadley.

  I reach the door and look through the peephole to see Hadley standing there. I know there’s a chance there still may be others around the corner, waiting to slip in after I open the door, but Hadley looks confident—more confident than I figure she would if she were a hostage like that.

  So, I finally open the door, hand still on my gun.

  Hadley forces her way in immediately and slides her arms around my neck, then presses her lips to mine as she pushes the door shut behind me and latches it locked.

  She melts into my arms as I wrap my free hand around her waist and pull her close to me, and our moans run together as I walk her back against the wall and pin her against it.

  “I take it things went better than I worried,” I growl into her ear once our lips finally separate with a wet sound.

  “I never disappoint,” she purrs. “You know that by now.”

  “That’s what I love about you,” I growl. “Now tell me the plan.”

  “Later,” she says, her mouth covering mine and I slide my fingers into her hair and take a firm grip.

  I pull her hair back and expose her neck, letting me put my mouth to it and suck on the soft skin. I can smell her perfume on her like pheromones, and it drives me wild. I move her body around and start walking her back toward the massive bed in the luxurious suite. As soon as we reach the edge, I push her down onto it.

  We start stripping without even thinking about it. Our shoes come off, her gloves fall to the floor, my jacket hits the sofa, she slides my tie off me, and I help her out of that elaborate dress. The adrenaline is spiked between both of us, the risk of her plan making everything seem more urgent. We’re walking the plank to our deaths, and I’ll be damned if I’m not going to go out smelling like her.

  I’m dressed well, but Hadley is always stunning. Taking her ensemble apart always feels almost sacrilegious, like I’m defiling something precious. And part of me thinks she likes that.

  Soon, we’re both naked, and I can feel all the tension and desire that’s been building up in me suddenly boiling over. I descend on her, gripping her hips and bringing my mouth to her left nipple and start ravishing it. I bring as much as her breast into my mouth as I can, playing with her stiff nipple with my tongue and groping the other with a strong, firm hand. She gasps, desperate for my touch even as she squirms away from me.

  I sit up on the bed and turn her around, sitting her in my lap and reaching around her hips to finger her with my left hand while my right touches her breast and my lips brush against her neck.

  “I’ve been waiting for this all day,” I growl.

  “That makes two of us,” she whispers back, but I cut her off at the last syllable by slipping my fingers deeper into her and playing with her. She twists and squirms, but I keep her pinned against me as I start stroking gently, feeling the warmth and wetness of her folds the more I explore them. I push my hips up and grind my cock between her ass cheeks as I finger her, and I know she’s getting her own thrill out of the feeling of my cock pulsing with need for her.

  It doesn’t take her long to get wet enough for me to enter her. I bring my fingers out of her pussy and up to my lips, and she shivers with pleasure before I hoist her up by the hips. I let her wet puss
y feel the bulging crown of my cock that sticks straight up toward her, and she arches her back instinctively as I lower her onto me.

  The dark, bulging tip of my cock grinds against the front of her inner walls, and the shiver of delight I feel from her whole body is like nothing else in the world. She’s hot, wet, and soft, and my rough hands reward her with long, loving strokes along her smooth inner thighs. I start pushing my hips up and bouncing her on my cock, and it takes her no time to find a rhythm with me.

  She rolls her shoulders back and leans against my broad chest, feeling my warmth and muscle all around her. I keep my hands on her breasts, flicking and gently pinching her swollen nipples while I feel her get slicker on my cock with each new thrust. I start almost panting, letting out sharp, hot breaths as I rut up into her, and that seems to have an effect. She starts gasping for air along with my rutting, and I can see her blush growing out of the corner of my eye.

  I bring my hands down to her hips and hold them, pinning her to me, and at the same time, I start rutting up into her harder and faster. I forget that we’re making love and turn to pure, raw aggression. I fuck her hard from below, wanting to tease out that peak that I know is just around the corner.

  And just as expected, a moment later, Hadley’s hands go to my thighs, scratching me on her way to the sheets. She grabs handfuls of them and braces herself as my relentless thrusting drives her to orgasm, and she lets out a sharp cry as she does. I slide a hand over her mouth and silence her while she comes, and I keep thrusting up, never giving her a moment’s break until she’s finished.

  Once she is, I use my arms to carefully twist us around and put her on her knees on the bed. I push her forward until she’s on her hands and knees, and I grab her hips again to start fucking her from behind.

  I notice Hadley’s hair is strewn over her face, so I reach down and gather it up, wrapping it around my fist like a leash and pulling her back until her whole back arches. The sound of her desperate gasping is music to my ears. Each time I thrust into her, I feel my powerful body pulsing with desire, more than ready to release into her. My balls are swollen and heavy, and I’m eager to let my load blow into her...but not yet.