Men In Control (Smith Brothers Complete Series)

by Brenda Ford

  We catch each other’s eye and laugh. We’ve been ribbing each other since we were kids. We share a friendly rivalry where we always make fun of each other. He’s my best friend.

  “Come on.” I jerk my head towards the weights bench. “Spot me.”

  I lie on my back on the bench and Jake prepares the 360lb barbell. When it’s above me, I curl my fingers around the iron and slowly lower it down then back up again while Jake prepares to share some of the weight if I lose focus or grip.

  “I don’t know when you get this hench, man. I remember when you were a pale skinny-ass seventeen-year-old who could hardly lift a book.”

  “And I remember when you used to dream of becoming a Nevada cowboy.”

  “Yeah, yeah…I remember, too.”

  I do six reps and put the barbell back in place. I’m about maxed out at 360lbs; I’ve broken a sweat and my muscles are burning in my arms and shoulders.

  “You’re still looking ripped.” Jack nods in approval. “Any of this effort going towards bagging that waitress you’re always harping on about?”

  “Rose?”

  “As if I could forget her name. She’s about all you talk about these days.”

  I chuckle. “It doesn’t hurt to stay in shape.”

  “Jesus, Darren. You’re a grown man. Why don’t you just ask her out?”

  “It’s not that simple.”

  “I don’t see why not.”

  “Her father is very protective of her, and she respects him too much to go against his wishes.”

  “Her father?” Jake groaned audibly and sat beside me on the workbench, passing me a towel to wipe the sweat from my face. “I’m sorry. I thought this was the twenty-first century.”

  “They’re old-school. Italian, very traditional.”

  “Are you sure you want a girl like that? Do you want to date a woman whose Daddy is always looking over her shoulder?”

  “It’s not like that. She’s not steamrolled, she’s just…respectful. It’s refreshing, actually. Men throw themselves all over her and she turns them down with grace.”

  He rolled his eyes. “So you want her because she’s the girl you can’t have.”

  “No. I want her because she’s funny and smart. She’s devoted, hard-working, mature. You’ve dated those girls that dream of being an army wife and that’s all they care about; I know you have. Rose isn’t like that. She’s got substance.”

  “The waitress has substance.” He sighed. “The heart wants what it loves, I guess.”

  Rose is sexy in a way a man like me can’t find the words to describe. I can’t tell if it’s that sparkle in her eye or the way she flips back her long, black hair that drives me wild—or maybe it’s because I’m a sucker for girls with tan skin and legs as long as hers.

  All the servers in the casino wear the same skimpy little outfit—a tiny black skin-tight miniskirt and crimson corset-style top with a little black bowtie at their necks—but none wears it better than Rose. She’s a playboy bunny and Audrey Hepburn all rolled into one, not losing any of her natural elegance by showing off her slender figure in that tiny outfit.

  I stare at her from across the floor. She flashes her smile at a regular as she hands him his usual Long Island and throws back her head as she laughs at something he’s said, playfully pushing his shoulder at whatever naughty comment he’s made.

  I know every man who walks in here tries his luck with her—young and old, single and married, not two dimes to rub together and the millionaires that throw down thousands on a single roll of the dice. She could have her pick.

  Still, whenever our eyes meet in this place, I sense that she doesn’t want any of them. The way she bites down on her lip and whispers to Natalie as she stares at me from under those long, dark lashes tells me she feels the same spark as I do.

  I take the opportunity to patrol the floor just so I can have a reason to pass her.

  I stand a step behind her and take her by surprise by speaking into her ear. “How’s your night going?”

  She gasps, turns around, then smiles. “Hello, you. I was wondering when you’d come and say hi.”

  “I’ve been keeping my eye on the tellers. One of them was getting an earful from a patron earlier; he started pounding on the glass. Really shook her up.”

  “Mollie?”

  “Yes.”

  “Poor girl. This isn’t really the right environment for a sweet girl like her to work in.”

  “Some would say you’re a sweet girl too, Rose.”

  She laughs and flexes are muscles. “Me? You’re joking, right? I’m hard as steel.”

  I smile. Rose can talk her way out of most situations or calm an angry patron with nothing more than a smile and a gentle hand on the shoulder, but I hate to think of her faced with real danger. She does her best to stay out of trouble, even when trouble is on her doorstep.

  “What’s the house special on cocktails tonight, then?” I peer at the drinks on her tray; she has half a dozen pink, slushy cocktails in tall glasses with over-the-top garnishes and sugared rims.

  “I think it’s pink gin, raspberry, and Archer’s.”

  “And what creative name has the bartender come up with this time?”

  Rose pulls a face. “It’s called a Tasty Orgasm.”

  I grimace, then laugh. We shared a running joke about how the bartender, Martyn, always named his cocktails something hideously embarrassing and awkward to promote. “That guy’s a sex fiend.”

  “Right?” She laughs. “He’s named the last three something kinky. We’ve got the Tasty Orgasm tonight, the last one was the Vodka Moan, and what was it before that?”

  “The Chambord Climax.”

  “That’s right.” She rolls her eyes with a wry smile. “I think he does it just so he can make innuendos at the pretty girls who go to the bar.”

  “Most definitely.” I mock Martyn’s smarmy voice. “Can I offer you a Tasty Orgasm, Madam.”

  Rose played at a female tourist. “Oh my! Yes, you can.”

  “And perhaps a drink also?”

  She giggled. “You’re as bad as he is.”

  “No. I’m much better. I’ve got the physique to back up my pick-up lines.”

  “So humble, too.”

  “You look like you’ve been working out.”

  “Stop it. You know I haven’t got time to put on make-up most nights, let alone spend hours at the gym. I don’t know how you do it.”

  “Force of habit after all those years training in the navy.”

  “I bet.”

  I look up and see Silvio and several others on the security team slipping into a staff-only door. It’s unusual to see that many of them disappear together.

  “I’d better get back to work,” I say. “Nice catching up.”

  “Yeah, you too.”

  “Let me know if anyone gives you any trouble tonight. You know where I am.”

  She laughs. “I’ve had no trouble in the last three years, Darren. I’m sure I’ll walk away unscathed tonight.”

  I want to stay and flirt some more but duty calls. I leave Rose to find out what’s going on behind closed doors. I cross the casino floor to the stock room where the team disappeared, wondering why they’d gone in there when there was nothing inside but janitorial supplies and tools for the machines.

  I take hold of the silver doorknob and tug but someone has locked the door from the inside.

  What the hell is going on in there?

  Suspicious, I step back and loiter by the giant Wheel of Fortune, keeping my eyes glued to the door. I don’t like the way the hairs on the back of my neck are standing up. Lately, Silvio’s behavior seems more sketchy than usual. More and more of his business seems to be conducted behind closed doors these days.

  It’s almost an hour before anyone leaves again. Three of our guys exit, then a few more minutes pass until Silvio appears. I notice him wiping blood from his fist from a distance while he looks around unperturbed.

  I go t
o him. “Silvio! Is everything okay in there? I saw half the team inside.”

  “Just a little team meeting.”

  “Anything I need to know?”

  He pats my shoulder reassuringly. “You’re one of my top guys. There’s nothing I can teach you that you don’t already know.”

  “Was a patron getting out of hand?” I nod towards his bloodied hand.

  Silvio frowns. “It’s best you don’t ask questions, Darren. Be a good soldier now, and only concern yourself with the orders that come your way. Never mind what goes on above your head.”

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  Author’s Note

  Thank you to all my readers, especially those who are reading my work for the first time. It is my privilege to have you by my side and I am glad and thankful that you all chose to spend a day or two reading my book.

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  XO, Brenda

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  Brenda Ford is a romance author who loves to write steamy romance that will give you a fresh spice in your love life.

  Her books revolve around Alpha Men, Billionaires and Bad Boys, whether they are rockstars or bikers or someone staying in the neighborhood.

  Her focus is to deliver that special pleasure to what a woman wants from her partner in all her books.

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