One Night Gamble (Jokers Wild)

by Katherine Garbera

  He might be a gambler who’d always gotten by on his wits, but tonight he’d been reminded that his friends were always by his side. He would never have gone after having his own casino if it wasn’t for Dare and Nick. Without them, he was just one more player, one more high-stakes gambler who drifted from table to table, following his luck.

  …

  Two days later, Talia was on her way to work when she got a text from Casey. It just said dinner and gave an address. She had been avoiding him for days, but she knew that had to stop.

  On one hand, she was busy with work. Setting and developing a community was something that required a lot of hours and more time on Twitter than she’d have put in if she wasn’t being paid to be there. But on the other hand, she knew she was hiding from him.

  It had been easy to pretend that one night with him was enough, that it was in the past. But she knew that was a lie. When she’d found herself standing underneath the poster of Casey, the gambler, she knew that she had a problem.

  If only she didn’t have that same innate love for rogues and gamblers that her mother had had. She’d watched her father spiral further and further into his addiction and no matter how many tears she’d cried, or how many times she’d had to go and visit Paulie, the loan shark, to beg for more time, she’d never stopped loving him.

  She and Gran had both loved her dad more than they acknowledged was healthy. But there was something so charming about him when he was on a winning streak, and he could talk her into anything. Just like Casey. It had almost made up for the darkness when he was losing.

  Almost.

  A part of her wanted to believe that what she felt for Casey was just an extension of that—she couldn’t resist a charmer. Except she knew it was more. Casey wasn’t on a winning streak that threatened to collapse at any moment. In fact, if she was being totally honest with herself, she’d have to admit that he seemed like the kind of man she’d always dreamed of finding.

  He worked hard.

  He had enough money to buy nice things, but didn’t waste it on being showy.

  And he knew how to touch her in a way that made her very glad she was a woman.

  That last bit…that was the part that was throwing her for a loop. She wasn’t normally a sexually obsessed person.

  But she couldn’t stop thinking about Casey. At odd times, she’d remember the feel of his lips on hers, or she’d get distracted, remembering how he’d looked when he’d walked out of the bathroom wearing nothing but dress slacks, his torso bare.

  It was getting dangerous.

  She had goals.

  Sure, they were short-term, but she’d never been able to really plan for the future. Every time she had, her agenda had blown up her in face. Now she was one step away from freedom and another charmer had walked into her life. And instead of running away, she was thinking about him.

  Dreaming of him.

  Telling herself he was different.

  Was she lying to herself? Was she willing to believe anything if it meant she could bask in his charismatic presence for a bit longer? Was she doomed to always fall for a gambler?

  Still, she couldn’t leave this job. It was her only way to make her mark quickly so she could take care of that last mortgage payment on Gran’s house and then move on to something bigger.

  It didn’t involve sleeping with her boss.

  Or dinner.

  The address he’d sent her was in Henderson. Was it his house? She thought he lived at the casino. Then again, he probably had more than one property. After all, he was incredibly wealthy.

  She swallowed hard.

  He was a gambler.

  Please remember that, she thought. She wanted to think she was smarter than this, that she’d learned from the way her father had swept in and out of her life—sometimes on a high but more often on a low—and left nothing but destruction in his wake. So she had to be smart enough to have dinner with him and not sleep with him.

  Only she wasn’t sure if she was.

  She’d never met a guy like him. He was different, and yet somehow familiar. She knew gamblers. She had a complicated history with Vegas, but she’d been lost from the moment she’d looked up from the box of condoms in the store and seen him smiling at her. She pulled into the employee parking lot for the Jokers Wild Casino.

  Was she going to go out with him again?

  She texted him.

  Talia: I prefer to be asked, not ordered.

  She saw those dancing dots that meant he was writing something back and waited.

  Casey: Apologies, love. Would you do me the privilege of joining me for dinner tonight?

  She smiled in spite of herself.

  Hell.

  This was the problem. She liked him. If it was just hot sex, then she could push him off because sex didn’t last. She’d had enough relationships that had started out red hot—well okay just one—but it hadn’t lasted. When reality had intruded and she’d had to rush to Gran’s side to take her in for her dialysis, that guy had disappeared.

  But something about Casey felt different.

  Not different enough that she’d let him meet Gran, though. No. She wasn’t going to let any more charming rogues near that sweet lady.

  Talia: What time?

  Casey: Will six thirty work for you?

  Talia: See you then.

  She tossed her phone on the seat next to her, then put her head on the steering wheel. What was she doing?

  She wasn’t sure.

  For the first time since she’d turned nineteen and her dad had died, she didn’t know what to do next. Of course she’d still take care of Gran, but she was suddenly confused about what she wanted, for her and her life.

  She was twenty-six and she’d spent the last seven years fixing the problems of her childhood. But now she was almost free. And instead of starting over someplace else, with a clean slate, she was fooling around with Casey Waltham. He wasn’t a sure a thing. In fact, he was the kind of risk that could break her.

  But while she thought she wanted security, she couldn’t help craving something more. She liked the danger and excitement. That feeling in the pit of her stomach when she thought about seeing him again.

  Was she really no better than her dad?

  Was she chasing a win that shimmered just out of her reach?

  She had no answers. She hoped she was different, but that feeling in her stomach made her doubt her resolve.

  She should have said no to dinner. She should be keeping this professional. She should have known better than to get involved with a gambler, but she didn’t.

  Maybe she didn’t know herself as well as she’d always thought she had.

  Maybe she was exactly what her mom had accused her of being when she’d dropped her off at her grandmother’s house—just like her father.

  Chapter Eight

  Talia showed up at the address he’d given her and found a valet stand. The house was very big, mansion size, and had a sweeping circular drive. Casey had texted her late in the day and told her she could bring a plus one. That was her first inkling that this date wasn’t what she was expecting.

  She’d called Sami, but her friend was working late. And somehow Talia wasn’t too sure that a party was Gran’s scene, so she’d arrived alone.

  The car that pulled up behind her was a Bentley—a Bentley—so she tried to act cool as she got out of her VW and handed the keys to the attendant. He treated her to a respectful smile and she tugged the chain of her evening bag higher on her shoulder as she walked up the marble steps to the front entrance. There were two tuxedoed doormen standing there to open the door for her.

  She walked into the foyer where a woman dressed in an evening gown and holding a clipboard came over to see her.

  “Good evening. May I have your name?” she asked.

  “Talia Spencer…Casey Waltham invited me,” she said.

  “You are on the list. Is it just you tonight?” the lady asked.

  Talia nodded. />
  “She’s not alone,” Casey said, coming up behind her and putting his hand on the small of her back. A shiver went through her body and she glanced over her shoulder to see he was dressed in a white dinner jacket. His hair was slicked back and he had that roguish smile that she loved. “She’s with me.”

  “Of course, Mr. Waltham,” the woman said. “I trust you know where you are going.”

  He nodded and urged her forward down the hall.

  “What is this place?” she asked. “I have to be honest—I’m a little nervous.”

  “Nothing to worry about. Sorry for being mysterious. This is Nicholas’s house. He’s hosting a night of illusion to try out some new elements for his show and he always has to be stealthy to keep his competition from finding out. The world of magic and illusion is cutthroat.”

  A magic show. She knew that what Nicholas did was more than magic but, in essence, her date with Casey was pretty magical.

  “This is good. I can get a better idea of what he does, which will help me at work. I wish you’d mentioned it so I could have brought my notebook.”

  “I’m glad I didn’t. This is a date, Talia,” he said.

  And that just went to show how hard it would be if they really were dating. His work life was so much of his actual life and for her, this job was everything. She couldn’t afford to let it get personal.

  “I don’t think we should be dating,” she said. “With your poker background, you’re probably really good at hiding what you’re really feeling. But I’m not. I know you know that,” she said.

  He took her elbow and led her to a corner of the room that was slowly filling up with people. “I’m not going to argue with you about this. I think pretending there isn’t anything between us is stupid.”

  “I know…but I need this job. And to be honest, I love working for the casino and the community I’m building. I don’t want to have to quit,” she said.

  He cursed and dropped his hand from her arm. “You would never have to quit. I’m not threatening your job. I’m just saying there is a spark, an attraction, between us. I thought a one-night stand would be enough. But it wasn’t. When you walked into the interview room the next day, I still wanted you. Everything I’d felt the night before came back—”

  “That’s lust.”

  “It is, but it’s also something more. I like you, Talia. You’re funny and sassy and sexy…and so much more that I haven’t discovered yet. But I want to discover it and I’m asking you to give me a chance to do that. We might not be together for the rest of our lives, but my gut says this is something special.”

  Something special.

  “Is it worth the risk?” she asked. How many times had her dad said similar words to convince her to give up her allowance? She had the feeling that they were both running from their pasts. She’d done it by never betting on anything, while Casey’s entire life had been made on the flip of a card. Could they ever find common ground?

  “Yes. Because I’m not playing the odds or taking a chance on my lucky number coming up,” he said. “I’m putting my money on you, Brown Eyes.”

  He gets me, she thought. He understood where she was coming from with gambling and that scared her. Maybe not as much as it should have, but it did frighten her. Because he tempted her. He showed her that he saw the real Talia.

  “How is this anything but a gamble for me and no risk for you?” she asked.

  He rubbed the back of his neck. She realized that he was tense. Even though he was putting on an affable front, she could see that he wanted her to cross that line. Wanted her to say yes to dating and whatever else may follow.

  And she realized that she wanted it, too. She genuinely liked him and wanted to get to know him better. To find out how he’d started playing poker and what his life had been like before he hit it big. She reached out and touched his face because she knew there was no way this could continue. And though she was tempted to ignore the fact that her dad’s gambling had essentially ruined her childhood, she couldn’t help remembering how she’d felt walking into that final interview and seeing him there. Her one-night gamble could have ruined her chances at this job she was coming to love.

  Her life only worked when she stayed focused.

  But he turned his head and kissed the center of her palm, causing sensation to shoot up her arm. She shivered. There was something so electric about the attraction between them. Even when she was across the room, he drew her to him. Now that she was standing next to him, ignoring their chemistry was almost impossible.

  …

  Talia’s words echoed in his mind. She was spot on, which didn’t surprise him. If he’d learned one thing about it her, it was that she had no artifice. Which was probably why he was willing to risk everything for her. He had never—never—been lucky at love. He’d had more one-night stands than he should probably admit to, and his emotions had never really been engaged.

  But with Talia, he felt something. He didn’t know how to define it, he only knew it was more than sex. And he wasn’t ready to walk away. Not yet.

  He remembered the first big poker game he’d sat down at. He’d spent every penny he had to enter the competition and there was a moment in the third round when he could have walked away with a modest prize.

  This felt like that moment.

  Casey had always valued himself and knew he was worth the risk. He thought he was smart—not like a genius, but smart enough to know when to take a chance and when to back down. And Talia…she was definitely worth the risk.

  He had his own losing streak behind him when it came to relationships. In fact, other than spending time with Darien and Nicholas, he was pretty much a loner.

  “What are you thinking about?”

  “What you said,” he admitted. “That if I ask you to take a chance, I have to be willing to take one, too.”

  She tipped her head to the side, showing off that long neck, and his libido went into overdrive. His growing erection urged him to do whatever it took to get her back in his bed.

  But he wanted more than sex.

  He wanted more than a second night hookup.

  He wanted Talia.

  All of her. And that meant putting up big money, so she wouldn’t feel like she was the only one putting all of her chips in.

  “If it doesn’t work out, I’ll go back on the poker circuit and manage my part of the casino from the road. In effect, you won’t have to see me, so you will be able to keep your job and your life the way it is right now.”

  She blinked and then shook her head. “That’s not right.”

  “Well I’m hoping this doesn’t turn into something we both want to walk away from,” he admitted. “The truth is…I can’t let you go.”

  She bit her bottom lip, and he closed his eyes. He definitely didn’t need to focus on her mouth and remember how soft and inviting it had felt beneath his. Hell, he could barely walk by the table in this foyer without thinking about coming in front of his mirror.

  “Okay,” she said. “I’ll do it. But if things don’t work out, I need you to agree that I’ll have some say in what we do next.”

  “Great. Let’s celebrate,” he said, putting his hand on the small of her back and leading her back into the room. He snagged two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter and handed one to her.

  “To us,” he said.

  She arched one eyebrow at him.

  “What?”

  “Isn’t that a bit premature?”

  “Not really. I have always operated as if I have a winning hand. It’s worked so far,” he said.

  She nodded. “I have never really done anything like this before. But I have made dumb mistakes. I hope this—”

  “Don’t. Let’s just enjoy this. I think we could at least be friends,” he said with all the honesty he had. He didn’t want to go back on the road because that had become a slow death. But he had never wanted anything—not even a winning hand in a high-stakes tournament—as much as he wanted Tali
a.

  “I’ll try,” she said with a tentative smile. “So, what’s Nicholas got planned?”

  “I have no idea. He has been working on it for the last few weeks but, as I said, he plays his cards close to the vest.”

  “Does he tell you how he does his tricks?” she asked.

  “Definitely not. And he’s touchy about calling them tricks,” Casey warned her.

  “Dude,” Darien said, coming up to them. “I’m so glad you are already here. Nicholas is pushing it. You know I had to give my name at the door? I mean come on.”

  “He’s just making sure that no one gets in who wasn’t invited,” Casey said. “Dare, this is Talia Spencer. I think you’ve emailed but not met.”

  Talia held her hand out to him and he shook it. “Rio speaks very highly of you. Every day, I hear more about the plans you all are working on. I love that you have broken the racers into different personalities and then are working with the games developer to come up with different experiences for the four personas.”

  “Working with Rio is a lot of fun. He had a lot of great ideas and I’ve been lucky enough to come up with ways to implement them. I’m excited about the stuff we have in the pipeline for your part of the Jokers Wild. The community that Rio and I are building is going to be great. From a Vegas kid’s perspective, I think the dirt bike course and lessons are going to be a gold mine. But I’m sure your finance department has already told you that.”

  Darien arched both eyebrows at her. “They have. What does a guy have to do to get a decent drink around here?”

  “Go to the bar and order it,” Casey said, putting his hands on Darien’s shoulders and turning him to face the bar.

  Darien gave Casey the finger as he walked away. Talia stood quietly next to him. “What are you thinking?”

  He knew there was a solid connection between him and Talia or he wouldn’t have made this gamble. But his friend was rugged and very male. He’d heard from more than one woman at a club that Darien had a wildness about him that drew women like moths to a flame.

  “You and Darien and Nicholas have a really solid friendship. I didn’t realize you were more than business partners.”