“Then you’d better make sure she’s started before then.” Mason didn’t even have the grace to look smug as he pushed off the chair. “If rumors start flying, where do you think they’ll land? I mean, she’ll be looking into your debt books. Rumors can be vicious little things. And mud can follow you an entire career.”
Smart rich bastard.
“Have you got a second?”
It hadn’t taken more than a couple of texts to Jarryd before knowing who else would be at the game tonight. By now, GG had her entrance precision timed. I pretended to wait in the café—our café—until two black clad legs exited a taxi. Most of us used the free parking allocation in the basement, but it now made sense. GG had some screwed-up need for a secret identity. Car license plates were traceable.
My hand on her shoulder had been unexpected. A flash of panic before recognition set in. Shit, the girl really was scared of something—or someone. Still, I couldn’t let her problems be mine.
I wanted to head down to Victoria with the rock-climbing guys. Weather was perfect and my muscles wanted to be tested. Instead, I needed to put this woman in her place. More precisely, I needed to extract her from my life. GG or Carlynn Rush was a distraction I didn’t need. Not at the card table and definitely not at Softli.
“Scott!”
“Can we have a word?” Damn it. The chemistry when we were alone was kill or be killed. Half the fucking time, I couldn’t count to ten, let alone count cards or remember hands. Now I’d seen the depths of her violet eyes, every second spent with GG had me wanting to rip off those bloody dark glasses. I no longer craved the bottle. My body craved for one simple pleasure. To have those beautiful eyes open as I made her body come alive. Violet eyes and black hair. My new favorite combination.
“Work or pleasure?”
“Depends on your definition of pleasure.”
“What do you have in mind?” She glanced around before removing those offending glasses. Her eyes as soft as her lips. Absolutely fucking crush worthy. “I mean, one man’s pleasure can be another man’s—”
“Desire?”
“Absolutely. So how can I pleasure you?”
Point taken.
“We have a board meeting on Friday.”
“I know, Mason asked me to be on standby to present.”
“I’d prefer you didn’t.”
“Mason is still CEO, isn’t he?”
“I’ve emailed you two papers that the Chief Information Officer and I are intending to present. We’d like to get together with you tomorrow to get your views.”
“Keeping me away from your board?”
“Making sure we are all working together.”
“Fine, I assume we never had this conversation?” She looked up, “Shit.”
My moment of basking in violet fields was over. Pretending to be no more than friendly competitors, I pushed the elevator on our behalf. Standing shoulder to shoulder while Jason called to us to hold the lift.
“That’s entirely up to you. I assume you’re about to turn into GG?”
“One day, you’ll have to tell me who you prefer!” She teased, her hips almost brushing against mine before pushing past to acknowledge one of tonight’s victims. “Jason! Glad you could make it.”
“Scott, GG.” In the time I’d taken to swap cards for rocks, Jason had progressed in the GG department. Now confident enough to greet GG with kisses to both cheeks. While I, who actually knew her real name, got attitude with a side of pretending not to give a fuck.
“I understand Jarryd has some new friends for us to play with tonight.” GG made polite conversation as we waited for the lift to stop at almost every floor. I refrained from shoving Jason out, locking it down between floors and insisting on an overdue conversation. Of the physical variety.
This professional bullshit was over.
GG or Carlynn needed to pick a side and keep to it. Either be the card shark sex goddess that obviously put money in her pocket and kept her self esteem on fire. Or, be just another money-hungry consultant charging thousands to tell CEOs what they already knew, but were too gutless to do anything about.
At least I could hide my feelings under a concrete block called being an asshole. Using the upcoming board meeting as a justification no one would question. Softli had been on top for ten years. Because of me. Well, me and Darius. Which had its own encyclopedia of complications.
I couldn’t control Mason, or GG, or the board.
I could control the next few hours.
Karma was my bitch and tonight she would be tamed.
What the f—?
Six new bodies filled the penthouse suite. When I say filled, I meant they sucked the oxygen out of the room. Created a tidal wave of what the hell were we about to do to them? Or them to us?
The Sydney scene was tight. There was a pecking order, headed by yours truly with GG fighting me for my throne. There were the wannabe’s who needed constant reminding of their place. The nights I was either drowning in my bottle or working late, they filled their wallets.
Then there were the boys who wanted to be men. Freshly appointed as corporate partners or thinking they had money to burn. Flashy cars; watches and women. The last bastion for their pumped-up lives was to pit their wits against the world. One hand of cards at a time.
We knew our roles in life.
Jarryd rarely invited new players to our mix.
Never six at once.
My need for conversation with GG about taking a step back from the consultancy took a backseat to our new six guests.
Six.
I took my seat in between Carlos and Jason, with GG sitting opposite. The new players evenly shared between GG and Carlos and then GG and Jason. The four of us shared knowing looks. Who would be first to test out whether the newbies held loose wallets?
GG passed and folded the first half a dozen hands, while Carlos played aggressively and with the luck of the cards, wiped out two of the six. I took out Jason and one of the others. At least Jason got an apologetic smile.
“So, little lady, are you here to make up the numbers or to play?” The middle-aged Peter Katnokavis asked, looking to Carlos for support in the patronizing asshole of the year award. Carlos might have started out disrespecting GG, but after losing a house deposit to her at the table, now treaded warily. A lesson these newbies would learn, the hard way.
“I’m sorry, I was just learning from watching you wonderful gentlemen.” Instead of calling Peter out on his bullshit, she simpered, the little girl voice matching his expectations.
I didn’t need to look to Jas or Carlos. The energy of the onlookers had livened, and I now figured Jarryd had invited the newbies for entertainment value. I’d been happy to keep out of the way and watch GG in action. Carlos winked at me, smug bastard. Yes, for once we were on the same side.
GG on fire might be pretty to watch but devastating if we got caught in the middle of her game.
The next hand, I choked down a stifled laugh when GG made a good show of beginner’s luck and even accepted Peter’s suggestion for how she could have taken more off him with a better paced call.
“Just watch how I call, and I know you can do better,” Peter reassured her. Seriously, when was she gonna put the guy out of the hell he seemed determined to stoke?
The next hand, I couldn’t help myself, halving Peter’s stack with a two pair, but taking a tidy number of chips from everyone else at the table at the same time. A gentleman would have apologized to GG for spoiling her fun. She could punish me later. Preferably naked and involving more than three cubes of ice.
Dealt nothing, I waited for Carlos to pass before following suit. One of the newbies, Atticus, looked to GG and Peter before passing. Peter barely waited his turn before calling “All in.”
“Can you explain what that means again?” GG asked to the loud gwaffs from the regulars. How could Peter not see she was playing more than cards?
“It means, sweetheart, that either you put up or go back to the kitchen.”
Fuck. The poor guy was about to lose his balls and didn’t even know it.
“You mean, if I think I’ve got a better hand than you do, I put all my chips on the table and then when I beat you, you’ll make me a toasted cheese sandwich from the kitchenette over there?” GG overplayed her little girl voice, but by now, the poor sucker didn’t know the difference.
Peter looked around for chauvinistic support. Wasn’t gonna happen. For all my issues with GG or Carlynn, this was our room, our table and no bastard could come in and treat one of us like shit.
Then again, as GG stared at me through her glasses, what if tonight was about teaching me a lesson? Peter was the tool, her little toy. If GG could destroy this man at the table, what the hell could Carlynn do in the board room or at Softli?
If she found the rope, would she hand it over and expect me to hang myself?
Shit.
Yet another reason to fall asleep obsessing over the woman.
“We have a chef who can make you a sandwich if you’re hungry, little girl.” Peter didn’t even realize how beautifully he was being set up.
GG simpered, “Oh, I’m hungry alright, but if you are so confident of winning, you shouldn’t be afraid of making me a toasted sandwich if you lose.”
The room was silent as everyone waited for Peter to make his decision, to put up or basically shut up.
Me, it was hotter than porn. Watching GG gradually dismantle a man who wanted to disrespect her, treat her like shit. With a sensual grace that had my cock screaming out for relief, one woman held the room in the palm of her hand.
I wanted to be in the palm of her hand.
I wanted to cover her body with mine and shield her from men like Carlos and Peter.
GG had gotten under my skin and was crawling into my soul. I’d spent too many hours thinking about her, trying to work out how to get her out of my life. To what purpose? She wasn’t going anywhere, and neither was I.
“Fine.”
Lost in my own head, I’d almost forgotten the question. That’s right, we were about to watch Peter find his way to the kitchen. I leaned back in my chair and motioned for another drink to enjoy my front row seat to the annihilation of Peter Katnokavis.
Very slowly, GG laid down her cards, one at a time—showing her Ace and King of hearts. With the King of spades, seven and eight of hearts on the table, she smirked my way. Yes, I could count cards. A solid pair with possibility of a flush.
“I think it’s your turn now,” she said with more confidence that I’d have felt. Yes, her hand was strong, but Peter still had a number of outs.
With a muttered curse, Peter laid down a ten and nine of spades.
Still playing innocent, GG ignored Peter, looking to me. Of the three regulars at the table, she’d commissioned me as her side kick. Hell, I’d be a lot more than that if she continued to turn a game of cards into foreplay. “What does it mean if someone calls All in without even a pair?”
“I think it means someone is about to make you a toasted cheese sandwich and you should decide whether you want it cut into triangles or little toy soldiers.” The room joined me, laughing at my joke. Most of us were just relieved we weren’t the ones on the receiving line. Passing at the start of this hand might have been the smartest move I’d make all night. Blessed were my unsuited nine and ten.
“That’s the thing though, I don’t count my chips before they’re all mine.” GG winked at the dealer who’d stopped hiding his fanboy crush weeks ago. “Don’t you have another couple of cards to show us?”
The turn card Ace of spades gave Peter at least an opportunity—one more spade and he’d beat her with a flush.
As a competing card player, as her future colleague and as a man who couldn’t wash away our chemistry, I studied GG closely for a sign. Something to show her thoughts, or nerves.
Nothing.
Not a facial twitch, nervous swallow or even rapid breath. Having made this hand a public spanking, her reputation on the line, GG or Carlynn was smoother and cooler than the three ice cubes in her refreshed glass.
What the hell would get her heart racing?
Fucking her on a ledge at The Eternity.
Now, my cock wanted to take me on a suicide mission. Luckily, GG was crazy, but not insane. And, she was yet to give me any indication she’d climb into bed with me, let alone, climb a rock face.
“How many more cards do you play, again?” GG asked the room, her glance coming back to settle on the blushing dealer. I’d need to keep an eye on him, make sure he didn’t use his skills at the table to throw her the right cards at the right time.
“Does it really matter? All I need is one more spade and there’s another nine in the deck. You might be the luckiest stupid bitch that ever lived, but I know this game and I know my odds.”
Peter was the only cocky asshole in the room with brains smaller than his balls. Every person here had the money and experience to claim their place at the table. Did he really think GG didn’t know how to play?
No reaction from the room at the five of hearts.
All eyes waited for Peter’s realization or the inscrutable GG that she now held his pride and all his chips.
“So.” The high voltage smile appeared for Peter, “I needed that card, didn’t I?”
“Lucky bitch.”
“Actually, Peter you have been the most insulting son of a bitch.”
“Here’s my girl,” I breathed, louder than expected.
Without raising her voice, GG held the room as she warmed to her theme. “You are patronizing, rude and arrogant. I can’t tell you how much of an absolute pleasure it’s been to take you down. Now, if you would be so kind, I’ll have a toasted cheese sandwich for myself and one each for all of my friends.”
“Chef, can you make sure our guest doesn’t burn himself?” Jarryd quickly asked, in case there was any doubt whether Peter would be forced or encouraged to comply.
GG didn’t even take time to gloat, “Next hand?”
“Nicely done,” I offered as the dealer offered a short toilet break.
“He was an asshole, and I didn’t want you to have the pleasure of taking him down.”
“Maybe next time you’ll let me have some fun first?” I joked, reaching out my legs under the table. I knew her feet were elegantly resting under her chair, but in case she needed to stretch and found me, it would be good to see her reaction. And mine.
“Oh, I don’t think we’ll be seeing Peter again!”
“I’m so sorry for his behavior,” Atticus apologized. “He’s not usually like that—but we don’t normally play with women who look like you.”
“Well, I hope your first time has been more, satisfying!”
The same jealousy that tried to flatten Darius flared as GG flirted with the smug Atticus. What was it with European men—did they have to attract all women?
“How about we discuss that over dinner?” Atticus ignored the dealer who looked like he wanted to cry, and me. Leaning across, as if GG was the only person in the room.
“Are we here to play cards or is this a dating show?” The words should have come out as a joke, instead of labeling me as a jealous old man. Fuck. I could already imagine the perfect little brunette babies GG could make with either Darius or Atticus. Sick fucking imagination—she hadn’t even met Darius, yet.
“Atticus, you are very sweet, but my life is complicated at the moment. How about you ask me again in six months’ time.”
With hope for the future, Atticus didn’t go rejected-alpha-crazy and my new best friend, the dealer, got ready for the next hand.
The break hadn’t helped anyone’s concentration. Within three hands, GG drew in and claimed two more players, only to drop out after the blinds for me to claim the others. Minnows, who didn’t hand over enough chips to make a dent in the difference between GG’s large stack and mine. I’d have to bleed her of chips in the next two or three hands to stand a chance.
“And then there were
two—but I think I’ve said that before, haven’t I?” GG’s purr was all for me and I didn’t bother hiding the way I needed to adjust in my seat.
She got me hard, so what? I could still remember how to play.
She wanted to purr in my direction, so what? Unless she was naked and purring my name, I could still remember how to play cards.
“Watcha gonna do about it?” I taunted.
Okay, I was trying to convince myself as much as my laughing friends that I didn’t have visions of this woman’s legs wrapped around my face or waist.
“Decide whether to take you slowly or get it over and done with.”
“Anything worth doing, is worth savoring.” Even I couldn’t believe the shit coming out of my mouth.
“Why don’t the two of you just get a room, or take your show on the road and leave us to play cards?” Jason scoffed from the back of the room. “I mean it’s almost boring that these nights always end up with one of you two taking the final hand.”
“Shall we make this interesting?” GG lowered her glasses, offering me a rare glimpse of those violet eyes that I could pick out in a lineup.
“I don’t make cheese sandwiches.” I also didn’t like making side deals.
“Can I borrow a pen and paper?”
Jason fought to be the first with the pen while Larissa tore off the top sheet from a notebook.
GG studied me, head tilted to the side before licking the tip of the pen—gross—and scribbled half a dozen words on the paper. I only knew because of the times she lifted the pen. Shielded with her other hand, no one was going to be able to give me a hint. Using her long talons to crease the paper into three folds, GG placed the paper in the middle of the table.
“If you win, you get to read this.”
“And if you win?”
“You’ll have to live the rest of your life never knowing what it said.” GG smiled at the catcalls from around the room. “Calm down fellows—it could be my recipe for the perfect cheese sandwich!”
She knew how to mess with my head. I started second guessing my calls. Not even reverting back to forty-second calls helped. The longer we played, the more imperative being able to read the bloody piece of paper became. Seriously, it was the best play of the night.
Reckless Gamble: a billionaire high stakes suspense romance (City Sinners Book 4) Page 8