Jack knew this woman was the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen as she cried out in ecstasy beneath him. He knew he’d never tire of hearing her call out his name and seeing her come undone. He slammed into her quivering sheath a few more times making her pleasure incredibly intense. He continued to hold on to her when a second orgasm took her. “Yes, yes, Jack. Oh my God, yes, Jack!” she cried out her release again.
Jack came then. His balls tightened, veins pumped blood, and he exploded. He came like he had never come before; and when he was through, he rolled once more so she was straddling him again, enjoying the feel of her slight weight upon him with his cock still buried deep inside. Her breasts pressed tightly against him as their breathing returned to normal. She was a treasure, he thought, as his heart thundered. He loved her.
Dawn nestled into his chest; and while he continued to lazily stroke her back, she knew she’d never been made love to like that before. Something inside her began to break. It terrified her because she knew in that moment she was in love with this man. Every fiber in her being prayed she wouldn’t get hurt again. Losing him, or being made the fool, would destroy her.
Chapter 6
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The week after the holidays had been a hectic one at the Mystic. Revelers came to spend money and enjoy the holidays. Jackson wasn’t back from Vegas yet, but he’d been texting or calling her daily. He was doing well in the tournament and so had not returned until New Year’s Eve which he’d spent with his cousin, but then headed back to Vegas. She couldn’t believe how much she missed him. Her thoughts, several times a day, turned to the man she had fallen for.
The idea of pursuing a relationship with Jack just didn’t seem plausible, but she knew her heart wanted this more than anything. It was more than just the way he touched her and looked at her that had her feeling this way. She knew with certainty that she wasn’t alone in thinking they had something special. Jack had really put in the effort to make that clear in his calls, his texts, the flowers he’d sent her the day he left. The earrings that showed up in her suite on Christmas Day. Beautiful solitaire diamonds that twinkled at her in their brilliance. The note that came with it. “Wish I was there to see you put them on.—Jack”
All the signs that he really cared were there, but Dawn didn’t know if she could trust herself. She had been wrong in this department before. Her head and heart always seemed to be getting her into trouble. Over the holidays she’d been bright and cheerful, but as she watched all her siblings with their loved ones by their side, while she hugged her mom Christmas morning, she’d wished he’d been there. Wished that she could tell more than her sister about him. “You’ll find your prince soon, toose,” her mother said, affectionately using the native word for daughter. A single tear trickled down her cheek at her mom’s concern. She wanted to tell her mother that she was falling in love but knew it was too soon.
“I know, Momma,” she replied in return with as much confidence as she could muster. “And maybe you’ll find love again, too.” Her mother had been alone for far too long.
Dawn watched as Tawny shook her head in the negative. “The love I have for my children and grandchildren and your father is all I’ll ever need.”
Her mother had been single for as long as Dawn could remember. The boys remembered her telling them she tried to date a few times before they had been born but never since. Though she loved her mom’s dedication to her family, she knew she wanted more. She wanted a family of her own someday and hoped Jack would be right beside her. But thinking of her mom alone when and if that happened saddened her, too. Dawn raised a silent prayer while sitting next to her mother that some gallant knight would sweep her mom off her feet. In her early fifties, she was still stunningly beautiful and deserved to be loved each and every day. A companion who was her equal, who would take her places and be by her side during family gatherings, and who would then curl up with her at night and love her unconditionally. Her mother deserved no less.
Glancing at the clock, she saw it was quitting time and began the process of saving her work and shutting down her computer. She made a notation of where she had left off on the account so she could resume her work later. She had a dinner date with her sister-in-law, Jewel, that evening and was looking forward to it. Eve had been rather busy over the holidays with the band in town, and Lucas. They had managed a few luncheons and girl talk. Lucas and Eve found a house they liked along the river. She’d gone to see it with her and loved the old Victorian her sister already had plans to renovate.
Dawn mentioned the status of her and Jackson’s relationship, and Eve had been encouraging though she still agreed with Dawn that it was too soon to mention it to the others. Dawn thought about telling Jewel at dinner that night. It would be nice to tell someone else in the family other than Eve, and she was close with Jewel. Aside from being married to her brother, she was one of the hotel’s famous chefs, and she’d known her for years. It would be nice to have her input.
The more she thought about the idea the more she liked it. Her sister was her biggest supporter and would encourage whatever she wanted to do, push her to go for it. But Jewel was good at seeing all sides of the situation. She would definitely be more impartial. With her decision made, Dawn packed her things and headed to her suite to freshen up.
*
After her dinner with Jewel, Dawn felt even more confident. Jewel had been happy for her and supportive and encouraging. They walked arm and arm together from the restaurant to Jewel’s car. Dawn’s vehicle was parked just a few spots away. “Take it one day at a time. Enjoy it. Hell, bask in it.” Jewel laughed at her own choice of words. “You really deserve this, Dawnie. And don’t let the past ruin what you have found here. Every relationship is different.” Jewel knew that from her own experience. Despite her early misgivings with Joseph, she had jumped in with both feet and hadn’t regretted it. It was the missed opportunities you regretted the most.
“I love you, Jewel. Joseph is lucky to have you. I’m lucky to have such a wonderful new sister-in-law. You and Aliya are the best things that have happened to my brothers.” Having Jewel support this relationship meant the world to her.
“Damn, Skippy!” Jewel joked giving Dawn a hug and then kissing her on the cheek. “And I wouldn’t worry about his age, career or anything. Just keep communicating. Keep getting to know one another. And you’ll know when you are ready to tell the others.”
“Thank you.” Dawn returned the hug. Jewel’s advice was incredibly reassuring.
“As long as he isn’t a criminal, I say go for it!” Dawn stood back as Jewel swung open the door to her car.
Dawn had to laugh at that because it reminded her of when she first met Jack and thought he had been counting cards. She was relieved no one had mentioned any problems in the poker room in the past few weeks. With everything that had happened in the casino for the past two years, it was no wonder her suspicions had been running high that night. There was just something inside of her, though, that told her Jack was one of the good guys. A really good guy, and not just because she had fallen for the man. She was getting to know him more and more, and what she learned, she liked.
Jewel drove off, and after Dawn waved to her as she left the parking lot, she turned toward her car, her thoughts preoccupied by their talk and Jewel’s wonderful revelations. Aside from talking about her own issues, Jewel had revealed to her that she and Joseph were expecting. They’d just found out two days earlier. They had shared their news with Tawny and her brothers and were in the process of telling all of their family before they announced it next week to their friends.
Her eldest brother had just had a baby boy and now her other brother was having one, too. With her sister newly engaged and about to be married, perhaps it was her time, she thought as she clicked the button to unlock her vehicle. Reaching for the handle, she’d climbed inside when something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. She saw two men arguing vehemently on the sidewalk in front of the si
de parking lot at the restaurant. Something about the two men struck her as vaguely familiar. She’d seen the taller fellow before.
She was reluctant to shut her door when the identity of one of the men suddenly hit her. The taller of the two was the man she had seen Jack with a month ago in the high-stakes room and again in the elevator at the casino. She didn’t know what possessed her to do so, but instead of driving off, she got out of her car and softly closed the door. She made it look like she was heading back inside the restaurant to possibly retrieve a forgotten item, but instead doubled back and stood behind a row of small pines planted as a decorative feature on either side of the restaurant. She stopped about twenty feet away from them and eavesdropped on the conversation while remaining hidden.
“Yes, Jack is good. He’ll get the money. He’s good for it,” the taller man, who reminded her of a younger John Travolta, stated. His name was Leo, she remembered.
“But the man has had a bit of bad luck lately. He’s lost quite a bit at the tables. I had Marcus keeping a close eye on the man when he was here.”
Leo shuffled his feet and rubbed his hands together to warm them. Dawn could see the exhalations from their breath. It was getting colder. January was here. “He tells me he is doing well in Vegas. I can send someone to check.”
The other man was older. In his sixties. Shorter and plump. Something about him made him appear menacing. The crook of his nose and the tone of his voice made her shiver. Leo was definitely displaying subservience to the man.
“Do that.” The stouter man shoved his hands into the pockets of his long coat. It looked tailored and expensive.
“Will do. The game next week is high stakes. No chump change. I don’t want to take any risks. The guy has money. We’ve been watching closely.” Leo’s tone was meant to reassure the older man.
The man shook his jacket. A few flurries of snow had fallen on him. “Good. Anything else come up? How is the background check progressing?”
“He’s alone. Inherited a small fortune. Parents deceased. No siblings. Playboy.”
“Anything else? No leverage.”
“He’s been seen,” Leo paused before continuing, stomped his feet a couple of times, “with one of the Sassacus girls. The younger one.”
The older man smiled. “That’s interesting. Making a play for her, or something more?”
“He seems very attentive to the girl. I like him. I think he’s just a guy looking for a good game and some excitement. His money is as good as anyone else’s, and as long as he’s willing to part with it.”
The older man appeared to be thinking. “True. Okay. Just keep an eye on him.”
“Will do, Franco,” said the taller man. “You can trust me. The family always comes first.”
Franco? That name sounded familiar to Dawn, but she couldn’t clearly see who the man was from this distance. She’d only caught a glimpse or two of him in profile through the trees and pine needles. But where had she heard that name before?
The man named Franco spoke again. “I’ll talk to Anthony, and I’ll let you know where and when the game will be, and then you can let Jack know. Let’s see just what kind of money Jackson Black is willing to part with.”
Leo nodded as Franco stepped off the curb. A long black sedan pulled up from the rear of the restaurant. Franco climbed into the back of the Lincoln driven by another man.
Dawn stepped back a bit as the car pulled out of the restaurant parking lot and waited until the Italian man, the familiar one, Leo, got into his vehicle, a newer black BMW. As he peeled away the same way Franco’s car had gone, she swiftly made her way to her car to process all that she had heard. Just what the hell was going on? She fumed as she shut her car door. These men, Franco and Leo, were talking about a private game. A high stakes game. And just then she remembered reading in the paper about the Santorinis. A family in Connecticut, New Haven to be exact, that was supposedly connected to a mafia ring in New York. Was Jack involved with the mob? Was this an investigation? Did he realize what he was doing was illegal? Her heart started racing and she felt ill.
Jack was not a dummy. He knew exactly what he was doing. And as she turned the key in her ignition and started her car, she felt foolish for falling for a dangerous man. The guy was most likely a criminal who’d been lying to her all along. She choked back the sob that threatened to come and drove home. This would not stand. No way, she thought, as the pain engulfed her. This would not stand at all. She had felt so good, so alive and hopeful just five minutes earlier, and now that feeling was gone. Evaporated into the cold darkness. She felt lost, alone, and betrayed. And once more, she felt like the fool she was.
She had made a huge mistake in trusting her heart, but she wasn’t going to wait and let the mistakes pile up on each other. The moment Jackson Black returned from his Vegas trip, which was supposed to be tomorrow, she was going to give him a piece of her mind. She’d alert Tom, their head of security, and have him banned from all the casinos in Connecticut. He’d be known as a card counter and crook, and she’d be sure to let him know that she was the one who had blown his cover.
She put the pedal to the metal when she got on the highway that would take her to her reservation and her home. Yes, Jackson Black was going to be one sorry son of a bitch before she let him know he had messed with the wrong girl.
Chapter 7
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A thousand thoughts ran through her head as she drove the short distance to the Mystic. She usually stayed at her mom’s house on the weekends if she didn’t have plans, but she knew her mom would read her face the moment she walked through the door. She needed time to deal with this.
Once again, she’d been wrong about a man. She hated to admit it, but this one cut deeper than all the rest. The wounded little girl in her wished her brothers knew and would take care of it for her. But she wasn’t a little girl, and she would have to handle this herself. Maybe she should report it to the police. Chief Daniels was a friend of the family. It was obvious Jackson was involved in some kind of illegal shenanigans whether he knew it or not, and how couldn’t he? That’s what stalled her from acting too quickly. The Santorinis were a well-known crime family. But it could be possible he didn’t realize the game he was angling to play was with them. And maybe he was working some kind of security case. But for whom? Did he work for the mob or someone else? She just didn’t know enough about him. These thoughts and more swirled in her brain.
Ugh! Why couldn’t he just have a normal job? A gambler who did security work from time to time to make ends meet. Installing security equipment for VIPs. That’s what she had assumed. She still didn’t know what to do by the time she pulled up to the Mystic. At the very least she should report it to Tom. If Jackson and the Santorinis were cheating at the casino, cheating her people, he needed to know. Yet, something prevented her from doing so. She didn’t know if it was embarrassment or the fact that she had feelings for Jack. But she wanted to confront him first before she brought in the police chief or anybody else for that matter.
She could call her sister. Ask her advice. But she was too embarrassed to tell her the man she’d gotten involved with was possibly a crook or swindler. No, it was just too humiliating to have to explain that. So, she made her decision as she walked into the lobby of the Mystic. She would confront him and warn him about the people he was getting involved with and tell him to stay away from Mystic Nights and any other casino in Connecticut for that matter. And if he came around again, then she would alert Tom, the head of security at Mystic, who would add him to their list of unwelcome guests. Tom would alert Morty at Foxwoods to do the same thing, and so on. Even though they were competitors, all the First Nation tribes banded together when criminal activity was suspected. Whether Eastern or Western Pequot, most still considered them all one nation.
In the lobby, Dawn quickly made her way to the bank of elevators. She hoped to go unnoticed and find refuge in her own room. She was shocked to see Tom approaching her hastily from the
casino. His expression was grim.
“What’s going on, Tom?” she asked, her confusion evident on her face.
“I need you to come with me,” he ordered her with an official tone in his voice.
“Okay, but what’s…” She was cut off immediately.
“I’ll let you know upstairs. Just come.” Taking her elbow, he steered her quickly away.
Silently, she followed him into the stairwell and up to the floor where the security offices were located.
Fear overtook her. She had no idea what was going on. “Is everyone okay? The family?” she asked.
“Yes, of course. I just have some information I need to share with you about Jackson Black, the man you’re seeing. I thought it was best done in private.” Tom turned and smiled at Dawn as he held the door to the security suite open for her.
“You know about Jack?” she asked. Her throat tightened.
Tom gave her a look that suggested she should know better. “I know everything that goes on here, kiddo. You should know that. Eyes are everywhere, and any goings-on are reported to me.”
“Does my mom. . .”
He cut her off. “If she does, she didn’t hear it from me.”
“Thank you.”
“If I thought you were in danger, I’d let her know. So far Jack has been careful. But that’s why I’m bringing you in. Things are heating up, and I think you need to know what your boyfriend isn’t telling you.”
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