The VIP Doubles Down (Wager of Hearts Book 3)

by Nancy Herkness

  Allie walked inside to find Frankie Hogan standing alone in front of the fire. The Bellwether Club’s owner wore a fitted pale blue suit that brought an elegant shine to her silver hair. Frankie had surprised them all by bringing a guest to the wedding: Liam Keller, the coach for New York’s newest soccer team. It was clear from the way the Irishman had kept his arm around Frankie’s waist that they were more than old friends, despite her introduction of him as such. As soon as she said it, Liam had given the kind of smile that indicated he knew something she wasn’t admitting.

  “Chloe and Nathan, I congratulate you on a lovely wedding,” Frankie said.

  Chloe glowed and slipped her hand into the crook of Nathan’s elbow. “It’s the people here who make it wonderful.”

  The CEO looked down at his new wife with adoration. “She and my father planned it like a military campaign, right down to the computer chips on the place cards.”

  Allie had loved the whimsical touch of technology in tribute to Nathan’s inventive genius.

  Frankie walked to the large oak desk at one end of the room. A sleek silver briefcase lay on its polished surface. Moving behind the desk, she opened the latches with a resounding click.

  “Since you gentlemen have a flare for the dramatic, I will play along.” She flattened her palm on top of the case. “I have in here the envelopes containing each man’s stake in the infamous wager of hearts, made in the Bellwether Club last fall. Each of you”—she swept her gaze across the three men’s faces—“bet something that had intrinsic value, and, more important, deep personal significance to you. In addition, there was to be a substantial donation to a favorite charitable cause. Donations that I understand you have all made despite not losing the wager. I applaud your generosity.”

  She paused, and Allie glanced around the room. Nathan stood ramrod straight with his hand curved over Chloe’s where it rested on his forearm. Luke had his arm around Miranda’s shoulders, snugging her up against his side while his pale blue eyes betrayed not a flicker of what he was thinking. Gavin had his fingers intertwined with hers, and she could feel the occasional increase in the pressure of his grip as he reacted to what Frankie was saying.

  Frankie shook her head. “It was the strangest bet I’ve ever heard. Find true love in one year. The proof was serious: nothing less than an engagement ring on her finger.”

  Gavin snorted. “That was inspired by Archer’s no-rings, no-strings policy.”

  “It kept me out of trouble,” Luke said.

  Frankie waited for the banter to cease. “I was sure you were all too drunk to know what you were doing,” she said.

  “We were,” Nathan interjected.

  Frankie continued. “I was going to tell you to go home and sleep it off. But I looked at your faces, and I saw something that stopped me. You all wanted that woman, the one who didn’t care about your wealth or your power or your fame. I understood, so I let you write your forfeits down. I became the adjudicator of the bet, a position I now consider an honor, although I was dubious at the time. However, I wanted to meet the women who were foolhardy enough to marry any of you.”

  She stroked her palm over the silver surface. “Being the cynic that I am, I had little hope that any of you would win the wager. Yet I find myself delighted by your success. Who’d have thought three rather . . . difficult personalities could convince anyone to take a chance on you?”

  Allie choked on a laugh.

  “Yet you found impressive women to love,” Frankie said. “Amazingly, they love you in return.”

  Gavin’s grip went tight, and he lifted her hand to kiss the back of it with a lingering touch.

  Frankie made a show of flipping open the top of the briefcase. She pulled out three envelopes. Allie had seen Gavin’s before, when they’d visited Frankie’s office to show her the Paraiba tourmaline engagement ring to prove he’d won the wager. Of course, Gavin had wanted to give her a precious stone, but she loved the sea green of the tourmaline because it reminded her of his eyes. So he’d settled for surrounding it with big, honking diamonds.

  Frankie laid the envelopes on the desk in a neat line. Allie could read each man’s name and see Frankie’s bold notation, “Wager satisfied,” and her initials.

  Frankie swept her hand over the envelopes. “In chronological order of being canceled. Gentlemen, these are now yours to burn.”

  The three men stepped forward almost simultaneously. They looked magnificent in their white dinner jackets. Nathan carried himself with that brisk military posture, learned from his Marine father. Luke’s golden hair picked up glints from the flickering fire. But Gavin took her breath away. His dark hair and olive skin made the white jacket look more brilliant, and he moved with that magnetic grace that always made her think of a conjurer.

  Gavin seized his envelope and held it up. “I confess to acute curiosity. Shall we share what we wagered?”

  “Why not?” Nathan said. One corner of his mouth quirked up in a smile. “In chronological order?”

  Luke’s dimple appeared. “Which means Miller goes last.”

  Nathan slid his finger under the envelope’s flap. “I don’t remember exactly how I phrased it.” He pulled out the single sheet of paper and unfolded it for a quick glance. “Simple but clear. The family sword.”

  “The antique one your father is wearing today?” Luke asked, his normally unflappable calm disturbed. “It’s been in your family for generations. He told me about its history.”

  Nathan nodded. “Dad and I hadn’t seen each other in two years. The sword represented all that was wrong between us.” He took Chloe’s hand. “Luckily, my wife changed that, as well as winning me the bet.” He returned the paper to the envelope and offered it to Chloe. “Would you do the honors?”

  “Gladly,” she said, taking the paper in one hand and her floating skirt firmly in the other. She walked to the fireplace and flicked Nathan’s wager into the flames. They all watched the edges turn black as it caught and burned to ash.

  Luke ripped open his envelope but didn’t bother to look at the paper inside. “I bet my Super Bowl rings.”

  “Rings, plural?” Gavin asked. “You were more desperate than I realized.”

  “He only had four rings then, so it wasn’t such a big deal,” Miranda said with her serene smile, making her husband’s dimple reappear.

  “Anyway, I always win, especially the big games,” the ex-quarterback said before he handed the envelope to his wife.

  Miranda tossed the paper into the flames. Once again they waited until the last bit disappeared in a curl of smoke.

  Gavin slid his envelope back and forth between his fingers. “I wagered my mother’s necklace, the one Allie is wearing now. I’m not proud of that.” He brushed his fingertip over the sparkling locket where it lay at the base of her throat. Just having his hand that near made her skin tingle. “But it has brought two amazing women into my life, so I cannot regret it.”

  He held out the envelope to Allie. She walked to the fireplace, ripped the paper in half, and flung it into the fire. Turning, she saw the flare-up of the last forfeit throw flickers of firelight on the faces of everyone watching. It was strange on such a warm fall day, but fitting, like a festive bonfire.

  Gavin stretched his hand out to her, palm up, his gesture both commanding and beseeching. She put her hand in his, feeling the power in the fingers he wrapped around hers before he pulled her close to him.

  “You know, the three of you aren’t the only winners,” Allie said, turning against Gavin’s side. “I feel pretty good about the results of this wager, too.”

  Chloe winked. “But we won’t admit that to the guys.”

  Gavin chuckled and turned to Frankie. “I think it’s time to break out the 1928 Dom Pérignon we brought down for the occasion.”

  Frankie bent down, and Allie heard the rattle of ice against metal before the woman held up two dripping bottles of champagne. Gavin took one bottle while Luke took the other, popping the corks almost si
multaneously. Frankie moved the tray of crystal flutes from the credenza to the desk so the men could fill them.

  When Gavin offered her a glass, Frankie shook her head. “This is a moment for just the six of you. I was honored to be the keeper of your wager, but now my job is finished.” With a smile and a wave of her hand, she strode out the door before they could dissuade her.

  When they all had champagne in their hands, Nathan looked at Gavin. “You’re the writer, so you propose the toast.”

  Allie remembered the days when Gavin would have flinched and made a snide remark about his writer’s block. But Christmas Best was finished, and being rushed through production for release this holiday season. Even better, he’d started the next book and had ideas for three more.

  Now he slipped his arm around her waist and stood considering for several seconds before he lifted his glass. “First, I’d like to toast the surprising friendship that began that night at the Bellwether Club. I hate to admit it, but you, my fellow gamblers, have become important to me.”

  Tears welled up in Allie’s eyes as the three men touched their glasses together. She’d come to understand the loneliness they’d all felt at a time when they had reached the height of their success. As they tilted their heads back to drink, she could find nothing of that despair in their faces. Instead, a deep contentment radiated from them.

  Gavin swallowed his champagne. “And I will deny I ever said that.”

  “No one would believe it anyway,” Luke said.

  “Now,” Gavin said, “let us drink to the women who saved us, not just from losing our bet, but from becoming cynical, joyless men who no longer believed in one of the most powerful feelings on earth. When we made our wager, we were bluffing, but our hearts called our bluff.” He lifted his glass. “I most humbly salute Chloe, Miranda, and Allie, the only women in the world who could love us for who we are.”

  After they drank, he raised his glass once more, his face lit by a flashing smile. “A CEO, a quarterback, and a writer walked into a bar . . .”

  Gavin waited for the ripple of laughter to die down before he said, “And they came out better men.”

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  If you enjoyed meeting Claire and Tim Arbuckle from Sanctuary, West Virginia, you might enjoy the book that tells their love story, Take Me Home. Their book is the first in my Whisper Horse series, set in the mountains of West Virginia, and each starring a special horse who will share your troubles to lighten your burden. Every book in the series stands on its own, but if you prefer to read them in order, here it is:

  Take Me Home (Book 1)

  Country Roads (Book 2)

  The Place I Belong (Book 3)

  A Down-Home Country Christmas (Novella)

  By now you may find yourself humming the tune of John Denver’s famous song about West Virginia, “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”

  I hope my whisper horses, and the people they help find love, will bring you much reading pleasure.

  DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  Family is a strong theme throughout the novel, and yet it is seen very differently through Allie’s and Gavin’s eyes. Allie’s mother wrapped her in love and warmth and instilled a love of reading in her, while Gavin’s parents either abandoned or belittled him. How much do you think family shapes us? If Gavin and Allie had grown up in different situations, how would that have changed who they are as people?

  Allie’s cat, Pie, plays a key role in the novel. How do pets affect our daily lives? If you’ve ever had a pet, how has it helped you?

  Gavin has an obsession with “making it right.” While the concept is admirable, do you think this mentality has affected his life in a negative way? Are his Julian Best novels an outlet for his desire for a positive outcome?

  All three billionaires strive to win their wager of hearts by finding women who love them for themselves, instead of their money. What similarities do Chloe, Miranda, and Allie have that allowed them to win the hearts of their men? What draws certain people together, despite substantial differences in social station or monetary success?

  Gavin’s writing has made him rich, but his love of writing isn’t only about the money. Do you have a hobby or creative outlet that you can’t do without? Would you be able to give up your creativity?

  The Julian Best novels are considered commercial fiction, not great literature. Are books like Gavin’s an important part of our culture, or are works of commercial fiction, such as spy novels and romances, just for fun?

  Gavin often misinterprets friendship for pity, and empathy for weakness, so he walls himself off from the people who care about him. What does being a good friend entail? Do you ignore your friends’ flaws, or help them acknowledge them? Would you consider Nathan and Luke the right friends for Gavin?

  Luke, Nathan, Miranda, and Chloe—main characters from the first two books in the series—are featured in this novel. Did you find that their presence enhanced the flow of the story and the series? Do you miss characters after you’ve finished their books?

  Gavin almost loses Allie because he believes Troy and Irene’s story over hers. Can a relationship succeed without a certain level of trust? Was Allie right to leave Gavin to discover the facts for himself instead of trying to explain? Although Allie forgives him for jumping to conclusions and takes Gavin back, does a lack of trust leave lasting scars in a relationship?

  The novel features several strong women, including Allie, Frankie, Jane, and even Irene. What does it mean to be a confident, successful, and independent woman in the world today? Is it considered a positive thing, or are there still some prejudices against take-charge women?

  Allie is a very talented physical therapist, but she struggles to find work until she meets Gavin. Do you believe that “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know”? Or will talent eventually be rewarded, with or without connections?

  Gavin and Allie bond over their less-than-ideal exes, both of whom are actors. Is it true that “artsy” types tend to be more difficult people to live with? Does Gavin fall into that category?

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  This book is especially dear to my heart because Gavin is a writer, as am I, and as are so many of my closest friends. I understand him perhaps better than any other character I have ever written. Therefore, I am especially grateful to all the wonderful people who have contributed to Gavin’s story in so many ways. My deepest gratitude is owed to:

  Maria Gomez, my marvelous Montlake editor, who watches over my books with such care and enthusiasm. She sparkles in every way.

  Jessica Poore, Elise Taubenheim, Kimberly Cowser, and the whole Montlake Author Relations team, who are the most brilliant support group an author could ever ask for.

  Jane Dystel and Miriam Goderich, my amazing agents, who continue to encourage me and help me grow my career. I’m overjoyed to have them in my corner. Yes, Gavin’s agent, Jane, is a tribute to my own wonderful agent (but fictional Jane’s words and actions are all my own inventions, of course).

  Andrea Hurst, my longtime and invaluable developmental editor, who always pushes me, in the nicest possible way, to make my books the best they can possibly be. She made Gavin a better man and Allie a stronger woman.

  Sara Brady and Lea Ann Schafer, my incredible copy editors, who make sure I mind my commas, my antecedents, my timelines, and the thousand other elements that make my prose gleam brightly.

  Jill Kramer, my meticulous proofreader, whose profound knowledge of grammar, spelling, and punctuation awes me more with each book. Her attention to detail is downright superhuman.

  Eileen Carey, my gifted cover designer, who captured Gavin’s dark, brooding—and sexy!—presence so perfectly, and who valiantly revised the design until it was absolutely perfect.

  Martin Duke, PT, for answering my endless questions about physical therapy with such patience, precision, and thoroughness (especially since I originally buttonholed him while he was on vacation). His knowledge and passion for his work are hugely impressive. Any
errors are entirely my own.

  Patti Anderson, expert personal trainer and dear friend, who made sure I kept Gavin’s posterior and anterior deltoids in the right place. Again, all errors are mine and mine only.

  Ellen Gerstner, my much-appreciated fresh eyes, who read the first chapter of this book and generously answered my questions about what information needed to be included for the new-to-the-series reader.

  Cathy Genna, my marvelous, expert assistant, who generously shares her profound knowledge of what readers want and makes my authorial life so much easier in many ways.

  Rebecca Theodorou, sensitive reader, talented writer, and overworked vet student, who created this book’s perceptive, thought-generating discussion questions in order to provoke a lively conversation, whether internal or external.

  Pie, my little gray rescue cat, who graciously allowed me to include her in my story.

  Jeff, Rebecca, and Loukas, who expand my heart in every direction. I love you all very, very much.

  ABOUT NANCY HERKNESS

  Photo © 2015 Lisa Kollberg

  Nancy Herkness is the author of the award-winning Wager of Hearts and Whisper Horse series, as well as several other contemporary romance novels. She has received many honors for her work, including the Book Buyers Best Top Pick Award, the Maggie Award, and the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award, and is a two-time nominee for the Romance Writers of America’s RITA award.

  Nancy graduated from Princeton University with a degree in English literature and creative writing. A native of West Virginia, she now lives in a Victorian house twelve miles west of the Lincoln Tunnel in New Jersey, with her husband, two mismatched dogs, and an elderly cat.

  For more information about Nancy and her books, visit www.NancyHerkness.com.