by Cat Miller
“I understand. I’ve already signed.” Everly was getting annoyed. She just wanted to get it over with so she could call Mills and warn him of the danger from the loan sharks their father hadn’t yet admitted to.
“I just want to draw your attention to these additional conditions, Ms. Parker.” Dolce pointed to the section where she was required to have a physical and submit to birth control measures if she wasn’t already protected. She was protected and she knew she was clean. She’d never had sex without a condom. Her time in purgatory, as Dolce had put it, wouldn’t begin until the results of her exam were returned.
“I did see that. I’d like to see Mr. Christianson’s clean bill of health, as well. I’d say I don’t know where he’s been, but I’ve had tour so I do know. It’s only fair.” Everly looked blankly at Mr. Christianson. She’d already signed so it was really too late to think of her own risk now. He could just say no, and she would still go on with the wager.
He searched her eyes for a moment, but she remained blank. Rourke was her role model. Everly would be completely without emotion until she was out of here and on her way home, whether she won or lost. Either way, her family home would be saved. She’d done what she came to do, save her family. That was worth a month in Hell.
Mr. Christianson dragged the original top page over and jotted a short addition to the terms of the wager before initialing the change and sliding it back to Everly.
“Are we ready now?” he asked.
She nodded and fought back nausea.
“Bring me a fresh deck,” Dolce instructed a nearby dealer.
Everly hadn’t noticed the crowd that had gathered during their quiet discussion of the terms, but there were at least twenty bystanders. Dolce opened a deck of cards that were still wrapped in plastic. She began to shuffle the cards. She spoke loudly for the benefit of the audience now.
“We’re playing one hand of blackjack, winner take all, no splitting, no double down.” The cards shifted through Dolce’s hands in a hypnotizing blur of motion.
Everly had no clue what splitting or double down meant so it was a good thing they weren’t options. This was it. She was going to win back her family home no matter what happened next. She took a deep breath and relaxed with the knowledge. Everything was going to be fine.
* * *
Luc watched a deeper calm wash over his opponent as Dolce shuffled the cards. She’d been trying unsuccessfully to look bored since he entered the pit. He’d stolen furtive glances at the woman against his will. His damn eyes wouldn’t stop hunting for her. The Fury looked like a hothouse rose blooming in a sea of weeds. She was dressed shabbily at best, but even the bedazzled ladies watching from the next table paled in her shadow. She was simply an exquisitely lovely woman.
He’d done all he could to scare her off, even going so far as to be sure she saw the seedy side of his establishment. He’d written a downright illegal and degrading wager. But still, she wouldn’t back down. He didn’t know what her motivation could be. He’d expected her to crumble by now. He’d tried to stare her down, but she wouldn’t give. So here they were, playing a hand of blackjack that would gain her nothing whatsoever. He just didn’t get it.
Thoughts of the mother he’d never known and the son-of-a-bitch who’d been his father drifted through Luc’s mind, but he pushed them away. This did not make him like his father. This was nothing like what happened to his mother. Nothing.
Dolce seated herself in the dealer’s position and dealt the first card face down to Everly, the second to Luc. Everly’s face was a mask of indifference. Her father had taught her well. Luc much preferred her animated and hissing at him. The Fury was sexy and frustrating.
He peeked at his card. An ace of hearts. His next card was a six of clubs. With a soft sixteen, he tapped the table with his fist to indicate he wanted a hit. Dolce dealt Luc a four of spades. Simple blackjack strategy dictated his move. He stayed. It was that damn easy. He had blackjack. Without his permission, Luc’s eyes scanned the fiery woman across from him. Even if she had blackjack, he’d have her for a month. They hadn’t set any terms for a tie. Winning was her goal and that’s how the wager was drawn up. If they tied, she still lost, because she hadn’t won outright. He swallowed a sudden lump in his throat. He wanted a taste of the little beauty, that was true, but she already thought he was a monster. She’d think he’d purposely cheated. Why he cared, Luc wasn’t sure. If she didn’t know better than to cover her bases, she shouldn’t be at the table.
Everly also had a six of diamonds. She looked at her cards and over to Luc’s before asking for a hit. Dolce dealt Everly an ace of diamonds. She stayed.
Luc laid out his cards for all to see. Everly blinked slowly a few times before showing her cards. She had a six, a three, and an ace. Twenty. Everly only had twenty. Luc wouldn’t need to worry about a tie. He’d won. He’d won, and she was his for a month. How the fuck had this happened? He’d been in his bed enjoying the company of an uncomplicated female. How had he ended up sitting at the blackjack table? He ran a hand through his black hair.
The assembled crowd had been taking side bets as to who would win. When Everly revealed her cards, a mixture of cheers and disappointed moans rolled through the crowd. Money was changing hands all around. It was a good night. This kind of high stakes game was good for business. So why did he feel like the demon he was named for?
Dolce moved around the table to usher Everly toward the podium to sign the final agreement while the crowd moved in to congratulate Luc on his win. They had no idea what he’d won, or that he’d actually just lost quite a bit in his overly generous wager, but damn it! She was supposed to walk away! She was supposed to tell him to fuck off! Why hadn’t she? What the hell was she up to?
“Congratulations, sir,” Rourke said as they moved away from the table and everyone began drifting back to their own games.
Luc looked at the man who was the nearest thing to a best friend he’d ever had, “Why do I feel like those aren’t heartfelt congratulations, Rourke?”
“I may have been hoping the girl had a little beginner’s luck. She played a good hand. It just wasn’t good enough,” Rourke admitted honestly.
“Beginner’s luck?” Luc halted.
“You didn’t know? I heard her asking the runner what game would be best for a beginner to play. She told him she’d never played cards in her life. He was explaining the rules of blackjack to her. That’s why it took him so long to retrieve the document for Dolce.”
“What?” Luc bellowed the question, and everyone, including the beginner in question, turned to look at him. He hadn’t meant to yell, but for Christ’s sake, didn’t the woman have any sense of self-preservation? He knew now that she must have ulterior motives. No one would risk so much for nothing in return without a reason. He had to figure out what that reason was before it was too late.
FIVE
Everly numbly signed the documents Dolce put before her. She’d lost the game, but damn it, she had won the fucking war. Her brother would keep the house and enough land and cattle to start over. Mills could do it. She knew he could. But how was she going to do what she needed to do?
“Someone bring me some water,” she heard Dolce say. “Have a seat, Ms. Parker.” Dolce guided her to a chair.
“What?” Everly startled when Mr. Christianson shouted. He and Rourke stopped to glare over at her.
“Ignore him, Ms. Parker. He’s probably just learned you aren’t a card shark.”
“Everly. Please call me Everly.”
Dolce patted her shoulder and pressed a bottle of water into her hand. “Drink this, Everly. You must be so upset. I’m sorry the men of this world are such assholes.”
“I’m not a card shark. I’ve never played before,” she admitted sheepishly between sips of water.
“I know, honey. Rourke told me.”
Everly glared over at Rourke who was ushering his boss out of the pit.
“Don’t be angry with Rourke. He wanted me
to be very careful with your paperwork so there was no way either Luc or Dean Parker could contest it later.”
Everly supposed she couldn’t be angry with Rourke for that. Her father would likely contest if he could. It made her look like an idiot though, didn’t it?
“I didn’t know what else to do. My family means everything to me.” Tears filled Everly’s eyes. Now that it was over and she had done what she came to do, the stress and fear were crowding in around her. She’d done the right thing. She’d done the only thing she could do. Now she would pay the consequence. Her mother once told her life was about decisions and consequences. The decisions are easy. It’s the consequences that are a bitch. She’d never really understood that until just then.
* * *
After spending a restless night at The Inferno, Everly was exhausted when Dolce came to take her to the doctor. This was the first condition of her stay with Mr. Christianson. She was required to have a physical and be tested for STD’s. A disbelieving giggle escaped her. She was being examined like cattle at market.
“Are you okay?” Dolce asked as they entered the elevator.
“I don’t know. I really don’t know,” she replied honestly. Dolce gave her a piteous look. Everly hated it. She didn’t like being pitied. She resolved to suck it up. She would get through this without moping or playing the martyr.
They traveled down a few floors and the elevator stopped to admit a Rourke lookalike. The sheer size of the man and the mic tucked in his ear marked him as security. As soon as he saw Dolce, his eyes turned sleepy and hot. He stepped in and immediately into Dolce’s personal space. Everly moved to the other corner. His eyes moved over Dolce’s body possessively, so Everly had to wonder if he was her boyfriend.
“Sweet, sweet, Dolce. Where have you been hiding, my love?” His hand slowly stroked her cheek.
“Did I give permission to touch me, Riggs?” Dolce asked the huge man. She sounded bored, but she didn’t look bored. She looked annoyed. He was clearly not her man.
“I can’t help it, sweet Dolce. Your creamy skin is just so touchable.” He licked his lips and moved in closer.
Dolce was in the corner now. Riggs had her boxed in with his massive shoulders and wide stance. Everly had dealt with her share of pushy cowboys, and she was about to step in and tell the asshole to fuck off when Dolce raised a hand to stop her. She backed up again but watched warily. The elevator was descending. In just a moment, they’d be off and away from the security guard. Everly was going to remember his name and be sure Rourke knew he was harassing Dolce.
“I’ll give you one chance to back up, Riggs. Then I’m going to get angry.” Dolce looked the man right in the eyes. She was a tall woman so it was easy for her. Everly would get a kink in her neck looking up at the jerk.
“Come on, baby. Don’t be like that. This attraction between us is inevitable.” His hand snaked out and cupped Dolce’s neck.
Riggs leaned in as if to kiss her, and Dolce had clearly had enough. She grabbed Riggs by the tie at the same time her knee swiftly rose to strike him squarely in his manhood. She jerked him off balance with his tie and smashed his face into the wall of the elevator. Riggs went down like a ten dollar hooker. He was writhing on the floor cupping his nuts with one hand and his nose with the other.
Dolce leaned over to speak to her victim. “I asked you not to touch me, Riggs. Don’t do it again.” She put her heel in the center of his chest and stepped on him on the way off the elevator. Everly scrambled off behind Dolce, trying not to touch the man on the floor. He was cursing and whining.
“Should we call security? Are you okay?” Everly ran to catch up to Dolce.
“I’m just fine.” Dolce smiled over her shoulder at Everly. “Some men just can’t take a hint, or an outright no. So they have to learn the hard way. Though I doubt he’ll be getting hard for quite some time.”
“Dolce!” Everly was shocked, but she couldn’t hold back her amusement.
“What? It’s true.” Dolce’s smile was wide and unrepentant. Everly liked the woman. She was tough and smart, and she didn’t take any shit. Dolce’s world was a man’s world and she knew how to live in it. “I deal with a lot of very forward men. A girl has to know how to make a point effectively if she wants to live in peace among so much testosterone. Riggs is new, so he had to try me.” She shook her lovely dark head. “Why do all the new guys think they’ll be the one to tame the shrew?”
Laughing, they reached a door in the employee’s only area on the first floor. Everly was surprised to see the sign on the door read Peter Russell, M.D. Dolce pushed through the door and held it open for her. She’d assumed they would be leaving The Inferno to see Mr. Christianson’s physician or maybe Dolce’s. The waiting room was just as elegant and comfortable as the rest of the hotel. There were several people waiting in plush chairs for their turn with the doctor, including a waitress, a show girl in full costume, and a maid still in her uniform. Dolce went to the counter to inform the receptionist Everly was there for her appointment.
“It will be just a moment.” She gestured toward a chair.
“There’s an in-house doctor?”
“Yes, Luc takes very good care of his employees. He provides health insurance, but many of us find it difficult to get to a doctor with our odd hours. Luc hired Dr. Russell to care for employees and any patron who may need medical attention. Our employees keep the doctor busy though. He works two nights a week for the employees who need late appointments. There’s also a physician’s assistant who works when Dr. Russell is off.”
Everly was a little stunned. He had a doctor on staff to care for his employees?
“Is that . . . normal?”
“I don’t believe it is. You’ll find there are many things about The Inferno that aren’t typical. Luc isn’t your average owner.”
“Ms. Parker,” a nursed called her name.
“I’ll be here when you’re done.” Dolce smiled.
Everly got to her feet and moved to the door where the friendly looking nurse in pink scrubs was waiting for her. The sooner this was over with the better.
* * *
Everly admired the painting behind Mr. Christianson’s desk while she waited for him to grace her with his presence. The blindfolded woman was scantily clad in a bustier and stockings. She stood against a grandfather clock with her ankles crossed and her hands behind her back. It was a brooding piece of work that made Everly wonder at the artist’s meaning. To Everly, it said time was blind to the struggles of man. It definitely felt like time was her enemy as of late.
She had a few days before the results of the tests with Dr. Russell would come back. She planned to go home while she waited, if her new master would allow it. She had no clue how she would explain the next month she’d be spending in Hell to her family.
Everly sighed and fell back into the plush leather chair behind the massive desk and stared up at the painting. Maybe Lady Time had some advice she’d be willing to share.
“Please do make yourself at home, Everly,” Mr. Christianson’s smooth voice invited.
Everly cringed. She jumped out of his chair and moved to a seat on the other side of his desk. The amused smirk on his face as he settled into the chair she’d just vacated annoyed her. He was too arrogant and too handsome for any woman’s sanity.
“I’m going home for a few days, Mr. Christianson.” She purposely didn’t phrase it as a question, hoping he wouldn’t argue the point.
“I think you can call me Luc now, since we’re going to be getting so friendly in the near future.” He sat back in his chair and ran his eyes down her body.
Jerk. He was trying to make her uncomfortable. It was working. Two could play that game.
“Luc, huh?” she smirked.
“Yes, Luc. Is that funny?”
“Well you have to admit it’s a bit ironic. Luke the disciple comes to mind, when really Lucifer is far more appropriate considering we’re in Hell, and you’re the king.”
&nbs
p; He said nothing, just glared at her and Everly felt as if she’d actually struck a nerve. He’d likely been putting up with taunting over his name his whole life. Why did that make her feel guilty?
“Not many people know my full name, Ms. Parker. I’d like to keep it that way. Maybe we should stick to formal names if you can’t be an adult.” Ice dripped from every syllable.
She really had upset him, and she felt like the jerk now, but she wouldn’t apologize. They just stared at each other for an uncomfortably long moment until a knock at his door interrupted the silence. She didn’t know what to say to him. She would be leaving and when she returned, she would be his. What else was there to say?
“Enter,” Luc called.
A petite, middle-aged woman pushed open the door. “Yes, sir?”
He gestured toward her. “Everly needs a flight home to Colorado and a return trip in one week. Please take care of that now. I’m sure she’s anxious to see her father,” Luc instructed the woman.
“Yes, sir.” She turned to go, but Everly stopped her.
“That won’t be necessary, thank you,” she told the woman before directing her attention back to Luc. “I prefer to drive. I owe you enough. I’m not adding round trip airfare to the tab.”
He raised a brow at her. She shrugged. “I prefer to drive.”
“Fine. Cancel that, Patrice. I’ll buzz if I need anything else.”
Patrice smiled and swiftly exited the office.
Everly was happy to hear she had an entire week to get things organized at home before heading back to Vegas.
“I’ll just be going then. I’ll report for duty in seven days. I’m sure all of my test results will have returned by then.” She got to her feet and moved to leave. She had to grab her bag from her room and get moving. She’d be getting home very late.
“Are you certain you want to do this, Everly?”
He called her Everly. So he’d decided to let her slide on the Lucifer crack. That was good. She needed to remember not to poke the bear. He could make her time with him unpleasant if she was rude at every turn.