All In (Casino Nights #2)

by Melanie Jayne

  The sales pitch went on and on. Remy tried to look interested, but the truth was, there were plenty of people who could take over his position. Hell, there were five he could name today that would probably do a better job. This government agency had an overabundance of men and women who were more than qualified to advance, but there were simply too few options for promotion. “I appreciate your confidence in my work, Mr. Zike. But I stand firm. I am leaving, but this is what I’m willing to do—I’ll stay until September first. That’ll give the agency time to find my successor, and I can take care of this special project.”

  Bennett flashed a quick smile. “Thank you for the extra time. I wish it could be more, but a man’s allowed to make up his own mind. I’ll let the necessary parties know.”

  “Thank you.” After shaking hands with the boss, Remy made his way back to his office. Once there, he glanced at his watch. Now was about to be the best part of the day.

  He pulled out his phone and sent Francesca a text. Call in 10?

  A minute later, he felt his phone vibrate. Give me 15. I need to get to my office.

  They had fallen into a schedule for calls, and when their busy days allowed, FaceTime chats. “Fuck,” he grumbled as he adjusted his timetable in his head. He could tie up loose ends in about two weeks here, and then he’d stop in Florida to visit his mother. After that, he could do whatever he needed to do to woo Francesca. He’d known he wanted to call her his woman the first day he’d met her. Sure, he’d been aware of her before, having read a lot about her and The Red Rose Casino, but he hadn’t been prepared for her impact until she’d walked into the his office two years ago.

  He had interviewed Jimmy O’Haire and Francesca, personally, for their application to become casino owners in the state of Indiana. It was part of his job to meet those that might become involved with gaming. His people would forward background checks and the applications that the parties had completed. God, the submitted photo attached to her file had not done her justice. At first sight, he’d been a goner.

  She’d been wearing a purple dress and moved gracefully in her heels, no clomping as so many women who wore killer heels were prone to do. Her brown hair had been in some intricate roll at the back of her head. Francesca had exuded confidence and proceeded to impress him with her intellect. She’d answered every question concisely and with no apparent nervousness, her brown gaze never wavering. Jimmy O’Haire had sat in the conference room chair relaxed, watching her with pride written all over his face. She’d been amazing.

  When the meeting had ended, he’d stood to escort them to the elevator, but the conference room door had stuck. During Francesca’s second attempt to force it open, it gave, and she lost her balance. Remy caught her against him. He ran his hand down her back and grasped her soft hips. Surprisingly, he’d felt a tremor pulse through her body. Even then, it had taken all of his self-control not to wrap her in a tight hug.

  Jimmy O’Haire clearly adored her and respected her intelligence. The file had contained copies of the news clippings telling the story of the attempt on O’Haire’s life that left Francesca’s father dead and her seriously injured. Her mother had abandoned the family right after the baby’s birth, and apparently hadn’t tried to reconnect after the death of her husband. Rose and Jimmy adopted Francesca, and from all indications, loved her dearly.

  After their time together in Chicago, he knew she carried too much weight on her shoulders. She worked too many hours, and her hands-on approach exhausted her. Her father relied on her heavily. The timing wasn’t right to address that problem, not yet. For now, he would be patient and continue getting to know her.

  He checked his watch and hit the button on his phone. It rang twice, and he heard her talking as she picked up his call.

  “Out. This is my time,” Francesca ordered.

  “I do like it when you go all bossy and bark commands,” Remy teased.

  “Yeah, like you would ever let me be the Domme.”

  He loved her voice, it was a deep and smooth, like a good scotch. He felt his cock harden. “We could try.” He leaned back in his chair and loosened his tie.

  “I’ve had a bitch of the day, so I’m hoping that talking to you makes it better.”

  He smiled. “Your day’s just starting. What’s happened to screw with it already?” He knew she kept crazy hours, but she should have been at her office for only a couple of hours.

  “Jimmy’s lost it over this group of Chinese visitors set to arrive in about an hour. He called an emergency meeting. I got a couple of hours of sleep, and I’ve been fighting fires ever since I arrived this morning.”

  “He should know by now that Team 2 has everything well in hand.” He knew that she was proud of her hand-picked team. They were prepared to handle every type of crisis at The Red Rose.

  “One would think, but Jimmy got a call from a connection at the State Department. They want to make sure we’re fully prepared for this contingent arriving today.”

  He smiled to himself and lowered his voice. “It’ll go smoothly, or you’ll see to it that it does.”

  “You say the nicest things,” she said, her voice purring. “Honestly, I can’t wait for them to land and get settled, so that I can grab a cat nap.” She yawned audibly.

  “You’ve been putting in a lot of hours. You need some relaxation and uninterrupted sleep.”

  “Maybe I should take a trip, like to Indiana, a break to get away from this craziness.”

  He smiled at her comment. “The problem with that is, I don’t think there’d be much sleeping.” He had to adjust himself. His zipper was digging into his cock.

  She quickly changed the subject. “Tell me about your day.” “Your bossiness makes me hard, Frankie,” he growled.

  “That came out sharper than I intended.” She sighed. “I told them no interruptions, but I keep thinking someone is going to pound on the door any minute.” She paused, and then spoke softly, “This is the best part of my day.”

  He knew the last part was hard for her to admit. “I miss you,” he murmured, and he meant that.

  “Yeah, me too.”

  “I just got out of a meeting with the big boss, that’s why I’m calling so late.”

  “I figured you were busy. So what did the honorable Mr. Zike have to say? If you can tell me...”

  “He wanted to discuss extending my exit date and assigned me a project. I can’t discuss it.”

  “Got it. Did he offer you more money to stay? I know how good you are at your job, Remy. You’re an asset to the agency, and he has to know that.”

  He grinned because her tone had turned fierce. “Thanks. We agreed to a firm exit date, and he’s clear on that.” Remy felt his body release some of the tension he’d been carrying.

  “I’m happy for you, if you’re satisfied.”

  He grinned. “I am. I just might plan a trip to Vegas to celebrate my retirement.” His cheeks hurt from smiling so much.

  “Sounds...perfect,” she said, her voice huskier now. “Late summer is lovely here—if you like temperatures that make you feel like you are being baked alive. Think you can handle that?”

  “I was in the Gulf, Frankie. I survived that so I think I can handle Vegas.” He tried to keep the terseness out of his voice.

  “Yeah, you can handle it,” she answered quietly.

  “I plan on seducing a casino employee, and hopefully get an upgrade on my room,” he teased. He didn’t like to talk about his time in the Gulf, but he disliked that he had been short with her.

  “I happen to work for a very nice casino with a hotel, and I have a very nice place. Maybe you should try to seduce me?”

  Definitely. “I’m counting down the days until you come back to Indiana. Then I’ll get to the seducing,” he promised.

  “I’m looking forward to that.”

  As he settled deeper in his chair, he could hear the smile in her voice. He yearned to touch her, to laugh with her, and to talk to her. The sex was great, but her i
ntelligence was his favorite thing about her.

  Chapter Two

  Francesca turned on her phone as soon as the plane’s wheels touched the ground. Her heart pounded as she scanned the twelve messages. She tapped on Remy’s first.

  Delayed at work. Will be a little late.

  Perfect, the entire day had been nothing but problems. She had marked herself out last night so that she’d have a full night’s rest to travel on. The plan had gone well until the mayor’s sixteen-year-old son had been found in the one of the casino’s bars, and then he’d gotten into a scuffle with security. She’d had to pull in Jimmy to sort through the mess. Then a freak thunderstorm delayed takeoff, and she’d barely made her connection in Minneapolis. She’d jogged to her gate, and just made it inside before the doors closed. Now Remy was running late. She was bone tired and wanted only to go to bed. To sleep.

  She typed a reply. No problem, I’ll grab a cab and get a room nearby. We can get together tomorrow.

  She rode the escalator down to the lower concourse and looked for the signs for ground transportation. His ringtone sounded. She didn’t even get her words of greeting out before he started.

  “No.”

  She raised her eyebrows. “What do you mean ‘no’?” Who greets someone like that?

  “Frankie, I’m on my way. I’ll be there in seventeen minutes.”

  He sounded curt. Was he pissed? “Look, if you’re busy, I can do this. No problem.” Her heart was racing. She didn’t know if she wanted him to insist or to acquiesce. She was nervous about seeing him again. So many things could go wrong or very right.

  “You sound nervous. Are you nervous?” he asked, his tone teasing.

  It was freaky how well he knew her. “A little,” she admitted.

  “We’ll be fine Francesca, ” he calmly assured her, sounding confident.

  “I hope so,” she whispered, shocking herself with that admission.

  “Sixteen minutes. Stop 1. Be there.”

  “Okay.” Christ, she was walking around with a stupid smile on her face. She was so into this man it was ridiculous.

  She had originally planned to make this trip to visit her birth mother’s family when she had been in Chicago. It only made sense—she was four hours away. After the Blake attack, she flew back home with Rico. Luckily, the land sale could be pushed back to accommodate her schedule, not that she was worried about her investment. The goat farm was a success. Besides taking care of business, she could see Remy. This was a big step for her, an indication of how much she was interested in him.

  When she exited the automatic doors at Stop 1, she spotted the white Explorer and the very handsome man leaning against the front fender. Her heart skipped a beat, and she knew that once again she wore that dorky smile.

  He wore a light blue, button-down shirt, his tie loosened at the neck, and dark gray pants. She bet his suit jacket was thrown in the back seat. The color of the shirt made the golden highlights in his hair more obvious. He also sported aviator-style sunglasses so she couldn’t read his eyes as she approached. “Hey,” she said, sounding breathless to her own ears.

  “Hey, yourself.” He straightened and closed the four steps between them.

  “I decided to stop in the bathroom as soon as I—”

  He cut off her sentence by pulling her into his arms and kissing her senseless. This wasn’t a quick kiss. No, this was hungry and hot.

  A horn honked behind them, causing her to pull away from him. Apparently Remy had no concerns about lingering in the pick-up zone as his arms tightened around her for a brief moment. He gave the driver of the car waiting to pull in behind them a fierce glare and then a low chuckle escaped. He dropped his arms slowly from her back. “Is this all you have?” He lifted her carryon bag and walked to the back gate of his SUV.

  She shrugged. “I’m only here for three days.” She opened the passenger side door and climbed in.

  Remy shut the back gate, and then got in. “I’m not complaining. I figure less luggage—less clothes.” He gave her a leering smile and wiggled his eyebrows.

  She laughed. “That doesn’t even make sense.”

  “Doesn’t matter. Now, I’m half-hard thinking about getting naked with you.” He started the engine and pulled out into the traffic.

  She felt her cheeks heat. “Can you please crank up the air? I’m suddenly really hot.”

  The corner of his mouth twitched. “A meeting ran late, and we need to go back to my place so that I can pack and change. I’m sorry. I thought I’d only be in the office this morning, but Bennett wanted an update, and that became an ordeal.”

  She could tell by the tenseness in his jaw that he wasn’t happy with the last minute meeting. “So, I get to see your place?”

  “You’re lucky the cleaning lady came by yesterday, so it’s still decent.”

  She would bet her plane ticket that his condo was always neat. His SUV didn’t have any trash on the floor, nor did she see any dust on the dashboard. “As long as I’m in Brownstown tomorrow by eleven, my schedule is flexible.” She was to meet her cousin and family for lunch, before seeing the attorney handling the land sale at three. She and Remy had planned to stay that night in a nearby hotel and the next day in Bloomington.

  “Yeah, about that… Since it’s almost five now, how about we spend tonight at my place, and then head south in the morning?” He glanced at her.

  “S-stay at your place?” Duh, she sounded stupid. But suddenly, she felt uneasy, like this was her first overnight with a man.

  “I have a couple of steaks in the fridge. I can make dinner, and we can relax.”

  “You want to cook for me?” Francesca took a deep breath to still the racing of her heart. She was curious about Remy’s place, and to be honest, she was tired of travelling.

  “When we get home, you can change and relax.”

  “I didn’t bring any hanging-out-at-home clothes.” She started running through what she’d packed—Capri pants and a blouse for tomorrow, and then a t-shirt dress for Sunday and her late night flight back to Las Vegas.

  “We’ll figure something out.” He gave her a sexy grin.

  Instantly, she felt her pussy dampen.

  Remy lived in a townhouse about ten minutes from the interstate. It had a patio with a great view of a small lake. He gave her the tour, and then tossed her suitcase on his king-sized bed. “Do you need to hang anything? I’ve got extra hangers in the closet.”

  “No, everything is fine.” She was looking at the framed photos grouped on one wall of his room. His parents at their wedding; with his mom at what she guessed was his college graduation; a group of men in their dress blues. The photo that was in the center of the grouping was of five men in camouflage leaning against a jeep. The same group standing in front of a partially-built deck. They were drinking beer, shirtless, with tool belts around their waists.

  “Can you find me in those pictures?” He had stripped off his dress shirt and was unzipping his pants.

  She turned to answer and paused. Christ, he was naked under his suit. “Wow,” she whispered.

  He grinned at her and moved to his chest of drawers. “What?”

  “I just didn’t expect that.” She motioned her hand in an up and down movement, encompassing his nakedness. “You know, commando.” Her mouth had gone dry. She was a total mess.

  “I like the way it feels.” He took out a pair of gray shorts and pulled them on. He then rummaged through the drawer and located a pair of navy shorts. “These have a drawstring, so they might work for you.” He laid them on top of the chest.

  “Can I borrow a shirt, too?” She watched him open another drawer and paw through the neatly folded shirts.

  He found a red T-shirt and dropped it on top of the shorts. “It’s going to be huge.” He then pulled out a white T-shirt for himself.

  “I’m sure it’ll be fine,” she said faintly, already making plans to take the shirt home with her. She turned back to the photos. “I’ve found you i
n both of these. You’re always in the back row.”

  He moved behind her and pointed to the group of five. “The second guy on the left, he’s the one getting married in a few months. It’s his engagement party in Denver that I told you about.”

  “Will all of you be able to go to the wedding?”

  He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into his body. “I know Bruce invited us all and our ‘plus ones’. I don’t know if Marc,” he pointed to a slender, African-American man, “will make it.” He dropped his chin to her shoulder. “He’s had some problems. He checks out from time to time.”

  She could hear the worry in his tone. “What about the engagement party? That might be a little more relaxed for him.”

  “Marc is going farther and farther off the grid. He’s really good with computers, and when we got back, he studied investing and shit. He’s made a lot of money, or at least I think he has. The last time Trevor saw him,” Remy pointed to another man, “he said he was living in a basement of a house in Detroit, and it looked like he was one of those Doomsday Preppers.”

  “I hope he can make it, and that he’ll be better.” She let her arms rest on top of his, liking the feel of his warm body against her back. Some of her tension eased. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze as they continued looking at the photos.

  “Why don’t you change, and I’ll get us a couple of beers.” He kissed the side of her neck and headed downstairs.

  “Can I take a shower?” she yelled after him.

  “Sure, fresh towels are hanging over the laundry hamper in the bathroom.”

  ***

  Remy pushed back his chair and started to clear the table.

  Francesca waved him away. “I’ll do that. You cooked, so I’ll clean up.” She started to gather the used plates and utensils.