“So, a total noob on my hands.” Her smile widened. “That’s alright; I’m sure you’ll learn quick!”
A deep breath passed through my lips, looks like she wasn’t going to be a bitch. Thank God. She stepped away from the bar. “Come on, I’ll show you the ropes. Dean will be in to check on us in an hour or so—he always does it.”
Melina and I spent three hours together, and like she predicted, Dean did show up about an hour into it. I still couldn’t get a read for the kind of relationship they had, as far as I could tell they had some sort of deep connection, be it friends or lovers I wasn’t quite sure, but they had inside jokes, and the way they smiled at each other gave me the idea that there were feelings there. Dean seemed impressed when he came to see how things were going, whether she was lying or not I’m not sure, but Melina said I was better than anyone else she’d trained here since they’d come to town—and I couldn’t help feeling good about that, and with the promise I’d be in the next morning to start my first official shift. Melina would still be keeping an eye on me, but I’d mostly be working by myself unless I needed help.
With a wide grin, I slipped out of my uniform, tucked it into my oversized purse and made my way out to the parking lot. By now the sun was beginning to set, but it was still a warm day, all in all. The air was dry and humid, but it was better than some past days this week.
My car was parked at the back of the parking lot just like we’d agreed on, and God it felt good to see that car.
I tossed my purse into the passenger seat and pressed a button before circling around to the front of the car and lifting the hood.
My little 1999 Ford Escort was getting old and had a leak I couldn’t afford to fix, so I just had to make sure the oil was topped up.
“Is everything alright?”
I spun to face him. Dean stood there watching me carefully.
“Oh.” I felt a flush rise to my cheeks. “Yes. I just wanted to check my oil before getting on the road.”
“You really should do that when it’s warm.”
“I was banking on it still being warm from when my friend drove it here.”
His eyes sparkled, but he didn’t say anything. Why? What was he going to say? He glanced behind me at my beaten up little car. “She looks like she’s been through a lot.”
It wasn’t that she was dented or anything, hell the paint was even in reasonable condition considering it was Vegas, but she was old and faded, and I probably drove her too much.
“She’s been around for a long time.”
It always took guys off guard when I referred to my car as ‘she’; it’s like it’s a man only kinda thing and whenever a girl does it they are shocked. Honestly, it’s not that I’m super into cars or anything, I just spent a lot of time in the garage with my dad when I was little.
“So you’re alright? You don’t need me to give you a ride anywhere?”
“I’m fine, but thank you for asking.”
“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then.” He smiled before turning on his heels. My jaw dropped as I saw the car he was heading towards. Red, sleek, and the kind of car that guys only dreamt about. One day I’m going to get a better look at that, I promised myself before turning back to my green Escort.
“Don’t worry Jade,” I cooed to the car as I walked to the back seat and pulled the oil out. “I still love you.”
I was thankful no one was around to hear me talking to my car.
Chapter Two
“So, how did it go?” Katie didn’t bother knocking on the door anymore.
“It wasn’t bad actually.” I grinned thinking about my day. It had been good honestly.
“So, get to spend much time with your hot boss?” She wiggled her eyebrows dramatically.
“No,” I snapped. I shouldn’t have told her how hot he was, but I mean she was going to find out sooner or later so it didn’t really matter. Eventually, she’d see a picture of him. “I trained with some girl today …” I paused. “I think they might be together.”
Katie made herself at home, flicking the kettle on and rummaging through my cupboards for my mint hot chocolate, her favorite flavor that I made.
“What makes you think that?”
“He brought her from New York first of all.”
“Oh, yea that could be a good sign.”
“And I don’t know … it’s the way they look at each other.”
Katie grinned as she caught my eye. “You sound jealous.”
I snorted. “Jealous?” Why would I be jealous?” I mean sure, no one liked being around a couple of love birds, and that had felt pretty awkward, but it wasn’t that big a deal. “I don’t need to be jealous; she’s the one who has issues if she’s dating him. I bet girls just throw themselves at him every second they can.”
“What about you?” Katie grabbed the kettle just as it popped, and she poured boiling water into the mug waiting for it.
“What about me?”
“Are you going to throw yourself at him?”
I laughed.
“Of course not. You know I don’t date my bosses.”
No matter how drop dead sexy they were.
***
“Is there anything else I can do for you?”
Her name was Natalie. She had long blonde hair and brown eyes with super thick lashes that moved up and down as she battered her eyelids.
“No, thank you.” Dean smiled softly. It looked like he was trying to pretend he couldn’t tell she was hitting on him.
I stood there trying not to laugh. He caught my eye, and I went still praying he hadn’t noticed my amusement.
“Alright, but if you ever need me, just let me know.”
“I’ll be sure to send Melina to get you if I ever need you.” He made sure to emphasise the same word she did.
The smile vanished from her face as soon as he turned and headed out of the room.
I tilted my head to the left. Was that him making it clear him and Melina were together? I still hadn’t gotten a read on that situation.
The girl turned to me and smiled. “We’ve kinda got a thing going,” she said as if she owed me some sort of explanation.
“You do?” I tried not to laugh at her.
“I mean, not really. Not yet. I’ve been flirting with him since he got here.” She lowered his voice. “He has a reputation for not dating co-workers.”
“So why are you flirting with him?” If he didn’t like date co-workers …
I didn’t want to admit just how happy that made me. I swallowed, pushing the thought away. I wasn’t going to bring up the past. Not now, not here. This was a fresh start for me.
Okay, maybe I hadn’t been totally honest about my past job experience, but I had been honest about the job experience that I’d given him—you know, in case he checked into it.
“Because ...” the girl rolled her eyes like it was a stupid question, “... boys always want what they can’t have.” It sounded to me like she was the one who wanted what she couldn’t have. I opened my mouth to say it, but she cut me off before I could even start. “I mean, if he really didn’t want to date his employees then he’d have some sort of written contract, right? It would be against the rules. I’ve looked. It’s not.”
“Really?”
“Really.” She nodded gleefully.
My brow furrowed. “What do you think his relationship with Melina is?” I asked as I stepped away from her. At this time of day, there were a few people sitting at the slot machines, but Natalie and I had lost a game of rock, paper, scissors and ended out back here while two other girls were getting the tips from them.
“I’ve heard they are just friends.”
“Is that what you actually think?” I raised an eyebrow. “I mean, have you seen the way he looks at her?”
Okay, maybe I was pushing buttons, but I just wanted to get someone’s opinions, and I knew Natalie had been here since they opened.
“I don’t know.” She bit her lip as she thought about it. “I
mean, they do sometimes seem to leave together… but I mean they did come here together… I just figured they were keeping each other company.”
I shrugged. “It would make sense. I mean, I doubt they really have friends here, and that’s gotta be hard.”
It seemed pretty clear to me that Natalie had no idea what their relationship was, so there really wasn’t any point in talking to her about it any further.
She glanced down at her watch. “Oh good, only a couple more minutes and then we can get out of here.”
We didn’t talk much for the rest of the shift, and just like everyone else there, I was quick to change out of my uniform and get out. But still, I was one of the last ones actually out of the casino after my shift was done. Heading back to the parking lot, I caught sight of a shiny red car I’d promised myself I’d get closer to. My head tilted to the left. That hadn’t been there when I parked this morning. I would have remembered that.
Despite the fact I’d promised myself a closer look, I didn’t go over and check the car out. Instead, I just went over to my little car and slipped into the driver’s seat, grabbing the keys from my purse.
I groaned as the engine turned over and failed.
“What’s wrong?” I whispered, popping the hood, stepping out of the car and making my way around to the hood. Not really being all that good with cars and knowing just the basics, there was no point in me even looking at it. But I still tried.
My brow furrowed as I looked at the engine block and let out a sigh.
Pushing myself away from the car, I went back to the driver’s side door that was still open, reached in, and grabbed my cell phone from my purse. I heaved another sigh as I opened it and found the number for a tow truck.
“Everything alright?”
I smiled as I looked up at Dean. “My car won’t start.”
“Oh shit, I’m sorry. Do you know what’s wrong with it?”
“Not a clue,” I admitted as the phone rang and I lifted it to my ear. “One sec.” He nodded.
“Hello, Jay’s Auto Shop. Jay speaking.”
“Hi, I um … my car won’t start, and I was hoping I could get a tow.”
“Sure, what’s the address?”
I gave him the address, and he said that he’d be there in a few minutes. Hanging up, I dropped the hood of my car and planted my butt on it.
“You don’t have to stay here,” I said as Dean came over to the hood and sat beside me. “I don’t mind waiting alone.”
“I know I don’t have to stay, but I don’t mind.” He shrugged. “Anyways, you’ve got to get home somehow, don’t you?”
“I can just bus.”
“Don’t worry about it. I can take you.” He gave me a soft smile. “Remember, I know where you live anyways.”
“Still, I’m sure you have a hot date or something.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Jealous?”
I knew better than to answer that question. I grinned. “Natalie might be.”
Dean groaned. That just made me laugh.
“She has hit on me every day since she was hired.” He sounded like he was confessing something to me. “I’m not sure how much longer I can take it, honestly.”
That just made me laugh more, even though I knew it shouldn’t. “Why not just fire her?”
“She’s a good worker; I don’t think it’s fair that I fire her just because I’m not interested in sleeping with her.”
“She doesn’t seem to realize you’re not interested. It’s like she thinks you’re playing hard to get or something.”
“She’s not really my type.” He shrugged.
“What could you not like about her?” Sure she was super flirty, but she was pretty. Any guy would love to have her flirt with him.
Dean turned to me. “Why do you think she wants to date me?”
You’re hot?
I didn’t dare say it out loud. “She didn’t say.”
Dean laughed, though it sounded dry and a little bitter. “I own four casinos; I know the type. She wants to get on my good side so she can live some jet set life she thinks I lead.”
“You mean you don’t?”
“Live some jet set life? I’d say I live a pretty normal life, honestly, not the kind of life girls like her want. And there is nothing wrong with them wanting it—but I can’t provide it for them. Well, I can, but I won’t.”
“You don’t like gold diggers.” I nodded. It made sense, but that didn’t answer the question I really wanted to know. Were him and Melina an item? The longer I didn’t know, the more I wanted to.
“I’m guessing you don’t like men who take advantage of you, right?” I didn’t really need to answer his question. “It works for some people, not for me.” He shrugged. “Oh, looks like you’re saved.”
I looked over to the entrance of the parking lot to see a tow truck coming towards us.
As it came to a stop I pushed myself away from the car and made my way over to it.
“Hi,” I held my hand out to shake his. He looked down at it for a couple seconds then shook. “I was hoping you could just take it to the shop.”
“Alright.” He nodded. “We’ll include it in your bill. And we should call you in a few days to give you an idea of that, sound good miss?”
“Sounds perfect.” I handed over my keys and felt something hot against the small of my back.
My heart caught in my throat.
“Ready to go?” Dean asked, standing beside me.
“Uh, yea.”
His hand was still on my back as we made our way to his car.
My fingers ran over the sleek red paint as I walked around the front, stopped in the center of the car and dropped down to look at the horse on the grill. Not the kind of horse that’s on a Mustang. No. The kind that is on a Ferrari. I swallowed dryly.
I was about to get into a Ferrari. My heart skipped a beat as I forced myself to stand up and walk to the passenger side door. Closing my eyes, I resisted the urge to squeal as I opened the door and stared at its gorgeous interior. Leather, wood, and shiny black. It was a dream. But it was the steering wheel I stared at. With the classic Ferrari symbol on the hood.
Dean sat in the driver’s seat and gunned the engine. We sped out of the parking lot—or maybe we didn’t speed, and I just felt like we were because I was in a mother fucking Ferrari.
“So, how are you enjoying work?” he asked as we made our way out to the street. “And uh, it would probably be best to tell me how to get there; otherwise, we’ll be driving all night.”
I grinned. “Go left up here.” I pointed to the set of lights coming up. “And it’s good. You’ve got some great people there. Despite the fact, one of them seems to want nothing but to sleep with you.”
“She works hard; I’ll give her that.”
“You mean she works hard trying to sleep with you, or at her job?”
Dean laughed softly. “Both.” He paused. “So, something I wanted to ask you.”
“Shoot.”
“I know you gave me that good line about why you wanted to work at the casino, but we all know the truth. Money.” I swallowed dryly. “What’s the real reason? What do you want to pay for?”
I stared at him for a couple seconds. He didn’t sound angry or anything, just rational.
“What gave it away? Was it too perfect?”
“No.” He laughed. “I just know that’s the reason everyone wants to work there, it’s not like it’s a stepping stone job unless you’re hoping to get into the casino business.”
“I’m not,” I said quickly. Honestly, that was the last thing I wanted to do. “College.”
That was what I wanted.
“Really?”
“Yup. The reason everyone my age seems to need to work.” I stared out the window. Years of work to pay for college, but it would be worth it when I could finally work for myself, right?
Of course.
***
“Turn right. It’s the second house on the lef
t.”
I nodded as I took the turn, came to a stop in front of the apartment and looked it up and down; it was actually kind of nice. I’m sure the rent was a bitch on it, even though it wasn’t that nice. Although it looked a little outdated and small, the building looked well-kept and the lawn looked like it was taken care of. I was even sure I saw a small garden out front.
I turned the engine off but left the keys in the car as I opened my door and stepped out. I circled around the back of the car and met her just as she was getting out. It was stupid, and I knew that, but I wasn’t sure what else to do. There was something about this girl that peaked my interest. Maybe it was that she didn’t hit on me—or that I wouldn’t mind if she did hit on me. Maybe it was that she found it amusing when Natalie hit on me, or that she hadn’t bashed Natalie for hitting on me.
There was something about her that was different than most of the other girls. Now I understood why Melina liked her so much. I grinned as we headed back around the rear of my car. Rebecca stared at it as if trying to memorize every detail, and for the first time since I bought it, I was glad it was impressing someone.
I let her lead the walkway up to the building. It looked like it was pretty new, maybe 2006-sh, a split and even had a porch.
“Is that your garden?”
“Yup, I like to eat veggies, and I love strawberries, but my money can go hella further if I don’t buy too many fruits, especially out of season. So I grow ’em and stock up.” She grinned a little. “Well, I try. I kinda suck at it.”
I laughed. See, that was something I liked about her. A girl with a good sense of money. I gave myself a mental rebuke. She was one of my employees.
I wasn’t flat out against dating employees, but I did try to avoid it. I’d seen how it affected relationships with workers.
“I guess I shouldn’t swear in front of you, eh? You being my boss and all.”
“I won’t give you trouble, as long as it’s not at anyone in the casino.”
“I’ll try to behave. Promise.”
“Melina says you’re going to be good at the job.”
She paused as she reached into her purse. “I’ll try my best.” She smiled.
The Billionaire's Casino - The Complete Collection: Billionaire Romance Box Set Page 2