Page 14 of One Night Gamble
And normally, she didn’t. But Casey… He had those gorgeous eyes, and a body that was made for sin. But he’d been so tempting, and she was so tired of this careful life she was living.
She glanced at the door and thought about running. He arched one eyebrow at her, almost as if he was daring her. But what did he want her to do? Leave? Stay?
She thought of all the things she’d managed to do in her short life, things that might have broken another woman. Like working out a deal with a loan shark to save her grandmother’s home, and going to college at night to finish her degree while working two crappy jobs to make the payments.
Casey was just a one-night stand. Nothing more. But this was her future and she wasn’t about to walk away.
He was very professional during the meeting. She had to give him that. In no way did he indicate that he’d seen her naked the night before, or that she’d kissed every inch of him.
Seeing him in his suit and tie made her realize that he was the full package. And of course, now that she knew his full name, she might have been able to guess at who he was. But he always wore dark shades and a hoodie pulled up around his face during all of the high-stakes matches he’d played. In fact, his promo picture had him posed that way.
So, in a way, it wasn’t her fault.
Ugh.
Now she sounded like her dad, justifying the bad decision she’d made.
“Ms. Spencer?”
“Hmm?” she asked. Was it a rule that all three of the men who owned the casino had to be hot? One of the other partners spoke to her. He had close-cropped hair and eyes that were an icy shade of blue. Dressed all in black, he had a quiet presence about him. Him she knew. If she’d met him in a club, she wouldn’t have slept with Nicholas because his posters actually showed his face.
“We were wondering what ideas you had about building a community aside from the typical gamer rewards,” Nicholas asked.
She got a hold of herself. She was going to get this job. “Well, I’d start by reaching out to other established fan bases, like the magic community and the motocross community. We’ll want to offer them something other than just gambling, because for a lot of them, a Vegas vacation includes their families.”
“Good. I like that,” Nicholas said.
“I like that as well. Darien wants to set up a mid-morning session for anyone interested in learning how the stunts are done, and we are in talks with our insurance company as to how to do it. But we might be able to work with you on that project as well,” Rio Mitchell said. Rio had been introduced to her as Darien’s younger brother.
He was skinny and had the look of someone who hadn’t yet matured into their body. His face was lean and he had a boyishness about him when he smiled.
“Sounds great. This type of community building is something I am really good at,” Talia said. She’d worked as an intern last year for one of the biggest social media marketing firms in the country and had learned a lot from the experience. She planned to use everything she had to get this high paying job.
They continued to question her and she answered everything they threw at her. When the interview was over, Ms. Adana, the hiring manager, escorted her back downstairs. Talia handed over her security badge and thanked her for the interview.
“We will be in touch in the next few days. Everyone wants to move quickly on this and it’s in your favor that you can start as soon as we need you,” Ms. Adana said.
“Thank you. I look forward to hearing from you,” Talia said.
Ms. Adana went back to her office, and Talia turned to leave, not lingering in the hotel lobby section of the casino or glancing at the rows of slot machines just off the lobby. She just needed to get outside so she could breathe. She hadn’t been aware of how tense she’d been until she stepped out into the July Nevada heat and took a deep breath.
She wasn’t getting this job. She knew it now. There was no way that Casey was going to approve hiring someone who had hooked up with him at a night club.
She wouldn’t hire her, either.
She wasn’t interested in getting back in her hot car and driving over to see her Gran, so instead, she walked toward the garden exhibit that was at the back of the Jokers Wild Casino. It was a large hedge maze that changed daily. It was one of the things that appealed to her most about working for the casino. The Jokers Wild wasn’t just about gambling—not that the other casinos and hotels in Vegas were, either. They all seemed to pull out the stops to ensure that they were reaching the largest possible audience.
The maze was just one of the things she liked. It was indoors, but it seemed like it was outside. The air conditioning was a welcome relief as she walked through the maze. It was quiet at this time of day.
She found a bench nestled in between the hedges and sat down. It was time to come up with plan…what was she on now, plan Z? It seemed like every time she really felt that she had an opportunity, it fell through.
“Mind if join you?”
Casey.
Mr. Waltham.
“Sure,” she said.
