Page 17 of One Night Gamble
He shook his head and straightened up from his relaxed pose. “No. That’s why I’m out here with you. I want you in the role and I want you in my bed, but the two are mutually exclusive. Your job here, if you want it, will require professionalism. You’ll essentially have three bosses. Dare will probably delegate a lot of stuff to Rio. He’s very rough around the edges with no filter, so he usually stays away from the staff.”
“While I’m at work…I’d just be doing my job, right? There’d be no calling me into your office to try any kinky fantasies you have?” she asked.
“Only if you were on a lunch break and it was something you wanted,” he said with a wink. “But seriously. I want you to know that in the workplace we would be nothing more than employer and employee. In the interview, you were polished and professional. I saw the moment you thought about bolting but you stayed and muscled through it. I respect that.”
She shrugged. What could she say to that? “I’m not a quitter. But I don’t want to make things awkward for you, either.”
He put his arms along the edge of the bench and she noticed how careful he was being. Last night she’d seen him out of control only once, and it had been a brief instant when he’d been inside of her. If she hadn’t opened her eyes at that moment, she would have missed it.
She realized how much he concealed from the world. It was probably a smarter way to approach life.
“I promise that if you want the job, I’m not going to be pervy around you and I’m not going to talk to the other guys about anything personal between us.”
She wanted to believe him. But he was a gambler. A poker player renowned for not giving away a damned thing. Was she fooling herself? Was this like when she’d been eight, and she’d believed her dad when he said he’d could double the allowance her mom gave her?
God, she hoped not.
It would truly suck if it turned out she still had the same soft, gullible heart she had as a child.
“If I said yes, I would need to focus on this job. So, no dating. Okay?”
He pulled the dark sunglasses she’d only seen him wear in his promo poster and put them on. “Of course, Brown Eyes.”
He stood up and started to walk away.
“Gambler?”
“Yes?” he asked, looking over his shoulder at her.
“Don’t call me Brown Eyes.”
He laughed, shook his head, and walked away. She just sat there, watching him. She’d just taken a chance. And it wasn’t on the slots or the horses. It was on a man.
What the f—?
But her heart said he was different and she needed this job. She wanted out of Vegas, needed to be free from the chains of her past. And this was the type of high-profile job that would help her make her move. So really, she’d had no choice.
There weren’t many new casinos opening up and the Jokers Wild was her best bet. Now all she had to do was play this through to the end. But she’d have to remember that Casey Waltham was an expert at winning. If he wanted her, he’d have her. So she’d just have to make sure that he was on her side…even though he was with the house. And life had taught her that the house always won.
Chapter Six
Talia showed up for her first day at work in the most professional outfit she could put together, thanks to Gran. She wore a “classic” black shift dress and a string of pearls. Gran had tried to convince her to wear her hair up, but she took a glance in the mirror and realized that Gran was making her look like Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffany’s. She had kissed her grandmother on the cheek and left the house wearing her one good pair of pumps, with a cardigan in her bag in case it got cold.
And now she was sitting in the employee parking garage, staring at herself in the mirror. Her stomach was a knot of nerves, and she’d been trying to come up with a credible reason why she shouldn’t just turn and run.
But, frankly, she had no choice. She still had a huge balloon payment to make to a loan shark on Gran’s home in less than six months. Thank God, it was the last of them. So she was close to getting her grandmother back her house and paying off her dad’s final debt.
Her phone pinged, and she glanced down.
Unknown Number: It’s Casey. Why are you sitting in your car? Come up to my office for coffee so we can discuss the social media plan.
She saved the number, marking the contact as Mr. Waltham. After all, he was her boss. She was going to keep it professional all the way.
Talia: On my way.
She got out of the car and started walking toward the bank of elevators that led up to the casino and the floors that housed the employee offices. Her heels echoed as she walked through the sparsely populated area. Adjusting the strap of the messenger bag she’d chosen to carry today, she reminded herself that there were cameras everywhere in Vegas. She knew he’d be watching her, so she needed to seem like she had her shit together.
She got on the elevator, pressed the button for the executive office floor and then turned around to look at the mirror wall at the back. She smiled at herself, then felt silly, so she looked away. The doors opened on the executive floor and she stepped off onto a thickly carpeted hall that had a repeating pattern of playing cards that led toward a reception desk.
