Read the book: «Their Million-Dollar Night»
“You Are A Beautiful Woman.”
Max’s words hurt in a way he couldn’t understand—and she dared not explain. At one time, she’d have tossed her hair and given him a smile that would have brought him to his knees. But now…
“Not anymore.” She couldn’t believe those words had escaped. “How long will you be in Vegas?”
“Long enough to convince you that you are beautiful.” He took her hand in his, his thumb stroking over her knuckle.
“That’s not why you came,” she said, telling herself he was here for the Vegas allure. The mindless flirting, the hours of gambling.
“My plans have changed.”
Their Million-Dollar Night
Katherine Garbera
MILLS & BOON
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KATHERINE GARBERA
is the award-winning, bestselling author of more than twenty books for Silhouette and has been nominated for Romantic Times BOOKclub’s career achievement awards in Series Fantasy and Series Adventure. Katherine recently moved to the Dallas area, where she lives with her husband and their two children. Visit Katherine on the Web at www.katherinegarbera.com.
This book is dedicated to two of my cousins—Annette Queck, who is like my mom’s twin! And Michelle Griffin, who is like my sister. Thanks for making my summer trips to New Jersey so memorable. First as a teenager when we spent tons of money on the midway rides in Point Pleasant. Then as an adult when we went gambling in Atlantic City and certain ones of us had to lie about our ages. Finally as a parent when we sat on the beach huddled in sweatshirts (us Floridians aren’t used to a cold breeze at the beach!) watching our kids play together in the surf.
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
One
Roxy O’Malley stared critically at the body in the mirror. For the first time in her life she was embarrassed by how she looked. She skimmed her gaze and her hands down the tight Spandex running bra that ended just below her 36DD breasts. That part wasn’t bad.
Always when she got this far, she wanted to stop. She wanted to pretend that the last three months had never happened. Pretend that when she glanced lower all she’d see was the smooth skin of her midriff and stomach. Pretend that her life and what she knew about herself were still true.
She closed her eyes for a brief second, her hand going to her stomach. The ridges of the scars weren’t rough against her fingers, but she thought they should be. The texture was different—foreign—and Roxy O’Malley, who’d once been called the most gorgeous bod on the Vegas strip, glanced down at the three scars. Three of them. One would have been bad enough, but three?
“Hey, sexy lady! Admiring the view?”
Roxy glanced over her shoulder at her boss and friend Hayden MacKenzie. She forced a cheerful note into her voice. “Hi, Hay! What’s up?”
Hayden was a tall, good-looking man with dark hair and piercing blue eyes that always made Roxy feel like he could see straight to the heart of her vulnerabilities.
Quickly she dropped her hand and picked up the T-shirt she’d left draped on the back of the weight machine. She couldn’t look him in the eye until she covered up. She would have turned away from him for privacy, but her back was worse than her stomach. Alan Technety had made sure of that. Because she’d broken up with him, he’d decided to make sure no other man would want her.
He’d also ensured she’d never dance again by cutting her so deeply on her left leg that he’d damaged the muscles and tendons. She couldn’t even walk without a limp, which was worse than having the scars. Her body, which she’d always counted on, the one thing in her life that she’d always been able to control, was now out of her control.
Alan had done better than he could have expected. He’d made it so she didn’t even want herself anymore. And her face had never been her vanity—Alan had known that and had focused instead on the lean dancer’s body that she’d kept honed and in top form through careful diet and exercise.
“I need a favor, but only if you feel up to it,” Hayden said.
“Okay, what do you need?” She walked to the small refrigerator in the employees’ gym that held bottles of sports drink and water. It was only five o’clock in the morning. Normally Roxy was completely alone in the gym. She was surprised to see Hayden down here so early. The newlywed was besotted with his new bride and everyone in the casino knew Hayden and Shelby had a ritual breakfast every morning.
“Well, I want you to stop dealing,” he said.
She froze. For the last month, since she’d been off on medical leave, Hayden had assigned her to work at the blackjack tables. Dealing wasn’t really her thing, but she could do it—and she couldn’t go back to headlining the European-style revue in the main theatre of the Chimera Resort and Casino. Being a dealer was a bit of a struggle, because she was on her feet all day and thanks to her leg injury, standing was a pain. Literally. But there was nothing else for her to do at the casino and living off charity—even Hayden’s disguised charity—by taking an extended leave of absence was something she couldn’t tolerate.
“I can’t dance. You know I can’t have another surgery for six months…”
Hayden put a hand on her shoulder and turned her around to face him. “I’m not asking for that, Rox. I want you to be one of my VIP hostesses. Entertain the high rollers, keep them happy and in the hotel.”
She glanced up at him, feeling like a fool. She never reacted the right way. It was just like old Ms. Wiggins had said back at the group home. Blood always tells. And Roxy O’Malley’s blood, much as her name implied, didn’t include a pedigree worth mentioning.
She stepped away from Hayden, walking carefully so that the limp wouldn’t be obvious. He was always treating her like she was his kid sister, and there was a part of her that wanted to be his kid sister.
“When would I start?” she asked, grabbing a towel from the floor and draping it over her neck.
“Tonight.”
“Who will I be accompanying?”
“Max Williams. He’s a good friend of mine and I think you’ll enjoy his company.”
“That doesn’t really matter, Hay. I’m going to be working with him, right?”
Hayden shrugged.
“Please tell me you’re not setting me up with him.”
“I’m not. This is a legit job. But if you like him…”
“Hayden MacKenzie, matchmaker. There’s something very wrong with this picture,” she said. But deep inside, she was touched. “I think I’ll stick to the job.”
“Okay. I’ll have Kathy send you his information. I’ll need to see you in my office at three. We’ll meet Max in the lobby when he arrives.”
She nodded and Hayden started for the door. “Does he know about me?”
Hayden paused. “What do you mean?”
She wanted to chose her next words carefully but the only ones in her head were blunt and honest. “That I was a topless dancer who was attacked by a crazy man.”
She knew her words came from old criticisms that she’d thought she was past. But her new scarred body had left her vulnerable in a way she hadn’t realized she could be.
Hayden came back to her, put his hand on her shoulder again and didn’t speak until she looked up and met his clear steady gaze. “Roxy, you were the headliner in a highly regarded show. I don’t gossip about my employees.”
She saw something more than the truth in his eyes and it warmed her in a way that she couldn’t explain. But no man had ever really offered help to her and she didn’t trust it. “I know. But I also know Max is your friend.”
“Even to my friends.”
She nodded and he left. She slowly made her way out of the gym and into the employee locker room. She couldn’t shower here. Couldn’t take the chance that another woman would come in and see her scars. She always went back to her condo on the other side of town to clean up. When she’d been the star of the revue, she’d had a private dressing room with her own shower. But not anymore.
She thought about what Hayden was offering her. It was a good job. One that would require her to be charming, funny, entertaining—all the things she used to be, but wasn’t sure she was anymore.
Max Williams was tired and frustrated with the businessmen he was dealing with. Each time he negotiated with them and came close to sealing the deal, they came up with another item that had to be settled before they would sell to him. The latest hiccup appeared to be the fact that he was a bachelor and married to his job.
Duke, his right-hand man, had suggested that Max take a break, leave Vancouver and go to Vegas for a few days and let him handle this latest setback.
Max had agreed, even though Vegas didn’t hold the same charm for him that it always had. With two of his closest friends recently married, Vegas was no longer the bachelor playground that it used to be. At least not for him, the only single guy in a group of besotted fools.
Every time he turned around lately it seemed that marriage surrounded him. It was the reason Harron was stalling on closing the merger deal, and it was the reason his friends were no longer available for all-nighters.
His father, the five-times-married Harrison Williams, IV, had said marriage was the ultimate match in the man-versus-woman game. And only the player with the most cunning survived. Max wasn’t interested in negotiating as hard in his relationships as he did in his work, so he’d always steered clear of those types of entanglements.
The limo pulled to a stop in front of the elegant facade of the Chimera’s hotel. Max made no move to leave the vehicle. He scowled and cursed under his breath, then forced the social mask he always wore into place, that mix between interest and confidence that his mother said every successful person should always portray in their smile. He forced that look onto his face just as the chauffeur opened the door. Max stepped out and walked confidently past all the tourists, gamblers and celebrities milling there.
A rock guitarist stood in the middle of a group of fans, minor celebrities and photographers.
As soon as Max entered the air-conditioned comfort of the lobby, Hayden MacKenzie strode over to him. They shook hands and then hugged each other quickly. Max let his smile drop and a bit of his frustration show on his face.
“Glad you’re here. Shelby is, too. You’re invited for dinner tonight.”
“Thanks. I think I have an appointment in the high-stakes gaming room, so I’ll have to pass.”
“When are you going to have time for anything besides business and gambling?”
Max rubbed the back of his neck. “Not any time soon.”
Hayden put his hand on Max’s shoulder and Max let the bond of their long friendship ease some of his tension. “So where’s Jack?”
“I’ve got someone new for you this time. She’s really great and I think you’ll like her.”
“Does she have a nice personality? Am I supposed to bring a rose so she’ll recognize me?”
“She’s your hostess.”
“Then why does it sound like you’re setting me up?”
“I don’t know. Maybe I am. I like both of you, and you’re both…”
“Don’t go there. I’m here to gamble and that’s it.”
Hayden nodded. “I thought you’d feel that way. Let me introduce you to Roxy O’Malley.”
Hayden turned and gestured to a stunningly gorgeous blonde. She was the embodiment of everything that was feminine and seductive. She took one step toward them, carrying herself with grace. Her second step faltered, and he noticed she had a limp.
He also noticed the frustration that passed briefly over her face.
“Roxy, this is Max Williams. Max, Roxy O’Malley.”
Max reached out automatically to take her hand and forced his genial smile back onto his face. He’d been told by his second stepmother, Andrea, that he had the sweetest smile. Duke assured him that was not the case unless one was blind. There were too many teeth in Max’s smile to miss the resemblance to a shark. But then, Duke wasn’t a woman.
“Pleasure,” he said. But the rest of his words stuck in his throat. Her hand was smooth and cold in his. And when he glanced into her eyes, he saw how nervous she was. She was stunningly beautiful and her body was built to make a man think of long nights and slow loving.
He held her hand longer than he knew was polite, rubbing his thumb over the back of her knuckles until a faint blush stole over her cheeks.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Williams.”
“Call me Max.”
“Max. I’m Roxy.”
“I’ll leave you two to it then,” Hayden said and then left.
She tugged on her hand and he let her go. “Your luggage is being taken up to your suite. Do you want to stop up there first or head straight to the casino?”
“I want…” you, he thought. But knew better than to say it. He didn’t understand it, this wild attraction to her. And it was wild. He didn’t do lust at first sight. He had never had any problems controlling his reactions to any woman. Why her?
“Yes?”
“To head to the casino,” he said at last. Other than sitting in the boardroom and negotiating a takeover, there was nothing else he liked as much as playing the odds at the poker table.
She smiled at him. “Then let’s go play.”
“What do you think my game is?”
“Poker. And it was your game long before the current Texas Hold ’Em craze that’s sweeping America.”
He was surprised she’d guessed it. But then he knew better than to judge a book by its cover. How many times had he been mistaken for a rich brat of a man who never worked a day in his life? Okay, so, not often, but it had happened.
“Don’t be impressed. I read your file before you arrived. You won close to $50,000 last time you were at the poker tables.”
“What else did you read about me?” he asked, wondering what was in his file. He wasn’t concerned. Hayden kept stats on all the high rollers who came into the casino, even his friends.
She tipped her head to the side and her long hair brushed against her neck. He wondered if it was as soft and silky as it looked. “I can’t tell you that. You’d know all my secrets.”
He caught her hand and pulled her to a stop. Damn, she had the softest skin he’d ever touched. “All of them? I doubt that. I’d only know the ones about myself. And technically, those aren’t yours.”
He was flirting, and he hadn’t done that in a long time. The fatigue that had dogged him for the last few weeks melted away when she smiled and slipped her arm through his, leading him into the poshest section of the casino. The dinging bells and whistles of the main casino floor faded as they stepped into the high-stakes room.
She paused in the doorway, and Max realized that she must be new to the VIP hostess thing, because she pulled them into a quiet corner instead of urging him to the table.
“Do you really want to know my secrets?” she asked, her voice dipping low and sounding sensual, husky.
Yes, he thought. But didn’t say it out loud. He didn’t know why he was reacting so strongly to her but knew that he wasn’t himself and he needed to get back on track. He wasn’t looking for another affair. In fact, he was damned tired of them. And right now he needed just to play.
When he said nothing, she flushed and moved away from him. “Sorry if that was too personal. Let’s get you to a table and I’ll get you your favorite drink.”
She started to walk away with her limping gait and he almost let her but didn’t. He stopped her with his fingers on her shoulder. She glanced back at him, and he saw that damned vulnerability in her eyes again. “I do want to know your secrets, Roxy.”
He walked past her and seated himself at a table with a few familiar faces. But instead of concentrating on the cards and the game, he saw only the surprise in Roxy’s blue eyes in his mind.
Roxy tried to remember everything that Hayden had said, especially the part about being friendly but never forgetting that business was the focus of her assignment. Keep the gambler happy and at the tables.
Max made that hard. Every time she dropped off another drink for him, or inquired about his needs, he flirted. And for the first time since she’d wakened in a hospital bed, scarred for life, she felt like flirting back.
He played and won for almost four hours before pushing back from the table. Since this was her first hostessing assignment she had no idea if she should try to make him stay longer.
“Are you sure you want to stop now? You’re on a winning streak.”
“I’m sure. I want to take my hostess to dinner and see if my luck stays.”
“I don’t know if I’m allowed to do that,” she said, knowing she wasn’t lucky but not wanting him to know it. Every time she got close to grasping the brass ring of what she wanted from life, it slipped away. So she knew luck wasn’t with her.
“You’re supposed to keep me happy.”
She wanted to laugh at the way he said it. But didn’t. “Then I guess I’m going to dinner with you. Where do you want to go?”
“I’ll take care of the arrangements,” Max said. He pulled her out of the flow of traffic and reached for his Blackberry.
Immediately she knew she had to keep her head in the game with this man. This was a job. She couldn’t forget it, no matter how tempting it might be to do so. This new assignment was much better than dealing and she didn’t want to mess it up. “No, you won’t. That’s my job.”
“And you take your work seriously?” he asked, arching one eyebrow at her.
She sensed he was teasing, but she couldn’t joke about work. Anyone who’d ever lived off the charity of others learned pride at a heavy cost. “Of course I do.”
“I thought you were new here.”
“New to hostessing. But I’ve worked at the Chimera for almost ten years now.”
“What did you do before?” he asked.
“Danced,” she said. She heard the longing in her own voice and cursed herself for it. She should have been prepared for the question. But most people she encountered either knew her story or didn’t care about her personal life. Max was the first stranger to ask about her since…
“Why’d you stop?” he asked.
A simple little question. She closed her eyes for a moment. Years of practice and discipline gone in a few short minutes. Gone because she’d judged a man and his intentions badly. Don’t do it again, she warned herself.
“Injury,” she said. The lie fell easily from her lips and she hated herself for it. She’d grown up in a world where lies were traded and accepted for the truth. She was becoming her own mother. Something she’d promised herself she’d never do. “But that’s old news. Give me a minute and I’ll get us a table for dinner.”
She turned away from Max and took out her cell phone to call the VIP office. Thirty seconds later everything was set up, and she and Max were on their way to the exclusive five-star restaurant on the fifth floor of the casino.
“Have you eaten here before?” she asked, hoping he’d say no so she could slip easily into her role of tour guide. She led Max past the crowd at the front of the restaurant to the maître d’, very aware of his quiet presence behind her.
“Yes. In fact, the chef/owner is a friend of mine.”
She smiled at the maître d’, Henry, whom she knew from her years at the hotel. Henry winked at her and she relaxed a little. This new job was not what she expected. Or should she say that Max Williams wasn’t what she’d expected. “Mr. Williams and I are ready to be seated.”
“Certainly, Ms. O’Malley. Follow me.”
Max put his hand on Roxy’s back as they moved through the restaurant. She tried to ignore the heat from his large palm, but she couldn’t. It made everything feminine in her pulse into awareness. That long-sleeping part of her, the part that had been dormant even before her accident started to awaken. That scared her.
She was grateful when they reached the table and took their seats. Max asked for the wine list and the sommelier came to their table.
“Do you have a preference?” he asked after the sommelier suggested some wines.
“I usually buy my wine by the gallon in the supermarket,” she said. Then flushed as she realized how that sounded. “I mean—”
Max chuckled. “I have cousins who own a vineyard in the Napa Valley. They’d be outraged to hear that anyone in the U.S. still drinks cheap wine.”
“Sorry,” she said.
“Don’t be. Have you ever tried South African wine?”
“Does Gallo make one?”
He laughed. “We’ll have a bottle of the Thelema Chardonnay 1998, Stellenbosch.”
The sommelier left and Max turned his attention to her. She felt uncomfortable under his intense stare, as if she was naked but not in a sexual way. His gaze was probing as if he were trying to fit together all the pieces that made up Roxy O’Malley. She desperately hoped he couldn’t, because Roxy O’Malley wasn’t sure who she was anymore. Not a dancer, not a hot body, not any of the things she’d always been.
Finally she couldn’t stand it anymore. “What?”
“What, what?”
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Because you are a beautiful woman.”
His words hurt in a way he couldn’t understand. Because at one time she’d have tossed her hair and given him a smile that would have brought him to his knees. “Not anymore.”
She couldn’t believe those words had escaped. “How long will you be in Vegas?”
“Long enough to convince you that you are beautiful.”
“That’s not why you came,” she said, telling herself that he was here for the Vegas allure. The mindless flirting, the hours of gambling. The vacation from reality and real life.
“My plans have changed.”
“Well then, you won’t be needing my company anymore. I’ll let Hayden know.”
He took her hand in his, his thumb stroking over the backs of her knuckles as it had when they first met. “I’ll still require your company, Roxy.”
She tried to tell herself that things hadn’t turned personal, that she was still objective and just his hostess. But she knew she wasn’t.
There was a promise of something in Max’s eyes that she wanted to claim for herself. Something elusive and tempting, and she couldn’t quite make herself ignore it.
The free excerpt has ended.
