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“And ignorance will land you a job as well?” I arched a brow and gave him a cold stare.
“It’s just a little much, don’t you think?” He snickered, and I smiled. He rolled his eyes. “Why would anyone do that to their skin?”
“It helps hide things,” I muttered around the lip of my cup.
“Such as?”
“Scars, bullet holes, burns.” I tapped the table, and the dealer snapped over another card.
“Is that right?” He mocked me like he didn’t believe me. “Y’all know what I think?”
“I’m sure you’ll enlighten me.”
“I see a rebellious teen trying to get Daddy’s attention, gets pictures drawn all over his skin, drinks eggs for breakfast,” he pointed to my arms, “and thinks his fancy body’ll help to get him a job.”
“Twenty-one.” The dealer spoke over the noise, and I nodded for him to deal again.
“Dammit.” The man turned his attention back to the dealer.
“I bet you I’ll win again.” I pointed to the deck, and he squinted at me as the dealer’s quick hands dealt the cards one by one.
“Twenty-one,” the dealer repeated.
“And I’ll win again.” The dealer repeated the game. I won again, twenty-one.
“How?”
“Here’s the thing, I’ve worked since I was thirteen. Got my first tatt with my dad at sixteen. Ran two successful companies and am launching my third later this year.” I leaned forward. “How I won is because I own this hotel, and I know you’ve been cheating for the past two hours.” His face paled. “As I see it, you have two choices. You can be escorted out the front or the back, but either way, you’ll have to deal with me alone.”
His mouth dropped open as he suddenly stood, and at my nod my men were on him like a fly in a shithouse.
“Go.” I flicked my hand as they dragged him off. I tossed a grand at the dealer for his time and nodded. “Stevie.”
“Mr. Gates.” He nodded back.
* * *
His screams as I snapped his fingers brought a smile to my face.
“It behooves me to remind you of the appropriate behavior while at a blackjack table.” He screamed again, and to quiet him I punched him square in the jaw. After all, he had tried to steal from our casino.
“Please, I’ve got a family!” he screamed, like that was going to help his situation. “I have a son.”
“Well, that really changes things, doesn’t it?” I rolled his shoulder then kicked his elbow in the opposite direction. His screams turned into sobs. “Do you treat your son with the same disrespect you treated me? A stranger?”
“I, I, I can’t.” He tried to think, but the pain was too much. I yanked him to his feet, and Jesse held him up for me, and I plowed my fist into his stomach.
“Don’t fuck this world up any more than it already is!” I snapped his other wrist, but sadly, he’d passed out, and my fun was over.
Once my men took his information and dragged his ridiculously clad body from my sight, I made sure he was banned from the hotel and all the money was returned plus a fee for his crimes. He would be unceremoniously dumped at the airport with his belongings in garbage bags. He should count himself lucky. In the old days, he’d have ended up in a dumpster in the alleyway behind the Wolverine Strip Club. That rarely happened today. Not to say never.
I used my handkerchief and applied pressure to my knuckles. The last thing I needed was a bloodstain on my suit. When the elevator doors opened, I tossed the silk fabric in the trash and headed toward Desires where I was to meet my family for dinner.
I was pleased that some of the tension from earlier in the day had eased.
Normally, when I came back from being away, I liked to dine alone upstairs with my private chef, but I needed to show people I was back, and the best way to do that was to be visible.
I climbed up to the second platform where my family often ate. The rich and famous of the world dining together gave our guests a thrill and helped make them dream big.
