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“I think ‘now’ is the key term. So he has hit on you in the past, then?”
Alessandra rolled her eyes. “I can’t see how this is relevant at all. And no, I wouldn’t ‘let’ him hit on me just to keep him gambling. And he knows that. He’s just a friend, that’s all. You’re a professional gambler, Beau. You know this is how it works. The business is all about relationships—developing them, nurturing them.”
“Is that what you would call what we’re doing? Nurturing ourbusiness relationship?” Beau’s tone was challenging, yet it hinted at his desire beneath. And it brought to mind all the ways they had beenconnectingover the past week.
She felt herself blush, thinking of their naked bodies together. “I don’t know what the hell to call what we’re doing, actually. But it’s not about business,” she said, somewhat seductively. “I guess maybe the first time might have nurtured our business relationship, though.” She laughed.
“And then what would you call the second time? And the third?” Beau asked, his tone matching hers.
“I’d say both did a very fine job of nurturing our sexual relationship. Agreed?”
“Agreed. I can only imagine what type of relationship might be nurtured our next time naked together. And on that happy thought, break’s over. I need to get back to the tournament.”
As Alessandra watched him walk back, she wondered about their dinner tomorrow night. A ‘real date’ he had said. Her life the past week had been a roller coaster, her emotions all over the place with the worry about her job and internal conflicts over her feelings for Beau mixed together.
She tried to think about her relationship with Beau separate from her job. But this week, the two were inextricably tied together, causing her confusion and a fair amount of guilt. Would she have been spending this much time with him if he was just another gambler, a past boyfriend, and not the one who might save her job?
In her heart, she knew it didn’t matter. Either way, she’d want to spend more and more time with him. That’s the way she’d always felt about him. But even if they got The Benson to the end-of-year target, there was still more work to do to build the business. Any ongoing relationship with Beau would be extremely distracting. Then there was her belief that, ultimately, he’d let her down in some way. She couldn’t afford the time distraction, and she certainly wouldn’t allow the emotional distraction, either.
What would she allow, then? Most definitely another night of mind-blowing sex. And she’d allow herself to open up to him a little more. She knew he was skeptical that her attention to him was all about the business. She would show him another side to her—show him she was, in fact, sincere about wanting to be with him. At least for another few days. Then he’d go back to Montana, no strings attached.
It would be a short, sexy, sweet little Las Vegas fling,she reminded herself. No strings attached, ending with his departure from Las Vegas.
The tournament was down to the final five players, and Beau was the chip leader. He was happy about prospect of winning. However, as he watched Alessandra chat with player after player, he would have been happier to be by her side. Seeing her laugh with Zach Price, a notoriously charming womanizer, had tempted him to lose on purpose just so he could be closer to her.
Thankfully, Alessandra often stopped to watch the tournament and check in on his progress. Two other players were involved in a big pot, both taking an inordinate amount of time to think about their bets. Beau took the opportunity to step away from the table and go talk with her.
“Big chip stack, I see,” she said. “Are you going to win this thing?”
“I’m planning to,” he replied. “Which is what every poker player says at the final table.”
“Who knows? You’re the one who had this idea, seems to me like some good karma for you. I hope you do win; you deserve it. Good luck getting through these next players.” She placed her hand on his back, an unusually affectionate move for her, especially since they were around others and she was working.
Beau could see her tone was more relaxed than it had been before. Normally the distance she kept between them made it impossible for him to know her motivation. Was she was talking to him as a friend? As a lover? Or just as another high-roller customer who could make her money?
At this moment, he couldn’t say exactly how her tone was different. Nevertheless, it was. And her hand on his back emphasized the point—it was a purely non-sexual move. But for Beau, it brought to mind ideas that he shouldn’t be thinking. He should be focused on poker.
“Thanks, I’ll need the karma. They’re good. They take more risks than I do, and that style of play usually works better in a tournament than the way I play. I’m more methodical. And damn it, looks like one of them just won that big pot.” Reluctantly, Beau left Alessandra to go back to the table. He tried to focus on the next hand, but her presence, quietly watching him play, was a distraction.
He was somewhat thankful when Sailor came to get Alessandra. With her out of sight, he could focus on his poker play. After a few more hands, he looked around the room again. He saw Alessandra talking to Sailor in a corner, away from most of the other players, with a frown on her face. What was going on? Alessandra had been in such a good mood mere minutes ago.
As for Beau, he wasn’t getting good cards. He chose not to play most hands, giving him the ability to watch Alessandra and Sailor. After the private conversation, they walked across the room. He watched as Jon seemed to be explaining something to Alessandra. Neither Jon’s wife Kim nor Sailor were participating in the conversation, both simply watching the conversation.
Alessandra was nodding while Jon talked, then spoke. It was clear she was trying to include Kim in the conversation, too. Obviously, she was explaining something to Jon, which was not making him happy. Kim’s face was impassive, as if she didn’t really care about the outcome of the conversation, despite Alessandra trying to include her.
Whatever Alessandra was trying to tell Jon, he didn’t like it. Eventually, he left. He’d actually stomped off like a four-year-old throwing a tantrum. Kim gave an apologetic look to Sailor and Alessandra, then followed him out of the high-limit area. After another quick conversation with Sailor, Alessandra rejoined to watch the final table of the poker tournament.
With her watching again, Beau’s competitiveness kicked into high gear. Winning the two million would be a great bonus, but winning in front of Alessandra would be even better. He refocused his attention on the players around him.
Poker was a game where the math was only half the equation. Understanding the other players was equally important. He observed how they tended to play their hands, judging when they might normally bluff and figuring out when they were being more aggressive than the quality of their hand would dictate.
It took another two hours of play for the final five players to become the final two, one of which was Beau. He and the other player had about an equal number of chips. Beau’s opponent, whose name was Chad, was a younger, less experienced player than Beau. While many would say that was to Beau’s advantage, Beau knew that sometimes the opposite was true. Less experienced players were also less predictable.
For that reason, and because Beau also wanted to spend more time with Alessandra, Beau asked Chad if he wanted to chop the pot, which meant splitting the two million equally. Chad readily agreed. For a younger, less experienced player, a one million payday was a huge deal. Chad would get a big paycheck and bragging rights about the win.
Many of the gamblers had left their games to watch the final table of the tournament. After clapping appreciatively and congratulating Beau and Chad, they headed back to their tables to play in one of the many live games. Alessandra left into a back room to begin work getting the tournament paperwork ready. Even though it was technically a private tournament, for that large of a payout, there would be plenty of forms for both the casino and the players to sign before they got their money.
As Beau waited, he was surprised to see Jon approach, a pasted-on smile that made Beau wonder what was up. Jon clapped him on the back, as if they were the best of friends. “Congratulations on the win!” he said in strangely forced enthusiasm.
