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Chapter Two
Beforehe’darrived,Alessandrahad expected Beauden Brooks to be like The Benson’s other high-rollers—confident, arrogant, drunk from the flight, and ready to spend money. She’d hoped he’d still be reckless enough to lose a lot of it, too. With any luck, he hadn’t changed much.
But Beau now looked like he should be in a boardroom, not a casino. He was dressed in a casual black suit that fit close to his wide shoulders. His black button-up shirt was, miraculously, not wrinkled at all—even after his three-hour flight. And despite having access to all the alcohol he’d want on the plane and in the limo, she couldn’t detect that he’d had even one drink.
His cologne smelled of wood and smoke. When he’d gotten close, she’d felt a wave of memory move through her body. He’d made her uncomfortable by coming closer than normal, showing a familiarity she wished would go away. However, it was a type of discomfort she remembered liking, at least before his recklessness had cost Alessandra her job. He’d always been able to connect with people right away. He was using his charms to try to reconnect with her. Like hell that was going to happen.
As she and Sailor guided him to the Sunset Estate’s private elevator, he chatted politely with them, even though it was their responsibility to make him feel comfortable, not the other way around.Maybe an apology would be forthcoming, Alessandra thought. God knew she deserved one.
“Did you each enjoy your Christmas?” Beau asked.
“I definitely did,” Sailor said. “My brother came into town with his wife and kids, and I loved seeing them open their presents. I think maybe the kids brought their germs with them, though, because it seems I’ve caught a bit of a cold.” The two sneezes that followed emphasized her point as the three exited the elevator. “Can you please excuse me? I’m going to grab some medicine to stave off this cold. Beau, I’ll meet you in the sportsbook after lunch, if that’s okay?”
Beau nodded. “Of course. See you then.”
Alessandra looked at Sailor. It was rare for Sailor to miss showing a high-roller to his suite. The point was to get Beau to the room, offer to have a suite butler unpack for him, and get him back down to the casino floor and gambling as soon as possible. Sailor must be sicker than she’s letting on. “I’ll show you to your suite,” Alessandra murmured.
He smiled at her, clearly amused. “This is fun,” Beau said. “Looks like you’re my casino host for now. Just like old times.”
Alessandra ignored the comment. “I’ll show you to your room so you can get settled, but I can assure you Sailor will be a far better host than I would be.” She couldn’t get away from him fast enough and turn him over to Sailor. He was a distraction—he’d always been a distraction for her. Twenty years ago, she’d lost her focus on common sense and more importantly, her job. And losing focus is exactly what she didn’t need at the moment.
“I don’t know about that.” Beau raised his eyebrows sardonically. “In fact, I seriously doubt that. I know you, Alessandra. And I know you have a wild side… given the right circumstances.”
“I’ve changed, Beau. Grown up. And I certainly hope you have, too. Even so, I don’t have time to host you; I have other responsibilities. I don’t want to impactmy jobby focusingmy attentionelsewhere.” Alessandra deliberately added a sarcastic tone to the last sentence. She wanted Beau to remember what he’d done to her.
But she was disappointed when she noticed her words had no apparent impact. Beau’s smile was playful. “Maybe it would be good to get away from your work for a bit… de-stress. You know, we always had fun together.”
Alessandra checked herself, shifted her tone. It wouldn’t help to be sarcastic. She needed him to lose his money at The Benson. He was her ticket to continued employment. “You know what…? You’re right. We did have fun together. Until we didn’t,” she said, laughing as if it was not a big deal.
“Let’s have some fun again, Alessandra.” Beau’s voice turned suggestive.
She was tempted. If she wanted a plaything, Beau Brooks could do the job—as long as she kept him as an amusement and nothing else. He was still just a professional gambler, who would no doubt only take from her, and then take more. And despite his upgraded appearance, she guessed he hadn’t changed much.
This could actually work. She knew what made men like him tick. Gamblers were always in pursuit of another ‘sure bet.’ If she kept him hopeful, he’d love the challenge. And he’d stay and gamble. And then he’d leave, and she’d keep her job. It was a good plan.
She decided she’d play this little game. “Oh, I don’t think so, Beau. I can’t have your type of ‘fun’ anymore, at least not with you. You’re too smart. Remember what happened last time? Always looking for a way to cheat the casino. I’ll need to keep my eye on you.”
Alessandra saw Beau bristle when she used the word ‘cheat.’ Dammit. She hadn’t meant to make him mad, just meant to toy with him a bit. But she couldn’t help herself. The last time she’d seen Beau, he’d figured out how to beat the casino odds not by skill, but by the manipulation of imperfections in the cards. It was a strategy known as ‘edge-sorting.’
“It wasn’t cheating, Alessandra. The court ruled I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Yet the Desert Star did not feel the same way about me. They insisted Ididdo something wrong, and I did not get to keep my job. Nor did the pit boss, I might add.” While Alessandra was furious, she hid it, keeping her tone light. She couldn’t afford to alienate Beau now.
But it was difficult to set aside her resentment. By her definition, no matter what the court ruled, he’d used her. He’d used their relationship to put her at ease, to let down her guard. Then he’d screwed her over and broke her heart by leaving without another word.
Beau’s demeanor relaxed again. “I am sorry about that part, Alessandra. You know I am. But it’s not my fault your card suppliers were printing with old technology. I got to keep my money.”
“Indeed, you did. And if you’re truly sorry, maybe you’ll help a girl out and lose some of it this weekend?” Her smile was sweet, an emotion far from her mind at the moment. But she reminded herself she didn’t have to worry about him doing the same thing again. Casinos were smarter now. Every casino in Las Vegas and in Atlantic City immediately changed their protocols after the media broke the story.
Alessandra had learned from the experience, too. It was a difficult lesson, but one she was glad had occurred early in her career. Back then, she’d been his casino host and Beau’s new lover. Even though she wasn’t even on the casino floor that night, he’d called and asked her to extend his credit, which allowed him to win more money on the edge-sorting scheme.
When the casino finally realized what he’d been doing to win so often, they’d fired Alessandra. It was the pit boss who should have stopped the action when it became clear something other than good luck was occurring. However, Alessandra was Beau’s host. In the Desert Star’s assessment, when she’d extended credit to him, she assumed partial responsibility.
Getting fired was bad enough. However, the fact he’d just gotten on a plane and left after being caught hurt even more. They’d begun a relationship—one Alessandra believed would last. If he hadn’t been using her, then why did he never call her again? She’d been broken-hearted and without a job.
It was then that she knew she’d never get emotionally involved with someone related to work again. Do so, and you could lose too much at one time—your job and your heart. Sure, she’d had short affairs and one-night stands with men who’d seemed interesting, but she never allowed herself to become seriously involved. Her work was her lover… which was probably why she was still single at forty-two.
This time, the tables were turned. She’d be polite enough, nice enough, to get him to gamble.How ironic.Shewas now usinghimto keep her job. The idea made her smile by the time they arrived at the suite. In the short walk, her attitude toward him had improved.This would be fun.
