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Brian Caro had been well-known in Las Vegas, first as a highly successful professional gambler. Later, he became better known as a former professional gambler whose alcoholism resulted in increasingly poor gambling decisions. He eventually decimated Alessandra’s college fund, leveraged their home’s mortgage, and nearly brought the family to bankruptcy.
The worst part was that he found a way to access Claire’s work computer. Although he was only able to withdraw a small sum of money, it reflected poorly on Claire at the bank, and it stalled her career. Then, when Alessandra had to fill out the 236-page form to get her class-one gambling license, she had to report her father’s felony. The Nevada State Gambling commission didn’t take chances. The general manager of a resort had access to every aspect of the casino—including the cage, which on any given day, held at least $250 million in cash. She’d had to answer questions about what happened, how old she’d been, what she knew, if she testified at the criminal trial, and where her father was now.
At least that last question was easy to answer. He was dead. After serving thirty-two months, he was released. And despite Claire’s support of his recovery efforts, he fell into alcoholism again, dying of liver cancer when Alessandra was only twenty-three. Claire had never stopped loving him—a fact Alessandra had found disappointing and sad. Watching her mother had solidified her commitment to avoiding romantic entanglements. An added bonus was that avoiding men also meant no one could break her heart.
Which brought her thoughts back to Beau Brooks. She reiterated to herself that she would spend a minimal amount of time with him. Her past feelings for him—and the fact she had to force herself to leave after he’d kissed her—made any relationship with him risky. She’d flirt with him, maybe kiss him again, and allow him to think more was coming. It would keep him gambling. But she wouldn’t risk more, not again.
Her attention returned to reviewing revenues over the past three days. It provided her with a better perspective to calculate once again how much Beau Brooks needed to lose in order for Wyatt to not sell The Benson.
“I’m sick,” Sailor said as she walked in, her pale face adding verification to the statement. “I was hoping it was just a cold and would go away, but I’ve spent the last hour suffering from body aches, and now I have a fever. I’m so sorry, Alessandra. I have to go home.”
“Of course,” Alessandra said. “No problem.” She wasn’t going to make Sailor feel worse than she already did.
Sailor raised her eyebrows. “No problem, you said? Are you forgetting that we need Beau Brooks to gamble and lose big over the next few days? You’re going to need to wine and dine him in my place.”
“I am not going to do that. Can’t Jeffrey handle him?” Jeffrey Sanders was one of Sailor’s employees, a more junior host, but equally qualified in Alessandra’s mind.
Sailor, looking increasingly pale, pushed back on her boss. “No, he can’t. With this level of player, it needs to be an executive. And besides, you two know each other. That will be even better.”
“What about Gavin? Why can’t he do it?” Alessandra pressed. Gavin Thompson was the casino vice president at The Benson, in charge of all the games, dealers, and slot machines. He frequently helped Sailor host their highest-value players.
“Gavin’s out of town, remember? He had to take his son back to college,” Sailor replied. “Alessandra, it has to be you. The stakes are too high to take a chance on messing this up. What is it? Why are you so opposed? Weren’t you guys friends or something?”
Alessandra frowned. “Yes.Something.”
Awareness showed on Sailor’s face. “Ohh… You hadthattype of friendship? But that’s not bad, is it? Can’t you leverage it? I mean, I’m not saying do anything, you know, sexual… I’m just saying if the two of you have chemistry—”
“I understand what you’re saying, but it was a bit more complicated than that. And I’m not inclined to repeat the mistakes of my past. It was twenty years ago, Sailor. A lifetime ago.”
“Do we have a choice, though? Do you have a choice? There aren’t any other high-stakes gamblers we can bring in. They’re all at Magnum’s tournament. He’s it, Alessandra. Regardless of your past with him, you need to work your magic.”
Alessandra realized Sailor was right. She had no choice. “Fine, tell me again what the schedule is?”
“He’s gambling in the early evening, then we planned to eat at June’s.” June’s was The Benson’s most expensive restaurant, a traditional steakhouse but with additional Latin-inspired dishes. “Meet him at the sportsbook. If his teams lose, we will already have made progress toward our revenue goals. If they win, he’ll want to go to the craps table, and hopefully, he’ll lose there. We need him to. Dinner is whenever he’s hungry or whenever he’s lost a lot of money, whichever comes first.”
“Hopefully, the losing a lot will come first,” Alessandra mumbled. She would do what she needed and entertain Beau. She had to try to save her job. But she would keep him at arm’s length. She’d flirt and she’d leverage their past. But she’d keep an emotional shield around herself to resist the incessant memories about his abandon, his tongue licking her, his fingers pushing into her against a tree in the dark, so long ago.
Beau was in the sportsbook deciding which games to bet on when he saw Alessandra stride toward him. He had expected Sailor, but the sight of Alessandra’s long legs and auburn-blond hair were not a disappointment.
“I apologize, Beau. There’s been a change in plans. Sailor is sick, so I’ll be stepping in for her and taking care of you today.”
“I’m sorry to hear. Let me correct that. I mean, I’m sorry to hear that Sailor is sick. I’m not sorry that I’ll have the resort CEO as my dedicated casino host,” Beau replied. “Just like old times. But I’m sure you have other, more important work to do.”
Beau was trying to gauge Alessandra’s reaction. He was curious to understand if the sexual chemistry he still felt just being near her was reciprocated or if he was just another way to make money for her casino.
“I do have other work to do. Plenty of it, in fact. But it’s also my job to make sure every aspect of your stay with us is taken care of. So, I’m happy to enjoy the time with you.” Alessandra smiled, the cool upturn of her lips preventing Beau from knowing her true thoughts.
“That’s outstanding,” Beau said. “Let’s have a drink to celebrate. I bet on the Raiders earlier, plus I bet the over. Raiders are ahead, and I already hit the over point total. I’m already a winner; the worst I could do is break even. But wait, you probably want me to lose. If I remember correctly, that’s how you make money.”
Beau had already won $30,000 by guessing the total points in the game would be more than forty-seven. And with the Raiders ahead by ten points with only three minutes to go, he would probably make another $42,000 before the night was over.
Alessandra didn’t seem concerned. “As long as you’re having fun, that’s what’s most important. Whether you win or lose, that’s just part of the job.”
“And how many other gamblers have you wined and dined for your job over the years?” Beau asked, his tone half joking, although he was curious. He knew that when it came to others, it was just a job for her. Most gamblers would lose over time, and that would increase her profits.
Alessandra laughed. “You mean, after you got me fired and I had to reboot my career? Probably thousands. But every person is different, and I like meeting new people. It’s what any good CEO does—getting to know our customers, finding ways to enhance their experience at The Benson. People have choices with so many other gorgeous resorts on the Strip. We want their stay here to be special, one they will remember. So yes, it’s part of the job, but it’s a part I really love.”
“That’s good. I wouldn’t want you to wine and dine me if you weren’t enjoying yourself, even if it is in your job description.”
