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“God damn,” Rylee muttered a few minutes later. “You might not have had to bet me two million if I’d known you could fuck like that.”
Memphis laughed, and it shook the bed. “At least I know the next four weeks won’t be dull.”
Chapter 7
Ryleemadeherwaydownstairs a half hour later in a short silk robe that had magically appeared on her bed when she got out of the shower.
Memphis was leaning against the island counter in the kitchen in a pair of black lounge pants and a dark purple t-shirt.
“Hi.” Her face grew hot under his intense gaze as he watched her walk into the room.
“Hi,” he said, his eyes never leaving her. “Any preferences for dinner?”
She shook her head. “I’m not a picky eater.”
“Lose the robe,” he said as he pulled out his phone and lifted it to his ear.
“Go get us dinner from Mizumi’s. A California roll, a spicy tuna roll, the sashimi plate, crispy Brussels sprouts, and the Hawaiian snapper and Wagyu short rib. Enough for two, please.”
It didn’t appear he waited for a response before he ended the call and put the phone on the counter. She let the robe fall down her shoulders, catching it in her hands. She draped it over the back of a barstool and stood awkwardly.
“It will probably be an hour before it gets here,” he said apologetically. “We’ll share a bottle of wine and talk while we wait.”
He leaned down and opened a small wine fridge below the kitchen island. Five minutes later, he led them into the massive living room. It looked so different from the way it had last night at Hunter’s party. The number of staff it must have taken to turn it around so quickly was mind-boggling.
He handed her a glass of chilled white wine and nodded to the floor in front of the couch. “You can sit on the floor there, Ace.”
She rolled her eyes at his stereotyped nickname but did as he said, lowering herself to the floor and folding her legs behind her.
He settled on the couch and sipped his wine.
“How did you become a poker player?” he asked.
She shrugged and took a drink. “My dad liked to play. Weekend trips to Vegas were pretty normal for him, but he only played in casinos. Never joined the tournament world. He taught me when I was about nine. Turned out I was surprisingly good at understanding advanced strategy, so when I turned twenty-one, he talked me into playing in a tournament. I won ten grand. It was a pretty intoxicating feeling, and I knew that’s what I wanted to do. I started studying all the greats, and I used that ten grand to enter bigger tournaments. Eventually I got noticed and invited to play in an invitational tournament and the rest is history.”
He nodded. “I’ve always liked the game. My friends and I would play at Yale, but I was already headed for the family business, so there was no way I could ever pursue a professional career.”
She narrowed her eyes. “So, Hunter was right, you didn’t really need lessons.”
He chuckled. “Nope. Those were for my friend and business partner, Andrew.”
She nodded.
“You don’t feel duped or anything, do you?”
She shook her head. “I had a feeling you knew how to play fairly well, or you wouldn’t have made me the bet you did.”
He gave her a sheepish grin. “It wasn’t a sure thing that I could beat you, just so you know.”
“Poker is never a sure thing. I knew the risks. But really, for me there were no risks other than to my ego.”
“You talk about your dad in the past tense. Is he out of the picture?”
Rylee grimaced. “He’s in prison for fraud among other things. It’s complicated. My mom doesn’t speak to him, but I visit when I can.”
Memphis nodded, and Rylee knew he wasn’t sure what to say.
“It’s fine. I know it’s weird,” she said with a tense smile.
