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Authors: Jennifer Echols
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into Vegas.”
Besides me, Daniel wanted to point out. He rather liked being her bad omen. But they were pretending to have friendly small talk, so he kept the conversation light. “Are you a gambler?”
She looked him straight in the eye. “I like people to think I’m a successful gambler,” she said. “Actually I’m stacking the deck. How about you?”
“I’m with you. I gamble only if I can figure out a way to cheat.”
“You’re my kind of man.”
He wanted to stick to that line of questioning. They might only be toying with each other, assessing the enemy’s weapons before they struck, but he was enjoying it.
The waitress picked that moment to interrupt them. She placed one glass of champagne in front of Wendy and one in front of him. After she left, Daniel lifted his flute. “To pleasure,” he said.
“To pleasure.” Wendy tapped the rim of her glass against his. The bell-like sound rang through a rare quiet moment in the Darkness Fallz track.
Sipping his champagne, he watched her over the top of his flute as she drank a few long gulps with her eyes closed, then turned her head to one side and stretched her neck. She really did have a crick. Sitting with Daniel and having a drink was her only break—ifone could call it that—before she searched out Lorelei. He knew how she felt.
The next second, she set the drink down, her eyes opened, and she was grinning again. “So who of note is here at the bar? Not that you’ve been paying attention. I know you’re on vacation.”
“You’re right,” he said drily. “I’ve just been sitting here relaxing and getting plastered.”
“You do seem three sheets over there. Totally out of control. You might want to cut yourself off.”
“Thanks for your concern. But I did happen to notice Lorelei Vogel pass by.”
“Really!” Wendy blinked her long eyelashes, feigning shock. “What a big star! Did you get her autograph?”
“No. And Colton Farr is here. Giuliana Jacobsen.”
“You don’t say!” Wendy gasped. “Did they go into the back room?”
“Yes.” He leaned closer again, catching another whiff of her perfume, and said conspiratorially, “I heard Giuliana is throwing a party.”
Wendy gaped at him. “Wow! A reality star of her stature is liable to bring all the A-listers over from the Bellagio!”
“I’ve seen them.” He gave her a litany of the D-list celebrities who had filed through. “But like I say, I haven’t been keeping track.”
She slapped her hand on the table as if coming to a spontaneous decision. “This may sound crazy to you,but I think I’ll slip back there to the private room and see if I can get in.” She laughed uproariously at her own joke, it seemed, without letting Daniel in on what was so funny. Then she eyed him knowingly and clarified, “They don’t let just any girl into the private room of the Big O club, you know.”
Daniel laughed. Then corralled his laughter into a polite, halfhearted chuckle. He didn’t want her to know how funny he thought she was. And he hoped she couldn’t see him blushing in the dim and shifting light of the bar.
He watched her very carefully, and he could have sworn she didn’t blush at all as she said, “I wonder if the interior of the club is red velvet. Or pink. Pink velvet.”
He bit his lip. He refused to let her make him laugh again.
“And they have fountains running over the velvet, to lubricate it, for effect.”
He cleared his throat.
“Like a vagina ,” she said with gusto.
That was it. He burst into laughter. Several men passing turned to stare because his outburst was so loud, or because he looked so strange wearing a genuine smile. He reached for his champagne and polished it off.
“You okay there?” She pursed her lips, suppressing her own smile as he nodded. She didn’t press him further, though. She let him off the hook. Sighing, she said, “I probably won’t get in, but it’s fun to try. Maybe I’ll see you there later?”
He
Besides me, Daniel wanted to point out. He rather liked being her bad omen. But they were pretending to have friendly small talk, so he kept the conversation light. “Are you a gambler?”
She looked him straight in the eye. “I like people to think I’m a successful gambler,” she said. “Actually I’m stacking the deck. How about you?”
“I’m with you. I gamble only if I can figure out a way to cheat.”
“You’re my kind of man.”
He wanted to stick to that line of questioning. They might only be toying with each other, assessing the enemy’s weapons before they struck, but he was enjoying it.
The waitress picked that moment to interrupt them. She placed one glass of champagne in front of Wendy and one in front of him. After she left, Daniel lifted his flute. “To pleasure,” he said.
“To pleasure.” Wendy tapped the rim of her glass against his. The bell-like sound rang through a rare quiet moment in the Darkness Fallz track.
Sipping his champagne, he watched her over the top of his flute as she drank a few long gulps with her eyes closed, then turned her head to one side and stretched her neck. She really did have a crick. Sitting with Daniel and having a drink was her only break—ifone could call it that—before she searched out Lorelei. He knew how she felt.
The next second, she set the drink down, her eyes opened, and she was grinning again. “So who of note is here at the bar? Not that you’ve been paying attention. I know you’re on vacation.”
“You’re right,” he said drily. “I’ve just been sitting here relaxing and getting plastered.”
“You do seem three sheets over there. Totally out of control. You might want to cut yourself off.”
“Thanks for your concern. But I did happen to notice Lorelei Vogel pass by.”
“Really!” Wendy blinked her long eyelashes, feigning shock. “What a big star! Did you get her autograph?”
“No. And Colton Farr is here. Giuliana Jacobsen.”
“You don’t say!” Wendy gasped. “Did they go into the back room?”
“Yes.” He leaned closer again, catching another whiff of her perfume, and said conspiratorially, “I heard Giuliana is throwing a party.”
Wendy gaped at him. “Wow! A reality star of her stature is liable to bring all the A-listers over from the Bellagio!”
“I’ve seen them.” He gave her a litany of the D-list celebrities who had filed through. “But like I say, I haven’t been keeping track.”
She slapped her hand on the table as if coming to a spontaneous decision. “This may sound crazy to you,but I think I’ll slip back there to the private room and see if I can get in.” She laughed uproariously at her own joke, it seemed, without letting Daniel in on what was so funny. Then she eyed him knowingly and clarified, “They don’t let just any girl into the private room of the Big O club, you know.”
Daniel laughed. Then corralled his laughter into a polite, halfhearted chuckle. He didn’t want her to know how funny he thought she was. And he hoped she couldn’t see him blushing in the dim and shifting light of the bar.
He watched her very carefully, and he could have sworn she didn’t blush at all as she said, “I wonder if the interior of the club is red velvet. Or pink. Pink velvet.”
He bit his lip. He refused to let her make him laugh again.
“And they have fountains running over the velvet, to lubricate it, for effect.”
He cleared his throat.
“Like a vagina ,” she said with gusto.
That was it. He burst into laughter. Several men passing turned to stare because his outburst was so loud, or because he looked so strange wearing a genuine smile. He reached for his champagne and polished it off.
“You okay there?” She pursed her lips, suppressing her own smile as he nodded. She didn’t press him further, though. She let him off the hook. Sighing, she said, “I probably won’t get in, but it’s fun to try. Maybe I’ll see you there later?”
He
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