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I eyed him suspiciously. What was his angle? Figuring it wouldn’t hurt to sit down with him for an actual face-to-face conversation rather than constantly having to guess each other’s next move, I followed him out of the casino at the Bellagio and towards the private gentleman’s club where we both held memberships. Heads turned and people stared at our entourage, trying to figure out who the important people were.
The security detail ahead of us pulled the doors open and we entered the red-carpeted salon.
“Good evening, Mr. Hale. Mr. Romero.” The pretty dark-haired hostess grabbed two leather-backed menus from her station and tottered towards us in four-inch black stilettos. I met her gaze and held it for a few seconds too long, then let my eyes travel downward and linger over her assets, making my admiration clear.
“Remind me of your name, sweetheart?” I asked.
She immediately dropped her gaze to the floor and her cheeks flushed with a rosy hue. “Tabitha,” she replied, glancing back up and batting her false eyelashes at me. Those would need to go, along with all the makeup she was wearing. I never liked my women to look like clowns, especially not in bed.
“Tabitha,” I repeated. “What time do you get off work tonight?”
Beside me, Nathan’s smug expression reminded me of the Chesire Cat.
“Um, midnight,” the girl giggled.
“Would you like to join me for a nightcap then in my suite?” I asked. “I can send someone to escort you.”
“Of course!” she gasped, her hand fluttering to her chest. “Wow, I can’t believe I’ve just been invited to Cord Romero’s suite!”
Nathan and I laughed, and he slung an arm around my shoulders.
“Oh, to be fortune’s fool again,” he said.
I narrowed my eyes. Was he referring to me or the hostess?
Tabitha led us to a table by the window overlooking one of the hotel’s infinity pools. The Vegas cityscape lay beyond, the blinding lights of the strip flaunting their sin into the inky stillness of the night, and I wondered how many stars I couldn’t see.
Nathan and I sat down across from each other.
“Old-fashioned for me,” he said to Tabitha. “Cord?”
I smiled. “Martini, shaken not stirred.”
This prompted a chuckle from him as I knew it would, and I grinned. Two could play at this game. Tabitha nodded and turned to take our orders to the bar.
“So,” Nathan said. “How does it feel to have just lost half a million dollars in a poker game?”
I shrugged. “Plenty more where that came from. In fact, I’m pretty sure my investments have already surpassed that in earnings in the past hour.”
He steepled his fingers together. “I know you well enough to know that even though you’ve become a billionaire, the loss still stings.”
I sucked in my breath. He was right.
“You remind me of myself when I was your age, Romero,” said Nathan. “Smart, ambitious, driven. The world is your oyster. Tell me, what has it cost you?”
“Cost me?” I asked, feeling my forehead furrow with confusion. “Nothing. Only like you said, ambition and motivation. My education was free due to my college scholarship. I’ve always been willing to do whatever it takes to get to the top and never settle for anything less.”
“Hm.” Nathan turned to gaze out the window. Sin City lay at our feet. Whatever we wanted could be ours for the taking in a heartbeat.
The waitress returned with our drinks, blushing again when my fingers brushed against hers as I took my martini from her.
“Can I get your gentlemen anything else?” she asked.
“Just yourself after midnight,” I replied rakishly.
“I’ll be all yours,” she said before she left us to return to her station.
“Have you ever been in love, Cord?” Nathan asked when she was out of earshot.
