Her High-Stakes Affair
Katherine Garbera
Of all men for director Raine Montgomery to be attracted to! Scott Rivers was not only a professional gambler, but the man she suspected had bet $50,000 he'd bed her before they finished taping the Vegas poker showdown. No one–not even rich, charming, sexy Scott–was going to trump her!Creating her own game, Raine would pretend to fall for Scott, surrendering to his stolen kisses and secret rendezvous. But the allure of the forbidden proved irresistible, and Raine feared the worst. Was she about to lose the biggest high-stakes gamble of her life?
“I Dare You….”
Scott’s dark brown eyes met hers in a nonverbal challenge. “I dare you to go out with me, to see past the flashbulbs and gossip-sheet rumors about me.”
Raine wanted to accept. It would give her a chance to put her idea of making him fall for her into action. But was she willing to risk her job just so she could one-up him? And she definitely was going to one-up this man.
“What’s the matter? Scared you can’t handle me off the set, where you’re not in charge?” he asked in that silky tone of his.
She raised her chin. “I’m not scared of any man.”
Scott stepped closer, his body a mere whisper away from hers. “Then I’ll pick you up in your suite at eight.” His breath tingled on her skin. “Be prepared for the night of your life.”
Her High-Stakes Affair
Katherine Garbera
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
KATHERINE GARBERA
took one brief trip to Las Vegas and was hooked with endless story ideas and a fascination with that playground known as Sin City. She’s written more than twenty books and has been nominated for Romantic Times BOOKClub’s career achievement awards in Series Fantasy and Series Adventure. Katherine recently moved to the Dallas area where she lives with her husband and their two children. Visit Katherine on the Web at www.katherinegarbera.com.
This book is dedicated to my kids, Courtney and Lucas, who keep me on my toes and make every day an adventure!
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
One
“Hey, sexy lady. Where do you want me today?”
Raine Montgomery bit the inside of her cheek not to respond to Scott Rivers. Every morning it was the same line or some variation of it. It should have sounded like a pickup line but didn’t. Instead he made her want to believe she was a sexy lady, even though she’d had enough experience with gamblers to know they never told the truth.
“Can’t decide?” he asked, slipping an arm around her waist.
She stepped away from him. “In your chair at the table.”
“Honey, when are you going to loosen up with me?”
“When you stop flirting with every woman who walks by.”
“Is it making you jealous?”
“No.”
Scott laughed and walked away from her as the other players trickled in.
She’d gotten into the film business for one reason and one reason only. She’d dreamed of the moment when she’d be called onstage at the Academy Awards to accept her Oscar for best director. She even had her speech rehearsed:
“I’d like to thank the Academy for recognizing my accomplishments, and I’d like the rest of the world to know that Missy Talbot is a spoiled bitch and my dad isn’t a loser.”
Okay, so it was a little melodramatic, but she’d been in junior high at the time and it had seemed like the perfect solution to her dismal and dreary life in New Jersey.
But her dream hadn’t gotten her to the Oscars; in fact, she wasn’t even close to winning a People’s Choice Award or even an MTV one. She doubted anyone was going to be giving her an award for World Champion Celebrity Poker Showdown.
The taping ran for four weeks, with three celebrities and three champions from across the country who competed. In each week’s episode two games were played and at the end of the show two players were eliminated. When just two players remained, they played two high-stakes games to determine the celebrity poker champ.
The show was essentially a high-stakes Texas hold ’em poker game where viewers could log on to a Web site and win prizes by correctly guessing if the celebrity winner had been bluffing or really held the cards needed to win.
Spawned in part by the reality craze that was sweeping through the television industry, the show tapped into the public’s desire to watch celebrities spend their money and their free time. Every four weeks a new group of celebrities and champs were brought in. Then at the end of the season they had a winners-only play-off.
Their show taped a month’s worth of episodes in one week. Each person on the show signed a waiver promising not to reveal the results, because viewers had the chance to vote on who they thought was the best and win a myriad of prizes that had been donated by sponsors. The celebrities were playing for charities as were the champions.
Raine had given all the players a wide berth because her producer, Joel Tanner, didn’t like her or any of the crew mingling with the players. In fact there was a clear no-fraternization clause in the contracts signed by everyone on the set, both in front of the camera and behind the scenes. Joel wanted to make sure they didn’t end up with any kind of lawsuit because of the way the players were shown.
Prizes were given to viewers who chose the winner each week. So how Raine shot and edited the show could influence them. They’d had to fire a cameraman last season because he’d been involved with one of the players and had been giving her more camera time than the other players.
This set of shows was being taped in the exclusive Chimera Casino on the strip in Las Vegas. Still, it was hard work, and Raine rubbed the back of her neck as she headed toward the director’s booth. Some people called it the God booth because her voice could be heard but she couldn’t be seen. Yet Raine knew she was as far from God as any person could be.
Especially since right now she was having impure thoughts about actor Scott Rivers. She entered the booth and put on her headphones. Since all of the players were miked, she could hear their small talk. The deep sexy tones of Scott’s voice came over her headphones and she paused to listen. He was the first guy she’d ever been tempted to break her contract for, and she really struggled to keep resisting him every day. She wished he’d lose…. No, that wasn’t true. She knew enough about men to realize that sooner or later he’d stop asking her out, and she honestly wanted to enjoy flirting with him until that happened.
“Shot down again, eh, stud?”
Scott glanced over at Stevie Taylor, the notoriously debauched lead singer for Viper, a heavy-metal band that had been on the cutting edge of music fifteen years ago. Instead of being a has-been, Stevie had the kind of talent and energy that had kept him in the mainstream. He simply changed his style to fit the younger audiences’ tastes.
That being said, the man was an ass sometimes, and Scott suspected Stevie was still pissed off about losing to him at the PGA celebrity golf tournament last month in Hawaii. Or maybe it was the fact that Scott had unwittingly been the object of Stevie’s third wife’s affection.
“Some women take more time than others,” Scott said. Especially women like Raine Montgomery. Not that Raine fit into a box or a category. In fact, he knew she’d be ticked off that he’d even thought of putting her in one. “They aren’t all impressed with long hair and fast cars.”
“I guess that means you have to try harder,” Stevie said.
There was an edge to his voice that Scott chose to ignore. Every day was work for Scott. He’d grown up on a soundstage and had learned early on to act the way others found acceptable. With Stevie he acted like a babe magnet always on the prowl, because that was what the legendary rock front-man understood. With Raine he acted…hell, he wasn’t doing such a great job of acting with Raine. She made him forget he was playing a role.
“Sure. Everything worth having takes some effort.” And Raine was definitely worth the effort. Worth even this job. Not that he was too concerned about getting fired. The producer was a good friend of his, and they went back a long way. He wondered how Raine felt about the no-fraternization clause they’d both signed.
Scott was honest enough to admit that the gambler in him wanted to take a chance on it. The added risk increased the odds that she wouldn’t go out with him unless she really wanted to. He couldn’t explain it beyond that but knew himself well enough by now to know that there was something appealing about the idea.
“You’re working up a sweat and she’s barely noticing you, Rivers. What would your fan club say?”
Scott didn’t respond to the goad. He didn’t have a fan club and Stevie knew it. His child stardom had translated into cult-classic films in his early twenties and two one-offs that had turned into blockbusters. He acted when he felt like it, preferring to spend most of his time working with the charitable trust he had set up with his own money. “I’m not worried, Stevie.”
“Some boys aren’t meant to play in the big leagues,” the other man said.
“Whatever. You know she can’t really show that she’s attracted to me.”
“Because she isn’t?” Stevie said with a snicker.
“Because we work together.” A man like Stevie would never understand the distinction, but Scott knew that Raine would. That her job and her reputation would be important to her. He understood why.
“I wouldn’t let that stop me.”
He wasn’t going to defend himself like some teenage boy with his first woman. Scott was thirty-eight, and he couldn’t believe he’d allowed himself to get drawn into this conversation.
He’d arrived early on the set hoping for some alone time with Raine, and he’d gotten it. He just hadn’t expected Stevie to show up.
“What, no glib remark?”
“You’re an ass, you know that?”
Stevie laughed. “You’re not the first to say it. But that doesn’t change the fact that Ms. Montgomery isn’t exactly falling for you.”
Stevie wasn’t going to let this go. No matter what Scott said or did, Stevie was always going to bring up Raine. And Scott didn’t want that.
“What would it take for you to drop this?”
“Prove me wrong. Prove you’re not out of your element with Raine.”
“How am I supposed to do that?”
“How about a little wager?”
“On a woman? Have you been living under a rock for the past twenty years?”
“There’s no reason anyone other than the two of us has to know about it.”
Famous last words. He glanced around the set. They appeared to be all alone, and so he thought they had the kind of privacy that was something of a luxury on a busy television or movie set.
“What’d you have in mind?”
“A simple bet…you get her in bed before the show wraps.”
Scott had that tingling at the back of his neck that he always got before he did something risky. Like sky surfing or kayaking down dangerous rapids. Something that all of his self-preservation instincts said not to do. But he wanted Raine, and he suspected she wanted him, too.
He knew he’d never tell Stevie a single detail of his time with her, but if it got Stevie off his back, then it might be worth it.
“What’s the wager?”
“Fifty thousand.”
“You’re on.”
Raine couldn’t believe she’d just overheard Scott making a bet about her with Stevie Taylor. The rocker was as legendary for his kinky sex-capades as he was for his wicked guitar licks.
Why had she activated the microphones when she’d gotten into her booth? Because she was an idiot. This is what happens when you eavesdrop, she told herself.
Raine’s hands shook, and she wanted to smack Scott right between the eyes. What the hell was he thinking making a bet about taking her to bed? That was low and mean. And it hurt so much because she’d thought he was different.
She leaned toward the booth’s tinted window and glanced down at the floor where the two men stood away from everyone else.
Raine watched both men take their seats at the table and went back to her monitor to watch the screen. But all she saw was red. Having been the pawn in a gambler’s game before, she refused to let it happen again.
She wasn’t sure how to get the upper hand on Scott. As a child star, he’d grown up in front of America and had charmed everyone by coming into their homes once a week for fifteen years. In the three days they’d been in Vegas, Raine had yet to see one person deny the man anything he asked for—except her.
He was good-looking. Well, only if you liked guys with unruly hair that fell to their shoulders and who wore a goatee. Which, of course, she did.
And she’d been thinking that maybe it was time to take a chance again on a guy before she’d heard his bet. A bet about her. She wanted to sink to the floor and wrap her arms around her waist. But she didn’t; instead she pressed the button so that the cast and crew could hear her.
“Places, please.”
She hated that she was attracted to a man who seemed to bluff his way through life. She’d been raised by the ultimate con man. A grifter, bar none, who’d blended perfectly into any situation much the same way Scott seemed to. She knew that was what Scott was doing because no one could predict when he was bluffing or really holding a winning hand.
“Action.”
She watched him playing his game, the ultimate con man in his environment. His words played over and over in her head. Fifty thousand dollars—that was what she was worth to him. She wished that she could get back at him, do something he wouldn’t expect. Maybe run a con on him. Convince him she was falling for him. No one knew how to run a scam like a Montgomery.
And though she’d vowed to never again lie or betray anyone’s confidence, it somehow seemed right to her that she do it now. With this man. The one she’d hoped might be different.
“Camera Two, you’re out of focus. Camera One, pan the entire table like we discussed.”
Raine stopped thinking about Scott and focused instead on her job. If she went through with this scam, there was a good chance she’d be putting her job on the line. Joel wouldn’t forgive her if she broke his rules.
“And cut,” she said, as the hand was dealt to everyone.
“No one move. Latesha, there’s a shine coming off Stevie’s forehead. Move Camera One to the left of the table and get ready to resume play.”
The East Coast champ, Laurie Andrews, lifted her free hand. “I need a drink of water.”
One of the production assistants got her a bottle of Evian and then disappeared out of scene. Raine called action and finished shooting the hand.
So far Scott had fooled them every time. He didn’t have any of the “tells,” the little signs that the other players had.
She left her booth and went back on the floor to find Andy, her assistant director. He was talking to the NASCAR driver—probably about cars. Andy had a thing about fast cars that bordered on obsession.
She signaled to him that she needed a word and stood a little to the side of everyone else. Scott glanced up from the food table and caught her staring at him. He arched one eyebrow at her in a very arrogant way that made her want to do something really immature like kick his shins.
Her nature was contrary, so she couldn’t budge even when he pushed to his feet and sauntered over to her.
“Hey, honey.”
“Stop it right now. You’re not as charming as you think you are.”
“I know that,” Scott said with a grin that invited her to share his self-deprecating humor.
She tried to put herself in his shoes. If she’d had people of the opposite sex literally throwing themselves at her, she’d be the same way, right?
She shook her head and turned to walk away. But he stopped her with a hand on her wrist. His hand was big and strong, rough against her skin and totally at odds with his spoiled-rich-boy image.
“Wait. I think we got off on the wrong foot and I’d like to change that.”
She still faced away, but glanced at him over her shoulder. There was something in his dark-brown gaze that held her captive and wouldn’t let her walk away. Something that made her forget everything except him.
In an instant she realized she’d been using her disdain for the wealthy as a barrier against her attraction to him. Why did she have to pick today to let it drop?
She remembered what her father always said. You can’t con an honest man. If Scott wasn’t trying to manipulate her, then he wouldn’t allow himself to be manipulated.
They only had three and a half more weeks of shooting. She should have made it that long. “Since we’re on a break, let’s get out of here and talk,” he said.
“Talk?”
He arched an eyebrow at her. “Unless you had something else in mind.”
She shook her head. Maybe before she’d heard him with Stevie, but not now. Honestly, not ever. Think of a con, she thought. Make it about that. But she didn’t have a plan. She’d never been good at planning the actions even when she’d been a part of the game. She’d always been the honest one. Her father had said that with her eyes, no one ever expected a lie. “No. I…”
“Listen, I know there’s something about me that rubs you the wrong way.”
“It’s not that.” It wasn’t fair that he’d be so perceptive when she couldn’t get a handle on who he was. But it made an odd kind of sense. Only a man who knew what everyone else wanted would be able to effortlessly change into what they wanted.
“Then what? Because every other player on this tour has seen your smile except me.”
“I didn’t realize that,” she said.
“Sure you did. You didn’t care. Why is that, Raine?” he asked her. His voice dropped an octave.
She shivered at the sound of her name on his lips. She tried to remind herself that he was a trained actor, that this was all smoke and mirrors, but the finger rubbing her wrist made it feel like something more. And she remembered the other promise she’d made herself in high school other than getting the Oscar. No gamblers—ever.
Scott had spent the majority of his life on display, and he’d worked hard at projecting an image that said it didn’t bother him. Truthfully, he hated it. Part of the reason he disappeared for months at a time was that he just couldn’t stand to be social anymore. He got to the point where he couldn’t tolerate anyone around him.
So why, then, was he standing here next to Raine Montgomery, who’d made it perfectly clear she didn’t want to have anything to do with him? It wasn’t the bet with Stevie. He’d wanted her since the moment he’d set eyes on her in Joel’s office.
And she’d looked right through him. Maybe he was a closet masochist. Yeah, right. More likely, the lusty demon in his pants was making decisions for him again.
He wanted her. It didn’t help that Vegas was his personal playground. The place that he came when he needed to blow off steam. And they were in the Chimera, the one hotel that he thought of as his home away from home.
The bet was nothing to him. An added bonus to something he’d already decided he wanted.
And there was nothing he liked more than a challenge. Especially one that came in a tempting package like Raine. She was petite but she packed a punch. Gaffers, lighting techs and stage hands all bent to her will.
Everyone joked that her God voice when she was in the booth was straight out of the Old Testament. She was firm and polite but unforgiving of mistakes. She was also lavish in her praise, and he’d seen how well respected she was.
He tucked his hand under her elbow and drew her away from the set through an open door that led to the casino floor. For the television show they were using a high-stakes poker room off the main casino.
“Where are you taking me?”
“To my lair,” he said.
She laughed. “Okay, so you’re not the big bad wolf.”
“Who said that?”
“Stop trying to scare me. It won’t work.”
“I’m not trying to scare you. I’m attempting to find some common ground.”
She pulled to a stop in a small alcove well out of the way of the foot traffic. “I’m not sure there is any.”
“I know there is,” he said, curving his body in front of hers to block them from the view of passersby.
She stared up at him, and he realized her eyes were a beautiful shade of deep blue. He’d never seen them up close before. Her eyes weren’t what he’d expected. With her thick, dark, curly hair they should have been brown.
What else was she hiding?
“Why is this so important to you? I’m sorry I don’t smile at you but I’ll try to do it from now on.”
Scott rubbed the back of his neck. “I want more than a smile.”
“I don’t date…” She lowered her head, staring at her feet. This woman was different from the director he’d seen on the set. Which was the real Raine?
“Actors? Gamblers? Rich men?” But he knew she meant him in particular. He’d bet half his fortune that she was like most women, who thought if they found some palatable word he wouldn’t take it personally. But he knew from the way she watched him that it was Scott Rivers who made her nervous. Not his profession or his money.
“All of the above,” she said, glancing up at him.
He stared into her eyes, losing himself there. He’d never admit it out loud but there was something in her eyes that called to his lonely soul. He wanted to explore that, find out exactly what it was. “I don’t act anymore.”
“That’s right, you haven’t since…when?” she asked.
“A lifetime ago.” He remembered the day with a kind of fondness now. He’d been acting since he was nine months old. To say he’d chosen that profession was a huge exaggeration. He’d learned to act the same way he’d learned to walk and talk. Sometimes he wasn’t sure that he knew how to really live.
“What about gambling? Can’t deny that. You are being paid to play right now.”
“Ah, but that’s not really gambling, is it? I’m out there playing for charity and trying to outbluff the other contestants.”
“And you always do it.”
“Winning’s important to me.”
“Why?”
“Because losing sucks. Surely you’ve found that to be true.”
“I have. That’s why I play by the rules.”
“What rules?”
“My rules for safe living. It’s not that I’m not attracted to you. Who wouldn’t be? But you’re not worth the risk.”
“Risk? Honey, you’re safe with me.”
“Don’t call me honey. You call everyone that.”
“Okay, but don’t treat me like I’m nothing more than a list of professions or money. I want a chance to get to know the real Raine.”
She shook her head. “I don’t have time. And we both signed a waiver saying no fraternization with the cast or crew.”
“Live a little, Raine. Take a chance. We both have some free time.”
She bit her lower lip, and he realized that he was pushing her. He analyzed Raine and the situation. If he backed down now, she’d never let him get her alone again. But maybe… “I dare you.”
“What?”
“I dare you to go out with me. I dare you to see past the flashbulbs and the gossip-sheet rumors about me.”
Two
Damn him. That was all she could think as she stood there contemplating the dare.
She wanted to accept it. Not only to get back at him—because it would give her a chance to put her half-formed idea of making him fall for her into action—but also because she liked him. She was attracted to him.
But she wasn’t sure what was motivating Scott. Was it just the money he’d wagered with the rocker or did he want more? And was she really willing to risk her job just so she could one-up him? And she definitely was going to one-up this man. Did she really want to take a chance on another man hurting her?
A dare.
Still, it was hard to change her habits. She was a risk taker by nature, and every instinct in her wanted to take him up on his dare. To prove to him he wasn’t the hot stuff he thought he was.
A dare.
She’d spent a lifetime tamping down the urges of her wild blood. That was what Grandma Nan had always called it when Raine got into scrapes at school. And in her younger days she’d gotten into more than a few of them.
She’d never been able to resist a dare.
How had this man known? What was it about his dark-brown eyes that enabled him to see past the protective layers others never noticed were there?
In truth she knew it wasn’t arrogance. The man had a swarm of adoring people following him around day and night. She wondered how long they’d be alone in the alcove before one of his fans found him.
“What’s the matter? Scared you can’t handle me off the set where you’re not in charge?” he asked in that silky tone of his.
She realized he was so used to getting his way that it never occurred to him she’d turn him down. And it irked her that she was thinking about accepting his invitation. But she was definitely going to make him work for it.
“I think we covered this already,” she replied. “I’m not scared of any man.”
“Then I’ll pick you up in your suite at eight. Dressy casual. Be prepared for the night of your life.”
She wrapped her arms around her waist. His words, the delivery and tone, were exactly like her father’s. Every birthday he’d called her, promising her the moon, and for eight long years she’d believed him.
“You know nothing about me, Scott. How can you guarantee me the night of my life?” she asked carefully. Maybe going wasn’t a good idea, no matter how tempting he was. Actually, because of how tempting he was. She’d forgotten her own rules. No matter what spin he put on it, Scott Rivers was a gambler. He gambled every day on life, taking risks and issuing dares.
“Touché. That was arrogant.” He grinned at her.
“Just a tad.”
“I’d like to say it won’t happen again, but…”
This time she laughed at him. He was very charming, and she didn’t care if it was practiced. This was the man she had to be careful around. The one she’d find it so easy to fall for. For just this once, though, she wanted to enjoy basking in his laughter.
“How about a night of getting to know each other?” he asked, propping one hand on the wall behind her and angling his body closer to hers.
The heat of his body swamped her. She struggled to keep her pulse steady, but it had picked up the minute he’d put his hand on the wall next to her head. He captured one of her curls with his fingers and toyed with the strand. “Why is this important to you?” she asked.
He ran his finger down the side of her face, his touch tentative and very gentle. For the first time in her life she felt…special. Not the go-to girl or the can-handle-anything woman. But as if she was actually the one who needed to be treasured and pampered by a man. He’s just playing you, she reminded herself. But she liked the way he was treating her—which unsettled what she thought she knew about herself.
He leaned even closer to her. She inhaled his spicy aftershave and the smell of his breath mints. Her breath probably smelled like garlic from the scampi she’d had for lunch. This was why she didn’t do the fairy tale thing.
“I can’t get you out of my head,” he said.
She stopped thinking about her breath and stared up at this man who had to be putting her on. “Lust, eh? I’m not really cover-model material.”
“No, you’re not. You have something so unique. Something that’s just Raine.”
His words touched her and she had to swallow. She told herself he was a consummate actor, even though it had been a while since he’d tried his hand at that. A part of her wanted to believe him, but another part was afraid. She’d grown up with her father, the accomplished con man who could promise anything and make everyone including Raine believe it.
“Don’t say things like that to me. I prefer honesty.”
“As you pointed out, we don’t know each other. I just want a chance.”
“One chance. But no more of those mushy romance lines that you’ve doled out to a hundred other women.”
“Jeez, I’m not sure you’ll fit in my car with that chip on your shoulder. And I think we both know I haven’t had a hundred women.”
“I don’t care if you’ve had a thousand.”
“You will,” he said. Lowering his head, he kissed her. His lips brushed hers, and when she opened her mouth to breathe, his tongue slipped past her lips and into her mouth. He tasted her with long, languid strokes of his tongue. She tipped her head to grant him greater access.
Still he didn’t hurry. He just leaned there next to her, taking his time and exploring the fire that she’d never wanted to acknowledge was between them. Awareness spread down her body, and she relished the taste of him.
The world fell away and she swayed when his hands skimmed down her back and over her hips and he tugged her closer to him. The wall was solid behind her, and he was solid heat pressed to the front of her. She felt trapped and oddly free because the decision was taken out of her hands. This was the most daring thing she’d done in years.
Her pulse raced, and she knew that something she’d caged long ago had broken free. She reached for his shoulders, but he pulled back.
“Eight,” he said, and turned on his heel and walked away.
Scott went back to the set, but he was off his game for the rest of the day. He knew no one else observed it but he felt it inside. For the first time in fifteen years he was distracted by someone. He wasn’t just focused on his own pleasures. It was an odd feeling and he wasn’t sure he liked it.
But the only time he felt alive was when he was doing something risky, which was why he’d made the bet and was pursuing Raine. Who would’ve thought pursuing a petite brunette would be the challenge he’d been searching for?
Scott almost blew a really big hand, but brought his attention back to the game at the last minute.
They wrapped for the day, and he noticed that Raine stayed far away from him. Even when she came out of her booth, she gave him and the other players a wide berth. Scott finished up the conversation he was having with Stevie and started slowly stalking her.
She glared at him once so he knew she was aware of his presence. He laughed. She was so sassy and spunky that he couldn’t help himself. She might prefer safety and routine, but nothing could dampen the innate fire that burned inside her.
Why was she even trying to hide it? He knew then that the secrets he wanted to unlock in Raine were somehow tied to that passion.
She moved toward the exit, and Scott deftly followed her, blocking the one door off the set. He folded his arms over his chest and leaned back against the wall. She tossed her hair and pivoted on her heel, facing away from him.
“You still have that magic touch with the ladies,” a droll voice said behind him.
Scott turned to see one of his closest friends, Hayden MacKenzie—the newly married Hayden. “What can I say? I should bottle my charm.”
“Well, it is legendary. Does she not know that? Want me to go talk to her?”
“What are we—in junior high?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t go to junior high,” Hayden said.
Hayden had attended an exclusive boys’ school back east. Scott had met him in Europe when they’d both had too much money, too much anger and too much time on their hands. The other man stood a few inches taller than Scott.
“So how’s wedded life? Still bliss?”
Hayden smiled and for the first time since Scott had met him he saw a kind of peace in Hayden’s eyes. “Can’t complain. In fact, Shelby and I are having a dinner party on Friday. Can you come?”
“I might have plans.”
“You can bring her with you. Max is flying down from Vancouver, where he’s brokering a deal. Deacon and Kylie will be there.”
“Okay. But it’ll be just me. I don’t want Max to feel like the Lone Ranger.”
“You know Max. He’s never alone for long. See you at nine on Friday.”
Hayden walked away and Scott watched his friend leave. He wasn’t sure he wanted to be surrounded by his bachelor buddies who’d given up the single life. Scott had been alone for so long.
“Is everything okay?”
He glanced down at Raine. “Yes. Why?”
“Hayden owns the Chimera. I wasn’t sure if there was a problem.”
“Hayden and I go way back. Besides, he’d speak to you if there was a problem, wouldn’t he?”
She shrugged. “I guess. Listen, I’m going to have to work late, editing today’s shoot. So we’ll have to cancel dinner.”
He’d never had to work so hard with a woman, and a part of him toyed with the idea of just stopping his pursuit. He could afford to lose the bet to Stevie. But there was something about Raine that wouldn’t let him do that.
“No problem. We’ll go whenever you can. My plans are fluid,” he said, watching her carefully.
She put her hands on her hips and stared up at him. “I’m not sure how to say this….”
“Stop trying to find excuses. I’m not going to ask you to strip naked in front of a crowd of people. It’s just dinner.”
She dropped her arms and glanced around the set, which had cleared out except for one camera guy, who was still putting his gear away. “I’m not usually like this. You seem to bring it out in me. Are you sure you want to have dinner?”
“Yes. I’m not feeding you a bunch of BS, Raine. Believe me, I wouldn’t work this hard for a woman if I wasn’t really interested.”
There was a hint of vulnerability on her face before she carefully concealed it. “I’m free now. How about something casual?”
“It’s a little early for dinner.”
“Maybe we could go do something.”
“What do you have in mind?” he asked, sensing with Raine it was better to let her take the lead at first. He sensed she was used to being in charge on the job and off as well.
“Minigolf?”
No way. He had a reputation to live up to. “What are we…ready for the retirement home?”
“Well, what do you have in mind?” she asked in that quick-tempered way of hers.
“How much time do you have?” he asked, struggling not to smile at her show of temper.
She consulted her watch. “Four hours.”
“One round at the roulette table. Winner picks the next activity.”
“I don’t gamble.”
“Why not?”
“I just don’t.”
“Rumor has it that you were once a big-time player.”
“The National Enquirer intimated you had sex with an alien on your yacht in the Mediterranean.”
“Then you were a big-time player,” he said.
She threw her head back and laughed. “Okay, you win. I’ll play roulette with you, but only one game. Whoever wins picks the activity.”
“I don’t lose,” he said, warning her.
“Neither do I.”
Raine rubbed her sweaty palms against her jeans and stood in front of the roulette table. She was intimately familiar with this game, having grown up a few blocks from the casinos in Atlantic City. She’d spent her childhood on the boardwalk, staring in at her father, who’d spend a few days playing roulette when he couldn’t scrape together enough money to stake himself to a poker game.
Just one small bet. That was all she had to do. She wasn’t going to become addicted to gambling by placing one bet. She’d bet Scott on this one game and then she’d take him to the Keno diner on the second floor, sit with him in a vinyl booth and bore him to death so he would move on.
Conning him didn’t seem like such an easy thing to do just now. She felt as if she was being torn in two, and the balance and serenity she’d worked so hard to find in her life were now gone.
Her heart was beating too fast, and every minute she spent in his presence made her like him more.
“What are you waiting for?” he asked, making her realize that she’d been staring at the rows of black and red spaces for too long.
She scrambled for an answer. She was used to thinking on her feet in the high-pressure world of television. “You have to have a strategy.”
“For roulette?” he asked. “Be careful, Raine. This is just chance. Odds or evens, black or red. That’s all you have to decide.”
“Well, we all aren’t you, Mr. Lucky. I need a strategy. Give me a minute.”
Turning away from him, she closed her eyes. Coming to Vegas had been a struggle. She wasn’t a gambler by profession, but her heart was always ready to bet on something.
Every day she walked past the odds board in the lobby and mentally bet on something, anything. Prize fights, European sporting events, even the outcome of certain reality shows. She was contractually forbidden from betting on their show, but in her mind she bet every time.
She’d watched her father and brother both spiral out of control and into addiction. Right now they were both living hand-to-mouth existences. And she couldn’t help them. When she sent money, they only gambled it away, and when she visited, they wanted her to run one more con. A big score so they’d be set for life.
She was being silly. One little roulette bet wasn’t going to turn her into an addict. She took a deep breath and looked up at Scott. “Okay, I’m ready.”
“What’s your lucky number?” he asked.
She didn’t have a lucky number, didn’t believe that luck came from numbers or rabbits’ feet.
“Don’t have one?” he asked, putting his arm around her waist and leaning closer.
They were in the main casino, where anyone could see them. She inched away from him. “No. Why should I?”
“No reason. Mine is thirteen. Want to use it this time?”
“No. I’ll take fourteen.”
“Okay,” he said, reaching around her to drop a few casino chips on the table.
“What are you doing?” she asked. What did it say about the man that he had a pocketful of casino chips?
“This is on me.”
She shrugged and placed her bet. She put her chip only on the number, not bettering her odds by playing the color.
“You’re going for the bigger payoff just like a real gambler would,” he said.
He had no idea. She’d watched her father at the roulette table for so long that she’d played the way he would. His words didn’t reassure her, and it took all of her courage to stand her ground and not turn and run from the casino. Her hand actually trembled as she saw the croupier begin the play.
Scott captured her hand and rubbed it against his T-shirt-clad chest. “Don’t sweat it, honey. This is just for fun.”
She looked up at him and felt the waves of reassurance in him. Despite his playboy image and the way he seemed to glide through life unaffected, she sensed a rock-solid part of this man.
“I know.”
“When I win, I’m going to take you for a ride on my Harley out into the desert with the warm wind blowing all around us. Then we’ll have dinner at my favorite hole-in-the-wall Mexican place.”
That didn’t sound dangerous. It sounded fun, thrilling. She’d never been on a motorcycle and a part of her had always wanted to ride one. Especially if she was pressed up against Scott’s back. She’d have an excuse to touch him and not have to worry about the consequences for once in her life, not taking the same safe route she’d always chosen.
But he had dared her—and she couldn’t pass it up. “I don’t know what I’ll do when I win. Probably something safe and boring.”
He smiled at her then. His expression was so tender that the sounds of the casino faded away, and there was only the two of them. “Nothing with you could be boring.”
She turned away from the intensity in his eyes and focused on the table. The ball jumped and bounced and finally landed on fourteen. Raine couldn’t believe it.
“I won.”
“I saw,” he said. His arms came around her waist and he held her to him. “Maybe my luck is rubbing off on you.”
“I didn’t realize that luck felt like a muscled, masculine body.”
He dropped a fierce kiss on her lips. “Luck comes in all kinds of packages.”
She had the feeling he was talking about more than slot machines and Vegas winnings. “Bad luck sure does.”
“Hey, no talk of bad luck,” he said.
“I can’t believe this. You lost,” she said. And she won. After years of carefully avoiding taking any kind of risk, the first time she bet someone, she won.
“I know.”
She stepped away from him, fighting the urge to dance around. She won. For the first time she could understand the appeal of gambling. But she realized her euphoria had as much to do with the fact that she was with Scott as it did with winning.
“Does this ever happen to you?” she asked.
“About as often as I make it with my alien lover.”
She laughed and felt free in a way she hadn’t in a long time. Scott reminded her of what life could be when she let go of the tight control she kept on herself.
“What now?”
He picked up her winnings. “Let’s go cash out, and then the rest of the night is up to you.”
The glow of victory still hung around Raine as they stepped away from the cashier and she pocketed her winnings.
“So what’s the plan? I think we’ve got a few hours until you have to be in the editing room.”
She glanced at her watch, then tipped her head to the side, studying him. “How do you feel about going to Red Rock? They have a nature trail that’s supposed to be pretty awesome and it’s not that far from here. I haven’t had time to check it out yet.”
“Sounds good. I’ll drive, unless you want to?”
“No, you can drive. I’m sharing the production van with Tim and Leslie.”
Just then Scott became aware of a group of three women who were eyeing him. He knew the second they recognized him. They took a few steps toward him, but Scott wrapped his arm around Raine and made for the exit. She shoved her elbow against his stomach but he refused to budge. He suspected she was worried about Joel or someone from the show catching them together, but he liked the way she felt tucked up against him. “You have a choice.”
“Of what?” she asked as they left the casino behind and walked out into the warm spring afternoon.
He put on his sunglasses and led her toward the employee parking garage. Hayden kept the top floor of the garage for his own private vehicles and allowed Scott to store his there, as well. Sometimes Scott thought his entire life was just one long travelogue as he moved from one location to another.
“Of how you want to go,” he said, leading her to the garage elevator. He pressed the button for the top floor and then inserted his security key to access the parking level.
“I keep a Hummer H2, a Porsche Boxster and a Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle V-Rod here. I don’t think we can off-road at Red Rock so the Porsche or the bike would be a better choice.”
“Your cars cost more than my house does back in Glendale, California.”
He shrugged. “It’s just money.”
She put one hand on her hip and narrowed her eyes. “Not to everyone.”
“Is this going to be an issue?”
She said nothing, and he knew it was. He’d dated women with Raine’s outlook before. Some women honestly had a problem with the insane amount of money he had. He recognized it could be an issue and he hated that because the money was part of who he was.
“I started working when I was nine months old,” he explained.
She dropped her hand. “I know.”
“Then you can’t expect me to be poor. I spent my entire childhood earning that money.”
“Should I grovel for forgiveness?”
Realizing he had his own problems with this issue, he forced himself to relax. “Maybe later.”
“I have money issues in general. It was just a shock to hear you rattle off your list of vehicles.”
“Can you get over it?” he asked teasingly.
She tipped her head to the side and gave him one of those looks of hers that cut past all the images he’d cultivated over the years and burned straight to the bone. He should probably stay here in Vegas where he fit in. Out in nature he always felt more like the fraud he was. No longer the actor on a set but out in the elements.
“Yeah,” she finally said. “I can get over it—especially if you let me drive the Porsche.”
“Didn’t you hit the security rail with the production van yesterday?”
She wrinkled her brow. “That story was grossly exaggerated. No damage was done to the van.”
“I’ll think about letting you drive my car on the way back.”
He crossed the parking lot to the Porsche convertible. Opening the trunk, he pulled out two baseball caps. “If we’re taking this car you’ll need a hat. The sun is hot with the top down. You want the Yankees or the Red Sox?”
“We can’t ride in the same car wearing those hats.”
“Sure we can. You like to fight. This will make people believe we have a reason.”
“I don’t like to argue. You’re the one who’s contrary.”
“Really? I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Why do you have East Coast hats? I thought you grew up in L.A.”
“I did. The Sox cap is Hayden’s. I picked the Yankees just to needle him.”
He opened her door for her. She gave him a strange look before sliding into the car.
“What was that look?”
“Most guys don’t hold the door.”
“Most guys don’t have my mom. She’s a stickler for manners and men holding doors.”
“She sounds like my kind of woman.”
“She’s…fierce, I guess. She made sure no one took advantage of me when I was a kid. She still watches out for me now.”
“What about your dad?”
“He backs her up when she needs him. But he’s content to let her lead the way.”
“Sounds like they have a good marriage.”
“They do. What about your folks?” he asked as he put down the top on the convertible. Once it was down, he backed out of the parking space and headed to the exit.
“My folks are divorced. My mom remarried when I was sixteen. We’re not real close.”
“What about your dad?”
“He lives on the East Coast so I don’t see him.”
“My folks live in Malibu. I see them all the time when I’m in Los Angeles.”
She said nothing as he maneuvered the car onto 215 and headed toward Red Rock. “Too bad I didn’t think of asking you out sooner. We could have applied for a rock climbing permit.”
“I think I’d have a heart attack if I tried to do that.”
“It’s easy.”
“Sure it is. Easy to fall.”
“What kind of guy do you think I am? I’d never let you fall.”
“Stop it. You sound too good to be true. Remember, I’m on to you and your smooth-talking ways.”
If only she were right and he were feeding her lines. But there was something too real about Raine. He’d felt her pain when she’d spoken quietly of her lack of parental contact. He wanted to sweep her into his arms and promise she’d never be alone again.
No matter how much she intrigued him, this would be the same as every other relationship in his life. Fleeting and memorable.
Three
A tense silence filled the car as they entered the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. The area had some of the best examples of the Mojave Desert terrain in Nevada. Raine had never been an outdoorsy girl. But there was something so clean about being here now. Especially compared to the overdeveloped Vegas strip where she’d been spending all her time. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply.
“You okay?”
“Yeah,” she said, realizing that she was. The bet with Scott, the constant fear she felt being close to gambling, even her own tension about his interest in her dropped away. Within moments there was nothing but the two of them and nature.
“Sure?”
“Yes, I was just thinking how different this is from Vegas. I have to warn you that even though I suggested this, I’m not really a nature girl.”
“That’s okay. I am.”
“You’re a nature girl?”
“Ha, nature boy. Seriously, I spend all my free time outside.”
For a man who had the world at his fingertips, he spent a lot of his time like any other guy his age.
“I still can’t believe this place is so close to our hotel,” she said, offering a tentative olive branch to Scott. This was a mistake, she thought. Her gut had said it from the beginning, but she’d foolishly thought she could dip one foot into the world she’d always forbidden herself.
She’d been out of the game too long to pull a con on this guy and she knew it. Besides, her hormones were making it difficult to concentrate on conning him. She wanted to just tip her head back and enjoy being around Scott. This man who’d been acting before he could walk or talk. This man who made his living betting on everything under the sun.
“Me, neither,” he said. He pulled into the visitor center parking lot. Turning to look at her, he tugged off his sunglasses, but his eyes still weren’t visible under the brim of his Red Sox cap. “Have you been here before?”
His tone was conversational. No more flirting. She wasn’t disappointed. Really, she wasn’t. “No. I read about it in the area information in my room.”
“I’ve been here a few times. How adventurous are you feeling?” he asked, a hint of speculation in his eyes.
“Moderate.” She suspected he was talking about more than the trail. And she’d never been adventurous; she’d always chosen the safe and sane route. Even her career, which was in a field that was constantly changing, had always been stable. Being unadventurous was her one goal in life.
“What would it take to bump that up?” he asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe getting to know you a little better?”
He nodded and put his sunglasses back on. “What kind of shoes are you wearing?”
“Why?” she asked.
“There’s a trail that involves some climbing and leads to a waterfall. But if you don’t have hiking boots on…”
“I don’t. Plus I’m not really very athletic.”
“Then how about an easy trail?” He pulled a well-thumbed-through guidebook from the side pocket on the door. “Can you do two miles round trip?”
“I guess driving through the park is out of the question?”
Considering he’d only arrived in Vegas a few days ago, Raine thought, he seemed very comfortable and at home here. But then he was a gambler, so he’d probably spent a fair amount of time in Sin City. She had the feeling that he was always at home, wherever he was.
She envied him that. She was still searching to find that kind of peace deep inside herself. And she knew she needed things around her. The same things, the same routines, the same people, to find her comfort level.
He was a chameleon, she reminded herself. He changed to fit all of his surroundings, and she’d do well to remember that.
“Hell, yes, it’s out of the question. I really want to do the Ice Box trail but I don’t think you’re up to it.”
“Fine. I can go two miles. I do more than that at the Galleria during the holidays.”
Raine went into the ranger station to register them while Scott gathered supplies. She met him back in the parking lot five minutes later and found him talking baseball with two guys.
“There’s my lady,” he said, leaving the men and joining her.
“I’m your lady?” she asked.
She’d never belonged to any man before. She’d had sex with exactly two men in her life. Her first boyfriend had been in college, and that had lasted one semester. The second guy had been looking for a job in the industry and saw her as the most expedient route to where he wanted to go.
She knew that she was to blame for her love life. She didn’t trust men or even want to trust them. She liked her career and got by focusing on that. This current situation with Scott was just a con. She tried to remember that, but it was hard.
“I want you to be my lady,” he said, leading the way out of the parking lot and toward the Moenkopi Loop.
She wished he’d stop saying things like that. But it fit perfectly with his bet, and she realized she had to keep her mind sharp. That was another of her dad’s lessons—don’t forget the end goal.
But Scott was different. He made her want to reevaluate her life. Take stock in where she was—almost thirty and still single. And he made her want to change things, to forget she was very happy with who she was.
“Why are you here?” she asked when they found the trail and walked side by side. Get to know the mark, she thought.
“You asked me to come.”
“Ha-ha, smart-ass. I meant, why are you doing the show?” she asked, focusing on Scott and not on how easily the rules of grifting were returning to her.
“I’m friends with Joel Tanner. He needed a name to take to the networks.”
Joel was the executive producer on the show. He was riding a string of popular hits on television that threatened to rival Aaron Spelling’s golden touch in the eighties and nineties. Raine found him to be a fair man most of the time. She didn’t have to deal with him too often, which she liked. He was also her boss, so if this thing with Scott didn’t work out, Scott had the inside track on making sure she never worked again. “That was nice of you.”
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