The Big Blind (Nadia Wolf) (10 page)

Quiet Mike stood up and placed two empty glasses on the table and handed each of us a stack of chips.

“Whoever can bounce the most chips into their glass wins,” Jerry said.

Caleb turned to me. “Well?”

I hesitated.

“Don’t think you can do it?” He asked.

“Alright, let’s play.” I can’t seem to beat him at poker, so maybe I could win this.

The guys at the table threw in their chips for the bet and settled back to watch.

Caleb picked up a chip and bounced it, landing it perfectly in the glass.

I slid a sideward glance at him. “Have I just been hustled?”

“No,” he smiled, “I’m just lucky.”

I bounced a chip which sailed over Jerry’s head.

Clink.
Caleb made another shot.

I carefully aimed the shot and bounced the chip so it wouldn’t fly off the table. This time it landed in Quiet Mike’s glass with a splash.

“Does that count?” I asked.

Everyone shook their head no.

Clink.
Caleb made another shot.

A woman sauntered into the room. I knew of her but never met her in person. Catarina Carvona was one of the few women to play high stakes in the boy’s club. She didn’t take any crap from them. It was rumored Caleb and she dated for a while.

“What’s this?” She asked. She pushed back her long dark hair. Her dark eyes rested on Caleb.

“Don’t interrupt, Cat,” Jerry said. “It’s just getting good.”

Her eyes were still on Caleb. “What are the stakes?”

“His Porsche or a weekend with Nadia,” Jerry said.

Catarina smirked. “Didn’t you already try that with me, Caleb? Only I was smart enough not to get hustled.”

My spine flashed ice. I straightened to glare at Caleb who narrowed his eyes at Catarina. She laughed at him and threw back her hair.

“Son of a bitch!” I said. “You hustled me!”

I picked up my remaining chips tossing them haphazardly at the glass in the middle of the table. They hit the table, bounced, and then scattered.

“There. You won!”

“Nadia, you don’t understand,” Caleb said.

I snatched my purse and marched out the door.

“Nadia, wait.” Caleb ran after me.

I ignored him.

He grabbed my arm, swinging me around. “Please hear me out.”

“You hustled me and now you want me to hear you out? It’s not so bad I was hustled, but the fact that you did the same thing with Catarina makes me queasy. Just let me go. You got what you wanted.”

“I didn’t get what I wanted. I wanted you to be mine because you wanted to be; not because you were hustled.”

“You wanted to win me, and you did.”

“Not like this,” he said, pressing a ticket in my hand.

One glance at the ticket and I discerned it was from the valet. “What’s this?”

“My Porsche, it’s yours.”

“This is your guilt talking. I lost the bet because of my own stupidity. I’m not taking your car to make you feel better about the situation.” I shoved the ticket into his front jeans pocket and turned to march away.

“Dammit,” he growled. He grabbed my shoulder, swinging me around to face him again. “You frustrate the hell out of me.”

I opened my mouth to reply, but he swooped down, kissing me hard. He held me in a tight embrace. I momentarily weakened but pushed him back before I fell under his spell.

“Leave me alone,” I said and stomped away. He let me go and didn’t follow me. My shoulders slumped.

I made my way to the front of the building to hail a taxi to go home. I had to dress for the show.
Stupid show! Stupid Caleb!

Remy was outside with the limo. “You need a lift?”

“Thanks Remy, but I can just catch a taxi.”

“Greyson said I should give you a ride. He thought you might need one.”

“Why would he say that?”

Remy’s phone buzzed. He scanned the text message. “Hang with me for a moment. Greyson is on his way to a meeting. We’ll be passing your place anyways.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“How’s it not a good idea? You’ll save money and ride in a limo. Plus, Greyson will keep you company so you don’t feel like you’re riding in a coffin.”

“That’s the problem. I don’t know Greyson. I spilled a drink on him, and then I bumped into him at the charity event. That’s it.”

Plus, when he’s near me my insides turn into mush. I was already a swirling emotional concoction from my encounter with Caleb. I didn’t need Greyson adding fuel to the potency.

Greyson walked out the front door. Jason Biggs followed closely on his heels chirping in his ear about the upcoming meeting. Steffi jogged behind taking notes.

Greyson registered me and smiled. His eyes softened and his smile was sincere. Damn if he wasn’t wearing a suit that fit him perfectly making him too close to heaven.

Remy opened the limo door and ushered me in before I could protest. Greyson followed with Jason shouting a final few words before Remy closed the door leaving Greyson and I alone.

“I’m sorry about this. I tried to tell Remy I could take a taxi,” I said.

Greyson assessed me as I perched opposite of him. “Remy was acting upon my request. I heard what happened in the high stakes room.”

“How did you hear about it so fast?”

“We have cameras every where. The security guards monitor the high stakes room and several others. We want to keep our players safe. We also want to keep them safe from each other. Some of their side bets spiral out of control.”

“Like the sandwich bet?”

“That one was funny. I actually wagered on it. Most of the time I couldn’t care less, but today was different.”

Catching his eye, I shrugged. “I was hustled. You can’t make a living at gambling if you’re going to be afraid of every one. I learned my lesson.”

Greyson’s phone rang. “Yes?” He asked into the phone. I watched as his expression changed. His eyes narrowed and his jaw tightened. “Where was he?” He gripped the phone. “I’ll get Remy on it.”

Greyson ended the call and gazed out the window. His eyes drifted to a point beyond where vision wasn’t needed. I didn’t want to disturb him so I sat still. It was the perfect time to watch him without him noticing my obvious ogling.

He must have a serious flaw somewhere. No one can be so devastatingly gorgeous and not have a gigantic, hideous, secret flaw. I was going to find out what it was. That way he wouldn’t be so damn tempting. But maybe this would be our final encounter. It would slam the brakes on temptation too.

His eyes traveled back to me. “I’m sorry. I was lost in my thoughts for a moment.”

“It’s okay. You’re the one giving me the ride.”

A smile barely escaped the confinement of his lips. “What are your plans for the rest of the day?” He asked.

“I got conned into working as an opening act for a magician.”

He raised an eyebrow. “What kind of act?”

“Nothing interesting. Just card tossing tricks.”

“Sounds interesting to me,” he said. “It isn’t for Lupier, is it?”

“Yes, how did you know?”

He grinned. “Then I’ll see you tonight. I have VIPs coming in for the night. They want to see the show.”

“You’re kidding, right? I’m nervous enough. Can you bring them after my opening?”

“No, I want to see your act. Do you need a ride? Remy can pick you up.”

I shook my head. “It’s okay. I know he will be busy with whatever problems you’re having.”

Greyson’s lips smiled but his tired eyes betrayed him. “Problems come and go.”

“Are you still cleaning up the tournament mess?”

“Yes, were you there?”

“I was in the audience.”

Greyson nodded as though he might have already known. “I’m sorry I didn’t see you. I was a bit preoccupied. You weren’t hurt or anything, were you?”

“No, Caleb came to find me in the audience and stayed until the power came back on.”

He hesitated for a moment. “What made you take the bet with him?”

“You know my car problems already. He was wagering his Porsche.”

“A car is worth his wager?”

“At the time I had a different opinion of him. If I did lose, it wouldn’t have mattered. Now that I did lose and my opinion has changed, I’m hoping he’ll be a gentleman and call off the wager.”

“Do you think he will?”

“I have no idea.”

“Will you go through with it?”

“I’ll have to. He wouldn’t back out giving me his car, so I have no right to back out unless he lets me.” I smirked. “But I’ll make him suffer for it.”

“It wouldn’t hold up in court.”

“Are you a poker player?”

“No. Never enjoyed it.”

“There’s a small thread of trust between professional poker players. It’s very fragile. If you break this bond you’ll have a hard time working with professional players. It can be a tight knit group, and you can find yourself on the wrong side of the table.”

“Didn’t Caleb break the trust?”

“Caleb is in a league by himself. His thread is a little sturdier than most.”

Remy pulled the limo to the entrance of All Celebrities Chapel.

“Thank you for the ride,” I said. “I hope your day gets better.”

“I’m sure it will. Good luck tonight.”

I smiled and hopped out of the door Remy opened for me. “Thanks Remy. Have fun chasing down bad guys.”

“I always do.”

Greyson leaned out of the limo. “Remy, don’t forget to give Nadia her bag from the trunk.” A sly grin formed on his face.

“That’s not my bag,” I tittered, hoping he would believe me.

“I took it from you at the Naughty Shack so it must be yours,” Remy said.

Greyson smiled at me. “Is that the outfit you will be wearing for the show?”

“Not on your life!” I shrieked, wanting to find the nearest hiding spot.

Gus was sprawled on his back on the couch when I let myself in to the apartment. He cocked his head to the side and let out a deep grunt.

I filled his bowl with his ration. His legs raced trying to right himself. He was finally able to flop over to one side and tuck his legs under him. It was like watching a nature show on upside-down turtles.

“Have you lost any weight yet?”

He casually sniffed my shoe, sauntered to his bowl, and plopped down to munch.

My phone buzzed. Glancing at it, I read Caleb’s name as it popped up on the caller ID. I tossed the phone on the table and slipped into the bathroom to take a shower.

It wasn’t about him hustling me or even winning . . . okay, maybe a little. My biggest problem was Catarina. She snared her meat hooks into every man. I had hoped Caleb would have seen through her. I sighed, but realistically, what man could? She was beautiful and had an air of naughty girl to her, and she dressed in shamefully uninhibited clothes. Women hated her. Men want to score with her. Caleb would have been no different.

I should have known not to entangle myself with a poker player. This was going to turn into the hot topic of the tables for months. Caleb would appear as the sexy bachelor that his image already conveyed, and I would look pathetic for falling into such an obvious trap.

I yanked out my costume for the gig still thinking about my pathetic status. I sucked in air as my stomach plummeted a twenty-story drop on to concrete.

“Frankie!” I screamed.

I held out the two scraps of material. There was nothing there. No dress, no nothing. It was a sequined thong bikini.

Frankie burst into my apartment armed with a broom. “Where is he? I can take him.” He jumped around the room peeking behind the door and couch.

Gus gave him a twitchy eye stare but hunkered down to eat.

“No one is here. What is this?” I squeaked, holding the costume between my two fingers.

“You gave me a heart attack woman!” He barked, clutching his chest. “I was going to come up here and get all freaky on his ass. Next time you get broken into, can you make sure he’s a hottie? I can’t just body slam any one and pin them down until the police arrive. I have a reputation to uphold.”

“I refuse to wear this bikini.”

“It will make you memorable. We need more gigs.”

“Frankie, I have to concentrate on the tricks. How can I do that when my cheeks are hanging out?”

“How am I supposed to know your brain and butt cheeks are connected? I have another costume you can wear. It’s part of my own collection, so don’t go stretching it out.”

I rolled my eyes. He scurried down to his apartment to find the costume. Within a few minutes, he returned and was pinning me into a short gold sequined dress.

“Why can’t I wear underwear?”

“You’ll see panty lines.”

“Frankie, you’re pinning it too tight.”