Their Million-Dollar Night (3 page)

“No, you're not. But that doesn't mean that I'm not going to take control.”

 

Max was pushing and he knew it so he backed off. He really did want Roxy by his side, and not just here in Vegas. She was the right woman at the right time. He needed a fiancée and, well, she fit the bill.

Even as the words echoed in his mind, he knew he was walking on thin ice. She wasn't just an accessory he could pick up in Vegas and return with to Vancouver.

“Come with me to the casino. You can be my lucky charm, and then I'll take you to breakfast and we can discuss this further.”

“I've never been anyone's lucky charm,” she said.

“Maybe you just didn't realize it,” he said, steering them through the crowded casino floor toward the
high-stakes poker area in the back. Now he hardly noticed her slight limp.

“I think I'd know if I was lucky.”

“Maybe your luck is with things you take for granted,” he said, knowing that his luck came from making things happen. From never sitting and waiting but getting up and taking action.

She stopped walking. “I think you might be right. I mean, I wanted to win the lottery but didn't. I wanted to keep on dancing and can't.”

“I didn't mean to bring up bad memories.”

She shook her head, shaking her honey-colored hair against her shoulders. Her hair looked like silk in the casino lighting, and he knew he should be concentrating on her words but instead just wanted to bury his hands in her hair and hold her head still for a soul-deep kiss.

“I just realized that I am lucky in a million little ways,” she said.

He took a deep breath and reached for the concentration that he was known for. Then he took her by the wrist and led her away from the noise and the crowds to an alcove tucked away in the corridor. “What are those things?”

She bit her lower lip and his concentration almost flew out the window. What would her mouth taste like?

“It will sound silly,” she said.

“I just called you my lucky charm, I think we're already into silly.”

“Did you mean it?” she asked.

“Yes.”

She smiled at him then and her expression was so…tender that his heart almost broke. “That wasn't silly, Max. It was very sweet.”

“Ah, hell, God save me from being sweet. You're supposed to look at me and think, What a sexy guy. Not a sweet man.” But he liked that she thought of him that way. No one had ever seen him in that light before. They'd called him ruthless, determined and successful, but never sweet.

“Can't you be both?”

“I don't know, can I?” he counted.

He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. Her words—that she wasn't ready to date—echoed in his mind as he held her. Hell, neither was he, but holding her soothed that bit of loneliness that had been echoing through his soul.

“I'm not sure this is on the approved list of acceptable activities between a VIP and his hostess.”

“Your boss is one of my best friends, so I think I know how to make this right.”

“For you?”

He realized again that he was moving too fast. Her comment still ticked him off because he'd always been the kind of man that others respected. “No,
Roxy, for you and when you know me better I'll expect an apology for that.”

“I'm sorry. I'm much better at light social talk, or performing up on the stage where I can't say the wrong things.”

“You didn't say the wrong thing.”

“Yes, I did. I offended you.”

“I get offended daily.”

“How?”

“Usually from investors of rival companies. Or the board of directors of a company that I want to take over. Sometimes from my second in command, but he says that's to keep my ego in check.”

“He's your friend, then?”

Max thought about Duke and nodded. “Yes. He saved my life once.”

“Did you repay him?” she asked, with a shrewdness he wished she didn't have.

“Of course I did. I couldn't let that kind of debt languish.”

“Have you ever let any debt languish?”

“No, I haven't. I like to keep things even,” he said lightly because he knew that he really preferred to keep the balance tipped toward him. To make sure that he was the one who did just a bit more in a relationship.

“But you're bossy. So I'm guessing that you like to be in charge all the time.”

He shrugged his shoulder. “What can I say? I run
an international conglomerate. I have to lean toward the type-A personality.”

“Just in business?”

He shook his head, uncomfortable pursuing this topic. “You were going to tell me what you were lucky at.”

“I was?”

“Yes, you were.”

“Is that an order?”

She was sassing him. And he liked it, but he gave her a quelling stare. One that always made the office staff jump through hoops for him.

“I'm not intimidated,” she said. “But I will tell you what I'm lucky at….”

She paused and he waited for her to continue.

“I'm lucky in being alive. Now, if I can just remember how to live.”

M
ax played for four hours straight, insisting Roxy stay close by. She enjoyed being with him but the combined cigarette and cigar smoke was giving her a headache.

“I need to step outside for a few minutes. Breathe some fresh air.”

Max nodded. “I'm going to play one more hand and then we'll go get some breakfast.”

Since it was almost six o'clock, it would be an early breakfast but she didn't mind. She doubted that he'd only play one more hand.

Most of the men she'd dated had been gamblers. She'd met them all in a casino, and they never left any table or game after just one more hand or roll.

Six months time had made a huge difference in how she spent her days. Normally she would have been arriving at the casino about now and heading to the rehearsal hall for an intense dance workout and review of the previous night's show.

Instead, she was fetching drinks and keeping a man who didn't need the incentive in the casino. She hadn't felt this lost since she'd turned eighteen and realized that she no longer had a place to stay at the group home in which she'd lived. Two months left until high-school graduation, and she'd been on her own.

“Rox?”

She glanced over her shoulder and saw Tawny and Glenda crossing the casino, heading toward the rehearsal hall. Glad to see her old friends, she tried to smile. This feeling of envy, jealousy and embarrassment was exactly why she'd been avoiding them. They were still doing something she no longer could, and she felt a weird combination of envy, jealousy and some joy every time they visited her.

“Hey, girls. How's the show?” she asked. Both of them were still fit and pretty. Roxy looked at them and didn't feel the same sense of belonging as she used to. She shifted her weight, trying to feel as if she could still fit in if she wanted to.

“Not the same without you,” Glenda said. “Roger has been really mean lately. One small slip-up and he reams you a new one.”

“Well it's his butt on the carpet if the show isn't good,” Roxy said. Roger's temper was legendary, but he usually only exploded if the chorus was loafing. And she couldn't imagine Glenda or Tawny loafing. They took dancing as seriously as she did…had.

“I didn't see you at the blackjack tables earlier. I hoped that meant you'd be backstage,” Tawny said.

“Not yet. I still have a few more surgeries before I'll be ready.” But that wasn't the truth. She'd never dance again. The combination of the strenuous show moves and the weight of some of the headdresses they wore would be too much for her body. The doctor had told her after her last surgery that dancing in Vegas was out. A showgirl no more.

“Get well soon, girl,” Glenda said, giving her a hug before the two women moved on.

Roxy leaned back against the wall for a second. She really wanted to sink into it and become invisible. Then she remembered she was in public and straightened up, forcing herself to head for the exit.

The warm touch of a man's hand on her back startled her. She jumped a little. But she knew that touch. The feel of that palm had been embedded in her memory already. She glanced back at Max.

“You okay?”

“Fine,” she said.

He rubbed his hand down her arm, linking their
fingers together, and led her away from the casino floor and out of the hotel. “Who were those women?”

“Friends of mine,” she said.

“Dancers?”

She nodded. She wasn't ready to talk about that part of her life. Not that he was probing into it. She knew her reaction had a lot more to do with the fact that she didn't know how to deal with seeing her best friends than any question Max asked. “Where are we going?”

“For breakfast. I think I mentioned we'd eat after I finished that hand.”

She flushed a little, remembering she hadn't thought he'd really get up and leave the table after one hand.

“Uh-oh, what's that look?”

“What look?”

“That sheepish one.”

“I didn't think you'd actually leave after one hand.”

“I'm a man of my word,” he said, pulling her to a stop in the middle of the path.

She tipped her head back to stare into his eyes. He patiently let her look at him and she sighed deep inside realizing that she'd never met a man like Max before. She doubted she ever would again. He was solid through and through. He wasn't part of the illusion of Vegas.

“Sorry. Most gamblers can't leave.”

“I really just do it for fun and to relax.”

His fun had a much higher price tag on it than hers did. She could have bought a new house with some of the jackpots that were won and lost while Max played cards.

“Tell me about your job,” she said.

“Later. We have to get moving to make our breakfast.”

“Are we leaving the hotel?”

He nodded, steering her down the path that led to Hayden's private garage.

“We have some really nice—”

He held up his hand. “I know. I've already talked to Hayden about moving you to be someone else's hostess.”

“You did?” she asked. She couldn't believe his gall. Did he think he owned the world?

“Now don't get mad.”

“Too late. Do you think that you own me? I'm not sure that you listened when I said I don't work for you.”

“I heard that. That's why I spoke to Hayden. I have other plans for you and I, Roxy.”

She shook her head. “Maybe I don't want to be a part of them.”

He didn't force her closer, but she felt surrounded by him. “I'm not like this normally, but there is something about you that draws me.”

“Lust?”

“Yes,” he said with a devilish grin. “But more
than that. If you don't feel the same, then say the word and this ends here.”

“What is
this?
” she asked, unwilling to admit that she found him attractive. She knew he was out of her league.

“I have no idea, but I don't want to let you go. I want to spend the next day with you, exploring the attraction between us.”

His words combined with the fire in his eyes melted her resistance. She knew that this was going to lead to heartache. They were so different. But she wanted to spend more time with him.

 

Santa Barbara, California, was perfect for his needs. Roxy was quiet as he drove them to the private airport and his waiting Learjet.

“Okay, where are we going?”

“For breakfast on the beach. I want to watch the day begin with you.”

He could tell by her expression that she was overwhelmed and that pleased him. He'd been overwhelmed by a need to be with her ever since they'd met.

“The sun rises in Vegas, too,” she said vaguely.

“Trust me, this is one you don't want to miss.”

“Is this a normal thing for you?” she asked as they boarded the jet.

“Welcome aboard, Mr. Williams and Ms. O'Malley,” Lourdes said.

“Roxy, this is Lourdes, our pilot. She's been working for me for five years now.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“You, too,” Lourdes said. “Buzz me when you're ready to go, Mr. Williams.”

He nodded. Lourdes went into the cockpit and left them alone. Max crossed to the bar and poured a glass of California sparkling wine and orange juice for each of them. Roxy stayed just inside the jet, her gaze sweeping over the plush carpet and leather seats. She took a step inside and then stopped completely.

“This is not going to work,” she said.

He knew she meant the two of them, but Max had already felt that irresistible pull toward her and knew that for him to walk away was impossible. Even if the only thing between them was this heat, then he'd be happy to explore it. But he sensed there was something more. The restlessness that had become a part of him was gone—at least temporarily.

“Give me this morning and then we can discuss our differences on the way back. I think you'll find we have a lot in common.” He set the champagne flutes down and pulled her into his arms. She inhaled and held her body stiff. He rubbed his hands down her back, enjoying the feel of her in his arms.

“That's kind of presumptuous.”

“Sometimes my instincts get the better of my manners. Please come to breakfast with me.”

She nodded.

“Have a seat and I'll let Lourdes know we're ready to go.”

He spoke to the pilot via an intercom and returned to Roxy's side. He handed her a glass of the sparkling wine and O.J., and relaxed deeper into the leather seat as they took off.

“Most people go to the Grand Canyon for quick flights.”

“Have you been there?” he asked. He wanted to analyze her as he would a company he was thinking of taking over. He needed to figure out what her strengths and weaknesses were. Then he'd figure out how to make her his completely. That one brief kiss wasn't enough.

If he played it right, she could also give him the edge he needed in his merger with Harron. Roxy would dazzle the businessman and Max could finally close the deal. He knew she'd dazzle Harron, because she'd dazzled him without even trying.

“Yes. I met a gambler one time who came to the show and saw me dance and then won five hundred thousand dollars. He took me on a helicopter flight to the Grand Canyon.”

Max was doubly glad he'd chosen the beach. He didn't want to be lumped together with some gambler. “And you said you weren't lucky,” Max said, not liking the jealousy he felt at her story.

She gave him a wry smile and took a sip of her sparkling wine. “I'm not, really. When we returned he asked me to accompany him to the craps table and he promptly lost the rest of his money. He definitely didn't think I was lucky anymore.”

Max reached over and ran a his finger down the side of her face. He couldn't explain it, but her luck stemmed from things that couldn't be won or lost in a casino. “Maybe you weren't lucky for him.”

“But I'm lucky for you?” she asked in a throaty little voice. She tipped her head more fully into his touch and he cupped it, loving the feel of her silky cool hair on his skin.

“Something like that. You were in the show at the Chimera?” he asked, wanting to piece together an understanding of her life. He had never been to any of the shows. When he came to Vegas he played hard, and watching shows had never figured into his plans.

“Yes, I was. At that time I was a lead dancer, but not yet the headliner.”

She tensed when she talked about it. He put his glass down and took her hand in his.

“That takes a lot of discipline, I imagine.”

“Yes, it does, but then dancing is my life.
Was
my life. Now, hostessing is.”

“Really?”

“To be honest, no.”

“Tell me about your injury.”

“Um…it's not that bad. I'm going to have a few more surgeries and then I'll be good as new.”

He didn't think so. There was something in her eyes when she talked about dancing that told him she wasn't sure about that part of herself any more.

“What about you? What's it like to be a CEO?”

“Well, for one thing, when I give an order it's usually obeyed,” he said, arching one eyebrow at her.

“You need someone to defy you. You're too used to getting your way.”

“Maybe so. It's very challenging. I've been at the helm of Pryce Enterprises for more than ten years.”

“Why Pryce and not Max or Williams Enterprises?”

“Pryce is my middle name…my mother's maiden name.”

She encouraged him to talk about his company. As he did so he realized that he was glad to hear that she was at a crossroads. It made his plans for her and the future easier to achieve.

 

They took a limo to the beach and Roxy was overwhelmed by the luxury that Max seemed to take for granted. Someone had set up a low table in the sand, and large cushions were provided for seating. There were hanging candles on the canopy that covered the dining area.

The table itself was topped with a large, cut-glass vase full of light-pink and white roses. There
was also a small blue box tied with a white ribbon. She'd never received anything from Tiffany & Co. before.

He was seducing her carefully with romance. And it wasn't the kind of romance that she'd ever imagined existed. This was big-time fantasy romance, and she couldn't ever forget that it
was
a fantasy. Max was used to throwing money around on things. For goodness' sake, he had a Learjet.

This was more than breakfast, whatever he said. He wanted more than just a chance to get to know her on the beach. She might not be the savviest woman when it came to men, but she knew a setup when she saw one. The thing was, this setup was straight from her dreams.

“What is going through your head?” he asked, in that way of his that made her feel as though he could read her mind. As though he could see through all the barriers she'd thought she'd erected.

“We are never going to make this work,” she said at last. No way could she ever fit in this world. She was flashy and brassy, not sweet romance. She was…not his kind of woman. Was that what he wanted? Some kind of tawdry affair?

“Why not?”

“We are literally from two different worlds, Max. Why can't you see that?”

“I already do. I want the chance to show you that
we have more in common than you think. I'm not going to pretend that this isn't my way of life.”

“Flying somewhere for breakfast?”

“It's a mode of transportation. I bet you've driven places and met people for meals.”

He wasn't going to let this be an issue and she wanted it to be one. She wanted to somehow convince him—and, okay, herself—that it was money that made the difference between them, and not her own fears that were holding her back. Her fears were responsible for that block of ice in her stomach. A block of ice that had started to thaw in his embrace.