“You think so?”
“Yes.” Ethan nodded. “Under his nose. There’s no point having them someplace far away if he’s got all the security he could ever have right there at the hotel. It’s perfect for it. What got me thinking is what you said about him taking a year to show his guys his secrets and you getting access straight away. It suggests he has something worth protecting.”
That was the very thing I’d been contemplating. It seemed plausible, although they could be anywhere.
“I’m gonna focus there for the moment then.” It was good to know that my initial assumption might be right. Over the last few days I’d been watching everyone’s movements. Someone was always around the Castle area. “The secrets are in the vaults. Sounds like the kind of place they might be.”
“If you find it Xander…” He paused. “Let’s just say it would be really good.”
“It would be. Game over.”
Game over for the mission, but not for everything else.
Jia…
I really shouldn’t have kissed her.
It made me feel for her and I wondered how things would play out.
There she was…
Like a breath of fresh air she walked into the function room and I swore all eyes diverted to her.
Every man stopped what he was doing, stopped mid-conversation no matter how serious the discussion was. They all looked at her.
Dressed in a long gold gown tonight, the blond looked like she’d just stepped out of a dream. The dress hugged her body, caressing her the way I wanted to, like the taste I had last night.
It was a sleeveless dress that made a perfect show of her fully rounded breasts, the deep curve of her waistline and the taper of her slim hips.
With her hair pulled back into a loose ponytail she commanded attention to her high exotic cheekbones and those eyes she’d done in a smoky shadow.
She came in with Giovanni, walking beside him, clearly doing as she was told. He looked to me and cut me a hard stare. I hadn’t seen him all day.
Hadn’t seen her either and I was hoping I wouldn’t see her tonight.
Not at one of the high stakes poker games the guys had been talking about for the last few days.
Frankie warned me earlier that sometimes they could get a little bit rough. We’d been talking about Brazil when the subject came up. Apparently he’d lived there for some time. I’d casually dropped the comment about the food I’d had in a restaurant and he knew the place. Then we got talking and he gave me the four one one on these poker games, probably telling me more than he should have.
Apparently, there were a number of them and Giovanni often had people betting in the millions. When they lost to him he’d take the winnings just like that.
It made me wonder what the hell kind of people came in here to bet with those kinds of coins.
There was one large poker table in the center of the room just like a meeting room setup, except this was done for poker.
Several other tables and chairs were set up in the corners and then some high stools by the bar. That was where I stood with Frankie. It gave me a good view of everyone. Those coming in and out.
There were twenty people here now including two waiters walking around with drinks. Everyone was here except Armand and Vinny.
Apart from Giovanni and Jia, the men I’d seen come in here to play did not look like those who would throw down an easy million.
Today was about getting a feel of the place and continuing my assessment of everyone’s movements. Their routines. What I was trying to arrange was a time slot when I could go around the place by myself and do some old fashioned detective work. Snooping around.
Frankie leaned in closer. He’d been looking at Jia.
“The daughter definitely takes after the father. The woman went to slap me yesterday.” He muttered keeping his voice low.
“Did you deserve it?” I asked.
“Like fuck I didn’t. She was pissed about her car. Such a shame she couldn’t be one of those dumb broads. I’d put that mouth of hers to good use if you know what I mean.” He chuckled and looked away from me.
Good thing he did that because he wouldn’t have liked the look I gave him.
I did know what he meant, and I couldn’t lie that I hadn’t thought about Jia’s mouth too. I just wasn’t so crass.
He knocked back his shot and moved away from me when Giovanni went to speak to the tall bald man by the window.
That left Jia alone.
I wanted her by herself so I could talk to her.
The opportunity came when she moved over to the little seated area. I knew she would have seen me but probably avoided eye contact.
Her piercing eyes focused on me as I walked up to her. Up close I was practically a goner. Now I thought I deserved an award for my resistance.
The plan was to let her down gently. The first mistake I’d made yesterday was telling her I wanted to touch her. I shouldn’t have said that because it was the moment when light flirting went out the window and desire took over.
Desire took over big time making me want her. It made me want her as badly as I wanted her now.
“You okay?” I asked, deciding I’d speak first since we were just staring at each other.
“I’m okay,” she said with a curt nod.
This was the part where I should tell her something, some excuse as to why I couldn’t cross the line she wanted me to cross. It was the perfect moment since we had privacy with everyone busy talking.
I just had to find the right words to pull out of my proverbial hat.
If only she didn’t look so damn irresistible. I could hardly look at her and not think about the way she’d danced for me that first night, running her hands down her body, making my damn cock hard just from looking at her.
“You know, if you stare at me like that, I’m going to get the wrong idea.” She smirked and shook her head.
“I’m sorry… you look beautiful.” I thought I could tell her that much.
“Thank you.”
“I guess you already know that though. People must tell you that all the time.”
“It’s the first time you’ve said it,” she highlighted giving me a pointed stare.
“Yeah.” Okay now… it was time to set her straight and I wouldn’t say what I actually wanted to say. Which would be a continuation of the question she’d asked last night when she asked why she shouldn’t like me. The answer to that was simple. I wasn’t a good person. I may be doing this gig but that didn’t mean I was good. “Look, Jia. I’m sorry about last night. I can’t go there with you. I have a job to do and your father trusts me to do it. I got carried away a lot and I led you on.”
There… I couldn’t have said it better if I’d rehearsed it.
“Okay,” she answered, shuffling her weight from one foot to the other.
She might have given an answer that looked cool and as though what I’d said didn’t bother her, but her eyes gave her away.
I wished they didn’t because I could see she really liked me.
However, the last person to look at me like that ended up dead.
I couldn’t deal with that, or rather I didn’t want to.
Better to nip it and cut it off – whatever it was – before it got out of control.