This past month, I’ve been living what can only be called a dream. All my plans for the riverboat casino have gone off without a hitch, and tonight is the grand unveiling of the casino under new management.
My management.
Mine and Stella’s.
Sure, she didn’t like that I made plans without her or that I forced her father to accept her as his proxy while things were still getting settled, but once my woman started seeing the potential of the place—and how many people she could boss around, especially me—her tune changed fast.
Working with Stella has been a dream come true. She’s vicious when she needs to be, while also having a natural knack for business. I guess that’s why she went through the trouble of going to business school in the first place. She never wanted to get blindsided when the real world came knocking.
And degree or not, she has every skill needed to make a business thrive. Legal or illegal.
But that’s not the only reason I’ve been walking on air lately. With Stella juggling schoolwork and the casino, she’s had plenty of excuses for pulling ‘all-nighters.’ Which works out perfectly for me, because I study every inch of her body like a textbook every time she sleeps over at our lake house.
Well… if sleep was actually part of the arrangement.
Now that she’s officially on spring break, she’s using her work with me and the grand opening as her latest excuse.
All I know is nothing beats going to bed with Stella at my side and waking up with her face inches from mine. If she hadn’t gotten that IUD when she was a teenager, I’m pretty sure I’d have her knocked up already with how much fucking we’ve been doing.
Yes. Life is good. It’s really fucking good.
With a stupid smile on my face, I stand on the upper deck of the riverboat, leaning against the cool brass railing as the whole place swarms with motion. The boat itself feels almost alive beneath my feet—three decks of ivory paint and polished metal, rocking gently on the Fox River while people race around preparing it for tonight’s grand reopening. Caterers weave between crates and cables, balancing silver-lidded trays. Decorators stretch velvet ropes along the walkways. Techs are on ladders, testing lanterns that flicker on and off like they’re warming up for their performance. It’s chaos, but the good kind…the kind that means everything is falling into place.
I watch it all unfold, taking in the energy, the tension, the excitement that buzzes through the air. Forty minutes from downtown Chicago, yet this deck feels like its own little world, suspended above the river and the noise of the city.
A sudden quiet pulls at me. Not from the crew, since they’re still moving and shouting directions, but from somewhere inside myself.
I tilt my head back and let out a deep exhale. Even the sky has opened up. Stars appear crisp and bright, scattered across the night like someone polished them just for this moment. My smile widens before I even realize I’m doing it. It feels stupidly poetic to think they came out for us…for me and Stella…but tonight I can’t shake the feeling that they’ve been a witness to some of our most cherished moments.
All around me the deck buzzes with last-minute preparations, but for a heartbeat it’s just me, the stars, and the promise that a new life for me is about to take shape. About to begin.
A life with Stella at my side.
“No. Not there!” I hear her shout at two men carrying what looks like an Ace of Hearts ice sculpture. I step away from my spot and walk towards her as she continues to bark out one order after another. “There. I need it next to the catering table. Over there. Near the shrimp.”
“Yes, miss,” they say in unison, hurrying to obey before she chews their heads off.
“So bossy,milaya,” I coo in her ear, snaking an arm around her waist, only to pout when she slaps it away.
“Behave. I have work to do,” she scowls. “And my parents might show up at any second.”
“Your parents will arrive fashionably late like everyone else. Don’t worry, we have time,” I say, brushing her hair off her shoulder so I can kiss the spot just behind her ear. The way her skin instantly goosebumps gets me hard as steel every time.
“Where’s Kostya? Where’s your brother?” she asks, staring down at her clipboard and successfully killing my libido.
“It doesn’t do my ego any good that you’re thinking about my brother right now,” I grumble, resting my chin on her shoulder.
“Well, he promised he’d pick up the DJ in time to set up before the guests arrive. I didn’t even want a DJ in the first place. Everyone knows a string quartet is the norm for events like these.”
“Everyone?” I chuckle. “Careful,milaya, your privilege is showing. Not all of us spent our youth in high society, showered in diamonds and champagne.”
Stella turns to face me, guilt and embarrassment softening those gorgeous eyes. “Oh my God. Take this fucking clipboard out of my hands! I sound like Kim Hardgraves!”
She tosses the clipboard to the floor in horror and wraps her arms around my neck.
Better.
Much better.
