That this man, this beautiful Dr. Harrison O’Rourke, needs to come to Aces tonight.
Is it just because I’m horny as all hell for him?
Possibly.
But he needs to be here.
I close in on Chet’s desk, leaving very little space between me and Harrison. I feel the heat coming off his chest in waves, inhale the seductive scent of his cologne.
“Chet,” I say. “I would like to invite Dr. O’Rourke to the club as my guest.”
Chet scrunches his forehead. “Miss Bianca, you are not a member of Aces. You are its employee. You are not allowed to bring a guest inside.”
I roll my eyes. “Those rules apply to the cards. Not to me.”
Chet drags a yellow fingernail over the pages of his book, flipping to a section near the front outlining the Aces Underground Rules and Regulations. “Full-time employees are allowed on the club premises during working hours only and may bring no guests.” He widens his grin. “There it is, black and white. Read all over.” He chuckles.
I clasp my hands. “There you have it, Chet. I’m not a full-time employee. I’m engaged with Aces as a contractor. Rouge doesn’t take taxes out, and I’m not granted options like sick leave.”
“But that still doesn’t mean?—”
I hold up a hand. “Two people are allowed downstairs, am I correct? Members and full-time employees, correct?”
He furrows his pink eyebrows. “Correct.”
“And I’ve just explained to you that I’m not a full-time employee. Ergo, I’m a member.”
“Miss Bianca, that doesn’t quite?—”
I lean onto Chet’s desk. “And I do have one more ace up my sleeve that no other employee has here, Chester.” I grin. “None of them are the sister of Rouge Montrose.”
Harrison drops his jaw. “I’m sorry, you’re Rouge’s sister?”
I smirk. “Guilty as charged, Doctor.”
He squints at me. “Forgive me, but you look nothing like her.”
“The Montroses have a wide gene pool to work with.” I turn back to Chet. “Are you really going to deny me this request, Chet, or do I have to get my sister involved?”
“Rouge isn’t even here tonight, Miss Bianca.”
“Yes. She’s at the Jade Sanctum.” I gaze at Chet’s watch. “And now her star singer is about to go on in five minutes. Do you want to explain why you held her up in the foyer when she was just trying to grab something from her car? Something she needs for her set?”
“Miss Bianca?—”
“Or”—I sit down on the edge of the desk, running my fingers up his arm—“you can scratch my back tonight, Chet. And next time you need a favor, I’ll be at your beck and call.”
Harrison clears his throat.
I don’t like flirting with another man in his presence—especially when the other man in question is one Chester Aristotle Tabbitt, the weirdest-looking guy I’ve ever seen—but I trust my intuition more than most other people. And it’s telling me this man has to come to Aces tonight.
Chet sighs. “Fine. Dr. O’Rourke may come to the club tonight. But, Miss Bianca, if your argument stands and you are indeed a member, not an employee, I’ll need to see some ID.”
“Of course.”
Chet checks the IDs at the door anyway. Only a few Aces employees come through the black door in the alleyway. The rest go through another entrance.
He slowly stands up and unlocks the door to the mirrored staircase. He takes in a deep, resigned breath. “Welcome, Miss Bianca and guest, to Aces Underground.”
