The coquettish shine in her eyes hardened. “Is that a threat?”
“No, sugar. That’s not my style.”
“What exactly do you do here? Are you in security?”
“Never mind that.” He waved his hand. “Look, you’ve had your fun. Why don’t you run along home now?”
She reached for her sign and tucked it under her arm. “I will go where I damn well please. And you can tell your friend Mr. Doyle to expect me tomorrow. Maybe next time he’ll be brave enough to confront me himself.” She turned on her heel and walked down the manicured pathway leading to the taxi bay.
Liam stared at her ass as she walked away. Brave?
Game on, sugar.He’d show her brave.
As promised, she returned the next day, bright and early. At first Liam ignored her, but by mid-day, he finally leaned on his windowsill and allowed himself to take her in. Trying to dispel the annoying case of lust that had plagued him ever since talking to her, he pried his gaze away and looked at the people around her.
She had attracted a little crowd of gawkers today. Word must have spread about the asylum escapee holding vigil outside Vice. Some of the bystanders had their camera phones out. Wonderful. She could end up going viral. A few patrons had already begun to complain. It wouldn’t be long before she started driving them away.
Reporters from the local news stations had begun asking questions, too. That was perhaps the worst thing possible. He’d done his best to deflect attention away from the red-haired elf and toward the delights of Vice, but he hated that she’d hijacked some of his press. He watched as yet another press vehicle pulled into his lot. Shit. Was that one of the hounds from that crap Vegas morning radio show? He did not subscribe to the “any publicity is good publicity” school of thought. Before long, he’d have Kardashians begging invites from him.
All this because of one woman. One.
He needed to get rid of her, but Wade had proven unwilling to do the job. Dammit. Wade might patrol the casino like a bloodthirsty gladiator, putting the fear of God into all would-be cheats and hustlers, but it seemed he had a soft spot for the ladies. Or this lady at any rate. After spending the better part of his day talking to her yesterday, and dealing with her again today, Wade was practically friends with her.
It was about time he handled this situation himself, and this time he wouldn’t withhold his identity. She wanted to talk to Liam Doyle? Well, she was about to get her wish.
If his business and his life had taught him anything, it was everyone had a price. You could buy anything with cold-hard cash. Even absolution.
He could tell she’d been attracted to him yesterday, even though their conversation had ended on a sour note. He’d seen her pupils and the way she wet her lips while flirting with him. If he had to, he’d use that attraction to his advantage.
Hell, he might even enjoy it.
He called Wade on the phone and told him to bring the redhead inside. As soon as he made the summons, all his blood seemed to rush to his crotch.
Well, damn.
When did his crotch develop a taste for confrontation?
Chapter Two
The doorman smiled at Kate, greeting her as she walked in with Wade. “Welcome to Vice.”
“Um, thanks.”
You don’t have to be nice to these people, she told herself.If you let down your guard, they’ll have you drunk at the roulette table before you know it.
Even still, when the guard held open the door for her, she thanked him. It was just in her nature. Yes, she might have channeled her inner badass for a while, but she’d always been a mild-mannered woman, the kind who said “excuse me” when she bumped into people. Life may have dealt her some shitty cards, but she’d always believed in being polite.
Shitty cards. Even her inner dialogue seemed rife with gambling metaphors. Just another reason New Horizons remained so important to her. She’d often felt used and undervalued, but the group had taught her that her father’s gambling addiction was not her fault. She’d learned those lessons so well she’d been given her own group to lead.
New Horizons wasn’t run by doctors or psychologists. It had begun as a grassroots collective who shared tragic circumstances. As her mentor had once explained, all one really needed to help others was empathy. For people such as herself, Kate had loads of empathy and advice.
Even if she had trouble putting it into practice herself.
However, since she’d turned her anger toward the unlikely target of Liam Doyle, she felt she had a new purpose in life. A way to make amends. She might not be able to fix her own life, but she could help Lisa and others like her. At the very least, it was a way to strike back at the addiction that had razed her family.
As she walked with Wade, she wondered about the man who’d talked to her at the end of the day yesterday. The amazingly-edible man who’d made her doubt her own senses. He’d warned her off in a deep voice that had scared her a little, but made her want to draw nearer. That man was the closest thing she’d ever seen to a living, breathing orgasm. She wondered what he did in the casino. Would she see him inside?
It was best to forget him. She didn’t care for men who had the whole pompous, Alpha male thing down to a fine art anyway. The sort who looked as if they’d turn you over their knee before relinquishing the slightest bit of control.
