“Woman. This is me.” As he smirked, both of his pointer fingers directed at himself. “I may be a little messy but it’s all part of my charm.” He smiled wider with a wink.
“Fine.” I moved out of his hold and turned to grab my coffee, lifted it to my mouth and grinned from over the rim as I drank. “If it’s worth anything at all, I kinda like your messy charm.” I felt the smile form on my lips and for the first time since I met him, a shyness took hold of his lips and I saw something else.
Had I just seen another side to the normally sarcastic, cheeky and arrogant, Gavin Wright? I concentrated on his gorgeous eyes and in a split second that shyness had disappeared and in its place the cockiness appeared again. I lifted my cup back to my lips and drank the rest of my coffee as silence fell around us.
This all felt so normal, although I knew that being with Gav was nothing like normal. But I was here for it. I just hoped he was.
We pulled up at the back entrance of High Rollers casino. It was so elegant, was all I could think as I gazed up in awe, noting how regal it looked. On the outside, it looked like a big, expensive hotel. I knew they had hotels in Vegas with casinos inside but most of the casino’s here were just a gamblers paradise, and hell, however you looked at it. White pillars stood on either side of the main door and big doormen stood at either side. If I thought Rhys was a solid wall of muscle, these guys even eclipsed him.
Some guy named Kevin, who I’d never met, rode with Rhys, and escorted Roman and Paisley, while Gav and Walsh escorted me and Nikki. On the ride here, every so often I’d caught Nikki staring into the front of the car at Gav, but not once did he meet her eyes. Instead, he was deathly quiet. I wanted to ask him if he was okay, but I couldn’t, at least not without raising suspicion. We were enjoying our little bubble and I didn’t want to spoil that.
“How does this work again?” I whispered low into Nikki’s ear.
She tilted her head to mine and answered with the same low tone. She had gone through this at Roman’s house, but with my nerves I’d completely forgotten. “Okay, we’ll be taken through these doors and led through to the casino where we’ll meet with the owner and general manager. There will be a tape around the vicinity to keep the crowd back along with our security and the casino security, I’m sure you’ve seen these things on TV, this will just be on a smaller scale. Then we’ll start the official proceedings of opening the casino. Roman will cut the tape and then we go inside.”
A guy dressed in black met us at the back door. Gav had my tripod in his hands in case I needed it, and he hung at the back with Walsh while Rhys and Kevin flanked Roman. Paisley walked a little off to the side of them but stayed in Kevin’s eyeline.
“Wait here, please?” The guy that led us through the door and into a foyer walked to the double doors in front of us and pulled on the handle. The guy on the other side of the doors nodded his head as he spoke into a radio. I sidled across and stood closer to Gav, since we stood at the back, and Nikki had moved around the guys to introduce Roman. Just then two guys walked through the door both dressed smartly in expensive black suits. The tall darker haired guy on the right buttoned his jacket as he strode through, nodding at the doorman as he passed. They both exuded power, their shoulders broad and their stances strong, shoulders pushed back, and their chins lifted high. I could tell his was trying to keep the frown from his face, but it seemed like it was a natural demeanour.
I side eyed Gav to catch his attention, he glanced at me, but he wasn’t his normal self. A frown was set deep over his eyes, and he didn't even crack a smirk.
“Mr Dean.” The guy on the right stepped forward, “I’m Quinn Stone. I’m the owner and this is my operations manager, Alex.”
Roman moved forward and shook his hand. “Mr Stone. Thank you so much for having me here. This is Paisley, my wife and my publicist,” he took Paisley’s hand and shook it gently, giving her a slight nod and a nice smile. I was sure he’s had women drooling at his feet with that smile. “And this is Nikki, my assistant.” Roman added.
I watched as Nikki stepped forward and shook both of their hands. “So pleased to meet you both. And thank you for having us here today.
“It’s our pleasure, and please, call me Quinn.” Quinn smiled again, “Let’s walk.” He led us through the first set of double doors, Alex showed us the amenities, we then went through to a bar as we passed through another set of doors. “I’ve made a reservation for us for after the opening, I thought we could eat before we come back here and take advantage of our offer.” He slowed his steps and turned with a grin. “You’ll also meet Phoebe, my wife.”
Paisley glanced between them, “Are you related?” Her finger shook between them.
He chuckled, “We are, Alex is my brother.”
Damn, I was sure those two brought all the ladies in with those good looks, and it was with that smile that I saw the resemblance.
“I knew there was something. It’s in the eyes.” Paisley added.
“You okay?” I nudged Gav. He quickly nodded and resumed his stance.
We were then led through to the actual casino. It was huge. My head tilted back as I looked up at the high ceilings and slowly spun on my heels. The carpets were a deep red and the walls were light, creating a stark contrast. “Wow!” All heads turned to me; my lips clamped shut as I formed a tight smile. “Did I say that out loud?” My eyes widened.
A deep laugh came from the front as Quinn nodded. “It is quite the place, I’ll admit. I take it you’ve never been in a casino like this one?”
“I’ve never been to a casino.” I admitted, feeling like I was missing out for the first time ever.
Both of their heads tilted, the shock evident on their faces. “Never?” Alex asked that time.
“Never.” My head shook as I answered.
“Well, then you should all come to my other place in New York.” Quinn replied as he glimpsed at Alex with a grin, then his gaze turned back to us, “It’s even bigger than this one.”
“Oh, damn.”
“Mr Stone,” Roman interrupted, “this is Karen, my photographer.” I stepped forward and held out my hand feeling a little out of place. As they both shook my hand in turn, I smiled gracefully.
Quinn then moved his attention to Paisley. “So, how long do you have left?”
Instantly, her hand moved to her belly and stroked it, “Nine weeks. It feels like the longest pregnancy ever.”
