Military Romance Collection: Contemporary Soldier Alpha Male Romance (38 page)

“Yes, sir,” the waiter said with a short bow.

Brock, who made Tanya wish the waiter would hurry because her mouth had gone dry just being around him, tilted his head away from the table. “I think you might be more comfortable if we move out of this swarm. We’ll take care of your winnings momentarily,” he assured her.

But Tanya didn’t want the winnings –well, it would be great if she could keep them, of course – but she wanted to catch the thieves and get promoted. She followed him out of the crowd, where the waiter met them and delivered the drinks, complete with little umbrellas. Apparently, it didn’t matter if you chose to remain sober – they wanted their winners to feel special and dressed up even the boring drinks.

Not sure what to expect, Tanya just followed his lead, and she smiled to herself as they went through a door marked ‘Employees Only.’ Maybe she was going to learn something after all.

Chapter 3

In ten years of managing the casino, Brock hadn’t seen such a lucky win. Or such a large one. He couldn’t believe the woman, who had reportedly just bought into the game a few minutes earlier, had hit it so big. From the look on her face, neither could she.

His initial reaction hadn’t been good – suspicion and anger hit him like a ton of bricks. But as Edgar rattled off the circumstances of the win into his earpiece, he assured Brock over and over there was no possible chance of cheating, either on the part of the dealer or any of the players. In fact, the woman had been distracted as she waited, gazing around the club and toying with a silver chain she wore around her neck with her other hand folded behind her elbow. And with a twenty-year experienced veteran running the wheel, Brock knew better than to point the finger at him. This was legitimate, and he had to let go of his concerns as he quickly made his way to the winner.

Brock had expected a frumpy older woman who maybe came in with a late husband’s insurance payout or maybe freshly retired and having opted to take her 401K out as a check. Usually, jackpots at the slots went to little old ladies who knew how to work the machines. He had an image of one of them taking that big win over to the Roulette wheel, having had a few too many white wine spritzers, and throwing it away, only to end up a multimillionaire.

But Tanya Fowler was the epitome of the type of woman he liked to bring home at night. He had his choice of women who wanted the prestige of sleeping with a man of his power and elevation, and he liked the variety as much as he liked the freedom being part of the Cobras offered him to take his pick of the catch. Having women like Tanya Fowler play right into his hand – pun intended – had proven one of the best side benefits of the gig, and it made donning the suit every night worth it.

But he found something about Tanya Fowler even more stunning, and he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He tried to ignore it, concentrating on her big win and the beauty he wanted to explore more fully tonight. But she mesmerized him, without even saying a word.

He led her through the corridor full of offices, at first intending to take her to his own office and grill her, but he changed his mind and turned toward the kitchen. He could get his information from Don any time. He had other goals to achieve now. “Have you eaten dinner?” he asked.

She shook her head. “No, I haven’t.”

“Then, I’d like to invite you to share dinner with me at the chef’s table in the kitchen,” he offered. It was an invitation reserved for only the best guests, and he hoped it would impress her. It was the first step in his intended seduction process.

With a bright smile that showed perfect pearly whites, she replied, “I’d love to join you.”

For some reason, Brock felt compelled to learn more about this woman who had popped up out of nowhere. Usually, that task fell to his Cobra brothers, but tonight, he wanted to explore Tanya on his own, learn about her history and her life through her own expression and mannerisms.

He wanted to explore her personality, her deepest secrets, the stuff his researchers wouldn’t find on paper. He only wished he could change into something more comfortable, more himself. For the first time in his history with the club and the casino, he didn’t want to keep up appearances. He wanted to be real.

As they entered the dining area of the kitchen, he asked, “Where are you from? You have a peculiar southern accent that intrigues me.”

He held the chair out for her to sit down, and as she very carefully tucked her dress under her and sat, she told him, “I was born and raised in a rural area south of Odessa, Texas.” He pushed her chair in and rounded to the other side, across from her.

She had to come from money with her poise and the way she dressed, not to mention how freely she gambled at a game with terrible odds. “Charming,” he mused. “And what brings you to Vegas and my casino?”

She scratched behind her ear and didn’t meet his eyes, and Brock knew she wouldn’t give him the whole truth. “I was bored.” When she finally looked up at him, he questioned her with his eyes, and she smiled sheepishly. It didn’t take much to reel her in, and he gave her his full attention as she prepared to divulge the entire story.

Leaning forward with her hands folded in front of her, she told him, “My grandfather passed away about two years ago. My grandmother was already gone, and my parents died in an accident a few years ago as well. We didn’t have any other family, so I inherited his oil money. He was one of the first men to dig and strike black gold in the area.”

That was intriguing. An heiress to an oil fortune. It made sense. She looked the part. She didn’t seem like someone who’d grown up filthy rich, but she didn’t lack in the mannerisms and class of a woman who’d had everything she needed. “Go on,” he prompted, eager to hear more.

His attentiveness fueled her, and she grew enthusiastic as she continued, “I’ve been stuck in the old house for months, filling out paperwork, selling the parts of the business because I have no idea how to run them, and trying to find something I wanted to invest in on my own. But I got bored and decided I needed a vacation. Since I had more than enough money to spare, I thought, why not Vegas?” She blushed. “It’s my first time here. I wasn’t expecting to win anything.”

And yet, she’d taken a big bite out of the casino’s profits for the evening. Brock didn’t say that out loud. He refused to complain or talk business when he aimed to sleep with someone. With some women, mentioning the amount of money he brought in got him what he wanted, but he instinctively knew that tactic would be a turnoff for Tanya.

Instead, he asked another question, dying to listen to her rolling speech and discover her passions. “Have you figured out what you want to invest in yet?” He was curious enough about her interests to hang on every word. He had no experience with someone from her background. What did a small town girl who came into money suddenly dream of?

But Tanya shook her head. “I haven’t found anything that excites me enough to make a move yet. I considered opening a large and exotic animal vet clinic and hiring some excellent vets. You’d be surprised how many people have tigers and other crazy pets out there. Plus, there are tons of horses and cows and other large animals that need special care. It seemed like a perfect idea, but then I thought about the animals that wouldn’t make it, and I couldn’t handle the thought of losing them. I’m looking into medical causes, though, research for cancer and things like that. I want to do something helpful, not so much selfish. I just can’t seem to settle on anything.”

“This little boost should give you a good start,” he said as the chef came to introduce himself, waiters carrying the plates behind him. She was kind and considerate, and he chalked some of it up to an upbringing in the rural south. But there was more to her, and he desperately wanted to figure out what it was that kept him interested. In the past, he would have been yawning by now.

“What about you?” she asked, catching him off guard. Usually, his guests – especially women – were only interested in the casino and the hotel, the money he made, and other such drivel. But her probing question didn’t revolve around that. She turned the tables on him, asked about his past and his future.

That would be difficult to answer without giving away too much.

Thinking on his feet as it were, he worked with the truth and wove a tale that didn’t involve the loan business. It wasn’t illegal, but it raised a lot of questions and would probably have her indignant, telling him it was wrong to take advantage of people.

“I was born here, in Vegas. I’ve lived here most of my life. My mom was a dancer in a bunch of music reviews when she was young. My dad was a trucker, and he was around for a few years but got tied up with a woman in New York and stopped coming home. My mom lost her appeal and was labeled too old to keep up the work she loved.

“So, she remarried when I was fifteen, and she moved with Jack to Sacramento a couple years later. By that time, I’d found friends I thought of as family here, and after a couple of bad months in California that almost got me in serious trouble, I came back and moved in with one of them. We all started out as bellhops and then bartenders or bouncers, and I made my way up the chain.” That was close enough to the truth, and it should instill trust in her. He could skirt any questions that arose around that tale and still be vaguely honest.

“I’m impressed,” she said, and it sounded sincere. “It’s not often you hear about self-made men these days.” She was right, but every one of the Cobras had fought their way up from the bottom and done the same as Brock. And they all held a lot of pride in their accomplishments. Even their income came from a source that didn’t raise eyebrows,unlike most motorcycle clubs. And if the authorities ever questioned them, they could cover their tracks, whether on their own or through other cops, who were more than willing to trade favors. Suspicion was removed from the Cobras motorcycle club, and in exchange, Brock and his biker brothers pointed the cops to other offenders, usually bigger fish that would satisfy the department for a long time to come.

Tanya looked like she wanted to say more, but she stopped herself, and Brock didn’t want to press too hard. He had already stepped beyond the boundaries he set for himself when it came to seducing a woman. He didn’t share much about himself, and he didn’t ask much about her. He rained compliments, gave her five-star treatment, and took her to bed, dismissing her early in the morning. Sharing too much led to greater interest than a one-night stand, and Brock never entered into that situation with any woman he bedded.

At this point, no one outside the club knew as much about him as he’d just shared with this woman. His openness surprised him, and the fact that Tanya knew so much about him was literally frightening. She could use it against him, or she could really start to like him rather than thinking of him as an object, which he typically preferred.

And yet, he liked entertaining the idea that she would be completely sprung for him.

“Thank you,” he told her, trying to shake off the odd feeling. They fell silent as they ate the steak and shrimp dinner, and Brock couldn’t help but glance up at her every once in a while. He definitely wanted her, and he wouldn’t quit until he got what he wanted. As she’d pointed out, he was a self-made man, and that took grit and determination, as well as perseverance. He’d set those qualities in motion tonight and assure himself that Tanya Fowler would fall asleep in his bed tonight.

Chapter 4

Suave and seductive. Those two words came to mind before anything else as Tanya considered Brock Carson. He had eloquent speech and manners, but something under the surface didn’t fit the façade. His eyes spoke of danger, and that set off the alarms in her head again. Brock was just the sort of man to run a loan shark scam under the guise of a casino manager.

She didn’t doubt his credentials at all. In fact, she had a sneaking suspicion the entire establishment belonged to Brock Carson and several others who benefited from loan sharking. He didn’t seem particularly concerned with losing the money she’d won tonight, and while she had seen tax documents for the casino that showed much greater profit that a few million dollars, her win was still a big hit for any gambling center.

Unless they had a killer income from some other source.

Lending money – without gouging at ridiculous interest rates exceeding fifty percent – wasn’t illegal. Soliciting wasn’t illegal. But when a casino solicited patrons, or potentially cheated to cause those patrons to lose enough money to become desperate, laws were broken. That would be intolerable, and if the operation were as large and well established as it seemed from the consistency of the various stories, Tanya couldn’t imagine it going on without Brock’s knowledge.

And anyone who knew about it had to be on the take. She should have been sick to her stomach just looking at him and considering what he might be doing behind the scenes. Based on the three complaints she’d read, if they took one patron a night, the loan shark ring could be making anywhere from twenty million dollars a year upward. That was crazy, and with his charisma, she could see Brock carefully and pleasantly convincing someone to sign the papers.

At the same time, Tanya liked the man across the table from her. It didn’t rest on his appearance, either, though she found herself staring at him throughout most of her delicious meal. Something about his personality resonated inside her, and she wanted to know him better.

Unfortunately, she reaffirmed her determination to keep a distance. Getting emotionally involved in any way on this sort of assignment presented a conflict of interest that severely impacted results. And it wasn’t like Carson pledged undying love to her. His seduction was subtle, and she recognized the desire in his eyes, feeling the same arousal in her own gut. It was simple lust and nothing more.

So why couldn’t she get down to business?

Tanya cleared her throat and took a sip of the incredible sauvignon blend served with the meal, letting the chocolate and spice of the wine roll around in her mouth. It was a perfect complement, and she had to admit to how wonderful the overall meal really was. “Mr. Carson, the steak was tender, the shrimp were firm and tasty, the roasted vegetables were perfectly marinated, and this wine is to die for. I can’t thank you enough for sharing this with me. My compliments to the chef!”

He beamed. “I’m glad you’re pleased.” She watched as he polished off his glass of wine and accepted the damp rag similar to the one she was handed to wipe her hands and face. He stood and came around the table, pulling her chair out like the perfect gentleman and helping her to her feet. “I believe the penthouse should be ready now, and your winnings have been delivered in a suitcase so you can check our count. If you’d like, we can actually take the cash and send a wire transfer to the account of your choice.”