Page 4 of Dirty Deceit

"I've met someone."

"So? That's good, yes?"

"I told her what I do. She won't marry me unless I leave it all behind me. And I want to marry her and have kids, a family."

I run my hand over my face. "Shit. When are you telling Ned? But wait, your cut of this project won't be enough. Your bar is barely breaking even."

"She's a nurse. We'll figure things out, so long as we're together."

"You're really doing this?"

"Yes,” John nods, “and I think you should do it with me."

Chapter 2

Gemma

The kid next to me is completely losing it. He is having a temper tantrum in the middle of first class. For some reason, he has been seated away from his mom, who is drinking champagne on the seat behind him. She pats him on the shoulder now and then, but that seems to make him angrier.

We'd already agreed to switch places, but the flight attendant wanted us to wait until the plane was in the air. I couldn't wait for that moment to come. I haven't been able to relax because of all the noise and drama the kid is causing. I put some lip balm on. Finally, the flight attendant signals me, and I exhale loudly. My friends look at me from their seats and make happy noises when they see me get the all-clear.

If I wanted to sit next to one of my friends, I'd have to do another trade, but I wasn't going to go through that hassle again. So I changed places with the now chagrined mom and, once seated, looked at who my new companion was. The man is H-O-T. A toned figure, grey eyes, black and pepper hair, and a lovely, well-kept beard. He wears glasses, too, which makes him look sophisticated.

He looks at me, and I realize I've been ogling him like a piece of meat—a tender, high-quality cut, of course.

I do the only thing I can and introduce myself. "Hi, I'm Gemma."

"Murphy." He nods.

I realize I am the one being ogled now, but he is much less obvious than I was. I sit back and wave over to the flight attendant so I can get myself a glass of champagne as well. I signaled to my friends and gave them a thumbs-up to celebrate my new seating arrangement. They wave back and seem to be more at ease now that my problem is solved.

Rummaging through my purse, I find my eReader. I am engrossed in a steamy novel that I want to finish. Hmm. Could Murphy tell what I am reading from where he sits? Maybe I shouldn't be reading such steamy material in public, but this is our weekend getaway. We are all supposed to be having fun.

I throw caution to the wind and start reading. But it isn't long before I hear Murphy's deep, sexy voice once again.

"Have you ever been to Las Vegas?"

"No, it's my first time," I answer.

"You're going to love it."

"Yeah? What do you know about me to make that declaration?" I give him what I hope is a sexy smile.

"Oh, I don't know. You're beautiful, resilient, and know how to get out of a tricky situation." He says, pointing to where the mother and the kid are now silently seated.

"Thank you. I'll be with my friends so that pretty much guarantees that I'll have fun."

"How big is your group?"

"There's six of us. We're celebrating our friend's thirtieth birthday. Her father went all out and booked us in first class."

"That's generous."

"He's a wonderful man. What about you? Why are you going to Vegas? Any sins you want to confess?" OMG, why am I flirting with this man? He's totally out of my league, but I feel something of a connection to him and the alcohol is loosening my tongue.

"Haha. No, none." He cracks his knuckles.

"So, business?" I prod.

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