Page 6 of Royal Flush

We both watched her in silence as another hand was played. She had a beautiful laugh, the kind that could melt hearts and of course with her stunning good looks, the four men at the table were eating up her attendance. She was an expert at flirting and I’d known the best.

“What are you trying to tell me, Travis?”

He leaned in, folding his arms. “Just watch. She’s impressive as hell.”

I did as he asked, studying every movement, every twitch of her hands. It didn’t take me long to detect what he wanted me to see given I knew what I was looking for.

She was perhaps the best card shark I’d ever witnessed. There was no doubt she was palming cards, but she was extremely astute in doing so. Plus, I had a feeling she could read a player like a true expert, catching a bluff without a hitch.

Fascinating to watch, I could do so for hours. It was rare that my libido kicked into high gear. I’d purposely stayed away from women for a half dozen reasons, one of which was to continue making money hand over fist. But this woman was… utter perfection.

And what she was doing was illegal, something I’d need to deal with, beauty or not.

“Yes, fascinating,” I said quietly. It appeared she’d won another round, gathering up the chips as the four men tossed their cards in disgust. Two of them shoved back their chair forcefully, getting up and walking away. I didn’t need to be any closer to know they were cursing under their breath.

Seconds later, a web of current shot between us. I rarely had such strong reactions to a woman, especially when they were attempting to steal from both the house and decent guests, but I was completely mesmerized not only by her skill but by her extreme beauty.

The draw was magnetic, off the charts and she slowly turned her head in my direction until our eyes locked together. She tilted her head, which enticed my hunger, and gave me a onceover. It didn’t matter about the distance, I was able to capture exactly what she was doing.

Staring me down was her attempt to disarm me. I’d be damned if she didn’t blow me a kiss before turning on her heel and disappearing into the crowd.

“Whew,” Travis huffed.

I took a couple of steps closer, scanning the crowd. How did I instinctively know the woman was a handful?

“What do you want to do, boss?” he asked, obviously amused.

“I’m going to take a long walk to my office. I assume you have this on film?”

“Of course. You didn’t hire the best for nothing.” Travis grinned.

“Wait about ten minutes and bring her to my office after sending me the footage. See if you can find out anything about her. Name. When she checked in. The usual. Also, have security standing by.”

His eyes opened wide. “You’re going to have her arrested?”

I found myself grinning. “That’s going to depend on her behavior.”

“Let me see if I can find her in the system.”

“I assure you that she won’t have gone but so far. There was an intrinsic connection.”

“I’ll say. The two of you could burn down the place.”

As Travis walked away, I remained where I was, allowing my very vile thoughts to drift deeper into my mind. Yes, I did have filthy thoughts about what I could do. What a bad boy I was.

Finally, I headed out of the casino to the private elevator leading to the corporate offices. The three Royal brothers each had offices, which allowed us to conduct business not only for the resorts but for the work needed for our family’s lucrative media firm. While Valerio ran more of the day-to-day activities, both Gage and I had responsibilities as well.

However, on this gorgeous night where the sun had been spectacular, the ocean breeze the things novels were made of, I couldn’t care less about Progressive Media Productions.

Perhaps I was far too happy with myself and my decision. It was entirely possible. However, life had been too comfy as of late, too predictable. To find a card shark who’d descended on my family’s protected world was… exciting.

A part of me couldn’t wait to unleash my own brand of discipline. Did that make me a very bad guy? Perhaps, but it had been a long time since I’d had any fun.

What did that say about a rich man who had every expensive toy at his disposal? I was bored. Plain and simple.

Perhaps the sexy con artist would become my muse for the night.

Or my prisoner.

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