Page 9 of Royal Flush

True to his word, Travis had sent footage from three different nights of the mystery woman. I shifted from one video to another, zooming in on certain hands. Yes, she was damn good, so much so if I weren’t incensed, I might consider hiring her as part of the security team.

I could only imagine what my brothers would say about that hot, spur of the moment decision. Yes, I was known for making somewhat rash decisions, but there was something about this particular instance that sparked an innate instinct that the woman was seeking attention.

But why? She was beautiful, a magnetic draw for every man around her. That meant she had a story to tell.

That intrigued the darkness inside of me.

I scrolled through another video until I finally heard a knock on the door. There was no reason to rise from my perch, or what some of my employees liked to call my throne.

“Come,” I said, sitting back in my seat.

As Travis opened the door, ushering the woman inside, I noticed his grip on her arm was firm. My guess was that the little woman had caused trouble.

“Let go of me, you bastard,” she muttered, finally able to jerk away from one of my other employees.

I was surprised to see Wally was more amused than normal. I had a feeling she’d given both men a load of shit while being escorted to my office.

Travis did indeed have a salacious look on his face as he walked in beside her. “Here you go, boss. Our con artist as requested.”

“Who the fuck are you calling a con artist?” she demanded.

“Was there an issue?”

“Oh, she tried to get away but that’s impossible to do in the resort,” he answered, throwing her a fun-filled look as if he’d captured the criminal of the year.

My mind was still processing the reason for my intense attraction, a longing that had been far removed from my system. Maybe it was her pert little nose and the way she wrinkled it when she was irritated or the delicious Australian accent. Grilling her would be far more fun than I’d originally thought.

I studied her as she planted her hands on her hips, cocking one and glaring at me. There was utter venom in her gorgeous eyes, the girl certainly not accepting the fact she’d been caught.

“Yes, you are a con artist. What did you discover about our rather notorious guest?” I asked.

“Notorious? Are you bloody out of your mind? Do you always threaten your guests, Mr. Owner, or is it just about me? Should I think of you as a chauvinist or just an asshole?”

“I would be very careful as we are on a private island,” I told her. “Anything could happen.”

“Oh, my God. You are an arrogant prick, using your masculinity to threaten a well-paying guest? I bet you have a tiny little dick, which is the reason for your arrogance and need for control.”

Both Travis and Wally coughed, unused to anyone daring to talk to me that way.

“Big words from a thief.”

The words seemed to settle her down.

For now.

Her accent was noteworthy and sexy as hell. There was also a well-educated feel to both the dialect and the woman herself. I was usually pretty good at sizing people up and I’d say she came from wealth. I remained amused, bringing my crystal tumbler to my lips as she scanned my office like she owned the place.

“Her name is Jane Smith. Go figure. She checked in five days ago with legitimate credentials,” Travis said, grinning after doing so. “She laid low until a couple nights ago, but I knew she was casing both casinos.”

Of course she was, which meant she was an expert card shark. “Ah, Jane Smith. It’s funny just how many women I’ve met with that name. Thank you, Travis. I can handle it from here.”

“You got it, boss.”

He left with Wally, closing the door behind him and ‘Jane’ rolled her eyes.

A few very tense seconds passed by. I had to admit, my cock was rock hard. She was even more beautiful than I’d imagined. The violet dress was form-fitting, the low cut V in the front providing enough of a hint what was underneath that I suspected there wasn’t a male who hadn’t been drooling.

“Well, it would seem we have an issue we need to handle,” I told her as I swirled my glass in half circles.

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