Page 13 of Leashed

Chapter Six

Sage looked herself over in the mirror, craning her neck to examine the fit of her jeans from behind. Satisfied, she reapplied her lip gloss and glanced down at the outfit she’d been debating since she arrived home from work, zeroing in on the chain-link straps forcing her into a strapless bra.

The bright red might be a bit much.

Her phone buzzed and she grabbed her coat and purse, firing off a quick text to Nixon to let him know she was on her way down.

His black sports car was angled up on the sidewalk and she heaved the passenger door open, doing her best not to slam it. “Hey, honey,” she greeted him with a smile, setting her purse on the pristine floor. “Did you decide on a restaurant?”

Giving her a once-over, he turned his attention to the road and hit the gas. “We’re running too late to eat anywhere decent, so we might as well go straight to the casino. I have a few connections playing the tables tonight.” He cut off a slower vehicle, muttering under his breath for a moment. “Besides, you’re definitely dressed for it.”

Doing up the top button of her coat, she pressed her foot to the floor in an instinctive brake as Nixon took a sharp turnoff. “Casino? I thought maybe it would be nice to have it be just the two of us tonight,” she posited. “I can’t remember the last time we weren’t out with your clients.”

When he ignored her comment, she sat back and stared out the window.

It was during moments like this she unintentionally tuned into the feeling they were running on parallel tracks, their lives side by side without merging. The thought was one she’d had on and off throughout their relationship. But the few times she’d held on to the idea for a longer than a fleeting few seconds, entertained the possibility of walking away to find a track that would cross hers, a heaviness would settle in her chest.

A clear sign her heart didn’t want to walk away.

He pulled into the parking garage, ducking into the first available spot. “Come on,” he called, slamming his door and waiting for her to climb out of the awkwardly low seat. “I’ll teach you how to play poker. You’ll love it.”

She grasped his arm as they entered the casino, the noises and bright lights assaulting every sense. She was almost running at his side as he led her through the slot machines to the tables in the middle of the room, her breath hitching when she saw Bo seated at a table beside a pretty blonde.

Nixon stopped at a small booth encased in glass, opening his wallet and sliding a wad of bills over. “I’ll take five.”

“Hundred?” she gasped, her brows shooting up as the cashier slid a stack of chips through the slot. When he responded with nothing more than a look, she closed her mouth.

Five hundred was a third of her rent. The cost of two textbooks.

Two textbook purchases sitting in neat little rows of bright plastic.

“There they are,” he said, nodding toward a large table. “Remember to smile and be your regular charming self. Sealing these accounts will put me in the running for a partnership.”

He strode toward the group, leaving her behind when a couple passed between them.

He was already seated and joking with two older men when she arrived, a pile of chips counted out and ready to play. She stood behind him and focused on the first round, her eyes locked on the game to avoid the blue and green ones watching her and Nixon with interest from across the table. “So how does this work?”

Ignoring her question, Nixon kept his back to her, his attention moving from his cards to the other players at the table. He sized up Bo a moment before introducing himself. “Hey. I’m Nixon. Are you with them?” he asked, nodding to the clients he had aimed to connect with.

“Not a chance in hell,” Bo replied, sitting back in his seat and folding his cards. His next words were directed to Sage without breaking his stare down with Nix. “Hey, Sage. Sage, my friend C. C, meet Sage.”

Smiling at the petite blonde with the incredible silver-gray eyes, she murmured her hello as Nixon began listing off the rules of poker in a hushed whisper while he tracked the calls and bids of the rest of the group. When he was declared the winner for the third time, he glanced back at her. “And that, kid, is why I’m the strategy king.”

As he scooped his wins, Bo folded his cards and pushed away from the table, his friend waving him off with the flick of her wrist. “Roulette’s more my thing. Anyone else in?”

Leaning tight into Nixon, she gave his arm a squeeze. “What’s roulette?”

“Nothing more than a game of luck. No skill required,” he muttered, his attention wholly on his cards. He grabbed a small handful of his winnings and passed them back to her. “You’ll probably like it.”

“What if I lose it all?” she asked, biting her lip when his shoulders tensed.

“I expect you will,” he grunted, his hard gaze turning to the other players before he set another stack on the table. “See if you can make it last a few minutes.”

Staring at the plastic in her hands, she glanced over at Bo. “I guess I’ll try.”

His friend all but shoved him off his chair and he shrugged. “Let’s go.”

*

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