Page 30 of Roulette Rodeo
If anything, it had turned him on.
I could still feel his body against mine, all that controlled power barely contained. Six-foot-four of military-trained alpha, and he'd let me slap him. Had smiled about it. Had called me his little cherry and made it sound like a promise rather than diminutive.
What did he look like under those clothes?
My imagination supplied unhelpful details. Probably scarred—he'd said he was a veteran, and those kinds of alphas didn't come back unmarked. But instead of being repulsed, I found myself growing hotter at the thought.
Battle scars meant survival. Meant he'd fought and won. Could mean he could protect me and?—
God, was I really getting turned on by the idea of a scarred alpha?
Maybe it was the suppressants failing. Double doses for three years had to be affecting my hormones in ways Dr. Kepler hadn't warned about. Or it was simpler than that. I was just a twenty-four-year-old virgin whose body was finally waking up to what it had been missing.
I pressed my thighs together, trying to ignore the persistent ache between them.
I'd been wet since the storage closet, arousal soaking through the replacement panties I'd put on. Every time I moved, I could feel it, a constant reminder of how he'd made me feel with just a kiss.
Just a kiss.
And I'd left my panties behind like some kind of?—
"Jesus Christ!"
The shout made everyone jump.
Madison, one of the newer girls, burst through the dressing room door, face flushed and breathing hard like she'd run here from the casino floor.
"What the hell, Maddie?" Tanya snapped. "You nearly gave me a heart attack."
"There's been a change," Madison gasped, hands on her knees. "Complete change to tonight's schedule and performance."
That got everyone's attention. Marnay never changed the schedule.
The Crimson Roulette ran on precision, predictability, the comfort of routine that kept the customers coming back.
"Well?" Nicole demanded when Madison just stood there panting. "We don't have all day. Spit it out."
I noticed Briar emerging from the back storage room, where she'd been organizing costumes. She moved quietly, drifting toward my vanity with that casual grace that made you forget she was listening to everything.
"Some high-roller pack from out of town," Madison finally managed. "They're bringing big dollars."
Amber rolled her eyes.
"You ran in here for that? Big dollars could be anything. How many millions are we talking?"
Madison shook her head vigorously.
"No. Not millions. Billions."
The dressing room went silent.
Someone's lipstick clattered to the floor.
"Billions?" Briar's voice cut through the shock, calm and curious. "You're sure?"
Madison nodded, finally catching her breath properly.
"There's a group of alphas who are like, in the high end of richness or some shit. At least that's what's being projected. And they want to play high tides."
