Page 6 of His Last Gamble

He turned, amused and curious, as Jean-Luc, the head waiter, hurried forward towards the entrance to the main gambling salon, his normally unimpressed features creasing into a smile of welcome.

And a moment later he saw why. The fashion-house contingent had arrived.

A redhead in green led the way into the room, but just as her eyes lasered onto his, a vision in silver-gold and dark chocolate appeared behind her. In contrast to the see-through gauzy material the redhead was wearing, the dark depth of velvet the other woman wore transfixed him. Payne could feel his hands tingle, as if they were already caressing her. Unlike velvet, her skin, he knew, would be silky and warm and pulsing with life to his touch.

She turned to speak to the man behind her, and he saw with naked approval the elegant turn of her shoulders, the silken rope of hair that bounced almost to the level of her delightfully rounded derrière.

Again he felt the urge to go across to her, to run his finger down the length of her spine, to cup her buttocks in his hands, to trace the line of her hips. He walked swiftly towards her.

The blonde vision turned, saw him, and froze.

He smiled as a look of utter consternation crossed her lovely face.

‘Hello, I’m Payne Lacey. Welcome to the Palace,’ he said, vaguely aware that the redhead had pounced on him, looping one hand over his arm and was laughing huskily up at him.

‘Thanks. I’m Jinx,’ she purred.

‘Of course you are,’ he replied, hiding his impatience with her behind a bland smile, before turning to the male of the group.

‘And you must be Gareth John Jones. Payne Lacey.’ He held out a hand firmly.

‘Oh, call me Jo-Jo,’ he said at once, taking the outstretched hand with pleasure. ‘And I can see you’ve already met Jinx,’ he said dryly. ‘Try to ignore her — she’s a strumpet. This is . . .’

The rest of the introductions washed over Payne, however, as his gaze refused to leave the wide blue eyes that began to cool and then spit sapphire fire at him.

Charmaine felt dizzy. She even wondered, for one insane moment, if she was dreaming — having a nightmare — so unreal did the moment seem. This couldn’t be true. It couldn’t be real. She had rehearsed this in her mind over and over again, the moment when she finally came face to face with her enemy.

She knew he’d be good-looking, charming and sophisticated. Lucy never fell for any other kind of man. And she’d expected to see him look at her speculatively, perhaps wondering arrogantly how long it would take him to bed her. She’d planned on smiling aloofly, telling him without words that he’d never do it. She’d imagined his confidence begin to waver, to see just a flicker of interest quicken in his jaded eyes as he recognised a challenge.

And after that, she would play it by ear.

But this was nothing like she imagined. How could this man be Payne Lacey?

There’d been a mistake. There had to be. Or someone was playing a practical joke on her.

‘But you’re the gardener,’ she whispered helplessly.

Jinx laughed. ‘Hardly the gardener,’ she purred, running a hand across Payne’s sleeve. He was by far the best looking man here. And the owner of the casino too! A brief holiday affair would be just the thing.

‘No, she’s right. Come on, ’fess up,’ Jo-Jo said, sensing Charmaine’s shock. He too had been somewhat surprised to find the tanned, nearly butt-naked Adonis of the afternoon meeting them this evening as the suave host. ‘Just what were you doing pruning the hedges?’

Jinx’s green eyes sharpened. What was this?

‘It wasn’t a hedge but a hybrid. My head gardener and I have been breeding for some time,’ Payne corrected him. ‘Not many people know about my passion for botany though. And it would almost certainly ruin my reputation as a lazy dilettante if it got out, so I’ll ask you to keep quiet about it,’ he said dryly.

‘Well, well, a Renaissance man,’ Jinx purred. ‘Who’d have thought it.’

Who indeed, Charmaine thought grimly. Her anger, slow to build, began to boil. That he shared her passion for gardens only made her feel even more wrong-footed.

He’d known all along that she’d mistaken him for a hired hand. How he must have been laughing at her behind her back all this time. Even when she’d asked him about the inside of the casino, he’d pretended not to know or care.

Payne watched her anger build, and a tense excitement began to roil in the pit of his stomach. Her cheekbones flushed with temper, and she began to tremble, like the warning breeze that foreshadowed a hurricane. He felt himself holding his breath, waiting for the magnificent storm of scorn to break through.

But she swallowed it all back.

He saw her doing it, saw her struggling with her inner self, and felt bitterly disappointed. He’d been looking forward to crossing swords with her.

Instead, she smiled feebly. Why?

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