Page 6 of The Bet (The Players 1)

“I thought you both were vacationing in Catalina, met and fell in love.” I shrugged out of habit, even though he wouldn’t see it.

“Well, son, the truth of the matter is your mother and I fell in lust. We laid out a contract. We signed it. We adhered to it. And that’s why our marriage is solid today.” He slapped the desk.

I bit my lower lip mostly to keep myself quiet. I knew for a fact that my father cheated on my mother on the regular. If this was what constituted a solid marriage, I wanted no part of it. “I guess I thought I’d marry for love,” I murmured. “I thought I’d meet someone and we’d have all kinds of things in common. I thought we’d build something together.”

“You can. You don’t need love for that. And love can grow.” I heard the all too familiar sound of him kicking his feet up on the desk.

“Do you love Mom?” For some reason this felt really important to me at the moment.

He sighed. “Sure. I love your mother.”

“Good.” My shoulders sank in relief. “I’ll see you Monday.” Then I prepared to hang up.

“Nice try, asshole.” My father was truly enjoying this. “I want that casino.”

I froze. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me. Rumor has it, the father is in lousy shape health-wise. I’m hoping you can convince him to sell.” My father drummed his fingers on the desk. “I don’t care what you think you’re doing to soothe Drew. You’re not getting out of this trip, Ty. Hell, bring him with you. Bring Harry. Bring anyfuckingbody you want. Oh, but by dinner tonight, you will be checking into the hotel and casino in Vegas. I’ll send you the information. Got it?”

I actually beamed. “Let me make sure I understand this. You want me to go to Vegas and help you buy a casino?”

“Yes. I’ve always wanted to add a casino to my real estate portfolio.” My father’s chair creaked and based on the sounds I heard, he was now pacing in his study.

“Why would you want a casino? The insurance? The overhead? It’s a terrible investment,” I grumbled.

“What? Worried about your inheritance?” He stomped his foot. “Don’t! Wanna know why?”

“Why, Dad?” I sighed.

“The house always wins. Oh, and we’re the house!” He laughed at his cleverness.

“There’s no way of talking you out of this?” I groaned for effect. Inside, I was dancing an Irish jig. And I’m not Irish.

“None. You’re going. The company will pay for the hotel, food, hell…even some golf if it will keep you knuckleheads happy.” I could hear him typing on his desktop. “I’m sending you an email with the portfolio information. Keep this to yourself. Got it?”

“Fine. You’re going to text me the address?” I heard my phone chime in my ear. “Never mind.”

“Your old man is on top of things.”

“Yes, you are. Now what about gambling?” I knew I was pushing it, but I had to at least try. “What is my company allowance for gambling?” I chewed on my cheek and waited.

“There is no company allowance for gambling!” He positively erupted. “What are you, a fucking moron? We’re not the house yet! You’ll lose! Stay away from the casino!” He shouted so loudly, I had to hold the phone away from my ear.

The door behind me opened and Harry peeked out. He took one look at the phone, heard my father yelling, and slowly backed inside then closed the door behind him. Smart guy.

“Okay. Fine. I thought we could at least have some fun while we’re there. By the way, how long am I there?” I closed my eyes and hoped he’d tell me to take a week.

“You’re there until you close the deal. Nothing is more important than this. Nothing.” His voice boomed through the phone.

“So, like a week? Two weeks?” I hoped for some time frame, some sense of expectation.

“Fucking forever, if need be. Close the deal.” Then he hung up the phone.

I took a few deep breaths as I processed this interesting development. Then I licked my lips and entered Drew’s house wearing a huge grin.

“What was that all about?” Harry studied me. “I’ve never seen you so happy after your father was that angry, ever in my life.”

I flopped down on the couch and kicked my feet up on the coffee table. “Well, boys, it looks like we’re going to Vegas.”

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