Guy is back and swapping out my white wine for a glass of rosé with another wink.
“Oh, thank you.”
“My pleasure. I overheard the order and saw the mistake. I’d take away the food you didn’t want, but you should really at least try that cheese. It’s better than sex. Well, almost.”
“Thank you.”
From my periphery, I spot a well-dressed and attractive couple come in and a hostess leads them through frosted doors where I can see several poker tables set up, though only one seems to have a game going.
Guy heads into that room, so I turn my attention to the tablet in front of me and tap into the slot machine icon.
It starts me off with a big and dramatic spin to determine my free coins and the screen lights up with streamers and fireworks as I get awarded five hundred coins.
I take my time playing and the numbers go up at first and then plummet. Right before I get to nothing, I’m back up at five hundred. I take my time playing and nibbling on food from the fancy charcuterie board until I get down to six coins and look up and see that the place is busier. I glance at my phone. It’s seven o’clock.
“Winning?” Killian asks, sliding in beside me and leaning over to look at the screen.
“Not exactly,” I reply, my voice wobbling nervously. My face goes hot; he’s super-close to me, looking down at the screen and I catch a whiff of whatever cologne or bodywash he uses. He smells good.
“One more bet?” he asks.
“Yeah, why not?” I touch the button and suddenly the tablet turns all glittery with fireworks and balloons rising up the screen announcing my win. “Seven thousand? I won seven thousand coins?” I ask.
He smiles a wide grin at me.
“Did you make it win?” I ask.
He holds both hands up in the air. “How could I have done that?”
He shows me his hands and jiggles the cuffs of his shirt as if to prove there’s nothing up his sleeves.
I bite my lip to stifle a laugh.
He smiles brightly at me.
“Maybe you do that so people will stay longer and order more food and drinks even if they don’t want to bet on your betting games.”
Killian reaches over, grabs a grape from the platter and pops it into his mouth while giving me an absolutely boyish grin.
I’ve hit the nail on the head.
I’ve eaten half the platter of food and had fun while playing and people-watching.
I take a big sip of my second glass of wine. “Do you want to go?” I ask.
Heidi approaches. “Something for you, sir?”
“Take your time, Violet. We can sit a minute. Heidi? An espresso for me, please.”
“Sure thing,” she replies. “A top-up for you, Violet?”
“No thanks, I’m good.”
Heidi heads to the bar and Killian’s voice brings my attention to his face.
He’s smiling. “You gonna up your game now and start betting double?”
I shake my head. “I’m not a gambler. This is just play money, right?”
“Of course. If it weren’t, you’d be seventeen fifty richer. If you had the smarts to walk away, that is.”
“And I probably would. Actually, I might play until I got to 1500 just to see if I was on a winning streak.”
“But that’s the trap,” he says, leaning closer. “That’s how the house wants you to think. Then your blood starts pumping, the adrenalin courses through your veins and you ride the rush of it. Before long, you’re below fifteen hundred. Before long, you’re down to zero and putting your hand in your pocket to pull out more cash. If you were playing for real cash, that is.”
“And this is why you’ve got the gorgeous condo and the nice car,” I say.
He bops my nose with his index finger. “Bingo.”
He’s got a playful light in his eyes. And I’m feeling the wine already.
I’m staring at his mouth. His perfectly formed lips. His white smile. The fact that the bottom tooth below his right eye tooth is just ever-so-slightly askew from the other teeth. Not enough to draw attention, you have to look closely, but enough that he suddenly seems more … real. I’m paying way too much attention right now.
Heat floods my face. I look away quickly, realizing that not only am I closely staring at his features, but he’s also doing the same to me.
And his gaze has darkened.
I suddenly wonder how kinky he is. Maybe I should go to lunch with Debbie and Cammy again and see if I can find out what Debbie knows.
No, I shouldn’t.
I definitely shouldn’t.
This guy is an enigma to me. I have no idea why he’s being so nice to me at the same time as he’s so obviously intent on helping me with my Ray problem. Despite his expensive Ray problem, which obviously should be his priority.