Excerpt:
As I looked down at my cards, I knew I was going to win this hand, just like I had the others. It was my lucky night, even with Carter’s inept attempts to cheat. He hadn’t won a single hand, yet he kept betting. Carter had a problem. He wasn’t going to stop gambling, no matter how much he lost, because he believed he’d somehow win it back.
“We should call it a night,” I suggested.
“No!” Carter practically shouted before glaring at Jade and then returning his attention to me. “How about if we up the ante a bit? We’ll start with a new hand.”
“What do you have in mind?” I asked as I leaned back in my chair and regarded him.
“I own this new company,” Carter began.
“Don’t!” Jade hissed before casting a pleading look my direction.
“Tell me more,” I prompted.
“It’s worth at least five million, but let’s call it five-hundred grand for the wager,” he suggested.
I doubted the company was worth nearly as much as Carter said, but before I could call him a liar, Jade asked him, “Are you insane?” She looked at me with a strained smile. “I need to have a word with Carter.”
“Stop worrying so much, babe,” Carter told her as he slipped one hand under the table. Jade immediately tensed at his touch. “I feel lucky this hand.”
The idiot either had some plan to cheat more effectively, or he was stupid. I’d place odds on the latter, though I wasn’t ruling out the former. Either way, Carter thought he could win, and the business he was betting had meaning to Jade. An idea came to me—a terrible idea, especially considering my past.
“We should make this a little more interesting,” I suggested.
Carter tried casting me a bored expression. “I’m not sure it can get any more interesting than me offering you an up-and-coming event planning business.”
His explanation proved Carter was an idiot. No up-and-coming event planning business was worth five million. Best-case scenario, it might break even in its early days. It was a competitive field.
“You don’t have much of an imagination,” I said with a smirk. “You’re worried you’ll lose. I can see it in your eyes.”
He laughed, but I could tell I’d rattled him. “I’m not worried about losing a few million, but what else could you possibly want if you win?”
“I want the sexy redhead sitting by your side,” I replied, my gaze moving to Jade.
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