Double Down
from Vegas Bites
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~ EXCERPT ~
"If you want to play games, Simone, then let's play. If you win, you get your cable special."
"A game, huh?" she asked, stalling. The fact that he didn't fall for her seduction ploy so easily upped her respect for him, though her ego had taken a hit. The wolf in her knew stealth could be just as effective as a direct charge, and she actually liked the idea of a challenge. It had been a while since she'd hunted. This would do until she could get outside.
"So, what are the rules for this little endeavor?"
"I have three confessions to make to you," Kadim said, his voice mellow as he placed the rocks glass on the ledge beside her wine. He held up his hands, spread his fingers. A fan of playing cards appeared. "Of course, the only way you get to hear them is if you win a bet. One bet, one confession. If you win all three, you not only get the confessions, you also get the contract signed."
Simone stared at the confident expression on the magician's face. The offer he was making benefited her in every way. Not only would she get the show for the Mystery channel, she'd also learn more about her mysterious magician. What was the down side?
"What's the down side?" she asked, watching him manipulate the cards.
"There isn't one," he said, his smile putting her on alert. "We can alternate the parameters of each wager. I'll even let you go first."
Simone stopped herself from scenting the air for a lie. There had to be a catch—Kadim wouldn't be this generous if he didn't think he'd have a chance of winning and sending her home empty-handed.
"What do you want?"
He arched a brow, and even that looked good on him. "What do you mean?"
"That's some serious bait you're dangling in front of me," she told him, settling her hands on her hips. "Everything I could want from you, and all I have to do is win three wagers. You act like I'm a tourist fresh off the bus."
He actually looked offended, and stopped shuffling the deck. "I don't think of you like that. I know very well you've got a mind like a trap. You wouldn't be able to manage the French Quarter's entertainment or your brother otherwise."
"Then lay it out straight," she retorted, trying not to blush at the compliment he'd given her. "Everything you've said is in my favor. It looks like you're getting the crap end of the deal, which you seem unusually content with. That tells me that you're getting more than I can see, and until I figure that out, I'm not agreeing to this at all."
"All right." He turned to face her, his dark eyes glittering in the last of the sunlight. "If I win, I get you."
It was what she expected, but the way he said it made her insides clench. "I get the cable show that'll make us both a lot of money, and you get me. That seems a little lopsided, don't you think?"
He gave her that heavy-lidded glance again. "Not from my perspective."
She licked her lips, watching as he watched the movement. She knew then that he did want her. Knowing the stakes were as high for him as they were for her made it more agreeable. More than agreeable. It would almost be worth it, to lose deliberately.
Almost.
With a little thrill of excitement, she reached out, took the deck of cards from him. "All right, you have a deal. Since I know what I'm getting if I win, I think it's only fair to give you a taste of what you could expect in the unlikely event you best me."
"A taste, huh?" His gaze felt like a caress as it moved over her features. "All's fair in love and war, or something like that."
She put the stack of cards beside their glasses then stepped closer, her hands flat against his chest. "Something like that."
Keeping a whisper of space between them, Simone stood on tiptoe to brush her lips against his. His hands settled on her hips, neither to pull her closer nor push her away. The moment her lips touched his, warmth stole through her, like a sip of expensive liquor. Her eyes slid closed as one hand reached up to cup the back of his neck.
Then he started kissing her back.
His lips bowed against hers, heating her senses. With a little moan she angled her head, wanting more of him. Wanting to taste him. She traced the sweet outline of his mouth with her tongue, smiling as she felt a shudder pass through him. When he mimicked her gesture, it was her turn to shudder, especially when his tongue glided against hers in a heated, sensual dance.
His hands kneaded her waist as if fighting the urge to roam. Then her hands wound their way around his neck, pushing her breasts against his chest. His hands slipped, cupping her buttocks, bringing her closer. The feeling of the hot, hard length of his body pressing against hers caused Simone to widen her stance as his mouth continued to devour hers.
They needed to stop, but God, she didn't want to. Kadim seemed to come to the same conclusion, slowing the kiss, giving her opportunity to pull away. She did, loosening her grip as she breathed, kissed, breathed again, her hands sliding back to his chest. Kadim's hands felt like they were burning through her skirt, his fingers inches away from discovering that she wore a thong beneath her short skirt.
Her feet were planted on the deck, but she definitely felt like she floated on air. She looked up at him, at her lipstick marking his mouth, and decided that before the night was over, they'd both get what they wanted.