Queen of Diamonds

Chapter 1Brandon loved the slick feel of a fresh deck of cards. He liked the way the faces shone beneath the casino’s flashing lights. He liked how sharp the reds and blacks looked against the green felt table. He liked the way they snapped into place, and how easily they slid out of the dispenser. No matter how many shifts he worked as a blackjack dealer at the Bellagio, he never got tired of the smell of a fresh deck beneath the stench of cigarettes, alcohol, and perfume that permeated every inch of the gaming floor. He was reflecting on the newest deck when Seth Cahill slid into the seat at the corner. Brandon didn’t acknowledge him any more than he would acknowledge any guest, but all of his senses went on high alert. His long blond hair hung over his brow, looking casual and deliberate at the same time, and his laughing blue eyes were locked on Brandon as he dealt out the hand. Brandon had expected him, of course, but it was still a bit of a surprise. A part of him always expected Seth to grow bored with him and move on to other tables, other dealers, other casinos. Maybe one day Seth would. But for now, he was sitting at his usual spot, watching Brandon with that combination of amusement and desire that always made Brandon a little heady. “Your bet, sir?” he asked, addressing Seth first. With a casual flick of his wrist, Seth tossed forward two ten-dollar chips. “The cards behaving themselves tonight?” The elderly man toward the other end of the table pushed forward a small stack of chips with a small snort. “Only if you’re the house.” Seth grinned, though his gaze dipped down Brandon’s body for a long second. “One of these days, the house is going to have to let go.” Brandon’s mouth twitched. If they had been alone, he would have reminded Seth that for the past month, the house had done nothing except let go. “Hit or stand?” Seth only glanced at the seven and eight he had showing before tapping the table for a card. The other player huffed in derision. “Just throwing your money away, kid. Don’t do it.” “Yeah, I get that a lot.” His smile unfailing, he nodded at Brandon. “Hit me.” Brandon pulled a fresh card from the dispenser and turned it over, revealing the six of hearts. “Twenty-one.” “I guess I’m lucky tonight.” Brandon smiled. “Yes, sir.” He looked over to the other man. Disgust twisted his face as he studied his cards. “I’ll stand at eighteen.” Brandon flipped his cards, exposing a ten and a three. He drew another three. The man perked up at the sight, his eyes shining. Until Brandon drew a four. “Dealer stops at twenty.” “Oh…fuck this.” He gathered up what remained of his chips, sent one last withering glance at Brandon, and staggered away, rather tipsily. “At least he knows to walk away before he loses it all,” Seth commented. He left his initial twenty on the table for the next hand, pushing his cards back to Brandon. “Not that I’m complaining. Now I get you all to myself.” “I don’t mind you having me all to yourself, but don’t think you’re going to win again,” Brandon warned. Seth c****d a brow. “You wouldn’t be suggesting I didn’t win that hand on my own, would you?” “Of course not. What are you doing over here, anyway? I thought you were going to work tonight.” “I am working.” Leaning forward on his forearms, Seth leveled what Brandon had always called his you know you want to listen to me look at him. “It’s time we start working on how we pick out our targets, don’t you think?” “Now?” Brandon looked around to see if anybody was paying attention to them, but all the guests were too caught up in their own small joys and dramas. It was a strangely slow night, though Brandon expected the traffic to pick up in a few hours. “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea.” “You’re just saying that because you’ve never done it before.” Seth’s knowing smile never wavered. “You’re nervous. That’s understandable. But have I ever steered you wrong?” “No,” Brandon admitted, placing another card in front of Seth. Despite the fact he was a frequent visitor to Brandon’s table, nobody had caught on that the two of them knew each other. “But it just seems…what if I’m no good at it? What if we get caught?” “I’m not going to let you get caught.” He tapped the table without even glancing down to see what Brandon had dealt him. “Besides, this is the perfect time to give it a go. A light crowd, few distractions. We can take it as slow as you want. And don’t tell me you don’t like it slow. I happen to know that one for fact.” As the meaning of Seth’s words sunk in, Brandon’s face flushed a light pink. “Would I have to talk to anybody tonight? You know I’m no good at that.” “I know no such thing. You talked to me the very first time I sat down here.” “That doesn’t count. All I did was ask you if you were having a good night. That was being polite.” A single brow shot up, though his eyes continued to twinkle. “Really? Because it sounded to me a lot like, ‘You’re the best looking guy to sit at my table in a month. Don’t you dare leave without getting my phone number.’ Which I got, remember.” “All that means is you’re good at reading between the lines.” He dealt Seth a four—giving him twenty—and himself a seven—resulting in twenty-three. “Dealer busts. I guess I’m just worried that…I won’t do it right. And then you’ll be disappointed.” Seth chose the moment Brandon reached to take the cards to take back his chips. Their fingers brushed, as direct a contact he ever allowed when he was sitting at Brandon’s table, but it was enough to draw out goose bumps up the length of Brandon’s arm. “If I ever thought for a second you and I wouldn’t make a f*****g fantastic team, I never would have come clean to you in the first place.” His hand withdrew. “Unless you’re changing your mind. Because if that’s the case, you need to tell me. I’m not going to make you do anything you don’t want to.” Brandon believed him. And if he was going to back out of the plan, it needed to be now. Before they had the chance to set the wheels in motion. But he didn’t want out of the plan. Ever since Seth had broached the subject, Brandon had been enamored with the whole idea. It sounded exciting. It sounded fun. It sounded a hell of a lot more lucrative than dealing blackjack. “I’m not changing my mind.” He smiled a little bit. “And we do make a fantastic f*****g team.” “Good.” He leaned back on his seat, just a few inches but enough added distance to make Brandon painfully aware of it. “Because we’re going to practice in about thirty seconds.” Brandon’s mouth opened to ask why when movement at the corner of his eye caught his attention. He turned in time to see a svelte, petite woman slide into a chair two down from Seth. She was older than both of them, probably nearing forty, but with a flawless honeyed complexion and sultry hazel eyes framed with the thickest, darkest lashes he had ever seen. Her brown hair was cut into a chin-length bob, angled against her elegant jaw and cheekbones, while her strapless red dress drew his attention to the firm swell of her breasts and the long line of her neck. With a closed-lipped smile, she set a short stack of chips in front of her, circling the topmost with a single fingertip before drawing her hand away. “This isn’t a private game, right?” Her voice was a soft alto, as rich and warm as a glass of whiskey at the end of a long, hard day. “I’d hate to think I’m interrupting something.” Stunningly beautiful women sat at his table all the time. He didn’t know why this one had him tongue-tied, except for the fact that Seth had pointed her out. Pushing past his nerves, he flashed her the smile that made him one of the most popular dealers. “Not at all, ma’am. Ten dollar minimum.” She glanced toward Seth. “That’s funny. I would’ve sworn it was more than that.” With a careful grace, she counted out fifty dollars and slid them onto her bet circle. “Let’s hope my judgment isn’t off when it comes to cards, shall we?” “The cards have been friendly tonight,” Brandon assured her as he dealt. Seth had his face down, ostensibly focusing on his hand, though Brandon knew him well enough to know that he was studying the woman. “Is this your first game of the night?” “Yes. Though it’s probably not my last.” She tapped a red-tipped nail against the felt, signaling for another card. “My dinner plans were canceled.” “Somebody canceled dinner with you?” Brandon turned over a nine. “I find that difficult to believe.” She smiled and showed the two and nine she already had. “So did I. Hence, my rather impolite argument over why it was canceled, and unfortunately, my bad behavior only confirmed I’d be spending the night alone.” “Whoever you were arguing with sounds like an idiot.” He waited for her to put a hand up, indicating she didn’t want another card. “Not that I’m complaining.” “You say that now…” She watched as Seth busted, and Brandon held on a seventeen. Her smile widened when he passed over her winnings. “I knew choosing the best looking dealer would be good luck.” He was supposed to be suave and seductive, but her compliment had the same effect Seth’s words had—his cheeks and the back of his neck warmed. “I’m not the best looking dealer here. Dana is much prettier than I am.” Her lashes dropped to focus on stacking her new chips into neat, little piles. “You can’t possibly be referring to the little blonde with the breasts bursting out of her shirt. Because then that would mean those adorable glasses of yours don’t work.” She placed another bet with the same care she’d given the first, repeating the stroke along the uppermost chip. “Besides, she is most definitely not my type.” “Honestly? She’s not really my type, either.” Brandon shot a quick glance over to Seth. He wished they could trade places. Seth was the one who could charm the pants off anybody. Seth was the one who had done this sort of thing before. But Seth couldn’t even help him. Fortunately, his hands knew what they were supposed to be doing, so he could focus on her. “I like my women to be a little smarter.” “I hope your harem isn’t completely full.” She toyed with her new hand. “Otherwise, I’ll have to settle for just winning your money tonight.” “Oh, I haven’t…” Brandon looked down, trying to find his place again. From the corner of his eye, he saw Seth smile and toss a twenty into the betting circle. “I haven’t got a harem or anything like that.” “Really? Well, as wrong as that just seems, it’s all the better for me, then, isn’t it?” She brushed her fingers over her hand to show she was standing. “I don’t mind competing with pretty young things, but it’s better for my ego when I don’t have to suffer comparisons.” Brandon barely noticed when he flipped over the ten of diamonds, sending him over twenty-one. “Are you kidding?” he blurted. “Any woman in this place would suffer in comparison to you.” A new gleam in her eyes prickled his skin with heat. “Well, aren’t you the sweetest thing? My name’s Caryn, by the way.” “Brandon.” He smiled sheepishly and gestured at his nametag. “Though I guess you already knew that. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” “I did know, but it’s always nice to be formally introduced. It’s not quite as…presumptuous that way.” Seth won at twenty, and Brandon paid out the bet, his eyes briefly meeting Seth’s. He wasn’t sure what he expected to find, but he wasn’t surprised by the twinkling amusement he saw there. Seth inclined his head, as if to say go on, you can do this. “I wouldn’t think you presumptuous. So…how long are you staying here? Is it just a quick weekend getaway?” Caryn nodded. “I had some business I needed to attend to, but that was supposed to happen over my dinner that wasn’t. You’d think when it came to money, people would be a little bit more conscientious.” Brandon’s smile turned wry. “It’s Vegas, ma’am. Nobody is conscientious about their money. Unless they’re losing big.” When she winced, a flash of alarm shot through him, especially when he saw Seth’s brows draw together. “Oh, please, don’t call me ‘ma’am.’ I realize you’re just being polite, but now I just feel old.” “I’m sorry,” Brandon said quickly. “I wasn’t even trying to be polite. I mean…my bosses. They like us to address all the guests as either sir or ma’am. So it’s…really just a habit at this point.” She looked unconvinced. So did Seth. For a moment, Brandon thought he had botched the entire thing. “I suppose your bosses don’t really take into account bored women hitting on their dealers.” Ignoring her cards, she leaned forward, offering a better view of her full breasts. “Tell you what. You can make it up to me by buying me a drink after your shift is over.” “My shift isn’t over for another six hours,” Brandon said, with genuine disappointment. “I’m afraid you’ll have to find somebody more interesting to…hit on. But I’d be happy to buy you a drink on my dinner break.” She weighed his offer, her gaze crawling slow enough down his body for him to feel it every inch of the way. “Trust me, sweetheart. There is nobody more interesting than you.” Picking up the small purse she’d set next to her, she dug around inside to pull out a slim silver pen. “This is my room number,” she said, scribbling onto a napkin. “Call me when it’s time for your break.” Brandon accepted the napkin, certain his shock was plain on his face. He tried to pull himself together and smile like beautiful women always gave him their room numbers, but he couldn’t quite pull it off. His pulse pounded in his throat until he thought it might choke him. “I will. I definitely will.” Sliding off her chair, she watched him steadily as she collected her chips. “I’m holding you to that. Though I’m looking forward to holding you to other things as well, Brandon.” And with her perfect mouth tipped into a smile, Caryn strolled away, not once looking back to see the reaction she’d elicited. Seth laughed as soon as they were alone. “I told you, you’d be a natural. You worry too much.” “I’m not even sure what just happened,” Brandon said, still staring at the space she had once occupied. “You made contact, that’s what happened.” “But…it can’t be that easy. I mean, I’ve talked to lots of lonely looking ladies. None of them have given me their room number before.” “Because you wanted this one to engage with you. Most of the time you spend at this table, you don’t see anything but people playing cards. That’s the difference. This time, you opened yourself up to the possibility of more.” “So now what do we do? Just because she wants me to buy her a drink doesn’t mean the rest of this plan is going to go off without a hitch.” “But it’s a first step, which is more than you thought you were ready for half an hour ago.” Forgetting about pretending to gamble, Seth leaned forward and lowered his voice. “Meet her for the drink. Focus on her. Keep her entertained. That’s all you have to worry about. I’ll take care of the rest.” Brandon grinned. “I suppose I did get the easy part of the job. Focusing on her definitely isn’t a hardship.” “Remember that when I’m making you tell me all the juicy details after you’re done.” “Oh, you’ll hear them all,” Brandon promised. He looked over his shoulder to see the pit boss glaring at him. “s**t. You better make yourself scarce. I’ll let you know when I’m on my break.” Obediently, Seth tossed in his cards and scooped up what few chips he had left. “Just make sure you have fun. Because that’s half the reason for doing this, you know.” “I know.” Brandon watched as Seth sauntered away, moving like he owned the entire casino. It was that easy confidence that attracted Brandon in the first place. And the same easy confidence that Brandon coveted now. But if Seth had faith in him, then he was sure he could do this. After all, he only needed to give a gorgeous lady his undivided attention for an hour. It should be the easiest job he ever had.