ALESSIO
We stop at the penthouse to take a shower and get dressed. I want to make this evening as perfect for Beccs as possible. Fuck, if anybody deserves a good night of fun, it's her.
I admit that I have my own selfish reasons for wanting to spend time with her. The truth is, I've spent my entire life carrying other people's problems on my shoulders. For once, I want to pretend that none of it exists. No cartel. No blood. No ghosts from the past.
Just me, the woman I adore, and a casino full of overpriced drinks and bad decisions.
The bedroom door opens. I glance up. Then promptly forget how breathing works. Jesus. Fucking. Christ. She's wearing a simple brown sundress. Thin spaghetti straps. The skirt sways around her knees every time she takes a step.
Nothing designer. Nothing flashy. Nothing that should make my pulse spike the way it does.
And yet... fuck. She could walk onto the red carpet at the Oscars and every actress there would pale next to her.
Her makeup is understated. Just enough to make those honey-brown eyes seem even bigger.
Her hair falls in loose waves over one shoulder, and for the first time since yesterday...
she's smiling. A real smile. Not forced. Not brave. Happy.
My chest does something strange. She catches me staring and looks down at herself. "What?"
I don't answer. Because I'm still trying to remember my own name.
One perfectly shaped eyebrow arches. "Alessio?"
I clear my throat. "You planning on murdering every man in my casino tonight?"
Her nose wrinkles adorably. "What?"
"They're going to stare."
She laughs. "So?"
"So..." I push away from the wall and walk toward her, "I'm seriously considering canceling the evening."
Her eyes widen. "What?"
"If nobody sees you..." I slide my hands around her waist, "nobody can look at you."
She rolls her eyes. "You're ridiculous."
"I know." I kiss her forehead. "But have you looked in a mirror?"
"I did."
"And?"
"I thought I looked..." She shrugs. "Nice."
I bark out a laugh. "Grease Monkey..." I cup her face. "You look like every fantasy I've ever had learned how to walk."
Her cheeks turn the most adorable shade of pink. "You really don't do things by halves, do you?"
"No." I shake my head. "I really don't."
She bites back a smile. "Good thing I like you."
"You'd better."
She slips her hand into mine. "So..." She rocks back onto her heels, practically bouncing with excitement. "Ready?"
I look down. Even in four-inch heels... the top of her head barely reaches my chest. The sight is so ridiculously adorable I almost laugh. Instead... I squeeze her hand. "Ready when you are, mia piccola diavoletta."
Her grin lights up the entire penthouse. Then she practically skips toward the elevator. I watch her go for a second, smiling like an idiot. God. She has no idea. She thinks I'm taking her to my casino. The truth? Tonight... I'm taking my casino... to meet its queen.
Downstairs, the casino floor falls silent for exactly half a heartbeat.
Not enough for anyone else to notice. Long enough for every employee who recognizes me to straighten a little.
The pit bosses discreetly touch their earpieces.
Dealers stop mid-shuffle for the briefest second before remembering themselves. Cocktail servers change course.
By the time the elevator doors close behind us... the entire casino knows the boss is on the floor.
Beside me, Beccs is completely oblivious. Her eyes are everywhere. "Whoa..."
She slowly turns in a circle, taking in the chandeliers, the ringing slot machines, the cheers from a nearby craps table.
"It's..." She laughs. "It's so much louder than when we walked through."
"It grows on you."
"I don't think I'd survive working here."
"You'd probably reorganize the entire place."
She considers it. "You're not wrong."
I chuckle. "Come on."
She grabs my hand before I can even offer it. "So where do we start?"
"The penny slots."
Her head whips toward me. "Really?"
"Really."
"You have penny slots?"
I stare at her. "Beccs."
"I'm teasing."
"No, you're not."
She grins. "Maybe a little."
Five minutes later she's sitting in front of an ancient-looking slot machine with cartoon cherries spinning across the screen. She presses the button. Nothing. Again. Nothing. Again. Three cherries line up. The machine erupts into lights. Coins cascade across the screen.
Beccs gasps so loudly half the aisle turns to look. "I WON!"
She jumps to her feet so fast the chair rolls backward. "Oh my God!"
She points frantically at the display. "Thirty-seven dollars!"
The excitement in her voice is so genuine I can't stop smiling. Thirty-seven dollars. In my casino. Where men routinely lose half a million before dinner.
She throws both arms around my neck. "I won thirty-seven dollars!"
"You did."
"I'm up!"
"You are."
"I should cash out."
I laugh. "Already?"
"I don't want to lose it!"
She's dead serious. I kiss the top of her head. "You sound like every grandmother in this casino."
She beams. "I like grandmas."
"I can tell."
I take her hand again. "Come on."
"Where are we going?"
"The grown-up machines."
Her eyes narrow suspiciously. "What does that mean?"
"It means..." I lead her into the high-limit room. The noise fades. The carpets get thicker. The chandeliers larger. The machines sleeker. She slows. "Alessio."
"Yeah?"
"These look..." she stares, "expensive."
"They are." I stop beside a polished black slot machine and pull out the chair for her.
She doesn't sit. She just stares at the screen. "How much?"
"Ten thousand."
She blinks. "To win?"
I shake my head. "Per spin."
Silence. She slowly turns toward me. "Per what?"
"Spin."
Her mouth falls open. "No."
I gesture toward the chair. "Sit."
"No!"
A laugh escapes me. "Beccs."
"Alessio!"
"Sit."
She points at the machine like it's personally offended her. "One push is ten thousand dollars!"
I shrug. "The house always wins."
She stares at me another second. Then bursts into laughter. "You are completely insane."
"So I've been told."
She finally sits, still looking horrified. "I feel like I should apologize to the machine before I touch it."
"I'm sure it'll forgive you."
Out of the corner of my eye, I catch one of the high-limit attendants staring. Not at me. At Beccs. At the woman laughing like she's never seen a slot machine before. I don't say a word. I simply look at him. He immediately remembers something fascinating on the opposite side of the room.
A cocktail waitress appears almost instantly. "Can I get you anything?"
Beccs lights up. "Ooh!" She doesn't even look at the menu. "Tequila Sunrise!"
The waitress smiles. "Of course."
"With extra cherries, please."
The waitress nods. "I can do that."
As she walks away, I glance sideways at Beccs. "Extra cherries?"
She shrugs. "What?"
"It fits."
"What does?"
"You."
She laughs. "I have no idea if that's a compliment."
"It is."
She leans over and whispers conspiratorially, "I mostly order it because it comes with fruit."
I stare at her. "You realize I can have the chef make you an actual fruit platter."
"I know." She grins. "But this one comes with tequila."
I throw my head back and laugh. God. I haven't laughed this much... maybe ever.
I push my players card into the slot and nod at her, "Give it a spin."
She giggles and looks from me to the machine. "That's a lot of money."
"Beccs."
"Alessio."
I take her finger and place it at the max bet button. "Push."
Another giggle escapes her. "I feel so… naughty."
"I love it when you get naughty."
Her head whips towards me, and she winks.
A noise from the machine grabs her attention, and I look around the casino.
Trying to see it through her eyes. The laughter.
The celebrations. The disappointed groans.
The couples holding hands. The old friends arguing over blackjack strategy.
The woman beside me smiling like she'd just conquered the world over thirty-seven dollars.
I've spent years seeing balance sheets. Security reports. Profit margins. Tonight... for the first time... I see why people come here. Not to gamble. To hope. And somehow...
Watching Beccs discover that... feels like the biggest jackpot in the building.
"Oh no."
Alarmed at the disappointment in her voice, I look over. Beccs is staring at the slot machine like someone just shot her puppy.
"What?"
"I lost."
The devastation in her voice is painfully genuine. "I can't believe I just lost ten thousand dollars."
She turns those huge honey-brown eyes on me. "I swear... I'll earn it back somehow."
I have to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. "Beccs." She looks absolutely miserable.
"What?"
I cup her chin. "There it goes."
"What?"
"The mechanic."
She blinks. "The woman who's trying to fix something that doesn't need fixing."
She opens her mouth. Closes it. I take her hand, guide her finger toward the console again. MAX BET.
Her eyes grow enormous. "No."
"Yes."
"No!"
I press her fingertip against the screen. She squeaks. "Alessio!"
"Relax."
"I am not relaxed!"
The machine whirs. Lights begin flashing. Music erupts. She grabs my arm so hard she nearly cuts off circulation. "I broke it!"
"You didn't."
"I think I did!"
The reels stop. Seven thousand dollars. She stares. Then the display. Then me. Then the display again. "Oh..." Unbelievably, her eyes grow even larger. "My..." her lips form a perfect O. "God!"
She claps both hands over her mouth. "I won!"
I laugh. "You did."
She bounces in the chair. "I got seven thousand dollars back!"
"Technically..." I correct with a grin. "You got my seven thousand dollars back."
She swats my arm. "Details."
I lean down and kiss her forehead. "I need to talk to someone."
She nods absently. "What happens if I press this?"
"It spins."
"And this one?"
"Also spins."
"Why are there so many spin buttons?"
I chuckle. "Promise me something."
She finally tears her eyes away from the machine. "What?"
"Have fun."
Her smile softens. "I can do that."
"Good."
I kiss her once. Then straighten. As I walk away, I hear, "Oh!"
"What?"