Chapter Eight

Talia showed up at the address he’d given her and found a valet stand. The house was very big, mansion size, and had a sweeping circular drive. Casey had texted her late in the day and told her she could bring a plus one. That was her first inkling that this date wasn’t what she was expecting.

She’d called Sami, but her friend was working late. And somehow Talia wasn’t too sure that a party was Gran’s scene, so she’d arrived alone.

The car that pulled up behind her was a Bentley—a Bentley—so she tried to act cool as she got out of her VW and handed the keys to the attendant. He treated her to a respectful smile and she tugged the chain of her evening bag higher on her shoulder as she walked up the marble steps to the front entrance. There were two tuxedoed doormen standing there to open the door for her.

She walked into the foyer where a woman dressed in an evening gown and holding a clipboard came over to see her.

“Good evening. May I have your name?” she asked.

“Talia Spencer…Casey Waltham invited me,” she said.

“You are on the list. Is it just you tonight?” the lady asked.

Talia nodded.

“She’s not alone,” Casey said, coming up behind her and putting his hand on the small of her back. A shiver went through her body and she glanced over her shoulder to see he was dressed in a white dinner jacket. His hair was slicked back and he had that roguish smile that she loved. “She’s with me.”

“Of course, Mr. Waltham,” the woman said. “I trust you know where you are going.”

He nodded and urged her forward down the hall.

“What is this place?” she asked. “I have to be honest—I’m a little nervous.”

“Nothing to worry about. Sorry for being mysterious. This is Nicholas’s house. He’s hosting a night of illusion to try out some new elements for his show and he always has to be stealthy to keep his competition from finding out. The world of magic and illusion is cutthroat.”

A magic show. She knew that what Nicholas did was more than magic but, in essence, her date with Casey was pretty magical.

“This is good. I can get a better idea of what he does, which will help me at work. I wish you’d mentioned it so I could have brought my notebook.”

“I’m glad I didn’t. This is a date, Talia,” he said.

And that just went to show how hard it would be if they really were dating. His work life was so much of his actual life and for her, this job was everything. She couldn’t afford to let it get personal.

“I don’t think we should be dating,” she said. “With your poker background, you’re probably really good at hiding what you’re really feeling. But I’m not. I know you know that,” she said.

He took her elbow and led her to a corner of the room that was slowly filling up with people. “I’m not going to argue with you about this. I think pretending there isn’t anything between us is stupid.”

“I know…but I need this job. And to be honest, I love working for the casino and the community I’m building. I don’t want to have to quit,” she said.

He cursed and dropped his hand from her arm. “You would never have to quit. I’m not threatening your job. I’m just saying there is a spark, an attraction, between us. I thought a one-night stand would be enough. But it wasn’t. When you walked into the interview room the next day, I still wanted you. Everything I’d felt the night before came back—”

“That’s lust.”

“It is, but it’s also something more. I like you, Talia. You’re funny and sassy and sexy…and so much more that I haven’t discovered yet. But I want to discover it and I’m asking you to give me a chance to do that. We might not be together for the rest of our lives, but my gut says this is something special.”

Something special.

“Is it worth the risk?” she asked. How many times had her dad said similar words to convince her to give up her allowance? She had the feeling that they were both running from their pasts. She’d done it by never betting on anything, while Casey’s entire life had been made on the flip of a card. Could they ever find common ground?

“Yes. Because I’m not playing the odds or taking a chance on my lucky number coming up,” he said. “I’m putting my money on you, Brown Eyes.”

He gets me, she thought. He understood where she was coming from with gambling and that scared her. Maybe not as much as it should have, but it did frighten her. Because he tempted her. He showed her that he saw the real Talia.

“How is this anything but a gamble for me and no risk for you?” she asked.

He rubbed the back of his neck. She realized that he was tense. Even though he was putting on an affable front, she could see that he wanted her to cross that line. Wanted her to say yes to dating and whatever else may follow.

And she realized that she wanted it, too. She genuinely liked him and wanted to get to know him better. To find out how he’d started playing poker and what his life had been like before he hit it big. She reached out and touched his face because she knew there was no way this could continue. And though she was tempted to ignore the fact that her dad’s gambling had essentially ruined her childhood, she couldn’t help remembering how she’d felt walking into that final interview and seeing him there. Her one-night gamble could have ruined her chances at this job she was coming to love.

Her life only worked when she stayed focused.

But he turned his head and kissed the center of her palm, causing sensation to shoot up her arm. She shivered. There was something so electric about the attraction between them. Even when she was across the room, he drew her to him. Now that she was standing next to him, ignoring their chemistry was almost impossible.

…

Talia’s words echoed in his mind. She was spot on, which didn’t surprise him. If he’d learned one thing about it her, it was that she had no artifice. Which was probably why he was willing to risk everything for her. He had never—never—been lucky at love. He’d had more one-night stands than he should probably admit to, and his emotions had never really been engaged.

But with Talia, he felt something. He didn’t know how to define it, he only knew it was more than sex. And he wasn’t ready to walk away. Not yet.

He remembered the first big poker game he’d sat down at. He’d spent every penny he had to enter the competition and there was a moment in the third round when he could have walked away with a modest prize.

This felt like that moment.

Casey had always valued himself and knew he was worth the risk. He thought he was smart—not like a genius, but smart enough to know when to take a chance and when to back down. And Talia…she was definitely worth the risk.

He had his own losing streak behind him when it came to relationships. In fact, other than spending time with Darien and Nicholas, he was pretty much a loner.

“What are you thinking about?”

“What you said,” he admitted. “That if I ask you to take a chance, I have to be willing to take one, too.”

She tipped her head to the side, showing off that long neck, and his libido went into overdrive. His growing erection urged him to do whatever it took to get her back in his bed.

But he wanted more than sex.

He wanted more than a second night hookup.

He wanted Talia.

All of her. And that meant putting up big money, so she wouldn’t feel like she was the only one putting all of her chips in.

“If it doesn’t work out, I’ll go back on the poker circuit and manage my part of the casino from the road. In effect, you won’t have to see me, so you will be able to keep your job and your life the way it is right now.”

She blinked and then shook her head. “That’s not right.”

“Well I’m hoping this doesn’t turn into something we both want to walk away from,” he admitted. “The truth is…I can’t let you go.”

She bit her bottom lip, and he closed his eyes. He definitely didn’t need to focus on her mouth and remember how soft and inviting it had felt beneath his. Hell, he could barely walk by the table in this foyer without thinking about coming in front of his mirror.

“Okay,” she said. “I’ll do it. But if things don’t work out, I need you to agree that I’ll have some say in what we do next.”

“Great. Let’s celebrate,” he said, putting his hand on the small of her back and leading her back into the room. He snagged two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter and handed one to her.

“To us,” he said.

She arched one eyebrow at him.

“What?”

“Isn’t that a bit premature?”

“Not really. I have always operated as if I have a winning hand. It’s worked so far,” he said.

She nodded. “I have never really done anything like this before. But I have made dumb mistakes. I hope this—”

“Don’t. Let’s just enjoy this. I think we could at least be friends,” he said with all the honesty he had. He didn’t want to go back on the road because that had become a slow death. But he had never wanted anything—not even a winning hand in a high-stakes tournament—as much as he wanted Talia.

“I’ll try,” she said with a tentative smile. “So, what’s Nicholas got planned?”

“I have no idea. He has been working on it for the last few weeks but, as I said, he plays his cards close to the vest.”

“Does he tell you how he does his tricks?” she asked.

“Definitely not. And he’s touchy about calling them tricks,” Casey warned her.

“Dude,” Darien said, coming up to them. “I’m so glad you are already here. Nicholas is pushing it. You know I had to give my name at the door? I mean come on.”

“He’s just making sure that no one gets in who wasn’t invited,” Casey said. “Dare, this is Talia Spencer. I think you’ve emailed but not met.”

Talia held her hand out to him and he shook it. “Rio speaks very highly of you. Every day, I hear more about the plans you all are working on. I love that you have broken the racers into different personalities and then are working with the games developer to come up with different experiences for the four personas.”

“Working with Rio is a lot of fun. He had a lot of great ideas and I’ve been lucky enough to come up with ways to implement them. I’m excited about the stuff we have in the pipeline for your part of the Jokers Wild. The community that Rio and I are building is going to be great. From a Vegas kid’s perspective, I think the dirt bike course and lessons are going to be a gold mine. But I’m sure your finance department has already told you that.”

Darien arched both eyebrows at her. “They have. What does a guy have to do to get a decent drink around here?”

“Go to the bar and order it,” Casey said, putting his hands on Darien’s shoulders and turning him to face the bar.

Darien gave Casey the finger as he walked away. Talia stood quietly next to him. “What are you thinking?”

He knew there was a solid connection between him and Talia or he wouldn’t have made this gamble. But his friend was rugged and very male. He’d heard from more than one woman at a club that Darien had a wildness about him that drew women like moths to a flame.

“You and Darien and Nicholas have a really solid friendship. I didn’t realize you were more than business partners.”

“We are. Since you and I are going to be dating, I’ll tell you about it sometime.”

…

Talia had a lot of fun that evening. The illusion that Nicholas had unveiled had been breathtaking and she knew when he debuted it at the Jokers Wild Casino, it was going to immediately become one of the most popular shows on the strip. It was everything that made a good illusion—intriguing, mysterious, and, of course, thrilling.

The reaction from the people in the room left no doubt that the illusion—the newest piece of his show at the Jokers Wild—was going to be a huge success.

“I wonder if he’d consider doing a kids’ camp, showing them how to do illusions?” Talia said as she stood between Casey and Darien.

“Uh, no. He’s not a teacher,” Casey said. “He doesn’t have the patience for dealing with kids.”

“Do you think we could hire someone?” she asked.

“That’s a good idea. Someone like Rio would be perfect,” Darien said. Darien was on his fourth Jack and Coke and Talia could tell by the way Casey watched his friend that he didn’t normally drink that much, or that quickly. She wasn’t sure which—she just noticed that Casey was watching him.

“Yes. Someone like that. They don’t have to give away any of his secrets but maybe a class where kids could learn the basics would be good,” Talia said.

“Why are you focused on kids?” Darien asked.

She didn’t realize she was. “I guess I see them as the ones who need something to do while their parents are enjoying everything that Sin City has to offer.”

Casey put his arm around her. “I think it’s a great idea.”

“Of course you do,” Darien said.

“What does that mean?”

“Nothing. I’m being an ass,” Darien said.

“Yeah, but that’s not unusual,” Casey said. “What’s up with you tonight?”

Darien finished his drink and signaled the waiter for another one. “Nothing.”

Talia realized that Darien wasn’t going to say anything else while she was standing there. “I want to go and get some reaction from the other guests. I think I saw a couple of Hollywood A-listers. If I could get a quote from them, it would look great on the website and community pages. I’ll be right back.”

Casey leaned over and kissed her cheek, whispering, “Thanks.”

She walked away feeling…well, that they might have the makings of a good couple. Except, they weren’t a couple. Sure, they’d decided to try dating, but that wasn’t the same thing as being a couple.

She made a beeline for the Hollywood people she’d mentioned. One of them was a veteran actor who’d made his career in the nineties doing action films, and as she got closer, she realized he was accompanied by his son—a young actor who, according to speculation, had gotten his roles due to his last name.

“Hi, I hope you’re enjoying the evening. I’m Talia Spencer and I work for the Jokers Wild Casino. I wondered if you’d share your reaction to Nicholas’s illusion with me,” she said. Then groaned. She was so much better behind the scenes.

The man nodded. “Hello, Talia. I’m Liam Donnelly and this is my son Callum,” he said, holding his hand out to her.

She shook it. “Sorry I’m not better at small talk.”

Liam just laughed. “Usually people gush. It’s a nice change.”

Ugh. “Of course, I love your movies. And Callum, you were great in that series on Netflix.”

Liam just laughed. “I like you. So, what do you want from us again?”

“Well, I just wanted to know…did you like it?”

“Hell yes,” Callum said. “I’m dying to know how he did that. Dad and I couldn’t figure it out.”

“We thought the illusion was going to be something different,” Liam said. “It was a very good show. The lead-up to it was great.”

“Yay. I was hoping you’d say that. How do you feel about either giving me a quote I could use on our social media platforms, or maybe even doing a video talking about your reactions?” she asked. “I wouldn’t want you to give too much of the illusion away. But it might tempt people into visiting the Jokers Wild when the illusion act opens.”

“I don’t think we could endorse it,” Liam said. “But a video would be fine.”

“Perfect,” she said. She wanted to get people’s reactions to the illusion tonight, while the act was still fresh. She wished she’d known what Nicholas was doing. She could have had a video crew here. She looked around and realized that the bright lighting in the foyer would make a video shot on her smartphone look crisp and clear.

“Do you mind doing it over here?” she asked. Then she looked around at the other guests. It would be great to get as many video reactions as she could.

She led the way to the foyer and Liam and Callum followed her. She noticed that Liam was speaking quietly to Callum as she moved some stuff around on the table in the foyer of Nicholas’s house, right under the portrait of the grand illusionist himself, in an all-black suit with his arms crossed.

Liam was coaching Callum on how to stand and what to say. And Talia felt that bit of envy that she’d often had when she saw other fathers in action. Her dad had taught her not to bet on red and that a winning streak could be nursed. She knew she really shouldn’t be complaining, but she was keenly aware of what had been missing in her own life.

She got them staged and shot three versions of the video—all fantastic. She thanked them and took down their details so she could have a release form sent to them.

Then she looked around for Casey.