Let it Ride (Casino Nights #1) (8 page)

“This place is full of holes.
Francesca needs to be on the next flight back home.” The volume of Rico’s voice
increased two notches.

“And I’m saying that she wants to
stay.” Remy leaned his chair back on two legs, not impressed by Rico’s display.
“That is, unless you aren’t comfortable with your team’s skills.”

“Now hold on a
fuckin
’
minute.” Rico jumped up, knocking his chair to the ground.

It was time to put an end to this.
“Both of you stop it.” Francesca raised her voice. She’d thought that they’d be
more reasonable if they each had their say, but the two were too busy sniping
at one another to listen. “I’m going to tell you what my plans are and then you,”
she pointed at Rico, “can adjust your plan.” She turned her death stare onto
Remy. “And you can assist with logistics. I’m tired, and your arguing is
getting us nowhere.”

Rico ran his hand through his black
hair. “So you’re staying, no matter what I advise?”

“I’m going to stay until the end of
the conference and then I’ll fly back home. I won’t make the trip to visit my
cousins. Happy?”

“No
Chica
,
I’m not.” The angry look on his face softened. “I know that you were looking
forward to reconnecting with your people.” He walked to the kitchenette.
“Cooper, can I get something to drink?” Rico could switch his emotions in a
heartbeat. It was exhausting, but he was excellent at his job and a loyal
friend.

Remy didn’t blink at the change.
“Yeah that’s fine. Sorry, I haven’t been a better host, but there hasn’t been
much time since we’ve been so busy waving our dicks at each other.”

“Ah, you will learn my friend, that
in the
who’s
got the biggest contest, I’m always the
winner.” Rico flashed a self-confident grin as he sauntered back to the table
with three beers.

She felt Remy’s eyes on her and she
knew that she was blushing. Anybody with eyes would enjoy witnessing Rico and
Remy go at each other; both men were sexy and confident. She pulled up the
agenda for tomorrow’s panels on her tablet. “I don’t see anything that I want
to go to until one thirty. So I can just hang out here until that panel
starts.”

“Order room service, and when they
deliver, you stay in the bedroom,” Rico instructed.

“I’d run the call through the
security manager, for an added layer of protection.” Remy ran his fingers over
his phone’s screen.

“If there’s something you need to do
in the morning, I’ll have one of the team stay with me.” She felt safe with
Remy, but she didn’t want to be a burden tying up his time.

“I’ve got zero problem staying in
with you all morning.” There was no mistaking the heat coming from Remy’s eyes.

Rico looked at Francesca and then
back at Remy. “So it’s like that huh?”

Remy crossed his arms over his
chest. “Yeah, it is.”

She didn’t want to discuss her sex
life with Rico right now. She prayed that he’d let it go. “I’ll check in when
we’re up,” Francesca added.

“Since I get the feeling that
lover-boy here wants to get you alone, I think we had better focus on your
schedule so that I can get out of here.” Rico did not look pleased.

Francesca let out a loud sigh.
“Rico, stop poking at Remy. I don’t want to play the boss card but I will.”

Rico met her eyes with a glare. “As
you wish, boss.” Then he flashed a smile. He was being protective and
possessive, but he did respect her.

“I have to go to the dinner tomorrow
night,” Remy stated, breaking off the stare down between the two of them.

“Then I’ll go too.” She agreed
immediately. She didn’t generally go to the dinners because the speeches were
too long and the food was always terrible. However, she wanted to be with Remy.

She filed that troubling thought
away to examine later. She had no faith in long distance relationships. Her
life was made up of long hours at work and limited downtime. If you added in
the time difference, trying to stay in touch spelled disaster.

They continued discussing the plan
for tomorrow; she listened to the men with only a part of her brain.

“Francesca. Hey, are you paying any
attention?” Rico’s voice cut through her thoughts.

“I’m sorry, all of a sudden I’m
feeling really sleepy.” She yawned as if to prove the point.

The men took the hint and stood. She
hurried to her feet and followed them to the door.

In the doorway the three stood in
uncomfortable silence. “Um, Cooper, want to give me a moment alone with my
boss?” Rico raised one eyebrow.

“Sure, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Remy
turned and headed toward the bedroom.

“What?” Francesca let her
exasperation show.

“I just wanted to tell you that I
like him.” Rico drew her into a hug.

Francesca hugged him for a moment
and then stepped away. “I’m glad, because I do too.”

“It shows
Chica
.”
Rico laughed as he unlocked the door and left.

“What the hell did he mean by that?”
she asked out loud.

“What did you say?” Remy had
returned.

“Nothing. I was just talking to
myself.” She met Remy at the sofa.

He pulled her down onto the
cushions. He draped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side.
“Since we’ve only eaten junk tonight, are you hungry for real food or are you
too tired to eat?”

She laughed. “I could eat. I can
always eat.”

“Look at the menu. I’ll call and
then let Rico and security that we are getting room service.” Remy pulled the
menu from the end table drawer.

“I can’t tell you how much I hate
this, having to run everything through the team. I feel like a kid needing to
ask permission,” she groused.

Remy kissed the top of her head. “I
know it’s hard. Rico’s good, and you’re lucky to have him. On down the road he
and I might have a discussion about how he looks at you, but for right now I’m
thankful the guy looks after you.”

“Rico cares because we’re friends.
When I hired him, he was having a rough time. His PTSD was bad. I gave him time
to find his footing. Maybe he’s a little too possessive sometimes, but it’s
because I matter to him.”

“Just as long as he understands that
you aren’t going to get with him.” Remy’s eyes were so intent that she felt a
shiver of excitement.

“You don’t have to be all growly. I
don’t fool around with my people. Rico is a flirt but I’m never going there
with him. His appetite is too big and if he ever does settle down, the person
he settles with will have to be very strong. He’s a flame that burns really
hot.”

Remy smiled and relaxed. “So I’m
growly? I don’t know what that even means.”

“Don’t worry Rem, it’s good. In
fact, it makes me hot.” She rose to her knees on the sofa and pulled his face
closer for a kiss.

“Hot, huh?”

“Really hot.”

Finally, an hour later, Remy made
the call to room service.

Remy woke with his body wrapped
around Francesca. They were staying in this morning because they had gone to
sleep just a few hours ago. He was careful not to wake her.

He needed this time to gather his
thoughts. Tomorrow, she would be going back to Las Vegas and he would return to
Indianapolis to start winding down his job.
 

Francesca shifted and pushed her ass
closer to his groin. He swore his already hard cock just got harder.

She made a purring sound and then
rolled over to face him. “Morning,” she mumbled.

“Morning Frankie.” He ran his hand
down her back.

“What time is it?” Her voice sounded
a little hoarse this morning. Maybe because he’d made her scream a few times
last night.

“It’s early. I was trying to stay
still so I didn’t wake you.”

She shifted her body and pushed her
leg between his. “This is nice.”

He knew he was a total goner for
her. “I like these moments, when you’re soft and open, when it’s just you and
me.”

“I’ve been open with you. I think
last night I was very open, especially when you fucked me over the back of the
sofa.”

God that had been great.
He replayed the scene in his head
for a moment, and then smiled. “Nice try, making me think about your gorgeous
body, but what I meant was, I respect your professional persona, but I really
like it when you let your guard down. When you let me in.”

“Remy.” She ran her fingers lightly
along his jaw. “You say these things and I don’t know what to do with them.”

He took her hand in his and kissed
her palm. “Frankie, just listen to me, stop overthinking and trust me. This can
work.”

“You’re a good man, but we live too
far apart.” Her voice was filled with sadness.

He closed his eyes for a moment,
trying to decide what to do. He was at a crossroads and this was a life
changing moment. He let out a frustrated noise, which then changed into a
chuckle.

“What’s so funny?” She lifted her
hand to rest it on his chest. She ran her fingers over his heart.

“I’m not sure what to do. I’ve
always been decisive, but right now I’m not sure if I should shut-up or spill
my guts.”

She moved her arm under her head,
watching him. “I’ve always appreciated a straight shooter, so lay it out for
me.”

“Promise me that you will listen to
everything that I have to say? Don’t start tearing it apart until I’m done.”

“’Kay,” she answered hesitantly.

He cleared his throat, stalling for
a minute while he gathered his courage. “You mean something to me. This thing
between us means something. I’ve waited two years to get my chance. I know that
I’m springing this on you. I’m guessing that you had the idea that we would
have fun and then you would get on the plane and head west, and that would be
the end. That’s not going to happen. What I mean is, I don’t want that to
happen.”

She started to sit up. “Remy?”

He held her in place with his hands
on her hips. “I’ve turned in my notice to ICGB. I’ve got a few months left
there but I won’t be tied to that job or Indiana after that.”

“What? What are you going to do?”
Her voice was so soft and her eyes were looking into his.

“Travel, relax, visit Las Vegas to
see what it would be like to live out there.” He smiled at her. “I can consult
if the mood strikes.”

“So you would be free?” She bit her
bottom lip.

“Mom’s in Boca in a great condo and
very happy. My dad made provisions for the both of us. I can live comfortably,
so yeah, I’m going to be free to do what I want.”

She looked away and didn’t say
anything more.

He could feel her thoughts racing.
She dropped her eyes and the fingers resting on his chest started drumming a
beat. “Frankie, we don’t have to figure everything out this morning.”

She nodded once, still not meeting
his eyes.

“I’m only asking you to not slam the
door on us when you get on that plane. We can take things slow. I can fly out
for a long weekend, or my buddy’s having a party in Denver in a couple of
months, maybe you could meet me there?”

Francesca chewed her bottom lip. “I
could probably take a trip to Denver.”

He felt a rush of happiness surge
through his body. “That would be great.”

“Give me the dates and I’ll do my
best. I’m going to have to come back to Indiana in a month or two since I can’t
make the visit on this trip. Rico would have lost his shit if I had insisted.”

“What’s going on in Indy?” As soon
as the words left his lips he wondered if she would share.

“My mother’s family lives south of
the city. I was going to visit my cousins tomorrow, but now…that idea has been
scrubbed.”

“I didn’t know that you knew your
mother. I assumed since the
O’Haire’s
adopted you
that she wasn’t in your life.”

“She wasn’t.” She clipped her words.

“Are you close to your mother now?”
He wanted to keep her talking; this was information that he had never heard
before.

“No. When I was in grad school, a
relative contacted me out of the blue to tell me my mother had died.” She
shrugged and continued chewing on her bottom lip. “When I was a baby, she left
me and my dad. She was an addict and when she found out she was dying, she
moved back to Indiana to be near her family. I was an hour away from her and
had no idea.”

“God that must have been rough.” He
could see the pain in her eyes.

“I don’t remember her at all. My dad
loved me and gave me a good life. Since then Jimmy and Rose have been
wonderful. I’m lucky they adopted me.”

“But still it had to be tough to
hear that your mother was so close and she didn’t try to get in touch with
you.”

“Addicts don’t make good decisions.
Her family didn’t know anything about me until they searched through her papers
for burial instructions. My cousins have tried to connect. A few have visited
me in Las Vegas. I helped out when Carla and her husband wanted to buy a farm
to raise goats, and now they’re doing well enough that they can buy back my
portion of their farm.”

“So both sides have made an effort.”
He could see that her eyes were filled with tears.

“Yeah, it’s a little tricky. I don’t
know if we will ever be close, but it means something that they’ve tried to get
to know me. My mom never did.” Tears fell and her voice wobbled.

“Then it was her fucking loss. You
know that right? ” He gently wiped her cheeks.

“I get that having a child in her
position with her problems would have been a nightmare for me. But when I was
older, she could have found me. I kept my last name.” Her eyes searched his.

“I’m sure she told herself that you
had a better life without her, or that you wouldn’t want to meet her. Addicts
can make excuses for anything,” he reasoned.

“At first my cousins didn’t want to
tell the truth about her, but over time I learned that she stole from anyone
who let her stay with them. She lied and never accepted any responsibility for
her actions. I can honestly say that growing up with a person caught up in that
hell would have been awful for me. Jimmy and Rose have given me stability, a
home, my education, and their love. A very good life.”

Remy pulled her against his chest,
hugging her. “I think Jimmy and Rose are very lucky to have you.”

“Thanks, that’s nice to hear.” God
he was a good man. She felt her heart swell with warmth.

****

She had spent the morning going
through her e-mails, reviewing their flight itinerary for tomorrow, and marking
out time so she could meet Remy in Denver. She and Rico were leaving early in
the morning. Jimmy had called twice, but finally seemed satisfied that she was
safe.

Remy had showered and joined her for
breakfast and then after much encouragement, he went downstairs to socialize.

The tension between Rico and Remy
had lessened. There was still a major amount of testosterone in the room, but
she no longer felt like she needed to referee the two. As she was gathering her
things to leave, there was a knock on the door.

Rico moved swiftly to his feet, ordering
her to move, “Bedroom.”

She didn’t bother snapping that she
knew to go into the room and lock the door. Instead she moved swiftly and
secured the door behind her.

The door muted Rico’s voice, but she
could tell that he had admitted Remy into the suite. No big excitement so she
sat on the side of the bed and put on her new kitten heeled shoes. She was
sliding her arms into the red cardigan that she’d chosen for a pop of color
when there was a knock on her door.

“About ready?” Remy asked through
the door.

She hurried to unlock and throw it
open.

He was propped against the door
frame with his arms crossed, looking so very good.

She gave him a flirty smile. “Yes.”

Remy pulled her into his arms as he
took two steps into their room. “We can stay up here if you want.”

She relaxed into his warmth and
strength. “No, I’ve hidden up here long enough. I can’t say that I’m looking
forward to the questions about yesterday’s events. I’m sure the word has
spread. I need to get out and be seen to prove that I’m not afraid of Steven
Blake or his attempts to terrorize me.”

Remy kissed the top of her head with
a loud smack. “Good girl. Let’s go give them hell.”

She giggled. “How about we just go
sit in the back of the room and listen to this panel tell me how I can be a better
employer?”

“We can do that too.” He let her go
so she could take one last look in the mirror.

“Rico says he’s going with us. I
can’t wait to hear his comments on how I can be a better boss.”

“If he has such a bad deal, then he
can quit and you can hire me to watch over things.” His tone was casual.

She hoped he was teasing. The last
thing she wanted to do was to be his boss. It would be the end of this thing
that was happening between them. “I have a strict policy about no fooling
around with my people.” She gave him an over-dramatic sad face. “No matter how
desirable they may be.”

“Forget I said it then. I like our
fooling around. I don’t want to lose my rights to that.” He leaned in to give
her lips a quick kiss.

“If you keep that up, you’re going
to be late,” Rico yelled.

“Coming,” they both said
simultaneously. So this was what it felt like to be caught making out with a
date, something that had never happened before.

****

Francesca looked at the plate that
had just been placed in front of her. Whatever made her decide upon the beef
entrée? Oh well, a dinner for five hundred had no chance of being gourmet, or
even warm.

“Pizza later,” Remy whispered in her
ear.

“Definitely.” She gave him a
mischievous grin and started picking at her meal.

“You’re quiet,” he pointed out.

“Am I?” It was nice to just hang
with Remy. She didn’t feel like she had to be doing something all of the time
to keep his interest.

“Are you tired?” He raised one
eyebrow and a sexy grin appeared.

“Good sex does wear me out.” She kept
her voice low.

“I thought that getting the news
that Blake was captured would make you happy.” He sounded a little puzzled by
her lack of reaction.

“I’m thrilled that the police found
him trying to check in for his flight. I’m just wondering where it will end? I
don’t want to be worrying about him the rest of my life.” She leaned back in
her chair.

“Hopefully his arrest will be a
wakeup call for him and his people, maybe they can get him some help.” Remy
took her hand and held it against his thigh. “I know that between Jimmy, Rico,
and me, there will be an end to this.”

“Great, does that mean that I get to
add your name to the list of men who think they can have a say in my life? Boss
me around?” She knew the smile she gave him was flirty in order to take the
sting of frustration from her words.

“I sure hope so,” He squeezed her
hand.

“What are you two whispering about
over there?” Able asked, and it seemed like the entire table paused to hear the
answer.

Remy gave a lazy smile. “We were
discussing the panel from earlier, on how to be a better employer. The
statistics they quoted were troubling.”

Able had attended the same panel and
sat behind them. “You don’t move ahead in this industry unless you make the job
your priority. I think that is why we are all successful. You have to be driven
and willing to make sacrifices to succeed in the casino world.”

The table continued the discussion.
She had found the panel to be informative, and distressing. She knew going in
that being an executive at The Red Rose would be hard. Jimmy had seen to it
that she had worked herself up from the bottom and she’d had to prove her
merit. In the last year she had begun to wonder at what cost to her life? Even
the break-up of her marriage hadn’t stopped her devotion to the sixteen hour
days.