The Billionaire's Gamble (5 page)

 

“Why not?” he asked.

Taking a deep breath, she considered all the reasons she could give as to why she shouldn’t, couldn’t, go out to dinner with him. She could lie and tell him she already had plans, or that she was going out of town. Maybe she should just shrug and tell him it was not her policy to date bosses. All of those reasons were good ones except for the fact that she couldn’t lie. She’d never been a very good liar but with him, it would be impossible.

In the end, she told him one of the most basic truths. “I’m not in your league,” she said and looked down at the ground, wishing her statement weren’t accurate but she had a mirror and she knew that she wasn’t one of the stunning beauties he usually traveled with. Nor was she sophisticated enough to deal with his kind of relationship. She was a forever kind of woman and he obviously preferred those who wanted just a few nights of his time.

“Why don’t we talk about it tomorrow over dinner?” he said and got into his car. “Seven o’clock. Meet me in my office and we’ll go from there,” he said and pulled his car door shut before she could deny him again. Within moments, he drove off down the road.

Sabrina stared at the car, loving the way it purred softly, just the way she felt like doing after his kiss.

After several minutes of staring at his tail lights fading into the night, she realized how silly she must look. Turning back to her house, she walked back in to hear the laughter of her other guests. Her feet felt as if they were walking on a cloud and she was floating above everyone else. Sid had always made her feel that way and she’d have to be careful not to get in too deep. Sid liked women and had more charm than any one man had a right to own. The danger surrounding him was also a powerful aphrodisiac. The two combined made women flock to him like moths. She would have to be careful she wasn’t the moth that got zapped by the blue light.

The evening soon died down and Sabrina cleaned up the remains of the party, but her mind never really left the way Sid made her feel when he was kissing her. It had been a long time since she’d kissed anyone. Seven months, to be exact. Sabrina had moved out to Las Vegas after breaking up with her last boyfriend in Virginia. She’d been visiting her sister and had interviewed with Solara on a bet with Nina. Sabrina wasn’t the type who normally took a dare. She was very conservative usually, not dating any man until she knew him and even then, she’d never taken that last step toward intimacy, not finding anyone that made her feel like it would be worthwhile.

After the interview, none of the other men she had been seeing could hold a candle to Sid. She lost interest in anyone that wasn’t as dynamic and attractive as her boss.

Now, touching her mouth with her fingertips, she also added risky to that list. Sabrina hadn’t dated anyone since meeting Sid. She just wasn’t interested. But now, after having experienced his kisses, she knew that it would be a long, long time before any other man interested her.

Unfortunately, there was no way she was going to meet him for dinner tomorrow night. He already created too much havoc in her life. Getting to know the man would just be detrimental to any possible love life in the future.

Sabrina crawled into bed that night and, although her mind told her to stop thinking about him, her body wouldn’t agree. She dreamed about making love with him, feeling his hands touching her body in a way that no other man had ever done before. Chapter 3

It was six forty five the following evening and Sabrina was trapped. She had tried calling Sid several times today to tell him she couldn’t meet him for dinner but each time she’d dialed his number, he had been out. Not wanting to leave a message with his secretary, she was left with searching for him in the casino or in the resort somewhere. It didn’t help that a series of crises conspired against her to keep her from finding him in time.

Her phone rang at seven o’clock, just as she was about to pick up her purse and leave the building. She’d intended calling him from the road to tell him that she couldn’t make it. She pressed the button to take the call, sighing in frustration.

“Sabrina Charmichael,” she said.

 

“You’re late,” Sid’s deep, smooth voice said through the phone.

Sabrina almost dropped the phone. Sid had never called her personally. His secretary had always initiated every communication between herself and Sid. Hearing his voice startled her and sent her heart into overdrive.

Other than her heart beat which was racing, her whole body froze in both fear and excitement, her whole body freezing as she heard his deep, sexy voice vibrating across the air waves. “I know,” she whispered breathlessly.

“Are you on your way?”

There was a long pause before she replied. She had to look up at the ceiling, gathering strength to not give in to the temptation to see him again. “No, I really don’t think that would be a good idea.”

She could hear the smile in his voice as he replied, “Why don’t you come up to my office and tell me about it?” he said, his voice velvety smooth and reassuring.

Sabrina knew that meeting him would only weaken her determination to stay away from him. Her fascination with the man was becoming almost unbearable and any additional contact, besides professional, would only increase the feelings. “Because…” she couldn’t tell him that every time she was around him, she would be thinking of him kissing her. Before last night, she’d been able to maintain a façade of professionalism. Now, she didn’t think she was capable of even that, knowing what his lips felt like, what he tasted like, and the rock hard feel of his muscles along his tall length. again, just thinking about how wonderful that one kiss had been.

Sid’s voice was reassuring when he coaxed, “Just come up and talk. She shivered

We’ll have dinner, you’ll tell me about your concerns with that and we’ll eat. I’ve had the head chef prepare a meal that I think you’ll enjoy.”

She could feel herself wavering but tried to be strong. The problem was, she really wanted to be around him. She wanted to have dinner with him and see his strong features smile at her, wink at her and make her feel special. But that was a dangerous precedent to set. She also loved her job. And dating Sid, even casually, would put her employment in jeopardy. Not because he would fire her if she said no to anything; only because she knew that she’d never be able to work around him after he moved on to the next woman. “Sid, please, I can’t…”

“Yes you can,” he interrupted firmly. “Just come on up.” With those words, he hung up the phone.

Sabrina suspected that if she were to walk out of the building, he wouldn’t hold it against her. But is that what she really wanted to do? Sabrina looked around her. She was living her dream. She had almost full control of events for a lavish resort in a luxurious playground. The only thing that would make this better would be to add a man that made her blood sing the way Sid could. She’d lived her whole life taking things cautiously. The only really extravagant thing she’d ever done was dare to apply for her current job at her sister’s prodding. Since then, her life has been filled with interesting work and challenges she’d never before thought she’d be able to do.

Now there was Sid. Should she gamble once more? Did she really need to gamble, she thought? Or could she simply enjoy the company of one of the singularly most fascinating men she’d ever met?

What harm could there be in one meal? She already had trouble finding a man who could overshadow Sid before she’d gotten to know him a little. Why not find out more about him? Find out what made him tick? Maybe if she got to know him better, she would find out that he wasn’t the god she’d made him out to be. He had to have some sort of flaw that she wouldn’t like, right?

Sabrina looked around her and with a slight nod, she turned in the opposite direction toward the management offices.

Sid watched through the window of his office as Sabrina debated his invitation. It took her a long time and he considered calling her again. But he wanted her to make the decision on her own. Not that he would have accepted it if she’d left. He would have followed her and convinced her to change her mind.

“Good girl,” he said as she turned toward his office. He smiled in anticipation and logged off his computer, ensuring that the security code was active before he turned to wait for Sabrina.

“Good evening,” she said breathlessly as soon as she walked through the door to his office.

 

He looked at her from her shining head to her navy high heels he knew she wore to give her added height. “Good evening. You look nice,” he said and moved forward.

He put a hand to the small of her back and guided her back out the doorway. They passed Liz’s desk and Sabrina hoped his secretary didn’t know that Sid was taking her out to dinner. She didn’t want anyone to know about their encounters. If she kept their relationship a secret, no matter how long or short it lasted, it would be difficult when he moved on, but at least everyone else wouldn’t be gossiping about it either.

“Where are we going?” she asked when she noticed that he pressed the up button on a private elevator instead of the down button which would take them to the lobby.

 

“To my suite,” he said.

“Oh,” she whispered. That wasn’t what she had been anticipating. His suite meant something quite different. She’d been anticipating a restaurant. Some place where others would be around and she could breathe a little easier, knowing that nothing could happen. His suite was a totally different concept and she wasn’t sure she was ready for that.

She didn’t have much of a choice though as the elevators opened and they walked down a dimly lit hallway. While she was busy debating the issue, he was guiding her to his suite. Outside of the only door, he pressed some buttons and the door opened.

Sabrina walked anxiously into the room and gasped in pleasure. “Oh, how lovely,” she said, taking in the incredible view of the Las Vegas lights through a bank of windows on two sides of the extremely large living room. The penthouse was beautifully decorated in shades of white and brown, not overly masculine but still strong and comfortable.

“This way,” he said and led her out to the patio. They were too high to hear the noise but the air was crisp and cool and not too cold since unobtrusive heaters filtered through the air. Sabrina accepted the glass of wine he poured and moved over to the banister. “I don’t know how you work with this view up here. I’d be standing here all day.” She tried to hide her nervousness but suspected that he could see right through her bravado.

Sid glanced out at the view and acknowledged that it was striking. “It’s nice,” he replied.

 

Sabrina laughed and looked back at him. “Not very dramatic if you have to look at it every day, I suppose?” she questioned.

 

“I suppose. Are you hungry?” he asked. “I’m starving,” she agreed, relieved to have something to do other than be nervous. “What did your chef make for us?” she asked.

 

“I’m not sure,” he said and walked over to the table and lifted the plate covers, sniffing the air. “Smells good,” he said and raised an eyebrow. “Are you ready to eat?’

 

“Sure,” she said and sat down at the table, grateful to be able to put some space between the two of them.

 

“What made you move away from the East Coast?” he asked as soon as they started eating.

“Oh, this is delicious,” she said, instead of answering his question. She savored the spicy flavor for a moment, before she shrugged one shoulder slightly in response. “I hadn’t planned to move out here. I was perfectly content to stay where I was.”

He raised one eyebrow at her response. “Why did you apply for the job then?”

“Because my sister bet me that I wouldn’t have the guts,” she laughed. “She wanted me to take the job and knew how to push my buttons. I didn’t think I had a chance in the world of landing the job so I didn’t have anything to lose except for a few hours,” she replied and smiled up at him. “This is amazing,” she said, referring to the baked salmon with a spicy cream sauce. “How does your chef make it so tender?”

“I have no idea. I’ve never done more than make a sandwich,” he said. “What does your sister do?” he asked.

 

Sabrina’s eyes twinkled with merriment as she replied, “She works for you.”

 

Sid hid his surprise but liked the fact that she felt comfortable enough around him now to tease him. “She does?”

 

“Yes, she’s one of your dancers.”

 

“What’s her name?”

 

“Nina. She’s been working here for several years but is also going to law school.”

 

“I’m surprised she has time in the evenings. The dancers rehearse a lot of the time.”

 

“She goes to day classes. Things are a little reversed in our family.”

 

“What do you mean?”

Sabrina raised one shoulder delicately. “My sister works nights and goes to school during the days. She’s also eighteen months younger than me but acts like she’s older. My sister is very protective of me for some reason,” she said, sampling the creamy potatoes.

“And she doesn’t want you to have anything to do with me,” he said, guessing accurately.

 

Sabrina noted the smile in his eyes and was relieved. “You’re right,” she said.

 

“So why are you here?”

 

“Because you don’t take no for an answer,” she said, chuckling softly.

 

“When it’s the right answer, I do,” he replied.

 

“What would be the right time to say no to you?”

Sid arrogantly shrugged his shoulder. “I haven’t run across a good time so far but I’m willing to bet that it will arrive at some point in my life.” He smiled as she rolled her eyes.

“How does someone become so confident? What happened in your life that has made you so incredibly….” She wanted to say arrogant but that wasn’t really the word she wanted to use although it definitely described him. “Assertive?”

He lifted his glass and took a sip of wine before answering her. “You’re assertive when it’s needed,” he said, not answering her question.

 

“I wasn’t very assertive tonight,” she joked.

 

“It wasn’t needed,” he responded in a matter of fact tone.

 

Her eyes showed her laughter. “Depends on your point of view,” she said.