Chances (Mystic Nights #1) (3 page)

The third theatre would be for singers, bands, and other performers they could lure to Connecticut for a few weeks to a couple of months. They wanted to keep their customers here at the Casino and keep them happy. This third theatre would be twice the size of the other theaters and extend up three floors of the building. The size of the auditorium would seat eight hundred guests.

The third floor also boasted a gourmet five star restaurant called
The Frontier
. The best steaks and local seafood were served there in an upscale culturally thematic setting. There were nine small eateries on the first floor as well as two small bars.
The Mystic Buffet
on the second floor was very popular with the gamblers and open twenty four hours a day. One other restaurant, La Regina, was located on the roof of the western tower. The views were amazing, and the food on the top floor was exquisite, serving fine Italian and French cuisine.

His mother always handled the restaurants, the spa, gym, and merchandising, while he did the tour of the gambling halls, and card rooms, along with the day to day operations. His sister, Eve, the eldest by one minute of his twin sisters, handled the entertainment venue which included the bars, the theaters, and the excursions. It had been her idea to add the third theatre to provide more entertainment choices for the travelers to the hotel and the locals. She was also very excited by her other project currently under construction. The eastern tower would soon have a new night club,
Spirits in the Sky
. It would draw large revenues from the locals by providing a massive dance floor and entice new up and coming performers to play to a large audience. She already had two DJs booked to play when they didn’t have live entertainment.

As he finished crossing the casino floor, Jonathan was proud of all they had accomplished in the last four years. The casino was doing great. Their debts to the builders were nearly paid and his people, the Eastern Pequot, would soon begin to reap the benefits from the government sanctioned casino that took his mother and others nearly twenty years of legal battles to get off the ground. The first and toughest difficulty had been getting sanctioned and recognized by the state as a tribe. And she had spent nearly ten years doing that. For his mother, Tawny Sassacus, her children and her people always came first.

Jonathan took the escalator back up to the second floor and crossed the large open slot room, making his way over to the entrance to the theaters. He finished with his duties, and glanced at Theatre A thinking about Aliya. Last night, and again this morning. That woman was . . . Special. And not just because she had been willing, finally, and allowed him to take her to his bed. All month long, he had been thinking about that particular conquest. Something he rarely did. And now that he’d had her, normally she would have been out of his mind by now. But, shockingly it wasn’t the case. Perhaps, it was because she hadn’t asked for more or expected more than what he was willing to give. She hadn’t asked or hinted to him wondering if he would call, like the others before her.

There was something about her—a certain air of mystery. He couldn’t figure her out and it bothered him. He found her intriguing. She was his own age, not a flighty chatter box like the girls he usually ended up with. Fuck, he just didn’t know. He couldn’t put his finger on it exactly, but for the second time in less than twenty four hours, he was about to do something he’d never done. He was going to see if she wanted to hang out again.

Instead of going up to the third floor where the banquet halls and ballrooms were located and the fourth floor where his own executive office was, he passed the box office people and ducked into the darkened hall.

Proceeding down the corridor, an hour before the early seven o’clock show, he found himself on the mezzanine level. The dancers were practicing some of their routines for tonight’s show though none were in their costumes yet. He recognized many from last night’s party. Those who were off today would be at tonight’s party.

Taking a seat, he looked down onto the main theatre where rows of seating climbed imperceptibly to give the best views and vantage points. This theatre, like Theatre B, sat 580. The new one would seat over 800.

Aliya was directing the show, and he watched her work. He was fascinated. Entranced. She wore grey cut off sweat pants, a faded blue Yankee t-shirt, tied at the waist, and her hair tucked up into a sexy knot on her head. He’d never thought of this grunge look as appealing before. But on her it worked. She was sexy as hell, and didn’t know it. He’d thought a lot about her all day.

When she clapped her hands twice, the dancers stopped and gave her their full attention. “Looks good,” she called. “Go hydrate and you can start with make-up and costumes.” Without hesitation the dancers filed out obeying her orders. When they had cleared the stage a few members of the crew came out to start prepping it for the evening’s show.

He cleared his throat and called her as she swung her duffel over her shoulder. She was getting ready to leave. “Aliya wait.”

He saw her bring her hand to her forehead in a salute over her eyes to peer into the darkness. Once he was in view, she gave him a soft smile and dropped her hand. Her duffel bag slid from her shoulder.

“Hey Mr. Sassacus,” was her casual answer as she stood on tiptoes and then back down onto her heels to flex her calves. She repeated the motion until he stood before her. “What’s up? Was there something you wanted?” she asked, peering quickly over her shoulder at the stage crew who continued to work quietly behind them. The question wasn’t a loaded one, but a carefully worded one, although she could tell from the mischief in his eyes he was thinking of all the possible ways he could answer. A slow smile began to slide across his features.

“Nothing. Just checking in on you. Last night was great. Very memorable.” He cleared his throat, but stated the words softly so as not to embarrass her if she wanted to keep this between just the two of them. His intentions were good in that moment. Normally he wouldn’t care.

Aliya blushed and looked down. “Yes, it was. This morning too.” He watched her shift from one foot to the other. Before he could speak, she was talking again. “And don’t worry about me if that is why you are here. I’m good. I know what last night was. And really, I’m good with that. I’m not looking for more.” She picked up her bag and began to leave.

“Woah! Where are you headed so fast? I . . .” Jonathan reached out and lightly stroked her arm.

“I’ve got a show . . .” She tried to pull away from him, but couldn’t help looking at the spot on her arm he clutched. It was on fire.

He felt it too. “I know but I thought maybe Friday, we could . . .,” his words were spoken huskily. It did something to her. Made her feel things she hadn’t felt in a very long time.

She laughed trying to appear unaffected by this man’s slightest of touches. “Really Jonathan. It’s not necessary. I had a great time. Fantastic. But I’m really not looking for a relationship right now.” She wasn’t. And from what she had heard, he wasn’t one to want to pursue a woman either. So his being here, and suggesting a repeat performance had her a bit baffled. No, she subconsciously shook her head to clear it. Getting involved with this man would be a mistake. A huge one. Especially not with another super alpha man like Jonathan Sassacus. She’d been there once, and did not want to go down that road again. Plus, this one was her employer. It was just all wrong on so many levels. She knew his reputation enough to know a longer relationship would only end up disastrous, even though she’d only been working there just over a month. Rumors ran rampant in a business like this, and also in a small tightly knit community like Lantern Hill. A few years older than she, she vaguely remembered his high school reputation as well.

Jonathan was floored, nearly speechless. He hadn’t thought she’d brush him off so quickly, but he recovered. If that’s how she wanted it, it was fine by him. For now. “Sure Aliya. Okay. But I did enjoy last night, and this morning,” he repeated her words with a smile. “But, if you ever want some company on your night off, you know where to find me.” He winked, placed a soft, friendly kiss to her cheek, turned and left. He wasn’t going to beg. That was for sure. He headed swiftly back up the aisle, and just before he reached the turn to the short hall leading to the doors, he turned and looked back once.

His stunning smile was in place.

That smile had her heart pattering and her body remembering. Warmth spread down to her core. Her stomach did flip flops. No, she could not pursue anything with this man despite what her body craved. He affected her just too damn much. Sighing, she picked up her duffle bag, and turning on her heel left to head backstage and get ready for the evening’s performance.

‡

“L
isten, this is
just inexcusable. We are three weeks away from our audit, and the reports we have been seeing are not what we’ve expected.” Tawny’s tone was firm and spoken with authority. She gazed across the table giving each board member and department head a cautious look.

Jonathan chimed in. “Three months ago everything was on track. The numbers looked good. But now, the profits we expected to see aren’t there, and we need to know why. We meet with the tribal council in a few days and this is going to be shocking and disappointing.” He knew they would not be happy. How could things go so wrong, so quickly?

“That’s for sure,” Simon muttered under his breath, beginning to stack his papers as the meeting was nearly over. Once his papers were orderly, he plucked out a handkerchief from his pocket and mopped his profusely sweating brow. The man did not look well at all.

“If you have something for the good of the group, Simon, please share, by all means,” Jonathan snapped turning to their lead accountant. He knew the man had been unwell, had gone through radiation six months ago, but he had come back and all had been in order prior to his return.

“I was just agreeing with you, Jonathan,” Simon smiled towards his boss. The smile revealed his confusion, but was meant to appease the younger man.

“Well, Simon, this is a mess and I expect you to figure it out. This is a numbers thing which is your department after all.” Jonathan stood abruptly, his voice rising as he spoke. Simon was good at his job, but to wait until now to let them know the numbers weren’t jiving was inexcusable. The last reports he received three months ago did not show this kind of loss. It was all so sudden.

Simon’s eyes narrowed before speaking. It seemed apparent that he too was disturbed by the turn of events. “Yes, that is my department. When expenses outweigh what you take in, this is what you should expect.” He spoke like he was teaching the younger man a basic accounting class.

Jonathan blew. “Simon, I know that. I oversaw our expenditures based on output. We didn’t spend beyond our means based on profits from your projections. It’s your numbers that need looking at. If you can’t handle it or figure it out, then I’ll get you some help, or I’ll look at the books myself.”

Simon’s feathers were ruffled now. He wiped his brow one more time before answering. “That’s not necessary. . .” he started before being interrupted once more.

“Don’t tell me what is or isn’t necessary. Those are my decisions to make. Just get it done rIght, or I’ll take over,” Jonathan threatened.

“You can’t . . .” Simon began to inch back his chair. The air in the room felt stifling. He needed to get out. He hated taking orders from this man. And criticism! Who was he to think . . .

Feeling the intensity of the exchange was getting out of hand, Tawny intervened. Things were getting too heated. Her son was right though. Simon had to have made some kind of error, or several departments had, and perhaps he missed it. The man had been seriously ill after all. Perhaps he had come back to soon. But, beforehand he’d been sharp as a tack. She wanted him back at the casino. She had always trusted him before. She just needed to make it clear that it was his job to figure this out. “Jonathan. Simon, please.” Then facing Simon, she spoke more calmly. “Four years we have been using the same formula. Everything has gone smoothly. Debts have been paid back. The tribe receives a small share, and the rest goes into expansion. Our expansion projects were budgeted. The council approved. Our numbers of guests, and income has been steady. Something is wrong, Simon. That is what Jonathan is trying to say. We just want you to go over the books and figure out where the money is.”

“But, he is making it sound like an accusa. . .” Simon looked to Tawny trying to gauge her reaction.

“No one is accusing . . .” Tawny tried to soothe the man’s fragile ego.

Jonathan with a calmer demeanor spoke again. “Simon, I’m not accusing you. The money is here. Somewhere. But, the time to find out where is running out. I just want you to do your job. Look at the numbers again.”

“I keep good books.” Simon sounded slightly calmer. He gazed around the table at the other board members who still remained silent. He saw no condescension in their eyes. He had worked with all of them for a long time. They trusted him. But this Jonathan, he was too big for his britches. He turned to the co-chair and nodded in his direction. He’d look at the numbers again if that was what it took to appease him.