High Stakes Seduction - Book 2 (7 page)

I pulled the robe tighter over my nightgown, trying not to let my disappointment show. “Where should I meet you?” I asked, concerned that I’d be left alone on a strange island.

“Keep your phone with you,” he said. “I’ll find you. And don't forget your camera. There's a lot to see.” Then, with a quick nod, he walked through the door, leaving me alone with my thoughts and my disappointment.

I know I shouldn’t have expected him to play tour guide, but was it too much to expect his company on our first excursion off the ship? The cruise brochure caught my eye. I grabbed it and started flipping through the itinerary, pausing at today’s first stop: St. Croix. I looked over the description and read about the island’s history and customs. Then I glanced over at the dresser.

What should I wear to best appreciate the island’s ‘old world charm'?
I wondered, mentally assessing my wardrobe.

After an invigorating shower, I decided on a short summer dress, with my bathing suit underneath in case I wanted to take advantage of the beaches. Grabbing my purse and camera, I headed out the door, in search of an early breakfast before disembarking.

Chapter Seventeen

Antonio was so right! The description in the brochure didn't even come close to doing justice to the beautiful little island.

I was glad there actually was a tour guide available for the uninitiated like myself. My camera clicked constantly as the guide provided verbal background about the sights. The people were so friendly and their smiles were as vibrant as the colors in the clothes they wore.

After a while, I noticed the tour guide trying to surreptitiously shoo the children away from our group. They had gathered around me, and I naturally kept stopping to take pictures of each and every one of their beatific little faces.

Slowly I drifted behind the group, taking a detour down a side street of shops. I was eager to capture the sights and sounds of the little island. I looked for shots Maria would appreciate, and applied some of the new techniques I'd learned from Tom Markus.

Hours had passed by the time I caught back up with the group. I looked at my phone, realizing I still hadn’t heard from Antonio. Soon enough, the guide was herding us back on the bus and it was time to return to the ship.

Still no word from Antonio. And no sight of him in our room.

I sighed, making my way to the media room, where I uploaded my photos to cloud storage and then selected a broad sampling to send to Maria.

***

Antonio still hadn't shown up by dinner time, so I decided to simply obey the demands of my empty stomach. Leaving behind a note, I made my way to the restaurant and ordered a salad.

“Well, hello again,” came a familiar voice and I looked up to find Charles and Samantha smiling down at me. “We didn’t realize you were here alone. Can we join you?”

For a moment, I wanted to tell them no, but I changed my mind and nodded with a smile.

“No sense in sitting alone by yourself,” the woman said as they made themselves comfortable. The waiter came by and took their order.

I decided to get myself a drink. A real drink.

As I took my first sip of the delicious nectar, I remembered my earlier decision. Antonio hadn't asked me to wait around for him—in fact he'd told me to enjoy myself. So, that was what I was going to do—enjoy myself on this trip. I tipped my glass to Charles and Samantha and for the next hour, I felt the tension wash away as we chatted about our home towns and our hobbies. Who’d have thought I’d have so much in common with a middle-aged couple from the Pacific Northwest?

“Make sure you take in at least one of the shows, Angela,” Charles said, scooping ice cream into his mouth.

“And if you like dancing, you should visit the lounge after nine,” Samantha added. “It’s not really our scene, but some of our other friends seem to enjoy it.”

“How do you spend your evenings then?” I asked curiously.

They turned to each other, exchanging a coy glance.

I blushed, laughing. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.”

Charles chuckled. “No, that’s okay. We have a variety of entertainments, but sometimes we like to keep ourselves occupied in the casino.” He glanced down at the watch on his wrist. “We’re heading over there shortly. Would you like to come with us?”

“The casino?” Reality came flooding back on a quiet wave that stilled my laughter. If it weren’t for the casinos and Dad’s gambling habit, I wouldn’t be
here
in the first place.

But, I’d never been to a real casino. Never gambled. Hell, I’d never even bought a lottery ticket. That was a whole other world that I had never stepped foot into. I know some people considered gambling an addiction, and that certainly seemed the case for Dad. But I really had no experience with it, so I couldn’t quite understand how the obsession worked.

Maybe this was a chance to see for myself. To understand that last little piece of the legacy my father left for Maria and me. I took another sip of my drink, letting the warmth of the alcohol work through me. Liquid courage.

“Sure, I’d love to go.”

Chapter Eighteen

The little red strapless dress hugged my breasts, falling over my hips and coming to a stop mid-thigh. I examined myself in the full length mirror as I slipped on the black patent leather sandals and gave a satisfied nod.

I looked pretty great.

“This is what you’re missing, Antonio.”

I made my way to Samantha and Charles’ cabin, one floor up. They were waiting at the door for me, both wearing casual evening wear and their usual radiant smiles.

“Hi Angela!” Samantha said, giving my arm a squeeze.

“We’re going to have a great time tonight,” Charles said.

We chatted and laughed our way to the casino, where they pointed out all the important things like the bar and restroom. Then, they plunked themselves down in front of the slot machines and began feeding dollar bills into the slot. I watched for a while, but it soon became clear their attention was taken with the machines and they'd practically forgotten about me.

“I’m going to grab a drink,” I said, heading for the bar. I made my way over and placed my order, leaning against the bar as I waited.

“Here you go, Miss,” said the cute bartender, handing me my drink. “You don’t look like you’re having such a good time.”

“Oh, I guess I’m just feeling a little out of my element tonight.” Well, that much was certainly true.

“Pretty lady like you shouldn’t be alone,” he said with a wink.

He was flirting with me! My eyes wandered over the sleek lines of his body, hidden beneath his uniform and back up to his sparkling green eyes. It was nice to be appreciated. I gave him a coy smile and turned away. “I—“

Antonio
.

There he was, sitting at a table in the back of the room, sipping at his drink. He was wearing a suit again—he must have gone back to the room to change while I was out. Several men sat at the table with him, each dressed in a similar fashion, with a dealer sitting solemn-faced between them in a red and gold vest.

Antonio wore a serious, focused expression on his face. This was different from the all-business look I knew best. Is this what they called a "poker face?"

Something about seeing him sitting there, oblivious to the world, made me wonder even more about this obsession with gambling thing. I remembered how distant Dad had become. How we wouldn't see him for days on end. As though he had forgotten we even existed.

Antonio was exhibiting the same patterns—he had left me alone all day and then stood me up for dinner. Suddenly, I was reminded of how he’d abandoned me that weekend when I found him with Naomi.

Something inside me snapped. Just what
exactly
was I to him? Why did he even bother to bring me along on these trips if he was doing his best to ignore me? Certainly I could have taken care of the Carlo and Poula trip back at the store.
What was this game he was playing with me?

I flushed with anger as I watched him. “Oh, I’m not alone,” I said to the bartender. I finished my drink and pushed myself away from the bar.

Antonio looked up almost immediately, as if he’d sensed my presence. Maybe my anger preceded me. Could he feel the waves of my frustration as I strode purposefully toward him?

Those dark, intense eyes met mine and I saw something pass across his face, then a small frown pulled down his lips.

It was almost enough to stop me in my tracks.
Not this time
. I was not going to let him get to me like this. I was not going to—

“Angela!” he said, rising from the table to greet me. Before I could even open my mouth to speak, he had an arm around my waist, pulling me close and kissing my cheek as he signaled to a waitress to get me another drink. “Have you been enjoying yourself?”

“Antonio, I—“

“Still ‘The Man,’ eh Tony,” said one of the men at the table with a laugh. “Always got a beautiful lady on your arm.”

I frowned at him. That wasn’t the first time I’d heard Antonio referred to as “Tony”. It was how Naomi had greeted him, taking extra care to stare pointedly at me whenever she said it in my presence.

“The Man?” I asked, glancing up at Antonio. “Is that some kind of nickname?”

Antonio’s shrug was accompanied by a sheepish grin, an expression I couldn’t recall ever seeing him wear. "It started in my college days. It was apparently someone's idea of a joke—short for Mancini."

The dark haired man who’d spoken put a finger to his brow in a kind of salute, giving me a welcoming smile, though he did not rise to greet me. “Tony was quite the ladies’ man in college,” he said. “With his good looks—not to mention his dad's money and connections—he was simply irresistible to the ladies. Like what the kids today would call a 'player'. No one ever thought he’d settle down.” He gave me a wink. “Are you the lucky lady who managed to tame him?”

I opened my mouth to speak, but wasn’t quite sure what to say. I’d come here to—to what? Yell at Antonio in front of all these people? Reprimand him for abandoning me to enjoy myself alone on a cruise he’d paid for?

I suddenly felt very silly, as the warmth rushed up my cheeks. I turned my gaze to the other three men at the table. One gave me the proverbial once over, one nodded a friendly greeting, and the fourth ignored me totally, his eyes focused on the cards before him.

“Did you get some good photographs today? It's beautiful here.” I heard Antonio say. His voice was soft in my ear and I felt his hand at the small of my back, sending waves of electricity down my spine as he gently nudged me forward. “Stay with me for a while,” he said in that velvety voice of his and then smoothly slid back into his seat, his arm coming to rest around my hip as he carefully reviewed his cards with his free hand.

Whatever I'd planned to say was forgotten as I watched the top of his head, bent slightly to consider his cards. What was it about this man? He was so infuriating, but no matter how angry I was, just one touch from him and I was melted butter. I caught the eye of the man across the table and blushed when he gave me another knowing wink, as if he and I now shared some juicy secret about our mutual friend, Tony 'The Man' Mancini.

Antonio turned his focus back to the game. But he kept me close, letting his thumb slip up under the hem of my dress to caress my thigh as I stood next to him.

Any anger and frustration I’d been feeling just moments before began to dissolve into a steadily growing desire. I still wasn't sure of the game Antonio was playing with me, but for the moment I was too turned on to make whatever angry scene I had thought I was going to make. The waitress brought my drink and I took careful sips. I was already pleasantly buzzed from the evening, but now, with Antonio’s fingers drawing electric fire across my skin, I was more concerned about my slowly unraveling inhibitions as I leaned against him, one hand resting on his shoulder.

Almost of its own accord, my hand drifted to Antonio’s neck, my fingers absently playing in his thick, silken hair as I watched the game unfold before me. Like I said, I'm no gambler, but I did recognize the game they were playing as poker. I gave up on trying to understand the rules and just watched the players, amazed by the amount of colorful chips they were throwing into the middle of the table. From what I could tell, the pile added up to more than my salary! And in a few minutes, the man who’d ignored my arrival was carefully sweeping it all toward himself.

“Gentlemen,” Antonio said, getting up with a nod to his companions. “If you’ll excuse me a moment.”

I gave them a smile over my shoulder as Antonio led me away. Maybe I wasn’t the one who had gotten Tony 'The Man' to settle down, but I was the one with him now. Whatever this was, I couldn’t deny the heat I felt building between us.

“You look stunning, as usual,” Antonio said huskily, leaning in close to my ear. I felt his breath, warm on my skin, and tried to suppress the shiver that ran through me.

“Is this where you’ve been all day?” I asked, somewhat breathlessly.

“More or less.”