Chapter 1

(Aaron)

Laughter, cheap perfume, and the stink of cigar smoke permeated the atmosphere of the large open room of the illegal gambling hall I found myself in this evening. There is a blonde bombshell clinging to my arm as I make my way from the blackjack tables to the poker tables.

Her sweet-smelling perfume is not to my taste, but her body and willingness make that irrelevant. She is doing exactly what I hired her for: looking sexy and keeping her mouth shut. Later tonight, after I win big, I will take her back to her place and split our earnings, then fuck her until she is screaming for me.

Since this is a high-stakes gambling establishment and I am very good at playing cards, I have no doubt that her winnings will be more than she makes in a month.

The slums of London are a great place for what I have in mind. Distractions. Physical pain, carnal pleasure, and gambling away some of my fortune.

After what happened at Quinn’s wedding, I just needed to get away from my life for a while. I tried to stay in California, but the icy reception I got from Rylan every time I crossed her path was driving me insane. So, I left my phone at home, grabbed all the cash I kept in my safe, hopped on my motorcycle, and just drove out of town.

I ended up at LAX a few days later. After parking my bike in long-term parking, I booked a flight to London. It was a random choice, and since I haven’t been to London in a few years, I figured why not take a vacation? Something I haven’t done on my own in years.

A part of me feels guilty for not talking to Quinn before I took off, but I know he will understand. He did something similar after that shitstorm with Dionne happened. He just disappeared and came back when he was ready. He went to Tokyo, while I decided on London.

We are so much alike that some people think we act like twins with the way we silently communicate sometimes. Growing up together does that, I guess. We have been like that for as long as I can remember.

When I first met him, he was slightly intimidating, but something about him just clicked with me. He is now and will always be my person. The one human in this world, other than my parents, that I can count on for just about anything.

I left my cellphone at home but bought a burner phone when I got to London. If I am not too hungover in the morning, I will give him a call to let him know that I am alive and well. I have no idea when I will be ready to go back home and face my life.

For now, all I know is that I am just not ready to deal with what I know I must.

Therapy and getting my life back. Well, more like learning how to deal with my demons so that I can have a life. That is what I need and want to do. Just not right now.

I am still reeling from what went down between me and Rylan in France. She demanded that I fuck her right there in the gazebo, and we could figure out the rest of what was between us later. Yes, the sexual tension between us was almost like a live wire. Crackling with sexual energy every single time we were near each other.

Had I been more of a douchebag than I already am, I would have taken her up on that offer. Instead, I stepped away from her and watched her walk away. It would have been a mistake to sleep with her like that. However, it was a bigger mistake that I didn’t take her up on the offer.

She shut me out completely when we got back home to California.

Fucking her would be a mistake, and she knows it. She wants more than I can give her. Hell, she deserves more from me than I can give anyone right now.

So, I endured her icy demeanor anytime I ran into her at Mercy General. I endured her outright hostility when we were forced to attend the same social gatherings. I endured it until I just couldn’t anymore. The anger and fire in her eyes are something I can handle any day. The ice just about killed me.

"A seat just opened up," my escort, Deliah, whispers in my ear.

We have been standing on the outskirts of the poker tables for about thirty minutes now. My mind wandered to Rylan, and I was happy that my companion spoke up and tore me from my thoughts.

I can’t be distracted while I gamble.

"Go grab a drink, then come back in a few minutes. Make them all look at you with desire."

"They do that already. Men here have been fucking me in their minds all night."

I give her a smile because I know she is right. Deliah is gorgeous, and she uses it to her full advantage. I like that quality in a woman who knows her worth. Her body is toned, with curves in all the right places. Her breasts are pushed up high because of the dress she is wearing.

I have sampled everything she has to offer over the last few nights. We enjoyed each other so much that she told me to give her a call any time I was in London. I have every intention of taking her up on that offer in the future.

"Make them want what they can’t have and envy me because I have you."

She gives me a throaty laugh that makes lust strike straight to my loins. Deliah is an amazing temptress, and she knows it. She is perfect for the job I hired her to do. She presses her body tightly against mine and leans into my ear.

"Already done." She whispers, then kisses my cheek before she saunters off to make the men in the room drool.

I nod my head, then quickly take the open seat at the table. After buying my chips, I signal for a waitress to come over. Once my drink order is delivered, I wait for all the other players to be ready. I size them all up, like I know they are all doing the same thing.

Sizing up the competition.

There are four men, including me, and two women at the table. The women are as different as night and day in appearance. One is pale with blonde hair. She is dressed to impress in a tight, shimmering red dress. She has rings on every finger and long fingernails that will leave a mark on a man’s back. There is a smirk on her ruby-red lips as her eyes meet mine.

The other woman has dark caramel skin and rich chocolate-brown hair. She is dressed more conservatively in a charcoal business suit. A power move right there. It says that she may be a woman, but she is in charge of herself. I like that kind of dominance in a woman. Her eyes are shrewd as she assesses everyone at the table.

I like that too. It shows that she knows what she is doing and will keep an eye out for cheaters. That is what I will be doing too. These kinds of establishments are not known for their honesty, and no one will come out to make sure a cheater is caught.

The three men range in age and ethnicity. They all have one thing in common, though, and that is their ability to blend in with the rest of the crowd. Nothing about them stands out in any way like the women do. It's like they want to hide.

I am ok with that since that is exactly what I want too. I am wearing a plain black suit that is not flashy in any way; I have no jewelry, and I brought just enough cash to buy into the game. Nothing about me stands out to grab attention. This is not the kind of place rich CEOs like me should be.

It is exactly the kind of place that suits my mood these days. Dark, dirty, and full of trouble. Trouble that can lead to beatings or death, depending on who you cross, At this point, I am ok with either outcome if it comes my way.

Not that I am actively seeking it out or anything, but I won’t turn away if trouble comes my way.

Oh, oh, hello!

Speaking of trouble, I think she just walked into the room. My focus shifts instantly to the raven-haired beauty in red as she walks up behind the man sitting across from me. Her dress looks like it was painted on her. I frown slightly as she slides her hand onto his shoulder.

There is a gigantic diamond sitting on her ring finger. Holy shit, is she his wife? Fuck.

When he smiles and reaches up for her hand, I am confused. He looks like a schoolteacher, and she looks like a supermodel. They say love is blind, but damn. He better be a devil in the bedroom to keep her fine ass happy.

As if sensing my thoughts, she looks right at me and smirks, then gives me a once-over before her eyes land on my companion. Deliah is dressed in the gown I bought her last night. It is worth more money than she will make in a year. I made sure she was dressed just like the eye candy I needed her to be.

The woman smiles at me seductively and then walks away. When she comes back to the table, she has two drinks in her hand. She hands the man one, then takes a sip from hers. I can feel her eyes on me as the dealer starts the game.

Images of another raven-haired beauty pop into my head as I feel my cock throb in my pants. Nope, get out of my head, Rylan. You don’t belong there right now, I tell myself as I down my drink in one go. I push all thoughts of her far from my mind, then place my bet.

Deliah comes up behind me, much like the woman across from me. She slides her hand up my back and then rests it on my shoulder. I nod as she puts another drink down on the table next to my empty glass. Her timing with the fresh drink is appreciated.

I take a sip of my drink, look at my cards, and then wait for the fun to begin.

The game progresses slowly, with each player either upping the ante or folding as time passes. I can feel that woman’s eyes on me as the tension at the table rises. There is light banter back and forth between the men at the table, while the women both remain silent.

"Charlotte, will you go get me another drink, my love?" The man across from him asks his wife after he finishes the last of his.

She pouts for a moment, then walks away. It takes all my concentration not to watch her ass as she does. When she returns, she hands him his drink and then resumes watching the game from behind him. I can feel her eyes on me, and my cock twitches in my pants.

She is dangerous to my already thinly stretched sanity. Maybe it is her heated stare, or maybe it is how much she resembles the one woman that I won’t let myself have. Whatever it is, I want her. She is married, and this is bad.

Soon the game is down to two players. Me and the man sitting across from me with the hot wife. His face is blank as he looks between his hand and his last remaining poker chips. I watch as he slides them all to the center of the table. His eyes meet mine, then he smirks.

"Let’s make this more interesting, shall we?" He asks.

I look at my cards, then slide a stack of poker chips to the center of the table. It raised the pot by two grand, making the final win count at over a million dollars. I raise my eyebrow at him and ask, "What do you have in mind?"

"If you win, then you can have one night with my wife. If I win, then you will owe me a favor of my choosing to be redeemed at any time I want."

My gaze meets his wife’s, and I can tell she is surprised by his words. She doesn’t look angry, which is either a good thing for me or a very bad thing for him. I look back down at my cards, then meet his gaze.

One million dollars is a lot of money for most people. I am worth billions. I can afford to lose this game, but can he? Is that why he is offering up his very sexy wife as collateral? I take my time and really look at her.

My body is on board with this idea, but in my head, all I can see is Rylan’s face. I need to get her out of my mind. I want this woman, and I am willing to use her as a substitute for the one woman I truly want but refuse to fuck.

Not yet anyway. The time is just not right. I am just not there yet. I will work on all that shit when I get back to California.

"Nothing illegal, and we have a deal."

He hesitates for a moment, then looks up at his wife. I can still feel her gaze on me as she nods her head to whatever unspoken question he asked her. I can only assume it is to make sure she is okay with this plan of his. With the way she is looking at me, I have no doubt that she is more than willing to go along with it.

"Deal," he says as he looks back at me. He laid his cards on the table with a smirk.

I let out a sigh as I felt Deliah press a hand to my back. After looking down at my card and then at the center of the table, where all the poker chips are, I look at him one more time before I lay my winning hand on the table.

His reaction doesn’t really surprise me at all. He looks angry and then defeated as he stands up from his chair. With one last look at his wife, he turns from the table and walks away, leaving her to stare at him as he does.

"That was not how he was expecting that to go," Charlotte says softly.

I stand up and walk around the table until I am beside her. "If you want to back out of the deal, I won’t hold it against you."

She looks at me with a sultry smirk on her lips. "Not a chance. A deal is a deal."

Authors Note

My update schedule is once a week on Fridays. Join my Facebook group NorthRoseNovel to be kept up to date on delays and why.