“You Are A Beautiful Woman.”

Max’s words hurt in a way he couldn’t understand—and she dared not explain. At one time, she’d have tossed her hair and given him a smile that would have brought him to his knees. But now…

“Not anymore.” She couldn’t believe those words had escaped. “How long will you be in Vegas?”

“Long enough to convince you that you are beautiful.” He took her hand in his, his thumb stroking over her knuckle.

“That’s not why you came,” she said, telling herself he was here for the Vegas allure. The mindless flirting, the hours of gambling.

“My plans have changed.”

Their Million-Dollar Night
Katherine Garbera

www.millsandboon.co.uk

KATHERINE GARBERA

is the award-winning, bestselling author of more than twenty books for Silhouette and has been nominated for Romantic Times BOOKclub’s career achievement awards in Series Fantasy and Series Adventure. Katherine recently moved to the Dallas area, where she lives with her husband and their two children. Visit Katherine on the Web at www.katherinegarbera.com.

This book is dedicated to two of my cousins—Annette Queck, who is like my mom’s twin! And Michelle Griffin, who is like my sister. Thanks for making my summer trips to New Jersey so memorable. First as a teenager when we spent tons of money on the midway rides in Point Pleasant. Then as an adult when we went gambling in Atlantic City and certain ones of us had to lie about our ages. Finally as a parent when we sat on the beach huddled in sweatshirts (us Floridians aren’t used to a cold breeze at the beach!) watching our kids play together in the surf.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

One

Roxy O’Malley stared critically at the body in the mirror. For the first time in her life she was embarrassed by how she looked. She skimmed her gaze and her hands down the tight Spandex running bra that ended just below her 36DD breasts. That part wasn’t bad.

Always when she got this far, she wanted to stop. She wanted to pretend that the last three months had never happened. Pretend that when she glanced lower all she’d see was the smooth skin of her midriff and stomach. Pretend that her life and what she knew about herself were still true.

She closed her eyes for a brief second, her hand going to her stomach. The ridges of the scars weren’t rough against her fingers, but she thought they should be. The texture was different—foreign—and Roxy O’Malley, who’d once been called the most gorgeous bod on the Vegas strip, glanced down at the three scars. Three of them. One would have been bad enough, but three?

“Hey, sexy lady! Admiring the view?”

Roxy glanced over her shoulder at her boss and friend Hayden MacKenzie. She forced a cheerful note into her voice. “Hi, Hay! What’s up?”

Hayden was a tall, good-looking man with dark hair and piercing blue eyes that always made Roxy feel like he could see straight to the heart of her vulnerabilities.

Quickly she dropped her hand and picked up the T-shirt she’d left draped on the back of the weight machine. She couldn’t look him in the eye until she covered up. She would have turned away from him for privacy, but her back was worse than her stomach. Alan Technety had made sure of that. Because she’d broken up with him, he’d decided to make sure no other man would want her.

He’d also ensured she’d never dance again by cutting her so deeply on her left leg that he’d damaged the muscles and tendons. She couldn’t even walk without a limp, which was worse than having the scars. Her body, which she’d always counted on, the one thing in her life that she’d always been able to control, was now out of her control.

Alan had done better than he could have expected. He’d made it so she didn’t even want herself anymore. And her face had never been her vanity—Alan had known that and had focused instead on the lean dancer’s body that she’d kept honed and in top form through careful diet and exercise.

“I need a favor, but only if you feel up to it,” Hayden said.

“Okay, what do you need?” She walked to the small refrigerator in the employees’ gym that held bottles of sports drink and water. It was only five o’clock in the morning. Normally Roxy was completely alone in the gym. She was surprised to see Hayden down here so early. The newlywed was besotted with his new bride and everyone in the casino knew Hayden and Shelby had a ritual breakfast every morning.

“Well, I want you to stop dealing,” he said.

She froze. For the last month, since she’d been off on medical leave, Hayden had assigned her to work at the blackjack tables. Dealing wasn’t really her thing, but she could do it—and she couldn’t go back to headlining the European-style revue in the main theatre of the Chimera Resort and Casino. Being a dealer was a bit of a struggle, because she was on her feet all day and thanks to her leg injury, standing was a pain. Literally. But there was nothing else for her to do at the casino and living off charity—even Hayden’s disguised charity—by taking an extended leave of absence was something she couldn’t tolerate.

“I can’t dance. You know I can’t have another surgery for six months…”

Hayden put a hand on her shoulder and turned her around to face him. “I’m not asking for that, Rox. I want you to be one of my VIP hostesses. Entertain the high rollers, keep them happy and in the hotel.”

She glanced up at him, feeling like a fool. She never reacted the right way. It was just like old Ms. Wiggins had said back at the group home. Blood always tells. And Roxy O’Malley’s blood, much as her name implied, didn’t include a pedigree worth mentioning.

She stepped away from Hayden, walking carefully so that the limp wouldn’t be obvious. He was always treating her like she was his kid sister, and there was a part of her that wanted to be his kid sister.

“When would I start?” she asked, grabbing a towel from the floor and draping it over her neck.

“Tonight.”

“Who will I be accompanying?”

“Max Williams. He’s a good friend of mine and I think you’ll enjoy his company.”

“That doesn’t really matter, Hay. I’m going to be working with him, right?”

Hayden shrugged.

“Please tell me you’re not setting me up with him.”

“I’m not. This is a legit job. But if you like him…”

“Hayden MacKenzie, matchmaker. There’s something very wrong with this picture,” she said. But deep inside, she was touched. “I think I’ll stick to the job.”

“Okay. I’ll have Kathy send you his information. I’ll need to see you in my office at three. We’ll meet Max in the lobby when he arrives.”

She nodded and Hayden started for the door. “Does he know about me?”

Hayden paused. “What do you mean?”

She wanted to chose her next words carefully but the only ones in her head were blunt and honest. “That I was a topless dancer who was attacked by a crazy man.”

She knew her words came from old criticisms that she’d thought she was past. But her new scarred body had left her vulnerable in a way she hadn’t realized she could be.

Hayden came back to her, put his hand on her shoulder again and didn’t speak until she looked up and met his clear steady gaze. “Roxy, you were the headliner in a highly regarded show. I don’t gossip about my employees.”

She saw something more than the truth in his eyes and it warmed her in a way that she couldn’t explain. But no man had ever really offered help to her and she didn’t trust it. “I know. But I also know Max is your friend.”

“Even to my friends.”

She nodded and he left. She slowly made her way out of the gym and into the employee locker room. She couldn’t shower here. Couldn’t take the chance that another woman would come in and see her scars. She always went back to her condo on the other side of town to clean up. When she’d been the star of the revue, she’d had a private dressing room with her own shower. But not anymore.

She thought about what Hayden was offering her. It was a good job. One that would require her to be charming, funny, entertaining—all the things she used to be, but wasn’t sure she was anymore.

Max Williams was tired and frustrated with the businessmen he was dealing with. Each time he negotiated with them and came close to sealing the deal, they came up with another item that had to be settled before they would sell to him. The latest hiccup appeared to be the fact that he was a bachelor and married to his job.

Duke, his right-hand man, had suggested that Max take a break, leave Vancouver and go to Vegas for a few days and let him handle this latest setback.

Max had agreed, even though Vegas didn’t hold the same charm for him that it always had. With two of his closest friends recently married, Vegas was no longer the bachelor playground that it used to be. At least not for him, the only single guy in a group of besotted fools.

Every time he turned around lately it seemed that marriage surrounded him. It was the reason Harron was stalling on closing the merger deal, and it was the reason his friends were no longer available for all-nighters.

His father, the five-times-married Harrison Williams, IV, had said marriage was the ultimate match in the man-versus-woman game. And only the player with the most cunning survived. Max wasn’t interested in negotiating as hard in his relationships as he did in his work, so he’d always steered clear of those types of entanglements.

The limo pulled to a stop in front of the elegant facade of the Chimera’s hotel. Max made no move to leave the vehicle. He scowled and cursed under his breath, then forced the social mask he always wore into place, that mix between interest and confidence that his mother said every successful person should always portray in their smile. He forced that look onto his face just as the chauffeur opened the door. Max stepped out and walked confidently past all the tourists, gamblers and celebrities milling there.

A rock guitarist stood in the middle of a group of fans, minor celebrities and photographers.

As soon as Max entered the air-conditioned comfort of the lobby, Hayden MacKenzie strode over to him. They shook hands and then hugged each other quickly. Max let his smile drop and a bit of his frustration show on his face.

“Glad you’re here. Shelby is, too. You’re invited for dinner tonight.”

“Thanks. I think I have an appointment in the high-stakes gaming room, so I’ll have to pass.”

“When are you going to have time for anything besides business and gambling?”

Max rubbed the back of his neck. “Not any time soon.”

Hayden put his hand on Max’s shoulder and Max let the bond of their long friendship ease some of his tension. “So where’s Jack?”

“I’ve got someone new for you this time. She’s really great and I think you’ll like her.”

“Does she have a nice personality? Am I supposed to bring a rose so she’ll recognize me?”

“She’s your hostess.”

“Then why does it sound like you’re setting me up?”

“I don’t know. Maybe I am. I like both of you, and you’re both…”

“Don’t go there. I’m here to gamble and that’s it.”

Hayden nodded. “I thought you’d feel that way. Let me introduce you to Roxy O’Malley.”

Hayden turned and gestured to a stunningly gorgeous blonde. She was the embodiment of everything that was feminine and seductive. She took one step toward them, carrying herself with grace. Her second step faltered, and he noticed she had a limp.

He also noticed the frustration that passed briefly over her face.

“Roxy, this is Max Williams. Max, Roxy O’Malley.”

Max reached out automatically to take her hand and forced his genial smile back onto his face. He’d been told by his second stepmother, Andrea, that he had the sweetest smile. Duke assured him that was not the case unless one was blind. There were too many teeth in Max’s smile to miss the resemblance to a shark. But then, Duke wasn’t a woman.

“Pleasure,” he said. But the rest of his words stuck in his throat. Her hand was smooth and cold in his. And when he glanced into her eyes, he saw how nervous she was. She was stunningly beautiful and her body was built to make a man think of long nights and slow loving.

He held her hand longer than he knew was polite, rubbing his thumb over the back of her knuckles until a faint blush stole over her cheeks.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Williams.”

“Call me Max.”

“Max. I’m Roxy.”

“I’ll leave you two to it then,” Hayden said and then left.

She tugged on her hand and he let her go. “Your luggage is being taken up to your suite. Do you want to stop up there first or head straight to the casino?”

“I want…” you, he thought. But knew better than to say it. He didn’t understand it, this wild attraction to her. And it was wild. He didn’t do lust at first sight. He had never had any problems controlling his reactions to any woman. Why her?

“Yes?”

“To head to the casino,” he said at last. Other than sitting in the boardroom and negotiating a takeover, there was nothing else he liked as much as playing the odds at the poker table.

She smiled at him. “Then let’s go play.”

“What do you think my game is?”

“Poker. And it was your game long before the current Texas Hold ’Em craze that’s sweeping America.”

He was surprised she’d guessed it. But then he knew better than to judge a book by its cover. How many times had he been mistaken for a rich brat of a man who never worked a day in his life? Okay, so, not often, but it had happened.

“Don’t be impressed. I read your file before you arrived. You won close to $50,000 last time you were at the poker tables.”

“What else did you read about me?” he asked, wondering what was in his file. He wasn’t concerned. Hayden kept stats on all the high rollers who came into the casino, even his friends.

She tipped her head to the side and her long hair brushed against her neck. He wondered if it was as soft and silky as it looked. “I can’t tell you that. You’d know all my secrets.”

He caught her hand and pulled her to a stop. Damn, she had the softest skin he’d ever touched. “All of them? I doubt that. I’d only know the ones about myself. And technically, those aren’t yours.”

He was flirting, and he hadn’t done that in a long time. The fatigue that had dogged him for the last few weeks melted away when she smiled and slipped her arm through his, leading him into the poshest section of the casino. The dinging bells and whistles of the main casino floor faded as they stepped into the high-stakes room.

She paused in the doorway, and Max realized that she must be new to the VIP hostess thing, because she pulled them into a quiet corner instead of urging him to the table.

“Do you really want to know my secrets?” she asked, her voice dipping low and sounding sensual, husky.

Yes, he thought. But didn’t say it out loud. He didn’t know why he was reacting so strongly to her but knew that he wasn’t himself and he needed to get back on track. He wasn’t looking for another affair. In fact, he was damned tired of them. And right now he needed just to play.

When he said nothing, she flushed and moved away from him. “Sorry if that was too personal. Let’s get you to a table and I’ll get you your favorite drink.”

She started to walk away with her limping gait and he almost let her but didn’t. He stopped her with his fingers on her shoulder. She glanced back at him, and he saw that damned vulnerability in her eyes again. “I do want to know your secrets, Roxy.”

He walked past her and seated himself at a table with a few familiar faces. But instead of concentrating on the cards and the game, he saw only the surprise in Roxy’s blue eyes in his mind.

Roxy tried to remember everything that Hayden had said, especially the part about being friendly but never forgetting that business was the focus of her assignment. Keep the gambler happy and at the tables.

Max made that hard. Every time she dropped off another drink for him, or inquired about his needs, he flirted. And for the first time since she’d wakened in a hospital bed, scarred for life, she felt like flirting back.

He played and won for almost four hours before pushing back from the table. Since this was her first hostessing assignment she had no idea if she should try to make him stay longer.

“Are you sure you want to stop now? You’re on a winning streak.”

“I’m sure. I want to take my hostess to dinner and see if my luck stays.”

“I don’t know if I’m allowed to do that,” she said, knowing she wasn’t lucky but not wanting him to know it. Every time she got close to grasping the brass ring of what she wanted from life, it slipped away. So she knew luck wasn’t with her.

“You’re supposed to keep me happy.”

She wanted to laugh at the way he said it. But didn’t. “Then I guess I’m going to dinner with you. Where do you want to go?”

“I’ll take care of the arrangements,” Max said. He pulled her out of the flow of traffic and reached for his Blackberry.

Immediately she knew she had to keep her head in the game with this man. This was a job. She couldn’t forget it, no matter how tempting it might be to do so. This new assignment was much better than dealing and she didn’t want to mess it up. “No, you won’t. That’s my job.”

“And you take your work seriously?” he asked, arching one eyebrow at her.

She sensed he was teasing, but she couldn’t joke about work. Anyone who’d ever lived off the charity of others learned pride at a heavy cost. “Of course I do.”

“I thought you were new here.”

“New to hostessing. But I’ve worked at the Chimera for almost ten years now.”

“What did you do before?” he asked.

“Danced,” she said. She heard the longing in her own voice and cursed herself for it. She should have been prepared for the question. But most people she encountered either knew her story or didn’t care about her personal life. Max was the first stranger to ask about her since…

“Why’d you stop?” he asked.

A simple little question. She closed her eyes for a moment. Years of practice and discipline gone in a few short minutes. Gone because she’d judged a man and his intentions badly. Don’t do it again, she warned herself.

“Injury,” she said. The lie fell easily from her lips and she hated herself for it. She’d grown up in a world where lies were traded and accepted for the truth. She was becoming her own mother. Something she’d promised herself she’d never do. “But that’s old news. Give me a minute and I’ll get us a table for dinner.”

She turned away from Max and took out her cell phone to call the VIP office. Thirty seconds later everything was set up, and she and Max were on their way to the exclusive five-star restaurant on the fifth floor of the casino.

“Have you eaten here before?” she asked, hoping he’d say no so she could slip easily into her role of tour guide. She led Max past the crowd at the front of the restaurant to the maître d’, very aware of his quiet presence behind her.

“Yes. In fact, the chef/owner is a friend of mine.”

She smiled at the maître d’, Henry, whom she knew from her years at the hotel. Henry winked at her and she relaxed a little. This new job was not what she expected. Or should she say that Max Williams wasn’t what she’d expected. “Mr. Williams and I are ready to be seated.”

“Certainly, Ms. O’Malley. Follow me.”

Max put his hand on Roxy’s back as they moved through the restaurant. She tried to ignore the heat from his large palm, but she couldn’t. It made everything feminine in her pulse into awareness. That long-sleeping part of her, the part that had been dormant even before her accident started to awaken. That scared her.

She was grateful when they reached the table and took their seats. Max asked for the wine list and the sommelier came to their table.

“Do you have a preference?” he asked after the sommelier suggested some wines.

“I usually buy my wine by the gallon in the supermarket,” she said. Then flushed as she realized how that sounded. “I mean—”

Max chuckled. “I have cousins who own a vineyard in the Napa Valley. They’d be outraged to hear that anyone in the U.S. still drinks cheap wine.”

“Sorry,” she said.

“Don’t be. Have you ever tried South African wine?”

“Does Gallo make one?”

He laughed. “We’ll have a bottle of the Thelema Chardonnay 1998, Stellenbosch.”

The sommelier left and Max turned his attention to her. She felt uncomfortable under his intense stare, as if she was naked but not in a sexual way. His gaze was probing as if he were trying to fit together all the pieces that made up Roxy O’Malley. She desperately hoped he couldn’t, because Roxy O’Malley wasn’t sure who she was anymore. Not a dancer, not a hot body, not any of the things she’d always been.

Finally she couldn’t stand it anymore. “What?”

“What, what?”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Because you are a beautiful woman.”

His words hurt in a way he couldn’t understand. Because at one time she’d have tossed her hair and given him a smile that would have brought him to his knees. “Not anymore.”

She couldn’t believe those words had escaped. “How long will you be in Vegas?”

“Long enough to convince you that you are beautiful.”

“That’s not why you came,” she said, telling herself that he was here for the Vegas allure. The mindless flirting, the hours of gambling. The vacation from reality and real life.

“My plans have changed.”

“Well then, you won’t be needing my company anymore. I’ll let Hayden know.”

He took her hand in his, his thumb stroking over the backs of her knuckles as it had when they first met. “I’ll still require your company, Roxy.”

She tried to tell herself that things hadn’t turned personal, that she was still objective and just his hostess. But she knew she wasn’t.

There was a promise of something in Max’s eyes that she wanted to claim for herself. Something elusive and tempting, and she couldn’t quite make herself ignore it.

Two

After dinner, Max excused himself to return several business calls. Sitting in his suite, he was aware of what his life had become. He was forty and successful but alone.

Alone by his own design, granted. But still alone. No mistress—he’d learned the hard way that even couching an affair in business terms didn’t mean a clean break when things were over.

Harron had made several comments about the fact that Max was lacking a wife, a family. But Max had his family. They were paid employees and a small core group of lifelong friends.

There was a knock on his door. He hoped it would be Roxy, but knew it wouldn’t be. Instead it was the bellman with a FedEx box containing paperwork from his office.

He took the papers with him to the minibar and poured himself a Scotch. Looking hard at his life made him realize that in his quest to make sure no one thought he was riding his father’s coattails, he’d created a vacuum. A place where no one existed except for himself.

Ah, hell, he was getting morose. He signed the papers, dropped them in the return envelope and then swallowed his drink in two long gulps.

He wanted Roxy.

He wanted to spend more time with the beautiful woman who could be charming until she remembered herself. Then she was awkward and shy. And he wanted to know why. He really did want to uncover her secrets, but he sensed she wouldn’t share them. Not yet.

He also couldn’t compromise her job. He made a quick call to Hayden and asked that Roxy’s job be changed, explaining very little to his friend, but then Hayden was a man known for being quick-witted. “I’ll be taking her out of the casino tomorrow for the day.”

“Don’t allow my business to get in the way of your personal plans,” Hayden said.

“You are the one who extolled her virtues.”

“That’s right. I did, but I didn’t count on your interest interfering with my business.”

“I won’t.”

Max hung up the phone then dialed the front desk and asked for Roxy, knowing that even though it was almost midnight she’d be available. Everyone was always available to him in Vegas. To be truthful, wherever he traveled he was seldom turned down. He waited while he was connected to her.

“Hello?”

Her voice was soft and sweet, husky with fatigue, and he knew that if he were a nicer man, he’d just hang up and let her get some sleep. But he wasn’t feeling particularly nice tonight.

“It’s Max.”

“Did you decide what time you wanted to start in the morning?” she asked, her tone warming a little.

Gambling was no longer the reason he was in Vegas. But he knew he’d have to keep that to himself a while longer. “No. I’m going back to the high-stakes room tonight. I need you there.”

She hesitated and he wondered if she’d tell him no. “Oh, sure, Max. Only, I went home so it’ll take me at least a half hour to get back to the casino.”

“Why aren’t you staying at the hotel?” he asked. He’d assumed she’d get a room while he was there. That was what his usual host, Jack, did.

“Hayden didn’t ask me to. Actually, it never occurred to me you’d need me in the middle of the night.”

If she only knew how much he needed her.

“Pack a bag when you come back,” he said.

“For what?”

“To stay here until I leave.”

“I’m not sure my job covers—”

He didn’t want to discuss the fact that her job description had changed. “I’ll cover it.”

“Max, are you okay?” she asked.

Her voice sounded sweet, but he heard the underlying pique. She didn’t like to take orders. And for the first time since he’d met her he had a glimpse into the fact that she was more than a pretty, smiling hostess. Her annoyance wasn’t unexpected because most people didn’t like to be told what to do. But Max had found the easiest way to get what he wanted was to do just that.

“Fine. I’ll see you in the lobby in thirty minutes.”

“It may take me longer than that.”

“Why?”

“I have to shower and then pack an overnight case.”

“What were you doing?” he asked. Jealousy pricked the back of his mind. Had she been with a man? He was her job.

And he was the one who was thinking this could be something more than gambler and hostess. He hoped he didn’t turn out like his father, desperately seeing a relationship where there wasn’t one.

He rubbed the back of his neck. It wasn’t personal, he reminded himself. But he knew that the reminder came too late. He felt something for Roxy whether he wanted to or not.

“Working out.”

“What about your injury?”

She hesitated and he knew that she wasn’t at peace with it yet. Was it recent?

“It’s fine.”

But something in her voice said it wasn’t. “You never said what type of injury it was.”

“I’m not going to, either. I’ll meet you in the hotel lobby in an hour, okay?”

“Why won’t you answer me?”

“Because it’s private and personal. Isn’t there something in your life you don’t talk about?”

There was a lot, but he had always had a knack for getting people to open up. It was one of the reasons he was so good at takeovers. He could find out exactly the qualm the other CEO had and reassure them that he’d take care of it.

“Max?”

“Yes, I have things I don’t discuss. But I’m asking about an injury, not asking you to bare your soul.”

“I wish that were true, but my injury changed who I am.”

He wished he was with her so he could read her expressive eyes instead of having to rely on the phone line to figure this out. Not being able to dance must be tied to her sense of self. He’d met dancers before. Knew that they’d usually spent their entire life practicing. Living at the dance studio and keeping their bodies in top shape.

“Tell me about it,” he invited.

She said nothing. The silence lengthened, but he knew she was still there. She was waiting him out, trying to see if he’d simply give up and hang up. But Max had made patience a priority when he was ten years old and had never forgotten it. His impatience at age ten had cost him time with his father. Something that had been rare in his childhood, and he’d never forgotten that had he waited an extra thirty minutes he could have gone on an extended weekend with his dad instead of spending time at the arcade with his boarding school pals. Nowadays he could wait for days—even weeks—for what he wanted.

“I’m not going to go away.”

“Yes, you will, Max. I can’t do this right now. I’m just your hostess. I’m not willing to be your vacation fling. That thing you did in Vegas that has to stay here because it’s a dirty little secret.”

He cursed under his breath. “You know nothing about the type of man I am if you think that I’d pursue a woman just to have a tawdry thrill to bandy about in the boardroom.”

“You’re right. I don’t know you.”

“Come to the casino with me tonight. Let me show you the man I am.”

She agreed and hung up the phone. Max left his suite and headed for the busy casino floor, hoping that by surrounding himself with people he could dull his need for Roxy.

It didn’t work.

Roxy had three dresses and four approved pant-suits that Hayden had sent to her to wear for this assignment. But they weren’t her style and she hated the feeling she got when she put them on—as if she was pretending to be someone she wasn’t.

She took the pants from one of the suits and paired them with her favorite silk halter top. She now had to wear flats instead of heels, and she hated that. Grabbing her overnight bag, she left her house without a backward glance.

She drove the same car she’d had since she’d made headliner. It was a sweet BMW Land Shark convertible. And for the first time in a really long time she didn’t have that sinking feeling in her stomach that stemmed from things lost. Instead she put the top down and let the cool summer air whip her hair around her head. She pumped up the music on the stereo, slipping in her favorite Dave Matthews CD when she couldn’t find a song she liked on the radio.

She sang at the top of her lungs to “Ants Marching” and refused to let her mind dwell on the joy that had come from…a man. It had come from Max.

His phone call. She never slept at night. No one knew that. His call had rescued her from tortured hours of trying to force herself to sleep. Trying to close her eyes and not see images of Alan’s face. Or worse, images of herself on stage performing the way she used to before the audience gasped in horror seeing her bright red scars.

Her foot slipped off the gas. Why had she let her mind go down this path?

She pulled into the parking lot of the casino and parked, but couldn’t make herself get out of the car. Suddenly everything was there. Every emotion and fear that she’d been running from, every damned thing she’d thought she’d left at her small house was in that car with her.

She put her head forward on the steering wheel and tried to recapture the joy, but it was gone. Dave Matthews kept singing, but now she felt that bittersweet emotion that came from hearing something happy when all you felt was sad.

She switched off the radio and forced herself from the car. She put the top up and locked the doors before walking toward the shimmering lights of the Chimera. The ultimate illusion, she reminded herself. She’d learned early on that illusion wasn’t bad. And the Chimera offered her an illusion of herself that she easily embraced.

She forced herself into the lobby, a smile firmly in place. She could do this. In fact, she had done this every minute since she’d come awake in the hospital. She’d learned that most people were fooled by a smile and a quick assurance, because most people didn’t like to dwell on things like her attack.

“Roxy.”

She stopped and looked at Max. He held a cigar loosely in his left hand and watched her with eyes that seemed troubled. He looked sophisticated and urban. The trappings of success fell easily on his shoulders and in the glittering crowds of Vegas she saw him for what he really was.

There was no illusion in Max Williams. There was only a solid core that made her realize he was the real McCoy. He was successful and sophisticated. She crossed to him and stood, unable to think of what to do next.

Then she remembered the old Roxy, the one who’d been so bold in life. What would she have done? She’d have wrapped herself around his arm and said something flirty. No matter what she felt inside.

“Roxy?”

She shook her head to clear it. She needed to get her emotions under control. Hayden was counting on her to make sure that Max stayed in the hotel and gambled. And she didn’t want to let her friend down. “Sorry, Max. Let’s hit the tables.”

“Not yet,” he said, cupping his hand under her elbow and leading her out of the hotel and into the lushly landscaped gardens. There was a box-hedge maze that was illuminated by the light of the moon and subtle horticulture lighting.

“Where are we going?” she asked. She hung on to her illusion of happy Vegas girl by a thread.

“Somewhere quiet.”

“Why?” she asked, closing her eyes as she inhaled the aromatic scent of his cigar mingled with the scent of jasmine. For a moment she felt as if she were somewhere else. Someone else. But who?

He stopped and trailed his fingers up her bare arm, leaving gooseflesh in their path. She shivered, opening her eyes and looking into his clear gray gaze.

He was watching her with an intensity that made her hyperaware of herself. Of her femininity and his masculinity. Of the elemental differences between the two of them. She put her hand on his biceps and felt the solid strength in him.

This was a man who could handle everything life threw at him. She wondered if she could learn how he did it. If she could figure out what made him tick and use that knowledge to help herself. Yeah, right, she thought. The main reason she wanted to know what made him tick was that she wanted to know him.

Wanted to lean up and kiss him. To see if the fire in his eyes would be matched in his embrace. To taste his kiss and see if it would be as exciting as she knew it would be. But he was still a stranger, and she was wary of letting any man too close too quickly.

He ran his finger down the line of her cheek and traced it over her lower lip. “We are out here because I want us to be. And you are supposed to cater to my every need.”

His every need. “I’m not sure what you’re insinuating. But I’ve never been that type of girl.”

“I know that. I’m not insinuating anything. I don’t want you to be my hostess, Roxy.”

She swallowed. “Okay.”

“I want to be free to spend my time with you. To take you out of the hotel and away from the gaming room.”

She didn’t know what to say. She only knew that this job had lasted only one day, and she had no desire to go back to dealing. She was going to be out on the streets. She’d have to sell her car.

“I want us to get to know each other,” Max said.

She shook her head. She’d have to find another job. “I’m not ready to date.”

“Yes, you are,” he said. His breath brushed against her face and she leaned into his body, wanting to kiss him. Wanting to feel his lips on hers and see if it would be the intense experience she sensed it would be. She realized that she was falling for the Vegas fantasy. Rich man, beautiful woman, whirlwind romance.

She pulled back, turning away from him and walking toward a bench a few feet away. “You’re too bossy.”

He didn’t follow her, just stood in the middle of the path, taking a draw on his cigar and watching her with enigmatic eyes that saw too much. “I’m used to being in charge.”

“This isn’t your boardroom and I’m not one of your employees.”

“No, you’re not. But that doesn’t mean that I’m not going to take control.”

Max was pushing and he knew it so he backed off. He really did want Roxy by his side, and not just here in Vegas. She was the right woman at the right time. He needed a fiancée and, well, she fit the bill.

Even as the words echoed in his mind, he knew he was walking on thin ice. She wasn’t just an accessory he could pick up in Vegas and return with to Vancouver.

“Come with me to the casino. You can be my lucky charm, and then I’ll take you to breakfast and we can discuss this further.”

“I’ve never been anyone’s lucky charm,” she said.

“Maybe you just didn’t realize it,” he said, steering them through the crowded casino floor toward the high-stakes poker area in the back. Now he hardly noticed her slight limp.

“I think I’d know if I was lucky.”

“Maybe your luck is with things you take for granted,” he said, knowing that his luck came from making things happen. From never sitting and waiting but getting up and taking action.

She stopped walking. “I think you might be right. I mean, I wanted to win the lottery but didn’t. I wanted to keep on dancing and can’t.”

“I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.”

She shook her head, shaking her honey-colored hair against her shoulders. Her hair looked like silk in the casino lighting, and he knew he should be concentrating on her words but instead just wanted to bury his hands in her hair and hold her head still for a soul-deep kiss.

“I just realized that I am lucky in a million little ways,” she said.

He took a deep breath and reached for the concentration that he was known for. Then he took her by the wrist and led her away from the noise and the crowds to an alcove tucked away in the corridor. “What are those things?”

She bit her lower lip and his concentration almost flew out the window. What would her mouth taste like?

“It will sound silly,” she said.

“I just called you my lucky charm, I think we’re already into silly.”

“Did you mean it?” she asked.

“Yes.”

She smiled at him then and her expression was so…tender that his heart almost broke. “That wasn’t silly, Max. It was very sweet.”

“Ah, hell, God save me from being sweet. You’re supposed to look at me and think, What a sexy guy. Not a sweet man.” But he liked that she thought of him that way. No one had ever seen him in that light before. They’d called him ruthless, determined and successful, but never sweet.

“Can’t you be both?”

“I don’t know, can I?” he counted.

He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. Her words—that she wasn’t ready to date—echoed in his mind as he held her. Hell, neither was he, but holding her soothed that bit of loneliness that had been echoing through his soul.

“I’m not sure this is on the approved list of acceptable activities between a VIP and his hostess.”

“Your boss is one of my best friends, so I think I know how to make this right.”

“For you?”

He realized again that he was moving too fast. Her comment still ticked him off because he’d always been the kind of man that others respected. “No, Roxy, for you and when you know me better I’ll expect an apology for that.”

“I’m sorry. I’m much better at light social talk, or performing up on the stage where I can’t say the wrong things.”

“You didn’t say the wrong thing.”

“Yes, I did. I offended you.”

“I get offended daily.”

“How?”

“Usually from investors of rival companies. Or the board of directors of a company that I want to take over. Sometimes from my second in command, but he says that’s to keep my ego in check.”

“He’s your friend, then?”

Max thought about Duke and nodded. “Yes. He saved my life once.”

“Did you repay him?” she asked, with a shrewdness he wished she didn’t have.

“Of course I did. I couldn’t let that kind of debt languish.”

“Have you ever let any debt languish?”

“No, I haven’t. I like to keep things even,” he said lightly because he knew that he really preferred to keep the balance tipped toward him. To make sure that he was the one who did just a bit more in a relationship.

“But you’re bossy. So I’m guessing that you like to be in charge all the time.”

He shrugged his shoulder. “What can I say? I run an international conglomerate. I have to lean toward the type-A personality.”

“Just in business?”

He shook his head, uncomfortable pursuing this topic. “You were going to tell me what you were lucky at.”

“I was?”

“Yes, you were.”

“Is that an order?”

She was sassing him. And he liked it, but he gave her a quelling stare. One that always made the office staff jump through hoops for him.

“I’m not intimidated,” she said. “But I will tell you what I’m lucky at….”

She paused and he waited for her to continue.

“I’m lucky in being alive. Now, if I can just remember how to live.”

Three

Max played for four hours straight, insisting Roxy stay close by. She enjoyed being with him but the combined cigarette and cigar smoke was giving her a headache.

“I need to step outside for a few minutes. Breathe some fresh air.”

Max nodded. “I’m going to play one more hand and then we’ll go get some breakfast.”

Since it was almost six o’clock, it would be an early breakfast but she didn’t mind. She doubted that he’d only play one more hand.

Most of the men she’d dated had been gamblers. She’d met them all in a casino, and they never left any table or game after just one more hand or roll.

Six months time had made a huge difference in how she spent her days. Normally she would have been arriving at the casino about now and heading to the rehearsal hall for an intense dance workout and review of the previous night’s show.

Instead, she was fetching drinks and keeping a man who didn’t need the incentive in the casino. She hadn’t felt this lost since she’d turned eighteen and realized that she no longer had a place to stay at the group home in which she’d lived. Two months left until high-school graduation, and she’d been on her own.

“Rox?”

She glanced over her shoulder and saw Tawny and Glenda crossing the casino, heading toward the rehearsal hall. Glad to see her old friends, she tried to smile. This feeling of envy, jealousy and embarrassment was exactly why she’d been avoiding them. They were still doing something she no longer could, and she felt a weird combination of envy, jealousy and some joy every time they visited her.

“Hey, girls. How’s the show?” she asked. Both of them were still fit and pretty. Roxy looked at them and didn’t feel the same sense of belonging as she used to. She shifted her weight, trying to feel as if she could still fit in if she wanted to.

“Not the same without you,” Glenda said. “Roger has been really mean lately. One small slip-up and he reams you a new one.”

“Well it’s his butt on the carpet if the show isn’t good,” Roxy said. Roger’s temper was legendary, but he usually only exploded if the chorus was loafing. And she couldn’t imagine Glenda or Tawny loafing. They took dancing as seriously as she did…had.

“I didn’t see you at the blackjack tables earlier. I hoped that meant you’d be backstage,” Tawny said.

“Not yet. I still have a few more surgeries before I’ll be ready.” But that wasn’t the truth. She’d never dance again. The combination of the strenuous show moves and the weight of some of the headdresses they wore would be too much for her body. The doctor had told her after her last surgery that dancing in Vegas was out. A showgirl no more.

“Get well soon, girl,” Glenda said, giving her a hug before the two women moved on.

Roxy leaned back against the wall for a second. She really wanted to sink into it and become invisible. Then she remembered she was in public and straightened up, forcing herself to head for the exit.

The warm touch of a man’s hand on her back startled her. She jumped a little. But she knew that touch. The feel of that palm had been embedded in her memory already. She glanced back at Max.

“You okay?”

“Fine,” she said.

He rubbed his hand down her arm, linking their fingers together, and led her away from the casino floor and out of the hotel. “Who were those women?”

“Friends of mine,” she said.

“Dancers?”

She nodded. She wasn’t ready to talk about that part of her life. Not that he was probing into it. She knew her reaction had a lot more to do with the fact that she didn’t know how to deal with seeing her best friends than any question Max asked. “Where are we going?”

“For breakfast. I think I mentioned we’d eat after I finished that hand.”

She flushed a little, remembering she hadn’t thought he’d really get up and leave the table after one hand.

“Uh-oh, what’s that look?”

“What look?”

“That sheepish one.”

“I didn’t think you’d actually leave after one hand.”

“I’m a man of my word,” he said, pulling her to a stop in the middle of the path.

She tipped her head back to stare into his eyes. He patiently let her look at him and she sighed deep inside realizing that she’d never met a man like Max before. She doubted she ever would again. He was solid through and through. He wasn’t part of the illusion of Vegas.

“Sorry. Most gamblers can’t leave.”

“I really just do it for fun and to relax.”

His fun had a much higher price tag on it than hers did. She could have bought a new house with some of the jackpots that were won and lost while Max played cards.

“Tell me about your job,” she said.

“Later. We have to get moving to make our breakfast.”

“Are we leaving the hotel?”

He nodded, steering her down the path that led to Hayden’s private garage.

“We have some really nice—”

He held up his hand. “I know. I’ve already talked to Hayden about moving you to be someone else’s hostess.”

“You did?” she asked. She couldn’t believe his gall. Did he think he owned the world?

“Now don’t get mad.”

“Too late. Do you think that you own me? I’m not sure that you listened when I said I don’t work for you.”

“I heard that. That’s why I spoke to Hayden. I have other plans for you and I, Roxy.”

She shook her head. “Maybe I don’t want to be a part of them.”

He didn’t force her closer, but she felt surrounded by him. “I’m not like this normally, but there is something about you that draws me.”

“Lust?”

“Yes,” he said with a devilish grin. “But more than that. If you don’t feel the same, then say the word and this ends here.”

“What is this?” she asked, unwilling to admit that she found him attractive. She knew he was out of her league.

“I have no idea, but I don’t want to let you go. I want to spend the next day with you, exploring the attraction between us.”

His words combined with the fire in his eyes melted her resistance. She knew that this was going to lead to heartache. They were so different. But she wanted to spend more time with him.

Santa Barbara, California, was perfect for his needs. Roxy was quiet as he drove them to the private airport and his waiting Learjet.

“Okay, where are we going?”

“For breakfast on the beach. I want to watch the day begin with you.”

He could tell by her expression that she was overwhelmed and that pleased him. He’d been overwhelmed by a need to be with her ever since they’d met.

“The sun rises in Vegas, too,” she said vaguely.

“Trust me, this is one you don’t want to miss.”

“Is this a normal thing for you?” she asked as they boarded the jet.

“Welcome aboard, Mr. Williams and Ms. O’Malley,” Lourdes said.

“Roxy, this is Lourdes, our pilot. She’s been working for me for five years now.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“You, too,” Lourdes said. “Buzz me when you’re ready to go, Mr. Williams.”

He nodded. Lourdes went into the cockpit and left them alone. Max crossed to the bar and poured a glass of California sparkling wine and orange juice for each of them. Roxy stayed just inside the jet, her gaze sweeping over the plush carpet and leather seats. She took a step inside and then stopped completely.

“This is not going to work,” she said.

He knew she meant the two of them, but Max had already felt that irresistible pull toward her and knew that for him to walk away was impossible. Even if the only thing between them was this heat, then he’d be happy to explore it. But he sensed there was something more. The restlessness that had become a part of him was gone—at least temporarily.

“Give me this morning and then we can discuss our differences on the way back. I think you’ll find we have a lot in common.” He set the champagne flutes down and pulled her into his arms. She inhaled and held her body stiff. He rubbed his hands down her back, enjoying the feel of her in his arms.

“That’s kind of presumptuous.”

“Sometimes my instincts get the better of my manners. Please come to breakfast with me.”

She nodded.

“Have a seat and I’ll let Lourdes know we’re ready to go.”

He spoke to the pilot via an intercom and returned to Roxy’s side. He handed her a glass of the sparkling wine and O.J., and relaxed deeper into the leather seat as they took off.

“Most people go to the Grand Canyon for quick flights.”

“Have you been there?” he asked. He wanted to analyze her as he would a company he was thinking of taking over. He needed to figure out what her strengths and weaknesses were. Then he’d figure out how to make her his completely. That one brief kiss wasn’t enough.

If he played it right, she could also give him the edge he needed in his merger with Harron. Roxy would dazzle the businessman and Max could finally close the deal. He knew she’d dazzle Harron, because she’d dazzled him without even trying.

“Yes. I met a gambler one time who came to the show and saw me dance and then won five hundred thousand dollars. He took me on a helicopter flight to the Grand Canyon.”

Max was doubly glad he’d chosen the beach. He didn’t want to be lumped together with some gambler. “And you said you weren’t lucky,” Max said, not liking the jealousy he felt at her story.

She gave him a wry smile and took a sip of her sparkling wine. “I’m not, really. When we returned he asked me to accompany him to the craps table and he promptly lost the rest of his money. He definitely didn’t think I was lucky anymore.”

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