The Bet

by Aaunty Pasta

When Mary left, Ed promoted the head of housekeeping to Hotel Manager and even with Ed gone, Cooper kept her there. Polly actively advocates a hook-up between the two and sets a trap for them. When the trap has sprung, will one turn of the cards put them in the position Polly hoped for? And can they live with the repercussions?

The Bet

When Mary left, Ed promoted the head of housekeeping to Hotel Manager and even with Ed gone, Cooper kept her there. Polly actively advocates a hook-up between the two and sets a trap for them. When the trap has sprung, will one turn of the cards put them in the position Polly hoped for?

Rated M.

Author's note: Did a Las Vegas binge the last few weeks. I decided I like season's 4 & 5 the most, so I wrote this. Tried to get all the characters I like in it. That's why it turned out so long. Can you guess my favorite character? Hope some of my fans are LV fans, too.

---

Morgan Carlisle finished signing the purchase order and handed it back to Katie Monroe, the girl who had been given her former position as head of housekeeping. She was glad that A.J. Cooper had seen fit to keep the position of hotel manager as well as keeping her in the position.

"I heard you got caught coming out of the hook-up room with Cooper," Piper Nielson said as she stopped her.

"That was weeks ago," Morgan told her.

"I also heard that you're a bit of a prude."

Morgan kept her pace as she headed to the elevators and Piper fell into step beside her. "I'm not a prude," she told the younger woman. "Who do you think OK'd allowing that housekeeping closet to be used in that manner?" She stopped to look at Piper. "As for why I was seen coming out of the room with Cooper, I was in there fixing the chain to my locket." She gestured to the necklace around her neck. "Cooper had been looking for me to invite me for a round of bowling."

"In his suite… alone…," Piper's voice was full of innuendo.

"Which is why Polly joined us," Morgan told her.

"Did Cooper know you did that?"

"He initiated it," Morgan informed her then started back on her walk to the elevators.

"Too bad," Piper said as she followed.

"He's at least twenty years my senior," Morgan said as she waved at the security officer posted near the elevator bank.

"Yeah," Piper said as she stopped Morgan just short of her destination. "But don't you just want to see if he can rock your world?"

"He's our boss," Morgan told her. "That would be inappropriate."

"Then Delinda and Danny are inappropriate," Piper pointed out. "And they're having a baby."

"That's different," Morgan said.

"How?"

Morgan opened her mouth to speak then closed it again before she finally gave Piper an answer. "Because he's the owner not the president. I'm not going to hook up with Cooper."

"Every argument you've given me I've disputed," Piper said. "And from what I heard, the bowling has turned into a weekly thing."

"It was fun the first time," Morgan told her. "And I'm getting better. Cooper's taught me a lot about the game."

"About the game," Piper commented. "Sure." She grinned at Morgan. "Admit it. You would totally do him if you got the chance."

"If I got the chance…," Morgan finally admitted with a roll of her eyes. "And if he was just as willing… maybe. IF he wasn't our boss." She looked at Piper. "Now shouldn't you maybe go back to work?"

---

At a few minutes before 1 p.m., Polly knocked on the door to room 3797 and smiled back at Morgan. Morgan had a bad feeling about the look on the Asian woman's face, but pasted a smile on her own when Cooper opened the door. "I can order a late lunch," he offered after letting them in with a wave of his hand. He made the offer every Thursday.

"That isn't necessary," Morgan said as she always did.

"Yes is," Polly said. "This week I not have time for lunch. I starve." She poked Morgan in the side. "I know you skip lunch this week, too."

"Whatever you want," he offered again. "I was just going to call down and get myself something. Haven't had the chance until now."

"Since none of us had time for lunch this week, I guess it would be OK," she agreed.

Half an hour later, the cart arrived with their lunch and the waiter left the cart just inside the door. Polly had been practicing as Cooper and Morgan talked business and now handed the ball to Cooper so she could set the small table next to the bowling lane with the food, stepping on Morgan's foot in the process. "Oh, I sorry," she said. "I clumsy in my hunger state."

As Polly busied herself with uncovering the food, Cooper pointed to Morgan's foot. "You might want to make sure that's tied before we get started playing."

She knelt down to tie her shoe as Cooper turned to place the bowling ball that Polly had handed him back on the ball return. Polly smiled and threw the bowl of lobster bisque that she had insisted on so it spilled over Morgan's head, down her back and all over her clothes. "Ah!" Morgan exclaimed.

Cooper turned back as she stood, the thick soup running down her hair and into her shirt. Polly feigned surprise and began to apologize profusely. She grabbed a cloth napkin from the cart and began to wipe at it causing it to run onto her slacks as well. "If hurry," Polly said. "Stain come out. Take off clothes and I take to wash." Polly pulled at her sleeve.

"There's a bathroom through there," Cooper pointed. "Go try to get as much off as you can."

Polly wiped at the goop in Morgan's hair. "No good," she insisted. "Take shower before matters get worse."

"If I go like this to my apartment," she said, referring to the place she owned on the 51st floor. "I'll leave a trail of lobster."

"Use the shower in there," Cooper told her as he picked a chunk of it from her hair. "I'll get you a robe from upstairs."

"You go," Polly shooed her into the bathroom. "When you in shower, I come in and bring clothes down to wash. Bring back in no time. Then we play bowl."

Morgan tried to protest, but Cooper agreed with Polly's insistence. "I'm sure Polly won't be long."

In the shower in the downstairs ¾ bath in Cooper's suite, Morgan turned on the spray and tried to get the lobster out of her hair. After about ten minutes, she could finally run her fingers through the strands without finding chunks of it. She stepped out of the shower to find that there were no towels anywhere to be found.

She cracked the door open enough to call out to Cooper. "There are no towels in here," she told him. "I could have sworn…" she stopped with a realization and leaned her forehead against the door jamb. "She took the towel with my clothes." She looked around to find her undergarments nowhere to be found either. "As well as my underwear."

"I'll see if there are any towels in the master bath," Cooper said as he started back up the stairs.

"What happened to the robe?" Morgan called after him.

"They came for my laundry this morning," he said. "They took my robe, too. I'll bring you one of my shirts to put on."

"Great!" Morgan hollered back.

She leaned against wall next to the frosted-glass paneled door, naked and still dripping from the shower, until he knocked at the door. "It seems they took all my towels, too," he said as she opened the door just enough to put his hand through. "I found a hand towel, but get the feeling it won't help much." He handed it through then a flannel shirt. "Here's something for you to wear so you can come out if you want."

Morgan sighed. "You realize that Polly did this on purpose, right?"

"I had that feeling, yes," Cooper said. "Question is, why?"

Morgan began to dry off then slid the shirt over her shoulders. It hung just far enough to cover her suitably as long as she sat in a certain way. She sighed and buttoned it up then used the towel to squeeze as much water from her hair as she could.

"You remember how disappointed she was when she caught us coming out of the housekeeping closet awhile back?" Morgan said as she wrung the small towel through her hair.

"Yes."

"And I explained that I had been fixing my necklace and you came in to talk to me," Morgan went on.

"I remember," he replied.

"The staff calls that room the hook-up room," she explained. "It is a discreet place where they won't be caught. The camera placement in that hall has a gap in it where that door is. They've tried to fix it, but it just leaves gaps in more important areas, so they left it that way."

"Why didn't they put in another camera?"

"Plans were made to before all hell broke lose," she said. "So to speak. After that, it's kind of been overlooked."

"You're probably really hungry, now," Cooper commented as he moved the remaining plates of food to the table in the main part of the room. He looked up to find Morgan standing just outside the bathroom.

Her wet hair was slicked back to hang just past her shoulders. The shirt covered her enough as long as she didn't raise her hands and had damp spots here and there from her wet hair. She smoothed an errant hair behind her ear then pulled at the hem as if she wished it hung lower. She swam in the shirt, which fit his 6'4" frame perfectly, but not as much as he had thought she would. She was just under a head shorter than he and her forehead came to his chin. The shirt hugged the curves of her breasts in damp spots, making the shirt hang that much higher. He blinked as he realized he was staring when she began to look uncomfortable under his scrutiny.

He turned away to pull one of the chairs out for her to sit on. She sat down and he slid the chair in where he had placed her roast beef sandwich and salad. "How long has Polly been gone?" she asked.

"About twenty minutes," Cooper replied as he sat across from her. He glanced at her as she pulled her damp hair to hang over one shoulder. "This doesn't need to be awkward."

"It wouldn't be if you hadn't stared at me for so long," Morgan responded, instantly regretting pointing out the faux pas.

"Sorry," Cooper apologized. "I was just thinking how much better that shirt looks on you."

Morgan blushed and stabbed a bit of her salad before dipping it in the side of dressing and eating it.

---

Polly put Morgan's clothes in the washing machine with some detergent and turned it on as she hummed happily. She continued to hum as she made her way to Opus, where she ordered a sandwich. Just as she was finishing it, Piper found her. "Polly, I need your help," she said. "I have a client who needs a manicure desperately."

"Polly have plenty of time," she said with a smile.

"Great," Piper said and they headed towards the salon before stopping suddenly. "Wait a minute. Weren't you supposed to be bowling with Morgan and Cooper?"

Polly grinned. "Have accident with lobster bisque. Morgan very messy. Maybe Cooper help clean up." Her voice was full of innuendo.

Piper smiled. "Polly, what did you do?"

"Steal towels in Cooper room," she said. "Dump soup all over Morgan head. Accident." Polly made air quotes around the word. "Have housekeep take towels and robe with Cooper laundry." She explained excitedly. "I take Morgan clothes to wash but leave Cooper and Morgan four hours." She held up four fingers then folded her arms proudly across her chest. "If they lucky… which Polly make them… they do bang-bang about now." She shrugged. "Or soon."

"You left Morgan in Cooper's suite with nothing to wear?" Polly nodded as Piper tried not to laugh. "That was a horrible thing to do," she said.

"No, no," Polly said. "They thank Polly. Been push them since see them come out of bang-bang room."

"The hook-up room?" Piper said. "Morgan was just telling me about that."

"Bang-bang room," Polly replied. "Nothing happen in there, but should."

"You know he's at least twenty years older than she is?"

"Twenty-three," Polly said. "I look up."

"And he's our boss," Piper pointed out, using Morgan's own arguments.

"So?" Polly told her. "Big boss need sex. Morgan need sex. Work at casino as long as Polly and she never have in whole time."

"Maybe she's gay," Piper suggested.

"See her look at sexy guy before," Polly said. "See her check out Cooper butt in jean during bowl more den once. She no look at women that way."

"Good point," Piper said. "But you can't leave them in his suite for four hours. Especially without any clothes for her. What makes you think he will stay and entertain her for that long?"

"He gentleman and cowboy," Polly responded. "You know what they say? 'Save horse…'"

"Ride a cowboy," Piper finished with a smile.

"She look sexy in one Cooper's shirts," Polly went on. "Turn on Cooper next thing know, make bang-bang. But I use help with plan."

"What do you need?"

"I take underwear, too," Polly told her. "Ugly cotton underwear. You help Polly buy sexy lingerie for her wear."

"Do you have her size?" Polly nodded. "Purple." Piper said. "I'm guessing it is her favorite color since she wears a lot of it. If we get it in her favorite color, she'll be more likely to wear it."

Polly smiled. "Maybe wear for Cooper?"

Piper smiled back. "You never know…"

---

"You don't have to keep me company while I wait for Polly," Morgan said as she sat on the couch. Cooper sat across from her on the love seat smoking a cigar and looking through a file Danny had given him several days ago but he hadn't had time for until now.

"I have been meaning to go over this for several days," he replied then took a final drag from the cigar and put it out in a nearby ash tray. "I hadn't planned anything else besides the bowling for this afternoon."

Morgan stole a look at the clock to see that it was almost 3. She fiddled with the top button of the shirt that she was wearing. "What is taking her so long?" she muttered.

Cooper closed the file and stood, tossing it on the table where their empty plates were neatly stacked. He disappeared around the corner and came back with a deck of cards and a tin of small shortbread cookies. "How about we play some poker while we wait?"

"I hope you're not suggesting strip poker, because we'd only play one hand before I'd lose," she said before instantly regretting it.

He looked at her, surprised. "I figured we'd play for these cookies," he said.

"How about we play for higher stakes," Morgan suggested. "You win; we'll play poker or bowl or whatever else you can think of to keep us busy until Polly gets back."

He began shuffling the cards. "If you win…?"

"If I win," she began. "You go to your office or wherever you need to, and get some work done. Maybe get a head start on the weekend."

"OK," Cooper agreed. He dealt the cards.

"Just to warn you," Morgan said. "I don't play much poker and I'm not completely sure of the rules. I barely know what beats what. So go easy on me."

"Poker is as much about luck, as skill," Cooper said as he looked at his cards. He watched her bite her lip as she debated her hand. "Dealer takes two," he said as he set two of his cards aside and took two more from the deck. 'Much better,' he thought as he looked at the full house he now had.

He looked at her expectantly. She laid one card on the coffee table between them. "Just one," she said.

Cooper dealt the new card and waited for her to respond. She looked up at him. "Go ahead and show your cards," he told her.

She put her cards down. Two threes and two fours with a Jack high. He put down his full house.

"Ok," she said. "That beats me."

He gathered the cards, and began shuffling them again. "Another hand?"

"Sure."

"What are the stakes this time?"

"I haven't got a chance of beating you," she said. "So how about this. If you win, we start playing for the cookies. If I win, we do what Polly thinks we should be doing," Morgan went on. "What she wants us to be doing." Morgan looked him in the eye. "Having sex."

He looked at her in surprise. "Are you that sure that you're going to lose?" Cooper asked and she nodded. "OK." He was a bit hesitant about this bet. "But this time, you deal." He handed her the cards.

"You're sure?" she asked as she took the deck.

"If you're that sure you'll lose again," Cooper said. "I guess I am, too. Just remember what I said. Poker is as much about luck as skill." He leaned forward in his seat. "But you still have to try to win. Don't throw the hand or fold just because you have a winning hand and you don't want it to be. You've got to be willing to receive payment on a bet like that."

Morgan nodded and carefully leaned forward. "Are you willing to pay out?"

Cooper swallowed. "Sure."

Suddenly, she wasn't sure, but she'd already committed herself to the bet. She reached out a hand. "Deal," she said with a confidence she no longer felt. Cooper nodded and shook her hand. She dealt the cards.

She put the stack on the table and picked up her five cards. She had nothing. She could keep that nothing, but she'd made the deal with Cooper so she kept the ten of diamonds, her highest card, and dealt herself four others.

"One," Cooper said as he tossed one of his cards on the table. Morgan dealt him a new card. He looked at his cards then up at Morgan expectantly.

She looked at her cards and her heart fell. There was only one way he could win this hand and she knew it. By tying with her. And the chances of that were astronomical.

He laid his cards on the table. He had a four to eight in spades, a flush, and the second highest hand in Poker. Then Morgan hesitantly laid her cards down and Cooper looked at them in shock.

The only hand in Poker that could win over a flush… five sequential cards of the same suit… was a royal flush. She spread her cards out… ten, jack, queen, king, and ace… all of diamonds. With beginner's luck she'd hit a royal flush.

Whether she saw the luck as good or bad, he couldn't tell from her face, but he hesitated a few beats then slowly stood. He wanted to ask if she was sure she wanted to do this, but a bet was a bet.

"Do you want to collect here or in the bedroom?"

She looked up at him as he towered over her. Finally she spoke. "Here's fine," she said, her voice shaking, then got out of her own seat. Cooper unbuttoned his bowling shirt then did the same with the button-fly jeans he wore. He started to push them down his hips when she pushed him back on the love seat and straddled him.

She'd unbuttoned the shirt she was wearing and he suddenly found himself going almost uncomfortably hard at the sight of her naked body. She took a breath and slid her hands into his boxers. They slid down until his arousal was exposed. He closed his eyes and moaned as she pulled it clear of the clothing and began to slowly stroke it.

'What the hell am I doing?' she thought. 'Am I really collecting on a bet that was supposed to be a joke?' She stopped stroking him as he put his hands on her legs. 'Does he want me to stop?' she wondered. Part of her wanted to back out. But the other part reminded her how long it had been since she'd had sex. 'Just don't kiss him,' that part told her. 'Or let him kiss you.'

He opened his eyes to look at her and saw the uncertainty on her face. He pulled her so she was standing on her knees and she placed her hands on his shoulders in surprise. He released her with one hand to slide it between her legs. She gasped as he slid his fingers between the folds of her sensitive flesh. She was slick and wet. 'Oh, yeah,' he thought. 'She's ready.'

He grasped his member and guided it to her. The tip buried inside and Cooper moved his hand back to her hip. Before he could slide her down over it, she had moved, burying him inside her. He arched in surprise; plunging deeper. She gasped and gripped his shoulders harder.

She was breathing hard and heavy, her face inches from his own. She slid on her forearms until her elbows rested on the back of the love seat, her forearms supporting his head. Together, they began to move, eyes locked, breathing synced. He moved his hands to open both shirts so their bare chests could press against one another.

In an effort to clear some of the cobwebs, Cooper asked, "How long has it been?"

Morgan knew what he was asking since she had wondered the same thing. "Six years," she breathed. "You?"

He gripped her waist to speed up their rhythm. "Ten."

Sweat soon slicked their bodies as they moved against each other. It felt like their movement was slow and time itself seemed to slow down. Cooper slid his hands up to her breasts and pinched her nipples, rolling them between his fingertips until they went hard as she moaned in his ear. Then, he pushed her away, changing the angle of penetration and causing her to cry out.

"Cooper!" she screamed his name and gripped his shoulders, her fingernails digging into his skin.

He smiled as he released her breasts and moved one hand back to her hip, sliding the other between them where he pressed her clit with his fingertip. She cried out and threw her head back, arching her body and thrusting her breasts at him.

That little maneuver sent the waves of pleasure back at him and he let his head fall back against the furniture with a moan. She smiled at how his handiwork had come back to him then squeezed her knees together. He writhed beneath her and cursed.

"Another move like that…" he left the rest of the thought unspoken as she changed position again then cried out as he felt her orgasm. Seconds later, he exploded inside her and cried out before she collapsed against him.

She lay there for several minutes, catching her breath before she sat up and ran a hand through her hair. She placed her other hand gently on his chest as it rose and fell. He let it set there while he regained control of his body and breathing.

Finally, he looked up at her and made a sudden realization. She'd ridden bareback with no protection. She jerked and slid him out of her with the same realization.

Standing over him, she took a deep breath. "Did we really just do that?"

Cooper nodded. "Yeah. A bet's a bet," he stated. "Was it paid satisfactorily?"

She nodded and closed the shirt and started buttoning it, pushing her hair out of her face. She turned away and stepped back around the coffee table.

Cooper took a breath before he pushed himself off the love seat and tucked himself back in his boxers before heading into the bathroom where she could hear the water run for a few minutes. When he came back out, he was put back together and buttoned up, his facial hair slightly damp.

Morgan took a breath. "I think we probably agree that," she began. "Polly does not need to know about all this."

Cooper gripped her face and kissed her before she could stop him.

"Agreed," he replied.

---

Piper carried the bag with the lingerie in it as she followed Polly from the elevator on the 37th floor. Polly held Morgan's freshly laundered and ironed clothing as it hung from a hanger. She knocked at the door and Piper handed her the bag which Polly held behind her back. Piper gave her a thumbs up before she went around a corner to be out of sight of the door just as Cooper opened it.

"Polly," Cooper announced then returned to where he had been at the desk in the corner.

"Bout damn time," Morgan said from where she sat on the couch. A game of solitaire was spread out on the coffee table before her. She stood and took the hanger before turning to the bathroom to change back into them. "Three hours of solitaire…" she trailed off and looked back at Polly. "What about my underwear?"

"Wash machine eat them," Polly said with a guilty look. She held up the lingerie bag. "But I buy you new."

Morgan took the bag and pulled the lacy purple bra from it. "This is not the kind of underwear I wear."

"Polly sorry," she said. "But they not carry kind you wear. So I buy silk underwear. Nicer but still breathe." She pulled out the matching panties. "And they you favorite color. Always wear purple on top. Now wear under, too."

Morgan glanced to Cooper as he surreptitiously watched the events unfolding. She rolled her eyes. "I'll try them," she told her and Polly gleefully smiled and clapped her hands.

In the privacy of the bathroom, Morgan unbuttoned Cooper's shirt and slid it down her shoulders, her breath catching as she remembered the feel of his hands on her body. She hung it on the hook next to the door and pulled the panties from the bag and slid them on. She rubbed her hands along them. They fit like a glove and felt kind of nice so she put the bra on. The bra pushed her breasts up, making them look perky and showing off her cleavage. She stopped to admire the way she looked in the mirror, an image of Cooper taking them back off coming unbidden.

She put her shirt on then pulled her pants up her hips. She tucked her shirt into her waist and buttoned them. She glanced in the mirror to find she liked the way the new bra made her look.

She went out to find Polly waiting for her. "Look sexy," Polly said. She turned to watch Cooper roll a bowling ball down the alley through the dividers. "You and big boss do bang-bang pass time?"

"No, we played poker and… wait, what?"

. "You bang-bang?" She moved her hips as if to demonstrate.

"No," she said. "Did you set us up?" Polly ducked her head and nodded. "What were you thinking?"

"I only want big boss happy," she said. "Not-so-big boss happy too, good side effect." She looked at the floor. "You tell Cooper?"

Morgan seemed to think about it. She and Cooper had already discussed what to do about Polly's behavior. They had agreed that she needed to be reprimanded but were not prepared to punish an action that was from her heart.

"No, I won't tell Cooper," she told her. "But if Cooper and I want to hook up, that's our business, got that?" Polly nodded. "Good, now let's go bowl a few frames before we go home."

"First," Polly said and reached to unbutton Morgan's top button. Morgan slapped her hand away.

"What are you doing?"

"Sexy new bra make boobs perky," Polly told her. "Should show off."

Morgan glanced down then unbuttoned the top button. "Happy?"

"Polly not matter," she said. "Morgan like?"

Morgan shrugged.

"You two going to bowl or talk?" Cooper called out. "If you're going to talk, leave!"

"We're coming," Morgan said and led Polly into the bowling area.

---

Morgan found herself in Opus with a drink in her hand. She drank it down then signaled for another. As she waited, she fiddled with a sprig of the holly that Delinda had decorated the bar with for Christmas.

"Taking lessons from Sam?" Delinda asked from behind her.

Morgan glanced back at her. "Just blowing off steam," she said as she drank the second drink down and signaled for a third.

"I heard about Polly's little trick," Delinda said.

Morgan turned suddenly to her. "What was she thinking?" she said and turned back to drink the third drink down. She was starting to feel a little tipsy. "Wanting me to hook up with the boss."

"Well he is good looking," Delinda commented as Morgan signaled for one more.

"And he looks good in jeans," Morgan muttered. "And probably out of them too."

Delinda looked at her in shock. "Nothing happened, right?" she asked. "That's why you're getting drunk?"

Morgan nodded. "Yeah," she said. "Right."

"Maybe you wish something happened?" Delinda went on. "But you didn't let it?"

Morgan thought about what she'd done with Cooper in those hours while Polly was gone and regretted a few things, but no matter how much she wanted to, she just couldn't regret the sex. She downed the last drink and got up, almost falling.

"Whoa," she said as Delinda took her arm to steady her. "Who moved the room?"

Mike suddenly appeared out of nowhere and took her arm. "She OK?"

"I think she drank too much, too fast," Delinda told him. "Help me take her up to her room."

"Yeah," Mike said. He took Morgan's arm. "I got you."

In the elevator, she leaned against the back wall. "You never do this, Morgan," Delinda said. "Did you want something to happen?"

"Maybe," she replied with her eyes closed, but feeling Cooper's hands on her breasts. She gripped the rail behind her.

Mike and Delinda looked at each other. Mike smiled broadly. "You've got the hots for Cooper," he laughed.

"Just get me to my room before I do something I'll regret," she said.

Although Delinda and Mike thought it to mean a stop on the 37th floor, but she was afraid she'd admit her indiscretion in Cooper's suite. She'd already done the deed with him and getting drunk had only made her want more.

When they finally made it to the 51st floor, Delinda opened the door as Mike held her and they took her into her room. Delinda tossed aside the blankets and Mike deposited her there then Delinda took off her shoes and covered her up.

---

Several weeks had passed since the incident in Cooper's suite and both had found ways to avoid being alone together. It also meant the end of their weekly bowling sessions.

Morgan kept busy by taking classes in hotel management at UNLV just to update her decade old degree. Cooper began making big plans for the Montecito that he brought the staff in on when he needed them to be part of it. When he finally called a meeting of all department heads he had Morgan set it up in one of the smaller ball rooms.

When she walked in, most of them were there, and all talk stopped. Morgan stopped to look around at the faces staring at her, the awkwardness in the room almost something one could touch.

She wondered if it were her new bra, and discretely buttoned the top button that she had taken to leaving unbuttoned when Polly had introduced her to the line of lingerie. She met up with Mike and Danny.

"How's Delinda?" she asked Danny.

"The doctor put her on bed rest until she's closer to term," Danny replied. "Sorry to have to pile the extra work on you just when you're taking the management classes."

"That's all right," Morgan said. "It keeps me busy. I like busy."

Mike leaned in close as Danny kept a look out. "You need to know about something going around the rumor mill about you," he said.

"I thought there might be something," she replied. "From how everyone fell quiet when I came in."

"Yeah, well, it has to do with Polly's little trap a few weeks ago," he went on.

"Nothing happened," Morgan told him as she and Cooper both had since. "Except a little poker and a lot of solitaire." She reached to rub her forehead in frustration. "I wish they'd just let it go."

"Something new's going around," Danny put in.

"It's about what the window washers saw," Mike told her.

Morgan looked at him sharply and he went on. "It started a couple of days ago…"

---

John and Murray sat at the table in Mystique, sharing a drink after a day of washing windows. The waitress brought their order then said, "I bet you guys see a lot of weird stuff when you're doing the windows."

John laughed. "You got that right," he said. "We've seen people having fights and throwing things at each other, kids tearing up the hotel room and making faces at us, even people having sex without even noticing we're there."

"When did you last see that?" she asked.

"Last time we saw someone having sex was a few weeks ago on the thirty-seventh floor," Murray said.

Behind him, Sam was passing and stopped to ask, "Which wing?"

"South wing," he replied.

Sam got a silly smile. "Which side?"

"West," Murray said.

"Do you remember exactly when?"

"It was a Thursday," John put in. To Murray. "Remember? We went to that great rave on Saturday?"

"Yeah, that was a great rave," Murray agreed.

Sam smiled. "I don't suppose you saw who it was, did you?"

"Some old guy with a kind of beard and a hot brunette wearing a man's shirt," Murray said.

"You mean a goatee?"

"Yeah! John snapped a pic with his phone."

"Can I see?" Sam flashed a winning smile.

John smiled back. "Sure," he said as he pulled his phone out and flipped it open. He found the picture in his files and handed it over.

On the tiny screen, she could see two people in a room and they were obviously getting it on. The woman was straddling the man as he lay back on a love seat. Sam couldn't tell from the picture exactly who it was, but the room around them was familiar enough to tell her what she needed to know along with the date/time stamp in the corner. "I don't suppose I could send this to myself," she asked with a smile.

"Sure," John said with a shy smile as Sam sent the photograph to her own phone.

Sam handed the phone back. "Thanks," she told him with a flirty grin. She turned on her heel and went back the way she had come.

Piper had been watching from the next table and jumped up to follow Sam and caught up with her when she stopped to open the door to the back-of-house tunnels. "My ears perked up at the 37th floor, too," Piper said. "This have anything to do with Polly's failed plan to get Morgan and Cooper to hook up?"

Sam turned to look at Piper and whispered. "I don't think it failed." She flipped her phone open and showed Piper the picture she had sent herself from John's phone. "I think it succeeded spectacularly."

"That sure looks like Cooper's suite," Piper said. "But you can't be sure it is and that's them."

"Yeah, but look at the time stamp," Sam pointed out. "The date and time are right for it."

"So where are you going?"

"To see if Mike can enhance it," Sam replied.

"Then what? Confront one or both of them?" Piper asked. "And after Cooper told you about the high roller floor in the new tower."

"Polly's been a bit down since they reprimanded her for her little trick," Sam said. "I thought this would cheer her up."

"Well look who's getting nice in her old age," Piper said with a smile.

Sam pointed at her and let the smile fade away. "I'm not old," She insisted. "You coming?"

"I wouldn't miss this," Piper replied. "For anything."

---

Mike examined the picture on Sam's phone in the privacy of his office. "You've got to be kidding me," he said and pointed to the screen. "You can't tell it's them."

"I was hoping you could get it into your computer and enhance it," Sam said. "More for my own morbid curiosity than anything thing else."

"You still mad because they overturned Vic's lawsuit?" Mike asked.

"I'm not mad," Sam said. "They arrested Vic for Casey's murder."

"What?!"

"The found traces of the poison that killed Casey in his apartment," she said. "I told you that. Didn't I?"

Mike and Piper just stared at her.

"Never mind," Sam waved her hand. "Can you enhance the picture?"

"Of course I can," Mike said.

"Then let's see it," Sam said.

Mike plugged the phone into a cord and loaded the picture onto the security computer. Piper and Sam leaned down on either side of him as he worked. On the screen, the picture zoomed in on the couple then became clearer. Three jaws dropped as the picture became just barely clear enough to recognize them.

Cooper and Morgan were face to face, Morgan's hands on his shoulders inside of his unbuttoned bowling shirt. Cooper's hands were cupping her breasts, which were barely visible under the open shirt she wore; recognizable as one of his.

Mike zoomed the picture out and examined the room a little more. The table in the background had a stack of dishes and a file on it. The coffee table between the couch and the love seat where the two were had evidence of a card game. He pushed in on the cards and cleared it enough to see the poker hands. "Damn," he said.

"What?" Piper asked.

"They were playing poker," Mike said. "The hands are both winning hands, but the royal flush…" he pointed to the set of cards on the left. "…beats the flush."

"Wonder which one of them had the winning hand," Sam wondered aloud. "No need figuring out the prize."

Mike deleted the file. "Nobody hears this," he said as he pushed himself from the chair and unplugged the phone to hand back to Sam. "It's none of our business."

"Oh, come on Mike," Sam said as she took her phone. "Don't you at least want to ask one or the other about it? Or both?"

Mike hesitated for half a second. "No, no," he insisted. "Not our business."

Piper slid up to him and placed her hand in a sensitive place with a smile, causing him to melt. "Just one person?"

Mike smiled back. "Maybe just one."

"Great," Sam said. "Come on Piper."

"Just one," Mike reminded them as they left the room.

---

"Not even married two months," Morgan hissed at Mike. "And you're already wrapped around her little finger." She glanced down to his crotch. "Or maybe your own dick!"

"Hey," Mike said. "Maybe it's true, but you don't need to talk like that."

"I can see that you're mad," Danny began as he stepped between them.

"Mad?" Morgan said. "I'm not just mad. I'm furious. Why didn't you bring this to me… or to Cooper?"

"I have been trying to catch both of you for the past two days," Mike explained. "But with the lawsuit from Vic still causing problems and you taking classes at UNLV, this is the first chance I've gotten to talk to either one of you."

Morgan bowed her head to calm herself then looked back up at Mike. "I'm sorry Mike," she said. "I should have known you wouldn't do this maliciously."

"On the contrary," Mike said. "I'm thrilled you and Cooper have hooked up."

Morgan held up a finger. "It was just the one time," she said. "It won't happen again."

"Why not?" Mike asked with surprise. "I know you haven't the time right now, but maybe sometime in the future…?"

Morgan looked like she might says yes, but instead shook her head. "No, Mike. It can't."

"Why not?" Danny put it. "It did for me and Delinda. Now we're having a baby."

Morgan looked up at Danny like she might start to cry. "Because it can't. My life is complicated enough as it is." She stopped when she saw that Danny's gaze moved to a spot over her shoulder and she looked back to see that Cooper had entered the room. Danny patted her shoulder and went to talk to him.

"Can I just ask one thing?" Mike said.

"Shoot."

"Which one of you was holding the royal flush?"

Morgan took a breath and looked down. "The bet was just supposed to be a joke," she explained. "He bet a tin of cookies." She looked up at Mike. "I had the royal flush." She turned and took a seat in one of the chairs set up in rows for the meeting leaving a surprised Mike standing there.

---

Morgan breathed a sigh and shut her laptop computer before resting her head on it. She had started to doze off when a knock… no a pound... at the door woke her and she went to answer it.

Polly pushed her way in past Morgan and turned to face her. "I mad at you," she said.

"Come in," Morgan said sarcastically as she shut the door.

"You lie Polly," the other woman said. "I mad at you."

"Why?" Morgan asked, bored.

"You do bang-bang with Cooper and lie to Polly. I feel sorry… feel bad," she said. "You mean."

"But Polly," Morgan explained. "It's none of your business."

"I go to trouble of set up and you no even admit you bang-bang," Polly said with disappointment.

"My business," Morgan insisted. "And Cooper's. We'll decide…" she was interrupted by a knock at the door. "We'll decide if we want anyone to know."

"Always get out," Polly pointed out before Morgan pulled the door open.

Cooper stood in the doorway. "I was told that Polly is here," he said. Morgan waved him in.

Polly looked almost scared. "No gang on me," she said as she held up her hands.

"How'd she find out?" Cooper asked Morgan.

"It's a long story," Morgan replied. "But it starts with the window washers."

Cooper looked at her then shook his head. "We should have gone to the bedroom," he said.

"That's what I thought when I found out," Morgan replied as she took a deep breath against a sudden wave of nausea. "I'm going to be sick." She rushed to the bathroom and released her lunch there. When she was through, she rested on the floor for a minute. With a glance at the small bathroom trash, she sighed and pushed herself off the floor. "Now or never," she whispered to herself.

She was holding her locket as she came out. Cooper stood next to the door.

"You OK?" he asked. She nodded.

"Polly have you stressed sick," the woman said. "I leave. You calm down."

Morgan held out a hand to stop her. "I'm not done with you yet," she said. "But we'll discuss this later."

Polly nodded and scurried out of the room before Morgan could change her mind.

"You OK?" Cooper asked again. Morgan nodded. "I'm sorry about the stress. The new tower probably isn't helping matters…"

"I'm pregnant," Morgan blurted.

".. And with your classes and…," Cooper went on then stopped. "What did you say?"

"I'm pregnant."

Cooper was silent. "You're sure?"

"Six positive home tests made me take a trip to the clinic," she told him. "They gave me a blood test." She looked him in the eye. "I'm pregnant."

The silence in the room was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Cooper's jaw dropped slightly and Morgan sniffed and let her eyes fall. He took two large strides forward to pull her into his arms where he held her for several minutes before releasing her and leaving the apartment.

Alone in the elevator, Cooper concentrated on keeping his breathing even as he slid his hands casually into the pockets of his suit.

---

Morgan was surprised by Cooper's abrupt departure, standing for a time without moving. Slowly, she got over the shock and sank down onto the bed and just concentrated on her breathing for a few minutes before glancing at the clock. It was two hours until dinner at the restaurants so she decided to visit the one friend she had that might understand what she was going through.

Jillian answered the door at Delinda and Danny's condo. "Morgan!" she greeted her. "How are you?"

"I'm great, Jillian," Morgan said and she hugged her. "You think Delinda's up for visitors?"

"I'm sure she is for you," Jillian replied with a smile.

"Thanks," Morgan said as Jillian led her into the living room.

"I'll get some coffee," Jillian said and she left them alone.

Delinda was sitting on the couch with her feet propped up on the coffee table. Her hair was in pigtails and she wore a satin robe tied over her belly. She smiled up at her so Morgan leaned in for a hug. "How have you been?"

"On house arrest," Delinda replied. "At least that's what it feels like."

Morgan smiled and sat next to Delinda on the couch. Delinda turned to face Morgan, tucking her feet up under her as she adjusted her position on the couch. "So what's new?" she asked expectantly.

"Somehow," Morgan began. "I think you already know what's new."

"You and Cooper, huh," Delinda said. "I knew it. Is it serious?"

"I haven't a clue," Morgan replied as she leaned her head on her hand as she rested her elbow on the back of the couch.

"What exactly happened?" Delinda asked. "I want to hear the story first hand from you, not third hand from Danny."

"Polly had some plan," Morgan told her. "She came up with after catching Cooper and me coming out of the hook-up room…"

---

Morgan caught the locket as it fell from her neck then stopped to examine the break in the chain. The ring at the end near the clasp was broken and needed to be replaced. Morgan knew where to find a replacement and headed to the housekeeping closet in the hall near the dressing rooms.

Employees called the room the hook-up room. They used the room for intimacies that Morgan had no desire to know about. The cameras in the hallway were aimed just right so as someone could enter and leave the room without being seen and since the one door was the only way in or out, nobody had bothered to correct the problem.

The room housed a washer/dryer set and shelving that held overflow linen stock for the restaurants. In one end of the room was a sink that could be used for washing anything that couldn't go in the machine. Over it, Morgan had had installed a narrow shelf for washcloths and a framed sign that said "If you make a mess, you clean it up." The staff who used the room for purposes other than intended knew she meant business with the decree.

The door opened to the right, but to the left, was a small washroom with barely enough room for a toilet and sink. In her days as housekeeping manager, Morgan had kept a tight ship and stored a tool box with all manner of things to repair the costumes for the nightly chorus line shows. It was this tool box that she had come after.

Leaving the door open, she set her necklace on the dryer on a towel she had spread out and turned to grab the tool box on the shelf on the opposite wall. She took a pair of needle nose pliers from the inside then opened the small organizer on the outside to select a silver ring to match her locket's chain. She quickly made the repair and put the tools away.

As she picked up the locket on its chain to put it back on, she heard a voice from the doorway. "I'm looking for Morgan Carlisle."

"That would be me," she said as she looked up at the man in the doorway.

He wore a dark suit with a crisp white shirt and striped tie. He stood almost a head over Morgan's height of 5'10". His dark hair was neatly trimmed over brown eyes, and he sported a mustache/goatee combo that had salt and pepper running through it. He stuck out his hand and Morgan shook it. "I'm A.J. Cooper."

"Could you give me a hand?" she asked as she held up the necklace. She turned and presented her neck to him, pulling her hair out of the way. He took the ends of the necklace and dropped it past her face to hook at her neck. His hands were warm and gentle as he worked the clasp then released it to hang around her neck. "Thank you," she said as she turned to face him. "What can I do for you?"

"I'm told that you've replaced Mary Connell as the hotel manager," he said.

"That's right," Morgan said as she took the towel she had spread out and tossed it in the nearby hamper. "What can I do for you Mr. Cooper?"

"I'm the new owner of the Montecito," he said. "And it's just Cooper."

"Are you going to get rid of my position?"

"I see no reason to," Cooper replied. "I'm trying to get to know the heads of all the departments so I can make sure they are a good fit for their job."

She nodded in understanding and a knot of worry formed in her belly. "I'm new at my job," she informed him.

"I'm taking that into account," he said then suddenly, it seemed to her, changed the subject. "Do you bowl?"

She felt bewildered. "Uh, yes and no," she said. He looked at her questioningly. "Yes as to say I play. No, not often since I'm not very good at it."

"Do you like it?"

"I like the social aspect," she replied. "People tend to open up over a game."

He smiled. "Then you approve of my method?"

"Yeah," Morgan nodded. "But we'd better get out of here before someone gets the wrong idea."

"What does that mean?"

Morgan smiled, but was silent and she led him out. Just outside the door as they exited, they ran into Polly. "Dere you are," she said in her broken English. "I should know you with new owner," she said with a sly smile. "You no with man. He no with lady. Go good together." She gestured to the room they had just left. "You go bang-bang in room?"

Cooper's jaw dropped and Morgan shook her head rapidly. "No, no, no, no," Morgan said. "My chain broke again." She held up her locket. "No bang-bang."

Polly looked disappointed. "Not even suck face?"

Morgan rolled her eyes and Cooper realized what Polly was saying and began to chuckle. "Mr. Cooper…," she began.

"It's just Cooper," he corrected again.

"Cooper was just inviting me to go bowling," Morgan explained.

"In new suite?" Polly asked with a smile.

"New suite?" Morgan looked up at Cooper.

"I made a few changes to the suite damaged by the explosion," he explained. "It now houses a bowling lane."

"Sweet," Morgan said. "No pun intended."

Cooper smiled at her and she felt her pulse speed up. "So will you join me for a game?"

"Sure," Morgan said with a nod of her head. "Just let me know when."

"Hope for you yet," Polly said and lightly punched Cooper's arm.

"As a matter of fact," Cooper stated. "Why don't you join us?"

"That," Morgan said feeling relief. "Is a great idea."

"No," Polly refused. "You go head."

"But bowling is always more fun in a group rather than just two people," Morgan said.

"She's got a point," Cooper said.

Polly started to stick her lip out as if she wanted to pout. "When?"

Cooper looked at Morgan. "Good question."

She pulled out her PDA and checked her schedule. "I have all afternoon a week from next Thursday free. Soonest I can spare," she said with a shrug. "How's 1 o'clock?"

Polly nodded. "Sound good. I be ready." She sped off down the hall.

"Like I said," Morgan looked back at him. "Wrong idea."

Cooper watched Polly go then held out his hand. "Next Thursday at one," he confirmed as Morgan put her hand in his with a firm grip. "I'll see you then."

---

"So what happened on Thursday?" Jillian asked. She had joined Morgan and Delinda during Morgan's explanation and was included in the conversation as they sipped the hot coffee.

"Well, nothing but bowling that Thursday," Morgan replied. "But we ended up with a standing game every Thursday. On the Thursday in question, Cooper offered to have some food sent up since we'd all somehow skipped lunch. Polly insisted she was hungry for the lobster bisque. When I bent down to tie my shoe and Cooper's back was turned, she dumped it over my head and pretended it was an accident."

"Oh no," Delinda said as her hand flew to her mouth as Jillian shook her head. "That stuff is impossible to clean up if you don't do it immediately."

"Which if how I ended up in nothing but one of Cooper's shirts," she said. "Polly took my clothes to wash them and didn't come back for more than four hours. There wasn't a towel in the place but a tiny hand towel."

"Oh my," Jillian said as Delinda giggled. "How did you end up… you know?"

"Well, bowling was out of the question," Morgan said and Delinda went into a fit of giggles imagining that. "So he produced a deck of cards and a tin of cookies. He suggested we use the cookies to bet and play poker. I had already suggested he go to his office to get some work done, but he had scheduled the entire afternoon for our bowling game and gotten all the work for the day done that morning. So on our first hand I suggest we bet that. If I won, he'd go get a head start on the weekend while I waited for Polly. If he won, I'd let him keep me entertained until Polly came back."

Delinda giggled again. "So he entertained you, huh?"

Morgan shook her head. "We hadn't gotten to that yet," she said.

"Then what happened next?"

"He won that first hand," Morgan said.

"But he didn't expect sex until the next hand?" Jillian said as she waved her hand to quiet Delinda's giggles.

"He didn't bet that," she said. "I did."

That stopped Delinda's giggles. "You did?"

"It was meant to be a joke," Morgan admitted. "I knew what Polly was up to and so did he."

"What did you get that won you the hand?" Delinda asked.

Morgan took a breath. "A royal flush," she muttered.

"What?" the two women asked together.

Morgan took another breath and said it louder. "A royal flush," she repeated.

Delinda and Jillian stared at her in silence for several minutes. "How was he?" Jillian finally asked.

Delinda leaned forward and slapped at her mother's arm. "Mother!"

Jillian shrugged. "I was curious."

Morgan laughed.

"Wait was that the night you got drunk and Mike and I took you to up to your place?"

Morgan nodded and Delinda explained to Jillian. "She had like five drinks in ten minutes," she said then turned back to Morgan. "You almost told us then, didn't you?"

Morgan covered her mouth and nodded.

"So how were you outed?" Jillian asked instead.

"I know that," Delinda said. "The window washers."

"If we'd only gone to the bedroom…"

"You did it in the living room?" Jillian asked.

"On the love seat," Delinda told her mother. She sipped at her coffee. "Gives new meaning to the words love seat."

Morgan chuckled, but covered her face as Jillian rolled her eyes.

Suddenly, Jillian began laughing. "What's so funny?" Delinda asked.

"He owns the largest working cattle ranch in Wyoming?"

Morgan and Delinda looked at each other. "Yeah," Delinda confirmed.

"Save a horse," Jillian said. "Ride the cowboy."

Morgan began to laugh and turned red. "If you think I hadn't thought of that numerous times in the past few weeks," she said. "You've got another thing coming."

Jillian cleared her throat and calmed her laughter. "So you had sex and I repeat, how was he?"

Delinda looked at her expectantly.

Morgan looked down. "He was not bad," she said. "Good as a matter of fact."

Delinda and Jillian gave each other a look. "He leave you wanting more?" Jillian asked.

"Yes."

"You still feel his hands on you to this day when you move just right?" Delinda asked.

Morgan closed her eyes against the memory. "Hm. Yes."

"Do you wish he'd just screw your brains out then kiss them back in?" Jillian asked.

"Mom!" Delinda said in surprise.

"So I'm starting to miss your father. Sue me."

They laughed at Delinda's reaction before Jillian spoke again.

"That begs the question," she said. "Do you wish he'd screw your brains out then kiss them back in?"

Morgan sat as the two women stared at her. To avoid answering the question she blurted, "I'm pregnant."

This shocked them into silence. She went on, talking quickly. "Cooper knows, but no one else does, please don't say anything and I've got to go." She stood and headed for the door but Delinda grabbed her hand as she passed.

"I promise my lips are sealed," she said. "Please sit back down. Let's talk about this."

Morgan did as she requested. "I don't know what to tell you," she said.

"This is wonderful news," Delinda said. "But what did Cooper say?"

Morgan shrugged. "Nothing," she said. "He said nothing."

Jillian looked to her daughter. "Is that good or bad?"

"I don't know," she replied. She turned back to Morgan. "What did he do?"

"I just kind of blurted it," she said. "As he was talking. He said a few more words then stopped and asked if I was sure."

"He didn't ask if he was the father?" Jillian asked.

"He didn't have to," Morgan replied. "He knows." A tear rolled down her cheek and she wiped it away. "He's the only one I've been with in six years."

Jillian nodded. "Long drought."

"What did he do next?" Delinda asked.

"He crossed the room in like two strides and just held me for a minute," Morgan told them. "Then he was gone."

Delinda smiled. "He held you," she said. "I think that's probably good. I mean, I hope it's good."

"Me, too," Morgan said.

Their conversation stopped, effectively ending the conversation when Danny arrived home and kissed Delinda hello. "Girl talk?" he asked as he looked around. "If you're all talking about that whole thing with Cooper and Morgan," he went on. "I don't want to hear it."

---

Morgan was chatting with some customers when Cooper entered Opus. She saw him from the corner of her eye, but did not acknowledge him as he sat and was served by the bartender. Sam was watching from the corner, pretending to text someone on her phone as Morgan went from table to table. Finally, she stopped in front of Sam.

"Something I can get you?" Morgan asked her.

Sam smiled as she looked up at her. "No, nothing," she said. "Cooper's at the bar."

Morgan nodded. "I know," she told her. "I saw him come in."

"Don't you want to talk to him or anything?"

Morgan sat down across the table from Sam and leaned forward. "If we need to talk about anything we'll do it in private," she said. "In the meantime I suggest you mind your own business."

"But it's so much more fun to mind yours," Sam said then held up a hand. "I'm kidding. It's not so much you that people are talking about you but him. No one knows much about him before he came here so it makes them curious." She paused for effect then went on before she could respond. "You do realize he's married."

"He's divorced," Morgan said with a shake of her head. "Mike did a more extensive back ground check on him and found the record."

"That I hadn't heard," Sam said. "How long's it been since your little tryst? Eight weeks? Ten?"

"Nine," Morgan said as she stood. "Not that it matters." She took Sam's empty water glass and turned to leave.

"I was just trying to figure out how far along you are," Sam said in a conversational way. Morgan turned back in shock. "You're wondering how I knew," Sam went on. "I guessed. I've been watching you and you keep putting your hand on your belly. Delinda did that a lot in the early weeks of her pregnancy before she started showing." Sam smiled but there was no malice behind it. "Does he know?"

Morgan took a moment to glance back at him. "Yes," she nodded. "He knows." She turned back to Sam. "Nobody else will until we announce it though, right?"

Sam sat forward and held her hand out. "I'd pinky swear like Piper does but I think it's kind of childish so a handshake is going to have to do." Morgan shook it with a nod.

She turned back to the room of patrons then realized she was doing it again. Her hand was pressed protectively on her belly. She swiped at it as if she was dusting crumbs. She took the empty glass to the bar, stopping next to Cooper to hand it to the bartender. "Cooper," she greeted him.

"Morgan," he returned. "How are you?"

She took a breath. "Fine," she replied. "Sam knows."

"How?" Cooper asked then took a sip of his drink.

"I keep unconsciously putting my hand on my belly and she guessed from that," Morgan replied. "I didn't want to tell anyone else for a few more weeks."

"I'm sorry," he said.

"I was my own fault," she said. "I'll talk to Danny in the morning."

"I'll be there," Cooper said.

Morgan looked up at him. "You don't have to be," she told him. "But thanks." She moved away.

Cooper glanced over his shoulder at Sam. She noticed and smiled, lifting the drink that had just been delivered to her in a silent toast, then downing it quickly. He sighed and finished his drink before leaving the establishment.

---

Morgan tapped on Danny's office door and he called out for her to come in. She took a deep breath and pushed the door open, careful to close it behind her.

"Hey, Morgan. How're you doing?" he asked with a smile as he rearranged some of the piles of paper on his desk.

Morgan looked concerned. "Did she tell you?"

"Who tell me what?" Danny asked as he looked up at her.

"Delinda," she said the rolled her eyes. "Or Sam for that matter."

He looked puzzled. "Tell me what?" he repeated.

Morgan shook her head. "We need to talk," she said. "As per the Montecito employee manual, I have already informed the human resources department and now I'm officially informing you personally that I have had sexual contact with the owner."

Danny nodded his head. "I knew that," he replied. "But OK. Thanks for letting me know."

"There's more," she went on. The knock at the door stopped her and both looked over.

Danny winced at the familiar shadow in the frosted glass and stood to let Cooper in. He was dressed in his usual dark suit and came to stand next to the desk as Danny went to stand behind it.

"Let me guess," Danny said. "You've decided to continue the sexual contact."

"That's not it," she said. "I'm pregnant."

Cooper looked at her. "You sure like to blurt that out, don't you?"

"You want to repeat that?" Danny said as he leaned forward.

"I'm pregnant," Morgan repeated.

Danny looked from one to the other. "I… uh… what… uh… congratulations?" Morgan took a breath and smiled. Danny looked at her. "How are you? Morning sickness?"

"I've been lucky enough to have avoided morning sickness," she told him.

"Except that one time," Cooper put in.

"Polly had come to chew me out for lying about the, uh… contact," she explained. "I got sick and threw up."

"Polly knows?" Danny asked.

"No, thank heavens," she said. "She thought it was from stress and left before I told Cooper."

Danny nodded and glanced up at Cooper, who had been silent. "Does anyone else know?"

"Sam," Cooper said.

"Since when?"

"Last night," Morgan replied. "She noticed me putting my hand on my abdomen like Delinda did early on and guessed."

"I'll be surprised if the whole place doesn't know by now," Danny said. He looked from Cooper to Morgan and back. "I've never dealt with a situation like this before." When neither Cooper nor Morgan said anything, Danny made a decision. "I'm just going to use my feelers on this one," he said. "If it's out there, it's out there."

"You can't put the toothpaste back in the tube," Morgan commented.

"Right," Danny said. "If it's out there, we'll just leave it be." He looked pointedly at Morgan. "Try not to let it get you stressed, OK?" Morgan nodded and he looked at Cooper. "We'll do something if it disrupts business too much."

"What if it's not out there?" Cooper asked.

"Then I leave it to you to make an announcement," Danny said. "That's not really my business. Running this casino is." He looked at Cooper who smiled. "If that is acceptable with the owner."

Cooper nodded. "Works for me," he said and turned to Morgan. "You?"

Morgan nodded as well and smiled. "I'm satisfied."

Danny nodded and looked at Morgan. "I want you to take care of yourself because I'm going to need you when our baby's born. Not that I don't trust Mike to handle the job, but he's learning and you're still learning and we want things to go smoothly."

"Understood, Danny," Morgan said and turned to go before turning back. "You know, Ed would be proud of you."

Danny only grinned sheepishly.

---

After the meeting with Danny, Morgan did her normal rounds, checking stock, filling out purchase orders, making sure the guests were happy and enjoying themselves.

At one point, Sam slipped a note into her hand with a smile. "From Cooper," she whispered.

"Thanks," Morgan asked and she unfolded it to read. 'Suite. 6 pm' was all it said.

"You think it's about you know what?" Sam whispered.

"Don't know," Morgan replied as she folded it up and slid it into her pocket. "But thanks for your discretion."

"You're welcome," Sam said. "You do know that I want to be in the front row when you finally announce this, right?"

"Announce what?" Piper piped up from behind them.

They both jumped and turned around. "Announce what?" Piper repeated.

Sam smiled. "Morgan is trying to get a very famous musical group here and she doesn't want to let it out until she's sure she's got them."

"I was just asking Sam for some advice," Morgan went along. "She hasn't got any."

"Too bad," Piper said. "Who is it that you're trying to get?"

"I don't want to jinx it by revealing too much," Morgan said.

"She wouldn't even tell me the group," Sam put in. "And she was asking me for advice."

"Boy or girl?" Piper asked.

"What?" they both asked in surprise.

"Boy band or girl group?" Piper said. "Jeeze. You'd have thought I'd just asked if you were pregnant."

Sam started to laugh, but Morgan shook her head. "I won't say," she said. "It'd spoil the surprise." She walked away.

She made it to the elevator just in time to board after it unloaded and pushed the button for the floor where her apartment was. The doors closed and she leaned back against the back wall and let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding.

---

At precisely six o'clock, Morgan knocked on Cooper's door. He opened it quickly and she went in.

He was wearing a new bowling shirt with a pair of faded jeans. He waited to speak until the door was securely closed. "We need to talk," he said.

"I know," she replied.

"Our little secret hasn't got out yet, but it's only a matter of time," he went on. He waved her to the bowling lane. "I'm not sure whether you can play in your condition," he said. "But I hope you don't mind if I play some. It calms me."

"I can play, I asked," Morgan. "At my appointment last week."

He lit a cigar before he started his game and took a couple puffs before looking at her and putting it out with a sigh. "I guess I'm going to have to give these up."

"Why?" Morgan asked. "Just smoke outside or when I'm not around." She stopped to watch as he rolled the ball down the lane. "Would you like to go next time?"

"Go to what?"

"To my next appointment with the OB," she replied.

"Do you want me to go?"

Morgan looked at the ceiling. "I don't know," she said. "It's still sinking in."

"Me too." He slid his hands in his pockets.

"I keep thinking of all the things that need to be done," she said.

"Plenty of time and money to get everything done," he said.

"Do you have any children?"

Cooper shook his head. "Never had the time."

"How is it that you seemed so knowledgeable about Delinda's pregnancy?" she asked. "If you had no children of your own."

"Mike's not the only person who can do research," he replied.

Morgan smiled. "OK," she said. "I'm going to go. I promised to have dinner with Delinda and Danny tonight."

"I'll see you later, then," he said.

"Enjoy your game," she said then gestured to the cigar he had lit then extinguished. "And your cigar."

---

First it was a knock, then a pound and he heard her call out his name. "Cooper!" The panic evident in her voice made him speed up as he tied the belt to his robe on the way down the stairs.

He threw the door open to find Morgan on the verge of tears. "I'm bleeding," she said.

"Give me five minutes," he said and she stepped through the door, closing it behind her. He ran back up the stairs and was back in less than the five minutes he'd requested, buttoning up his shirt as he went. "Let's go."

"How long?" he asked when they were alone on the elevator.

She shook her head. "I don't know," she said. "I woke up and there was blood. Not a lot but enough that I was concerned."

"Concerned?" Cooper turned to her. "You're on the verge of panic."

"Maybe more than concerned," she amended. "I can't help but think something's wrong." She looked up at him. "I don't feel pregnant. I've had mild nausea, and some fatigue, but otherwise I've felt fine." She looked at the floor. "Now this."

"We'll find out what's going on," Cooper told her. "And everything will be fine."

He took her hand and held it until he put her in the passenger side of his truck.

---

Morgan lay on the ER bed, Cooper at her side, waiting for the doctor and staring at the ceiling. Her OB came into the room, dressed in scrubs. She looked at Morgan's chart.

"You're lucky I was here for a delivery," she said then gestured to Cooper. "Is this a friend?"

"No," Morgan said. "This is Cooper. He's the baby's father."

The doctor nodded. "I'm told you've been having some bleeding."

"That's right," Morgan replied.

"Any pain or discomfort? Cramps?"

Morgan shook her head no. "I just woke up to go to the bathroom and there was blood."

The OB asked her a few more pertinent questions. "I don't think there's anything to worry about," she said. "During the first trimester, there is sometimes some bleeding. It's always wise to get checked out as soon as possible though because it can often be the first sign of a miscarriage." She paused to make a note in the chart. "The absence of cramping or pain is actually a good thing. It means it's likely nothing. I'm ordering an ultrasound just in case because the bleeding can also be a sign of something called Placenta Previa. That's when the placenta has attached on or near the cervix and that can be dangerous."

"Are they taking her now?" Cooper asked as his phone beeped, indicating an incoming text.

The doctor nodded. "They'll do the scan and if the tech sees anything unusual, they'll come and get me in labor/delivery."

Cooper showed Morgan the text he had just gotten and she smiled. She looked up at the doctor. "Would you tell Delinda we'll be up when we get done here?"

The doctor smiled. "Is that who the text is from?"

"Yes," Morgan replied. "Danny and Delinda are good friends."

"I'll let them know you'll be up," the doctor said with a smile. She squeezed Morgan's hand. "It'll be fine." Then she left the room.

Morgan let her head fall back on the pillow. "How you doing?" Cooper asked, his hand on her wrist.

"I feel a little better, now," she said. "But I'm still worried."

"It'll be fine," he said.

Morgan took a breath to calm herself and settled in to wait.

---

The technician squirted a hefty amount of the gel on Morgan's belly. "They keep the gel in a wipes warmer to keep it warm for our mommies," she told them.

Cooper stood across from her, holding her hand and stroking the back with his thumb as the tech worked. The tech took the sensor and placed it in the gel against her skin and moved it around until they heard a heartbeat, strong and fast.

"There's your baby's heartbeat," she said as she continued to move the probe around. She stopped it and looked, then stopped it to look again. Then she hung the probe and smiled with a quick, "I'll be back."

By the time she came back with the doctor, Morgan's heart was in her throat. The tech showed the doctor what she had seen and the doctor smiled. "Is that what I think it is?" the tech asked.

"You've never seen this before?"

The tech shook her head no. "Not this early."

"Now you have," the doctor said. She looked at Morgan and Cooper. "You have nothing to worry about. The ultrasound tech is fairly new at this and saw something she'd never seen before." She moved the probe around until she found the optimum spot to show them what the tech had found then pointed it out on the screen. "See?" she said. "There and there."

Morgan looked at Cooper. He had a surprised look on his face.

---

Danny was dressed in hospital scrubs and standing outside the delivery room when they got there. He smiled. "You guys are just in time," he said, then looked from one to the other. "What's the news?"

"We're fine," Morgan said, but she seemed a little freaked.

Danny looked at Cooper to find that the older man looked even more freaked than Morgan.

"You sure?" Danny asked.

Morgan nodded them jabbed Cooper, who started nodding, too.

"Perfectly fine," he said. "Eleven weeks. Strong heart beats…"

"Ultrasound?" Morgan nodded. "That's about when I freaked, too," Danny went on.

"That's nothing," Morgan said. "Compared to mine. Trust me." She gestured to the room. "She OK?"

Danny jumped, suddenly remembering what was going on. "Girl," he said. "Seven pounds, eleven ounces."

"You're kidding," Morgan said, shaking off the shock of her own. "She ready for visitors?"

"Oh, yeah," Danny said. "She's been waiting ever since the doctor said you were down in the ER."

She went in and Cooper sat on the bench across the hall. "You OK?" Danny asked as he sat down next to him.

"I was caught off guard by an unplanned pregnancy," Cooper said. "Now, I'm…" he stopped to shake his head.

"I'm sure it can't be all that bad," Danny said.

"No, it's not bad," Cooper said and he looked at Danny over his shoulder. "But this… knocked my socks off."

---

"Hey," Morgan said lightly when she went into Delinda's room. "I hear it's a girl."

Delinda nodded. "Are you…?"

Morgan nodded her head. "We're fine. Sometimes bleeding occurs during the first trimester for no reason," she said. "That's all it was."

"It was scary though, huh," Delinda said.

"Almost as scary as yours a few weeks ago," Morgan replied as she stroked the head of the newborn that Delinda held. "She's so beautiful."

"Your baby will be beautiful, too," Delinda said.

Morgan looked up at her friend. "Where's Jillian?"

"She went back to the house to try and call Daddy on the satellite phone," Delinda replied. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing and everything," Morgan said as she sat on the bed next to Delinda.

"Is there something wrong with the baby?"

Morgan opened her mouth to answer, but nothing would come out. She took a breath and held up two fingers.

"Two? Two what?" Delinda asked then it clicked. "Oh my…"

---

Sam was waiting at Morgan's door when she returned. "What happened that sent you and Cooper rushing out of here at two in the morning?" she asked.

Morgan slid her key card in the slot and opened her door. "I was having some bleeding," she replied.

"Did you have a miscarriage?" Sam asked. "Please don't have had a miscarriage. I don't think I could deal with the crying."

"Everything's fine," Morgan replied. "When did you grow a heart?"

"I'm still trying to figure that out, but I think it was about the same time the Grinch did," Sam replied. "What about Delinda?"

"Girl, seven pounds, eleven ounces," Morgan replied. "Mom and baby doing fine."

Sam smiled broadly. "That's great," she said. "After everything that's happened the past few months…"

"Yeah, it's been strange," Morgan replied.

"Are you sure everything's OK with you?" Sam asked. "You just seem a little…" she searched for the right word, but shrugged when she couldn't find it.

"Babies fine," Morgan said. "Nothing to worry about."

"OK then," Sam said. "I'll go. But I still want to be there when you make the announcement."

"You will be," she said. "You should be getting a text from Cooper at any time."

"OK," Sam said. "I'll see you then." She left abruptly to the shake of Morgan's head.

She stalked down the hall and was waiting by the elevator when the text came through from Cooper. My suite, 1 pm. Opus 2. The first meeting she figured was a private meeting with their friends, the second to announce to the staff their little surprise. Sam smiled as the elevator doors opened and she stepped on, still trying to figure out why Morgan was… freaked. That was the word. She stuck her hand out to stop the doors from closing and got off the elevator, her smile broader then before.

---

When the door closed behind Sam, Morgan turned to her bed, intent on changing the sheets and sending the dirty ones to the laundry when she heard a voice behind her. "Seven, eleven, huh," the voice said.

She turned to see Ed Deline standing in the doorway leading to the tiny kitchen. "Ed!" Morgan exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"I've got a tap on the place still," he said. "Wanted to keep an eye on things in case this new owner didn't know what the hell he was doing."

"He didn't," Morgan commented. "He learned fast though."

"He sure did," Ed replied. "How's Delinda?"

"Mommy and baby doing fine," she said.

"What's this with you?"

"I'm eleven weeks pregnant," Morgan shrugged.

"With the new owner's baby?" Ed said. "How did that happen?"

Before she could tell him, there was a pounding on the door. "Open up!" Sam called. "I think I know why you're freaked!"

Ed went back into the tiny kitchen so Morgan could answer the door. Just before she reached it, Sam called out again. "Or I could just yell it through the door!"

Morgan opened the door and grabbed Sam's arm to jerk her in. "Don't do that!" she exclaimed as she closed the door behind her.

"Twins," Sam said. "You're having twins!" Morgan looked surprised so Sam went on. "What else would explain you being so freaked?"

"Nobody else knows," she said. "At least nobody around here."

"And you're going to announce it at the meeting this afternoon," Sam said. "I won't say a word." She paused. "I'm just glad it'll only be a couple of hours," she said. "This kind of news deserves to be told."

"Well it will be," Morgan said. "Starting at one this afternoon."

"OK," Sam replied. "I'll see you then."

Morgan rubbed her eyes as Sam left again. "You think she'll explode?" Ed asked.

"Who knows," Morgan replied. "Maybe she will and we won't have to worry about it anymore."

"So twins?"

Morgan nodded and waved him to a seat. "How much do you know?"

"I've surmised that Polly had something to do with it," he said. "What'd she do? Lock you in a closet?"

"She might as well have," Morgan said. She told him about Polly's little trick.

"What's this about a bet?"

"It was supposed to be a joke," Morgan said. "Blackjack was always my game, but he'd suggested a few hands of poker to pass the time. I never win at poker and thought that the hand would be no different."

"Yeah, but cookies against…," Ed said with a wave of his hand at her. "Not a wise bet."

"Hindsight is 20/20," Morgan quoted the old adage.

Ed nodded. "And he obviously paid out," he said. "And you took payment. How'd you keep it quiet for so long?"

"We lied through our teeth."

"Just out of curiosity," Ed began. "What was the winning hand?"

"Well, he had a flush," she said.

Ed laughed. "I think you should stay away from poker," he said. He grasped her wrist. "You OK?"

Morgan nodded then changed the subject. "So what's the plan for you to get to see your new grandbaby?"

---

Polly, Mike, Piper, and Sam sat in the main living area of Cooper's suite. "So what up?" Polly asked. "You get married now?"

Morgan sighed with the sudden feeling that Polly's next goal would be a wedding for her and Cooper.

"No," Cooper said.

"Don't even think about it," Morgan said as she pointed at the woman.

"What then?" Piper put in. "Unless you're pregnant."

They began to laugh, even Sam, who was faking it.

"Yeah," Mike put in. "Twins." They laughed harder as Sam stopped.

Then they realized that Cooper and Morgan were not laughing. They stopped and stared at them.

"You're not," Mike said.

Morgan nodded. "I am. Eleven weeks."

Three jaws fell. Then Polly noticed that Sam was not surprised. "You know?" Polly said and slapped Sam's arm. "You know and not tell friend?"

"I promised!"

"Since when have you been able to keep a secret?" Mike put in.

"Wait a minute guys," Piper said as she looked at Morgan. "They're having twins."

They looked at them and Morgan nodded. Almost as one, they stood, offering congratulations. "That is," Mike said, halting the talk. "If you're happy about this…"

Morgan looked at Cooper and he looked back. When he smiled, Morgan smiled, too. "I guess we are," she said.

---

At two o'clock, in Opus, the group of department heads was gathered and Morgan stood next to Cooper to make the announcement.

"First of all," Cooper began. "We have news about Delinda and Danny's baby. It was a girl born around 3:30 this morning. 7 pounds 11 ounces."

Morgan waited a few minutes as the assembled employees chattered about the exciting news. "In other news…," she said loudly. Some of them stopped and looked, but most kept chatting.

"Just blurt it out," Cooper said. "You seem to like doing it that way."

So Morgan raised her voice and almost shouted. "I'm pregnant!"

She did a silent ten count as the group started to realize what she'd said and fell quiet. "Now, before any of you ask," she went on. "The rumors about Cooper and I…" she stopped to consider her words before going on. "There is some truth to some of them. It happened just the one time and he is the father." She took a look up at him and he looked at her as if asking if she wanted him to say the rest. "I got it," she said quietly as she patted his arm. "There was an incident this morning and we coincidentally ended up at the hospital at the same time as Danny and Delinda. Well, long story short, it's twins."

Nobody said a word, but they just stared. Finally, Katie spoke. "Are you going to get married?"

Cooper shook his head. "No," he said. "Not in the foreseeable future."

Morgan took a breath. "We will be parenting together," she put in. "But, we're not planning on getting married."

They seemed disappointed but took it in stride. They each offered their disappointed congratulations as the group broke up.

"Was it my imagination?" Cooper asked. "Or did they seem disappointed?"

"They were disappointed," Morgan said and she glanced up at him. "You look tired." She started to head to the elevators.

"So do you," he replied. ""Go catch a nap."

"Only if you go catch one, too."

He pressed the up button and slid his hands in his pockets. "I will," he said then changed the subject. "Are you really working on getting some big group or was that a cover?"

"I am," Morgan told him as they stepped in the car. "I just used it as cover."

"Are you going to tell me about it?"

"Maybe," she smiled as the doors slid closed.

---

Mike headed through the back halls of the Montecito on his way to Surveillance/Security.

"Mike," he heard his name called and turned to see Morgan racing to catch up to him. "I need your help with something."

"Anything," he said with a smile.

She moved to whisper in his ear. "Ed's here."

"You're kidding," Mike said softly. "Where?"

"My apartment," he said.

"Jillian called him?"

She shook her head. "He's been here since the plane crash," she told him.

"In your apartment?"

"No, here in Vegas," she replied. "He came to see what was going on." She stopped talking as someone walked past. "He's been helping but didn't elaborate."

"So what does he want now?"

Morgan had her hands pressed against her belly. "What do you think?"

"Grandpa wants to see his new granddaughter," Mike said with a smile. "You know the police are going to come knocking."

"That's why I need your help," she said. "I need to get Delinda up there without it being on camera."

"I can do that," he said. He pointed at her. "But you need to tell Cooper."

"I was hoping we could keep him out of the loop," she said. "Plausible deniability."

"That man still scares me," Mike said. "You tell him or I will."

Morgan started to pull a chunk of her hair, a sure sign that she was upset. "I don't know what he'll do," she said. "What if he calls the police?"

"You know he wouldn't do that to Delinda," Mike said. "You've got to tell him. Maybe there's something he'd do to help."

"OK," she finally acquiesced. "But I'm going to wait a couple of days until time to set the plan in motion."

"That'll have to do," Mike said. "But he better know by then or I'll tell him myself."

Morgan nodded. "Here's what Ed has planned…"

---

Morgan opened Cooper's door with her pass when she heard the pins crash. "I need to talk to you," she told him.

He looked at her. "You going somewhere?" he asked.

"No, why?"

"You're dressed up," he replied.

Jillian had insisted on buying her a new maternity dress that would grow with her. It was a knee-length wrap-around dress with tiny purple flowers sprinkled over it. She was also wearing some purple pumps that brought her forehead to his eye level. "It's just a dress," she said.

"You never wear a dress unless you're going somewhere," he said as he picked up the returned ball. He rolled it down the lane and watched it crash into the pins, knocking them all down. "What do you need to talk about?"

"Ed Deline is in my apartment," she said.

"You sure like to blurt things," he said as he turned to look at her.

"You knew," she said.

"How do you think he got up there without anyone knowing?" he asked.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Why didn't you?"

"I didn't want to get you in trouble," she replied as he came to stand in front of her, his hands in his pockets. "That incident a few months ago has you on the police department's watch list. Or at least Detective Dillon's watch list."

"So why are you saying something now?"

"Mike said I had to or he would," she said as she slid her hands into the pockets of the dress.

"I take it they're ready to put Deline's plan into action," he said.

She nodded. "Delinda got out of the hospital yesterday and I invited them up to dinner tonight," she said. "Six o'clock."

"Then we've got time," he said.

"For what?" she asked. "I am not bowling in this dress."

"This," he said and kissed her.

"I thought we agreed not to let anything happen again," she said. He kissed her again.

"You could have come up in pants," he said.

"Sure," she said and pulled away. "But then I couldn't have done this." She stepped back and undid the dress, letting it drop to the floor.

Cooper recognized the lacy purple lingerie set that Polly had brought for her the day they'd played poker. Her figure had changed slightly in that she was starting to show a baby bump and it was only noticeable without clothing.

He scooped her up and she squealed, the shoes falling from her feet before he carried her up the stairs.

---

"Is Cooper coming?" Delinda asked as Morgan joined them at her door. Delinda was holding their newborn in her arms.

"He's busy," she said but added in her head, resting after he screwed my brains out and kissed them back in.

"Your hair's a mess," Danny commented. "You been on the roof?"

"No," she said as she ran her hand through it in an attempt to straighten it.

Danny pushed the door open and stepped back to let the giggling Delinda and Morgan go first. "Dinner is on the way."

Danny shut the door as Morgan turned to them. "Why don't you have a seat Delinda?" she said. "Danny can go into the kitchen and get the surprise I left for you in there."

"It's big enough that you can't bring it yourself?" Danny asked.

"What is it?" Delinda asked as she sat in a chair.

"You'll see," Morgan said with a smile. She took the baby from Delinda. "Let me take her."

Danny disappeared in the kitchen. "Three, two, one," Morgan counted down then Danny cried out.

Delinda leaned forward, concerned and surprised all at the same time. "Danny!?"

When Danny drug Ed out of the kitchen, Delinda pushed out of the chair, grateful that Morgan had taken the baby from her. "Daddy!"

"Or should we say, Grandpa," Danny put in as he gestured to the baby in Morgan's arms.

Gently, Morgan placed the baby in Ed's arms and went to the door to wait for their meal. When the cart came, she stopped the waiter and brought it in herself before going through and tipping him. He thanked her and she went back in.

Ed was talking to the baby in his arms, and Morgan touched Danny's arm. "Food's here," she said. He nodded. "I'll be downstairs."

"You're not eating with us?"

"I'll be running interference," she replied. "In case the police show up."

"Thanks," he said and kissed her cheek.

"Take as long as you need," she told him. "I'll be back later."

---

"Something I can help you with?" Morgan asked Detective Max Dillon as he stood in the lobby of the Montecito.

"I'm looking for Ed Deline," Dillon said.

"I don't know why you'd think he was here," she said. "He left town when you started looking for him."

"After he killed Mary Connell's father," he said.

"Well he hasn't been back since," she insisted.

"He's got a new little grandchild," Dillon said. "He'll be here. If he isn't already here."

"Not in this hotel," she said. "How stupid do you think Mr. Deline is? He knows you'll be looking for him here."

"You never know," he told her. "You'd be surprised how many people try to pull one over on the police."

"I'm pregnant," Morgan told him. "You really think I'd harbor a fugitive knowing that if I got caught my baby might be born in jail. I'm the hotel manager. Nothing goes on in this hotel without me knowing and I can tell you…" she crossed her fingers behind her back. "… Ed Deline is not in this hotel."

He eyed her then seemed to take her words at face value. He turned and left through the front doors and when she was sure he was gone, she let the breath she had been holding go. She patted her belly. "You can quit swimming with the butterflies now," she told her babies.

---

Cooper stood with Morgan between his hands, one on her back, one on her belly, as he felt the fluttering movement he'd told Delinda so many months ago was quickening. It was strange to him to be standing here with Morgan, knowing that he'd helped create the creatures making the movements beneath his hand. "How long have you been feeling it?"

"A couple of days," she replied. "But it didn't occur to me what it was."

He gently kissed her shoulder then reluctantly let her go. "Come sit down," he told her.

The oval table in the main area of his suite had been replaced with a portable Montecito poker table. A stack of cards waited in the center. "How about a little practice while we wait for my competitors to get here?"

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," she replied as she patted her growing belly. "Look what happened last time you and I played a hand of poker."

"At least you know it won't happen this time," he said as he shuffled the cards. "Just one hand."

Morgan looked at him and took a breath. "Sure," she said finally. "What's the bet?"

He was dressed casually for the poker game, but reached in his shirt pocket and took something out before laying it on the table in front of her. "If I win," he said as she stared at the ring. "You have to take this."

She picked it up and examined it. The stone was a large round purple stone surrounded by smaller clear diamonds in a platinum setting. "Is that a diamond?" she asked and he nodded. She set it back on the table. "What do I get if I win?"

"Sex," Cooper deadpanned. "Isn't that your preferred bet with me?"

"In the bedroom this time, I take it?"

"Of course," he replied.

She cocked her head at him. "What if I want the ring, too?"

"Then you can agree to marry me either way."

"Can I think about this a minute?"

His face fell. "Sure."

She picked up the deck of cards and shuffled them, then turned them over to rearrange them. She placed them face down on the felt of the table. "Cut them."

Cooper looked puzzled but cut the cards and Morgan put the bottom stack on top. Then she shuffled once and began to do some shuffle tricks, much to Cooper's amusement and surprise. She looked up at him with a smile. "I had the dealers teach me a few tricks," she said with a grin. She efficiently dealt them each five cards then set the stack down.

Cooper looked at his hand to find he had drawn the same exact hand from their last game.

"Dealer takes four," she said as she discarded four cards. She dealt herself four new cards and looked at them. "Need any cards?"

"Yeah, one," he said, tossing the oddball card on the table. Morgan handed him the new card and looked at her cards.

"What are you going to do if I fold?" he asked.

"If you fold I get half of the Montecito."

"Are you upping the ante?"

"I'm going all in," she answered.

He lay down his hand. A four, five, six, seven and eight of clubs looked up at her. "Looks like I win," he said.

Morgan smiled and grabbed his hand as he picked up the ring. "Not so fast," she said. She put her cards down. Ten, jack, queen, king, and ace of hearts. She spread them out.

"How the hell did you do that?"

"I told you," she said. "The dealers taught me some tricks. A couple know how to stack cards and taught me."

"Yeah," he said. "But I seem to remember your royal flush being diamonds."

"So I'm corny," she said and she stood and straddled his lap. "Now about my winnings…"

"You cheated," he said. "But I'll still let you have it." He slid the ring on her left hand then ran his hands up her bare legs and under the hem of her dress. He got a surprise when he slid them further up and encountered… nothing.

She kissed him. "That's for later," she whispered and got off his lap giggling at his arousal.

There was a knock at the door. "Company's here," she said, but he took a detour to the bathroom instead of following her to the door.