Chapter 4
"I won't say I told you so," Johnny murmured, moseying over to the poker table and sliding into the seat Elizabeth had just been in.
"Then don't," Jason replied flatly, tightening his grip on his short glass of whiskey.
He'd sat down at the blackjack table expecting to play her, not the other way around.
Sure, he'd been watching her count cards for the last forty-five minutes; noticing the way she flashed a bemused smile or shifted in her seat, her hand tugging at the steep neckline of her dress, directing her opponents attention elsewhere. Every man fawned over her, especially with their eyes, incapable of focusing on what cards were being played.
Hell, they were fortunate if they could even add them up.
She'd forced every man at the table to distraction and they'd each left disgruntled and annoyed that a woman had outwitted them. She simply sat back, collecting their chips, an all too pleased smile on their face, each man no longer wanting to sleep with her; they only wanted to wring her neck.
And somehow Jason had managed to become one of them.
Okay, he still wanted to sleep with her.
Maybe.
He'd meant it when he said he simply wanted to share a drink.
Well, maybe he did.
Cause if she wanted to show him her boobs, he sure as hell wasn't about to stop her.
"You want a tissue?" Johnny piped, smacking him in the arm.
"Fuck off," Jason hissed, bringing his glass to his lips. He took a long drink, swirling the liquor around in his mouth before swallowing it.
She was walking away, the poker chips she'd stolen tucked safely beneath the crook of her arm, in her now heavy beaded bag. His eyes lingered on her back, her loose curls splayed over her the skin of her creamy shoulders. He'd never wanted to touch a woman so badly in his life, especially one who had managed to get under his skin this badly.
He waiting patiently, watching her maneuver through the small crowds. Her lips moving, most likely murmuring excuse me's, but then again, she didn't seem like the type of woman who asked people to move.
No, she merely expected it.
She paused long enough to grab a glass of champagne from a waiter's tray, then continued her slow, but seemingly determined movement across the room. He couldn't help but wonder if she was simply trying to put distance between him, which he would have taken as a good sign. Distance meant she needed to stay away from the fire; that she wanted him as badly as he did her.
So he waited for her to acknowledge him.
Surely she felt his eyes on her just as she had earlier in the evening. He grew impatient when it became apparent that she really was putting a great distance between them, but still he waited. Her head bobbed between crowds, her tiny frame disappearing between a group of men and women who were talking all too loudly.
And it was only after several excruciating long minutes that he realized she wasn't going to look back.
"Seriously, you gonna boil her rabbit?" Johnny quipped, shaking his head disdainfully at Jason's saddened face.
"Rabbit? She has a rabbit?" he asked, flicking his eyes to Johnny's. It took him a second to really process his question. "Wait. What the fuck are you talking about?"
"Fatal Attraction," he replied, scowling at him. "Seriously, study your pop-"
"Why would I boil-" He stopped mid-sentence, looking away in disgust. It was a waste of time to respond to Johnny when he was like this.
"You're totally becoming Glen Close," he continued, clucking his tongue in disgust. He glanced at the dealer and pointed at Jason as if to say, can you believe this guy.
An hour or so ago, Jason had thought the evening had taken a turn for the better. He imagined he'd steal her away, take her for a stroll on the deck and they could ignore the hoopla that was going on inside. Anything that happened after that was solely up to her. He wasn't going to come onto her heavily, but he wouldn't deny her if she wanted him.
He couldn't help but wonder if there was anything he would deny her.
"Go get me some chips," Jason hissed, pulling a thick wad of money from his pocket.
If he couldn't have the night turn out the way he wanted, he was going to sulk about it the best way he knew how; blowing lots of money.
"I am not your bitch," he replied, smacking Jason's hand away. "Get your own damn chips."
He titled his head to the side, peering over at his partner. "Get the fucking chips, Johnny."
"We're partners," he whined, taking the money from Jason's hand and flicking his thumb through it as if it counting. "But it's always about you."
"Cause I was nice enough to make you my partner," he replied, shifting uncomfortably in his seat as he took another gulp from his glass.
"Oh, I forgot. You did me a favor," Johnny said sarcastically, pulling several large bills from the stack. He backed away, waving the hundreds in Jason's face. "Just so you know, I'm keeping these."
"Well, you know where you can put them," he called after him, spinning back to face the blackjack table.
He sat back in his seat, drumming his fingers against the green felt, trying to keep his eyes from sweeping across the room. Shaking his head, he knew that Johnny would take his pretty little time getting the poker chips, probably hitting on every bleached blonde on his way there and back.
"This table open?" came a rugged voice beside him.
Jason tipped his head back and peered up at the slender, brown haired man in a fitted tuxedo. He flashed a smug grin, moving to take a seat before Jason had a chance to answer. Turning towards the table, he immediately began to stack his chips, glancing at the vacant space in front of Jason.
He didn't like him from the flash of his first grin and was heavily considering getting up and leaving him alone at the table.
"All out already?" he asked arrogantly, shaking his head in disapproval. "And the night is still young."
Yeah, he definitely disliked him, but what was to stop Jason from stealing his money and not feeling bad about it?
"Actually more chips are coming," he replied, shifting to pull money from his pocket. He tossed a wad down on the felt in front of him. "I can assure you I'm good for it."
The man's eyes widened and he nodded for the dealer to start. "Still, it's awfully early to get wiped out," he continued as if he needed to put Jason down in some way.
"You're telling me," Jason replied, sliding his hands over the cards. He had a Five of Diamonds flipped up and a Two of Spades face down. Total shit. "I guess you could say that I got played all too well."
He grunted, his eyes lighting up. "A woman, huh?" he asked, scooting the cards towards the dealer in a fold.
"Something like that," he replied shortly, having no desire for small talk.
He only wanted to empty him out and head back to his room. He couldn't take this scene tonight.
"You mean there's a tough one here?" he asked, glancing around the room.
Jason knew he was sizing up the women in the same way that Johnny did, but something about him doing it was really annoying. It was as if he expected these women to sleep with him, whereas Johnny at least went in knowing he barely had a chance.
"Who wants something that's easy," Jason murmured, leaning back in his chair.
The man raised his eyebrows at him and Jason figured he was the kind of guy who needed easy.
He craned his neck, looking for Johnny. He could use his snide comments and so-called wit to shut this guy up. His eyes bounced from woman to woman, figuring that was where Johnny would be. He even glanced towards the bar, figuring he was buying the most expensive drink on Jason's tab, and was surprised that he wasn't there.
But she was.
Sitting on the edge of a bar stool, her legs crossed to reveal the silky skin of her legs. His desire to touch her, just once, was outweighed by his need to simply be near her. She looked positively bored, a tight lipped frown on her face, her chin propped up in her palm. He could think of plenty of things to do that would turn that frown right side up.
"Hey pal, you gonna play?" his opponent asked agitated, jabbing him in the shoulder.
He turned back to him, his eyes narrowed.
Jason Morgan did not like to be jabbed.
Ever.
Glancing back towards the bar, he reconsidered.
He'd let her jab him anytime.
"I'm in," he murmured, not bothering to look at his cards.
He muttered a nasty sounding reply, but Jason didn't hear him. He was almost thankful because it was already taking him everything he had not to pummel the stupid fuck. It would have been a hell of a lot simpler had the man just handed over his chips and walked away.
But no, he was so sure he was going to win.
He clearly had no idea who he was up against.
Jason Morgan always won.
He called another bet, still too busy staring at her to pay much attention. He sucked in a breath when she lifted her eyes to his. They weren't sparkling as they had been before, they seemed to droop, somewhat sad. Yet they were still the most beautiful eyes he'd ever seen.
"Are you gonna play-"
Jason grunted, turning back to the man with a seething glare. He quieted immediately.
"Look, I can probably find you some hot blonde to make you forget about whoever-"
"I don't need you to find me a woman," he interrupted, raising his eyebrows at him. He could only imagine the kind of women this man took to bed. "I was looking for-"
"Here's your damn chips," Johnny spat, his arm sliding between the two men and dumping the chips in front of Jason. He glanced at the other player, looking confused. "Well, he's not as pretty as she was, but hey to each his own."
"Watch it," Jason warned, holding his hand out for his change.
"Whoa, the rest was my tip," he replied, stepping back and holding his hands up.
He stiffened, rubbing his palm against his face. Dealing with Johnny was like dealing with a diabetic five year old in a candy store. No matter the reasons for telling them no, they still didn't understand.
"Just get the fuck away," Jason spat, catching his opponents eye who seemed somewhat taken back by Jason's authority.
"You have fun with your new boy toy," he hissed, running away before Jason had the chance to even turn around.
"Son of a bitch," Jason muttered, smacking his hand against the green felt. He was going to fire Johnny O'Brien. Stupid piece of shit.
"Never can find good hired help," the man murmured, forcing a smile at Jason.
Jason raised his eyebrows at him, his face breaking into a smile. It was hard to hide his amusement about Johnny, a man who had never worked hard a day in his life, being hired help. Jason regretted his smile almost instantly though because it seemed to signal to the man that they were friends or acquaintances.
Both were things that Jason Morgan didn't often acquire.
He started to make another crack, but Jason cut him off. "Let's just play some cards," he said seriously, glancing back at the bar, shaking hi head when he saw that she was gone.
"Good, I'm ready to take your money," he replied, flashing that stupid smug smile.
He was sure he'd end up pummeling him.
And if he didn't, he'd get Johnny to do it for him.
"Yeah," he replied flatly, smacking the table as he waited for the dealer to toss out their cards.
Thankfully he picked up on Jason's annoyance and sat back, his eyes cast down on the table as they played the next several hands.
All of which Jason won.
He wouldn't lie. It felt good to wipe that smug grin off his face.
He continued to check the bar, expecting her to appear again. If she was as bored as she looked though, there was a chance that she'd gone back to her room. And he definitely wasn't going to hunt down her room number because that would mean Johnny was probably onto something with that Fatal Attraction bit he kept spewing.
He lost the next couple of hands just because he didn't feel like playing anymore. He'd lost his drive and was close to going back to his room himself. He turned to his opponent, ready to tell him he was bowing out when he saw her approaching the table.
Her eyes widened briefly when she met Jason's and she looked away so quickly that he couldn't read her expression. She looked worried? Embarrassed? But none of that matter seeing as she was seeking him out again. He'd have to make sure she knew there was no reason she had to feel uncomfortable about doing that.
She slowed down as she neared the table, her eyes darting from Jason to the man next to him and she seemed unsure of what to do. Taking a deep breath, she glanced at Jason one last time before sliding onto the seat next to his fellow player. She cleared her throat, attempting to garner some attention. His opponent tipped his head towards her, rolling his eyes when he saw. She scowled, tightening her grip on her bag.
She chewed her lip as if contemplating what to say, then leaned forward. "Lucky, I want to go."