Page 54 of Royal Shark
She shakes her head.
“Why not?”
“Adrian! Again with the why not.”
“It’s a valid question.”
“Because I have a life back home. I have Chloe. And I’m not sure I could ever be comfortable here.”
“You will be. You feel comfortable so far, right?”
“Yes, but we came in at night. All I saw was the yacht, the car, and the casino.”
“Tonight you’ll see the palace.”
“In the dark. Plus I’ve never seen your room before, so I know it won’t trigger anything for me.”
“That’s good. It’ll be a new memory for you. I want to build new Villroy memories with you.”
She drains her martini. “Tomorrow’s going to be hard seeing it all in the daylight.”
“I’ll be with you every step of the way. In the meantime, think about being my right-hand woman. We can run the place together. Me more in the background working the financials and marketing strategy, you managing staff and customer relations. I’ll pay you a fantastic salary. You can live at the palace with me, or we can find you a place nearby if you’re not ready to live with me yet. I can be very patient as long as you’re in my life.”
She slowly blinks and then shakes her head like she can’t quite believe my offer. “Do you still think what I’m doing back home is all that dangerous?”
“The way you handle the money is dangerous, the way you operate alone, the personal financial risk you take to cover bets. With so much money it can attract the wrong sort of person. What if something happened to you? Then who will be there for Chloe?”
Her eyes tear up, and she blinks rapidly. “I never thought of it that way. I did this for her. It was all a calculated risk.”
My eye catches on the guys’ movements, and I jerk my chin toward them. “Your players seem harmless.”
We both watch as two of the guys battle each other with crab legs. We laugh.
I get serious again. “You’d be perfect for this job.”
She looks wary.
“It’s not a proposal. I’m just asking you to consider the job.” I tuck her hair behind her ear, stroking her cheek with my thumb. “And I want you to be with me, if that part wasn’t clear.”
Her green eyes search my face, like she’s looking for some measure of my sincerity. I am sincere, and I’m in love with her. I know she’s not ready to hear that yet. One step at a time. I can’t lose her after waiting so many years to find her again.
Chapter Eleven
Sara
The next afternoon, we’re all back at the casino, except for Chloe, who stayed in her room to study. I briefly saw the day spa this morning, but I’m not comfortable with the intimacy of a massage, so there wasn’t much of a draw for me there. All of the guys had massages, some of them even had facials. I was shocked. While they did that, I shadowed Adrian as he worked, checking on different issues that cropped up. I have to admit it’s interesting work. It’s like what I do, but in one interconnected world. I could see getting comfortable in this environment; it’s like its own little neighborhood. The staff work in a united purpose—entertainment. That’s the business I’m in.
The guys are jetting over to Monte Carlo for dinner tonight and more gambling. I plan on going with them, even though Adrian wants me to stay here with him. He doesn’t understand that I need to always be connected in my players’ minds to the game.Ibring the fun.Imake the arrangements. I’m Sunny Sara in the background they can always turn to with any request. Well, almost any request.
We’re all on the rooftop terrace for poker with a view when Adrian appears. He crosses to our table, leans down, and kisses my cheek. I flush with heat at his casual affection, and I suddenly realize I’m smiling. He got under my skin with his casual confidence that we belonged together. I’m starting to believe him. My Adrian, my hero.
He turns to the guys. “Anyone here a Yankees fan?”
A retired Yankees player appears on the terrace, and my guys are on their feet. They practically stampede over to him, and then a few more baseball players appear. All of them retired, some Yankees, some from other teams. Nothing like professional athletes to bring out the little boy in full-grown men.
Next thing I know, we’ve got two tables going with the ball players and my guys intermingled. My guys rotate after a round so everyone can get a chance to meet every player. I make sure I get to know everyone and let them know I organize awesome games in Brooklyn. My guys are having a blast, which makes me happy.
By the time Adrian announces the jet’s ready to take them to Monte Carlo, everyone is buddy buddy.
