An efficient young woman in a pencil-style skirt and tailored blouse meets us as we step into the stunning lobby decorated in what I think is an Art Deco style. “Mr. Hunter, Ms. Archer. We have you all set. Would you like to follow me?”
“That’s okay,” Ryan says. “We need to go to the casino first. The room is ready?”
The girl nods. “Absolutely. Enjoy your stay, and don’t hesitate to ring if you need anything.”
I glance at Ryan, slightly confused. “Efficient staff.”
“Very,” he says as she moves across the tiled floor to the registration desk.
“Time for roulette?” I ask, the word alone sending a few tingles running through me.
He trails his fingers down my arm. “Roulette,” he confirms.
The casino opens off the lobby, and we can hear the noise and bluster as we head down the set of staircases to the wide, slot-machine lined entrance. It’s like entering a different world. Noise and lights. The chatter of patrons, the calls of the staff. And beneath it all, the clink and clank of coins.
“This way,” he says, leading me down a tiled path that is cut through the carpeted areas that hold the banks of slot machines, tables for blackjack and other card games, craps, and the like. We find the roulette tables on the far side, and by the time we arrive, I feel as though I have walked a thousand miles.
“Pick your table,” he says, and since they all seem the same to me, I choose the closest one. He pulls a fifty dollar casino chip out of his jacket pocket, which strikes me as a bit odd since I never saw him exchange any money for chips. I don’t have time to think about it, though, because he places the chip in my hand and tells me to bet.
Immediately, I put the chip on red.
Ryan laughs, then lifts my hand and kisses my fingertips, the touch as gentle as a butterfly’s wing and at least as sensual.
“What’s so funny?” I ask.
“You’re giving away your secrets, kitten,” he says, nodding to the table where I’d placed my bet. “You know what red means.”
“I do,” I say, and then, because I’m feeling bold and I really do want it, I move to his side and lift myself up on my toes so that I can whisper in his ear. “It means that I’m at your mercy,” I say, and then slowly—very slowly—I run my tongue over the curve of his ear.
I’m holding on to him as I do it, one hand on his shoulder, the other on his back. I feel the way his body tightens beneath my touch. I hear the low groan that he tries to stifle, and, yes, I smile.
“Naughty,” he whispers as I lower myself. But I just gaze innocently at the table and the wheel that has started to spin.
I hold my breath as the ball bounces, around and around, and then—yes—it lands on red. I glance sideways and see that Ryan is watching me. I smile triumphantly. “I had to want red,” I tease. “There was no way I could come up with enough cash to pay you.”
He laughs. “Fair enough, kitten. I promise, though, that I’ll make sure that landing on red was very much worth it. For both of us.” He nods at the table as the croupier pays out our winnings. “Care to stay in the casino and gamble a bit longer? I’m feeling lucky.”
“I’m feeling lucky, too,” I say. “And I absolutely do not want to stay.”
He makes a noise I interpret as satisfaction, then pockets our winnings. He takes my arm and leads me out of the casino. I’m completely turned around, but I’m pretty sure we’ve been moving away from the lobby. My instinct is confirmed when I realize that we are in a wide-open, bright shopping area. The ceiling is a mural of the sky, arching across the space above our heads from sunrise on one side to sunset on the other, with day and night between.
In the area in which we are standing, the night sky is spread above us, and thousands of small electric lights wink down at us. It’s cheesy, but it’s also romantic, and when Ryan takes my hand to lead me through the mall, I cannot stifle my little sigh of contentment.