“What about you, Marcus? Do you still have your parents?”
He looked away, and she saw a chink in his armor appear. The normally super-cool, overly attractive doctor looked lost for words. “I never had any parents.”
“Oh,” she said apologetically. “Forgive me for prying.”
“It's fine. You're my girlfriend, remember?”
How could I forget? she thought. A child came running past and tripped over Tonya's enormous bag. His mother appeared and scowled at Tonya for blocking the path between tables.
“So you're an orphan.”
“Yes. I was found in an old pram in Boise. It was winter, so I was lucky I hadn't been there long.”
“My God. Do you think whoever left you there intended you to be found?”
“No idea. I'm just glad I was.”
“With such a poor start in life, how did you manage to become so well educated and wealthy?”
“I just found I was good at science. Then when I was a junior doctor, I went to Vegas and won three million. That set me up for life.”
Was he pulling her leg? “How did you do that? The house always wins.”
He looked around as if he was about to reveal where the president kept the key to the nukes. “You need to work yourself an advantage.”
“Er...sorry?”
“You're right, the casinos have a built-in advantage. I'd saved hard, and the casinos were only too pleased to offer me great terms as a wealthy gambler. Did you know you can even ask them to change some of the rules in games like blackjack if they think you have enough money to lose?” Tonya didn't have a clue what he was talking about, but she let him continue. “They're greedy. If you can get them to change enough things to your advantage, the odds swing in the gambler’s favor.”
“I didn't know you could negotiate with them. That sounds strange.”
“They want wealthy people, and they offer them good terms. Sometimes they take their eye off the ball, like they did that day I won so much.”
“Does that mean we're going to come back rich?”
He laughed. “I doubt it. You can only do it once before your name goes on the list and they won't give you any more concessions. Then you're just like all the others, a mug punter.”
Tonya looked disappointed. She'd had visions of her leaving her clothes in Vegas and filling her suitcase with cash.
The flight was good, and they arrived at the Caesars Palace hotel just after 6 p.m. Tonya had never seen such glitz. To her it was so far removed from her life in Sandpoint that it all made no sense. How could a place like this exist in the real world?
“Here's your key,” Marcus said. “Shall we meet again at seven thirty for a drink and dinner? That will give you time to freshen up.”
“Okay. Meet you back here.”
Tonya followed the man carrying her bag and gave him five dollars when they entered the room. He looked at his palm as if she'd put pig excrement in it. Obviously, five bucks wasn't enough. But she ignored him, and he went away. She worked hard for her money; she wasn't about to throw it down the drain.
The shower was refreshing. Tonya wrapped a huge fluffy bath towel around her body and pulled out some dresses from her suitcase. She chose a black one that showed off her breasts to perfection. While she’d been in the shower, she'd decided to be sexy and make him want her. Not because she wanted him, but because she wanted revenge. By the end of the weekend, he was going to be on his knees, begging her to let him take her to bed.
Marcus's eyes widened considerably when he saw Tonya approaching. Her shoulders were bare and her breasts large and inviting. Her skin was perfectly smooth and soft looking.
“Wow. You look beautiful,” he said.
“Thanks. And you look handsome. Nice suit.” He was wearing a gray herringbone three-piece suit with a white shirt and a blue tie. She noticed how he looked at her and was pleased to see a good amount of desire in his eyes.