Something about her tone kept Joseph on edge. He could always tell a lie when he heard it. Her body betrayed her when she lifted a hand to twirl one dark strand of hair around her index finger.
“Of course you were,” he purred, laying the charm on thick. He gave her his megawatt smile. The smile that worked wonders on the opposite sex. So she was a do gooder. Perhaps. He’d watch her carefully though, he mused. “And please call me Joseph, or Joe.”
“Joseph, er, Joe, of course,” she stammered and made to pass him by and head to the kitchen. He was unnerving her. The man was just too good looking for words. And by the way he kept staring at her like that, she felt like he was a wolf staring down its prey. She had to admit the man was attractive. But, she was not going down that road. She had too many other things to take care of, too many other responsibilities. And there was no way she wanted to be on this man’s radar. There was too much at stake.
She quickly made her way back to the kitchens. But she could feel those eyes watching her the entire way. Chocolate brown eyes, she noticed, as her body shuddered of its own volition. Yes, she definitely could lose herself in those eyes.
Chapter 2
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The sudden warmth of April brought about a sense of renewal to activities at the casino. The two building projects under way were nearly complete. The rooftop bar and club, Spirits in The Sky, was ahead of schedule, and the third theatre was nearly complete. Everything seemed to be going smoothly. Joseph’s brother, Jonathan, and his new wife had returned from their quickly planned honeymoon, and a board meeting had been called. Joseph was on his way there now.
He fixed the tie at his collar. He hated suits. They always made him feel so restricted, but as the lead attorney for the casino, his attendance was expected at these formal meetings. He couldn’t very well go around in a T-shirt showing off the many tattoos he had that his mother never approved of. He’d gotten most of them while he was away at college. Each one held meaning. They were there for a reason. And even though they were covered up nearly all of the time, he knew they were there and what each of them signified. Unfortunately, they did not go over very well on one who represented a major casino like Mystic Nights. Or even when he was at the Youth Center on the reservation. So, he kept them covered, unless he was out of town, or at the gym.
Joseph quickly made his way down the corridor from his corner office. With a beautiful expanse of windows, it overlooked the river with a view of Mohegan’s, their competition across the water.
Their current projects were well underway and they would soon tower above them. His mother and brother, and his family were all proud of that. Passing his brother’s office, and his mother’s, which was directly across the hall, he saw both doors open, but neither were inside. They must have already gone to the meeting, he presumed. So that meant he was going to be late. Again.
He picked up his pace to make it to the conference room before the greetings had been dispensed with. He knew this meeting was important, and felt a twinge of guilt for his delay. But not much. He enjoyed law, but had never seen himself handling business law for long. It was a means to an end. His true passion was his people. He wanted to work for them to better their lives, and pursue politics so he could represent his people more completely. He helped here. He knew that. But it wasn’t the same. After three years with the casino, helping to get it off the ground, he was ready to pursue his other interests. And that’s where he’d been this morning, at the reservation. He’d been at the Youth Center working with the kids prior to them leaving for the public schools for the day. He spent a lot of time there. Sadly, many children who came there didn’t have many male role models.
As he approached the massive glass walls that contained the conference room, currently behind blinds, he knew these past six months that he needed a change. He didn’t want to delay pursuing his dream any longer. He would hate to leave the casino, because it was true he was helping his people here, but it was more paperwork than anything else. His dream had been to serve his people directly. Serve them as a politician at the local level. Not in a suit, reading over food service contracts, and business deals. For now he was still needed, and he could probably continue with the casino part time, but soon he would make the break. The time was quickly approaching. A new opportunity had arisen, and he couldn’t let it pass. He would be breaking the news to his family today.