Chapter 4 - $1000 and a Velvet Jacket

SELENE

A gaggle of colleagues all followed my lead as we walked the few blocks to the casino. We had eaten at the Palace Palm Hotel, a decadent feast where Greg had been toasted and lauded by his employees like a Roman emperor.

Ever the stickler I had monitored and marshalled the group into motion, arriving at the Gilded Falcon precisely on time. There was little evidence that it was a casino, no brash flashing adverts, which was cool.

 The signage and lighting were low key but once you looked closely the doorway and it’s branding were all high-end. A huge, castle-like dark mahogany door with brushed silver handles was covered by two cheerful, welcoming men. Not the hulking, threatening bouncers you usually expect.

I held my breath as Jax tottered ahead of me, curves jiggling in her red dress giddily as she exclaimed, "here we are!"

The group whooped with excitement as we descended a small flight of steps and entered another world. Strains of jazz music filtered through, calming and serene as my heels sunk into the luxurious red carpet. It was, for a casino, one of the nicest I'd ever been inside. Subconsciously running my hand along a dark mahogany playing table enjoying its texture I relaxed for the first time that evening.

Greg exclaimed in excitement, “shit it’s Macallan!” at the elaborate scotch centrepiece. Created out of different vintage whisky glasses, ice buckets and crates, all the bottles ranging from ten to thirty-five years were displayed luxuriously. Mystery voice had done well.

I smiled to myself and then sensed I was being watched. Across the room a man, correction, a dark-haired, olive-skinned sex god was watching me. Once our eyes met, I quickly looked away and tried to talk to Jax. If he was the mystery voice, boring Selene was getting locked in a cupboard and ignored for the next twenty-four hours.

The group soon scattered across the playing tables. As the clatter of roulette wheels, dice and chatter rose, I lingered behind admiring the scotch centrepiece up close when a rich, deep, and achingly familiar voice behind me sent a shiver down my spine.

"I believe we spoke on the phone today. I hope everything is in order?"

As smooth in person as on the phone I turned and was met with the full force of his good looks. Just have me right now my wolf screamed. Dark rich hair, just long enough for a few curls to tease his forehead, coffee-coloured eyes, and olive skin. Several inches taller than me and was built like a Greek statue. Perfection.

The crushing disappointment of realising just how good looking he was a double-edged sword. He was a shifter and therefore totally, immediately and forever off limits. 

Human’s just never look that good.

"It looks great, thank you for all your efforts," I said coolly, sipping my drink and turning so I could watch my friends playing and avoid being sucked into those coffee whirlpool eyes.

"There is just one problem, Miss Wilding.”

I hadn’t told him my name and my breath caught in my throat at the realisation. Tantalising slow, he leaned towards into my ear, his hot breath just brushing my neck deliciously. A curl of desire whispered down my spine, if he'd had looked closer, he'd have seen goosepimples.

"You need to leave. This is a…human only establishment."

I gasped and looked at him, my attraction switching to outrage. Surely, he wouldn't! "You can't throw me out in front of all my colleagues," I argued in a low voice, checking that nobody could hear us.

He gave me another smile and rubbed his chin with his hand. "Never, you are still a customer. But you cannot gamble. I don't know if you are a Fate, Witch or any other kind of trickery that could ruin my casino."

I smiled at his allusion. "You're afraid of me?" with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course, all mysterious women who refuse to give me their first name are terrifying,” looking around the room he gave a nod to a dealer and quickly added, “please excuse me."

With that he walked past me with the slightest brush of his hand against my back. Sparks.

Shit I'd forgotten what the touch of a shifter could do. There was a reason a human man had rarely made me orgasm. My mind was running wild with thoughts, desires I’d kept back for so long. I needed to get a grip or there was a real risk he would smell arousal and that would be mortifying.

Come on Selene, I tell myself, I should know better than to indulge in the casino eye candy. I told myself that's all he was, he must do this with a different girl every night. Shaking my head I weaved my way to the bar to join Jax and some friends.  

From across the room I glimpsed Greg, handsome as ever with his strong, broad shoulders and dark, searching eyes. He just looked a bit, well tame now compared to the host. As our eyes met, he raised his scotch glass to me and mouthed ‘cheers’ with a grin. I smiled back and then spun around to the safety of my female colleagues.

"You can have him, the dark haired one" Jax whispered to me, "I want that massive iceberg over there," pointing to a large, well-built man with ice blond hair and blue eyes manning the bar. He caught her eye and gave a shy smile. "Ooh he's lovely," she purred dramatically.

"I don't want him Jax," I replied, "he's not my type. Plus I’m not like that."

"Well now you're just lying to my face. That man is everyone's type. God I'd let him do anything he wanted…" and as she pretended to swoon she went and knocked my drink all over me.

"Jax!' I cried, leaping from my chair. My purple top was now a sticky, syrupy mess. I dabbed at my chest with a napkin, but nothing was saving this situation.

The brown eyed man's attention turned around, saw the state of me and his smile dropped to a look of concern. He quickly whispered into the ear of a nearby female croupier. She nodded and gave him a wide smile, which even in my drenched state sent a little whirl of jealousy through me. What was going on with me tonight. As he quickly made his way over to me, ignoring all around him as those dark eyes seemed to consume me.

"If you would please come with me," he said, indicating with his hand towards a door. His voice was low but still rich and commanding, not drawing further attention to my situation. 

Even so, Jax looked like her eyes were about to fall out as I followed him behind the bar.

Though he didn't touch me once as we weaved through the corridors, I still felt pulses of attraction crackling. Leading me through to a bright, clean locker room I started to wonder if this was to be the scene of a cheesy high school standard seduction.

He opened a locker and produced a gorgeous designer black velvet jacket, crystal buttons sparkling.

"You can wear this. I have agreed with the croupier to replace it for her."

"Wear it with what?" I exclaimed, then after holding it and admiring the beauty of the piece I murmured reluctantly, “thank you.”

He turned around politely as I quickly shrugged off the ruined purple work shirt. The velvet jacket fit perfectly but was a lot more revealing than I was used to. I did all the buttons up to my neck, fussing in the mirror over how much to reveal.

Coughing to let him know I was ready he turned round. Slowly, taking his time, he appraised me up and down with his eyes. It felt as though the sheer intensity of those brown eyes could make buttons pop right off. I almost hoped they would.

"May I?" he said softly, that silky rich voice absorbing me once more. A dark, earthy scent washed across my senses. Fuck he even smelt amazing. I instinctively clenched my thighs together, the risk of him sensing how attracted I was dangerously high now. My wolf screaming for me to just make a move didn’t help either.

His hands moved towards my chest and before I could say anything he undid the top three buttons of the jacket, his hands delicately avoiding touching any other part of me. I gasped at his nerve but looking in the mirror I had to admit it looked so much better. Just more revealing than I was used to.

The black velvet jacket clung to the shape of my waist, finishing at my hip. The buttons he had opened left a deep V of cleavage visible and a tiny hint of bra. I pushed my short blonde curls back and sighed reluctantly.

"It’s not a bad thing to be the most beautiful woman in a room you know," he said after a moment and turned around to lead me back to the party.

I silently followed him, disregarding his compliment despite the thrill that raced through me. He's a player, I told myself, trying to calm my wolf down. It isn't going to happen. It can’t happen. Not again.

The mad whooping from Jax at my reappearance made everyone in the party turn around. The way Greg's eyes lapped up every inch of my bare skin from a few playing tables away made me visibly blush and head back to my bar stool and drink. 

“Rocco,” Greg shouted across the room, “A thousand dollars in chips for everyone here to play with, put it on my tab, let's make this a big one guys!”

Mr Mystery no longer, Rocco smiled widely, nodded, and raised a glass of scotch to Greg as everyone shouted cheers. Of course he was called Rocco, a smooth, playboy name perfectly matching that confidence, I don’t know why but my hands trembled as I lifted my replaced drink into the air. As much as I was fighting it there was something in the air.