Just for Kicks by Tracy Solheim

Three

* * *

ANDI PIROUETTEDSLOWLY around the center of the cavernous room, stopping in front of the wall of windows overlooking the Las Vegas strip. Sparkling chandeliers, no doubt made of expensive crystal, flickered above her head, their light dancing off the gold fixtures and polished marble surrounding her. And this is just the bathroom. A bathroom nearly the size of the small efficiency she rented in Milwaukee. She shook her head in amazement.

“No wonder they call this place Sin City.” Her words echoed back to her in the empty room.

It was pretty childish to lock herself in the bathroom of the five-room suite—a suite that came with its own butler, for crying out loud—but Andi was still trying to catch her breath. She told herself the frenetic energy emanating from the city, coupled with the arid heat that threatened to suffocate her the moment she exited the airport, was making her light-headed. But she knew that was a lie. She was still stung by Dex’s sudden about-face on the plane, and her emotional response to him made her angry. This was supposed to be pretend. Clearly, he was better at maintaining a game-face than she was.

Not only had Dex remained aloof for the duration of their flight, but once they’d arrived in Las Vegas, he’d stoically led her through the lavish lobby of the Wynn Towers, bypassing the reception desk as if he owned the place. Instead, he’d made a beeline down the mosaic tile walkway lined by tropical foliage, before steering her into a gold-plated elevator. All without uttering a single word. Once they’d arrived in their suite, he’d grunted something about “fetching the parson” and vanished back out the door.

She was relieved to see she’d have her own bedroom and bath. Not that she would be staying on as Declan Fletcher’s pretend anything. She was using him as much as he was using her. The fact that she was apparently the only one who felt any guilt about their arrangement was something she needed to ignore. She hadn’t come to Las Vegas to marry the brooding Scotsman. And his desertion gave her the perfect opportunity to accomplish her primary goal, which was tracking down Kenny. At least now she didn’t have to make up some lame excuse for venturing out on her own.

After swiping on some lip gloss, she grabbed her purse and made her way out into the hallway. She’d almost made it to the double doors when the butler appeared at her side, seeming to vaporize out of nowhere, his presence startling her nearly out of her shoes.

“Is there something I can help you with, miss?”

“Uh, no. No, thank you.” She surprised herself by getting the words out without stammering. “I’m just going for a walk.”

“Very good,” he replied with a stiff nod.

But when he reached for the door handle, Andi suddenly felt anything but ‘very good.’ Panic lanced through her making her knees wobble. Would he block her exit? Had Dex left instructions to keep her locked up until he returned with the judge?

She was about to lunge for the door when the butler slowly swung it open, his face impassive as he held it for her to walk through. Andi managed a weak smile for the man while silently rebuking herself for her wild thoughts. Dex may try to appear a bit mercenary, but there was genuine kindness behind his Highlander façade. Too bad it was a kindness he was going to dish out to her sparingly.

The elevator was blessedly empty when its doors slid open. She managed to make it all the way down to the lobby without encountering anyone. Had she not been so afraid of running into Dex, she might have taken a few minutes to explore the beautiful hotel. But she needed to stay on task. She had less than two hours to locate Kenny before his poker game started.

Hurrying out of the hotel, she was prepared for the assault of the heat this time.

“Can I get you a cab, miss?” the bellman asked.

“No, thanks.”

As much as she wanted to avoid walking in the brutal temperature, she couldn’t afford the fare. Instead, she pulled up a walking map of Las Vegas on her phone and set out toward the Bellagio hotel.

Twenty-five minutes later, she rounded the corner and the famous fountains came into view. After navigating the crowded sidewalks for more than a mile in the desert heat, her blouse was stuck to her skin, and she welcomed the blast of cool air that greeted her when she strolled through the doors of the Bellagio. But that wasn’t what took her breath away. Her attention was immediately drawn to the thousands of blown-glass flowers twinkling in the ceiling above her. She’d always envisioned her soaps and lotions packaged in colorful bags and tissue paper resembling the artwork overhead. Transfixed, she was nearly run over by a family of tourists.

You’re not here to take in the sights. Admonishing herself, she checked the info in Kenny’s Facebook post and made her way to the concierge desk.

“Can you tell me where the poker games are played?”

The man behind the desk eyed her curiously. No doubt, bedraggled, sweaty, and sporting pink hair, she didn’t look the part of a high-stakes gambler. Except that this man had probably seen it all. He gestured to the entrance of the casino. “Follow the path to the poker room. It’s in the back corner of the casino. Tables fill up fast, though. If you can’t get a seat, make sure to put your name on the waiting list.”

Andi smiled her thanks, not bothering to tell the man she wasn’t interested in sitting in or adding her name to the waitlist. She was there to stake out the room and lie in wait for Kenny. And when she found him, she was going to call him out for the criminal he was.

Thirty minutes and a very expensive bottle of water later, Kenny was a no-show. The concierge was right. The tables filled up quickly with groups seeming to arrive all at once and taking over every seat. But Kenny wasn’t among the crowd. Her confidence inched lower when she checked his social media account again. According to his post, the game he boasted about wasn’t supposed to start for another half hour. Yet all these people didn’t look like they were going to vacate their seats anytime soon.

From where she stood with her back against one of the columns surrounding the tables, she scanned the room one last time, her head snapping left as she realized she’d overlooked two tables roped off in the back. Both were still empty. Buoyed, she weaved her way around the occupied tables only to be stopped by a beefy security guard once she reached the rope.

“Sorry, miss.” The guard held up a large hand. Despite having one of those velvety bedroom voices that matched his smooth, dark skin, the guy was no teddy bear. “This area is private. Invite only.”

Her pulse began to beat an excited tattoo in her ears, drowning out the chatter of the players and the clinking of the chips. This has to be where Kenny is headed.

“Actually, I’m looking for someone who is supposed to be here.” She glanced around for a place to wait. “I’ll just stand over there.” She nodded to another pillar situated beyond the tables.

The security guard shook his head. “Our players don’t like it when people loiter around the tables.” He indicated a woman leaning against a podium at the front of the room. “You need to put yourself on the waiting list and wait inside the casino until a seat becomes available.”

“But—”

“No ‘buts,’ lady.” He motioned for another security guard. “Walter will walk you to the casino.”

Walter strolled over and began to herd her toward the entrance.

“Wait! Is there another entrance to this room?” If she waited in the right place, she could get Kenny before he got to the security guard.

The teddy bear got squinty-eyed.

Andi sighed. “I told you, I’m just waiting for someone.”

The two guards exchanged a look.

“Ma’am, I think it’s best if Walter walks you out to the lobby.”

“For Heaven's sake, I’m not some crazy stalker!” The shrill tone she used to deliver her statement would indicate otherwise. She was so close to accomplishing her goal, only to be sent two steps back. It was frustrating.

Walter inched closer.

“Fine. I’ll wait in the lobby.” With a huff, she turned on her heel and headed out of the poker room. Barney Fife trailed her all the way through the casino and out to the lobby. He spoke into a microphone tucked into his jacket when she positioned herself just outside the casino entrance. Talking into his sleeve, the man looked as ridiculous as she felt. She rolled her eyes when she saw two women in uniform approaching. If they threatened a strip-search, she was hightailing it out of the hotel, Kenny or no Kenny.

Except she didn’t have to. Because she suddenly spied him among a group of men walking through the lobby.

“Kenny,” she called, startling both of the officers and her prey.

The two women turned their focus to him, and the look on Kenny’s face was almost comical. The men he was with wisely hurried on, leaving Kenny stranded in no man's land between her and the two advancing guards.

“Andi, what are you doing here?” he asked sheepishly.

Taking advantage of his shock, she wrapped her fingers around his scrawny biceps and tugged him toward the coffee shop tucked behind the reception desk.

“I thought I’d come to see what all the fuss is about,” she replied through clenched teeth.

One of the female officers blocked their path. “Everything okay here?”

Andi squeezed Kenny’s arm. He nodded mutely.

“Just a little misunderstanding.” Andi pasted on a smile for the benefit of the woman eying them. She shamelessly played to their solidarity as females. “My boyfriend here thinks he can earn the money for an engagement ring in a poker game. I’m fine with a small ring we can afford.”

The officers nodded in tacit understanding.

“We’ll just leave you two to sort it out,” one of them said.

The other woman gave Kenny a stern look. “Gambling’s no way to start a marriage.”

Walter and his lady friends faded into the crowd, leaving Andi and Kenny in the center of the lobby.

“I offered to marry you once.” He shrugged his arm free. “You said no.”

“Puh-leaze.” She rolled her eyes again. “You just wanted the extra food stamps.”

“So?”

She stared at her onetime lover, wondering what she’d ever seen in the man. He looked ragged around the edges. His puddle brown eyes were red-rimmed, his blonde-beard scraggly, and his clothes looked as though they had been slept in. No doubt because they likely had.

He’s no Declan Fletcher.

She gave herself a slight shake. Of course he wasn’t. But that wasn’t the point. She forced her thoughts back to the business at hand.

“So you found me. Now what?” he whined.

“Now I want my money back.”

He dragged a hand through his unkempt hair. “Look, the bank wasn’t going to just give someone like me a loan. You have a job, a small annuity, and good credit.”

“Had good credit,” she snapped at him. “Until you ruined it.”

“It’s not ruined until you have to pay it back.” He sounded like a petulant toddler. “You have two years after you graduate before you have to start making payments. I’ll have plenty of money by then to repay the loans.”

And monkeys can fly.

“I don’t want to wait until then. I want my money now,” she demanded.

He looked as if she’d struck him. “I-I don’t have it.”

Of course he doesn’t.

No matter how much she’d prepared herself to hear his admission, she felt her stomach drop.

“You stole from me, Kenny.” She pushed the words out through her suddenly dry mouth. “You do realize you’ve committed a felony, don’t you?”

A sheen of sweat broke out on his forehead. “Jesus, Andi. It’s not like that.”

Except it was like that, and they both knew it.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t call those officers back and have them arrest you.”

“Because you’re the only one who ever believed in me,” he sputtered. “Because you love me.”

She slammed her eyes shut, her shoulders sinking beneath his verbal grenades. Guilt warred with anger inside her. She knew what it was like to be alone in the world, to have an uncertain future. But she was doing something about it. Kenny was just a mooch. From the looks of it, he always would be. She needed to be strong.

When she opened her eyes, she was careful at shielding her emotions. He was too adept at reading her. If he sensed even a whiff of pity, he’d run with it for miles. He looked as if he was holding his breath. Or poised for flight, depending on what he saw in her eyes.

“Kenny,” she began, but he didn’t let her finish.

“I can win it back,” he pleaded. “My luck will change now that you’re here.” He took a step closer. “Please, Andi. Believe in me. Come sit with me at the poker table. You’ll see. Give me one night. I’ll win everything back.”

“You honestly think you can win seventy-thousand dollars in one night?”

He looked sheepish again. “If I get into the high stakes game, I can,” he bragged. “I just need to pony up another two K for the ante.” His eyes grew wide before he reached for the purse slung over her shoulder. “Hey, you’ve got a credit card. What kind of limit does it have?”

Flabbergasted, Andi took a giant step back. He narrowed his eyes at her.

“Do you want your money back or not?” he snapped.

The loser was certifiable if he thought he was getting any more money from her. He began to close the gap between them.

“Walter!” Andi yelled.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“What I should have done when I first laid eyes on you. I’m calling security. Walter!” she called again.

The guests milling about the lobby slowed their steps in curiosity, but Walter was nowhere to be found.

“What the fuck?” Kenny had the audacity to look as if she had wronged him. “You’ll never see your money now.”

She opened her mouth to call for security again, but he’d already slithered away and disappeared among the crowd.

* * *

SHE’D GHOSTED HIM.

Night had fallen over the desert. Dex stood in front of the wall of windows offering him a birds-eye view of the Las Vegas strip in all its glory. The marriage license Kurt had paid a fortune for was still folded up in his back pocket. The judge his agent had somehow coerced into performing a hush-hush ceremony had endured Dex’s embarrassed silence for a half-hour before deserting him, too. Dex was alone with his thoughts and a bottle of whiskey. It was a testament to how low he was that he’d cracked it open despite the damn stuff being distilled in bloody Ireland.

He should have known his agent’s plan was too good to be true. He’d suspected the little pink-haired fairy was a flight risk from the get-go. Not that the whole idea of a fake marriage didn’t make him uneasy. He wasn’t built for fraud. He’d just have to trust that Kurt could finagle a way to quickly renew his green card. No way the Growlers would want to lose him, and the team had the money to make this whole mess go away.

Yep. It was for the best that she’d stood him up at the proverbial altar.

So why did he feel so disappointed?

Because he’d effing touched her, that’s why! She’d looked at him with those unsettling blue eyes and he’d completely forgotten why he thought he wouldn’t be attracted to a woman like her. Forsaking common sense, he’d wrapped his arm around her and pulled her against his body as if she belonged there. And damn it if when she’d snuggled against him, she didn’t touch off a firestorm of want and possessiveness that scared the living shit out of him.

Swearing violently beneath his breath, he took a hefty swallow of his drink. He’d gone too long without a woman, that was all. He’d remedy that situation tonight, right after he sent an SOS to Kurt. He was certainly in the right place. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas and all that bullshit. Hell, he was a celebrity jock. He’d have his choice of willing bedmates. A leggy blonde or a voluptuous redhead. He didn’t need a wisp of a woman with cotton candy hair and fathomless blue eyes.

She would have been too much of a hassle, anyway, he reminded his bruised ego. No doubt she was messy. Or needy. Or both. Obviously, she had multiple bad habits if she owed so much money. He toasted himself for dodging a bullet where Andi Larsen was concerned. She was likely in the casino digging herself into a deeper hole.

His gut clenched at the thought. Damn it. Who would look out for her? A desperate woman could get into all sorts of trouble in a casino. Several scenarios ran through his mind, each of them more sinister than the last.

Not my problem.

A woman like that could bring all sorts of trouble to his doorstep. Dex had enough to deal with on his own. He had no business worrying about a waif of a lass he’d known for barely twenty-four hours.

At least that’s what he kept telling himself.

A movement in the window caught his attention. His breath hitched. As though his thoughts had conjured her up, Andi stood behind him in the living room. Something that felt an awful lot like relief settled in his gut. He didn’t bother turning around to acknowledge her, instead studying her reflection as he sipped from his glass. The cocky boldness she’d hid behind in Kurt’s office yesterday was nowhere to be found. Instead, she wore a look of weary desperation. Only when their eyes met in the window did she muster her shoulders up a notch. He almost smiled at her bravado before catching himself.

“I’m sorry.”

Her softly uttered words caught him off guard. He turned slowly, anchoring a shoulder against the window so he wouldn’t do something foolish like march over to her and hold her as he had on the plane.

She glanced around the room. “The judge?”

“Long gone.”

With a heavy sigh, she slumped down onto one of the sofas in the room. “Probably just as well. I wasn’t going to marry you anyway.”

Dex bit back the animosity that threatened. She’d signed a bloody contract. But the defeat he heard in her tone cooled his temper. There was something he was missing here.

“I came here under false pretenses.”

He responded with a raised eyebrow. “This entire trip is based on false pretenses.”

She uttered a forlorn sigh. “I can’t take your money. It wouldn’t be right to involve you in my messed-up life.”

His fingers became numb around the glass he was holding. His gut had been right; she was in more trouble than she’d let on.

“I only agreed because I needed to come to Las Vegas.”

Dex wracked his brain to remember any details Kurt had shared about her. Specifically, how she owed seventy-thousand dollars and to whom. But he’d been so consumed with his own problem that he hadn’t bothered to ask about hers. And now he had a very bad feeling.

“You don’t say?” Could she be a compulsive gambler? “Tired of the casinos up on the Indian reservations?”

“What? No.” She shook her head with a snort. “Gambling is for fools.”

His chest relaxed at her words. “Actually, gambling is for those with a proper handle on mathematics and probability. The fools are the people who try their hand at it without those particular skills.”

A ghost of a smile danced over her lips before she quashed it. She jumped from the sofa and began to pace.

“I came to find Kenny.”

“Kenny?” Who the hell is Kenny? He was suddenly holding his breath, hoping she’d say ‘my brother’ and not ‘my husband’ or ‘my son.’

“One of those foolish gamblers who used to be my boyfriend.”

He refused to acknowledge how her words “used to be” made him feel.

“If he’s such a fool and no longer your boyfriend, why come to find him?”

“Because he’s the reason I owe seventy thousand dollars. He’s gambling with money he stole using my identity.”

Jaysus.

Damn Kurt for leaving that part out. Pulling away from the window, he stalked over to the bar and refilled his drink before pouring some into a glass for her.

“Please tell me Kurt is helping you prosecute this Kenny guy?” He handed her the glass, and they both took seats on opposite sofas.

“It’s not that simple.” She took a sip of the whiskey. “More like it’s not a priority with law enforcement.”

“Meanwhile, you get hung out to dry.”

“Something like that.”

“What were you planning to do if you found this Kenny guy?” Dex suddenly knew what he wanted to do if he found the blighter.

She’d gone from sipping the whiskey to taking a healthy swallow. “In my heart, I naively thought he’d just give the money back to me. Even though my brain knew he’d already lost it all.”

Dex sat forward. “Wait? You found him?”

“Yeah. I wasn’t kidding about the idiot part. He loves a good social media brag post.” She set the glass down on the table between them. “He claimed he was going to pay me back long before the loans come due. Of course, that was right before he asked to borrow another couple of thousand so he could sit in on a high-stakes poker game.”

“Tell me you didn’t give it to him,” he practically growled.

Andi huffed. “Thanks for the vote of confidence. Even if I had that kind of money sitting around, I wouldn’t give it to Kenny. I didn’t buy his boast that he could win everything back in one night. There is no way he could win seven dollars much less seventy thousand at poker in one game. I doubt anyone could.”

She was wrong.

He was already calculating the probabilities. It would have to be a game of very high stakes. And superior play. Something her ex obviously couldn’t muster. But, lucky for her, he could. And he had the bankroll to make it happen. Such a challenge might be just the thing to get his mind off his impending doom.

“Where exactly is this game?” he asked, ignoring the part of his brain yelling at him to get the hell out of Vegas before he did something stupid.

“The Bellagio.” A hollow laugh escaped her throat. “I wanted to go back to look more carefully at the artwork in the lobby, but Kenny ruined even that for me.”

Dex pulled out his phone, scrolling through his contacts before shooting off a text. He downed the rest of his whiskey as he got to his feet.

“Come along, lass.”

Her eyes were wide as cue balls again. “Wh-where? I told you I can’t marry you.”

“Relax,” he said, despite the fact his ego took a hit every time she said she wouldn’t marry him. “We’re going back to the Bellagio.”

“To do what?” she asked as she got to her feet.

“You’re going to look at the artwork. I’m going to play poker.”