Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 145803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
The last was a deliberate challenge. What about her? Everything she wanted was sitting right in front of her. “Stop looking at me like that.”
He knew she’d already made up her mind. Hot flames began to flicker in his dark eyes. She felt those flames licking at her skin, tiny flicks that ignited a wildfire on her nerve endings. That was how it had started before, when he’d annoyed her by tossing her over his shoulder like some caveman.
“How am I looking at you, Vienna?”
Those dark, sinful eyes of his moved over her body as if he stroked her with a physical touch. She felt the lick of a flame on her throat, her breast, her nipple, her belly button, lower still until she wanted to moan and writhe right there in her cuddle chair.
“You know exactly how you’re looking at me.”
She knew she’d been doing the same thing to him—maybe worse. She couldn’t stop devouring him with hungry eyes, moistening her lips with the tip of her tongue and deliberately staring at his chest and then lowering her gaze.
He put her feet on the floor and stood up, stalked to her chair and then lifted her easily. He had the caveman carry perfected like no one else. Upside down, she was laughing and trying to strip her shirt off by the time they hit the master bedroom.
CHAPTER FOUR
Our token model made it to the final table,” Art Cable said, pulling his glasses down to the bridge of his nose with one finger to peer at her. “You do know you’re only supposed to be a gimmick, right, honey?”
Vienna flashed him her brilliant model smile, the one that showed off her straight white teeth, the dimple that came and went, and somehow seemed to highlight the emerald green of her eyes. She even batted her feathery lashes at him.
“How silly of me to keep winning and make it to the final table. Someone should have clued me in.”
Jameson Rockefeller, another well-known gambler, one whose book she’d read before coming, snickered. “I wouldn’t underestimate her, Art. She’s sitting here with us, and she’s earned those chips in front of her. Second-highest number of chips at the table.”
“I’d like to know how that happened when no one’s really heard of her,” Charles Von Garden declared, his tone implying all sorts of things. “Did your sugar daddy sponsor you? What did you have to do for the money?”
She let her gaze slide over him. “You’re the one with the sponsors, Charles. What did you have to do to get yours?” She smiled sweetly, but there was nothing at all sweet about her inquiry.
Charles gripped the table and nearly lunged to his feet. “What are you implying?”
Vienna lifted an eyebrow. “Why, nothing, Charles. I was just asking you the same question you asked me. You’re clearly a very sensitive man.”
Charles subsided, looking at the other players, all of whom were frowning at him, Art included. Art may have tried tweaking Vienna, but he didn’t like what Charles had said to her.
Vienna studied the other players. There were eight sitting at the final table, with her included. These were some of the players she’d admired. She’d watched them on television. Some had written books or put up vlogs on YouTube. Others had taught master classes on the internet. For all his sarcasm, Art Cable had been the one man to help others with his videos and classes. He did charge a fee, but it was nominal and she understood that his time was very valuable.
Benny Dobsin was a ruthless player. He could be unpredictable. She had studied him closely in every video of him she could. He had a tendency to stay in longer than he should—on purpose, she was certain—and then suddenly he’d win several large pots. He constantly fidgeted, touching his face and rubbing his fingers over his eyes. He would target certain players and play against them to try to get them out of the game. She considered him a wild card.
Leo Sheldon was the oldest player at the table, in his seventies, sharp as a tack and a three-time winner of the World Series of Poker. He was a serious player, a well-known celebrity with a huge following. He had the most chips at the table, and Vienna considered him the biggest threat. He was quiet and thoughtful and gave nothing away.
Park Ables, like Vienna, played mostly online. She’d played against his online persona. He played as onehotguy. He was good enough to win huge tournaments. He’d outed himself deliberately, going to Vegas often and bragging about the wins when he sat at the tables. He was extremely good-looking and worked as a successful model.
Theodore Morgan traveled the gambling circuit, following tournaments and often working his way to the final table. He usually came in third or fourth but never made it into that coveted position of winner.