She knew her words came from old criticisms that she’d thought she was past. But her new scarred body had left her vulnerable in a way she hadn’t realized she could be.
Hayden came back to her, put his hand on her shoulder again and didn’t speak until she looked up and met his clear steady gaze. “Roxy, you were the headliner in a highly regarded show. I don’t gossip about my employees.”
She saw something more than the truth in his eyes and it warmed her in a way that she couldn’t explain. But no man had ever really offered help to her and she didn’t trust it. “I know. But I also know Max is your friend.”
“Even to my friends.”
She nodded and he left. She slowly made her way out of the gym and into the employee locker room. She couldn’t shower here. Couldn’t take the chance that another woman would come in and see her scars. She always went back to her condo on the other side of town to clean up. When she’d been the star of the revue, she’d had a private dressing room with her own shower. But not anymore.
She thought about what Hayden was offering her. It was a good job. One that would require her to be charming, funny, entertaining—all the things she used to be, but wasn’t sure she was anymore.
Max Williams was tired and frustrated with the businessmen he was dealing with. Each time he negotiated with them and came close to sealing the deal, they came up with another item that had to be settled before they would sell to him. The latest hiccup appeared to be the fact that he was a bachelor and married to his job.
Duke, his right-hand man, had suggested that Max take a break, leave Vancouver and go to Vegas for a few days and let him handle this latest setback.
Max had agreed, even though Vegas didn’t hold the same charm for him that it always had. With two of his closest friends recently married, Vegas was no longer the bachelor playground that it used to be. At least not for him, the only single guy in a group of besotted fools.
Every time he turned around lately it seemed that marriage surrounded him. It was the reason Harron was stalling on closing the merger deal, and it was the reason his friends were no longer available for all-nighters.
His father, the five-times-married Harrison Williams, IV, had said marriage was the ultimate match in the man-versus-woman game. And only the player with the most cunning survived. Max wasn’t interested in negotiating as hard in his relationships as he did in his work, so he’d always steered clear of those types of entanglements.
The limo pulled to a stop in front of the elegant facade of the Chimera’s hotel. Max made no move to leave the vehicle. He scowled and cursed under his breath, then forced the social mask he always wore into place, that mix between interest and confidence that his mother said every successful person should always portray in their smile. He forced that look onto his face just as the chauffeur opened the door. Max stepped out and walked confidently past all the tourists, gamblers and celebrities milling there.
A rock guitarist stood in the middle of a group of fans, minor celebrities and photographers.
As soon as Max entered the air-conditioned comfort of the lobby, Hayden MacKenzie strode over to him. They shook hands and then hugged each other quickly. Max let his smile drop and a bit of his frustration show on his face.
“Glad you’re here. Shelby is, too. You’re invited for dinner tonight.”
“Thanks. I think I have an appointment in the high-stakes gaming room, so I’ll have to pass.”
“When are you going to have time for anything besides business and gambling?”
Max rubbed the back of his neck. “Not any time soon.”
Hayden put his hand on Max’s shoulder and Max let the bond of their long friendship ease some of his tension. “So where’s Jack?”
“I’ve got someone new for you this time. She’s really great and I think you’ll like her.”
“Does she have a nice personality? Am I supposed to bring a rose so she’ll recognize me?”
“She’s your hostess.”
“Then why does it sound like you’re setting me up?”
“I don’t know. Maybe I am. I like both of you, and you’re both…”
“Don’t go there. I’m here to gamble and that’s it.”
Hayden nodded. “I thought you’d feel that way. Let me introduce you to Roxy O’Malley.”
Hayden turned and gestured to a stunningly gorgeous blonde. She was the embodiment of everything that was feminine and seductive. She took one step toward them, carrying herself with grace. Her second step faltered, and he noticed she had a limp.
He also noticed the frustration that passed briefly over her face.
“Roxy, this is Max Williams. Max, Roxy O’Malley.”
Max reached out automatically to take her hand and forced his genial smile back onto his face. He’d been told by his second stepmother, Andrea, that he had the sweetest smile. Duke assured him that was not the case unless one was blind. There were too many teeth in Max’s smile to miss the resemblance to a shark. But then, Duke wasn’t a woman.
“Pleasure,” he said. But the rest of his words stuck in his throat. Her hand was smooth and cold in his. And when he glanced into her eyes, he saw how nervous she was. She was stunningly beautiful and her body was built to make a man think of long nights and slow loving.
He held her hand longer than he knew was polite, rubbing his thumb over the back of her knuckles until a faint blush stole over her cheeks.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Williams.”
“Call me Max.”
“Max. I’m Roxy.”
“I’ll leave you two to it then,” Hayden said and then left.
She tugged on her hand and he let her go. “Your luggage is being taken up to your suite. Do you want to stop up there first or head straight to the casino?”
“I want…” you, he thought. But knew better than to say it. He didn’t understand it, this wild attraction to her. And it was wild. He didn’t do lust at first sight. He had never had any problems controlling his reactions to any woman. Why her?
“Yes?”
“To head to the casino,” he said at last. Other than sitting in the boardroom and negotiating a takeover, there was nothing else he liked as much as playing the odds at the poker table.
She smiled at him. “Then let’s go play.”
“What do you think my game is?”
“Poker. And it was your game long before the current Texas Hold ’Em craze that’s sweeping America.”
He was surprised she’d guessed it. But then he knew better than to judge a book by its cover. How many times had he been mistaken for a rich brat of a man who never worked a day in his life? Okay, so, not often, but it had happened.
“Don’t be impressed. I read your file before you arrived. You won close to $50,000 last time you were at the poker tables.”
“What else did you read about me?” he asked, wondering what was in his file. He wasn’t concerned. Hayden kept stats on all the high rollers who came into the casino, even his friends.
She tipped her head to the side and her long hair brushed against her neck. He wondered if it was as soft and silky as it looked. “I can’t tell you that. You’d know all my secrets.”
He caught her hand and pulled her to a stop. Damn, she had the softest skin he’d ever touched. “All of them? I doubt that. I’d only know the ones about myself. And technically, those aren’t yours.”
He