Читать книгу Bet on Love - Devon Archer Vaughn - Страница 12

Chapter 3

That night, Bianca sat in a bubble bath, shamelessly fantasizing about Tanner Long. In spite of the definite sexual vibes between them, she wasn’t holding her breath that anything would actually come of it. She wasn’t the type of woman to just jump into bed with any man she was attracted to. Especially a wealthy man with a reputation for loving and leaving women.

She hadn’t exactly gone out of her way to become involved with anyone at this time in her life. And she sensed the same was true for Tanner. No involvement of a serious nature.

So where does that leave us as potential lovers? she asked herself, using her toes to toss bubbles in the air. Probably nowhere, which was probably the safest place.

Bianca thought back to being at the Aloha Seas in a very nice lounge after Tanner had left. She had quickly grown bored and gone to find him. She did, in a huge ballroom filled with people. Standing tall at a podium, Tanner had seemed totally in his element. Flanked by gorgeous showgirls, he’d welcomed the mayor and other dignitaries while promising a bright future for the city of Las Vegas and Aloha Seas as a new addition to the Strip.

She had left the hotel before he had finished entertaining his guests, figuring that was probably best all the way around.

Melanie had left with her, but not before making plans for a date with Solomon. Bianca had a feeling that any romance between them would be short-lived, if Solomon’s reputation was even close to the truth. The same feeling about Tanner left her less than enthusiastic about any future with him, should the possibility present itself.

* * *

The next day at work, all Melanie could talk about was Solomon.

“He’s such a hunk, and he likes me,” she gushed.

“He likes all attractive women,” Bianca reminded her.

“And I like all good-looking men,” Melanie countered. “Doesn’t mean I’ll sleep with every one of them.”

“I never said that.”

“You also never told me if you plan to see Tanner again.”

“Not if I can help it,” Bianca said, wondering if it was as simple as that.

“Give the man a chance,” Melanie said. “I saw the way he was looking at you. In fact, he couldn’t take his eyes off you.”

Bianca smiled diffidently. “I wouldn’t go that far.”

“Well, maybe you should. He’s a hottie, loaded and looks to be in the market for a special lady—someone like you. Don’t blow it by playing too hard to get.”

“I don’t play games with men.” Unlike some other women she knew. “I’m just not looking to go there right now. Okay?”

“Okay, I get it.” Melanie sighed. “Not interested. Doesn’t mean we can’t go to their casino together sometimes for drinks or whatever. As huge as the place is, chances are you’d never run into Tanner.”

“Sure, no problem,” Bianca said. Somehow she was sure that any time she set foot in the Aloha Seas, she would invariably run into Tanner.

* * *

Tanner worked out on the elliptical machine in the hotel’s state-of-the-art fitness room alongside his brother. They were in regular competition over who was the fittest. In Tanner’s mind it was probably a tie, even though he’d never admit to it.

He thought about Bianca. After standing at the podium yesterday, thanking everyone who had made it possible for the hotel and casino to come about, he had gone to look for Bianca. But she was nowhere to be found.

Though disappointed, Tanner had given her the benefit of the doubt in her absence. Maybe she got tired of waiting and had other things to do. Should he call her? Did she want him to?

Or was he interested in someone who wasn’t able or ready to reciprocate that interest?

Maybe it’s best if I don’t rush into anything for a change, he mused, only to end up feeling empty and ready to move on.

Tanner had a feeling that this wouldn’t be the case with Bianca. But he might never get the chance to find out.

“So what’s up with you and Bianca?” Solomon asked, as if reading his mind.

“Not much,” Tanner admitted. “She left before we could spend any time together.”

“But you like her, right?”

“I’m attracted to her, yes.” Tanner increased his speed on the machine. “Can’t say yet if I like her.”

“Maybe you should find out,” Solomon said, wiping perspiration from his brow. “She’s definitely got the looks.”

“So does Melanie,” Tanner said, eyeing him. “You two seemed to hit it off.”

“Yeah, we did. We’re going out tonight.”

“Lucky you—or is she the lucky one?”

Solomon laughed. “Hey, we’re in the business of luck, right? We’ll see what happens. In the meantime, maybe you ought to give Bianca a buzz and take it from there. Or are you still hung up on...what’s her name...”

“That’s over and done with,” Tanner interjected before his brother could finish.

“Thought so. Just checking.”

“Well, check no further,” Tanner told him, eager to distance himself from Angie LeBrock, an aspiring actress and singer he’d hooked up with a few times. While it had been fun for a while, she soon became too overbearing and clingy for his liking.

He was now ready to move on.

* * *

Bianca had just left work and was heading toward her car when her cell phone rang. She pulled the phone from her purse and saw from the caller ID that it was Tanner Long. Her heart skipped a beat as she thought about him.

“Hello,” she said equably, just before her voice mail picked up.

“Hey, this is Tanner,” he said curtly. “You weren’t around last night to pick up where we left off.”

“Sorry, I had things to do. And, clearly, you were pretty busy, so...”

“Yeah, guess it was kind of crazy around here,” Tanner conceded. “You have any plans for tonight?”

She sucked in a breath. “Are you asking me out on a date?”

“Yes. One of our restaurants specializes in seafood, if that suits your fancy.”

“I love seafood,” she admitted.

“Great. So what do you say?”

Bianca considered the invitation. Did she really want to head in this direction with this man? She hesitated. “Actually, I’m busy tonight.”

“So how about tomorrow night?” Tanner persisted.

“Why me?” she asked bluntly. “Don’t you have enough showgirls and others to choose from to go out with?”

He chuckled. “First, you’re a beautiful woman and I would like to get to know you. Second, I don’t date showgirls. As for others, sure there are plenty of lovely ladies in Vegas to ask out, but I’m asking you.”

Bianca admired his honesty and, even if she was leery, couldn’t resist her attraction to him. “All right—tomorrow night.”

“I’ll have Johan pick you up.”

“Oh, no.” She laughed nervously. “I don’t know if I can trust him behind the wheel. I think I’m better off taking a cab there.” Her car was still being serviced.

Tanner seemed to take it all in stride. “Whatever you like. But, just for the record, Johan can only work with what he’s given, as far as reaction time goes.”

Bianca furrowed her brow. “Sounds like you’re blaming me for what happened.”

“I’m blaming the idiot who cut you off,” he said bluntly. “The important thing is that no one got hurt.”

“True,” Bianca agreed, glad they were on the same wavelength. Though Johan may not have been at fault, in reality, she didn’t want to be in an awkward situation on a first date, just in case it went totally the wrong way and she wanted to cut it short.

Still, she was optimistic that the date could turn out to be a good thing. After all, there was no denying that Tanner was a good catch.

* * *

That night, Bianca stuck with her original plans to meet her good friend, Vicky Poole, for drinks at a club on Paradise Road called The Palace.

She had known Vicky for a few years now—they met when Bianca was a crime reporter. Vicky, an ex-prostitute, had turned her life around and was counseling teen runaways and sex workers, getting them off the street. She now ran a safe house for prostitute girls.

“Hey there,” Vicky said, waving as she made her way through the crowd to reach Bianca.

“Hey,” Bianca responded with a smile, giving the taller, slender woman a hug. “I got us a table.”

“Cool.” Vicky put her oversize purse on the table and sat across from Bianca. They both ordered cocktails when the waitress approached.

“How’s the safe house?” Bianca asked, knowing how important this was to Vicky. Bianca volunteered there once every two weeks.

“It can be utterly exhausting at times,” Vicky responded, running a hand through her short brown hair with its golden highlights. “But I love being there for the girls, you know?”

“I know,” Bianca said. “And they love having you there, knowing someone cares.”

“Yeah, I do. I only wish someone had been there to care for me when I worked the Strip as a teenager.”

Bianca couldn’t begin to imagine the hell Vicky must have endured at that stage of her life. She reached across the table and touched Vicky’s hand. “The important thing is that you got through it in one piece and are doing good things with your life now.”

“Very true,” she said.

The drinks came and Bianca sipped hers thoughtfully.

“So bring me up-to-date on what’s going on with you,” Vicky said.

Should I or shouldn’t I mention Tanner? Bianca asked herself. After all, they hadn’t even gone on a date yet. She also wondered if she might jinx any potential they had by jumping the gun.

Then she realized that if it was meant to go somewhere it would. And if not, it wouldn’t.

“Well, I met Tanner Long,” Bianca said casually, knowing that he was well-known to most women in the city, thanks to his most-eligible-bachelor tag.

“Get out of here,” Vicky said in disbelief. “Or do you mean you met him as a reporter?”

“Actually, I met him as a car owner.”

Vicky cocked a brow. “Explain.”

“His limo driver hit my car and I ended up getting a ride from Tanner,” Bianca said nonchalantly. “Next thing I knew, he invited me to the grand opening of his hotel and casino. He asked me out to dinner tomorrow night.”

“Whoa—this is in warp speed!” Vicky said. “How on earth did you get from point A to point, let’s say, N or O...?”

Bianca giggled. “It just happened. Well, nothing’s really happened yet, but he seems to like me, so we’ll see where it goes, if anywhere.”

“Well you go, girl!” Vicky lifted her hand and gave Bianca a high five. “After being with too many losers, maybe you’ve finally met your match. Or should I say it’s the other way around?”

“Maybe a little of both,” Bianca said. “But it’s way too early to think about matches made in heaven. After all, this is Sin City, is it not?”

Vicky laughed. “It is, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t still good people around with good intentions.”

“Tanner seems to have good intentions with Aloha Seas as a new place of employment on the Strip,” Bianca told her. “Not so sure what his intentions are as a confirmed playboy.”

“Hey, being a player usually only means the man hasn’t met anyone yet to get him to slow down. Could be you’re just the right person for the job.”

Bianca chuckled. “This isn’t an interview. Just a first date.”

“So enjoy, and see what the man is made of—besides millions.”

“I intend to,” Bianca said. She was in no way a gold digger—she was more than happy to support herself. But she did want a man who was self-assured, successful and wasn’t into head games. Or leading her on just because he could. Could Tanner be that man?

Or was she setting herself up for yet another disappointment?