in the way, Ms. Boudreaux, I would never have invited you.”
* * *
Maitlyn’s eyes were wide with wonder as she and Zak entered the ship’s casino. The crowd that had gathered moved out of the way to make a path for Zakaria. Without blinking an eye, he slid his arm around her waist and guided her through the throng of people toward the casino manager, who greeted him warmly.
“Mr. Sayed, sir, what an honor it is to have you back with us!”
“It’s a pleasure to be back, Mr. Turner.”
The man cut an easy eye toward Maitlyn and smiled. Zak introduced her. “This is Ms. Boudreaux, and she’ll be my personal guest for the duration of the cruise. Will you please ensure that she’s comfortable?”
“Most certainly, sir,” Mr. Turner said as he gestured toward Maitlyn. “Ms. Boudreaux, if you’ll follow me, please.”
Zak caught her eye and nodded, saying nothing as he turned and moved in the direction of the gaming table.
Maitlyn followed Mr. Turner to a booth that sat one level above the center of the room. She had a front-row view of the tables and the games below. He pulled out the chair for her to sit, his smile still wide in his round face. “Would you like a drink?” he questioned. “The bar is complimentary for players and their guests.”
She shook her head. “No. Thank you. But if I can, a cup of coffee, please?”
Mr. Turner nodded. “I’ll have that brought right over,” he said.
Maitlyn nodded her appreciation as the man turned and headed in the opposite direction. She focused her attention on the activity in the center of the room. The players were just beginning to take their seats. There were six tables with six players each. Zak stood beside a table with Gerard, three other men and a woman Maitlyn recognized from the ship’s jewelry store days earlier. He eased his suit jacket off his shoulders and claimed his chair, tossing his jacket over the chair’s back.
Gerard’s friend Frank was seated at another table and Alexander Lloyd at a third. Both Gerard and Frank waved in her direction. Alexander barely lifted an eye to acknowledge her, instead looking past her as if she weren’t even in the room. A petite young woman who looked half his age was hanging on his arm, intent on keeping his full and undivided attention.
A tall redhead brought over Maitlyn’s coffee. “Ms. Boudreaux, your beverage,” the young woman said as she set a silver tray down onto the table and proceeded to pour Maitlyn’s coffee into a ceramic mug. “Cream and sugar, ma’am?”
“Thank you,” Maitlyn said, her eyes still skating around the room.
“Is this your first tournament?” the woman asked.
Maitlyn nodded, lifting her gaze to the woman who was eyeing her curiously. The name tag on the woman’s uniform read Lourdes.
“Is it that obvious?” Maitlyn asked.
Lourdes smiled. “Usually the women who sit in the players’ boxes all look bored to death. You look excited.”
Maitlyn laughed. “I guess I am. I didn’t realize it was going to be this big. Or this involved.” She looked back to all the activity on the level below.
“The World Series of Poker tour is the most prestigious series of poker tournaments. But this is the tournament above all other tournaments,” Lourdes noted. “These are the top players and winners from all over the world. It’s by invitation only and they still have to pay ten million dollars to buy into the game. They’re playing Texas Hold’em, with no limit. The pots will be extremely big and the winner will take home two hundred and fifty million dollars when it’s all done.”
“Ten million dollars just to play?” Maitlyn’s head snapped back as she turned to stare at the woman, her eyes blinking rapidly. Her expression was incredulous. “Are you kidding me?”
Lourdes shook her head. “I’m dead serious. It cost your boyfriend a pretty penny to have a seat in this game. But if he wins, he gets that back and then some!”
“Oh, he’s not my—” she started, when the two were suddenly interrupted by Zak, who had eased to her side.
“Am I interrupting?” he asked as he sat down beside her.
“No, not at all,” Maitlyn answered. She cut an eye at Lourdes, who was still smiling brightly, unfazed by the man’s presence.
“Is there anything I can get you, Mr. Sayed?” Lourdes questioned. The silver tray was perched easily in her left hand while her right was pulled back against the small of her back.
He nodded. “I’m drinking Scotch tonight, Lourdes. Neat. Please make sure my glass stays full at all times. When I’ve had enough I’ll let you know. You won’t need to ask me about refills.”
“Yes, sir.” Lourdes nodded. “Will there be anything else, sir?”
He shook his head. “Please make sure Ms. Boudreaux has anything her heart desires.”
“Yes, sir, Mr. Sayed.”
With a nod of his head, Zak dismissed the woman. She waved an easy hand at Maitlyn, then turned and headed in the direction of the bar.
“I just wanted to make sure you were well before we started,” he said, turning his attention toward her.
“Actually, I’m a little overwhelmed,” she said.
Zak smiled. “I can understand that. Hopefully you’ll find it entertaining.”
“I already do,” Maitlyn said, smiling back.
He got back to his feet. “We break periodically, so I’ll check on you when I can,” he said as he pulled his suit jacket closed around his torso and moved to leave.
Maitlyn called after him.
“Yes?”
“Good luck,” she said, her smile a mile wide.
Zak smiled back, tossing her an easy nod as he turned and sauntered back to his seat at the gaming table.
An hour later, as Maitlyn watched she couldn’t help but think that luck would have absolutely nothing to do with his success. Clearly, this game was going to take some serious skill.
Although she had never played poker before, Maitlyn understood the mechanics of the game enough to quickly catch on. Unlike other card games, Texas Hold’em was a game of risk that forced players to rely on strategy, skill and patience.
She was impressed with Zakaria’s acumen. The man’s nonchalant demeanor made for the perfect game face. He never once broke a sweat, even when Maitlyn sensed that the play wasn’t going in his favor. With the impressive amounts of money being waged, Maitlyn knew that if she were playing she would have broken a sweat and then some.
Occasionally Zak lifted his eyes to look in her direction, but his facial expression never changed. He always seemed fully focused on the cards in his hand and very little else. A few of his opponents were far less reserved; one even jumped up and down
