the stiff breeze ruffling the soft auburn curls that had escaped the tight knot of hair at the back of her head. Turning her toward the limo, Blake slipped his arm around her shoulders on the pretense of shielding her from the wind and motioned for his driver to take care of her small travel case.
“Let’s get you into the car before you freeze,” he said, ushering her over to the long, black sedan.
She drew her coat a little closer as they walked the short distance. “It is rather chilly.”
Once they were comfortably seated inside the warmth of the limousine, it wasn’t lost on him that she scooted all the way across the bench seat to the other side. He clearly made her nervous and Blake had a good idea why. There was no doubt in his mind that bastard, Creed, had warned her to be wary of him.
“We’ll go on to Fortune’s Gold from here,” Blake said, deciding that work might get her mind off whatever poison Creed had fed her about him. “Then, after you get an idea of the type of clientele I want to attract, we’ll eat lunch at Lucky Fortune, tour that facility and end the day at the Belle of Fortune.” He smiled. “The Belle is where you’ll be staying this weekend.”
“That sounds like an excellent idea.” To his relief, she visibly relaxed and her pretty smile caused an odd feeling to grip the pit of his stomach. “I’ve been doing some research on Deadwood and your competition. After I tour your casinos, I’ll be better able to judge if my ideas will work, but I think I already have a plan in mind that I’m sure will fit your needs.”
“Great.” He made sure to give her his most encouraging smile as he reached over and took her hand in his. Giving it a gentle squeeze, he added, “We’ll discuss your ideas tomorrow morning, then have the rest of the weekend to relax and have fun.”
Her smile disappeared immediately and she looked as if she might bolt from the car. “Fun?”
If Blake could have gotten his hands on Creed at that moment, he’d have taken great pleasure in tearing his brother limb from limb. No telling what kind of outright lies and distorted half-truths Creed had told her about him.
“I thought since you’re here, you might like to try your hand at some of the gaming tables and tour a museum or two. Deadwood has several dedicated to the town’s old west history.” Thinking quickly, he added, “It might give you another idea or two for the packages I’d like to offer.”
She looked thoughtful a moment before she nodded. “You do have a point. Adding admission to one of the museums as part of a special on room rates and meals would be very nice.”
As his driver parked the car under the entryway at Fortune’s Gold, Blake opened the door and climbed out of the car, holding out his hand to help Sasha to her feet. “Then it’s settled,” he said, careful to keep the triumph from his voice. “We’ll check out a few of the sites tomorrow, then we can decide on the one that will enhance the deals I’ll be offering.”
When he escorted her through the front entrance of his soon-to-be open casino, he watched her reaction as she looked around at the opulent decor. He’d spared no expense in re-creating the elegance of a high-end Las Vegas establishment, while still maintaining the relaxed atmosphere Deadwood was known for.
“This is beautiful, Blake.” She walked over to touch the cool black marble countertop on the registration desk. “I love your use of black, gold and cream. It’s very striking and goes perfectly with the crystal chandeliers.”
He hadn’t counted on her enthusiasm pleasing him quite so much. “I’m hoping Fortune’s Gold will attract some of the high rollers from the midwestern cities who might not have the time to make it to Vegas, but could get away for a couple of days to gamble here.”
“I’m sure it will be quite popular as a weekend getaway.” She continued across the lobby to descend the two steps leading down into the sunken casino area. She nodded toward a variety of slot machines and gaming tables. “I see you have all of the most popular games and gambling devices.”
A loud noise on the far side of the casino, where several men were installing some of the decorative trim work, caused her to jump and Blake realized that she still wasn’t completely at ease with him. Maybe if he gave her a moment or two alone to collect herself it would help. Throwing her off guard was one thing, but her being a nervous wreck would be detrimental to his plans.
“If you’ll excuse me, I need to find the foreman and check to see that everything is still on schedule.” He gave her his most reassuring smile. “I’ll only be a few minutes.”
“Of course.” She motioned toward the gaming tables. “If you don’t mind, I’ll just wander around here to get a better feel for the place.”
After talking briefly with the foreman, Blake retrieved a pass key from the main office, then went to find Sasha. When he spotted her, she was standing beside one of the many rows of slot machines and he couldn’t help but notice how attractive she was. In high school, she’d been nice looking, but that had only been a hint of things to come. The pretty teenage girl had grown into a strikingly beautiful woman with a figure that could tempt the most pious of saints.
“Is everything still on target for your grand opening?” she asked, clearly disconcerted when she caught him studying her.
“So far, so good.” Walking over to her, he placed his hand to the small of her back and guided her toward the elevators. “Ready to see the rooms?”
She stopped to give him a dubious look. “Is that necessary?”
He shrugged. “I thought it might give you a couple of ideas about accommodations for the package offers. I was thinking we could offer about three different options for our guests to choose from.”
Looking a little uncertain, she finally smiled. “I told you, the hotel and gaming industry isn’t my area of expertise. But touring the rooms does sound like an excellent idea and might help me make the offers more attractive for guests to bring spouses and children.”
“PR is PR, whether it’s for a casino or a corporation like Dakota Fortune,” he said, stepping back for her to enter the elevator. “It’s just a different market.”
When the doors whispered shut, she laughed and shook her head. “There’s a little more to it than that, Blake.”
Her soft voice saying his name did strange things to his insides, but he didn’t give it a second thought. He was on a mission, and the success or failure of his objective depended on him keeping a cool head and not letting emotion enter into the equation. It was the way he did business and it had served him quite well over the past four years.
When the elevator doors swished open on the top floor, Blake guided Sasha down a short hall to the executive suites. He’d known in advance which one he’d be showing her and made sure the housekeeping staff had it ready for her inspection.
“This is one of the suites we’ll be offering to the whales.”
“Whales?”
Fitting the key card into the lock, he opened the door when the light blinked green. “That’s the term used in the gaming industry for high rollers. They expect to get their rooms and meals free because they drop more than enough money in the casino to cover the costs, as well as make us a nice profit.”
“In other words, it’s incentive to get them to gamble in your establishment,”
