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
