then his piggy eyes narrowed. “Yes, you’re free. In fact, I want you and your sister off this property tonight.”
“You’re firing us?” Her jaw dropped. “For what cause?”
“I don’t need one,” he said coldly.
She stiffened. She hadn’t seen that coming. She should have. A small-minded man like her boss would never stand being beaten in a card game by a female employee. He’d already resented her for weeks, for the respect she’d quickly gained from the staff, and all the notes she’d left in the suggestion box, listing possible ways to improve his management of the resort.
“Fine.” She grabbed her handful of chips and glared at him. “Then I’ll tell you what I should have written up in the suggestion box weeks ago. This resort is a mess. You’re being overcharged by your vendors, half your employees are stealing from you and the other half are ready to quit. You couldn’t manage your way out of a paper bag!”
Mr. Hudson’s face went apoplectic. “You—”
She barely heard him as he cursed at her. These extra chips, worth thousands of dollars, would give both Dalton girls a new start—buy them a plane trip back to the Mainland, first and last months’ rent on a new apartment, and a little something extra to save for emergencies. And she would go someplace where she’d be sure she never, ever saw Vladimir Xendzov again. “I’ll just cash in these chips, collect our last paychecks, and we’ll be on our way.”
“Wait, Miss Dalton,” Vladimir said from behind her in a low, husky voice.
Her body obeyed, without asking her brain. Slowly, she turned. She couldn’t help herself.
He was sitting calmly at the table, looking up at her with heavily lidded eyes. “I wish to play one more game with you.”
Nervousness rose in her belly, but she tossed her head. “So desperate to win your money back? Are times so tough for billionaires these days?”
He smiled, and it did not meet his eyes. “A game for just the two of us. Winner take all.”
“Why would I do that?”
Vladimir indicated his own entire pile of chips. “For this.”
The blood rushed from her head, making her dizzy. “All of that?” she gasped.
He gave her a single nod.
Greg Hudson made a noise like a squeak. Sweat was showing through his tropical cotton shirt as he, along with everyone in the room, stared at the pile of chips. “But Prince Vladimir—Your Highness—that’s a million dollars,” he stammered.
“So it is,” he replied mildly, as if the amount were nothing at all—and to Vladimir, it probably wasn’t.
A single bead of sweat broke out between Bree’s breasts. “And what would you want from me?”
His blue eyes seared right through her. “If I win,” he said quietly, “you would be mine. For as long as I want you.”
As long as he wanted her? “That would make me your … your slave.”
Vladimir gave her a cold smile. “It is a wager I offer. You. For a million dollars.”
“But that’s—”
“Make your choice. Play me or go.”
She swallowed, hearing a roar of blood in her ears.
“You can’t just buy her!” her ex-boss brayed.
“That’s up to Miss Dalton,” Vladimir said. He turned his laserlike gaze on Bree. “So?”
Though there were ten other people in the room, it was so quiet she could have heard a pin drop. All eyes were on her.
A million dollars. The choice she made in this moment would determine the rest of her life—and Josie’s. They could pay off their father’s old debts to unsavory men, the ones that had kept them in virtual hiding for the past ten years. Josie would be free to go to college—any college she wanted. And Bree could start her own little B and B by the sea.
They’d no longer have to hide or be afraid.
They’d be free.
“What is the game?” she said weakly. “Poker?”
“Let’s keep it easy. Leave it to fate. One card.”
Her eyes widened. “One …”
His gorgeous face and chilly blue eyes revealed nothing as his sensual lips curved. “Are you feeling lucky, Miss Dalton?”
Was she feeling lucky?
Taking a million dollars from Vladimir would be more than sweet revenge. It would be justice for how he’d coldly abandoned her when she’d needed him most. He’d destroyed ten years of her life. She could take this one thing from him. A new life for her and Josie.
But risk being Vladimir’s slave—forever? The thought made her body turn to ice. It was too much to risk on a random card from the deck.
Unless … it wasn’t so random.
She looked sideways beneath her lashes at Chris, the dealer. He lowered his head, his expression serious. Was that a nod? Did she have a sympathetic ally? She closed her eyes.
How much was she willing to risk on a single card?
Are you feeling lucky, Miss Dalton?
Bree exhaled. She’d just won a hundred thousand dollars in a single game. She slowly opened her eyes. So, yes, she felt lucky. She sat back down at the table.
“I accept your terms,” she stated emphatically.
Vladimir’s smile widened. “So to be clear. If my card is higher, you’ll belong to me, obeying my every whim, for as long as I desire.”
“Yes,” she said, glancing again at Chris. “And if mine is higher, you will give me every chip on that table.”
“Agreed.” Vladimir lifted a dark eyebrow. “Ace card high?”
“Yes.”
They stared at each other, and Bree again forgot there was anyone else in the room. Until someone coughed behind her, and she jumped, realizing she’d been holding her breath.
Vladimir turned to the dealer. “Shuffle the deck.”
Bree put the chips she’d won in the last game into a little pile and pushed them aside. “I will select my own card.”
Her opponent looked amused. “I would expect no less.”
They both turned to Chris, who visibly gulped. Shuffling carefully, with all eyes upon him, he fanned out the facedown cards. He turned them toward Bree, who made her selection, then toward Vladimir, who did the same.
Holding
