Gold Read online

  “Kissing.” Stacia giggled. “I’m not sure I kissed the last guy I was with.”

  Trihn rolled her eyes. “Of course you didn’t, but you also didn’t want to date him either.”

  “You’re right.”

  “If it becomes more than it is, I’ll let you guys meet him. But I don’t want to scare him away. I kind of like him.” Her glowing smile said she more than liked him. “And what about you, Bri? I’ve heard all about Stacia’s wild rides…literally. What’s with Andrew Holloway, huh?” She wiggled her eyebrows up and down.

  “Nothing.”

  She wasn’t surprised Trihn knew about Andrew. Everyone knew about Andrew because he had a big mouth. It was fine by her for now—as long as it was mutually beneficial. But it really meant nothing to her.

  “Is that a thing now?” Trihn asked. “I didn’t think you’d be into him.”

  Bryna waved her hand. “It’s not a thing. We’re having fun.”

  “Not the way I heard it,” Stacia crooned.

  “Of course, Andrew was bragging. He wants you to think it’s something more than it is,” Bryna told them.

  “Okay.” Trihn raised her hands in defense but didn’t seem to buy it.

  “Well, what about hot stranger?” Stacia suggestively raised her eyebrows. “You’re into him.”

  “What did I miss?” Trihn asked.

  Bryna quickly filled Trihn in on meeting Hugh at Tiffany’s. Bryna had been thinking about calling him all week. Holding off this long had been harder than she had thought it would be. She had used Andrew as a distraction from her real plans.

  “Wait! You didn’t tell me he left you his number!” Stacia cried. “Have you called him?”

  “No,” Bryna confessed.

  She really did want to make him wait. She knew being unpredictable was something that guys who had everything found irresistible. Bryna was good at that.

  “What are you waiting for?” Stacia asked.

  “Yeah. Why are you dicking around with Andrew when this Hugh guy is right in front of you?” Trihn asked.

  These were all great questions. Her friends wouldn’t understand the rules she had in place to guard herself. She hadn’t told them everything that happened with Jude, and she never intended to. She never intended to tell anyone about what had happened. Her horrid stepbrother, Pace, knew some of it…the worst of it, and Gates knew everything. But they were both people she didn’t see anymore, and she wanted to keep it that way. This was an all-new Bryna.

  On the other hand, waiting felt like it was taking all of eternity. She wanted to meet up with Hugh again. She wanted to start in on this new adventure…start in on the plan she had made the night Jude left her. She wasn’t wearing her scarlet letter at the pool, but she still had every intention of flaunting her gold-digger status like a new skin.

  “Maybe I will call him,” she said finally. She would break her rules just this once. “I’ll do it now.”

  She pulled her phone and Hugh’s business card out of her Bendel tote bag, slipped her feet into her sandals, and then trudged away from her friends. She walked until she found a place secluded from the pool and the music jamming through the speakers.

  She dialed his number and twirled the card around between her fingers while she waited for him to answer.

  His voice cut through the line after the third ring. “Hello?”

  “Hey, this is Bri,” she said. She left it hanging. No explanation. Surely, he remembered her.

  “Bri.” He let the name roll off his tongue. “It’s good to hear from you. I’m a little surprised it took you so long.”

  A slow smile spread across her face. Perfect.

  “It hasn’t been that long,” she cooed.

  “No,” he agreed. “But longer than expected.”

  “Glad I could surprise you.”

  “I don’t like surprises,” he said.

  Her stomach knotted at the words, but she held back her retort. He might say that, but he was still on the phone with her, and he had sounded pleased to hear it was her. She figured men generally didn’t know what they wanted until she gave it to them. Hugh couldn’t be that different.

  “But…” he drawled.

  “Yes?”

  “I am glad you called.”

  Good.

  “And I’m glad you left your card. It would have been a tragedy for us to meet and have no way to get in contact with each other,” she teased.

  “Why is that?”

  “Because,” she said lightly, “then you wouldn’t be able to take me out.”

  “You are forward, aren’t you?”

  “You’re the one who bought me Tiffany’s earrings and then left a phone number.”

  He laughed. “True.”

  Check…

  “I’ll be in town again in two weeks. Dinner?”

  Mate.

  “I’d love to.”

  TWO WEEKS FLEW BY with two more wins for the undefeated Gamblers football team. But instead of celebrating their winnings or using the time to study for her rapidly approaching set of midterm exams, Bryna was getting ready for her upcoming date with Hugh. She wanted to be on her A game. This was her first official foray into digging. At least the first time she had consented to participating. Whether or not Hugh realized what this was, was a different story.

  He was handsome, but to her, it was a game. It was a way for her to feel in control and get what she wanted. No feelings. No emotions. No connections. He didn’t even need to know about the game to participate. And if he turned out not to be the perfect target, she could find other ones here in Las Vegas. If she really went searching, it would be easy enough to find a guy who came into the city on business and wanted to take care of a pretty face.

  But Hugh was the pièce de résistance. There weren’t many sugar daddies out there who could top a resort owner. She would make it work.

  Bryna fitted the Atlas diamond earrings into her ears and adjusted her Harry Winston B around her neck—the perfect finishing touches to her ensemble.

  Since she wasn’t sure where they were going, she had gone for a killer outfit but nothing too fancy. She wore a skintight racerback burgundy dress and black high heels with gold glitter bows. She had a matching black clutch. Her hair was twisted around the back of her head into a loose side ponytail where it flowed long and curly over her right shoulder.

  She was prepared for anything that might be thrown her way. By the time the doorbell rang at her condo, she was cool and confident.

  When she answered the door, Hugh was standing in the doorway in the hottest tailored suit she had ever seen. He paired it with a black button-up, no tie, and the top button was undone. He was freshly shaven and looked utterly delectable.

  His easygoing smile was her favorite characteristic about him. He drank in her beauty but still held the self-confidence of a man who was used to getting his way. She found that super hot.

  “Bri,” he said. “Are you ready to go?”

  “Yes. It’s good to see you,” she said, meaning it. She grabbed her clutch and followed him through the door.

  Her heart was beating with excitement. She couldn’t believe she was doing this—actually following through with her plan. It was exhilarating.

  A black town car was waiting for them at the front of her building, and the driver held the door open for her to climb into the backseat. It was spacious and decadent, but a part of her had hoped for a sports car. Her father, Lawrence Turner, was obsessed with them and had passed that obsession on to her. She had learned to drive a stick at a very young age, and guys who drove them would get an automatic pass from her.

  The drive was short, and soon enough, they were pulling up to the backside of the Paris Las Vegas Hotel and Casino. Bryna was surprised. She had expected a little more glitz and glamour from the man who owned his own resorts. She could go to a casino hotel any day of the week, not that she did. The only time she ventured to the Strip was when she wanted to go shopping. Most locals avoide
d the tourist traps.

  “This way,” he said. He took her hand and directed her through the glass doors.

  A man greeted them at the entrance. “Welcome to the Paris Las Vegas Hotel and Casino. Allow me to escort you.”

  Bryna raised her eyebrows but didn’t say anything. Maybe she had been too hasty in her assumptions.

  The man took them through a side elevator not accessible to the public. Up, up, up they went. Still, Bryna remained silent. Anticipation was a knot in the middle of her stomach.

  Where the hell is he taking me?

  The elevator dinged open.

  “Here you are,” their escort said with a grin.

  When Bryna rounded the corner with Hugh, her mouth dropped open. There were only a couple of upscale restaurants inside the Paris hotel, and she had kind of figured he would choose the best, but she hadn’t expected this.

  They were inside the Eiffel Tower Restaurant, renowned for its French cuisine. It sat over a hundred feet above the Vegas Strip, overlooking the Fountains of Bellagio, which were lit up at that very moment.

  But the most incredible thing was that the restaurant was completely and totally empty. Not a single person was inside. Candles blazed on every table, and soft classical music filtered in through the speakers.

  “What is all of this?” she asked breathlessly. More of her surprise came through with her question than she should have let on, but she couldn’t help it.

  Hugh had set a new bar for a first date.

  “The head chef and I are close friends. When I told him of my intentions, he offered a special culinary experience unlike anything you’ve ever seen. I assume you like French food?” he asked casually, as if renting out the Eiffel Tower was no big deal.

  Good God! Maybe it was no big deal.

  She wasn’t normally blinded by luxury. Her father was an incredibly successful Hollywood director. Her family always had money, but this extravagance for someone he had just met surprised her.

  She tilted her head up and let the shock pass over her. She was worthy of this. She was fucking Bryna Turner. This was the treatment she deserved and the treatment she would continue to expect. This was her game after all.

  “I spent half of my summer in France. Of course, I enjoyed their food.” She sent him a radiant smile.

  He seemed to be judging her reaction to the whole thing and was pleased that she wasn’t freaking. Perhaps she had passed her first test.

  A waiter appeared a minute later and showed them to their seats against the glass windows where a single rose sat in a vase on the table. She tried to refrain from crinkling her nose at the flower. Jude Rose had made her hate her once favorite flower. She should have realized all those thorns were there for a reason.

  “I’ve never been here before,” she confided.

  “Well then, you’re in for a treat,” Hugh said. “The chef has prepared a special menu for us—five courses, all original creations.”

  Bryna raised her eyebrows. He was bringing out the big guns early. Is he trying to impress me, or is this normal behavior?

  Their first course was paired with win that complemented the dish, and it was then when she finally felt like she could lead the conversation to more important things.

  “So, this is all incredible,” she murmured. “How is this even feasible?”

  He laughed softly. “Anything is possible. I thought you would enjoy it.”

  “I am. I was just curious, what exactly do you do?”

  She knew it was the fatal question. Do or die. It was the one that would seal her fate as a gold-digging slut-bag whore. But she’d asked it anyway, completely on purpose. She didn’t want to be in over her head. She had chosen this, and she wanted to make sure Hugh wasn’t about to walk away at the first sign.

  Hugh raised his eyebrows. “You didn’t look me up?”

  “I already knew of WC Resorts. When I saw your business card, I knew who you were,” she told him.

  “Yet you didn’t call right away.” Surprise slipped into his voice.

  She liked it. He knew that his name elicited a certain reaction, and she had deviated from that. Good.

  “Well, I wasn’t sure I wanted to.”

  “What changed your mind?”

  “You did. I figured any man who was confident enough to leave his card with a girl deserved a phone call. It usually works the other way around,” she teased.

  “I figured a girl who was confident enough to call me back deserved the Eiffel Tower.” His eyes were alight with humor. “It normally works the other way around.”

  She laughed lightly. “All it takes is a phone call?”

  “For you,” he said pointedly.

  “Fair.” She smiled at the compliment.

  Clearly, he thought she was special enough to give her the star treatment, to offer her the Eiffel Tower.

  “Besides taking me out to dinner, what does a resort owner’s life look like?” she asked.

  “All business. Little time for pleasure,” he said the last word delicately. “I keep the business running, visit the various locations, meet with investors—that kind of thing.”

  “I see. You’re not in Vegas all the time?”

  “No. I live in Vail and work out of the resort there. I’m usually only in Vegas once, maybe twice a month,” he said.

  “I see.” She made a mental note about that. It would only make this whole situation easier for her. Between cheer, classes, and her rather active social life, fitting in a digging situation would be difficult. This seemed perfect.

  “What about you?”

  “What about me? I live here. I’m here all the time,” she said, playing coy.

  “What do you do here?”

  She sighed. Time to take a cue from history. She looked up at him from under her thick black lashes and smiled. “Do you really want to know?”

  “I’m interested in you,” he told her.

  “Come on. Don’t you like the mystery of it all?” It was so easy to slide back into the routine. “Isn’t it more fun this way?”

  Hugh eyed her curiously. “You’re going to be a lot of trouble, aren’t you?”

  She gave him the most innocent look she could muster. “Me?” A smirk touched her lips, and she lost all pretense. “Not unless your idea of trouble is a lot of fun.”

  Turned out his idea of trouble was a lot of fun.

  Bryna’s body slammed back into the wall of the mirrored elevator. Hugh covered her, and his lips landed on hers without asking for permission. He claimed her like he had paid for this kiss with dinner. She didn’t mind. His kisses were hot as sin. And she felt a sin coming on.

  Her body heated to his touch. After an evening of clever banter and sexual tension that could have been cut with a spoon, it felt good to finally have his mouth on hers, to taste him.

  His tongue ran along her bottom lip before entering her mouth, and she sighed with pleasure. This was what it was supposed to feel like—pure blissful tension and sexual cravings crashing down between them. Nothing like the stupidity that came with necessity from being with Andrew and none of the feelings of being with anyone else. Just the knowledge that, here, she was in control.

  She ground her body against him, and his hands reached out and firmly grasped her hips. His fingers dug into her flesh to the point where it almost hurt. She might be bruised there tomorrow, and it only made her smile. Here was a man who knew what he wanted and how to take it. The pure self-assurance was like a shot of adrenaline to her system. Nothing was sexier than a man cocky with his cock.

  The elevator stopped at the bottom floor, and Hugh glided away from her as if they hadn’t been close to ripping each other’s clothes off. She saw herself in the mirror then. Her hair was coming out of the ponytail, her cheeks were flushed, and even her dress was a little rumpled.

  Dear God, they had only been in there for a minute. I’ve fucking missed this!

  Hugh took her hand again, and they walked silently back to his town car. The
energy between them was sizzling like a lit firecracker. She could tell how desperately he wanted her, his prize at the end of the evening.

  She slid in beside him, and he drew her in close. His mouth found the curve of her neck. He kissed along the soft sensitive skin.

  “I had a good time,” he murmured.

  She swallowed hard. “Me, too.”

  “I don’t want the night to end.”

  She wasn’t sure if that was a question, a statement, or a command. With him, it really could be any of the above.

  “Me neither.”

  “Come back with me.”

  Now, that was definitely a command.

  “I want to…” She let her words linger in the space between them.

  “Then, do.”

  “But…” She hesitated.

  This was where her powers rested. She knew what she wanted out of all this. She could tell exactly what he wanted from her. The longer she held out, the more he would want it. If she gave in tonight, she would be like every other girl he had probably done this with. She wasn’t naive enough to think someone this smooth had never been with anyone else other than his wife…who she was also sure he had. She would never be naive like that again.

  This wasn’t about love. This was about lust and diamonds. The longer he lusted, the more diamonds.

  “No buts,” he insisted.

  “I can’t,” she finally got out. “I want to, but I can’t.”

  Bryna, the girl who had fucked Andrew for kicks and giggles countless times since their first foray as fuck buddies, was turning down someone she actually wanted to sleep with.

  All for her games.

  This had better be worth it.

  “OH GOD,” Bryna moaned. “Oh God, yes. Right there.”

  Her cries were elevating as Andrew finished, and she came right after him. She fell forward on top of his muscled chest. She was breathing hard and had probably just ruined the fifty-dollar blowout she had gotten earlier. The thought made her giggle. Blowout.

  “What’s so funny?” Andrew asked. He squeezed her waist and nuzzled her neck.