Playing Against Type: Soulgirls, Book 4 Read Online Free PDF Page A

agreeably. “But I would rather you didn’t.”
    He wasn’t sure who was more surprised by his invitation. Shock widened her eyes and she chewed the inside of her cheek. A nervous tick if he ever saw one. “Why?” She abandoned artifice with a single word.
    Why, indeed? Examining his personal motives in the public setting wasn’t ideal, so he skipped to a more basic truth. “You’re a very attractive woman and despite your choice of opening gambits, I’ve enjoyed your company. I would like to continue enjoying it. How would you like to visit the casino with me?”

Chapter Three
    The invitation startled Pepper, but she found herself accepting. They left the Palo without dessert and rode the elevator in silence. With his sharp-eyed focus pointed elsewhere, she studied his profile. Dashing with just a hint of danger. He wasn’t a classically handsome man, but his features arrested her—held her captive. She couldn’t fathom why the Overseers would fear him.
    Except he sees things as they really are…
    Finn glanced sideways at her and a nervous flutter shuddered through her.
    What does he see when he looks at me?
    “What is your favorite part of the casino?” he asked, looking forward. The question batted around inside of her. It didn’t mean anything, that simple, polite inquiry. It was a conversation starter. Nothing more.
    “I like all of it.” Not that she’d seen all of it. Or even most of it. “There’s dance clubs, game tables, theatres and shows, restaurants. I think there’s even an amusement park.”
    The elevator doors glided open with a ding.
    “Okay.” He motioned for her to precede him and she stepped out into the lobby. The crossroads of the Arcana Royale, the lobby was a vast cavern of light, both artificial and sun-kissed. High above, a statue of a sphinx gazed dispassionately down at all those who passed beneath his—no, her—purview. The expensive parquet tiles gleamed golden in the light. No matter how much foot traffic the area saw, Pepper never noticed any scuff marks.
    Pepper’s heart squeezed at the increased crowd. So many people pressed into the space it was hard to believe how large it was. She preferred her crowds in the audience, without the press of bodies so close to her own. Finn cupped her elbow and looked at her expectantly.
    “What?” She wished she could have said no to Heidi’s request. Surely the stage manager could have picked a better dancer for this mission. She was a terrible liar. The farce in the restaurant only helped prove it.
    “I’m sure there was an answer somewhere in your statement. I asked you what was your favorite part of the Arcana Royale.”
    “But I said I like all of it.” He questioned the one lie she hadn’t told? Oddly, a flare of irritation quieted her nerves.
    “And as vague and unspecific as your answer was, you could have been reading details off a brochure.” He followed the circuitous path around the great fountain toward the gambling floor. Lights flashed, music played, and the clink of glasses filled the air like a film score. Croupiers called out numbers, dealers issued their cards, and a thousand different voices blended together into a background hum.
    She laughed. “Okay, I can concede that point. I don’t know that much about the Arcana. I don’t spend a lot of time out here.” Tap dancing closer to the truth probably wasn’t the safest of strategies, but she was far more comfortable with it.
    “No? Where do you spend your time?” They paused at the top of the steps descending to a gambler’s paradise. Most of the games on this level were open to the public and fit with the Las Vegas image. Craps, blackjack, poker and roulette tables filled pockets of space set in the maze of slot machines. Waiters and waitresses weaved through the crowd delivering drinks. Staring at the throng, Pepper wondered how many were human—the Arcana Royale didn’t employ that many.
    Finn stepped into her line of sight, speculation