Sure as Hell Read Online Free PDF Page A

missing a beat.
    It was all Dante could do not to smile. Damn, but his father knew how to train his staff.
    They approached at the same time as two other couples, and Jacob started the wheel spinning.
    “What number?” Dante asked her, as the other couples spread their chips over the numbered grid.
    “No way,” she said. “Your wager, your responsibility.” She leaned in close, then kissed the tip of his nose. “But I will wish you luck.”
    “And I thank you for that.”
    They shared a smile, and he put a crisp hundred-euro note on number 17. Then he did something he’d done only once before. He tapped his index finger once on the table, then stepped backward and pressed a finger to his temple. The first time, he’d been an arrogant teenager, trying to win a stupid bet. This time, he was a lust-filled adult, trying to win the girl.
    No one suspected as Jacob worked the floor pedal, ensuring that number 17 came up the winner. And as the other players applauded his good luck, the woman on his arm looked at him with wide, intrigued eyes. “Congratulations.”
    “I have you to thank,” he said as he scooped up his winnings, making sure to signal to Jacob to have the rooms of all the players at the table comped.
    “Me?”
    “You’re the one who wished me luck.”
    “Mmmm.” She looked him up and down. “And it worked. I take it you’re feeling lucky?”
    “Absolutely.”
    “So it looks as if we’ll be having dinner together tonight.”
    “That was the wager.”
    “Indeed.” She tilted her head to the side, then looked at him through lowered lashes. “And where do you plan on taking me?”
    “Actually,” he said, swept away on a wave of boldness, “I was thinking room service.”

‡
Chapter Four
    L ucia was having fun.
    There was, quite simply, no other way to describe it. And while the emotion didn’t exactly disturb her, the ramifications did. After all, she needed to be at her best if she was going to pull off this assignment. Distractions—especially of a sexual nature—would simply not do. And yet . . .
    And yet she couldn’t bring herself to walk away from this man. There was something about his laugh. Something about the way he was willing to put himself on the line for her. The wager. The banter. All of it delighted her. And, yes, all of it excited her. And when he’d suggested room service rather than a five-star restaurant . . . well, honestly, the mere thought of being alone with this man in a room was almost more than she could stand. And after several millennia, Lucia had withstood a lot. “Well?” He was looking at her, the query in his eyes as intent as the need she saw there. She recognized it, absorbed it, and reflected it right back at him.
    More than that, though, she realized suddenly that he didn’t know her name any more than she knew his. The realization sent shock waves of relief and lust coursing through her. Anonymity meant freedom, and with this man she wanted the freedom to do anything.
    And why not? Wasn’t she under the absolute worst kind of job stress? She needed a little stress relief. Not only that, she deserved it.
    “Absolutely,” she said, unable to hide her smile. “Room service sounds positively delicious.”
    His return smile matched hers, and that was all the response she needed to know that she’d made the right decision. After all, this was not a situation where she would be forced to try to complete her task with a clinging male dogging her every move. This man wanted exactly what she wanted—a quick fling. And the freedom to then move on.
    “Your room or mine?” she asked, which broke her rule of never inviting a man to her room. But she was already breaking her rule of never seducing a man while on an assignment—unless he was part of the assignment—so she decided one more rule shattered wouldn’t hurt. Besides, the room wasn’t listed under her real name—or, at least, not under the surname she’d been using for the last