His dark brows furrow. “I must have lost my grip… The excitement.” He seems to be trying not to laugh.
My arms are tight around my torso when I turn to the dealer. “Cash me out.” I snap.
The man quickly slides my chips away and passes me a five hundred dollar bill. With one hand, I slip it into my white clutch and start to leave, but the Frenchman’s fingers close like a steel trap around my forearm.
“I’m so sorry, mademoiselle, but that was a thousand-dollar plaque I dropped!”
I can feel the hard piece of plastic wedged between my skin and the side of my bra, and I’m holding it tight with my arms so it doesn’t fall out.
“Then you should’ve held onto it better.” I yank my arm from his grip and walk quickly away from the table.
In the background I notice Seth and the old lady shaking hands and cashing out. Seth says something about Mr. Bourie advising when to walk away, and the old woman nods, taking his arm. The dealer’s face is confusion mixed with embarrassment, but I don’t have time to waste. I’m across the gambling area nearing the exit with the foreigner hot on my heels.
“Mademoiselle… Miss! Wait!” He’s after me, and I see security closing in around him.
“Take it easy, pal.” A hearty growl cuts through the din, and I’m feeling more confident than ever I’m getting out of here with a thousand-dollar bonus.
“You don’t understand,” he continues. “That lady. She has my money!”
Ava is at the door waiting for me, her eyes round. I’m doing my best not to run when I hear the same meaty voice calling after me.
“Lady! Stop!” My shoulders tense. “Stop her,” the guard says, and at once, another man in a suit steps into my path, blocking my way.
I deflect, taking a step to the side. “Oh!” I cry softly.
“Hang on a second, sister.” The beefy security guard holds both hands up to the sides. “We just need to ask you a question.”
My sister gives me a subtle nod and immediately disappears into the coatroom. The other guard and the Frenchman join us.
“Forgive me,” the man says. “I… er… how do you say? I dropped my chip in her… er… décolletage?”
“Miss,” the guard behind me says, “do you have the man’s money?”
I turn to face them, but I’m not backing down. “I don’t know what he dropped down my top.” I infuse my voice with venom, narrowing my eyes. “But I can assure you, I’m not allowing him to retrieve it!”
“Er… no. Of course not.” The older gentleman glances to the guards. “However, if you could perhaps step into the dressing room?”
He gestures toward the coatroom, and I make a show of exhaling deeply. “If you insist.” Squaring my shoulders, I step toward the narrow space where Ava waits.
“But… no. Excuse me?” He calls. I pause, but don’t turn. “Would you mind leaving your bag with the guard?”
My head snaps, and I look over my shoulder at him. “What do you think I’m going to do? Hide it? I’ve already said you dropped something in my top.”
“It was a thousand dollar plaque, Mademoiselle.”
“So you say. I don’t know what it was,” I snap.
“I can assure you it was.”
Flashing my eyes at the guards, they both shrug. “If you don’t mind handing me your purse. I won’t open it.”
Pushing my white clutch against the guard’s chest, I storm into the coatroom as if I’m highly offended. Actually, I’m pretty impressed at this Frenchman’s audacity. I’m not sure what he’s after, but he’s barking up the wrong tree with Zelda Wilder.
Once inside, I hastily unfasten the beaded collar of my dress. Ava is right behind me, holding the top so my breasts are covered.
“He must’ve been working hard to get that thing down your top,” she whispers. “It’s a halter!”
I reach down to lift out… sure enough, a powder blue thousand-dollar rectangular chip. “Well what do you know,” I sigh.