“You’re the debutante who can count cards and wield a blade like a ninja. No wonder my boys love their Auntie Nyx so much.”
“Hey, I resent that. I never cheat. I just know the tricks to keep others from taking advantage of me. It comes in handy living in Vegas.”
“And your love of knives?”
“I don’t play with those anymore, remember? It was part of my bargain with my brothers. It’s no longer my thing.”
“Who are you kidding? If it’s something that will make your family freak out, it’s your thing.”
“I won’t deny it.” I shrugged. “Though, nowadays, the tables are where my vices lay.”
I’d learned the etiquette of a proper lady, but if it was taboo, I was drawn to it.
Especially gambling.
Poker. Blackjack. Roulette. You name it, I played it. And I won. Big.
That was one of the many reasons I never, ever wanted to leave Vegas.
One day, I would find my own damn man. Someone who accepted me with all my crazy quirks and wouldn’t expect me to fit into some fucking mold. He wouldn’t be a predetermined, stuffy, follow-the-rules, with backward views man.
“Are you really going to go through with this crazy plan of yours? I’m not sure it’s going to work.”
Brushing a stray hair from my forehead with my arm, I sighed. “What choice do I have? It’s that or accept that I’m the future Mrs. Simon Christopher Drakos.”
“Your plan hangs on the hope he doesn’t want to marry you. Remember, he’s the one who makes out big if the wedding goes through.”
“I know for a fact I’m not his ideal mate. Men like him want a calm, perfect socialite, and I’m definitely not her.”
“Let’s not forget all of those clauses in the contract. You have to hold to a strict code of morality. You’re in deep shit if he ever learns of your underground activities.”
Deep shit was an understatement.
Not only would my family lose their shit in the worst possible way, if they learned I ran an underground, high-stakes poker club that netted millions, but my betrothed could use it to steal the whole fucking trust from my family. According to the fine print of the insane contract, I had to show that I lived a pure life without a hint of scandal to shame my future husband.
What a crock of back-assed bullshit.
I clenched my teeth. “It pisses me off that he’s free to do whatever he wants with whomever he wants, whenever he wants. And I’m stuck in limbo. Fuck that shit. Men suck.”
“Well, they have their uses.” Penny smirked. “Or, certain parts of them do.”
“I wouldn’t know since I have to live a chaste life, remember?”
“You’re such a liar. Your bestie ratted you out before she left town last week. How many men have you turned down for some reason or another?”
I really wanted to strangle my best friend, Akari. I couldn’t wait until we met up tonight. I was so going to let her have it.
The woman talked too much, and I knew when she planned a night out with Penny and my other cousins-in-law, it would only lead to unnecessary gossip.
Bitch knew girl code meant not talking about my love life or lack thereof to my nosy cousins.
“I’m selective. I can’t deal with the typical Vegas guys. They annoy me.”
“What you need is someone who won’t let you intimidate him.”
“I don’t intimidate anyone. I play with plants all day.”
“And run a den of illegal card games at night while holding honed knives to the throats of anyone who cheats.”