735

He was currently aiming a wide delighted smile at Ben.
“Yes?” Ben said.
“My name is Kaan Sadik. Your name has been circulating throughout the casino since I arrived,” the man said.
Ben sighed. “Yes, I do have trouble remaining anonymous these days.”
“Lead such an exciting life, there will be consequences,” the man admonished with a grin.
Ben nodded with a shrug, then gestured to Steph. “This is my friend Steph.”
“Steph Wilson,” Russo gushed as she flashed her eyes at Sadik, pouring on the charm of a woman out of her element but excited to be there.
“Enchanted,” Kaan said as he shook her hand. His attention quickly returned to Ben, dismissing the woman on Ben’s arm.
“Do you play?” he asked Ben with a hint of a smile.
Ben glanced at a table and let a smile slip to his lips. “It’s been a while, but I thought I might give it a try again,” he admitted.
Kaan’s smile was slightly reminiscent of a shark’s when he heard this. “These tables are far too public to give players the privacy required to relax and concentrate on the game. I play at the high-stakes tables in the next room. Would you care to join me?”
Ben glanced in the direction he pointed and saw an arch in the far wall leading to another room with more tables. The opening was flanked by two large men and a smaller one with a tablet.
“I could cover your entry if the fifty thousand minimum bet is too dear for you. I understand you’re good for it,” Kaan said with a subtle dig.
“I don’t normally travel with that much cash on me, but I’m sure the casino will extend me credit as well, so there won’t be a need for you to spot me,” Ben said, and Kaan nodded graciously. They walked across the room, and Ben was stopped twice for pictures before they reached the high-stakes room.
Sadik looked at the last group with annoyance. “You remain remarkably patient with these rude people!”
Ben sighed. “Oh, I’ve had my moments of rage and still do from time to time. The invasion of my personal space still rubs me the wrong way.”
Kaan gave Ben an assessing look and nodded.
They stepped up to the man with the tablet, who smiled at Ben. “Mr. Shepherd! Welcome to our casino! Is there anything we can assist you with?
“If I’m going to join this game, I’ll need credit,” Ben said.
“Of course, sir. How much would you like?” the man asked.
Ben looked at Steph, and she just flashed him an excited smile. He sighed. “Better make it five-hundred-thousand.”
Not a blink. “Certainly, Mr. Shepherd. I’ll return to you shortly. Please find a table.”
Ben and Steph once more followed Kaan, who seemed to have a table in mind. It was located near the middle of the room where three men were currently playing. Two folded with pained expressions, and the third grinned as he collected the chips.
The winner looked up at their approach and grinned. “Ah, Kaan! You’ve returned to let me win back my money! And you brought a friend whose money will soon be mine as well!”
Ben snorted softly at the man’s excessive confidence. The two men who lost nodded to Kaan and walked away. Ben wasn’t sure what it meant, but he caught one of them lock eyes with the arms dealer before walking away with a slight smile.
He took a closer look at the sitting man. He wasn’t particularly handsome, fit, or tall. His shimmery grey suit made him look like he was trying to pull off Kaan’s flamboyance, but it fell short, landing in the wannabe category. His clothes and the expensive bling he wore screamed wealth, but otherwise, he seemed unremarkable. One of the Idle rich?
When the smaller man focused on Ben, recognition arrived in his eyes, and he seemed to deflate slightly. “Oh, you’re Ben Shepherd.”
Kaan’s eyes lit up with mirth. “See, you cannot escape your fame even from men typically consumed by their empire-building!”
Ben glanced at Kaan, then looked back at the other man, who seemed visibly upset that Ben wasn’t showing any sign of recognition in return.
“It’s thrilling to meet you, Mr. Frost!” Steph gushed, leaning forward to make her translucent fabric much more revealing. “Ben told me he’s a recluse who refuses to watch TV or follow social media, so he’d have no clue about your amazing business success!” She looked at Ben. “Avery Frost is a highly successful business entrepreneur whose empire includes media and telecommunications corporations, sporting venues, entertainment complexes, you name it!”
Ben glanced at Russo and realized she was giving him an out. “Oh! Thank you, Steph.” He turned back to Frost. “I’m particularly clueless when it comes to celebrity status as I work so hard to avoid my own. No offense intended. If it isn’t posted on an engineering board, I don’t read it.”
The man seemed mollified by that, but he ignored Steph as Kaan had, and that rudeness rubbed Ben the wrong way. He already didn’t care for these men.
“Engineering board?” the business mogul asked.
“An online forum for engineers to post requests for assistance in resolving issues,” Ben explained.
“A bulletin board? Oh my god! They still exist in this day and age?” Avery snorted in amusement.
“Thankfully, they do. They’re an excellent source for the engineering puzzles I like to work on,” Ben responded.
Frost scoffed and waved a hand. “Whatever. Are we gonna play some poker? The game is No Limits Texas Hold’em and the table has a five percent rake, just so you’re aware.”
“Rake?” Ben looked to Kaan in question, and the man leaned forward with a grin of his own. “The casino takes five percent of the table winnings for hosting the games.”
“Ah. Thanks.” Ben said, and Avery shook his head in amusement as his grin grew.
They sat, Ben across from Avery with the dealer position to his right and Kaan to his left facing the empty spot. The three men looked up to see a new dealer approach the table. He nodded to the men, opened a fresh deck of cards, and began preparing.
A pretty woman moved to Ben’s side and placed stacks of casino chips in front of him. He signed the receipt, and she left with a smile for him. He stared at the small number of chips in front of him and was amazed by how few it took to represent half a million dollars. Ben felt a nervous flutter as he nodded to the dealer and the first game began.
It didn’t take long to realize how outclassed he was by these two players. He was down two-hundred-and-fifty thousand, and their smiles were wide and satisfied. He folded time after time to save his dwindling funds.
Then he realized what his problem was. He was trying to win. He looked over at Steph, who gave him a fun little pout. He couldn’t help but chuckle as the expression looked so sweet on the face of this Mata Hari in disguise.
“Something amuses you about losing, Benjamin?” Avery asked.
Ben glanced over at the man, and his grin grew as he no longer saw him as an opponent. He was just a sad little man struggling to prove his significance in ways that held no true value. “It’s Ben. I was just thinking of that old adage, Lucky at cards, unlucky in love.” He lifted Steph’s hand to his lips and brushed her knuckles across them. She sucked in a breath as her eyes widened. “I guess I’m proving the converse.”
He looked back to the two men and saw Kaan watching him with a puzzled but intrigued expression, but Avery’s face showed Ben had scored a direct hit on the man’s sore spot.
“This means you’re quitting?” Frost said with a little too much venom.
Ben held the man’s eyes with his as he kissed Steph’s palm, pulling an involuntary sigh from the woman. He released her hand, and she pulled it back reluctantly. Her nipples pressed against the sheer fabric of her tight dress, and her face flushed.
“Not at all. Just reminding myself of my priorities,” Ben said with a sly smile.
This sent a flush of heat up Avery’s throat. Ben nodded to the dealer who was waiting for them to be ready for the next hand.
Relaxed, Ben let himself slip into the flow of the game. He might as well enjoy himself.
Two games later, Ben was down another hundred thousand, but Avery’s nerves began to fray. The business mogul was floundering between Kaan’s relentless pressure and Ben’s almost inattentive play. He’d lost to the arms dealer in the previous two hands and was looking for a win. He looked like he wanted to crush his opponents as he did in his business dealings.
“This penny ante stuff is boring. Let’s say we up the stakes and inject some adrenaline into the next game,” he said boldly.
Kaan smiled and raised an eyebrow. “What did you have in mind?” he asked mildly.
Avery eyed the tiny stack of chips before Ben and smiled. “Minimum bets, one million.”
Kaan gave out a bark of delighted laughter. “Are you certain you’re willing to lose that much?”
“Bring it!” Avery grinned back like the shark he wanted to be.
They both turned their faces to Ben as he hadn’t said anything.
Ben heard a discreet throat clearing behind him and turned to see a well-dressed older gentleman standing at his shoulder.
“Good evening, Mr. Shepherd. I’m Claudio Herraras, General Manager for the resort. May I be of assistance to you this evening?”
“Good evening, Mr. Herreras. Please call me Ben. It seems the game I’m involved in has increased its stakes. Might I extend my credit with the resort by another five million?” He dug into his pocket for his wallet and pulled from it the credit card Walter got for him. He’d never taken it out before. It was black, and Walter said it had no credit limit. “I have this as collateral.”
“That’s quite all right, Ben. Please call me Claudio. The resort will extend you the credit you need,” the man said. He gestured to someone standing between two bulky security men. The woman stepped forward and placed the chips on the table before Ben as he tucked away his card and wallet. He signed the chit for the extra five million dollars.
“Thank you, Claudio! Wish me luck,” he said with a grin, and the man nodded as he stepped back from the table with the woman. Ben caught the shocked expression on Russo’s face and raised an eyebrow in concern. She looked away to regain her composure.
Ben grinned at the stiff smile on Kaan’s face. “Shall we? Avery seems extra eager to play a serious game.” The man in question shot daggers at Ben with his eyes. Perhaps his intent was to shame Ben into leaving the game?
“Let’s go, wiseguy!” Avery snapped.