Sex and the Billionaire Crime Boss

Ch. 15: Gambling

Las Vegas is like an oasis, springing to life in the desert in all its flashy glory.

In 1946, the mob got its foothold in the Las Vegas casino business when Bugsy Siegel and Meyer Lansky built the Flamingo. And legends were born, glamorized on film but much darker in reality.

I don't know if the mob still controls gambling here. But it wouldn't surprise me if they do.

While Gabe takes me around the strip like we're a couple of tourists, I try to pump him for information on who Max is meeting with and what their business dealings are, but I can't get anything out of him. Which only makes me more suspicious that the rumors about Max's connections with organized crime are true.

I don't know how I feel about that. When I'm with him, none of that seems to matter. He's well known in Miami as a successful businessman and a philanthropist, and I try to convince myself that's all he is. It's only when you dig a little deeper beneath the surface that the ugly rumors and innuendoes come to light.

When I'm alone, I think about the things people say quietly about him. I worry I'm in over my head, and that getting too close to Max Bennett could put my career and my reputation at risk.

I worry it could also destroy whatever connection I might be making with my grandfather before it even really gets started.

Gabe checks in periodically with Max, which is how I find out Max is still busy and won't be able to break free for dinner. And how Gabe and I end up dining at the hotel and casino buffet, which is unlike any buffet I've ever eaten at before. There are live-action cooking stations where chefs prepare delicacies from around the world.

I'm so wowed by what ends up on my plate that I stop trying to push Gabe for information, and just enjoy the experience.

After dinner, Gabe checks in again with Max and finds out he's taking a break from meetings and is headed for the high stakes poker room with his group. I hope to get a glimpse of them to see who he's with, but Gabe steers me in the other direction to the hotel elevator, and I test the code Max gave me to send us straight to the penthouse level and Max's private entrance. Gabe waits in the suite while I get changed for an evening in the casino.

I hesitate for a moment between the glittery gold dress and the more conservative little black dress I also packed, then go for the gold. It's Vegas, after all. I slip into it and then sit down at the vanity stool in the dressing area to put on a pair of black stiletto sandals with thin ankle straps.

I finish freshening up my makeup for a more dramatic evening look because, again, it's Vegas. Then I stand up and, on impulse, snap a quick selfie in the luxurious dressing room in front of the trifold mirror.

"Are you about ready?" Gabe calls from the living area.

"Yes." I walk partway out. "Do we need to be somewhere specific?"

I was just going to wander through the casino and people-watch, but maybe Gabe has some other plan, like one of the shows headlining here.

"Max just texted and wants to see you for a minute. We're meeting him by the entrance from the hotel into the casino. But he has to get back to the poker room right away."

"Oh, okay." A little thrill of pleasure shoots through me at the thought of seeing him even briefly, and I congratulate myself on choosing the gold dress even while telling myself not be such a fool over a guy. "Just let me grab my bag."

I hurry back into the dressing area and pick up the little black sequined cross-body purse I bought, switch the contents from my day bag, and finish off my more sophisticated evening hair style. I use a narrow barrette with black stones and what look like—but aren't—diamonds to sweep my hair back on the side.