at the sight of Terry sitting at the table, but quickly regains his composure. “Monsieur Terry! A pleasure to see you.” He smiles broadly. “A glass of wine for you as well?”
“Yes, please, Jacques.” Terry nods gently. He removes his glasses and polishes them while Jacques pours him a generous glass. Then he puts them back on and levels his gaze at me, picks up his glass, and says, “To Miss Madison.”
I raise my eyebrows in surprise but I go along with it, clinking my glass against his. “She’s gone,” I say, taking a swig.
“I know.” He nods and breathes deeply. “Do you plan to see her again?” He swirls his wine casually, looking away from me as he speaks.
“No.” I take a sip. “We’re worlds apart.”
“Hmm.”
“What?” I hear the edge in my voice.
“Well. Forgive me for saying so, David. You know I rarely cross the professional line with you.”
“Which I appreciate,” I add curtly.
“Look,” Terry leans forward, concentrating intently on me. “I’ll just say that I’ve known you for some time. A long time... And I’ve never known you to be so…taken with a girl.”
I take a slow, deep breath and exhale. “A deal’s a deal. I had my time with her.” But I can feel the pang in my chest at his words…and mine.
Terry takes a sip from his glass, thoughtfully, and sits back again. “She’s more than a bet in a poker game. She may have started out as collateral for a $1.3 mil pot. But I’d hazard a guess to say she’s come to be worth far more than that.”
“You’re not letting me off the hook easy on this one, huh Terry?” I can’t help but chuckle.
He puts his hands up defensively but grins. “Just saying, you deserve to be happy. Like I said, I’m rarely one to get involved in your private life. I just thought I’d say it. Nothing to lose. Maybe there’s space for that girl in your life.”
“The casinos are my life,” I respond.
He raises his brow. “Maybe there’s room for both.”
“What about your personal life?” I can’t help but tease him.
“The casinos are my life,” he responds with a loud laugh. “Fair play.” He raises his nearly empty glass to cheers me once more and then downs the last sip. “That’s my cue.”
“Got a taste of your own medicine, huh?” I chuckle again.
“Yep. Message received.” He stands and grabs his jacket from the back of his chair. “See you in the morning?”
“Yeah. Monte Carlo paperwork. First thing.”
“Good. Thanks for the drink.” He gives a last nod at the empty glass and then strolls off. I’m not far behind him and head up to the penthouse shortly after. I’m exhausted. With the travel, the full day of work, and the fact that I didn’t sleep much the previous night, I’m ready to drop right into bed.
My steps echo on the penthouse floor as I enter, sounding hollow. I head straight upstairs to bed. Every trace of Lilly has been erased. You would never know that she was here. I sit heavily on her side of the bed. Even the last hint of her perfume on the pillow has vanished. Marta must have changed the linens.
Well. What did I expect? Like I told Terry, she’s gone. She paid her debt, or rather, Deanna’s debt. I had my time with her. Even if it made any sense to ask her to stay, it wouldn’t have been the right thing to do. Now she’s back in her world. And I’m in mine. As it should be. Tomorrow I can finalize the Monte Carlo deal. Then I’ll have three casinos on two continents to keep under control. That will keep me more than busy.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Lilly
THREE MONTHS LATER
“Hey girl! Girl, lemme get a refill.”
My stomach is in a knot as the gruff male voice calls after me. I decide to ignore him.
“Hey! Hey, I know ya’ heard me.”
I suppress an eye roll as I walk over to the table where the guy rudely calling after me is sitting.
“My name is Lilly,” I tell him firmly as I refill his cup of coffee. “As you can see from my nametag.” I tap at the small tag on my chest. “You don’t have to call me girl.”
“Oh yeah, that’s true, I can see your nametag real good.” The guy grins, staring at my chest hungrily. I grit my teeth, reminding myself that the customer is king.
“Ya’ got some sugar for me maybe?” The guy gives a low laugh and