Free Gambling with Gabriella (Menage MfM Romance Novel) (Playing For Love Book 2) by Tara Crescent Page B

it out of its misery.”
    He gives me a knowing look - my changing of the subject has been noticed. But he links his hand in mine without any further comment, and we take the elevator downstairs.
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    T he two of us decide by mutual consent to try the Chinese restaurant in the casino downstairs. To be honest, I don’t have any capacity to think about where to eat dinner. I've tried to hide my stress from Carter, but I am incredibly nervous about this whole situation.
    Last night, I was convinced that Bulldog would want me back so that his regulars could win back some of the money they lost to me. But as the day ticks on and Bulldog doesn’t call, my nerves have frayed to the point where I’m constantly looking at my phone, worrying about whether I’d been wrong in my diagnosis.
    If Carter notices, he doesn't let on. I sneak a glance at him as we ride in the elevator. He’s so broad and strong. I feel safe around him.
    Both Carter, with his promise that he’d make inquiries into Saturday night, and Dominic, with his insistence that I stay somewhere safe, have made me realize that my relationships in New York were woefully inadequate. All my boyfriends, such as they were, were only interested in sex, in going and checking out the latest restaurants and being seen at the trendiest clubs. What they didn’t demonstrate was a willingness to be involved in my life. Asking me how my work day was? That never happened. Showing me I could depend on them? Yeah, Vinny couldn’t even keep it in his pants.
    It makes me realize that the criteria I use to find boyfriends needs some updating. I don’t trust that Carter and Dominic are around for the long haul. But at some point in the future, I will decide to date again. When I do, I promise myself that I will look for the kind of care and concern that the two of them have demonstrated to me since I’ve come to Atlantic City.
    The hostess at the entrance of the Red Dragon recognizes Carter immediately, of course. “A table for two, Mr. Hughes? she asks deferentially. “It’ll just be a minute.”
    “Thank you, Allison,” he responds.
    She’s very pretty and she’s very thin. I’m trying to ignore my insecurities when I hear a voice shout out my name. “Gabriella!”
    I turn around and recognize Xavier Garcia, one of my least favorite clients. Xavier is a former European soccer player who recently moved to New York to play Major League Soccer, because he didn’t have the consistency and talent to stay in the much more lucrative Spanish clubs. He’s on my dislike list because he just cannot take no for an answer. He persists in hitting on me every time I see him. It’s tiring, to say the least. Because he’s a client and I’m a lowly PR rep, I can’t even knee him in the groin like I want to. All I can do is rebuff his advances politely and hope he eventually gets the message.
    He comes up to me and kisses me on my cheeks, holding me just a little too close for a little too long. I can smell the alcohol on him - he’s been drinking. I stiffen in his arms, and out of the corner of my eye, I see Carter clench his fists. Shit . I really like my job, and I’d like to keep it, drunk client or not.
    I disentangle myself from Xavier’s octopus-like grip, but even as I think I’ve managed to escape, he puts an arm around my waist and pulls me close to him. “Gabriella,” he slurs. “Keep me company. This place is so boring, mi amorcito.”
    I roll my eyes. My love , he’s called me, even though he’s married, with a young son and another child on the way. I’ve even met his wife. Not for the first time, I silently wonder how she manages to turn a blind eye to her husband’s many indiscretions.
    Carter goes very still. I’m praying that Xavier backs away before he does something stupid. I don’t want this to turn into a pissing match between the two men, because in a contest between Carter and Xavier, my money’s on Carter.
    No such luck. Xavier plants his wet,