Free Betting On Love by Cheris Hodges

downstairs?” Jade asked, rolling her eyes at her friend.
    â€œSo what? You should be showered and dressed. You do want your money back from that asshole, don’t you?”
    Jade sighed and picked up the phone to order some coffee. “You know I want to stop Stephen from opening that restaurant in Charlotte, which I would be paying for,” she said while she waited for room service to come on the line. “And for the record, I slept alone last night.”
    Serena nodded. “Good. Kandace called a realty company in Charlotte to get a line on how much the property costs and to see if we can take it from Carter.”
    Jade ordered the coffee and told Serena to tip the delivery guy or girl, because she was going to take a shower. Once she was alone in the bathroom, she thought about what James had said to her the first night that they met. Was Stephen really worth her energy?
    This is more than revenge because he cheated on you. This man robbed you of the majority of your savings. He deserves whatever he gets.
    Jade hopped in the shower, ready to stick it to Stephen.

CHAPTER 8
    After eating breakfast, James decided that he needed to be alone for a while. He was sick and tired of hearing Mo and his friends talk about football. He didn’t give a damn about a three-four defensive scheme or if the new quarterback was going to work out and develop the same chemistry with Maurice that the one the team had traded had. James, who wasn’t much of a football player, had run track in high school and college. Sometimes he worked out with Maurice and some of the other Panthers’ players to stay in shape. But he was far from a gym rat.
    James went to his suite to change into his swimming trunks and grab a copy of USA Today to read while he lounged. As he changed his clothes, he wondered if Jade wore a two-piece bathing suit or a sexy one-piece with a cutout mid section exposing her stomach. Shaking his head, he tried to push thoughts of Jade out of his mind. But he couldn’t, and quite frankly, that startled him. He knew they were sharing a fling, but there was something about her that made him think there could be more going on.
    But this is Vegas, and everything that’s flashy and shiny isn’t really what I need, he thought as he headed out the door.
    James headed to the rooftop pool, picking a chaise lounge in the corner, away from the gathering crowd of morning swimmers. He leaned back and watched the people settling into their chairs and rubbing sunscreen on their skin. Most of the early morning swimmers were elderly people, who had probably been in bed, sleeping, while he and Jade were out in the limo. James began to read his paper, and his cell phone chimed again.
    â€œThis is James,” he said into the phone.
    â€œI know you’re on vacation, but that group called again and they want to set up a meeting next week,” said Amber Williams, the Brothers Realty office manager and James’s assistant.
    â€œAll right. I’ll meet with them, but let them know that we’re not in the business of stealing property from underneath someone.”
    â€œOkay. So, how’s Vegas?”
    James looked up and saw Jade, Serena, and two men walking toward the bar on the other side of the pool. “It’s fine,” he said. “Something just came up. Let me give you a call back.” Snapping the phone shut, James watched intently as the foursome ordered breakfast. Were these men the reason why Serena and Alicia had shown up at his suite? What kind of games were these women playing?
    Be cool, he thought as he folded his paper and put it in his lap. Still, as he tried to calm himself, he wanted to go over there and find out who in the hell those men were. James knew he didn’t have a claim on Jade and she was free to do whatever she wanted. That still didn’t explain the intense jealousy building in the pit of his stomach.
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    â€œWell, Ms. Christian,