Fortunes' Women: Mistress of Fortune

As his driver parked the car under the entryway at Fortune’s Gold, Blake opened the door and climbed out of the car, holding out his hand to help Sasha to her feet. “Then it’s settled,” he said, careful to keep the triumph from his voice. “We’ll check out a few of the sites tomorrow, then we can decide on the one that will enhance the deals I’ll be offering.”

When he escorted her through the front entrance of his soon-to-be open casino, he watched her reaction as she looked around at the opulent decor. He’d spared no expense in re-creating the elegance of a high-end Las Vegas establishment, while still maintaining the relaxed atmosphere Deadwood was known for.

“This is beautiful, Blake.” She walked over to touch the cool black marble countertop on the registration desk. “I love your use of black, gold and cream. It’s very striking and goes perfectly with the crystal chandeliers.”

He hadn’t counted on her enthusiasm pleasing him quite so much. “I’m hoping Fortune’s Gold will attract some of the high rollers from the midwestern cities who might not have the time to make it to Vegas, but could get away for a couple of days to gamble here.”

“I’m sure it will be quite popular as a weekend getaway.” She continued across the lobby to descend the two steps leading down into the sunken casino area. She nodded toward a variety of slot machines and gaming tables. “I see you have all of the most popular games and gambling devices.”

A loud noise on the far side of the casino, where several men were installing some of the decorative trim work, caused her to jump and Blake realized that she still wasn’t completely at ease with him. Maybe if he gave her a moment or two alone to collect herself it would help. Throwing her off guard was one thing, but her being a nervous wreck would be detrimental to his plans.

“If you’ll excuse me, I need to find the foreman and check to see that everything is still on schedule.” He gave her his most reassuring smile. “I’ll only be a few minutes.”

“Of course.” She motioned toward the gaming tables. “If you don’t mind, I’ll just wander around here to get a better feel for the place.”

After talking briefly with the foreman, Blake retrieved a pass key from the main office, then went to find Sasha. When he spotted her, she was standing beside one of the many rows of slot machines and he couldn’t help but notice how attractive she was. In high school, she’d been nice looking, but that had only been a hint of things to come. The pretty teenage girl had grown into a strikingly beautiful woman with a figure that could tempt the most pious of saints.

“Is everything still on target for your grand opening?” she asked, clearly disconcerted when she caught him studying her.

“So far, so good.” Walking over to her, he placed his hand to the small of her back and guided her toward the elevators. “Ready to see the rooms?”

She stopped to give him a dubious look. “Is that necessary?”

He shrugged. “I thought it might give you a couple of ideas about accommodations for the package offers. I was thinking we could offer about three different options for our guests to choose from.”

Looking a little uncertain, she finally smiled. “I told you, the hotel and gaming industry isn’t my area of expertise. But touring the rooms does sound like an excellent idea and might help me make the offers more attractive for guests to bring spouses and children.”

“PR is PR, whether it’s for a casino or a corporation like Dakota Fortune,” he said, stepping back for her to enter the elevator. “It’s just a different market.”

When the doors whispered shut, she laughed and shook her head. “There’s a little more to it than that, Blake.”

Her soft voice saying his name did strange things to his insides, but he didn’t give it a second thought. He was on a mission, and the success or failure of his objective depended on him keeping a cool head and not letting emotion enter into the equation. It was the way he did business and it had served him quite well over the past four years.

When the elevator doors swished open on the top floor, Blake guided Sasha down a short hall to the executive suites. He’d known in advance which one he’d be showing her and made sure the housekeeping staff had it ready for her inspection.

“This is one of the suites we’ll be offering to the whales.”

“Whales?”

Fitting the key card into the lock, he opened the door when the light blinked green. “That’s the term used in the gaming industry for high rollers. They expect to get their rooms and meals free because they drop more than enough money in the casino to cover the costs, as well as make us a nice profit.”

“In other words, it’s incentive to get them to gamble in your establishment,” she said, glancing around at the expertly decorated rooms.

“That’s the idea,” he said, nodding. “With enough comps, they’ll be happy to stay here and gamble exclusively with us instead of visiting the other casinos.”

She walked slowly around the suite’s living room. “This looks like something I might see on one of the television shows about Las Vegas.” Turning to face him, she smiled approvingly. “I would think your whales will be quite pleased with this kind of complimentary service.”

Nodding, Blake walked over to open the French doors leading to the bedroom. “That’s what I’m aiming for. I want this to be the hotel for the wealthy when they visit Deadwood.”

“I haven’t seen the other hotels in town, but I think you’ve accomplished your goal. This is absolutely beautiful,” she said, wandering into the master bathroom. She stopped suddenly and her face reflected her astonishment. “Good lord, Blake. That tub is almost large enough to swim laps.” She shook her head. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bathtub that large.”

Walking up behind her, he placed his hands on her shoulders as they gazed down into the black marble Jacuzzi tub. “We’ll offer champagne and caviar for two, in case a gentleman and his lady want an intimate bath together.”

Her slender frame stiffened beneath his palms and she quickly stepped away from him. But not before he felt a slight tremor course through her and noticed a faraway expression cross her face.

“I—I think I’ve seen enough to know what you’ll be offering in the way of accommodations to your wealthier clientele,” she said, her steps purposeful as she started for the door. “Why don’t we take a look at the standard rooms?”

As he followed her across the living room, Blake smiled. Sasha was nervous all right, but in a good way. He’d bet a day’s take in one of his casinos that her reaction to his touch had more to do with the fact that she was still attracted to him than from anything Creed could have told her.

When he pulled the door to the Executive Suite shut behind him, Blake watched the gentle sway of her hips as she walked down the hall to the elevator. He smiled. His plan was not only going to work beautifully, it was going to be a pleasure for both of them.

He was going to seduce Sasha right out from under Creed’s nose. And there wasn’t a damned thing his older brother could do to stop him.

Two

By the time Blake’s driver delivered them to the entrance of the Belle of Fortune Hotel and Casino that evening, Sasha wondered what on earth she’d been thinking when she’d agreed to help him. Spending the day with him had played havoc with her equilibrium and only confirmed what she suspected after she’d talked to him earlier in the week. She was still attracted to him and, although it wasn’t the same as when she’d had a crush on him in high school, the fascination was still there just the same. Trying to deny it would be utterly futile.

Unfortunately, he hadn’t helped her predicament. From the moment she stepped off his private jet, it seemed as if he’d seized every available opportunity to touch her. Then, there was the matter of his leaning close whenever he spoke to her. It wasn’t what he said that caused her to have a perpetual case of goose bumps shimmering over her arms, it was the way he said it. Listening to his smooth baritone as he explained his plans for building a gambling empire, his voice seemed to wrap around her like a warm cocoon. She wasn’t sure how he did it, but Blake had managed to make the most mundane detail sound incredibly intimate.

As they walked across the lobby of the authentically decorated hotel, she wondered what had gotten into her. She wasn’t that same starry-eyed teenager with a huge crush on the best-looking boy in school. She was a grown woman with a much broader perspective of what to look for in a man besides a handsome face.

It was true that Blake had grown into a devastatingly handsome man who could turn the head of any female possessing a pulse. With his dark-blond hair, blue eyes and sensual good looks, he could just as easily have been a movie star as a businessman.

But it wasn’t just the way he looked that caught Sasha’s attention. It was his commanding presence that demanded respect and the undivided attention of whomever he was addressing that made him seem larger than life. And if he was smart, he’d use that to his advantage in his promotional campaign.

“Blake, what kind of advertising budget are you planning for the opening of Fortune’s Gold?” she asked thoughtfully as they waited for the elevator.

“I haven’t set a limit,” he said, stepping back for her to enter the car ahead of him. “I’ll spend whatever it takes to kick this off the right way. Why?”

“Do you think that’s wise, not setting a budget?” she asked.

Pushing the button for the top floor, he shrugged his wide shoulders and shook his head. “Money isn’t an issue.”

She chided herself for asking such a stupid question. Of course money wasn’t an object. Blake was a Fortune, and besides his family owning the largest corporation in the western part of South Dakota—maybe the entire state—he was quite a successful businessman and multimillionaire in his own right.

“I was thinking—”

He suddenly placed his finger to her lips, stopping her. “It’s past five, Sasha. The business day is over and it’s time for pleasure.”

“But—”

She intended to tell him that business was the only reason she’d come to Deadwood. But when he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him, the words stuck in her suddenly dry throat and all thoughts of a promotional campaign flew right out of her head.

“You know what they say about all work and no play, Sasha.”

“Th-they make a person dull?” Her mind told her to push him away, but her body refused to cooperate.

As if in slow motion, she watched him nod his head, then smiling, lower his forehead to hers. “Remember, you’re not only here on business. You’re here to get away for a weekend. And I’m personally going to see to it that you relax and have a little fun while you’re in town.”