Elaine Overton - Fever

He was about to make his move and unfortunately Roxie would have to shoot him down mid-flight.

After several seconds of knowing he was staring at her, she felt as if laser beams were burning her skin. Roxie busied herself with her napkin while Ike motioned to their waitress to bring the check.

“So what now?” she asked as casually as possible.

“Well, I guess that’s up to you.” He turned to look directly at her. “Right now I’m pretty much inclined to follow wherever you lead.”

She feigned ignorance. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Roxie knew that above all she would have to keep her poker face in place. Ike was too much of a temptation in a time when she needed her wits about her. She could not let him know how desperately she wanted him.

He smiled that slow, sensual smile that heated her from head to toe. “Come on, Roxie. You have to know this is about more than a professional curiosity.”

currently resides in the Detroit area with her son and dog. After attending a local business college, she entered the military and served in the Gulf War. She is an administrative assistant, currently working for an automotive industry supplier and is an active member of Romance Writers of America.

Current releases include Love’s Inferno, Déjà Vu and Promises of the Heart. You can contact her via e-mail at www.elaineoverton.com.

Fever

Elaine Overton

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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To Dan,

The greatest hustler I know.

Dear Reader,

Thank you for taking the time to read Fever. I hope you have enjoyed sharing Roxie and Ike’s rocky journey to a loving, trusting relationship. I also enjoyed creating the fictional Desert Rose casino and the assorted cast of family and friends.

You may be wondering why I would write a story that featured a heroine with such questionable beginnings. But as Roxie says more than once, things are not always what they seem. Hustlers aren’t born, they are made, and much is due to the circumstances of their lives. So, the next time you see that hustler on the corner working the crowd, stop and ask yourself what may have led them to that life. You just might be surprised with what you learn.

Elaine

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Epilogue

His job was to watch her hands, but he couldn’t seem to take his eyes off her legs. Isaac Bancroft casually leaned against the counter in the casino cocktail lounge studying the beautiful woman at the poker table. She was cheating, no doubt about it.

He’d peeked her game within fifteen minutes of watching her work. It was no big deal, twenty percent of their patrons were professional hustlers. As the head of security in one of the most profitable—if not most infamous—casinos in Las Vegas, Ike was certain he had seen it all. She was cheating all right, but how was the real question.

It didn’t matter so much to Ike that the money she was stacking up didn’t belong to the casino. Any money the woman took home was gained from other players. He’d have to do something about her. It was the principle of the matter. Ike had already had two of his best men circle her twice, looking for evidence or hidden devices. After watching her for over an hour, he was certain that she was working alone. The way she studied the game, he would’ve believed she was counting cards, but that was almost impossible.

What a beauty, he thought, taking in the gold, after-five dress that practically glowed against her copper skin. It hugged her slender body from bust to thigh, and seemed to shimmer with every slight movement. The thin straps that fell artfully off each shoulder had his fingers itching to touch.

He watched with suspended breath as she uncrossed her satiny, bronze legs, then crossed them in the opposite direction. Her stiletto sling-backs settled neatly on the bottom rung of the high stool. The thin, gold chain on her right ankle twinkled in the bright, casino lights.

Ike released a deep sigh of male satisfaction. Yes, she was as crooked as they came. But legs like those…a man just didn’t see that every day.

The two-way radio hooked to his belt buckle erupted in static chaos, and just as quickly it quieted.

“Ike?” The slow, emotionless voice of Stamp, Ike’s second in command, came over the speaker.

Ike never took his eyes off the woman as he answered through the headset he wore. “Yeah?”

“The boss was wondering if you planned to do anything about the pretty little thief at table seven.”

Ike smiled to himself. He should’ve known Bobby was watching from the security tower. “Yes, I plan to do something about her.”

The radio went silent for several seconds. “Umm, Ike, the boss was wondering what exactly you planned to do about her.”

Ike shook his head. He’d often wondered why Bobby Kincaid even bothered with a security staff when no one did a better job spotting a thief than Bobby himself.

“Tell Bobby that sometimes you have to look before you leap.”

The radio went dead again.

Finally, Stamp returned. “Ike, the boss said ‘what does that mean…?’”

Suddenly the voice that came on the radio was not Stamp’s steady monotone, but Bobby’s loud and extremely irate voice.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean? Dammit, Ike! What are you going to do? Sit there sipping soda pop while that woman robs those people blind? I don’t care if it’s not my money she’s stealing in my casino.”

Ike glanced at the glass of clear liquid sitting at his elbow. Yeah, Big Brother was definitely watching. “Bobby, this is why you pay me the big bucks. Trust me, I’ve got it handled.”

“Handled? That swindler is about to walk out of here with a large piece of pie and all you can say is you’ve got it handled!”

“Bobby, you hired me to do a job, but I have to do it my own way. If that is not acceptable to you, then you are perfectly welcome to come down here and take care of the problem yourself.”

“Think I won’t?”

“Okay.” Ike sat up. “Then I’ll pack up for the night. See you tomorrow.” He took his wallet out of his back pocket and pulled a few bills from the inside. He started to toss them on the counter when his radio suddenly came back on.

“Fine! Handle it your way. But dammit, Ike, you better handle it. Don’t let that thieving woman walk out of here with that money.”

“Technically, she’s not a thief until she attempts to leave the table. I promise you, Bobby, that won’t happen.”

“It better not!”

With that, the radio went dead once more.

Roxanne Sanchez stacked another neat pile of plastic chips on the table and waited for the other gamblers to place their bets. She casually scratched her neck, allowing her to surreptitiously turn her head in the direction of the cocktail lounge.