Kathie DeNosky - Fortunes' Women - Mistress of Fortune

When Michael announced the job was a wrap and he and his crew began tearing down their equipment, Sasha smiled as she walked over to Blake. “That wasn’t all that unpleasant, was it?”

Placing his hand to the small of her back, he guided her toward the casino exit. “No, it wasn’t as bad as I figured it would be. But I sure as hell don’t plan on repeating the experience.”

Sasha stopped when she saw Blake’s limo waiting outside and realized that he meant for them to leave. “I should probably stay until Michael—”

“I have people to see that Atkinson and his crew get packed up and on their way.” He waited for her to get into the limousine, then slid in beside her. With a look that sent her blood pressure soaring, he pushed the button to raise the privacy screen between them and the driver.

“You owe me big time,” he said, dragging her onto his lap. “And guess what?”

She laughed when his fingers danced over her ticklish ribs. “What?”

“It’s payday, sweetheart.”

“Plan on spending the entire week of the grand opening here in Deadwood with me.”

Wrapped in plush hotel robes, Sasha and Blake snuggled on his couch as they stared at the flames from the gas log in the fireplace. “I would love to, but unfortunately, I can’t take that much time off.”

“Why not?”

A wave of goose bumps covered her arms when he kissed the side of her neck and she had to concentrate hard in order to give him a coherent answer. “I have to pay rent, utilities and eat. I can’t do either if I don’t work.”

“Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. I’ll see to it that—”

“Don’t you dare say you’ll pay my bills for me.” She pulled back to let him see that she meant what she said. “I have never taken money from anyone that I didn’t earn and I’m not about to start now.”

He shook his head. “Calm down, Sasha. I was going to tell you that I would arrange for you to have the time away from Dakota Fortune with pay.”

It was her turn to shake her head. “I can’t let you do that.”

“Why not?”

From his baffled expression, she could tell he didn’t have an inkling as to why she felt the need to refuse. “For one thing, it wouldn’t be fair to my coworkers. They work just as hard as I do and they won’t be offered time off with pay.”

A deep scowl creased his forehead. “Why are you being so stubborn about this?”

“Because it doesn’t sit well with me.” Trying a different tack, she asked, “Would you pay one of your employees for work they didn’t do?”

“No.” There wasn’t a bit of hesitation in his answer.

“Then why would you think it was all right to do it for me?”

He surprised her when he smiled and shook his head. “You’re wrong, sweetheart. I wouldn’t be paying you for nothing.”

It was her turn to feel confused. “Would you care to explain?”

“How many hours would you say you’ve put in on my ad campaign and how many strings did you have to pull to make it all happen?” he asked, catching her hand in his to tug her back down beside him.

She shrugged as she settled back against him. “I don’t know. I haven’t kept track.”

“You worked last weekend to come up with a plan and every night I’ve called this past week, you’ve been ironing out the details.” He kissed the top of her head. “And correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t remember giving you a single dime for any of it.”

She was beginning to understand his reasoning, but that hadn’t been part of their agreement. “I don’t expect you to pay me. You asked me to do a favor for you as a friend. Which I did.”

His frustrated breath stirred the curls at her temple. “All right. I appreciate your efforts and accept that you won’t let me compensate you for your time.” He wrapped his arms around her and held her close as he pushed her robe aside to trail kisses down the column of her neck and over her shoulder. “But I’m not asking you to be with me for opening week as a favor. As your boss, I’m telling you to be here.”

“You can’t do that.” Desire began to stir within her as his lips continued to move over her skin. But she refused to give in to it. They were having a difference of opinion and she wasn’t going to let him distract her until they got it settled once and for all.

“Sure I can.” He laid her down on the couch cushions, parted her robe and leaned to kiss his way down the slope of her breast. “I’m the boss. Remember?”

“But—”

“I’ll arrange for you to work here opening week, instead of at the Dakota Fortune offices.” He took her puckered nipple into his mouth and drew on it deeply, causing ribbons of warmth to swirl to the very core of her. When he raised his head, he asked, “Now, do you have anymore questions, sweetheart?”

“None,” she answered, shaking her head. “None at all.”

As Blake and his managers stood in front of Fortune’s Gold for the ribbon-cutting ceremony officially opening his newest casino, he scanned the crowd waiting to enter Deadwood’s most elaborate hotel. Asking for Sasha’s help had certainly paid off. There were twice as many people gathered to try out the gaming tables and slot machines than there had been at either of the openings for his other casinos.

Searching to find her in the sea of people, when he spotted her standing over to the side with a distinguished-looking gentlemen, Blake barely managed to contain his shock. She was exchanging polite conversation with his father, the all powerful Nash Fortune.

Why was he here? He’d hadn’t bothered to attend the openings for Belle of Fortune or Lucky Fortune. In fact, his father hadn’t visited Deadwood in the six years that Blake had lived here.

But more surprising than having his father in attendance was the fact that Nash was alone. Where was Patricia? His father and stepmother had been inseparable since Nash’s retirement and the fact that she wasn’t at his side was quite significant.

But Blake didn’t have time to speculate about the absence of his stepmother. He had to deliver a short speech, then participate in the cutting of the wide red ribbon officially opening the doors to Fortune’s Gold for business.

As happened with the grand openings for his other two hotel casinos, Blake’s position as the owner of Fortune Casino Corporation required that he not only preside over the ceremony, but that he be available to greet guests and endure being interviewed by several newspaper and television reporters. Fortunately, it only took a couple of hours for the patrons to settle into their games of choice and the media to move on to whatever else they deemed newsworthy for the day.

Finally free to go in search of Sasha, he found her in the coffee shop seated at a table with his father. Blake’s heart lurched when their eyes met. She was, without a doubt, the most beautiful, alluring woman he’d ever met.

“Everything seemed to go quite well,” she said when he walked over to join them.

“I’m fairly pleased with the way things went.” Unconcerned that his father was watching, Blake kissed her sweet lips, then lowered himself into the chair beside her. “But I’m glad it’s over.”

“I always hated having to preside over things like this,” Nash said, nodding.

A waitress appeared, seemingly out of nowhere to place a cup of coffee in front of Blake. When she moved away, he turned his attention to his father and stuck out his hand in a more formal greeting. “I didn’t expect to see you here, Dad.”

His father cleared his throat as they shook hands and if he didn’t know better, Blake would have sworn that Nash looked a little chagrined. “I thought it was time to see what’s claimed my youngest son’s attention for the past several years.”