Deadly Odds by Adrienne Giordano Read Free Book Online

over.”
    “ That’ll excite him. Although, I do think he has a crush on her. You know how he is. He’s got that hidden charm that sneaks up on you. If Kate’s not careful, she very well could wind up wife number four.”
    However much charm Don had, Ross didn’t think Kate would fall for it. She didn’t strike him as a woman who’d let a man get over on her. But damn, the idea of that gorgeous woman and Don?
    Blech. He drove his fingers into his eye sockets until pain exploded and the nasty vision of Kate’s long legs wrapped around Don disappeared. “No wife number four. Find them.”
    She saluted. “I’m on it. Anything else?”
    “No.”
    He closed his eyes, focused on getting today’s meetings handled. He needed a meditation class or something. Anything to calm the chaos constantly raging.
    “I ordered that clone for you,” Marcia said, “but it’s still on back order.”
    Good old Marcia. He opened his eyes, smacked his fingers on the edge of his desk. “Dammit, Marcia. When will he be available?”
    She grinned. “Half the women in Vegas are asking the same question. Oh, silly me, I shouldn’t have said that. Totally inappropriate.”
    “You’re forgiven,” Ross said. “Do me a favor though. Jason and Burke are coming in next week. Wednesday. Make sure Jason gets a suite on the south end of the building. He’s into views. Burke sleeps in and he’s a light sleeper so get him as far from an elevator as possible.”
    She jotted notes on her notepad. “I suppose you’ll have dinner with them Wednesday night?”
    “Yeah, but not here.”
    He’d learned the hard way—thanks to his mother—that if he didn’t leave the building, he’d obsess over what was happening in the casino and completely piss off his company by being distracted. And who could blame them? His life had turned into Godzilla. A two-headed one.
    “I’ll find you someplace. Any suggestions?”
    He thought about it. Jase and Burke had been his closest friends since business school. He knew their food preferences as well as his own. “Burke likes the steaks at Hennessy’s. See if they can get me in.”
    “That won’t be a problem.”
    “What problem?” This from Don standing in the doorway.
    Marcia swung around and Ross jerked his thumb at her. “Jason and Burke are showing up next week. Marcia thinks she can get us into Hennessy’s.”
    “Oh, I’ll do it.”
    After eight years of her throwing around Samuels’ name, seventy-five percent of the restaurant managers in Vegas were terrified of Marcia. The other twenty-five percent hadn’t experienced her yet. Poor schmucks had no idea the force that would eventually fly their way. Ross tapped his hands against the arms of his chair, his nervous energy and the sudden bombing of his schedule unnerving him. “What’s up, Don?”
    “The leggy redhead is in the lounge.”
    “Assuming you mean Ms. Daniels?”
    “Kate. She likes Kate.”
    “Right.”
    Don rolled one hand. “I told her I’d check if you were back. If you got too many bugs up your ass, I’ll move her along and tell her to come back tomorrow. Samuels will be happy and I’ll get something done.”
    Moving her along wouldn’t be a bad idea. What the hell did they need a security consultant for? Aside from Samuels wanting to aggravate them? “Our systems are locked, right? I mean, what’s Samuels doing? And don’t tell me he’s shitting elephants. I’ve got that.”
    Ross glanced at his dinging computer where the emails continued their bombing. Then there was the stack of paperwork Marcia had left at some point during his absence. He should deal with all of it now. Tell Kate to come back tomorrow. But tomorrow would be worse and there’d be no time then either.
    And crazy as it was, he wanted time for this particular woman.
    “Relax, Wonder Boy. He’s not questioning your management skills.”
    “You don’t think? We’re open three weeks and he’s sending someone to critique us?”
    Don