and nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”
“Since he introduced us, Hannigan won’t suspect we’re working together. Even if he suspects me or I make a mistake, go along with him. Get irate. Maybe yell at me some. Whatever you have to do to maintain your own cover. What’s he going to do? Call the police to come arrest the cheater at his illegal high stakes card game?” she said with a snort. “Not likely. I’ll give them their money back, kick off my heels and bolt. Call myself a cab and have them meet me around the corner. You stick around until things cool off. As long as you get a chance to put the jewelry back and I walk out with at least the twenty-five thousand dollar stake I started with, I’m okay. I knew when I made the deal this wasn’t a guarantee.”
Her assessment of the way things should go was close to his own, but Hannigan could be something of a wildcard. If he got angry and felt disrespected in front of his peers, there was a chance things could heat up.
Jake cut that thought short. Odds were everything would turn out just fine. Especially if Sadie was as good as he thought she was. No point looking for problems.
"I’ll pick you up at your apartment at eight on the nose,” he confirmed. “By the time we get there, everyone should already be settled in.”
She nodded, but then paused, chewing on her lower lip. “What if you were right, after all? What if he doesn't let me play?"
Jake stared down at her for a long moment and then barked out a laugh. "You can't be serious? I just said that to try to talk you out of it. Did you see the way he was eye-balling your...er, the Countess’s assets? If you wear the right clothes, I'm pretty sure you could get him to sign over the deed to his house."
Her eyes took on a speculative gleam. "Now that would be a good score."
"Only problem is, you'd get the house with him in it."
She shook her head, sending a dark lock falling forward over her cheek. "Forget it, then. Not worth it."
Another thing he respected. She might not be Mother Teresa, but she had a moral code --albeit a screwed up one-- that fit very nicely with his own. She could easily have landed herself a sugar daddy like Alistair who would have taken care of her for all of her days, but she chose not to. That realization relieved him more than it should have.
"And when will you step out of the room to return the stuff I nabbed?"
"We'll give it an hour or so, for sure, but I can't pin it down more than that for you. When I see a window of opportunity where everyone is preoccupied, I'll give you a sign. You give me one back to let me know you’re comfortable, and I'm off. I think I'll need about three or four minutes. All you have to do is keep him busy during that time."
She pursed her lips and nodded, clearly deep in thought about their shared mission. It must have been nice to be able to focus so intently on her objective without the kind of maddening distraction he had to deal with. Like the way her citrusy perfume fanned out every time she shook her head, or the enticing line from her outstretched finger leading up that toned arm all the way to the swell of her breasts again.
"I think I can handle that."
He had no doubt. She was a chameleon and he was pretty sure she could handle anything he threw at her.
"Right, then,” he said, regrouping to continue the task at hand. “So we go in, and you pour on the charm and the drinks. Get him loose and a little unawares. We play for a while, and you use that time to slowly build up a nice little score. It's not uncommon for one of the guys to walk away with forty or fifty grand, so I think you can definitely get away with doubling your money without anyone even looking twice at you."
At least, not for that reason, at any rate. There was no question the rest of the guys would be looking at her more than twice that night, and probably again later in their dreams. Especially if she wore anything even remotely as sexy as what she had on
“Since he introduced us, Hannigan won’t suspect we’re working together. Even if he suspects me or I make a mistake, go along with him. Get irate. Maybe yell at me some. Whatever you have to do to maintain your own cover. What’s he going to do? Call the police to come arrest the cheater at his illegal high stakes card game?” she said with a snort. “Not likely. I’ll give them their money back, kick off my heels and bolt. Call myself a cab and have them meet me around the corner. You stick around until things cool off. As long as you get a chance to put the jewelry back and I walk out with at least the twenty-five thousand dollar stake I started with, I’m okay. I knew when I made the deal this wasn’t a guarantee.”
Her assessment of the way things should go was close to his own, but Hannigan could be something of a wildcard. If he got angry and felt disrespected in front of his peers, there was a chance things could heat up.
Jake cut that thought short. Odds were everything would turn out just fine. Especially if Sadie was as good as he thought she was. No point looking for problems.
"I’ll pick you up at your apartment at eight on the nose,” he confirmed. “By the time we get there, everyone should already be settled in.”
She nodded, but then paused, chewing on her lower lip. “What if you were right, after all? What if he doesn't let me play?"
Jake stared down at her for a long moment and then barked out a laugh. "You can't be serious? I just said that to try to talk you out of it. Did you see the way he was eye-balling your...er, the Countess’s assets? If you wear the right clothes, I'm pretty sure you could get him to sign over the deed to his house."
Her eyes took on a speculative gleam. "Now that would be a good score."
"Only problem is, you'd get the house with him in it."
She shook her head, sending a dark lock falling forward over her cheek. "Forget it, then. Not worth it."
Another thing he respected. She might not be Mother Teresa, but she had a moral code --albeit a screwed up one-- that fit very nicely with his own. She could easily have landed herself a sugar daddy like Alistair who would have taken care of her for all of her days, but she chose not to. That realization relieved him more than it should have.
"And when will you step out of the room to return the stuff I nabbed?"
"We'll give it an hour or so, for sure, but I can't pin it down more than that for you. When I see a window of opportunity where everyone is preoccupied, I'll give you a sign. You give me one back to let me know you’re comfortable, and I'm off. I think I'll need about three or four minutes. All you have to do is keep him busy during that time."
She pursed her lips and nodded, clearly deep in thought about their shared mission. It must have been nice to be able to focus so intently on her objective without the kind of maddening distraction he had to deal with. Like the way her citrusy perfume fanned out every time she shook her head, or the enticing line from her outstretched finger leading up that toned arm all the way to the swell of her breasts again.
"I think I can handle that."
He had no doubt. She was a chameleon and he was pretty sure she could handle anything he threw at her.
"Right, then,” he said, regrouping to continue the task at hand. “So we go in, and you pour on the charm and the drinks. Get him loose and a little unawares. We play for a while, and you use that time to slowly build up a nice little score. It's not uncommon for one of the guys to walk away with forty or fifty grand, so I think you can definitely get away with doubling your money without anyone even looking twice at you."
At least, not for that reason, at any rate. There was no question the rest of the guys would be looking at her more than twice that night, and probably again later in their dreams. Especially if she wore anything even remotely as sexy as what she had on
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