Unspoken Obsession (Casino King #4)

10. Dante

DANTE

I don't know if I am making the right choice by spending so much time with Frankie. I want to know who she is and I keep telling myself that is why I am keeping her close, but every moment I spend with her my obsession grows deeper.

She is a blinding light, and I am a moth - lured towards her without thinking of the consequences.

"Lorenzo." I blurt out as I march into the office. He jumps at the sound of my voice. "What's going on?" He asks.

"Nothing, no, I just need you to do something for me."

"Jeez, you came storming in here like the casino was on fire." He breathes a sigh of relief.

"Sorry man." I sit down in the chair opposite his at his desk.

I wanted to find out who she was, but she avoided answering questions, and she was very secretive about her life. I don't know if it is on purpose or not - but I'm getting nowhere in learning who she is. So, I've decided to try another approach.

"Open your email. I sent you a still image taken from the casino security footage at La Muse. From a Blackjack game, we hosted there. The photo is of a girl named Frankie. She was counting cards - and I want everything you can find out about her."

Lorenzo clicks at his computer, his brows knotting as he focuses on the image. "Ok, I've got it here - jeez - she's a looker isn't she." He says, causing my jealousy to flare. But I don't want anyone to think I am involved with her - not even Lorenzo.

"Find out what you can about her."

"What's her last name?"

"I don't have a fucking clue. All I know is that everyone calls her Frankie. She moved to town from somewhere in Canada."

"Alright, I'll look into it. But how urgent is this - because I've got some more pressing matters to deal with—the tunnels?"

"It's urgent." I stand up, pressing my hands against the desk. "I want to know who she is."

He nods. "Fine. I'll get back to you as soon as possible. A fucking girl counting cards, I thought I'd seen it all."

"Make sure that you do."

At least by asking him under the guise of her being a cheat, he won't question why I am so curious about the girl.

I head out of the office to my car. I am meeting Frankie at a local art gallery. There is a new artist in the gallery, and she wanted to see her pieces - so, I arranged a private tour.

I am experiencing some contradicting emotions towards Frankie. Because on one hand, I want to sweep her off her feet and treat her like a princess. My other instincts are telling me to be careful, that she is hiding something important from me.

I can't imagine what it would be - but I am sure that once Lorenzo digs into who she is - it will make more sense. I can find out who her family is and what history she has in this area - or where she is from. It's not a flower shop in Canada, not with her card skills.

I drive through the city thinking about her.

When I get to the art gallery, she is standing at the top step, waiting for me. A gorgeous smile lights her face when she sees me and, I smile too.

My heart gets soft at the sight of her - and I caution myself to keep my guard up until I can find out more about her. This could be a trap, a gold-digger trying to get my money.

"Frankie, you look gorgeous." I climb the last step and wrap my arms around her, holding her close to me for a moment. She is wearing a wide flowing, high-waisted gray pants, and a white cropped cotton shirt. It is casual and simple. She makes the simplest clothes look exquisite.

"Thanks. I'm thrilled you like art too. It's nice to have someone to do this kind of thing with." She smiles.

"I guess being new to town can get a little lonely."

"Well, I do know my way around here. It's not my first time in Vegas." She answers.

I turn towards the entrance of the gallery without letting her go. We walk into the massive foyer, and she looks up and down the long corridors to the left and right of us.

"Wow, I didn't expect it to be so quiet today - I wonder where everyone is? This is for a really famous artist, I just expected there to be a lot more people."

On cue, the gallery manager comes around a corner, claps his hands together, and greets us. "Welcome, welcome my friend." He says, not using my full name I asked him to just call me Dan instead of Mr. Russo. "So good to see you."

I've made several large donations to the gallery, supporting local and upcoming artists - and the manager knows me well - which is why it was easy to get a private tour this afternoon.

"Hi, Michael. How are you?" I shake his hand.

"Good - yes - is this your friend who likes our new artist?"

"This is Frankie. Frankie this is Michael - the gallery manager."

"Hello." She smiles and shakes his hand. "Why is it so quiet today? Are you open - can we walk around?"

The manager laughs. It echoes all the way down the left and right passages on either side of us.

"The whole gallery is yours for an hour. Didn't Dan tell you?"

Frankie glances at me with her eyes narrowed. "No. He didn't." She smiles.

"I arranged for a private viewing. I thought it would be nicer."

"Well, you two enjoy the gallery - it's all yours - if you need me just give me a shout and I'll come find you." Michael walks away, waving his hand over his shoulder to say goodbye.

Frankie shakes her head and laughs. "I can't believe you did this. It's amazing. They're expecting his show to sell out."

We roam around the gallery, taking in the street art styled paintings on display. The guy is good. I hadn't heard of him before today, but I might even purchase one of these for my home.

After enjoying the solo, peaceful viewing at the gallery we go across the street to a coffee shop for something to eat.

Frankie insists they've got the best ciabattas she's tasted.

Sitting at the table, I stretch my legs out until my feet touch Frankie's. She grins but doesn't look up from the menu.

The server is standing next to the table, waiting to take our order.

"I'll have the bacon, avocado, and rocket please - toasted."

"Excellent choice. And for you sir?"

"Same. Thanks."

"Are you sure? There are a lot of different options."

"I trust your taste, if you like that one, I will too."

The server takes our menus and then confirms "So, it's two cappuccinos and two bacon, avo, rocket - both toasted."

Frankie nods.

I stare at her from across the table, wondering what secrets she is keeping - and why?

She looks at me, locking her gaze with mine. "What did you think?"

"About?" I ask, confused.

"The art?" She laughs.

"Oh, yes, that, I really like his style. Very graphic and bold. I've got my eye on one piece. I will call Michael later and arrange the sale."

"The one with the stop sign in neon colors?"

"Yes, where it's painted from the viewpoint as though he was lying on the road. I really like the way it draws you into the image."

"That was my favorite too."

We chat, enjoying each other's company and not even noticing how quickly the afternoon goes by. I keep reaching across the table to hold her hand or letting my hand rub over her thigh beneath the table. I can't stop touching her - I can't get enough of her. She is intoxicating, and it's becoming a problem.

I'm obsessed with her - even though I know so little about her. It is driving me crazy wanting to know everything.

"What part of Canada is your family from?"

She bites at her lower lip, and I can see her pausing to decide how to answer me.

"My father is nearby. I don't have family in Canada."

"Why did you live there then?"

"It was peaceful. It was just - what I needed."

"You don't strike me as being a quiet life kind of girl."

"Oh." She laughs. "And what kind of girl do I strike you as being?"

"A smart girl who can handle her own in any situation. Resourceful, talented, driven - and beautiful." I smirk.

"Mmm. Are you trying to butter me up? Because it's working." She tilts her head to the side as she grins at me.

After lunch I am sitting in my car, watching Frankie walk away from me - down the street. I don't know if she is going towards her own car or to catch an Uber. But for a moment I am caught in an internal battle because I want to follow her. It would be a bad idea. If she saw me, it would destroy whatever is between us. It's safer to get Lorenzo to handle that and for me.

I am already taking risks every time I go out with her in this city; someone who knows me could see me and give away my name.

I pick up my phone and dial Lorenzo.

"Hi." He answers.

"I was thinking we can host another Blackjack event tonight -- another high stakes game to lure Frankie back into the casino. I want to observe her playing -- see if we can catch her this time."

"Can do. It'll also be a good way to get our men to tail her. They can follow her out of there and find out where she lives if we can't find anything before then."

"Good. Yes. Do it."

On Friday night at the high stakes game, I've got my eyes on Frankie the entire evening. She knows I am watching her, but she is still unaware that I am the owner of this casino or the one hosting this game.

She is so subtle with her win, moving, staying in the game without creating suspicion, but playing brilliantly.

Andrew and Lorenzo are both here tonight to observe her.

Andrew is pissed off, not understanding why I've let a card counter back into the casino. Lorenzo has made several remarks about how sexy she is, and I've had to bite my tongue to stop the responses I want to hurl at him.

During the game, a security alarm goes off on my phone. Lorenzo and I both go rigid and two seconds later his phone alarm sounds as well.

I pull mine out to silence it and read the report.

"A fucking explosion?" Lorenzo whispers.

"Get down there right now." I hiss. "They are still in the tunnels. There is no way they could've remotely detonated with those concrete walls."

Lorenzo shoves his phone back into his pocket. "You're not coming?" he asks, confused.

"I'll be down later. I trust you to handle this, Lorenzo."

He glances from me to Frankie and his eyes narrow. It's not like me to leave something this important to someone else, but if it was going to be anyone—he is the person I trust.

"I'll keep you up to date." He says, then rushes off.

An explosion would've collapsed a section of the tunnel and that means millions in repairs and millions in lost shipments. This is fucking catastrophic.

I should be down there. But I also need to be so careful about what Frankie finds out about me. I am supposed to be a normal businessman, and she has already overheard too much—enough to make her suspicious. I don't want her to know who I really am because I want to keep her close to me.

At the end of the game, I stroll over to the bar to wait for her. I am tense and agitated, but trying to keep a smile on my face to hide the issues I'm dealing with behind the scenes.

She stands up from the table, brushing her hands over the soft blue velvet dress she is wearing. It's short and hugs tight against her body. The dress makes it difficult to take my eyes off her. As she walks towards me, her hips sway and my body sparks with electricity.

She's fucking gorgeous, and her elegance is unmatched.

"Soda water please."

"What a lucky surprise, to bump into you here," I smirk.

"Are you telling me you didn't hear about the game ahead of time and make sure you were here to watch me?" she taunts.

I shrug, "I might have asked to stay informed about upcoming games so that I could watch a gorgeous woman playing and destroying the egos of these men."

She giggles. "Don't be so dramatic."

"Are you ever going to tell me where you really learned to play? Or who your family is?" I say, leaning against the bar next to her.

"You are so closed off, it's like I don't know you at all - even though we've been spending a lot of time together."

She throws me a demure smile, her eyes glittering with mystery. "Sometimes it's nice not to know everything about someone all at once. There are certain bits of information that you can learn over time instead."

Her body language shifts, her walls going up. She is treating me as though I am one of the players in the card game. Her game face is strong blocking me out.

"It's just after eleven. Do you want to get a late dinner?"

She will turn me down. But I want to push against her boundaries. It's better if she says no tonight. I've got to get underground and find out what the fuck is happening.

"Not tonight. Another time?"

"Where is that you run off to at midnight Cinderella?"

"You know what happens to Cinderella." She raises her brows in a cheeky way. "I might turn into a pumpkin or a toad."

"Mmm. Alright. Keep your secrets. But not for long. One day you'll tell me?—"

She bites her lower lip while she grins at me.

"One day - maybe."