“Force him to take you to the owner,” Bryna said.

Maya laughed and nodded. “Done.”

“You know they won’t say anything to you,” Trihn said, finally speaking up.

“You’ve been in the clouds a bit, Trihni,” Maya said with a smirk. “I wonder why that is?”

“What?” Bryna tugged off her Gucci sunglasses and gave Trihn a pointed look. “What are we missing?”

Trihn shrugged. “Nothing. I was just thinking. What were you talking about anyway?”

“Who is he?” Bryna asked. “No one thinks that long unless it’s about a guy.”

“Oh my God! Is he hot? Is he here?” Stacia’s eyes scanned the pool perimeter.

Maya grinned wide. “You haven’t told them yet?”

“Told us what?” Stacia bounced excitedly.

“Really, Maya?” Trihn asked, exasperated.

Maya cackled and then walked away with her hands raised as if she hadn’t done anything.

“It’s nothing,” Trihn insisted. “No big deal, which is why I haven’t mentioned it.”

“If it’s no big deal, then dish!” Bryna cried.

Trihn sighed. “Fine. You win.” She sat up in her seat and placed her untouched water on the side table. “I met a guy last week while you guys were out of town. His name is Neal. He’s a graphic design major in the art school. We actually have art history together.”

“And?” Stacia asked.

“And…we went on a date. Okay, two dates this week.”

“Two dates, and we’re just now hearing about this guy who is no big deal?” Bryna asked. That didn’t sound like no big deal to her.

“It didn’t feel like a big deal until you spelled it out like that. He was just a guy.”

“A cute guy?” Stacia prompted.

“Very. I guess we’re dating. I don’t know. We haven’t clarified anything yet, but he’s a great kisser,” Trihn said with a smile.

Bryna smiled to try to keep from laughing. Of course, Trihn was the normal one, who went on dates with a guy and proceeded to kissing and then on from there. That was totally typical behavior. Instead, Stacia was spreading her legs up the ladder on the football team, and Bryna had fucked Andrew twice now without any interest in getting involved with him. Why does none of this surprise me?

“Kissing.” Stacia giggled. “I’m not sure I kissed the last guy I was with.”

Trihn rolled her eyes. “Of course you didn’t, but you also didn’t want to date him either.”

“You’re right.”

“If it becomes more than it is, I’ll let you guys meet him. But I don’t want to scare him away. I kind of like him.” Her glowing smile said she more than liked him. “And what about you, Bri? I’ve heard all about Stacia’s wild rides…literally. What’s with Andrew Holloway, huh?” She wiggled her eyebrows up and down.

“Nothing.”

She wasn’t surprised Trihn knew about Andrew. Everyone knew about Andrew because he had a big mouth. It was fine by her for now—as long as it was mutually beneficial. But it really meant nothing to her.

“Is that a thing now?” Trihn asked. “I didn’t think you’d be into him.”

Bryna waved her hand. “It’s not a thing. We’re having fun.”

“Not the way I heard it,” Stacia crooned.

“Of course, Andrew was bragging. He wants you to think it’s something more than it is,” Bryna told them.

“Okay.” Trihn raised her hands in defense but didn’t seem to buy it.

“Well, what about hot stranger?” Stacia suggestively raised her eyebrows. “You’re into him.”

“What did I miss?” Trihn asked.

Bryna quickly filled Trihn in on meeting Hugh at Tiffany’s. Bryna had been thinking about calling him all week. Holding off this long had been harder than she had thought it would be. She had used Andrew as a distraction from her real plans.

“Wait! You didn’t tell me he left you his number!” Stacia cried. “Have you called him?”

“No,” Bryna confessed.

She really did want to make him wait. She knew being unpredictable was something that guys who had everything found irresistible. Bryna was good at that.

“What are you waiting for?” Stacia asked.

“Yeah. Why are you dicking around with Andrew when this Hugh guy is right in front of you?” Trihn asked.

These were all great questions. Her friends wouldn’t understand the rules she had in place to guard herself. She hadn’t told them everything that happened with Jude, and she never intended to. She never intended to tell anyone about what had happened. Her horrid stepbrother, Pace, knew some of it…the worst of it, and Gates knew everything. But they were both people she didn’t see anymore, and she wanted to keep it that way. This was an all-new Bryna.

On the other hand, waiting felt like it was taking all of eternity. She wanted to meet up with Hugh again. She wanted to start in on this new adventure…start in on the plan she had made the night Jude left her. She wasn’t wearing her scarlet letter at the pool, but she still had every intention of flaunting her gold-digger status like a new skin.

“Maybe I will call him,” she said finally. She would break her rules just this once. “I’ll do it now.”

She pulled her phone and Hugh’s business card out of her Bendel tote bag, slipped her feet into her sandals, and then trudged away from her friends. She walked until she found a place secluded from the pool and the music jamming through the speakers.

She dialed his number and twirled the card around between her fingers while she waited for him to answer.

His voice cut through the line after the third ring. “Hello?”

“Hey, this is Bri,” she said. She left it hanging. No explanation. Surely, he remembered her.

“Bri.” He let the name roll off his tongue. “It’s good to hear from you. I’m a little surprised it took you so long.”

A slow smile spread across her face. Perfect.

“It hasn’t been that long,” she cooed.

“No,” he agreed. “But longer than expected.”

“Glad I could surprise you.”

“I don’t like surprises,” he said.

Her stomach knotted at the words, but she held back her retort. He might say that, but he was still on the phone with her, and he had sounded pleased to hear it was her. She figured men generally didn’t know what they wanted until she gave it to them. Hugh couldn’t be that different.

“But…” he drawled.

“Yes?”

“I am glad you called.”

Good.

“And I’m glad you left your card. It would have been a tragedy for us to meet and have no way to get in contact with each other,” she teased.

“Why is that?”

“Because,” she said lightly, “then you wouldn’t be able to take me out.”

“You are forward, aren’t you?”

“You’re the one who bought me Tiffany’s earrings and then left a phone number.”

He laughed. “True.”

Check…

“I’ll be in town again in two weeks. Dinner?”

Mate.

“I’d love to.”

TWO WEEKS FLEW BY with two more wins for the undefeated Gamblers football team. But instead of celebrating their winnings or using the time to study for her rapidly approaching set of midterm exams, Bryna was getting ready for her upcoming date with Hugh. She wanted to be on her A game. This was her first official foray into digging. At least the first time she had consented to participating. Whether or not Hugh realized what this was, was a different story.

He was handsome, but to her, it was a game. It was a way for her to feel in control and get what she wanted. No feelings. No emotions. No connections. He didn’t even need to know about the game to participate. And if he turned out not to be the perfect target, she could find other ones here in Las Vegas. If she really went searching, it would be easy enough to find a guy who came into the city on business and wanted to take care of a pretty face.