“Don’t get excited,” he replied, taking out his cufflinks and acting like he wasn’t excited but then again, he rarely acted like he was anything.

But still.

Four hundred and fifty thousand dollars was exciting and should be, even for Ty.

Therefore I stared at him and I did this for awhile.

Then I asked incredulously, “How can I not be excited? That’s a lot of money. And you won that money. In Vegas. In a poker game that came right out of a movie. And that… is… fucking… cool!”

His eyes came to mine. “It wasn’t cool. It was easy. They were amateurs. The only one who knew what he was doin’ is Navarro and Navarro was more interested in your legs than the game.”

This surprised me, it surprised me but it didn’t take the wind out of my sails though it did make me curious.

“They were amateurs?” I asked.

“Think they’re big shots, they aren’t. Navarro was the only professional sittin’ that table.”

“Which one was Navarro?” I asked but I thought I knew.

“Slim. Black hair. Eyes sliding to the couch about a hundred f**kin’ times.”

I was right, I knew.

“So amateurs play for those kind of stakes?”

He nodded as he dropped his cufflinks on the desk and said, “The rest of those men got money to burn. Hobby. That’s why they let me play them. They don’t let just anyone sit a table. My boy that got me in the game told them about me. They knew my history; they thought I was an easy mark. Had money, not much, but enough and they were willin’ to take it. I spent an hour losin’ and they lost interest in me since they thought they took me, forgot to pay attention. Amateur mistake. Navarro knew what I was doin’ the minute I started doin’ it and that includes walkin’ in the room with you.”

This didn’t make sense. “If he’s a professional, why did he lose his concentration?”

His eyes came to me. “I won big but I’m seein’ with that question you were payin’ attention to me not the game. He won bigger and that’s how good he is. Half his mind on the game, half on your legs and he still took them for almost nine hundred large.”

“Oh,” I whispered, thinking nearly a million dollars was cool too but I wasn’t in a room with a man who won nearly a million dollars. I was in a room with Ty and what he won was more than enough. Then I asked, “What did Stetson guy mean when he told you that you wouldn’t be invited to sit another table? Was he just pissed you won?

“The Texan figured out I played him and wasn’t happy about it because he thinks I’m dirt. I’m an ex-con but even if I wasn’t, I’m half black and have been all my life so I can smell it when a man don’t like color. That man don’t like color so he thinks I’m beneath him, ex-con or not and ex-con only makes it worse and also makes him think he’s right, all the reasons he’s convinced himself it’s okay he don’t like color. He’s in his sixties and still tappin’ twenty-somethin’ ass because his money and status can buy him that kinda tail. Still, I played him. He doesn’t like that. But he didn’t like me the minute I walked in with you. Man like me shouldn’t have class like you. Mouthed off to save face and remind me of my place.”

I felt angry heat hit my chest as I whispered, “That isn’t cool.”

He shrugged. “Happens all the time. A mechanic who’s got color or he doesn’t hits a high stakes game, they don’t know my reputation or they do and think they can best me, I take their money, they get pissed.”

“So, is he going to block you from sitting another game?”

“I’m not gonna be sittin’ another game.”

I stared at him, thrown.

Then I asked, “What? Why not? You just won nearly half a million dollars.”

His eyes held mine and he explained, “Lexie, that shit sucks you in. You don’t control it, it controls you. I just spent five years essentially in chains. I don’t need to be chained to somethin’ else.”

I felt my breath start sticking in my throat because he meant this. He had no intention of getting sucked in in order to live large doing something that wasn’t exactly illegal (though I wasn’t sure about that) but still was slightly dubious and definitely unpredictable, testing Lady Luck who was unforgiving and living a life that wasn’t under his control.

I liked this. A lot.

Too much.

Ty went on, “I sat that game for a reason. That money’s got a purpose. That money finances the business I need to see to. I got a life to restart, that money will help me restart it. Now I got the money, don’t need to sit another game.”

In other words, it wasn’t about bling, great shoes and one hour tailoring of expensive suits.

Tonight had a purpose, he’d seen to it and he was moving on.

Yes, I liked this. A lot. I liked it even though any business that required nearly half a million dollars was dubious too.

“Well, I’m glad you got what you needed, Ty,” I said quietly and he stared at me, face expressionless but, again, it felt like he was reading me then he jerked up his chin.

Then he started unbuttoning his shirt.

I moved to the unit and dropped my earrings on it, took off my necklace and put it there too then struggled with my bracelet and managed to unclasp it and laid it with the others.

Then I went to my bag which had exploded on the floor at the end of the luggage shelf. I dug in, got my drawstring shorts and the little, tight tee I wore to bed and moved to the bathroom. I secured my hair in a messy bunch on top of my head, changed, washed my face, brushed my teeth, moisturized and walked out carrying my dress and shoes. I hung the dress, dumped the shoes and saw Ty in bed, back to headboard, sheet up to his waist, chest and defined abs on display, eyes on the TV and they didn’t come to me even as I moved about the room.

Even though I hadn’t been in the bathroom very long, the air in the room seemed about ten degrees cooler than when I went in and the AC was audibly pumping. Therefore, I wasted no time in moving around the bed and sliding under the covers beside him. Last night, after a huge meal and almost a bottle of champagne to myself, I fell asleep watching TV and slept on the covers. Tonight, sliding into bed beside him felt strange. And part of this strange had to do with wondering what he was wearing under the sheet.

I sucked it up, rolled to my side facing Ty, up on an elbow in the pillow, knees curled and pointed my eyes down my body to the TV.