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“This is Dominic.” Maria glanced over at him with a smile. “Dominic, this is Sadie. She’s a pit boss, but for me, she makes the return back to dealing.”

Eyes, keep your eyes up! Dom gave the woman a brief nod.

“So”—Sadie gave Dominic a good once-over—“who is this? Mr. Prada or Mr. Choo?”

Obviously that was an inside joke between the two, but Dominic pretty much understood the reference, even though he wished he hadn’t.

“I don’t know. Which one do you think?”

Both women stared at him, trying to figure out which designer he reminded them of the most, while Maria didn’t seem to mind that Sadie had mentioned Kayne in code name.

“I don’t think either,” Sadie finally concluded. “He’s a red bottom man if I’ve ever seen one.”

“You’re right,” Maria agreed, staring at him like he was a piece of meat. “He’s definitely Mr. Louboutin.”

Even though Dominic got it that Christian Louboutin was at the top of the shoe pyramid, and while he appreciated the comment, he was starting to feel a little warm in here.

Fuck, am I sweating?

“Cherry, I need some limes, a shot of tequila, and”—Sadie looked at Dom—“what would you lik—”

“Water.”

Sadie gave him a pitiful look. “Make it two shots of tequila and two waters, Cherry.”

With the woman going off and Sadie finishing shuffling, Dominic pulled out his money clip from his back pocket.

“I got this.” Maria placed her hand over his, stopping him from pulling it out. “We’ll split a thousand, Sadie, and put it on my father’s tab.”

“Absolutely no—”

Maria snatched the money clip full of cash and tossed it into her clutch before laying it back down on the table.

You’re going to get me ki—

“You got it, babe.” Sadie extracted the chips, placing five hundred worth in front of each of them.

You both are going to get me killed. Dominic glared at Maria, not touching the chips.

“You worry too much,” Maria told him, putting a fifty dollar chip in the circle for him after doing hers. “I never lose at blackjack. By the time we leave, you’ll be able to buy me whatever ring I want.”

Giving her thigh a squeeze under the table, Dom was a weak man when it came to this woman. He knew he had D-U-M-B-A-S-S spelled out on his forehead, but he couldn’t help feeling his heart swell when she talked about a ring, even though he knew she wasn’t serious. Maria from a week ago wouldn’t have been able to joke about something like that.

“Ring?” Sadie asked, dealing out the cards.

“Dominic asked me to marry him,” Maria told her the information freely, like it wasn’t a big deal.

“Several times, actually,” he added at his own expense, wanting to remind his blonde seductress.

“Ah, so he’s got body and brains,” the pit boss complimented, not so much to him but to Maria. “I knew it would take a hell of a man to snatch you up, Maria, but damn ….”

“Oh, we’re not getting married,” Maria told her as she tapped the table to hit her fifteen against Sadie’s three.

Giving her another card, which was a measly two, they continued to speak like he wasn’t fucking here. “You turned him down?”

Again, Dominic was the one to answer. “Several times, actually.”

Maria and Sadie gave slight chuckles as their waitress came back.

Cherry stood between them, setting their drinks down. Dom didn’t like the way the woman rubbed her breasts on his shoulder as she set them down, so he moved slightly to the side, out of her reach, to give her the hint, and even though he kept his face to his cards, he could feel her lingering stare.

Reading the room, Dominic understood that was probably the norm around here. They needed their tips and to feed their families, but if she did it again after his silent warning, he would call the woman ou—

“He ain’t here for you or any other bitch I got working here,” Sadie hissed, scolding the woman and making it clear not only to Cherry but to anyone else who looked at him or rubbed up on him in passing. “You will bring them their drinks, and that’s it. I will slap the shit out of you if I see you touch or continue to stare at Maria’s man like that again.”

If Dom had had any water in his mouth, he would have spit it out. It was no wonder Sadie and Maria got along.

Cherry’s eyes immediately went to Maria’s. “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

Leaning over, Maria turned Dominic’s face, grabbing his chin with her fingers so she could place a hard kiss on his lips. It took his breath away, and if he hadn’t already, he would have fallen in love with her at the next words out of her mouth….

“Now you do.” Maria gave the waitress a warning look.

Maria’s man. He fucking liked the sound of that. He gave her thigh another squeeze under the table.