ONE
LEXI MALONE’S HAND shook as she touched up her lip liner. She met her gaze in the gilded ladies’ room mirror and saw nerves reflected in the blue depths.
“For Jazi,” she breathed and capped the liner.
The reminder chased the shakes away. And most of the nerves. She’d do anything to get her twenty-three-month-old goddaughter back. Accosting a man in an upscale restaurant to determine if he was the child’s father was nothing. And it may not come to that. Tonight was a fact-finding mission.
At the theater where she’d used to dance strange men had approached her all the time. She’d learned to handle them long ago. Of course, the Golden Link was a well-respected private club at the Golden Cuff Casino and security had stood ready to protect her if things got out of control.
Here all the security belonged to Jethro Calder, a top executive of the Pinnacle Group, and owner of the restaurant she stood in. The Beacon mixed old-world elegance with modern efficiency and hearty fare. And it was housed in the Pinnacle Casino and Hotel where Calder had a penthouse suite.
She was about to wrangle a shark in his surf.
But she had no choice. He may well be Jazi’s father, and the only person with the power to grant her custody.
She’d done her homework once she realized his possible relationship to Jazi.
One of the “Fabulous Four” to take Pinnacle Enterprises to the top of the fiercely competitive world of digital gaming, Calder was known as the Dark Predator. Few went up against him without feeling his bite.
A confirmed bachelor, he’d stated in one article that he never intended to have a family. According to him, he took a satisfaction in his work that he’d never found in a relationship so why force something that wasn’t meant to be.
Lexi hoped he believed what he said. Jazi’s and her futures rested in his hands. But she needed to confirm her hunch before she put her proposition to him. She needed to see his birthmark for herself.
“So stop stalling.” She scolded her reflection, earning an odd look from the woman next to her at the vanity. She offered a small smile but the woman tucked her lipstick away and left the bathroom. “Good job, Lexi, you’re scaring the tourists.”
She sighed, fluffed up her shoulder-length red hair, lifted her chin and followed the woman out. “For Jazi.”
It seemed prophetic that today was Alliyah’s birthday. Lexi hoped it meant she’d be lucky. She made her way to the bar, a room dressed in dark leather, light wood and shining crystal. Alliyah, Lexi’s best friend and Jazi’s mother, had been a dancer too. Unlike Lexi, Alliyah had made extra money by being an executive escort. When men like Calder needed a date for an event, they called the service and Alliyah got an expensive night out on the town and earned the money to buy whatever she had her eye on, which could be anything from diapers to a new designer purse.
Sex was not part of the service. But occasionally Alliyah hooked up with her dates. Jazi was the result of one of those hookups. As soon as she’d found out she was pregnant Alliyah had quit the service. Unfortunately, she hadn’t been sure of whom the father was. Or more probably she hadn’t wanted to share Jazi. Whichever, she’d been closedmouthed about the baby’s father, even to Lexi. When she’d died in an automobile accident, her silence contributed to placing her daughter in foster care. A system Alliyah had despised, having bounced around in it for a good part of her youth.
Lexi supposed she could thank her mother for being spared that unpleasant experience. No, Lexi had longed for a little neglect in her childhood. Instead, every moment of every day had been structured, filled with practice, schooling, practice, regimented exercise, practice, scheduled meals, and more practice. All under the strict eye of her mother.
Oh, yeah, Lexi had prayed for time alone.
But that had been a lifetime ago. Now she just wanted custody of her goddaughter, and Jethro Calder was her ticket.
And there he was. Seated at the end of the bar in a custom-made tuxedo that emphasized the broad reach of his shoulders, showcasing his tall, lean frame to perfection. His brooding expression kept everyone, including the bartender at bay.
A shark surveying his territory, there was nothing subdued about him. His hair was nearly black, his eyes dark and piercing, the color indiscernible at this distance and angle. Features a shade too sharp to be considered classically handsome made him all the more compelling.
Pretending uninterest, she studied him in the mirror as she walked up to the bar. “A dirty Manhattan, please,” she ordered from the attentive bartender. She held her breath—no going back now. The drink order was a signal to Jethro Calder that she was his date from Excursions.
After reading the article, she’d contacted Sally Easton, the owner of Excursions. Lexi had met the older woman several times when Alliyah worked for her. Sally had even tried to recruit Lexi more than once. Lexi had explained she needed to talk to Calder about something important but when she tried going through his company she got passed on to a lower executive. Sally put Lexi off not wanting to jeopardize his business with Excursions. But today she’d got a call that Jethro Calder’s date had to cancel. Sally was giving her this one chance.
“May I buy that for you?” A man old enough to be her father slid onto the stool next to her and leaned into her space.
She controlled the urge to flinch away from him. Why did a miniskirt make men lose all sense of propriety? Before she could politely refuse his none-too-subtle come-on, a tuxedoed arm threaded between them and a deep male voice declared, “She’s with me.”
A strong hand settled over Lexi’s and Jethro Calder assisted her from her seat.
“You’re late,” he said.
She froze. Then forced herself to relax. She meant to observe him tonight, try to catch a glimpse of the birthmark on his wrist to confirm his link to Jazi and get to know him a little better before retreating to plan her next course of action.
“Right on time actually.”
Her gaze went to the mirror making sure no one spotted her for the fraud she was. No one appeared to be paying particular interest in them except a familiar brunette who was lovely but about ten years older than Calder, who she knew to be thirty-five. A cougar on the prowl?
“No way, Calder.” Her would-be suitor protested. “You’re always claiming the young, pretty ones. If she were with you, why didn’t she join you?”
Calder ignored the man. Instead he addressed the bartender, who arrived with her drink. “Sam, Madison’s tab is on the house tonight.”
“We’re having a bit of a tiff.” Lexi curled her arm around Calder’s. Hard muscles flexed under her fingers.
Slightly mollified by Calder’s generosity, Madison’s scowl deepened at her gesture. Not wanting his annoyance to turn to suspicion, Lexi grabbed the drink from the bar.
“There are lots of beautiful women here tonight.” She set the glass down in front of the brunette whose hair Lexi had styled less than an hour ago. With a smile she announced, “This gentleman would like to buy you a drink.”
The woman frowned. The man sputtered. And Calder led Lexi away.
“You’re late,” he repeated, his breath whispering over her ear, his deep voice shivering over her senses. A warm hand in the small of her back directed her to the elevator that would take them down one floor to the casino floor. “I’ll let it slide because watching you hand Madison’s ex-wife that drink was the most fun I’ve had all day.”
She eyed his solemn expression. This was him having fun?
“That was his ex-wife?” No wonder she seemed so interested in their interaction.
“Yes. She eats at the restaurant every Friday night after her spa treatment.”
“And he comes in every Friday night to pick up pretty