Yours Wickedly, Sierra

ER

ap

o be here. Pierre used to attend all of Anton's dances

iselle." He reached for my hand an

nervous chuckle. "What?" My

voice came through the earpiece h

ike I coul

re Fontaine. I trade in delicate underwear, not

; Pierre's net worth was a

't very lucrative if you kno

led. "Non, i

him. "So, how'd you

ed, and my palm

id of him," Se

dancing; it's such a graceful art.

nfused with someone else, Mr.

ademoiselle Monroe." Pierre said flatly in F

ish I couldn't un

now? "I mean, Paris? It seems li

You had such a wonderful grace I'd never seen befo

e better. But Anton... I

. "It's a shame you had to leave, Ch

ecting some kind of explanati

ll him you did a little tou

ain. Why am

red on my face. "Please, I don't want to t

his head in

t remembered. So, I went to Europe for a while; t

ave a s

id farewell and went to

fore he asks questio

ple gathered around a large table playi

of complicated to grasp. Why don't I s

sculpture. I shot him a glar

." I grabbed Dante's hand

o beat this guy." He jabbed a thumb at a red-faced ma

her man didn't even try to compete, j

the winner raked

hat was some s

he guy gestu

sper to Dante. "Pl

you sure? Because this is

ered, echoing Dante's concerns. "I was thinking you'

led m

e crew. "Silvestri

d-these guys might be Mafia... proba

he cigar stench, but I w

the stakes,"

ilver Horizon." Silvest

having an AC unit with a sta

tri sh

thinking more like a hundre

ecline from play

d." Dante offered. "All expenses paid fo

at him in

small, Dante; I could take my boat

. "I may be old, but m

." I repli

oke out. Dante

o spread the cards

n my ear as the

les casino ops. Won three million in on

t he's never lost a game; one time he did,

akes me feel b

" Dant

y head. "

. And 'friend' strongly implies 'lover,' 'bed

ned in to me. "It's Pai Gow poker. Split seven cards b

had a ten, queen, five, three, and seven.

nd I laid o

nced. "Top hand-ten-seven high." He looked at Sil

wai

irked. "Silve

th. Okay, that w

houlders. "I gotta

t." I replied. "My brother an

isbelief. "You mean Howard?

, he's actuall

said sarc

rds were shuffled, and

d them, I'd have a top hand. I set one in the top hand, one in the bot

vestri revealed his.

" He said. "But

ngratulated Silvest

od instincts."

afia guy, that actua

"It was

t onto a terrace overlo

t your tick

o Howard, you actually

ung more than

we were in North Dakota, he woul

cra

akota, huh? Let's just say he's the reason I

hands. His fingernails were rough a

right where the earpiece was hidden.

ed, he didn

voice." He s

uh

t on. "Anyway, that's in the past; I

r. Knowing I'd been that cl

es dropping lower. "Fun

waist, drawing me

ke I was i

brushed the fab

what's that?" Drawing

screame

lled away in horror. Did he

o use the

muttering a string of c

t's wrong?"

. Inside a stall, I slipped my dress d

nocked on

h; please don't