Cade stood at the back of the theater with a single-malt scotch in his hand. A few empty seats peppered the room, so he could have sat down, but he had no intention of staying for long. He wouldn’t have bothered making an appearance at all, but it was the illusionist’s first show in his casino, and he wanted to make sure the act went off without a hitch. Better than waiting for the reviews, he wanted to get a feel for the reception of the new act before he committed to further appearances.
Right on cue, the stage’s strobe lights brightened as a figure descended from the ceiling—suspended from near-invisible wires, of course—and pyrotechnics lit up the circumference of the stage. The trick seemed to enthrall the crowd. The music grew louder, a cacophonic techno mix designed to increase heart rate and bring the audience to the edge of their seats. The man certainly knew how to make an entrance.
All of a sudden, blazing streams of fiery ribbon whirled chaotically just to the left of center stage and it drew the audience’s attention there. The illusionist touched down and the strands of fire vanished, leaving in their wake the man’s shimmering-haired assistant. She contrasted the illusionist in every way, creating a vivid display in the middle of the stage. He was clothed entirely in black and his dark hair was slicked back. She looked like she was almost aglow. To the audience, she appeared to be shimmering, but Cade could see each of the tiny lights that covered her body, an impressive fiber optic display. Her costume—some sort of silvery corset—left little to the imagination, evident by the way every head in the room turned to her.
He couldn’t blame them. She was beautiful, so much so that he couldn’t take his eyes off her. But it wasn’t her soft curves or slender legs that held him captive. He’d had so many women with curves in all the right places that it wasn’t much more than a chore these days to select a bedmate from all the blonde beauties and gorgeous brunettes who fell all over him.
It was something else about her that captivated him in a way he’d never experienced. Maybe it was the way she stood, her spine just a little straighter than other women he’d seen on that stage. And though she wore a serene smile, the expression on her face simultaneously dared anyone to question whether she belonged there. He got the immediate impression that the vivacious beauty on the stage didn’t fall all over just any man. Was it possible she might not even fall so easily for the infamous Cade Stryker? Perhaps it was that challenge that had made her instantly irresistible in his mind.
He watched as she bound the illusionist in a straightjacket and firmly secured his ankles to a wire. What exactly the trick entailed, he didn’t know, and he didn’t care. His eyes never left her for a moment, even as the man was hoisted out of sight. Her gaze perused the audience while the man was suspended somewhere above the ground, and for the briefest moment, as her eyes found him there in the crowd, she paused. Could she see that he was staring right back at her? It seemed unlikely.
He searched her gaze quickly, looking for something to break his fascination, but damn it, he couldn’t find it. He couldn’t find anything. He’d learned a long time ago that human eyes were indeed the windows to their souls, but the dark, opaque contact lenses she wore kept her soul safely hidden from him. Was she really the dazzling siren she appeared to be at first glance, or was it all just part of the act? The uncertainty should have served to frustrate him and extinguish his curiosity, but it only served to fan the flames of his desire. From out of nowhere, this stunning woman had become an enigma that he absolutely needed to solve.
A round of applause erupted, signaling the conclusion of the opening trick as the illusionist reappeared on the stage next to the silver-haired mystery to give the crowd more of what they came there for. And then trick after trick, he watched her, trying to find what it was about her that had drawn every bit of his attention.
Stunned and bewildered an hour later, he left the theater as the final round of applause began to fill the room. He glanced back briefly as the door closed behind him just in time to witness the entire room burst into a standing ovation in response to the night’s riveting performance.
It appeared that his decision to give the illusionist a chance had been a worthwhile one. Based on the ecstatic reaction of the crowd this evening, the theater was guaranteed to be packed every night for a good number of future performances. At the moment, however, that wasn’t his primary concern.
He wanted to see the illusionist’s assistant up close. He wanted to see what was really there when the curtain closed and she shed the glitzy, provocative costume and fiber optic lights for street clothes. He needed to know who the real woman was behind the silver wig and the dark contact lenses. As soon as he could, his mind would be freed.
She would be a woman, just like any other woman—a well-formed one, for sure—but no different than any other human. The sooner the enchantress lost her hold on him and his mind could return to other matters, the better.
He reached the rear stage entrance, and the man there opened the door wide for him without hesitation. There wasn’t a person in the entire hotel and casino who didn’t cater to his every whim. It was the same in all the properties he owned. Through the door, he located the illusionist right away, standing amid his group of technicians and other experts in the field of magic, but the assistant was nowhere to be found. There wasn’t a room in the entire building that was off-limits to him, but the very moment he began to move to go search for her, the illusionist spotted him, gave a nod and started in his direction.
A moment later, the man stood before Cade grinning widely as his hand shot forward in earnest. “Mr. Stryker, I do hope you enjoyed the show.”
Cade grasped the illusionist’s hand reluctantly. “Indeed, I did, Adam. And more importantly, it seemed the audience was very impressed. Why don’t you touch base with my assistant in the morning, so we can set up a deal for future bookings?”
“Thanks very much; I’ll give a call first thing.”
Just then, a woman appeared from a side door, and though she wasn’t wearing the silver wig she’d worn on stage, he recognized her instantly. She was dressed in a pair of distressed jeans that hugged her curves perfectly and a black tank top that crisscrossed its way up her back and made Cade long to slide his fingers between the strands of fabric and then tear it off altogether. She rummaged for something in a simple handbag she wore slung over her shoulder as she walked toward them, completely oblivious to his presence.
“Adam, you wanted to meet on Tuesday afternoon to go over the—” She looked up then and her words seemed to get stuck in her throat.
“Ava, this is Mr. Cade Stryker, owner of the hotel and casino,” Adam cut in with a knowing smile. “Mr. Stryker, may I introduce my assistant, Ava Winter.”
There was no possessiveness in the man’s eyes, which meant the illusionist and his assistant weren’t intimately involved, nor did it seem the man had any interest in a romantic relationship with the beautiful Ava Winter. Strange. Who in their right mind wouldn’t want to have her?
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Stryker,” she said, staring directly into his eyes.
That was impressive. There weren’t many people who didn’t shift uncomfortably beneath his gaze. She stood there with her spine just as straight as it had been on stage and her eyes locked on his as he clasped her hand within his.
Still, as much as she might not have been intimidated by his presence, she wasn’t entirely unaffected by it either. He could feel her response to him, the tiniest of tremors the moment he touched her. Maybe it wouldn’t be so hard to have her falling all over him after all. The thought sent a jolt of desire through his body, and he needed to have her, but he didn’t just want her naked and writhing beneath him. He wanted her completely open, unguarded; unequivocally his. It was a possessiveness he’d never experienced before, and certainly one he never expected to feel for a woman he’d only just met.
“Would you care to join me for a drink, Miss Winter?” He heard the question loud and clear, but had it really come from his own mouth? What the hell was he doing?
He hadn’t had any intention of pursuing her. He’d only wanted to see the silvery beauty up close and without all the glitz and glam of the show. At most, he’d intended to invite her up to his suite, indulging in her soft curves for a couple of hours. By then, whatever it was that had had him so captivated would certainly be long gone. This inexplicable need to have her all to himself should have been a warning sign. It should have sent him running in the opposite direction.
Cade Stryker didn’t need any human; he never had, and he never would.
“I appreciate the offer, Mr. Stryker, but no thank you. And if you’ll excuse me, it’s late and I have to be getting home.”
She nodded once more and then walked past him without another word. Had she really just shot him down? He wondered briefly what was wrong with him for asking her out for a drink, but now there was a much more pressing question in his mind—what was wrong with her? Did she not understand who he was? Even without being able to see behind those damn contact lenses, he’d been able to sense her attraction to him. Hell, the sexual energy in the air had been almost palpable from the moment she slipped her hand into his grip.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Stryker. I could have warned you if I knew you’d been intending to ask her on a date.”
Great, he was getting the sympathy speech from a man who pretended to walk on air for a living? The illusionist’s gravelly voice had suddenly begun to grate on his nerves.
“Warned me?”
“Yes, Ava’s not the…easiest person to get close to. She keeps everyone at arm’s length.”
“And why’s that?” He really didn’t want to be having this conversation with the magic man, but since he’d apparently already ventured down this road, he might as well garner as much information as he could. Maybe he’d learn all he needed to know about her to walk away right then.
“I don’t know. All I can tell you is I’ve known her for two years, and that handshake between the two of you is the closest I’ve seen her get to another human being in all that time.”
“She seems more than comfortable with you on stage,” Cade noted, making certain that there was no hint of jealousy imbued in his tone.
“That’s different.”
Cade nodded. Obviously, there wasn’t any more he could glean from the man’s limited answers. If he was going to spend any more time amid the company of humans, it was going to be in bed with a hot, uncomplicated woman. Or maybe several. Whatever it took to banish Ava Winter from his mind.