Chances (Mystic Nights #1) (24 page)

A
liya danced in
her fiancé’s arms. The smaller ballroom in tower one had been decorated festively for the engagement party Tawny had planned.

“Are you sure you want to wait until September?” Jonathan asked as he effortlessly twirled Aliya around the dance floor.

She laughed. “I didn’t want to rush it. You?” she confessed. She’d been having those same thoughts all week.

“I didn’t want to rush you. When you said, let’s wait for the baby . . . I just thought that’s what you wanted.”

“Well, it’s all happened so fast, and then I thought to give your family time. . .”

Jonathan interrupted her. “What’s one more surprise,” he nuzzled her neck. “They’ve gotten to know you better these past two weeks, as have I with yours. Let’s just do it.”

“Really?” Her eyes flooded with emotion.

He pulled back to gaze into their depths. “Why not? I know this is forever. Plus, I really like the thought of us being married when this little one arrives. He reached down to her flat stomach which was just starting to expand with his child.

Aliya nodded through her tears. “When?” she asked. She had been regretting the decision to wait as well. She was thrilled he had suggested it.

“Next week,” he stated bluntly. “Well keep it small, just our families.”

“Do you think your Mom will be okay with that?”

“Most assuredly.” He glanced at his mother across the room. Dawn and Eve were both by her side. He waved at her and she waved back watching her son proudly. Joseph was approaching and took his mother’s hand, indicating the dance floor.

Tawny graciously accepted and they joined some of the other couples. Joseph smoothly maneuvered his mother so they danced near Jonathan and Aliya.

“Mom,” Jonathan craned his neck in his mother’s direction. “We decided not to wait. Small wedding. Next week. Just the two families.”

His mother shook her head and laughed. “Of course, Jonathan. Anything you say. Still full of surprises.” She had secretly hoped they would change their minds.

Tawny happily allowed Joseph to twirl her under his arm. He too was an excellent dancer. Both her sons were. Just like their father.

Joseph congratulated the couple, and when the song ended he brought his mother back to where she had been standing before with his two sisters.

She thanked him for the dance. “I guess your next dance will be as mother of the groom,” he teased her. Both Dawn and Eve gave him questioning looks, and Tawny quickly filled them in on what the couple had decided.

Both girls were ecstatic, thrilled to have Aliya and their new niece or nephew as part of their family.

They headed to the dance floor together when the next song started. It was a fast one, by Lucas Stryker. And they both loved his music.

Joseph stood beside his mother, watching his sisters join Jonathan and Aliya on the dance floor.

“You did an excellent job with the party. The food was fabulous tonight, wasn’t it? The new chef did a superior job.”

“Yes, he did. And that reminds me. I have not thanked him yet. Can you go do that for me, son? I want to stay a while longer. It makes my heart glad to see these two starting their life together.” Her eyes were fixated on the young couple whose lives were finally headed in the right direction. A life she’d never gotten the chance to live. She hoped her other children found their mates soon.

“Of course, Mom. I’ll be back in a bit,” Joseph stated as he bent to give her cheek a quick kiss.

He left the ballroom and headed through a door in the back that led to one of the many kitchens at Mystic Nights. The noise of the clean up was well under way. He found the new head chef calling orders, and directing some of the night staff as to what needed to be done to be ready for tomorrow. He was very imposing, but effective, too. The kitchen bustled with activity.

Joseph stopped to thank several of the workers, until he reached Louis, the French chef they had hired three months ago.

“It was my pleasure to cook for the family tonight,” Louis bowed slightly and accepted the compliments Joseph extended on behalf of his mother graciously. “My new sous chef, well, she is quite talented. She helped make everything a smashing success.”

Ah yes, Joseph remembered he had requested after only one week that the old sous chef be sent to one of the other kitchens. He couldn’t work with him. They feared they had hired a Prima Donna. But since, there had been no further incidents in the kitchen. Louis wanted to hire someone of his own choosing to fill that position. Joseph hadn’t met the woman yet.

“Then I should thank her, too,” Joseph stated as he shook the older Frenchman’s hand in parting.

“She is near the back,” Louis stated dismissing him as he turned to finish coordinating the cleaning of his kitchen. The man was exacting and precise. The hotel’s cuisine was getting even more rave reviews since he started, and he was drawing in food critics and new business.

Joseph then made his way towards the refrigerators which were near the service entrance and where the deliveries were made for all of their produce and food. He noticed the door ajar to the outside, but did not see the new sous chef anywhere. He didn’t even know what she looked like.

He peered outside into the night.

He saw movement by a small car, an old blue beat up Nova. The trunk was popped open, and a young woman with a fall of midnight black hair was lifting a crate into the back.

That was odd, he thought. Why was she taking food meant for the Mystic? He went out the door despite not having his jacket. He had removed it inside and not thought to put it back on. Although it was March, it seemed the winter was not done with them yet in Connecticut.

As he got closer, he was becoming more perplexed as the young woman bent over and lifted two more crates labelled with the Mystic insignia and placed them into the trunk of her car. Her backside was nice to look at was another of his initial thoughts. But then his suspicious nature was back in place.
If this was the sous chef that Louis had hired, what was she doing putting things into a car, instead of bringing them in?
He couldn’t make out what was in the crates, but they were clearly labelled.

He was about twenty feet away when she spotted him. She jumped and was clearly startled. It was made even more evident when her arm reached up to grasp the trunk and she banged it closed with a resounding clash that rent the night air.

“Excuse me,” he spoke first. “I didn’t mean to startle you.” He spoke the words softly. He tried to keep the suspicion out of his voice.

“Well, you did,” she snapped. Her dark brown eyes sparkling in fear, or bewilderment. “You really shouldn’t sneak up on a person like that. At night. A woman alone.” She was angry.
With him?
She glanced at her car briefly, lowering her eyelashes, the little black fans showcasing her classic beauty. But soon those snapping eyes gazed upon him once more. She was a tiny thing, but stood tall before him. She didn’t back down.

He stood across from her now. Just a few feet away. She recovered, and placed both of her hands onto her generous hips. He couldn’t help but glance at that part of her body one more time. The girl had curves. All of the important ones. He liked what he saw. He could tell she was native, too. Her olive skin and her strong cheekbones identified her as Pequot.

“I’m sorry. I was looking for the new sous chef. My mother wanted me to thank the kitchen staff for the excellent work in preparing the food for my brother’s engagement party.”

Her eyes went round. She recognized the man before her now. She had been too startled before. “You’re Joseph Sassacus,” she stated the obvious, and reached her hand out to him. “Well, you’ve found me then, I’m the sous chef, Jewel Diamente.” His smirk at her name caused butterflies to swirl in her stomach. He was massive. A brick wall. But incredibly handsome.

Jonathan took her small hand in his. The woman was shorter than him by at least eight inches. He was six foot tall.

When her small hand slid into his, he looked down at it. Not because she was so slight, but because he felt a bolt of electricity pass through him. He knew he was attracted to her. That much was obvious. But the current that passed between them shocked him.

Before he could contemplate it further, she was quickly withdrawing her hand. He recovered. “Well then,” he glanced back to her face. It was heart shaped. Adorable, framed by long dark hair that lay thickly past her shoulders, a few strands against her ample chest. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” she replied shifting from one foot to the other. She looked nervous all of a sudden. And that reminded Joseph of what he had just witnessed. He scrutinized her more closely. He gave her time to explain what she was doing before he asked. She had been taking items from the kitchen and had placed them into her car. When she didn’t respond, he glanced pointedly once more at her car wondering what exactly she had been taking. One of the toughest things to control in a casino this large was theft. Both small, and large. Despite best efforts to control it, the casino had plenty of that going on. And most often it was the staff taking the stuff themselves.

She noticed his gaze and his questioning look.
Oh, my.
He thought she was stealing. She became angry and embarrassed all at the same time. Her words came out in a rush. “I was taking the expired items to the food pantry, Mr. Sassacus,” she quickly lied.

Something about her tone kept Joseph on edge. He could always tell a lie when he heard it. Her body betrayed her, when she lifted a hand to twirl one dark strand of hair around her index finger.

“Of course you were,” he purred laying the charm on thick. He gave her his megawatt smile. The smile that worked wonders on the opposite sex. So she was a do gooder. Perhaps. He’d watch her carefully though, he mused. “And please call me Joseph, or Joe.”

“Joseph, er, Joe, of course,” she stammered and made to pass him by and head to the kitchen. He was unnerving her. The man was just too good looking for words. And by the way he kept staring at her like that, she felt like he was a wolf staring down its prey. She had to admit the man was attractive. But, she was not going down that road. She had too many other things to take care of, too many other responsibilities. And there was no way she wanted to be on this man’s radar. There was too much at stake.

She quickly made her way back to the kitchens. But she could feel those eyes watching her the whole way. Chocolate brown eyes, she noticed, as her body shuddered of its own volition. Yes, she definitely could lose herself in those eyes.

The End

I hope you enjoyed Book 1 of Mystic Nights. And I hope you enjoyed the sneak peek I gave you into Book 2, Triple Diamonds, as well. This series will contain five books. Each of Tawny’s children will have their story told, and then it will end with her book, her love story. That is one you will not want to miss.

As an indie author, I love having the control over my books and releases. But it is difficult to get exposure when you don’t have the funds and resources to promote the books.
Please, consider leaving a review.
For authors, reviews are just so very important. They help us get more exposure on the various eBook outlets. So, please do leave a review from whatever eBook provider you use. I would really appreciate it.

And, you won’t have to wait long to read the rest of Joseph’s story. He’ll be here before you know it. You can follow me on Facebook to get all the updates and of course follow me on all the other book platforms to find out about sales and releases. On Facebook, I share teasers, and excerpts of books yet to be released, and share my cover reveals with my fans.

If you enjoyed this book, and the start to my new series, you might enjoy some of the books from my back catalogue. Please check out my other two series;
Secrets & Seduction
, and
The Bounty Hunters: The Marino Bros
. Aliya Chance was a minor character in my Bounty Hunter series.

I’d love to hear from you. I enjoy getting feedback from my readers. I can be reached at
[email protected]

Keep reading for a peek at the rest of The Mystic Nights series.

(Book 1 of Mystic Nights Series)

Mystic Nights Casino is the newest gambling hot spot to hit Lantern Hill, and Tawny Sassacus runs it. For her people, the Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation, she is determined to make it a success despite trouble with politicians, and a rival tribal nation. With the help of her children, she is determined to fight for what is right.

As Vice-Chair of Mystic Nights, Jonathan Sassacus doesn’t have time to chase women. He only likes a sure bet. When he crosses paths with the new dancer, things change. Tall, with legs that won’t quit, she’s a distraction he doesn’t need, but can’t resist.

One night of passion is all it takes. Aliya Chance can’t get the sexy as sin Jonathan out of her head. His powerful and domineering ways are not what she needs in her life. She has her own dreams that don’t include giving private dances to the boss.

Jonathan has much to do. He has to hunt down skimmers and embezzlers in his casino before the big audit. The trail he follows leads him down a road filled with murder and betrayal that brings danger to his very door. When his faith is rocked by the woman stealing his heart, will it be too late to save them? Or, will he risk throwing the dice by taking the biggest chance of all?

(Book 2 of the Mystic Nights Series)

Mystic Nights Casino is the newest gambling hot spot to hit Lantern Hill, and Tawny Sassacus runs it. For her people, the Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation, she is determined to make it a success despite trouble with politicians, and a rival tribal nation. With the help of her children, she is determined to fight for what is right.

Joseph Sassacus, corporate attorney for his reservation’s casino, would rather be fighting for justice for his people, but the casino sucks him in time and time again. A dark haired beauty with almond eyes, might be able to alleviate some of the stress he is feeling. He can’t help but imagine doing things to her he shouldn’t, but her allure keeps him coming back for more.