“You can have any—”
“I told you, I’m not interested. There’s no such thing as an offer you can’t refuse. That’s only in books, Mr. Moretti. I’m refusing.”
Michael Moretti thought of the scene that had taken place in his father-in-law’s home a few weeks earlier. There had been a meeting of the Family and it had not gone well. Thomas Colfax had argued against everything that Michael had proposed.
When Colfax had left, Michael had said to his father-in-law, “Colfax is turning into an old woman. I think it’s time to put him out to pasture, Papa.”
“Tommy’s a good man. He’s saved us a lot of trouble over the years.”
“That’s history. He doesn’t have it anymore.”
“Who would we get to take his place?”
“Jennifer Parker.”
Antonio Granelli had shaken his head. “I told you, Michael. It ain’t good to have a woman know our business.”
“This isn’t just a woman. She’s the best lawyer around.”
“We’ll see,” Antonio Granelli had said. “We’ll see.”
Michael Moretti was a man who was used to getting what he wanted, and the more Jennifer stood up to him, the more he was determined to have her. Now, sitting next to her, Michael looked at Jennifer and thought, One day you’re going to belong to me, baby—all the way.
“What are you thinking about?”
Michael Moretti gave Jennifer a slow, easy smile, and she instantly regretted the question. It was time to leave.
“Thank you for a wonderful dinner, Mr. Moretti. I have to get up early, so—”
The lights began to dim and the orchestra started an overture.
“You can’t leave now. The show is starting. You’ll love Marty Allen.”
It was the kind of entertainment that only Las Vegas could afford to put on, and Jennifer thoroughly enjoyed it. She told herself she would leave immediately after the show, but when it was over and Michael Moretti asked Jennifer to dance, she decided it would be ungracious to refuse. Besides, she had to admit to herself that she was having a good time. Michael Moretti was a skillful dancer, and Jennifer found herself relaxing in his arms. Once, when another couple collided with them, Michael was pushed against Jennifer and for an instant she felt his male hardness, and then he immediately pulled away, careful to hold her at a discreet distance.
Afterward, they walked into the casino, a vast terrain of bright lights and noise, packed with gamblers engrossed in various games of chance, playing as though their lives depended on their winning. Michael took Jennifer to one of the dice tables and handed her a dozen chips.
“For luck,” he said.
The pit boss and dealers treated Michael with deference, calling him Mr. M. and giving him large piles of hundred-dollar chips, taking his markers instead of cash. Michael played for large stakes and lost heavily, but he seemed unperturbed. Using Michael’s chips, Jennifer won three hundred dollars, which she insisted on giving to Michael. She had no intention of being under any obligation to him.
From time to time during the course of the evening, various women came up to greet Michael. All of them were young and attractive, Jennifer noticed. Michael was polite to them, but it was obvious that he was only interested in Jennifer. In spite of herself, she could not help feeling flattered.
Jennifer had been tired and depressed at the beginning of the evening, but there was such a vitality about Michael Moretti that it seemed to spill over, charging the air, enveloping Jennifer.
Michael took her to a small bar where a jazz group was playing, and afterward they went on to the lounge of another hotel to hear a new singing group. Everywhere they went Michael was treated like royalty. Everyone tried to get his attention, to say hello to him, to touch him, to let him know they were there.
During the time they were together, Michael did not say one word at which Jennifer could take offense. And yet, Jennifer felt such a strong sexuality coming from him that it was like a series of waves beating at her. Her body felt bruised, violated. She had never experienced anything like it. It was a disquieting feeling and, at the same time, exhilarating. There was a wild, animal vitality about him that Jennifer had never encountered before.