Risky: Torn Between Two Lovers by Jo Davis Page A

in the private ballroom. Invite our business acquaintances—”
    “Have you lost your mind?” Rio plunked his bottle on the counter and sputtered, half choking on his beer. “That’ll be a security nightmare, not to mention a lot of trouble for zero results. No good can come of having all of them in the same room.”
    “It’s not like we haven’t entertained before, bro, and the security at the casino is second to none. If I’m going to sway the families, it’s got to be done the old-fashioned way—with lots of ego stroking and plenty of cash flow.”
    “It’s still a big risk.”
    “But a calculated one with potential reward.”
    Rio wasn’t happy, but he reluctantly gave in. “You know I’m behind you all the way, but Manny’s going to be pissed.”
    “Manny got his stupid ass tossed in jail and is awaiting trial without bond,” Joaquin said dryly. “I don’t give two shits what he approves of at this point.”
    “True that.” Rio sighed. “Just tell me what you want, and I’ll make sure it gets done.”
    “Thanks. I knew I could count on you.” Pausing, he eyed Rio. “And if all goes well, I’m going to rely on you even more in the months to come.”
    “Meaning?”
    “I’ve got a plan. I’ll let you know when I have the details ironed out in my head.”
    “Sounds mysterious. And knowing you, something that’s sure to piss off almost everybody.”
    “Don’t be so sure. I have a feeling you’ll like it just fine.”
    “Hey, am I interrupting?”
    Joaquin turned to see Anna hovering in the doorway to the kitchen and waved her forward. “Not at all. Come meet my brother Rio.”
    “Hello,” she greeted him with a friendly smile. “I’m Anna Claire. Joaquin has told me about you.”
    “And you’re not running away screaming? I’m sure none of it was good.”
    “On the contrary, he had nothing but good things to say.”
    “Was he running a fever?”
    They laughed, and Joaquin forced himself not to bristle at the way his brother was ogling his lover. He was really giving her the once-over, making his appreciation plain. He knew Rio wouldn’t dare poach, but it was still annoying.
    Wrapping an arm around her waist, he pulled her close. “How about we ride into AC and I’ll show you my casino? Then we can have dinner at one of the restaurants if you’d like.”
    “Sounds fantastic. Should we change?” She glanced down at herself in worry. “I didn’t bring anything fancy on my trip.”
    “You look beautiful the way you are,” he said honestly. “Anyway, tourists dress in all sorts of clothing in my establishment, from shorts and sandals to dresses and suits. I say we go low-key in what we have on, and we’ll go shopping for you tomorrow.”
    Relief was etched on her face, and he thought she looked adorable. It was always funny to him the stuff women worried about.
    She nodded. “Okay. That works.”
    “Let’s go, then. I’ll have the car brought around.”
    “See you two later,” Rio said, and gave his brother a wink.
    Out front, they waited as the limo pulled to a stop and his driver opened their door. He let Anna get in first, and then climbed in to sit next to her. As the car pulled away, she ran her hand over the leather seat in admiration.
    “I can’t fathom what it must’ve been like to grow up surrounded by all of this. My parents were such regular people; I don’t know if they would’ve lived like this even if they could have. Well, my mother might now that my dad’s gone, but still.”
    “See, you say that, but I don’t have a clue what
regular
people are supposed to look like. Am I not normal?”
    “No, sorry, but you’re not.” Her smile softened her words. “You’re in the top one percent of the entire world when it comes to how you live.”
    “Hmm. Well, that can’t be helped. I never knew others weren’t like us until I hit puberty and my father started taking me places and introducing me to new things. And then I knew we were different,