Going All Out by Jeanie London Page A

work to recover from cosmetic surgery or to shop in upscale boutiques like Toni Maxwell’s, where basic-black slacks cost upward of two hundred and ten dollars with a discount.
    “Toodles, Bree.” Lana completed the reparations to her appearance. “I’m off to do damage control.”
    Keeping this smile on her face was beginning to hurt. “You have a nice day, too, Lana.”
    With a jaunty toss of those bleached curls, Lana strutted out of the room on her stilettos.
    Bree exhaled a dramatic sigh and spun the combination on her locker. She couldn’t wait to get out of here. After four days straight of ten-hour shifts, she deserved some time off. She needed to put the memory of yesterday behind her and take a break from worrying about running into Jude around every corner.
    Maybe she could talk Lucas into a quick trip away. She knew the perfect place. If they could get some work done on the float later today, she just might entice him with the promise of a day hiding away from the world for some stellar sex.
    And it would be stellar if that kiss they’d shared in the den was any indication. She wanted to try another one just to make sure. Not only could she use the distraction, but maybe with a little luck, Jude might have cleared town by the time she returned. She wouldn’t hold her breath, but she could hope.
    Grabbing her coat, Bree closed up her locker, slung her purse over her arm and headed toward the door.
    Tonight she’d be taking a cab.
    But just as she reached the door, a knock sounded and she found Giles with a message.
    “Bree, you’ve got company up front.”
    “Who?”
    He shrugged. “The hostess just said some hunky guy asked for you at the desk.”
    Hunky guy? Great.
    “Thanks. I’m on my way.”
    He flashed a quick grin and held the door while she stepped through.
    Bree forced herself to move into the casino, when wisps of ice twisted up her spine. For a blind moment she considered beelining into the kitchen to escape out the back door.
    But did she really want to leave Jude alone here?
    No telling what trouble he’d cause. He might have people start looking for her until it became obvious she’d sneaked away. Lana would love raising questions about why Bree would hide from such an attractive man.
    There was nothing to do but face him. Damage control, as Lana had said.
    Taking a deep breath, Bree resigned herself to the inevitable. She refused to let the thought of the upcoming encounter rattle her, even though each and every step felt as though she dragged her feet through bayou mud.
    Jude was bound to catch up with her sooner or later, and as much as she didn’t want that confrontation to be at Toujacques, she wanted it to take place in a dark street at three in the morning even less.
    If Bree was slick, she might be able to lure him out front so they’d be away from Lana and the shift managers yet still under the watchful eyes of the bouncers. Surely Judewouldn’t try anything in front of a small army of men around who looked like linebackers.
    With that thought to brace her, she headed past the faro tables and made her way to the hostess desk, ignoring the blood throbbing in her ears.
    She could handle this.
    “Hey, hey, Bree, girl,” the hostess said, then dropped her voice to a whisper. “Got a Mr. Yummy here for you.”
    “Thanks, I’ll—” Bree’s heartbeat skittered as she caught sight of Mr. Yummy. “Lucas?”
    He fixed her with a deep green stare. “Have a good night?”
    Getting better every second. “What are you doing here? Did you come to try your luck at the tables?”
    “I came to walk you home.”
    That stopped her. For a prolonged instant she could only stare, that stupid adrenaline paralyzing her—this time with a relief so intense her knees actually went weak. “Thank you.”
    “Ready?”
    She was so relieved not to be standing here with a man she hadn’t seen in years that she blew the hostess a goodbye kiss. Then she beamed up at Lucas, and he beamed back,