Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 91748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
“Handle the risk management and adjust odds better this time,” Oz told me.
“Always do,” I replied.
“No, last time, you were skating on the edge of threatening the books’ stability.”
Annoyed, I glared at him. “This is a two-person job. And Gathe is no fucking help. He can barely add and subtract.”
“Hey! That’s not true. It’s geometry that fucks me up,” he called out from the doorway, where he was entering, carrying a bowl of potato chips.
“I did it without help for several years. Stop whining and monitor it properly.”
“Yes, sir,” I growled, walking past him and heading to the kitchen before he pissed me off more.
“There are games on!” Oz called out after me.
“I need food and a beer!” I shouted back.
“Hurry!”
He just ensured I would take my sweet time. Jackass.
Elsie stepped around the corner and paused when she saw me. Like magic, my anger started to fade.
“Why don’t you join us in the great room, Pickles?”
She bit her lip, and her cheeks pinkened. I really hoped that was because she was thinking about my dick.
“I, uh, okay,” she stammered.
“Come get a snack first. Basketball requires fuel.”
She frowned. “Watching it does?”
I nodded. “Yes. At least for me. I have to work the entire time.”
“Work how?”
“Oz has business, so all the betting action is on me.”
She tilted her head to the side, causing the dark locks to slide over her shoulder. My fingers twitched, wanting to reach out and run them through it. Luther’s words earlier replayed in my head, so I didn’t act on that urge.
“What do you have to do exactly?”
My eyes went back up to meet hers. “Eh, you know, constantly update odds, adjust those odds to entice bets on one side—don’t want to have too much liability on one single outcome—watch the bets to make sure there aren’t any spikes that could mean insider info, fun shit like that.”
Her eyes brightened, which wasn’t what I’d expected. “So, it’s all a numbers thing.”
I nodded.
“I can help—I mean, if you need it. That’s kind of what I’m going to school for.”
She was going to school to be a bookie? Doubtful. You didn’t need a degree for that.
“What’s your major?”
“Finance,” she replied, then scrunched her nose as if that was embarrassing.
Fucking A. The corners of my mouth lifted slowly. “Well, damn. Yeah, you need a snack because you just got yourself a job tonight. Gathe can’t count his fingers. He’s no help.”
The flush of excitement in her expression made it appear as if she was damn happy about it. Huh. This might end up being a fun night.
Sixteen
Elsie
“You looking at the spread?” Forge called out as his eyes remained glued to the television.
“Yeah,” I assured him.
“Watching the total going over?” he asked.
“Yes. The line is moving though,” I told him.
“That’s because of the backdoor cover.”
I glanced up, not knowing what that meant, and looked at Gathe to see if he knew since Forge was locked in on the game.
He shrugged. “No fucking idea.”
Forge turned his head to look at me. “What?”
“I don’t know what backdoor cover means,” I admitted, worried I was supposed to watch something else on the iPad he’d given me.
“When a team scores late unexpectedly, covering the spread,” he replied, focusing back on the screen.
“Oh, got it.”
“We need the Celtics to win this,” Forge said, running his hand through his hair.
“Eh, Spurs were favored,” Gathe said, leaning forward as the final minutes of the game ticked down.
“Yeah, but it would be a prettier spread for us if they lost,” Forge replied.
His gaze swung to the other side of the massive screen that covered most of the wall, where the Wizards and Heat were playing. The screen was in four different sections with four different games happening. It was stressful, but I had to admit, the adrenaline rush was exciting.
“Oh, damn,” Gathe said, jumping up and pointing at another corner. “The Pistons just scored!”
“Pull up the individual team totals,” Forge told me as he took four long strides until he was beside me, looking down at the iPad. “That,” he said, leaning in front of me and tapping something.
He was very close. When I inhaled, I took a deeper breath than necessary. He smelled real good. Quickly, I took another one. What was he wearing? I wanted to spray that on my sheets. Was it sandalwood maybe? But there was something else.
“Did you?” he asked.
I blinked, realizing he was talking to me, and I had no idea what he’d asked. Crap.
“Uh, I’m sorry. What did you ask?”
He paused and glanced back at me.
Please do not blush, Elsie. PLEASE.
“With all the games going at once,” I explained. “I got distracted.”
“The betting volume. Did you check it on the Suns and Bucks?”
Oh. That. Yes.
I nodded. “The action, yes. I am watching it on all the games. I haven’t seen anything that stands out so far.”