The Gambler and The Lady
Zenith, the time at which something is at its most successful or powerful. Her name should have warned me she'd be my peak, the highest point of my life. She has the power to elevate him beyond his wildest dreams. But she plays that role in another man's life, an associate who doesn't even acknowledge her external beauty never mind the one she holds within her.
I've always been a gambling man, it goes with the territory. There is nothing that could make me fold, the stakes are raised when Zenith is added to the pot and I get a golden opportunity.
Zenith
I plan to marry young. Well, I'm young. My future husband? Not so much. He's best known for his multiple roles alongside mistress number whatever. It all changes when his business partner pulls me into his orbit. One game of chance leads to another and the coin doesn't stop flipping until he's doing the same to me. One moment I'm content in my life, Lady of the manor with preordained rules. The next, I'm his Lady of the court without any.
The Gambler and The Lady
Zenith, the time at which something is at its most successful or powerful. Her name should have warned me she'd be my peak, the highest point of my life. She has the power to elevate him beyond his wildest dreams. But she plays that role in another man's life, an associate who doesn't even acknowledge her external beauty never mind the one she holds within her.
I've always been a gambling man, it goes with the territory. There is nothing that could make me fold, the stakes are raised when Zenith is added to the pot and I get a golden opportunity.
Zenith
I plan to marry young. Well, I'm young. My future husband? Not so much. He's best known for his multiple roles alongside mistress number whatever. It all changes when his business partner pulls me into his orbit. One game of chance leads to another and the coin doesn't stop flipping until he's doing the same to me. One moment I'm content in my life, Lady of the manor with preordained rules. The next, I'm his Lady of the court without any.
O N E
— Z E N I T H —
Mauvais quart d'heure
Joseph Maiorani has good taste, not only did he pick me to be his bride to be but, the ring on my finger isn't anything to scoff at. I receive two reactions when I'm introduced as his fiancé, pity, or jealousy. I'm the equivalent of a chihuahua in a rich person’s purse for him but it works. I'm on his arm, not in his bed. If I had to sleep with him, I'd run away and live under a bridge. He's not a bad person, dull maybe with having everything catered to him in his 67 years on this planet. But the only way to stop myself being caught by Pierre is to ensure every eye is on me and that's exactly what's happening as we walk through one of his clubs.
On paper Joseph is an upstanding businessman, he's inherited wealth from his family and succeeded in their footsteps. Behind closed doors he has hushed conversations, a secret phone and armed guards that exceed the wealth around us. There are no drugs in any of his properties and as far as I'm aware all the guards are ex-military carrying registered weapons. It's the same speech I'll give to any officer that ever interrogates me.
Joseph guides me to the VIP area and kisses my hand before going off into the back room. There’s no associate for him to play up a relationship too. He’s changing our agreement and taking liberties when we’re in public. But I'm never sat alone for long with the guards moving closer and my eyes automatically go to the man who has stolen my attention from the first brief encounter in the hotel before I attached myself to Joseph.
Rian Court, asshole extraordinaire.
He has a new tattoo every time I see him and there's no suit wrapped around his body like everyone else pretending to be someone important. Each time we've passed each other he pauses as though he wants to say something then gets dragged away. But he’s appeared like a ghoul after the meetings in Joseph’s office and provided me some interaction in the form of a game.
At the beginning of my agreement with Joseph, we laid out rules. His were simple, any sexual needs are only ever to be fulfilled by him. He's changed them with his frustration rising at me not giving in. Just because I was 18 years old doesn't mean I was also naive. The old fuck can pump away with whoever he wants but I'm not laying under him. A new day, and a new rule is added, tonight’s addendum is for me to match my outfit to his. A small way of him exercising his control but he's too stupid to understand that control only exists because I allow it to.
A shiver works up my spine feeling someone watch me and I force my body to remain relaxed. They could be anywhere, waiting to pounce and enact their vengeance. But the voice in my ear has no French accent. "Hey pretty girl, missed me?" Zidane is a figment of my imagination. He only ever appears when Joseph disappears into the back rooms and the guards don't react to his presence as though they can’t see him.
Slipping into the booth beside me he assesses my outfit dropping his tumbler on the table and raises an eyebrow. The dress is hideous, one of Joseph's new rules for me to wear what he chooses. It doesn't suit my complexion or my frame, the colors all clash together with a mix of different prints. It looks like a child cut up twenty perfectly acceptable dresses and then sewn them together.
Shaking his thoughts away his hand comes to rest on my knee below the table. We can't be seen and he's a flirt, a violent flirt who tests his luck as I brush his hand away. “Come on, you’re going to start hurting my feelings if you keep turning me down.” The feigned sadness wouldn’t win him any awards for his acting.
Movement from the back rooms gets my attention and has Zidane pressing a hurried kiss to my cheek. "Don't miss me too much baby." He hasn't even touched his drink and disappears into the shadows. The meeting has ended earlier than usual, Joseph will sit in that back room for hours but tonight he walks over to me. I know he's disgruntled before his face is even view.
Holding his hand out to me with his jaw clenched he waits until I'm stood at his side to act like a prick. "You are to be seen, not heard." I haven’t even spoken to anyone, but he needs to reinforce his need for control. His fingers wrap around my bicep, but I don't lower my head or increase my speed. The longer our engagement goes on the more Joseph struggles to hide his asshole ways. It's frustration at me not being who he thought I would be, a naive young girl taken aback at the lavish life and the only way I could repay him is by opening my legs or mouth. Fucking idiot, I have my own hand and access to the internet. I don't need him rutting against me and embarrassing us both at the underwhelming experience.
Stepping through the crowd of bodies in varying degrees of intoxication we reach the back room. He swipes his hand over his hair careful not to touch the fake fibres I spent hours applying to cover the parts that are thinning. I felt bad for him at first, the way he'd lose confidence and angle his body to hide that part of himself. Now? I hope there's a freak gust of wind that blows it all away. Maybe he'll turn back into the semi decent man he was a few years ago. Once Joseph has successfully preened the air above his head, he walks us into the room.
He's forgotten to drop my arm and hazel eyes lock on to his fingers. Rian's stare heats my skin as Joseph squeezes once in warning and lets me go. His name is as confusing as the man, I made the mistake of calling him Ryan once after only having ever seen it written down. It pissed him off, so I'll never call him anything else and straighten my shoulders forgetting the order to shut my mouth. "Ryan, nice to see you again." Looking at the woman beside him I give a smile and she scowls. His guard dog can calm down, I'm not interested in her owner. She shouldn't be either, she's beautiful and could easily do better than him.
Bringing his tumbler to his lips he doesn't look away from me as he takes a sip. When he says my name, I can feel my body fighting to lean into it. "Zenith," The pause doesn't help when he wraps his tongue around the syllables as though he's caressing them. "Take a seat." I'd forgotten about Joseph until he wraps his arm around me and holds my hip. Discreetly looking at his hand while he guides me to take a seat I nearly stumble when digs his fingers into my skin. It's not a squeeze of possessiveness, it's more aggressive and only for my senses. Celeste's lipstick is probably still on his dick after the neighbours’ impromptu visit before we left the house, but it doesn't stop him from trying to assert any falsely perceived power over me.
The woman doesn't introduce herself and trades a look with Rian before silently leaving. Her presence is replaced with three men who don't hide their leering. Rian shifts in his seat, his hands resting on the table with a coin flipping through his fingers. It's hypnotising and I'm envious over the talent. Everyone has tried to do it before, practised as a child with a pen but it always falls. Not him, it's a fluid movement. An extension of his own limb.
When it makes a journey back to his thumb, he flips it and only moves his eyes to see what side it has landed on. There's a slight shift in his shoulders, disappointment at the result. Looking back at the people around the table but avoiding me he extends his voice around a smile. "Gentleman, your entertainment has arrived." Three pairs of eyes fix on me but I'm glaring at the prick who was supposed to offer me protection. Joseph doesn't acknowledge me as he pushes his seat back and leads them out.
I've never witnessed him interacting with Rian, their meetings are usually behind closed doors and my jaw goes slack at how easily Joseph allows himself to be mentally lead around. The door closes shutting out all sound other than my racing heart. Rian is in his element taking another swig of his drink as he restarts his fiddling. "You have a good poker face, Lady. Care to play a game?" Taking the tumbler before it can touch the wood I shrug and speak over the rim. "What do I win?" It's easy to get lost in the little games he plays. He’ll do it in the few instances he comes to the house to go through his business with Joseph.
His eyes flick over my shoulder to the door and he fails at hiding his smirk. Coming back to stare at me he flicks the coin in the air and doesn't say anything until it's delivered a result. "A, conversation." He has to check what it's landed on before telling me. Agreeing to a conversation is fine, it doesn't break the image of my unhappy relationship and there's no eyes to play it up in front of.
Pulling a deck of cards out from under the table he expertly shuffles them and cuts the deck. "Left, or right?" The smirk is putting me off when it's only a simple question and I drain the contents of his glass. The smirk turns sinister when I point to his left hand and Rian sets a card down for each of us. "Highest number wins." With the rules given he gestures for me to go first, and I flip over the ten of hearts.
Sitting back smug I cross my arms over my chest and feel lighter than I have in years. "No conversation for you Ryan." Copying me he inspects my card and uses the edge to flip his own over. An ace of spades, it symbolises death. Poetic considering it's just killed my mood. Looking off at the wall my body jolts as my chair scrapes against the floor. He doesn't let me enjoy the blankness and turns my face to him with gentle fingers on my chin. His thumb moves in slow patterns grazing my bottom lip and he speaks equally slowly giving me the pronunciation of his name. "Ree-uhn." Pushing myself forward I smile and whisper the one that pisses him off extending the name. "Ryan."
He has an uncanny ability to predict everything around him and looks to the door before righting my seat. It’s a small shift of his eyes looking at doors before someone walks in or anticipating where someone will stand. It’s weird as fuck and I thought he was psychic the first time he bet that Joseph would walk in with one of the guards.
Rian stands and collects his cards without uttering a sound. He doesn't leave straight away, and no one enters as he flattens his palms either side of me on the table. His lips brush my ear and I'm sure he takes in a deep breath before his voice drops between my thighs. "Your lips will only need to widen around me entering your mouth, not leaving." Turning my head I misjudge how close he is and my lips love across his cheek with the movement.
Rian doesn't look at my face, his eyes are fixed staring down my dress. Rude asshole. Slapping my hand on the neckline, I clear my throat pointing out his bullshit. "Who said my mouth will ever be on you?" There's too much excitement in my voice and he flicks his eyes up to meet mine. "No one but, you're imaging it now." The devil resides within his eyes, and it whispers my secrets to him. The only image I have in my head is the one he implanted, and I can't hide it.
I may be totally biased but any book that starts off with this, "For the people who like belts, in multiples, because being restrained is freeing — Be a good little slut and hold your wrists together" is going be a WILDDDD ride.
As someone who has read over 200 dark romance books (this is a modest estimation), I can tell you with no hesitation that The Gambler could be the next best thing with some proper marketing. The book hits all of my fundamental cores for a great read which is a decent plot, solid writing and editing, and engaging characters.
This author has learned very early that the bigger the shock factors in the book- the more engaged her audience will be. The mafia backstory is well thought out without being overtly descriptive and cumbersome and the author gives you just enough to keep flipping the pages.
Another signal of good writing is the layers of plotlines woven throughout the story, this isn't a one-and-done vanilla mafia romance but rather has an intricate plotline that has the reader eager for more. As for the SMUT- it was giving!! the dirty scenes are written with seasoned dark romance readers in mind because the author does NOT hold back. If I had a penny for every expletive I would be a rich woman.
Told in multiple Points of View (POV), the winning factor for me in this book hands down is the characters. Chosen family over blood family is always an intriguing dynamic and the author nailed all the individual personalities. From stoic and commanding to the sassy sister who toes the lies, the rebellious brother and the reformed stickler for rules.
I would say it needs to go through one more round of editing for grammar, and punctuation but it's a solid book and a start to the series.
Thank you to the author, Ax Cole, and Reedsy Discovery for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review!