Chapter 1

Noah Brady took a deep breath and pushed the stack of chips into the red square. His body tingled all over with excitement. This was it, he thought. One more spin of the wheel and he'd be debt free. He glanced around the table at the onlookers, witnessing his winning streak.

                Sadie, the tall blonde woman standing next to him, draped her arm around his shoulders. She leant in close and kissed him on the cheek. Noah caught the scent of her perfume. He put his arm around her waist and squeezed. He then watched as the other players made their selections.

                The croupier, standing at the head of the table, spun the wheel. 'No more bets.'

                A hush fell over the casino. Everyone leant forward, focusing on the tiny silver ball as it whizzed around the wheel. Noah felt his heartbeat quicken. The ball clicked and clacked before finally it settled into a pocket.

                The wheel slowed, and the croupier glanced at Noah. 'Black, thirteen.' She leant forward and gathered up his chips. The crowd groaned, then walked away.

                Noah stared at the ball. What had just happened? Had he really placed everything on one spin of the wheel? Why would he do that? For the first time in weeks, he was ahead of his game. He could have cleared his slate with the casino. He could have returned the money he had taken from his wife's bank account. But not now. Gemma was going to be pissed off. She hated him gambling; they were always arguing about it.

               Of course, he had lost control in the past and spent every penny he had. But after meeting Sadie, his luck had changed. He was on a winning streak. However, his relationship with Gemma had changed as well. They had drifted apart, but his feelings for Sadie had grown stronger.

                It was a couple of months since Sadie first approached Noah at the blackjack table. He was down to his last handful of chips. Sadie had sat down next to him and lit a cigarette. From the corner of his eye, Noah had noticed she was watching him.

                'Looks like you need a lucky mascot,' said Sadie, and nodded towards his chips. Noah gazed into her eyes, then, without thinking, secretly revealed his cards to her. Sadie smiled, picked up his chips, and threw them onto the table. Noah glared at her, but Sadie looked away. She then started laughing as the dealer paid Noah his winnings.

                Noah blinked away the thoughts of the past. He stood up and glanced at the space where his winnings had been. The blood drained from his face, and he felt sick. He steadied himself against the table.

                Sadie noticed his expression and kissed him on the cheek. 'Never mind. You win some, you lose some! But don't worry, tomorrow's another day.'

                Noah glared at her. 'What?'

                Sadie yawned. 'Come on, it's late and I'm hungry. You can take me to dinner. We can go to Antonio's. I know it's expensive, but I like it there. It's romantic.'

                'Are you serious?' said Noah through clenched teeth.

                Sadie frowned. 'What do you mean?'

                'I've just lost everything. All my winnings from the last couple of months... gone!'

                Sadie shrugged. 'It's like I said, you win some, you lose some-'

                'I'm not talking about pocket change here. I'm talking about thousands! And it was your fault. It was you that said bet the lot!'