Adventures with Penny Ch. 20

"Hey, how are you doing," I asked.

"I just got busted," she revealed.

"How did you finish," I inquired.

"7th place," she said proudly. "Good enough for $20000. I got back the two entry fees if nothing else."

"And Penny is still alive," I half-stated, half-asked.

"Alive and well," Brooke confirmed. "She has the second biggest stack and is playing ridiculously well."

"That's great," I declared.

"Are these two just playing for money," Brooke asked about the game I was watching.

"Actually, no," I admitted. "There's a pride factor involved as well."

"And how are you involved," Brooke pressed me.

"If Kylie wins, Leslie doesn't get to spend tonight with me," I disclosed. "If Leslie wins, Kylie has to watch us tonight."

"Oh my," Brooke gasped. "What did she say to piss my sister off to get her to bet all that?"

I was amazed at how well Brooke knew her sister. I stared at her in complete appreciation of the bond they shared.

"She called her the old mom of our firm," I informed her gently.

"Oh shit," Brooke said in response. "No wonder Leslie pushed her to the wall."

I looked back to the table to see Leslie collecting another modest pile of chips. Kylie appeared to be down to her last $1000 or so in chips and I sensed the end was near. The next hand brought just that with Leslie's two pair topping Kylie's pair of kings. The dealer helped Leslie rack her winnings as the game had ended.

"You played great and got good cards," Kylie admitted, though she had not moved. "How about one more hand?"

"You don't have anything else I want," Leslie taunted her.

"I think I do," Kylie countered.

All activity stopped with that last remark and all eyes were now firmly on Kylie. Even the dealer was sitting perfectly still while this discussion escalated.

"What would that be," Leslie asked cautiously.

"How about my location," Kylie offered. "One hand. No money. If you win, I won't come to California. You won't have to worry about me being in your backyard, wondering if I called him or saw him each day."

"I wouldn't worry about that either way," Leslie postured. "I know him better than that. You pose no threat so it doesn't seem like a gain to me."

"That's what I expected," Kylie announced. "Most moms don't see the dangers right under their own nose."

Leslie looked over at Brooke and me slowly. Brooke was shaking her head no, indicating that we all knew this was bait to play and that Leslie should be satisfied with having already won. Leslie looked back at Kylie.

"Your location and profession," Leslie said to her crisply. "One hand. If I win, you don't come to California and you give up your license to practice law anywhere."

"Those are high stakes," Kylie laughed. "But I am ready to gamble. But, if I win, he spends the night alone, as in not with any of you."

Hearing that, Brooke reached down and grabbed my hand. She held it tightly as Leslie again looked over at us. Leslie then looked down at her racks of chips and I picked one up. She handed it to the dealer and nodded her head in acceptance.

The dealer dealt the cards face up since there was no money involved. Kylie had Ad-9d while Leslie had Jc-7h. The flop was 6c-4s-10h. Both ladies rose from their chair, hanging on the next card. It was 2h. Kylie was staring at me while Leslie could not take her eyes off the table. The dealer's hand snapped over the final card. King of diamonds. Kylie's ace won the hand. Leslie stood there, defeated, while Kylie stepped away from the table.

"See you in California," Kylie smirked, blowing a kiss to me.

She turned and walked out of the poker room triumphantly. Leslie collected her racks of winnings and tipped dealer again. She turned and walked to where Brooke and I were standing. She looked up at me, tears filling her beautiful brown eyes.

"I'm so sorry," she said with her voice heavy and cracking from the tears.

"It's ok," I reassured her. "Really."

"I'm going to bed," she cried softly, handing her racks of chips to her sister.

Leslie walked past me and headed directly out of the room. She was very upset. Brooke and I looked at each other very plainly.

"I am going to cash these in," she said. "Then I have to go put the pieces of my sister back together."

"I know," I acknowledged.

Brooke moved past me and went about her evening. I turned and looked at Penny who was still involved heavily in her game. I smiled at her and turned around. I left the poker room and made my way to the elevators. I got to my room and crashed to the bed in my cloths.

When the morning arrived, there was a knock at my door. I scraped myself off the bed and answered the door to see Nikki standing there in a pink Reebok sweat suit. She looked completely adorable. I tried to force a smile for her.

"Our car is at 11am and the plane is leaving at noon," she said to me. "Penny wanted you to know."

"Thanks," I replied. "Tell her I will meet you at the plane."

Nikki turned and headed down the hall without another word. I showered quickly and packed my shit. I threw on my shades and headed out of my room. I hit the front desk to check out and then dropped my bags in the car that was waiting for the ladies and me. I tipped the driver and then hopped in cab. I had the driver drop me off at the MGM Grand. I took the last $100 I had in my wallet out and dropped it on the first blackjack table I saw, $10 per hand. I spent the next hour winning and losing. When the $100 was gone, I jumped into another cab and headed for the airport. 11:30am. The ladies were well on their way and I was going to be cutting it close.

The driver dropped me at the airport entrance and I found my way out to hanger 17 with very little time to spare. I made my way towards the plane and saw Penny standing there, waiting for me. I walked over to where she was standing and even though we were inside I did not remove my sunglasses. She did not look at me; she only looked straight ahead at the plane. I moved next to her, shoulder to shoulder.

"How did you do last night," I asked casually.

"Second place," she disclosed.

"Congratulations," I offered. "What did you make?"

"$75 grand," she informed me flatly. "Where did you go this morning?"

"I went to clear my head," I admitted. "I just needed to get my thoughts in order."

"You don't have to run from me, ever," she clarified, her voice threatening to crack.

"Pen, I have already told you, I am not running from you," I corrected her. "I didn't mean to make you nervous, but I just needed to get my mind right."

"You scared me," she said, her voice cracking slightly again though she still would not look at me. "I could have helped you."

"You did help me," I acknowledged. "By getting the ladies here and taking care of things like you always do. What greater help could I ask for?"

Finally she turned and looked at me. She would not take her eyes off of mine. I slowly removed my sunglasses and stared back at her.

"No one else has ever loved me like this and I am scared to death of losing you," Penny said softly.

She turned and walked up the stairs of the plane. I watched her disappear into the cabin as I took a deep breath. I knew Kylie was in her head and that would have to be corrected. I put my shades back on and climbed the steps myself. I entered the cabin and surveyed the women. They all seemed to be in good spirits, except Leslie, who was staring out the window and would not look at me.

Fuck that, I thought to myself. I took the open seat next to her and buckled my seat belt. I grabbed her hand and held it tightly in my own. She turned her head and looked at me. I smiled playfully at her as she laid her head on my shoulder.

"Let's go home," I said to her.