Lady Gambler Ch. 06

Thursday afternoon, I heard back from the realtor on my proposal for the warehouse purchase. The sellers, an investment corporation, had made a counteroffer. At least, I had an idea where their bottom line might be. I turned down their offer, holding onto my original proposal. I wanted the owners to come back with another offer. It should give me an even better idea of the lowest figure we could buy the complex for. Even though Ferris was anxious to wrap up the deal, it was my job to make the purchase spending the least amount possible.

Friday morning, shortly after 10:00am, the realtor phoned again. The owners had come up with another offer. It was closer to our original proposal. I verbally agreed to their terms. By the end of the day, Ferris would have the written sales agreement on his desk, ready for his signature.

George and Michael’s flight was due to arrive at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport at 1:45pm. I guessed them to arrive home around 2:30. That would give us plenty of time to get the documents signed so I could be on my way to Prescott.

Their trip from the airport took longer than I thought. It was well after 3:00 before George and his son arrived home. I hurried up the winding path to the house shortly after I saw Scott put the car in the garage. Ferris was pouring himself a drink at the bar. He seemed in very good spirits. I handed him the purchase agreement, quickly reviewing the purchase price and terms. George didn’t bother to read any of it. He simply took my pen and signed it.

“Now! Let’s you and I fly up to Vegas for the weekend!” He exclaimed, grinning. “Get into some hot poker game!”

“I……I can’t Mr. Ferris.” I stammered. “I’ve already got plans for the weekend.”

“Change em!” He responded. “I feel like partying and I want you to join me!”

“I really can’t change them.” I said. “I would if I could but I can’t.”

“I’ll make it worth you while.” Ferris stated. “I want to see you in action again.”

I couldn’t very well tell George where I was going or who I had plans with. I couldn’t come up with an excuse fast enough. I was stumped. My mind went blank.

“Tell you what.” George said. “I’ll give you $10,000 plus a percentage of whatever you win.”

Reluctantly, the money made my mind up for me. I agreed to make the trip after I made a quick phone call.

“I’ll need to run home and pack some things.” I stated. “What time is our flight?”

“No need to pack. Just wear what you’ve got on.” Ferris replied. “Scott can pick out some clothes for you once we get to Vegas.”

“The flight’ll leave when we get to the airport.” He added.

I made a quick trip back down to the office to phone Rick. He wasn’t happy about my not being able to make it. I told him I wasn’t feeling good, maybe a touch of the flu or something I’d eaten for lunch. I hated lieing to him but I couldn’t very well tell him the truth.

Scott sped through traffic, heading for the airport. Ferris had a black briefcase sitting on the seat next to him. Other than that one piece, there was no other luggage. I was curious if the briefcase contained money. I was almost positive it did. We arrived at the airport, entering into a secured, private area. Scott drove into one of the hangers, parking next to a Gulfstream II SP, twelve-passenger private jet. Two pilots were milling around near the door waiting for us to board. My excitement was building, but so was my concern for Rick. If he found out I’d cancelled our weekend together for a gambling trip with his father, he’d never forgive me.

The leather executive chairs were comfortable, relaxing enough to cause me to doze off for a few minutes. Scott was sitting behind me, George sitting, facing me. We didn’t say much during the brief flight. I barely had time to finish my glass of chilled wine before we started our descent into the Las Vegas airport. I glanced at my watch. It was a little after 6:00pm, early for nightlife in Vegas!

“We’ll grab dinner once we get to the hotel.” Ferris stated. “I’ll make a few calls, see who’s playing where.”

“If you’ll make me out a list of things you’d like, I’ll do some shopping for you.” Scott offered, peering around the side of my seat.

I nodded my head at both, acknowledging their statements. Everything was happening way too fast for me to absorb, let alone handle.

George had arranged for a limo to take us to our hotel, the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino. I jotted down a short list of items I needed, handing it to Scott.

“You sure you don’t mind getting some of those items?” I asked. “I can buy the intimate items myself if you’d rather not.”

“No, I don’t mind at all.” Scott responded, smiling. “I don’t get to do much shopping very often.”

Arriving at the Mandalay Bay, the three of us were immediately ushered to one of the luxury suites on the top floor. I stood at the wall of glass looking down at the city below. I got dizzy for a minute from the extreme height. I sat down on the couch till I got to feeling better.

Ferris was making phone calls from one of the bedrooms. I couldn’t overhear his conversations. Scott left to go downstairs to pick up the items I’d asked for.

“Dinner will be up shortly.” Ferris stated, coming into the living area of the suite. “I’ve got us in a game later on, around 10:00.”

“I’m going to take a shower while I’ve got time.” I responded. “Maybe a nap after dinner.”

In the bedroom, I took off my clothes, laying them across the bed. The warm spray of the shower felt refreshing, making me a little drowsy. Ferris came into the bathroom, unannounced. The shower doors were translucent enough where he couldn’t see through them all that well.

“We’ll be playing against some real pros tonight.” He stated. “Some even a little quirky.”

“If you don’t feel comfortable with them, just let me know and we’ll find another game.” He added. “There’s always plenty of high-stakes games going on.”

I didn’t reply. George watched me showering for awhile before exiting the bathroom. His presence hadn’t really bothered me. Ferris preferred women closer to his age, but he liked to look at all the women.

Dinner was lobster, shrimp, crab and baked fish. I was hungry even though the worry about playing against people who I wasn’t familiar had me nervous.

After dinner, I stretched out across the bed. I slept for about an hour and a half, enough to keep me going the rest of the night. Ferris woke me up around 9:30 to get ready. I fixed my hair and put on fresh make-up.

Scott had bought me a dress, even though it wasn’t on my list. It was a beautiful blue sequin dress, floor length with a plunging back. The dress was slit up the side, halfway up my thigh.

“You’ve got quite an eye for fashion.” I kidded Scott. “The dress is absolutely gorgeous.”

“The dress is simply beautiful, you make it gorgeous!” Scott responded, making the compliment.

I blushed at his remark, thanking him with a light kiss on the cheek. Scott helped me with a choker necklace, fastening the clasp for me. I checked myself in the mirror to see how I looked. I hoped I looked distracting! I was sure I’d need the edge to be competitive.

Ferris, Scott and I rode the elevator down several floors before stepping off into a wide, well-lit hallway. At the end of the hallway, two men in suits stood outside one of the suites. One of the men opened the door for us as we approached. The suite, similar to ours was occupied by a dozen or so people. There were two scantily clad women behind the bar. George and Scott walked over and brought us back drinks. I was busy scrutinizing who the players might be. As George had stated, some were a bit on the quirky side.

We milled around the room, chatting with several of the guests. Ferris was off somewhere so I slid my hand inside Scott’s arm.

“Hope you don’t mind if I ask you to be my escort?” I said.

“Not at all. It’d be my pleasure.” Scott replied, putting his hand over mine.

Scott and I walked over to the windows but stood back enough so the height wouldn’t bother me. I was somewhat anxious for the game to begin. I spotted George coming out of one of the rooms with two other gentlemen. He motioned for Scott and I to follow him into another of the rooms. The poker table was set for six players. Everyone started picking their seats. I took one without a window behind me. Just a quirk of mine!

The players were a mixture of young and old. Besides myself, there was only one other female player. Margaret was at least sixty-five. She wore way too much make-up for someone her age. I noticed she was also wearing trifocals. Her hands had rings on each finger. Way too much! The licorice gum she was chewing was another added distraction. One of the men wore a large black cowboy hat. He was in his mid-forties, salt and pepper hair with a short mustache. He was quite a handsome guy, actually. Most of the men were dressed casually, sport shirts and dress slacks. I noticed one was wearing a large diamond ring that looked fake. It caught the overhead light and sparkled a little too much!

Carl took a seat off to my side and opened up the briefcase. He handed the cashier several bundles of hundred dollar bills. The man placed a tray of chips next to my drink. The host explained the minimum and maximum bets. The game was “Hold-Em Poker”.

Everyone anted $100 and the cards were dealt. Minimum raise was $100, maximum was $500. I was in way over my head. Within a matter of several hands I was down almost $2000. I couldn’t even come close to winning a hand. Margaret and the cowboy seemed to have the luck running their way. I looked over at Ferris but he didn’t seem to be upset about my losing. Several more hands and I was down another $2000. I excused myself from the table to use the restroom. George followed me out of the room.

“I can’t tell who’s working with whom but there’s something fishy going on.” I whispered to Ferris.

“You think they’re cheating?” He asked. “Which one? I’ll have the bastard killed!”

“Got to be that old bitch and the cowboy.” I replied. “Maybe that guy with the fake diamond too.”

“You want to pull out and find another game?” George inquired. “Or try to beat them at their own game.”

“Let’s go back for awhile and see if my luck’ll change.” I responded.

I sat back down but folded at the start of each hand. It gave me time to watch the players while the rest of each hand played out. It took me awhile but I figured out two of the player were working together, the cowboy and the guy with the fake diamond ring. Margaret was discreetly marking the cards with little black smudges. She was casually licking her fingers. The black sticky substance from the licorice was on her fingers. She was marking the backs of the aces and face cards.

After waiting till the hand played out, I asked for the game to be stopped. The host asked if there was a problem.

“Damn right, there’s a problem!” I exclaimed. “Take the cards and shuffle them.”

The host picked up the deck and shuffled the cards. He set the deck back on the table.

“Now, spread the cards out in a circular fan, face down.” I ordered.

The host quickly obliged. Some of the cards stuck together.

I stood up and leaned over the table. One of the men was more interested in looking down the front of my dress than what I was doing. I figured him for “weak” player.

“$5000 says I can pick out almost every ace and face card.” I boldly stated. “Any takers?”

No one said anything but they all looked surprised. I didn’t look at Margaret but I knew she was watching me. I picked out sixteen cards, leaving them face down.

“Would you turn the cards over?” I asked the host.

He turned each card over, one at a time. All were Jacks, Queens, Kings and Aces.

“How did you know which cards were which?” He angrily asked.

I pressed my finger on the back of one of the cards, right over the dark, sticky substance. When I lifted my hand the card stuck to my finger.

“Licorice!” I exclaimed.

Margaret was immediately escorted out of the room. Surprisingly, they let her keep her winnings! Another player took her seat and the host opened a fresh deck of cards. Ferris came over to me when I sat back down.

“Damn! That was quite a show you put on!” He whispered in my ear. “Worth every penny too!”

Play resumed. The cowboy was intently watching the guy with the fake diamond ring. He was getting signals as to what he had. The two would raise the bet according to how many flashes he’d send him. I don’t think anyone else noticed it but I was able to pick up on the signals. I played according to what I saw going on. Within an hour or so, I’d won back all I’d lost plus a few thousand. The guy with the ring finally dropped out of the game when he noticed me staring at him. Another player took his seat, a gentleman in his late 50’s. He’d been drinking a little too much to be playing for such high stakes. Within an hour, he’d dropped more than $5000. Shortly after midnight, the host suggested we all take a break.

“I’m going back up to our suite and call it a night.” Ferris said. “Why don’t you stay if you want? Scotty’ll stay with you.”

“Let me see what Scott wants to do.” I responded. “Maybe he wants to call it a night too.”

Scott said he wasn’t tired, although I could tell he was. He seemed more than willing to stay with me. The game resumed with new players coming and going and some previous players coming back with newfound money. My luck was holding out so I played till my concentration started to falter. Scott was sitting out in the livingroom with his foot propped up on the briefcase.

Around 4:00 in the morning, I decided to cash out and call it a night. We’d won a little more than $31000. For me, it was a new height. The host was quite gracious, inviting us back the next evening for more poker. I thanked him for the game and told him I’d let George know of the invitation. Scott and I left, heading down the hallway towards the elevators.

“I need to put this briefcase in the hotel’s safe.” Scott stated. “I’ll take you upstairs first.”

“That’s ok.” I responded. “I can go down to the front desk with you. I’m a little hungry anyway. Maybe we can get some breakfast.”

Scott and I rode the elevator down to the hotel lobby. Scott checked the briefcase at the front desk. The hotel’s restaurant was just opening up their breakfast bar. After getting our plates filled, we sat down in a quiet corner of the restaurant. The waitress brought us a pot of coffee and fresh orange juice. Scott and I talked about the evening’s game and laughed about some of the players. He had quite a few humorous observations about most of the players.

After breakfast we rode the elevator back to our top floor suite. George was sound asleep in his bedroom. There were only two bedrooms in the suite. The thought of where Scott was going to sleep crossed my mind. I fumble with the clasp on my necklace but had trouble getting it apart. I asked Scott to give me a hand, which he readily obliged.

“I’m going to sack out on the sofa.” He said. “It looks plenty comfortable.”

“Not much privacy out there.” I responded. “Why don’t you share my bed?”

“Sleep with you!” Scott replied, surprised. “You mean sleep with you?”

“Yeah, just sleep.” I answered. “I sleep better with someone else in bed with me.”

I wasn’t sure if Scott wanted to sleep in the same bed with me or not. He knew I didn’t have anything sexual in mind. I just wanted someone to hold me. After getting undressed, we slipped into bed together. Scott held me in his arms. The sun was just starting to rise as we slowly floated off to sleep.

It was early afternoon when I woke up. Scott was in my shower. I slipped on one of the hotel robes and proceeded to the livingroom, taking a cigarette from my purse. Checking George’s bedroom, I found it empty. I checked the rest of the suite but didn’t find him. The television was on so I tuned in to the latest news.

“You want me to call down for some lunch?” Scott asked, entering the livingroom.

He wore a white towel, tightly wrapped around his waist. He was strikingly handsome without his clothes. Other than earlier that morning, it was the first time I’d seen him without his suit on.

“How about some sandwiches or something?” I suggested. “And iced tea. Don’t forget the iced tea.”

I showered while Scott made the phone call down to room service. Slipping the robe back on, I went back out to the livingroom. Scott was dressed in a fresh suit. His tie was a little crooked so I took the initiative and straightened it for him. Scott always prided himself on his appearance.

We sat on the couch in front of the television, eating our lunch.

“Wonder where George is off to?” I said.

“He might be off somewhere on business.” Scott replied. “Then again, he could be down in the casino.”

It was early evening before Ferris returned. While he showered and changed clothes, I got dressed. Scott had purchased another dress for me to wear. It was a long black dress with a rhinestone belt that glittered. Besides being low cut, it was quite form fitting. I remarked to Scott about his taste for clothing. He had quite an eye for fashion or at least what he liked to see me wearing.

I mentioned to Ferris about the invitation to the poker game but he had other plans. George, Scott and I rode out into the desert to a private residence. There were several limos parked in front of the huge southwestern style home when we arrived. I glanced at my watch when we stepped out of our limo. It was 9:00pm. The lights from far off Vegas sparkled in the night.

Ferris had a firm grip on the black briefcase when we entered the home. I had my hand through Scott’s arm as we headed to the bar. Scott ordered me a glass of red wine without my asking. George excused himself from us and drifted off out of sight. He returned empty handed, without the briefcase. I assumed he’d secured it somewhere in the house.

Scott and I mingled with some of the other guests. Most seemed quite friendly. Scott and I stepped out onto the terrace so I could smoke. The terrace offered a great view of the desert.

“Games are ready to start.” George stated, coming out to the terrace. “We’re at the back table.”

We walked back into the house and up a wide stairway to the second floor. Entering a large area overlooking the livingroom below, I noticed two tables. There were six chairs at each table with stacks of black and white chips at each seating. The players began choosing their seats. I chose a seat with my back towards the windows so it would be less distracting for me. I was the only female player at our table. There were two women players sitting at the other table.

The observers stood back from the tables. Many leaned up against the railing or stood outside the area, talking in low voices. Scott and George stood so they could observe me.

“White chips are $100. Black chips are $500.” The hostess announced.

I had been briefly introduced to the middle-aged woman when we arrived. I only remembered her first name, Rachael. She was quite tall, maybe 5’10” or taller. She was exquisitely dressed in a floor length red evening dress. The diamond necklace around her neck were definitely the real stones. Her long hair was elegantly coiffured. She spared no money on her appearance.

“Players may only play till all your chips are gone.” She added. “Of course, you may quit at anytime.”

The first hand was dealt. I checked my cards before observing my fellow players. I didn’t notice anything unusual. At least no one appeared to be cheating. One player, an elderly gentleman was anxious for the play to speed up whenever he had a really good hand. His actions were a dead giveaway. I wasn’t the only one who noticed him either. Whenever he won a hand, the pot was fairly small, maybe $2000 at the most.

My luck seemed to have run dry. I couldn’t buy a good hand! After thirty minutes I hadn’t come close to winning a hand. I looked at Ferris to see if he wanted me to quit. He didn’t seem bothered at my losses. He and Scott were whispering back and forth so I continued to play. Shortly before our first break I won two hands in a row. I’d cut my losses by almost half. It certainly made me feel better but I could see a long evening ahead. “I’m not doing all that well.” I said to Ferris. “Maybe I used up all my luck last night.”