Always Belle Ch. 07

***

Four hands later, Jordan and Uncle Frank had each won twice, going back and forth. We all had a front row seat, our butts filling the rest of the chairs around the oval table.

Cherry dealt them the next round, two cards each. Uncle Frank and Jordan brought their hands to the green felt, inspecting their lot. Uncle Frank modestly called the big blind, with neither player showing their strength yet, or lack thereof.

"Sir, no phones at the table please," Cherry abruptly reprimanded Ox, getting him to put his device away.

She then dealt the flop:

Ace of Spades.

4 of Spades.

9 of Hearts.

Uncle Frank looked stoic, donning his best poker face. He checked his hand, deferring the action to his opponent. Jordan checked as well.

Cherry then dealt the turn:

9 of Clubs.

Uncle Frank didn't hesitate, immediately placing a medium-sized bet. Jordan countered by raising, getting my uncle to pause and analyze. He then nodded his head, tossing chips forward to match.

Cherry dealt the final card, the river:

Queen of Spades.

My uncle signaled a check, passing the action. Jordan took a long look at his opponent, trying to guess if he had him beat.

I saw Uncle Frank's lip quiver. Yikes, was that a tell? Perhaps Jordan saw it too. The Black man then smirked, pushing forward his entire chip stack. "I'm all in!"

"You're bold my friend... I call." Uncle Frank committed his chips, matching Jordan's bet.

My uncle then flipped his cards over, revealing suited spades to make a Flush—a hell of a strong hand!

"You got me bro." Jordan flipped his cards over, showing that he only had a Three-of-a-kind.

Our party instantly cheered, celebrating the humongous pot my uncle had just won! Cherry pushed all of Jordan's remaining chips across the green felt, creating a pile of ceramic circles.

"Sorry Jordan, that was a tough beat man," Uncle Frank acknowledged, treating his opponent with reverence.

"Hey baby, found you!" A dark-haired woman abruptly cozied up to the Black man.

Oh fuck, no way...

"Olivia?!" Uncle Frank blared, looking like he had just seen a ghost, as did the rest of us.

Uncle Artie sat frozen, as did Ox; the latter now had his phone back in hand, camera lens pointed at the woman, as if to document that yes, my (former?) aunt-in-law was actually right in front of us.

Aunt Olivia looked flabbergasted. She scanned the people around the table. "Artie. Kenny. I see. Family trip, that's cute," she said mockingly.

"What are you even doing here?" Uncle Frank rudely questioned.

"What's it look like?" She wrapped her arm around Jordan's shoulder. "Seems we had the same destination in mind. God, not even married anymore, yet still wound up at the same place for an anniversary. The fucking odds..."

Uncle Frank shook his head in disbelief as well.

Aunt Olivia continued, "So if your brother and nephew are here, then where's our son Frank, you lose him at the airport?" She spewed words with obvious bite.

"Funny. Says a lot that Colin didn't bother to text his mom about his whereabouts."

"Oh, you mean like how our daughter doesn't care to call you from college," she countered.

"Roux only calls you to reload her debit card, trust me."

"Fuck off Frank, you're insufferable!"

"Truth hurts!" Uncle Frank petulantly stamped.

Jordan now stood up, assuming a defensive stance next to his woman.

My uncle's eye-line shifted toward him. "Some advice my friend: Invest in some back armor. For the future knife."

"I'm good bro," Jordan dismissively replied, wrapping his arm around his lover's waist.

Aunt Olivia blatantly placed her fingers over Jordan's crotch. "Come on baby, let's go back to our room, I'm gonna show you a good time."

Uncle Frank inserted, "Go on, leave. I took all his chips anyway."

"You didn't win anything Frank, it's your money..." Aunt Olivia had the last word, proudly walking away, hand showily tucked into Jordan's back pocket.

Jesus... Aunt Olivia's mic drop of a comment—it stung like hell and I wasn't even the target. I'm guessing Jordan's gambling money was courtesy of Uncle Frank to begin with, from their divorce settlement.

Our party remained silent, unsure of what to say after the tense exchange. Even Cherry the dealer looked away, not wanting to get involved.

I watched Uncle Artie finally stand up and walk over to his brother, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Come on Frank, forget about her."

Looking shaken up, Uncle Frank sloppily packed all his chips into trays, then forced them into his brother's hands, despite the latter's reluctance.

"Hey, I have an idea!" Ox stepped in. "What about this: Bryan, you take Frank somewhere nice to grab a drink, relax for a bit. Meanwhile, Artie and I will take these chips and hit the high-roller room. We'll try to win some more money, pay for an expensive-ass dinner for all of us tomorrow."

Uncle Artie comforted, "Don't worry bro, we'll keep your winning streak going."

Bryan agreed with the plan, more than happy to cheer up his friend with booze.

Uncle Artie then pulled me aside. "Ken, you should join my brother and Bryan, make sure they don't end up cuffed for public intoxication. Here's a little spending money for yourself." He slipped me a thick wad of bills.

"Whoa, this is way too much Uncle Artie!"

"It's Vegas Ken." He patted my shoulder. "I trust you'll spend it wisely."

***

Wandering the casino floor, I hadn't said a word to Uncle Frank since his poker room incident, thinking it was best for me to keep my mouth shut about his personal matters.

A text suddenly came in from Belle: "Ken, glad you came to Vegas after all! Heard from a little birdie you and crew were looking for a place to drink."

I responded: "Hey Belle! I'm with Uncle Frank and his friend Bryan. Know a good bar here?"

Her laser quick response: "Drinks on me! Come over to Roost! It's on the west side of Valo. I'm heading there now."

Wrangling my uncle and his friend, I led us across the casino until we spotted a sizable neon sign high above black doors, spelling Roost in trendy cursive. As we approached, there were a bunch of people crowded around, a long banner backdrop to take photos in front of.

When we got closer, we saw Belle slowly walking the carpet, stopping frequently to pose. She wore a seductive black dress, showcasing the subtle curves on her slender frame.

Interestingly, it looked like she was accompanied by a man, one who looked so familiar but who I couldn't quite pin down. He stood just off to the side, hair perfectly slicked back.

I watched as Belle called the man over to snap a few photos with him, posing together for the cameras, their arms around each other's backs.

"Damn, I bet she can get us bottle service in here. And more..." Bryan's hungry gaze lingered on Belle's body.

When Belle finally saw us, her eyes lit up. She then walked over with her male companion. "Hey guys! Welcome to Vegas! This is my agent extraordinaire, Solomon." She then turned to him. "And Sol, this is Artie's brother and nephew."

He shook each of our hands with a million-dollar smile. "Pleasure to meet the future family."

Bryan forwardly replied, "Pleasure's all ours!"

"No, not him!" She corrected, not afraid to single Bryan out as the other.

Bryan snaked his eyes down her chest. "I'm an honorary member."

"Not even close!" Belle dismissed.

I remembered Bryan and Belle's previous interaction at Ox's barbecue, where she'd gotten Uncle Frank to scold his friend for creepily being too touchy with her.

"Belle, love," Solomon spoke, "I'm gonna go inside and find Drago. I've got that damage control covered, don't worry. See you in there."

After her agent left, Belle turned to face us. "So what've you guys been up to so far?"

"Frank won pretty big at the poker table," Bryan mentioned, omitting the Olivia bit.

"Good for you bro!" She offered my uncle a high-five, which he weakly returned. "...Um, you okay Frank?"

"I'm fine," he answered meekly.

Bryan spoke up for him, "He just needs a drink. Shall we?"

Belle motioned for all of us to rally behind her, as she led the way toward Roost's entrance.

A bouncer met us. "Name ma'am?"

"Belle Adelson. These three are with me."

"Hold on, one moment." The bouncer checked his tablet, then stepped off to the side, bringing a finger to his ear. I watched as he nodded his head, speaking to whomever was in his ear piece.

"What's happening?" I asked Belle.

"He's probably just getting our table ready with the bottle service."

The bouncer returned. "Ma'am, they can't enter."

"Why not?"

He hesitated for a second. "They're dressed too casual."

"But so many guys walked in there in t-shirts."

"Sorry ma'am. Just doing my job."

"Let me talk to Drago."

"I don't have a line to him, unfortunately."

"That's BS!" She surprisingly shot back.

Belle then turned to huddle with us, trying not to make a scene. "Hold up guys, this is so dumb!"

"It's okay Belle, you can go in without us," I suggested. "We'll just find another place to drink."

"No, this isn't right! I'll text Sol to get us all in."

While Belle tended to her phone, I briefly excused myself to the restroom. At the urinal, I remembered that Solomon had mentioned doing damage control for Belle. I wondered what he meant by that. Also, who the heck was this Drago guy?

When I exited the men's room, I was surprised to see Bryan basically in my face. Beyond him, Uncle Frank and Belle were in the distance, chatting. I watched as she then reached out to give my uncle a warm, almost consoling hug.

"Hey man, the plan's changed," Bryan said to me. It was the first time he had addressed me all night. "We're gonna head to another spot, but we couldn't get you in. There's an age minimum."

"I'm 22. I'm old enough to gamble and drink," I argued.

"You gotta be older."

"I'll ask my uncle and Belle about that." I stepped forward, intending to rejoin them.

Bryan surprisingly put a hand to my chest. "Don't bother. I've already talked to them. You should head back to your other uncle."

I wanted to call Bryan out on his bullshit. Who the fuck did he think he was?

"See, they're already leaving," Bryan noted.

It was true. They were beginning to walk away from Roost, waving in our direction to come join them. I stepped forward once more but Bryan stopped me again.

"Maybe another time kid." He lightly pushed me, causing me to stumble backward a step. When he departed, he looked behind to ensure I didn't follow.

The fuck? I wasn't about to let Bryan get away with his bullying!

When they were all out of view, I picked my feet up and swerved around the section of slot machines, aiming to catch up to them in the distance. I couldn't wait to expose Bryan's shady antics to Belle and Uncle Frank. I'd relish watching them guilt the guy for being such an asshole toward me!

My phone then vibrated, a text from Belle: "Hey Ken, have a good night. Take it easy. I'll treat you to the best breakfast buffet in Vegas tomorrow!"

Well, shit... I guess I wasn't wanted after all.

***

Intending to link back up with Uncle Artie and Ox, I found my way to the outside of Valo's high-roller room.

"May I see your player card sir?" The staffer at the door stood tall.

"I don't have one," I replied. "I'm just going to watch my uncle and his friend in there."

"I can't let you in if you're not going to play."

"But our dealer Cherry, she let us sit down and watch in the poker room."

The staffer shrugged his shoulders like he couldn't care less.

Frustrated, I walked away empty-handed, genuinely having no interest in gambling myself. Even though Uncle Artie had handed me a thick wad of bills, the last thing my unemployed ass wanted to do was risk valuable money dwindling into dust at the cards table.

I wasn't sure what to do now. I definitely wasn't going to drink or eat alone in Vegas like a pathetic loser. A wave of bitterness then coursed through me, remembering that I didn't even want to go on this trip in the first place. Ugh, fucking Colin!

I aimlessly roamed the noisy casino, now feeling like an abandoned orphan. I quickly grew bored, and decided I might as well call it an early night. Maybe I'd salvage it by masturbating in the privacy of my suite, fantasizing about Belle and her agent, casting Sol as the basement guy.

My phone suddenly rang. Unknown number.

Answer it Ken! Not as if you have anything else to do.

"Hello?"

"Ken! It's Jim Wilcox from Clytch."

"Uh, hey Jim?" I replied, not at all expecting to hear his voice on the other line.

"I never heard back from you about my offer."

"You know what Jim," I prefaced, contemplating the most diplomatic way to reject him, "I can't take the job."

"Pfft, right..." Jim's tone was aggressive, sneering. "Look, I already apologized in my voicemail. If you want to decline the position, that's your loss. But I deserve to tell my side of the story."

"I'm sorry?" I responded, unsure what he meant.

"If I'm a betting man Ken, then I'm guessing Belle probably told you about an encounter she and I had."

"Yeah we talked, sure." I was withholding with words.

"I admit, I was drunk at some open-bar mixer. May have said some unsavory things to Belle. But she was far from innocent that night. She told me she was dating your uncle. Yet there she was, going behind his back with another man."

I got defensive. "With all due respect Jim, how would you even know it wasn't my uncle?"

"Your Uncle Arthur's not a nobody. Ever heard of Google Images?" He replied like I was a dumbass. "You should relay this to him before he ties the knot to a hypocrite. At the mixer, Belle was fooling around with that other man. They tried to be discreet, but I caught them in the alley, making out, hands in each other's pants. After I saw that, I knew she was fair-game, the bank open for business."

"You know what Jim, I don't think this is appropriate to discuss with you," I declared, my loyalty to Belle taking hold, coloring my focus.

"Then that other man, he had the actual nerve to threaten me, cuss me out! Who the fuck was he to tell me anything!" He yelled, temper spiraling out of control.

"Jim, I think—"

"Shut up, let me finish! I'm just gonna call it what it is: Belle's a slut! A clever one too. Whoever she was with, could've fooled most. It sure looked—"

Beyond annoyed, I hung up abruptly, not willing to let Jim have the last word. Fuck this guy!

"Sir!" A loud voice from the reception desk caught my attention.

Disoriented, I turned my head. Jarrod, the Valo staffer that had checked us in earlier, had called out to me, getting me to mindlessly walk over to him.

"Hi sir, you're part of Miss Adelson's party right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"She requested an additional key card for her suite. To be retrieved by someone in your party."

"Did she say who'd pick it up?"

"She did not. My shift's almost over so I personally wanted to ensure the card was delivered." Jarrod slid the Valo-branded envelope toward me.

After taking it, I motioned to leave, trying to make sense of what had just stumbled into my hands.

"Sir!" Jarrod stopped me, looking expectant, wearing an overzealous smile. "I hope you're satisfied with Valo's hospitality..."

I paused to assess, quickly gathering why Jarrod look so eager. I pulled out Uncle Artie's wad of cash from my pocket, then slid Jarrod a crisp bill.

"You're too kind sir." He shamelessly took the money, making me realize just how transactional this city was.

Now with Belle's key card in hand, the significance of it started to weigh on me. I unfolded the envelope, noting it listed Room 2314.

Before Jim Wilcox had called, I was going to slog back to my room to pitifully jerk myself off. Now it felt like my night had some purpose. Who did Belle intend to set aside the extra key card for? I made my way toward the elevator, hoping to find out.

***

I got off on the 23rd floor, quickly locating Belle's room. After sliding the spare key card in, I deliberately held the door ajar before entering, pausing to monitor a reaction, in case anyone was inside.

Presumably in the clear, I quietly slipped into her suite, realizing her deluxe unit was basically an apartment, equipped with a living room, kitchen area, and home bar.

Then I slinked into her bedroom, a long, narrow space bathed in an indigo hue. The Vegas lights outside were filtering through the sapphire tint of her floor-to-ceiling windows.

On a dresser, my eyes were then drawn to a huge bouquet of roses, a small card attached to them that read: Dear Belle, enjoy your stay at my hotel. Any client of Sol is a friend of mine. Looking forward to personally welcoming you. And partying with you later at Roost. Your new friend, Drago.

Just then, I heard a ping, coming from the en suite bathroom. I waited patiently, wondering if someone else was present. Another ping. I guardedly tip-toed toward the source, peering my eyes past the doorless entryway of her bathroom. It was empty. The hell?

Another ping. There! I pinpointed the culprit, right next to the faucet—Belle's tablet.

I grabbed it and unlocked it with ease, using the same passcode I had previously used on her phone. My mouth watered when I realized the notification sounds were from the tablet version of the Vanishhh messenger app.

Interestingly, Ox's name was the only one listed; the messages between the pair had started earlier in the night:

Ox: "Just checked into Valo with Artie and Kenny. Front desk says you're already here?"

Belle: "Yep. I'm in my suite."

O: "What's your room number?"

B: "Nice try buddy. Now's not a good time for me to sweat. I'm getting ready for my appearance at Roost. I already had to deal with one headache earlier."

O: "My tongue's known to cure migraines =)."

B: "I have a hairdresser, stylist, and make-up person glamming me up. Not sure they'd appreciate doing their job while you lap my pussy."

O: "That sounds hot. Should we try it before ruling it out?"

B: "Somehow the Vegas heat's already made you extra horny! Tell you what, be a good boy and be patient. Then I'll tell reception to hold an extra room card for you. I'll say someone in your group will pick it up at the front desk. Happy?"

O: "Nice. When can I stop by?"

B: "After 3am, if you can make it until then."

O: "Of course I can! Who sleeps in Vegas..."

Some time later, Ox had sent Belle a photo of Aunt Olivia standing next to her Black lover, Jordan, back when we were in the poker room.

O: "Can you believe she showed up to our table..."

B: "OMG is that Olivia!!! How???"

O: "Who knows! But she and Frank got into a little spat in front of everyone. It got testy!"

B: "Oh no =("

O: "I'm shaken up by it all. Would love your comfort at some point..."

B: "Lol. Scroll up, I already said after 3am, didn't I? Did you pick up the key card?"

O: "Not yet. Heading to the high-roller room with Artie right now."

B: "What about the rest of the crew?"

O: "Frank, Bryan, and Kenny are looking for a place to drink."

B: "Gotcha. Alright, well I'm heading down to Roost now. See you and your thick, girthy friend after 3."

I checked the time stamps. Later on, Belle had sent a message.

B: "Still gambling?"

O: "Yup. What's up?"

B: "Remember when you had me ditch Ken last week during his job interview? A blowie for a favor. Well, I'm cashing in that favor right now."

O: "Go on..."

B: "I want you to treat Artie to a classic Vegas night. Lotta gambling, drinking, eating late, etc."

O: "So let me get this straight... You're saying that you want me to hang out with my best friend... And that's doing you a favor?"