Dave

Karen made sure to sit close to me in the practice rooms. She was always dressed to the nines. She would occasionally even come over to me and bring me a drink or small snack. This was mainly to intimidate the other players at the practice table. She couldn't do this in the main room, of course, but several of the players at those tables remembered it from the practice rooms. Again, I did very well for myself on the off times. I even made a bit of money from Blackjack and Roulette while the tournament was not active.

I did make it to the final table. I know that you are all waiting for me to describe the final hand when I went head to head with the last opponent and won the tournament. Sorry, that didn't happen. I ended up being the third one out on the last table. I won enough to satisfy my backers, but not the big prize. Actually winning was just a fantasy, but I did exceed their expectations. They got a decent return on their investment.

There was some talk about trying again, but I wasn't that interested. Playing poker was fun, but this was showing me that doing it professionally was more like work. I had always believed that games were supposed to be played for fun. When it stopped being fun, it was time to quit playing. I enjoyed a nice friendly game of poker. I liked to play, relax, drink a nice glass of bourbon, and maybe smoke a cigar. High stakes poker was stressful and not enjoyable. It was more like work. I already had a good job that I worked at. I didn't need another one.

Overall, I did enjoy the experience. It gave me a bunch more confidence in my abilities, not only in playing poker, but in handling stress. I also learned to read people a bit more and see what they were thinking. Not what they were thinking in specific words, but more emotionally about if they were nervous, if they were confident, if they were bluffing. And that kind of thing. I could almost determine what kind of hand they were holding and how it stacked up against what I had.

Another enjoyable experience was Karen. No, there was no possibility that our relationship would go anywhere. We were in two totally different places in life, and neither one of us was looking to take it any farther. We did have a very memorable last night together after the last tournament was finished. I had already turned her down for trying again the next year. She understood, and that night was supposed to be a grand finale to our relationship. For the most part, it was. I did end up seeing her a few more times under different circumstances though. More on that later.

The last thing that I got out of that experience was resources. This was both monetary as well as personnel. As I said earlier, I had some fairly good relationships with most of the clients that I was working with in my job. I was coming to the end of my rope with the asshole of a boss by that point. Several of the clients that I was working with had pretty much made it known that I was the reason that they were working with the company I was working for. Should I leave, it was pretty much assured that they would be following me. Since I now had a rather good nest egg, I began considering opening my own company.

Through Karen, I had contacts with a lawyer, accountant, and an advertising executive. Setting up a business as an IT consultant was surprisingly inexpensive. It was less than $700 to set up an LLC, including business licenses. I had to set up a separate account at the bank, set up my tax info, and get a bit of advertising out. I had contacted all of my 'former' clients and let them know that I was no longer with my former company. While I did NOT actively recruit them for my new company, I did let them know all of my contact info in case they had any questions about their systems.

So, I opened my own firm and most of my clients had followed me. Between the savings that I already had and the money coning in from clients, I was doing pretty well. Within 6-months, my business was growing pretty well. My former boss was pretty pissed when 90% of the clients I had with them suddenly quit and moved over to my firm. He convinced the company to try and sue, citing a non-compete form that they assumed I had signed. First off, I had not signed it. Then, when several of my new clients produced documentation of what I had done for them and what my former supervisor had been doing, the lawsuits went away pretty quickly. The only thing that moved faster was my former supervisor as he was escorted out the door. Within a year, I my business was thriving. I had hired a couple of new graduates and trained them properly. I had also brought in one of my former colleagues from my former place of employment as a supervisor. Two years after opening my own company, I was no longer doing any programing with my company. I was too busy dealing with the business side of the company. Yeah, it sucked.

Here's a bit of a lesson for those of you that are thinking of climbing the management ladder. The one thing to keep in mind is that the higher up you climb, the less you do of what you do. What does that mean? Let's say that you are an engineer. You really like being an engineer. Let's say that you really love software. You are happy when you are trying to build a program that lets two different programs talk to each other. Maybe it is a new program that a client comes up with to allow their company to function more efficiently. Maybe you are a civil engineer and you really like designing roads or pipeline systems. It really doesn't matter. Whatever you do, you really love what you do. If that's the case, be careful about climbing the corporate ladder.

Here's the dirty little secret. The higher you climb, the less you do of what you do. You do a great job and are promoted to Supervisor. Great! You get a raise and higher position. Unfortunately, you are now responsible for all those that you are supervising. Less time to do what you like, because you now need to spend more time making sure that everyone else is doing their jobs. Promotion to Manager. Now, you are responsible to make sure that all the supervisors are doing their jobs. You also need to deal with more HR and Union issues. You also need to update the Directors, CFO, CEO, Board of Directors, Etc. By this time, you are no longer actively doing any engineering. Now, you are managing. Is it worth it? Sure, you are making more money, but you are no longer doing what you love to do.

Yes, I know what you are saying. I didn't follow my own advice. I agree with you, but the difference is that I didn't know this at the time. Before I figured it out, I was already committed. (Those of you out there thinking that I should be committed, I won't disagree). Anyway, I was the Boss. I kept an eye on what was going on, and I made sure to give credit where it was due. I'm not saying that it was all butterflies and rainbows, but it was pretty good. On the downside, I ended up working 16-hour days as I tried to continue programing and running the business. Finally, Karen came into my office at 8:00 in the evening.

"Hey, I haven't heard from you in over a month. What the hell are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm trying to build my business."

"Really? So, what specifically are you doing right now?"

"Right now, I am going over the books."

"Why?"

"Seriously? You're a successful businesswoman, and you are asking me why I am going over the books?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm asking. Don't you have an accountant?"

"Of course I have an accountant. You are the one that recommended her."

"So, why are you doing her job? Don't you trust her? If that's the case, don't you trust me, since I'm the one that recommended her? Why the fuck are you doing everyone else's jobs? You fucking hired them to do those jobs, so why aren't you letting them do their jobs? If you want to do their jobs for them, why the fuck did you hire them in the first place?"

Well, she had a pretty good point there. I just stared at her with no answer forthcoming.

"Look. You have two choices here. One, you can continue to try and do everyone else's jobs and work yourself to death, or you can shut down that computer, let the people you hired do their jobs, and come over to this couch and fuck the shit out of me."

Her dress hit the floor as the last words escaped her mouth. I'm sure that her bra and panties would have followed soon after -- if she had actually been wearing a bra and panties. You would think that an IT guy would have known better, but when your blood supply is rerouted from the big head to the smaller head, you tend to forget things. I did remember to shut down my computer a few hours later, though. I also bought a new shirt the next day to replace the one that I ripped the buttons off of as I tore it off. I did manage to keep my pants intact as they hit the floor two steps later.

That night taught me a very important lesson (well, more than one, but one as far as business was concerned). OK, two lessons, but most of the first one I already knew. First off, hire competent people that will do the job without you having to watch over them all the time. Second, let your people do their jobs. Sure, you need to check up on them every once in a while, but if you have trustworthy, competent people, just let them do their jobs.

OK, so you're probably wondering why I spent so much time telling you about my poker playing and opening my opening business. There are two reasons. First, this is my story, and I will tell it however I want. Second, it explains why I have so much free time and money available later. You may also be wondering why I tend to skip over a lot of my sexual encounters. That's because I was raised as a gentleman, and I tend to refrain from the 'kiss and tell' when it doesn't really add to the story and the ladies don't want their secrets known. I respect Karen, and our encounters are very precious to me. I refuse to cheapen them by describing them in detail.

So, I let my people do their jobs. I cut down my workload significantly and began to have a social life again. My Camaro had been sitting for several months, so I pulled the cover off of it and cleaned it up. It took a full weekend, but she was back in shape and running as well as before. I also went to the casinos a few times and played some poker just to relax and have some entertainment.

It was had been three years when I saw her again. She was still the redheaded goddess that I remembered, just a couple of years older. There was a crowd of guys around her when I walked up. Several of them were trying to come up with stakes for a race where thy would not lose anything but gain an edge from her. She had an incredibly attractive blonde hanging onto her arm that looked a bit intimidated by all they guys surrounding them.

"You win and I buy you dinner at the Stratosphere. I win and I get to tap the ass of that blonde you are with." I yelled out.

The blonde jerked her head around to look at me with nervous eyes. Gail turned her head slowly. I saw some clouds building in those green eyes of hers.

"Hello, Dave. I'm not really sure that would be a very good idea." She said.

"Well, I can only assume that you are afraid of losing and having me take your girlfriend away from you then. After all, the Stratosphere is one of the best restaurants in town, so I can't imagine you being scared of eating there. Or is it just that you have been away for so long that you are scared of actually losing to me?"

Oh, she really didn't like that. A hurricane built in those greens.

"Fine! Let's get this over with, then! Oh, and I'm bringing my friend along for dinner too. If you want to bet her ass, you can buy her dinner too!"

"I agree." I accepted.

We lined up, burned out, staged, and got ready for the lights. The Christmas Tree flashed red, and I heard her engine begin to rev. Yellow, and she tensed up, Her GOT lurched forward just as the Christmas tree gave the first hint of green. She hadn't lost her touch on the start. Me? When the light turned green, I accelerated slightly and slowly released the clutch. Gradually increasing the acceleration, I shifted into second at 4,000 RPM. Once shifted, I easily released the clutch as I pressed down on the accelerator again. Same thing for third gear. I was doing approximately 60-MPH halfway down the strip as I gently shifted into fourth. Gail had crossed the line a few seconds before that. I drove the rest of the way like I was driving a city street with a cop behind me.

"What the fuck was that?" She screamed when I finally pulled up next to her.

"That was me losing a race." I calmly replied. "So, I will pick you two up at 7:00 tomorrow evening then."

It was blatantly obvious to everyone that I had purposely lost. Gail was pissed.

"Fuck that! I demand a rematch, and you will actually race!"

"Gail, I lost. You won. There are several witnesses that will attest to the terms and that I lost. I didn't cheat. You won fairly. What are you complaining about?"

"Fine, you Bastard. You set me up, so be prepared for an expensive dinner."

"I expect nothing less." I replied.

I had rented a limo. She had a scowl when I picked her and her friend up the next evening. I should mention that they were both dressed to the nines. The wine on the way to the restaurant helped with her mood. She was finally relaxed as I handed them both out of the limo. Yes, they both ordered expensive appetizers and the most expensive meals on the menu. They also ordered desert but got them boxed up to go. In case you haven't figured it out by now, Gail has a wicked temper and doesn't let go of a grudge. A word of warning; don't piss her off unless you are fully prepared to pay for it.

Once the drinks were served, she was calmed down considerably. We managed to have a really nice time. I did get introduced to Amy. Amy was one of her new submissives. She only brought her along to try and piss me off. It didn't work. Gail and I managed to catch up with each other. Most of the dinner was spent with me telling her about what I had been doing over the last three years, and her telling me about getting her doctorate and getting a job with one of the engineering firms here in town. Her dad was still doing OK, and still working in his shop.

Amy was a new intern in the company that Gail worked at. She had another year before she graduated with her degree in Mechanical Engineering. Apparently, Gail had met her right after Gail started at the company. Because of the time involved in finishing her doctorate and moving back here, Gail had been in a bit of a dry spell. Amy happened to be at the right place at the right time, and Gail did what Gail does. Amy wasn't complaining.

"Look. Gail, I was stupid the last time we saw each other. I knew better, but I did a stupid thing anyway. I'm sorry. I embarrassed you, and I had no business doing that. I do love you, but I know that you are a free spirit that will probably never settle down with one person. I can accept that. All I ask is that you let me be a part of you. Can we go back to what we had before?"

Gail looked at me with an expression that I could not decipher. That was a bit surprising because I got VERY good at deciphering expressions from playing poker. Apparently, she had gotten even better at hiding her expressions. Even though I am in no way submissive, I realized at that point that that any relationship that I had with her would be controlled by her. Surprisingly, I was OK with that. I wouldn't be one of her submissives, but I would gladly take whatever part of her she was willing to give.

"Are you absolutely sure that you can do that, Dave? You know that you won't be my only one. I have several female and male submissives, and I will most likely be seducing more. I also have a couple of female lovers. You already know about Mandy, but there is another on was well. She is completely lesbian, so you will never be involved with us when she is with me. Can you deal with all of that? Are you sure that you can handle that? I won't expect you to be exclusive to me either. I can't ask that of you, given who I am."

"Gail, you are who you are. I can't help it, but I have fallen in love with you. I accept who you are, and I will take whatever part of you that you are willing to give me. Yes, I will probably have other lovers occasionally, but they will be nothing to me compared to you. You will always hold my number one position. Please understand that I will never be one of your submissives. I just can't do that. All that I ask is that we are equals when we are together."

"Of course, Dave. I could never have you as anything but equal. I would never ask you to submit to me. I respect you far too much for that. I will make the same commitment as I did before. Although there will be other women that I have as lovers, you will be the only man for me. There will be other males that I take, but they will all be submissives. You will be the only man that I have that is not one of my submissives. I'm sorry, Dave, but that is the best that I can offer. I don't want you to hope for this, but, perhaps, sometime in the distant future, maybe I will be able to offer more."

"That is enough, Gail. As I said, I will take whatever part of you that you are willing to give. You have given me permission for other lovers, and I will most likely take advantage of that. You will always be first in my heart, though."

Dinner was finished, and we went to a club to dance for a couple more hours. It worked out well. I danced a few with Gail. Then I rested as Amy danced with Gail. Then Gail rested as I danced with Amy. Redo from Start. It was a blast. There were even a few slow songs where we were all entwined together on the dance floor. I was hard as a rock, but I can't tell you if it was because of the way Gail was rubbing up against me, Amy was rubbing against me, or Gail and Amy were rubbing against each other. Fuck it! Who cares why? Time to take this party to a more private setting.

The limo dropped us off at my house. By this time, I had purchased a nice 4-bedroom, 3-car garage house in a decent area with about an acre of property. I had a large shop built on it, but you don't care about that right now. All you care about is the pool and hot tub that the three of us went skinny dipping in. You care about the California King sized bet where I was fucking Amy's ass as she was licking Gail's pussy. You care about the couch that I was sitting on as Amy was sucking my cock as Gail pounded her pussy with a 10-inch strap-on. You caree about the table I was laying on while Amy was on top of me with my cock in her pussy as Gail's strap-on was buried in her ass. You care about the bed in the spare room that we put Amy in when she passed out, then my bed as Gail and I spent the next two hours making sweet, passionate love. That's what you care about.

You may also care about the kitchen where Amy made breakfast wearing only an apron the next morning. There is also the possibility that you might be interested in the kitchen table where Amy sucked my cock and licked Gail's pussy as we were eating the breakfast that she made. What you are probably most interested in is the large shower in the Master Bathroom where Gail, Amy, and I tried to drain Lake Mead as we had a remarkably interesting threesome as we showered. We eventually got our bodies clean, but we ended up with our minds being dirtier.

I got Gail and Amy back to Gail's house in the early afternoon the next day. Her dad was there, and I had a nice conversation with him. He's a great guy, and I always enjoyed talking about hot rods and muscle cars with him. He was more of a pick-up guy than hot rods or muscle cars. Still, he had a couple of pumped up chevy trucks in his garage. There was one 1967 GMC that he put a Pontiac 455 and a Muncie 'Rock Crusher" M22 4-speed transmission into that I would love to take for a spin. He laughed and told me that I would have to wait until Gail inherited it and ask her. I only drove it once. That was to transport the casket from the funeral home to the cemetery several years later. He had asked for that as his last ride. Even though Gail gave me an open invitation to drive it whenever I wanted, I just couldn't bring myself to sully his memory by letting that truck ever hit the street again. I kept it in immaculate condition and made sure to start it up and run it for an hour or so every month. He was such a great guy that I just got too emotional every time I tried to drive it. Gail understood and pretty much left the truck alone as well. It was eventually parked in front of Gail's engineering firm as a permanent shrine to her dad. Yes, a lot of you will think that this is a waste, but this was a reminder of a great man, and the possibility of damaging it was just too great to chance.