Dealing to a Stranger

"I'm not sure I should take that," she said as he collected the other four green chips he had won on the hand.

"Why not Kim?"

"I don't know how you did it, but you did something."

"I didn't do a thing Kim, I never touched the cards. You cut the deck the customary time, you then shuffled them. After the machine sorted them you handed them out and turned them over. I'm very sure they are not only reviewing the recording of that hand, but every one I have had since I walked into this establishment. You have done absolutely nothing wrong and I haven't touched a single card."

"But," she started as she placed the three chips in the dealer's, joint tip holder.

"Do you think that Mrs. Parsons, the lady that won the two jackpots hasn't spent at least twice what she won tonight over the last ten years of her coming here. She has never won a jackpot till tonight, her luck was due, I just sort of helped it along. You had better deal a hand or they might wonder why you are not. I'll make sure I slowly lose all the chips I have before me. I'll not leave here with a single penny that I didn't come in with. I just plan to redistribute their profits somewhat."

Kim dealt out the next hand, before she turned over her hand, "Is it my night to be happy?" She wanted to hear the right answer, she desired a yes with all her heart, just one single night.

"I said earlier, some are easy to please, some are a lot more complicated."

She turned her hand, a king, a four, and a three. She turned his, a king, a four and a two, she reluctantly collected all his chips. He promptly replaced the bets, tipping her two green chips.

It was like a black cloth dropped over her life, smothering her in endless darkness, "Guess that is a very polite way of saying no."

She cut, shuffled the cards and was passing out a new hand when he answered, "I don't make people happy for just a night Kimberly, I make people happy for the rest of their lives. To be happy for just one night means you will always be looking backwards to that one time. No one I have ever made happy has looked backwards unless they are saying to themselves, 'That was when everything changed'." He lost the hand, again he tipped her 50 dollars.

She dealt another hand and he won with a straight, she paid out the four green chips and 6 red ones. He took all of them and placed them in front of her keeping his original bet only, then tipped her 50 dollars more.

"Are you married Sam?"

He held out his ringless left hand, "No, I was once very close. She died in an aircraft accident a long time ago."

"I'm sorry Sam."

"Yeah, I am also, but then I wouldn't be here now. I would never have met you." Kim dealt a new hand, she didn't even wait for his approval, she played his hand for him. His pair beat her hand, he pushed the chips he won at her, then tipped her another 2 green ones again.

Kim broke the house rules then, she caught his right hand as he was pulling it back. The fourth finger had a big gold ring with a large, blood red stone, she looked at the ring. It caught the overhead lights and flashed a glowing red twice before going back to a deep, bottomless red.

He gently pulled his hand from hers, he looked at the ring closely.

She dealt out another hand as he still stared intently at the ring. The waitress asking him if he needed another Bailey's jerked him from his examination. She already had one in her hand for him. He looked at her with a strange look, looked at the table, looked back at the ring and bobbed his head a couple of times thinking. Sam picked up 260 dollars in chips and piled them on the waitress' tray and took the drink from her hand. He drained the one at the table and handed her the emptied glass. Kim turned his cards for him, he lost, she collected the chips. He maxed the pair bet, and split all his remaining chips on the ante and play bets.

Kim was going apeshit, she had done something wrong, he just stared at her with her bewilder face reflecting back in the sunglasses. She dealt another hand, flipped hers and started to rearrange her hand.

"Stop," he demanded in a low voice!

He touched his cards for the first time pulling them from under his stack of chips on the play square. "I am across the street staying in the Resort Casino," he pointed at her 4 of diamonds, 2 of clubs and 9 of spades, "that is my room number, come if you dare to be changed. You will not leave as the same person." He stood, drained the new drink, put the empty glass back on the table, "I fold." He threw his hand face down on the table.

"But I lose, I don't even have a queen."

"Neither do I." He walked away from the table, stopped, came back, "But I need one, please come." He walked away from her, quickly disappearing in the crowd of people.

"What happened Kim? Where did he go," Missy asked?

Kim reached over and flipped his hand, an ace, king, queen of hearts shocked both the women, he had just walked away from the table's maximum $25,000.00 payout.

"I need to leave Missy, I need to leave now. I have to go to him."

"Give me 5 minutes Kim, I'll fix it, even if I have to deal the damn table myself."

CHAPTER 4

It was more like 15 minutes before Missy found someone to take Kim's table. Kim spent all that time looking for him from her step perch, hoping he waited for her, but knowing he hadn't. It was like she could sense him, she knew in her heart he was no longer close. She was again in the lady's locker room pulling off the casino's knit shirt and donning her blouse. She searched her purse, found her perfume, spritzed the air in front of her and walked through the mist as it fell. She took her brush to the mirror and looked at herself as she straightened her hair. 'Do not come if you don't want to be changed', 'You will not leave as the same person', doubt entered her mind for the first time. She left her doubting self standing in the mirror. Grabbing her stuff, she left the locker room and the casino. Cool, October air flowed around her as she walked to her car. She climbed inside, doubt waited for her there, she fought with herself again. Buckling in, starting her car, she drove off leaving doubt in the parking lot this time. She went out the RV entrance, the Resorts Casino's lights flashed brightly at her from across the street. She stopped to look both ways before crossing the street, doubt caught her there as she waited for an approaching car. She leaned forward and placed her head against the steering wheel. The sudden bleat of a car's horn behind her made her jerk upright. Kim hit the left turn signal and turned away from the entrance to the Resort's parking lot. She would go home. She would go home and then to bed, alone, alone again. 'But I need one, please come'. She wished she could have seen his eyes when he said that too her. Then she was glad she hadn't, she would have walked out right then and there with him. A red light stopped her slow progress away from possible happiness at an intersection. The only car's lights around her were the red ones from the car that had beeped at her, receding in front of her in the distance. The light changed green with a turn arrow, her resolve threw doubt out of her car, she turned around and went back. Kim had had one night stands, what woman hadn't, if this was just another, so be it, she wasn't going to be alone again tonight. She needed to be held, she needed to be needed. He had said he needed her. Kim pulled into the Resort Casino's parking lot.

Stepping out of her car, she clad herself in as much resolve as she could muster. If doubt found her again it was going to be a fight to the death. She strode purposely to the main entrance of the hotel and casino. Entering, she went left to the main elevators, waited, entered, pushing the button for the 4^th floor. She spent the ride up looking at herself in the elevator's mirrors. Asking herself if she really wanted to do this. The elevator coughed her out onto the fourth floor. Kim left doubt for the very last time, turned right, walking briskly, following the increasing room numbers.

At 409 her pace had slackened, now just a leisurely stroll. 419 she moved even slower. 425 her hands started to shake, she slowed to a crawl. 427, her breath was catching and her pounding heart threatened to jump out of her chest. 429.

She stood before the double doors leading into the suite. Her hand half raised to knock on the door. Doubt's bigger brother, indecision assaulted her then. 'You will be a different person when you leave', did she really want to change? Will she really change? Become a different person? She lowered her hand, she almost turned away from the doors. But, she knew deep in her heart that he was right there, again it was a feeling of certainty. Just on the other side of the door, mere feet from her, his hand poised at the door's handle. He was waiting on her to just knock on the door and he would open it for her, changing her forever. He was waiting on her to make the decision whether she was willing to change or not. She knocked twice quietly, the handle turned, the door opened, she started in.

CHAPTER 5

Doubt, indecision, anxiety, fear, all were swept away in an instant as she looked at his smiling face and unbelievable eyes. "I am so glad you came Kimberly, so very glad, please come in."

He held the door for her as she entered the room, she heard the door closing gently behind her. She turned around to face him, "Sam," she started to say.

He held up a hand stopping what she was going to say next. "You first have to promise me three things Kim. And you must say yes to all three of them or I will have to ask you to leave."

'If it's too good to be true, then it usually isn't true', she thought, "What are the three things I have to promise you Sam?"

"Number one, you saw or you think you saw some strange things happen tonight, you must never mention what you think you saw to anyone, ever. Promise?"

"Yes Sam, I promise to never talk about tonight to anyone, they wouldn't believe me anyway, I'm not sure even I believe what I saw."

"Good. Number two, you must not ask anything about me, if I tell you, then OK. Anything I tell you falls under condition number one, you must not mention it to anybody. Promise?"

"Yes Sam, I promise. And number three?"

He smiled a goofy grin, "You must kiss me as many times as you can or till our lips fall off, whichever comes first. Promise?"

Kim sighed in relief inwards, she smiled back at Sam, "I promise as long as you promise to do the same."

"Deal," he said.

Kim gave him back her quirky smile, "No thanks, I get enough of those at work."

They both laughed together at her joke.

"Will you promise not to lie to me Sam? Just don't answer my questions if you have too, but please don't lie too me."

"I promise Kimberly."

"I am only going to ask you a few, OK? Have you ever done this, what we are doing, what we are going to do, with another woman?"

"I have been with other women, very few, I'm not a virgin. But to answer your question, no, this is a first time like this for me also."

She chuckled girlishly, even happier at his answer, "I'm certainly glad you're not a virgin, it so hard getting them trained to do the right things. Will you make me happy, just for one, single night Sam, please?"

"No Kim. I told you earlier, I never make a person happy for just a short time."

"Will I be happy for the rest of my life when I have to leave you tomorrow Sam?"

"Yes Kimberly, I promise."

"I guess I'd better get busy on your condition number three then Sam," she let her purse strap slide off her shoulder, the purse fell to the ground. She went to him.

CHAPTER 6

Kim stopped maybe a foot from him, it was then she realized, he was big, maybe 6 4 or 5, 220. He just watched her. She ran her hands up his chest to his shoulders, hard muscle hidden under a thick, long sleeved, soft linen shirt. She ran her hands over his shoulders and down his arms, she doubted she could make her hands go half way around his upper arms, 'God, he was huge'! Her 220 weight estimate jumped to 250 at least, maybe more. She moved her hands from his lower arms, crossing to his waist. She let her nails scratch softly up his sides as her hands made their way back to his chest. He squirmed some from her skritching, smiling, still he just stared at her as she explored his body. Her hands were back over his chest, one found a shoulder the other his neck. She pushed up on her toes, letting her body rub against his, she pushed herself hard against him as she pulled him the rest of the way down to her. Stopping, lips just inches away from each other, she stretched the last of the way as she saw his eyes close, her lips touched his. It was like putting your tongue to a 9 volt battery, her lips tingled, she pulled back just a little, parting. One arm moved to caress her head, the other the middle of her back, he pulled their lips back together, lifting her from the floor. She climbed up him to meet his, they kissed passionately.

She panted hard when they both broke the kiss, she lowered herself back to the floor, he let her. She stepped on one of her flats, she hadn't even felt it come off her foot. Kim laid her head against his chest, hearing the thud of his heartbeats. She tried to clutch at him, there was nowhere to hang onto, she couldn't even get her arms, under his holding her gently but firmly, all the way around his chest. He picked her up and kissed her again, she had heard about melting in a man's arms, she never believed it till now, she melted into his arms. Their lips parted, he lowered her back to the floor on unsteady feet, she locked her arms around his waist squeezing him tight, wanting to hold on to him forever.

She reluctantly let him go, "Sam, I just got off work, I want to take a shower first, is that Ok," she asked?

"Yes Kimberly, but only if I get to join you."

She rubbed a nail along his chest, looked up into his incredible eyes, "Yes Sam, I think I would like that very much. Could I have just a few alone minutes first, you know," she said shyly.

"To reuse a Bogart line, just whistle when you are ready. I want to undress you, so no cheating and getting naked on me."

"I'll wait Sam, I think I'll enjoy that also." She reached up to kiss him again, he grabbed her and crushed her to him kissing her hard. Their tongues battled, lips were nipped at, he put her back down. "I hope you like cold showers Sam, I need one now, another kiss like that one and I'm going to rip you clothes off and take you."

He reached for her as she pushed out of his embrace attempt. She did a very hard thing by walking away from him and into the suite's bathroom. She also did something she had never done before, she didn't close the door, she left it half open. She had started her changing. She looked at herself in the mirror wondering if she should go get her purse and retouch her make-up and lipstick. She fiddled with her hair. She then laughed, in about 5 minutes she is going to be naked and in the shower with him, there goes the make-up and the hair, he is going to see the real Kimberly, a sight few have seen. Something popped loudly in the other room.

"Sam," she questioned?

"Are you done," he replied?

"Just one more minute Sam." She hurried to the potty, pulling down her jeans and panties as she went.

Finished, she was deciding whether to keep on the single flat she still had on one foot, she dried her hands, she left it on for him to take off. "Sam, I'm done."

He walked in, 'Oh My God'!!! It wasn't the Sam she kissed, it was a naked Greek God come alive. She gulped hard as she looked at him. If the man before her had body fat, he had left it in his pants pocket in the other room. He stood before her, a sculptured statue of muscle, spray painted a light tan color, she started to drool looking at him. Except for the light brown hair and eyebrows on his head, not another strand would even dare to blemish the tanned work of art before her. If he was fifty-nine she would kiss his ass, heck she just might do that anyway. He smiled crookedly at her, one huge hand held two filled champagne glasses, the other her shoe.

"You forgot this one," he said moving to her, handing her the shoe.

She took it from him, bent over and slipped it back on her foot, she couldn't help but look, he was right there, 'Holy Shit, I'm gonna hurt for a week, maybe two if he's rough with that'.

She clawed him semi-hard up the outside of a thigh with a hand's fingernails as she straightened back up. 'Hurt me!' her body screamed to her mind.

Sam handed her one of the champagne flutes, when she had hers, he tapped the rim of his against hers. Ting. They both sipped at their glass looking at each other.

"I guess I don't get to take off your clothes too, huh?"

"You didn't ask me not too, want me to go put them back on?"

She slowly looked him over from top to bottom and then back up, "No! No, I think you are just fine the way you are." She took a big gulp of champagne. Her mind was going crazy trying to stop her body from just pushing him down onto the floor and jumping him right there.

He smiled that goofy grin at her, "So, would you like to join me?"

"Yes," she said trying hard not to pant.

Sam sipped at his champagne flute again, then placed it on the sink's countertop. He moved closer, Kim waited for him to kiss her, he didn't. An arm reached behind her back, the other hand found her other shoulder. He turned her slowly till she was facing the mirror over the sink. Sam moved behind her, looking at her reflection in the mirror from over her head. His right hand moved over her shoulder like the pressing of a butterfly's wing, the touch was barely felt, but it left a trail of heat as it moved to her neck, He used his hand to pull her hair from the left side of her neck, his eyes never left hers till he bent down and kissed where her left shoulder joined her neck. He kissed slowly up her neck. The tip of his tongue touched along the bottom of her earlobe. Her pilot light had already been lit and was burning brightly, he found her thermostat and cranked her up to blast furnace. His tongue left her earlobe, he was watching her again with those eerie eyes. Both hands moved to her ear, he took out her stud, put the parts back together and reached in front of her placing the diamond stud on the countertop.

He kissed her neck and whispered in her ear, "I hope you don't mind if I take my time Kimberly?"

"No Sam," her voice broke in a quaver, "take all the time in the world, the universe."

He pulled her hair from the other side of her neck, "The universe is a pretty big place Kim, I might end up taking a lot of time," he said before he started kissing up to her right ear. He gently nipped at her lobe, she dropped her champagne flute from her right hand. His head and hands blurred away from her in their reflections. The left hand came back and so did the head, he kissed her neck again. His right arm reached around her, placing the flute next to her stud, "You dropped something," he cooed in her ear.

Kim tried to turn and face him, his hands stopped her. He kissed her neck again, "Condition number 1 and 2, you promised," he said between kisses. "Besides, tonight wouldn't be much fun if we both limped around with cut up feet, would it?"

Kim looked at him in the mirror, "Will tonight be fun Sam, you're not going to turn into a pumpkin or the devil at midnight are you?"

He kissed her shoulder through her blouse, there was a slight flash of heat from where he kissed. He looked back up at her. "I didn't did I Kim, it's 12:01. Was tonight fun? Now, it's time to start a brand new day, a whole new life."

Kim looked down at her watch, it showed 12:06, she always made sure it was five minutes fast so she wouldn't be late to work. He didn't have one on, he had even taken the ring off his right hand, just a man stood behind her, she hoped. He took out her right stud placing it next to the other one on the countertop. Then, slid off her wristwatch, it joined the earrings.