Lady Gambler Ch. 09

"It'd be much easier if she just closed down and got away from it." Charlene said. "She certainly doesn't need the money. It's alot more hassle and worry than it's worth."

"I worry she'll get caught and lose everything she's worked so hard for." Ron stated. "She's let Crystal get out of hand."

"I don't think Crystal's the only one involved." Charlene stated. "I think Glenn's just as involved."

"I want you to be careful." Ron warned. "I don't want anything happening to you. Don't take any chances."

"I won't." Charlene responded. "I'm thinking about asking for some help if I run into problems."

"I'd be glad to help in any way I can." Ron offered. "You've got my cell phone number. Don't hesitate to call me anytime."

Late in the evening, Charlene suggested she should be getting back to Rachael's.

"I was kind of hoping you'd consider spending the night here." Ron suggested.

"Hmmm. Would sex be involved?" Charlene asked, coyly.

"No, I didn't mean it like that." Ron quickly replied.

"Not even a guarantee!" She asked, grinning.

"Oh! Well, I guess I could provide some room service." Ron responded, catching on to her remarks.

"I need to shower first." Charlene said, slowly unbuttoning her blouse.

Entering the bathroom off the master bedroom, Charlene saw a large two-person shower with multiple showerheads.

"Looks like a good place to start a party." Charlene quipped, grinning.

Once in the shower, Ron adjusted the water. Warm sprays cascaded off them. Soaping their washcloths, the two gently washed each, interrupted only by frequent kisses. After drying themselves off, they slipped into bed for a good night's sleep.

"How about something to make you sleep better?" Charlene quipped.

"Hmmm. Whatcha got in mind?" Ron muttered.

Kissing Ron passionately, Charlene softly brushed her hand over his chest. Slowly, she moved her hand lower till she had his hard cock in her hand. Charlene's lips kissed Ron's chest, moving lower and lower. Capturing his rigid cock with her lips, Charlene gradually lowered her mouth over it, taking as much as she could. Her tongue danced all over it, lubricating his cock with her saliva. Ron's body tensed, feeling sensations he'd never experienced before. His hands gripped the satin sheets, pulling on them. Charlene's mouth bobbed slowly up and down on Ron's cock, sucking and licking till she almost had him cumming.

Straddling Ron's tense body and holding his cock firmly in her grasp, Charlene lowered her pussy, impaling herself on his cock. Ron's hands cupped Charlene's breasts, gently fondling and massaging them. Charlene slowly rocked back and forth on his cock till she managed to engulf his cock inside her. Lifting herself up and slowly sliding down his stiff cock, Charlene felt herself entering a world all her own, filled with unlimited pleasure. Her hands dug into Ron's shoulders as she increased her tempo. Gyrating her hips as she lifted herself and slammed down on his cock, she felt herself nearing orgasm. Her mouth gaped open, emitting soft moans.

Ron's hands moved to her butt, gripping her firmly, he lifted her up and down on his hard cock. His hips lifted off the bed, slamming his fuck shaft deep inside Charlene. Their combined moans filled the large bedroom. Rolling Charlene onto her side, Ron plunged his cock hard into Charlene, making her cum almost instantly. Her orgasm shook her body uncontrollably. Her legs flailed, spreading farther apart. Ron fucked Charlene's pussy with a vengeance, his balls slapping hard against her butt. Ron's climax was unequaled to Charlene's. His cock exploded, spewing his cum deep inside Charlene's pussy. Gritting his teeth, he groaned out loud, calling out Charlene's name.

Catching his breath, Ron leaned down and kissed Charlene on the lips. The kiss was soft and loving, not sexual and uninhibited. Supported by his arms, he remained leaning over Charlene. Rubbing his shoulders with her soft hands, Charlene gently pulled him down on top of her. Her arms holding him close, they gradually drifted off to sleep.

Waking early in the morning, she found Ron sound asleep with his arms still around her. Gently moving his arms, she slipped out of bed. Making her way to the kitchen she put on some coffee, deciding to grab a quick shower while it brewed. Ron was still sound asleep, as she got dressed. It was 6:00am. Charlene wasn't sure what time Ron normally got up so she thought she'd better wake him. After several moments of continually shaking him, she finally managed to wake him. Ron pulled her down for a kiss.

"Darn! You're already dressed." He kidded.

"It's 6:00am." Charlene stated. "I've got some coffee brewing. How about some breakfast to go with it?"

Charlene fixed breakfast for the two of them. Sitting at the diningroom table, they talked about their plans for the week. Charlene had a few loose ends to tie up before leaving Phoenix for good. She was anxious to get started. Ron had his food supply business, which always kept him busy from morning till night.

"It's going to be hard with you down in Phoenix." Ron said.

"Just make sure it's hard when you come down Friday!" Charlene quipped.

Ron drove Charlene out to Rachael's home. After a brief conference with Rachael about the escort service and assuming the investment on the warehouse, Charlene left on her trip back to Phoenix. It was early afternoon when she pulled into the driveway at her home.

Checking through her phone messages, she found one from Rick Ferris. The message was brief, just asking her to call him at the ranch in Prescott. After numerous tries, she still was unable to get him to answer his phone. She decided to try later in the evening.

Charlene placed a call to the real estate agent who sold the Ferris's home for her. She set up an appointment with him for the following day, Wednesday.

Charlene's next call was to Scott in Taos.

"How's that new boyfriend of yours?" She asked.

Only a few people knew Scott was gay, George Ferris, Michelle and Charlene.

"Jacob and I are doing good." Scott replied. "We're going out to dinner later on."

Charlene reviewed with Scott the situation with the escort service. With his security background and experience, Scott was able to offer several ideas and suggestions.

"It might be best if I came up to Vegas and worked with you on this." He suggested. "I don't think you should be working alone."

"I'm planning on going back next Monday." Charlene informed him. "Can you get away and fly up there?"

"Yeah, I can get away. That's not a problem." Scott replied.

"Ok. I'll book a room for you at the Mandalay Bay." Charlene stated.

Charlene spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening working on the warehouse investment for Rachael. She wished Rick would hold onto it but she wasn't going to try and talk him into it. She had enough coaxing to pursue on another matter. It was late evening when she got all the paperwork completed. She'd phone Rachael in the morning and set up the electronic money transfer to complete the deal.

Shortly before going to bed, Charlene tried to phone Rick one more time. After numerous rings, Rick finally answered his cell phone.

"Hi there!" She greeted. "I tried calling you earlier this afternoon but you didn't answer."

"Oh, I walked out this morning and forgot to take it with me." Rick responded.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Charlene inquired, hoping he wouldn't mention the ranch.

"I just wanted to talk to someone." Rick muttered. "I didn't have anything particular in mind. Just lonely I guess."

"Well, how about I come up and visit you Thursday?" Charlene asked. "We can talk in person instead of over the phone."

Rick didn't need any coaxing to get him to accept the idea. She could sense from the tone of his voice, he was still having difficulty coping with his life. Maybe she'd turn his life around or at least try to.

Wednesday morning, Charlene phoned Rachael in Las Vegas to set up the funds transfer to close the warehouse investment project. In less than an hour, the transfer was complete and the money credited to one of Rick's numerous bank accounts.

Later in the day, the realtor came to Charlene's home to take care of getting it on the market. Although Charlene was hoping for a quick sale, she wasn't about to let it go for anything less than its appraised value. If it took a year or better to sell the house, she was willing to wait to get the money she wanted for it.

Leaving early Thursday morning for Prescott, Charlene arrived at the ranch by mid-morning. Rick was unloading a wagonload of hay in a covered shelter. Not wearing a shirt, his jeans sitting low around his waist and sweating profusely, Charlene could understand how Michelle could find him irresistible. The thought that Rick and Michelle should be together at the ranch in Colorado crossed her mind. Rick jumped down from the wagon and hurried towards Charlene as she exited her car. He was half smiling, half in tears.

The held each onto each other for several moments. Getting Rick's perspiration on her didn't bother Charlene. She could feel Rick's heart pounding in his chest.

"How're you getting along?" Charlene inquired.

"I'm doing alright, I guess." Rick muttered.

"You work like this all day, even in the heat?" Charlene asked.

"No, I try to get as much done in the mornings, then finish up later in the evening." Rick answered. "It's too hot in the afternoons."

Rick showed Charlene the covered corrals filled with horses. Being around the horses seemed to boost his spirits. Ranching was what he loved doing. He'd never have made a businessman like his father wanted.

Sitting inside the camper with the air conditioning running wide open, Rick asked about the ranch in Colorado.

"I haven't sold it yet." Charlene stated. "I'm holding off for awhile."

"I did get another investor to purchase the warehouse in Phoenix." Charlene added. "I just completed the transaction yesterday."

Rick didn't reply to Charlene's statements. He just hung his head, looking down at the floor.

"You should go up to Colorado and look at the ranch." Charlene spoke. "That's what Michelle would have wanted."

"I can't! I couldn't take being there without her." Rick exclaimed.

"I'm not giving up on you." Charlene said. "If I have to resort to drastic measures, I will."

Her words seemed to fall on deaf ears. It was useless to try to and talk any sense into him. Charlene got up from her chair and walked towards the door of the camper.

"Where's you cell phone?" She asked, turning around to face him.

"It's on the counter." Rick mumbled.

"Keep it with you at all times." Charlene said in a threatening tone. "When I call you, you better damn well answer."

Rick nodded his head. Rising from his chair, he clipped it on his belt.

Charlene hugged him, holding him close.

"Rick, don't quit thinking about Michelle." She whispered. "She never forgot about you."

Rick walked Charlene out to her car. Not sure whether her visit had helped or not, she was reluctant to push Rick any further.

"I'll call you from time to time, just to make sure you're alright." Charlene said, giving his hand a firm squeeze.

Charlene drove back to Phoenix, her mind trying to formulate a plan to get Rick to see things her way.

Late Friday afternoon, Ron pulled his Mercedes sedan into the driveway at Charlene's home. Charlene greeted him at the front door. The couple held each other tightly, sharing a passionate kiss.

"I couldn't wait to get here." Ron said. "I missed you so much."

"I thought Friday would never get here." Charlene responded.

"You look a little tired from your trip." Charlene added, smiling. "Maybe you should lie down for a bit."

Ron responded. "Oh………….oh, yeah, maybe I should lie down for awhile."

Charlene led Ron to her bedroom for a few hours of rest …………. in various positions. Early in the evening, Ron and Charlene decided to cook out. Ron was anxious to show off his barbequing skills to Charlene.

"How'd your week go?" Ron inquired.

"Not too bad for the most part." Charlene replied. "I drove up to Prescott yesterday, spent the afternoon with Rick." "Ferris's son? How's he getting along?" Ron asked.

"He's taking it harder than ever." Charlene answered. "I don't think he's ever going to get over Michelle's death."

"I've done everything I could think of to get Rick to go up to the ranch in Colorado." Charlene added. "He won't go because Michelle can't be with him. Says he couldn't stand being there without her."

"I can understand how he'd feel." Ron said. "It would be awfully hard for me to go on without you."

Charlene kissed Ron on the cheek for expressing his sentiment.

The two spent much of the weekend dining out, dancing and sightseeing. Mainly, they just wanted to spend time together. Ron left late Sunday afternoon on his drive back to Las Vegas. Charlene was planning on leaving the following day.

Monday afternoon, after finishing up some last minute details, Charlene headed back to Las Vegas. Passing by the Prescott exit ramp on the interstate, she thought about Rick. After getting the escort service straightened out, he would be her next challenge.

Checking into a suite at the Mandalay Bay on the strip, Charlene put her clothes away. She made a quick call to Rachael to let her know she was back in town and where she was staying.

Scott's plane landed late in the afternoon. Charlene helped him get settled in to one of the bedrooms before going downstairs to eat at the hotel's dinner buffet. After dinner, the two returned to the room to plan out their strategy for the escort service.

"From what you've told me, this Crystal woman has got to be involved." Scott stated. "If she's running the day-to-day operation, she's got to know what's going on."

"What about Glenn?" Charlene asked. "I've got a feeling he's in on it too."

"No doubt." Scott said. "Especially if he's touching the money anywhere along the line."

"First thing I need to do is set up my laptop and get on the internet." Scott added. "Then I can start checking out phone numbers and records. What about computer records? Can we get on the service's computer system?"

"Yeah. That's not a problem." Charlene replied. "Rachael says Crystal leaves the office every evening at midnight. I've got a key to let us in after she leaves."

"Great, we'll go tonight!" Scott exclaimed. "I want to download the whole system onto another laptop. We may have to do it several times just to see what does and doesn't change.

Charlene and Ron parked just down the street from the escort service's office shortly before midnight. Crystal's Lexus was sitting directly in front of the door.

"Rachael must pay her people pretty well." Ron stated. "That Lexus looks new and top of the line."

"Maybe she's got a rich boyfriend." Charlene responded. "Or else she's spending more than she's earning."

Shortly after midnight, the two watched as Crystal left the office, carrying her attaché. Waiting several minutes before they approached, Charlene parked in front of the door.

"While I run through the computer and make a copy of everything, you go through the personnel files and make a list of everyone." Scott ordered. "And check the fax machine. Run a list of all the faxes sent and received."

Charlene made a list of all the male and female escorts in the filing cabinet. Afterwards, she sifted through the other material in the filing cabinets but didn't see anything that looked out of place or incriminating.

Scott spent Tuesday sifting through the material he'd collected from the previous night's visit to the escort service. Charlene worked tediously sifting through the names in the personnel files, matching them up with addresses and phone numbers.

"Call your friend Rachael and have her bring in all of last month's cancelled checks and bank statements." Scott commanded. "Ask her if she'll let me have her passwords to the bank accounts she uses for the business too."

Although hesitant at first, Rachael informed Scott as to what the passwords were. The large table in the hotel suite was completely covered with information Scott and Charlene were gathering. After nearly a week of investigation, Scott felt he was getting closer to finding out what was really going on at the escort service. Not so much because of what he was finding but more on what he wasn't finding.

"The computer's not doing us any good at all." Scott stated. "If she's using the office computer to embezzle money, she's operating off the cd drive instead of the harddrive."

The cancelled checks and bank statements didn't lead to any usable information. There had to be other information the two were overlooking. Scott and Charlene decided to pay one more late night visit to the office.

Parked down the street from the office, shortly before midnight, they saw a black limo pull up in front of the office. Crystal came out, locking the door behind her. Jumping into the back of the limo, it sped past Scott and Charlene, sitting in the dark.

"Quick, pull farther down the street!" Scott exclaimed. "I don't want to be sitting in the same spot when they come back."

Charlene drove almost a block down from the escort service's office. Within ten minutes, the mysterious black limousine sped past them, coming to a sudden stop in front of the office. Looking through his binoculars, Scott could barely make out the license number. Crystal stepped out of the limo and hurried to unlock the office door. In less than a minute, Crystal turned off the office lights, relocked the office door and casually walked towards her car. Scott was watching her through his binoculars. The security lights illuminated her as she entered her Lexus. Scott read off her license number.

"Hey! Hey!" Charlene exclaimed. "The last numbers are only four digits apart."

"Bingo!" Scott exclaimed. "If that's not Glenn in the limo, then there is another party involved."

"What now?" Charlene inquired. "How do we find out whose limo it is?"

"You forget. I've still got friends on the Maricopa County sheriff's department." He bragged. "I'll make a phone call or two in the morning and have the information in less than an hour."

Sitting in a restaurant just off the strip, Charlene and Scott talked over coffee and a light breakfast.

"You given any thoughts as to what you're going to do about Rick?" Scott asked.

"Not really. I don't think threatening him will do any good." Charlene replied. "I think I'm wearing down faster than he is. You got any ideas?"

"Nope, and I'm staying out of it too." Scott responded.

Early the next morning, Scott was on the phone to the county sheriff's department in Phoenix. Charlene was in the shower when the return phone call came in. Excited, Scott rushed into the bathroom. Pulling the shower door open, he scared Charlene more than he embarrassed her.

"Guess what?" Scott exclaimed. "That black limo and Crystal's Lexus are both registered to the Moonlight Limo Service! The Lexus is a lease. She doesn't own the car!"

Drying herself off and stepping out of the shower, Charlene reached for a robe on the back of the door.

"Moonlight Limo Service!" Charlene stated. "I don't recall seeing that name on any of the escort service's invoices."

"That's because it's not!" Scott exclaimed. "Rachael's only uses the Excalibur and the Grumann Limo Services."

"Now, all I have to do is find out who owns Moonlight." Scott added. "Maybe I'll intimidate them a little, see if they'll toss me a bone or two."

"I need to run out to Rachael's." Charlene said. "You need me to do anything?"

"Just make sure you don't say anything about this to Rachael and especially not to Glenn if he's there." Scott replied. "I don't want him getting tipped off till we wrap everything up nice and neat."