Pros and Cons Ch. 02

Samuel Blackstone, aka Robert Hamilton, looked up from his computer at the woman lying on the hotel bed. "We need to watch our spending," he said in an irritated voice.

"What are you talking about?" Emma Blackstone, aka Lorelei Hamilton, shot back. "You told me we had over a quarter of a million dollars in our account."

"We do," he admitted, "but we're running through cash like a drunken sailor on leave. Suites at the Essex House don't come cheap. We need to start looking for our next con. I want to get something going before things get tight."

"You worry too much," she said dismissively. "That job out west three years ago set us up pretty damned nicely, and I want to keep enjoying it. Something will come up for us -- it always does."

He shook his head. "I just think it would be a lot smarter for us to start looking for a mark now rather than waiting till the last minute."

"So what do you want me to do: google 'naïve rich single men in New York City'?" she asked sarcastically. "Or maybe you could join the Wealthy Widows Dating Service and find some lonely old biddy on death's door to marry."

"Go ahead and joke, but I think we need to start scanning the society pages and working the charity ball circuit for prospects."

"Alright," she sighed, "if it'll make you happy. But I still don't think there's any rush."

He sighed and went back to his spreadsheet.

Two nights later, Sam groaned as he stood up from the restaurant table. "I had too much to eat," he complained, "I'm going to walk back to the Essex House."

"Not me," Emma said, "it's too far, and I want to get back in time to watch that show I like."

"Alright," he shrugged, "you catch a cab and I'll be along in a little while."

There were plenty of cabs waiting outside Tavern on the Green, and Sam watched her as she sped away. The spring air was still cool, so he set off at a brisk walk, heading down Central Park West. As he came to Columbus Circle, he noticed an attractive young red-headed woman crossing the street. As she passed in front of him, she stumbled and lurched into a businessman heading in the other direction. She grabbed him to keep from falling, and the man caught her and helped her to her feet. As he did so, his wallet tumbled to the sidewalk. Quickly snatching it off the pavement, the man glared at the red-head. "Hey, are you trying to steal my wallet?" he snapped. With another hard look at her, he hurried on. The woman watched him for another moment, then turned and walked into the park.

Intrigued, Sam followed her, catching up with her as she walked along the cobblestone pathway. "Your technique needs practice," he remarked, and she looked back at him nervously. "What are you talking about?"

"I saw you try to snatch that guy's wallet, but you made a couple of mistakes."

"You a cop or something?"

He laughed. "Nope, I'm in the game, just like you."

She stared at him with animosity that slowly dissolved into curiosity. After a moment she stopped walking and turned to face him. "So what did I do that was wrong?"

His face grew serious. "Two things. Obviously, your dip needs work: dropping his wallet like that wasn't cool. Second, you really should have had an accomplice with you so you could hand the prize off in case the mark got suspicious."

She looked at him, wary but interested. "Are you really in the game?"

He wanted to impress her. "For quite a while now. And not just the penny-ante stuff, major cons, some of them running a long time."

She looked at him carefully. "Very interesting. You ever work with a partner?"

Now he was cautious. "Occasionally."

She understood. "Okay, well thanks for the pointers." She started to walk away, then stopped and came back. As he watched, she reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a money clip thick with bills. "Just so you'll know, I wasn't after the mark's wallet. I saw him flash this in a store. The wallet spill was just a diversion."

He laughed, impressed. "I think I underestimated you." He looked at her carefully. "Do you live around here?"

"Do you?"

He nodded. "Very good -- can't be too careful."

Now she was the one giving him a long look. "How about swapping numbers?"

"Why would I want to do that?'

She grinned. "Because you might need to get in touch with me if you need a partner. Or, I might have something that would interest you."

He hesitated, but she really was attractive. "Sure, why not?"

They exchanged phone numbers and he noticed she was using a burner phone. He smiled to himself; he was doing the same thing.

"Okay," she said, "this has been uh, unexpected. But who knows, maybe I'll see you around."

"Aren't you going to tell me your name?"

She shook her head. "You can call me Miss Underestimated."

He laughed. "Right -- because of the money clip."

"That, and because of this." She reached into the other pocket of her jacket and pulled out his wallet. Tossing it to him, she snickered, "Definitely underestimated."

"I'll be damned," he swore as she turned and walked away, swinging her hips.

"How was your walk?" Emma asked when he opened the door to their suite.

"A funny thing happened," he said, and something in his tone of voice caught her attention. He told her about his encounter and she reacted with predictable ire. "I can't believe you'd do that! Even if she wasn't a cop, she's nothing more than a common pickpocket."

He grinned at her. "As I recall, you and I picked a few pockets in our day. But this gal wasn't common, and she was definitely interested in partnering with someone. Who knows, maybe she'd got a lead on something worthwhile."

"Yeah, right. If you ever hear from her again it will be her asking for bail money."

Robert wisely decided to let the conversation end on that note.

Two days later, Emma's prediction was proved false. Sam's phone let him know he had a new text.

Are you still open to working with a partner?

I've got a situation could be worth a lot to the right team. Interested?

Miss Underestimated

He showed it to Emma, and she frowned. "I don't like it. We don't know this woman. Hell, we don't even know her name. It could be a trap."

"Yeah, but I don't think so. I watched her pick that guy's money clip, and she definitely has some skills. Besides, we're looking for something anyway. It won't hurt to listen."

"Maybe, but I still don't trust her."

He grinned. "That's why you're going to be watching us. She doesn't know you, so you get in position early. If something looks wrong, call me. I'll keep my phone on vibrate. If I feel it go off, I'll get the hell out of there."

She stared at him for a moment. "Alright, but if anything seems wrong, get ready to scram."

He nodded. "Don't worry. Remember: we get to set the time and place." Then he hit REPLY on his phone:

OK. Meet at the Plaza fountain in 30 minutes.

It was only a short walk from the Essex House to the Plaza, and Emma set out immediately to get in position across the street at the entrance to the park. Ten minutes later she spotted a red-head stroll up to sit on the side of the Plaza fountain, "A red-head -- I might have known," she muttered to herself, and began scanning the area for any suspicious activity.

Fifteen minutes later, Sam appeared, and when he walked up to the red-head, she stood up. "I wasn't sure if you'd come," she said.

He shrugged. "I didn't expect to hear from you. So what's the situation you wanted to discuss?"

She sat down again and he joined her. "There's a guy I know who's just come into some money -- a lot of money. He's also very vulnerable. If the right woman met him, she could take him for a small fortune."

"If he's so ripe, why don't you just play him?"

She shook her head. "Wouldn't work -- he knows me. But I could be the go-between, someone to connect the mark to the players. What I need is a femme fatale who could seduce him and snag him. Do you know someone like that?"

He looked away as if contemplating the possibilities. "Maybe."

"So what do you say -- you interested?"

"I'd have to think about it."

"That's fair. You've got my number -- call me and let me know. But don't take too long -- I don't want somebody else coming along and stealing my mark." Then she stood up and walked west toward Columbus Circle without a look backward.

Sam waited until she was out of sight, then walked across to where Emma was waiting. They moved to a park bench and he filled her in on the conversation. "What do you think?" he asked after he'd finished.

"I don't know," she said. "I've got a lot of questions, but it sounds a whole lot like the scam we ran out in Silicon Valley. If this guy is anything like what's-his-name, we could make another big score."

"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. I think we ought to find out a little more."

They got up and strolled back to the Essex House. But when they walked into lobby, they were shocked to see the red-head waiting for them. "What the hell?" Sam gasped.

The woman nodded toward the hotel bar. "Let's go talk in there -- it'll be more private."

Emma and Sam exchanged glances, then reluctantly followed the red-head over to the Southgate bar. When they were seated, Sam angrily demanded, "How did you know we'd come here?"

The woman grinned. "After you stopped me the other night, I followed you back here." She shrugged. "I wanted to be sure you weren't a cop. And today I watched her -- she gestured at Emma -- come out of the Essex House and set up a surveillance position, so I figured she was your partner."

"What's all this about? Why are you watching us?"

Now the red-head took on a serious expression. "A couple of reasons. If you're living here, you must be good. This place doesn't come cheap. Second, after my little conversation with you, I figured you already had a partner. I wanted to find out if she was female and, if so, whether she might fit the bill." She gave Emma an appreciative look. "The truth is, you're a stunner. I think you could totally do this thing."

Emma tried not to react, but her eyes widened slightly at the compliment.

"The last reason is what I told your partner at the fountain: if you two aren't interested, I need to find somebody else fast. It won't take long for somebody else to make a move on my mark, and I don't want to lose him."

Emma shot a glance at Sam, then looked at the red-head. "Alright, you've got our attention. What have you got?"

"This guy I've been talking about is my age. He's just moved to the Big Apple from Little Rock, where he owned a chicken farm."

"Wait a minute," Sam interrupted, "'Little Rock' as in Arkansas?"

"Right."

"A chicken farmer? Is this some kind of joke?"

"Be patient. It was his parents who owned the chicken farm, but they were both killed in an accident and he inherited the whole thing. And it wasn't just any chicken farm, they owned the largest chicken processor in the state. But Jethro Malone -- that's his name -- didn't want anything to do with farming, so he sold the whole thing to Perdue for $42 million. And he didn't want anything to do with Little Rock anymore either, so he's just moved to the big city and doesn't know a soul. One more thing: the guy broke up with his long-term girlfriend just a month before his parents died. So basically, the guy is rich, lonely and likely horny. My guess is some lucky lady is going to scoop him up very quickly. But if we could supply the right lady, we'd be the ones getting lucky."

She sat back in her seat. "So what do you think -- are you interested?"

Emma was the first to speak. "Maybe, but I can think of lots of problems. How do we meet this Jethro Malone? How do we get ahead of all the other gold-diggers who'll be swarming after him? What kind of woman does he like? How do we insure he falls for me? And those are only the first questions I can think of."

The red-head nodded confidently. "That's where I come in. Like I said, I know the guy so I can introduce you to him. And when I say I know him, I know him really well. I was good friends with his ex-girlfriend, and she told me all about him: his likes, his dislikes, what turns him on, all that stuff."

"Didn't you say he broke up with the girlfriend? Maybe you don't know as much as you think."

She shook her head impatiently. "He didn't break up with her, she dumped him. Broke his heart -- he's still pining for her. He'd be a push-over for someone with her looks and personality, except for the cheating part, of course." She reached into a folder she'd brought with her and pulled out several sheets of paper. "I've got several photos of her, and I wrote down a description of her likes and tastes. I've also done the same for Jethro. If you're in and we make a deal, they're all yours."

Emma stared at her suspiciously. "Wait a minute, if you were so close to this guy, why do you want to con him?"

Several emotions flashed across the red-head's face before she regained her composure and stared back blandly. "His folks were real snobs -- they thought me and my family weren't good enough for him. This is payback for the way they treated them and me."

Sam and Emma waited expectantly until she sighed. "And because I was in love with him. I did everything but strip and jump his bones, but he never saw me as anything but a friend. I wasted a lot of time and emotion on him and got nothing for it. I finally decided if he won't give me his love, I'll just take his money."

Emma looked at her carefully for a few moments, then nodded. "Alright, assuming we team up with you, what kind of deal do you want?"

"I'm not that greedy. I know you'll have a lot of expenses. I'll settle for 25%."

Sam gave a low whistle. "That's an awful lot for a finder's fee, which is basically all you're doing."

"I'm a lot more than that. I'm your entry, your gateway to the whole scam. I'm also the one who can steer you in the direction most likely to succeed. Without me, you've got nothing. I could have asked for half, but, like I said, I'm not greedy."

Sam sat there silently for a long minute. Finally, he pushed back from the table and Emma followed. "Let us think about it overnight. We'll get back to you to let you know no later than this time tomorrow."

"Fair enough," she nodded and stood to leave. "By the way. I'm Sara McMullen," she said, extending her hand. Sam shook it first. "I'm Sam and this is Emma."

"Nice to meet you two. I hope we can do business together."

After she'd left, Emma looked at Sam with a scowl on her face. "I don't like it. It doesn't sound right to me. And what is it with you and redheads?"

"What are you talking about?"

"That prostitute you used to punk Seth, that game boy in San Jose. She was a redhead too."

"Come on, Emma, there's no reason to be jealous. You know how I feel about you. Look, let's grab a drink from the bar, go up to our room and talk about this con. I've still got a lot of questions about it, but half of $40 mil would set us on easy street. We could get out the game for good with that kind of money."

"Yeah, well don't forget about your girlfriend's 25%."

He looked at her slyly. "What makes you think she's going to get anything at all?"

She squeezed his arm. "Attaboy. Let's go."

Once the door to their room had closed, Emma began tugging at Sam's clothes while trying to remove her own. "Come on," she urged impatiently, "I need you to fuck me right now!"

He started to demur but then thought better of it and began shedding his pants and shoes. Having ripped off her own clothes, Emma quickly dropped to her knees and began hungrily sucking on his cock even while he was trying to remove his boxers.

Once he too was naked, he pulled the panting woman away from him, maneuvered her onto the bed and stooped toward her crotch. "No, no, I don't need that," she gasped, pulling him between her legs and frantically maneuvering his cock between the outer lips of her pussy. "Just go ahead and fuck me -- hard and fast," she cried as she felt him slide into her depths.

Sam wondered momentarily at her urgency, but the sensations her pussy was generating quickly erased such thoughts. Now all he wanted was to slam into her as fast as he could to reach the climax he needed. Yet it was Emma who got there first, arching her back and yelling her ecstasy even as he exploded deep inside her.

Exhausted by their frenzy, the two lay side by side, their pulses slowly returning to normal. Eventually Sam rose on one elbow to look down at his partner. "I think we need to go after this new game. We're running through our money pretty fast, and opportunities like this don't come along often. If we can walk away with half of $40 million, we'll be sitting pretty."

Emma opened her eyes to stare up at him. "Alright," she sighed, "but we need to keep a close eye on that red-headed vixen. I don't trust her."

"Don't worry," he reassured her, "neither do I."

Before the two turned in for the night, Sam sent a text to the number Sara had given him: "We're in. Coffee at the Essex House at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow."

Sam and Emma were already sipping their lattes when Sara arrived the next morning. The three cautiously shook hands. "So we're really going to do this? And twenty-five percent is my share, right?"

"That's right," Sam told her.

Sara sat down and gave the other woman a careful gaze. "You know, I think this just might work. You're definitely Jethro's type of woman." She opened the folder she was carrying and passed Emma a color photo. "This is a photo of Jethro's ex-girlfriend. With the right hair color and cut, you could look like her sister. That would definitely attract his attention, and if you're as good as Sam says, hopefully you'll be able to hold it."

Sam cut Emma's reply off. "Listen, if she sets her sights on your boy, she can wrap him around her little finger in no time. Like I said, she's the best."

Sara nodded. "I guess we'll find out. So how would all this work?"

"It's simple, really. Emma sinks her claws into the guy so deep that he doesn't know what hit him. Once he falls for her and proposes, she pushes for a quick wedding. After the honeymoon, we get him drunk, get him in a compromising position with a prostitute, and have Emma walk in on the two of them. New York's a no-fault state, so after a quickie divorce, we collect half the guy's fortune and walk away laughing."

Sara stared off into the distance for a few moments. "Yeah, that could work. I know the poor schmuck is hurting and vulnerable right now. If someone as hot as Emma made a real move on him, I think he could be had." Then she looked sharply at Sam. "What's your role in all this?"

The man grinned. "I'm her brother in this little production. As his future brother-in-law, I'll become his pal and hopefully his confidante. At the same time, Emma having family around makes her look less predatory."

"Yeah, I can see that. That's a nice touch." Sara paused and took a deep breath. "Actually, that works really well for our first step. I'll introduce you to Jethro as a guy I'm dating. The two of us can go out to dinner and invite Jethro to Join us. I'll bring you along" (she nodded at Emma) "as his 'plus one' for the evening. It'll look real natural, and should get the game started."

Emma had frowned when Sara had suggested she and Sam were dating, but she relaxed when she realized they'd all be together. "Alright," she piped up, "I guess the first thing I need to do is to head to a beauty salon for a dye job and a make-over."

Sara looked blandly at Emma. "There's one other little detail: you need to get a room just for yourself." Seeing Emma's eyes flash, Sara hurried on. "It would look pretty weird for a brother and sister to be living together. Remember: Jet's pretty old-fashioned."

Emma rolled her eyes. She was still suspicious of the red-head, and she hadn't liked the idea of Sara "dating" Sam, even for the con. As a result, her demand that Emma and Sam get separate rooms grated that much more. She started to say something, but Sam shot her a warning glance and she swallowed her retort.