The Silver Rose

That incessant sound from the slot machines still rang in my ears even after we left the casino floor. I felt every pulse of the electronic chimes behind my eyes, kicking like a spoiled child. Julian was oblivious, as usual. There were times when he could see things in people that defied my imagination. He was able to capitalize on the most subtle nuances of human behavior; and then at other times, he was barely more perceptive than pocket lint. That night was shaping up to be of the lint variety.

The moment we turned away from the card table, I could see twenty pairs of eyes on us. Most were awed, maybe even a little jealous, but the others were less than star struck. Those were the ones I had to keep my mind on even as Julian was dropping 100k tokens of affection around the room like a barker at a carnival. The casino security staff noticed it, too because they moved in like a riptide. We were ushered toward the closest exit from the floor without a word and funneled through the inner winding halls of the hotel. I made eye contact with the security lead and he nodded. He didn't even look down at the over-priced diamond necklace that parted the generous cleavage I'd put on display. That was the mark of a professional. Distractions like a beautiful set of tits could get your ribs separated by a slim piece of metal while your eyes were diverted.

We emerged into the lobby near the restrooms and Julian stopped dead, nearly knocking us all into each other like a clown posse. He turned for the bathroom door and I followed after him. The difference in etiquette between the men's room and the women's is that after all's said and done, men won't look at each other. Women do. We look at our hair, our makeup, the color of our shoes, the way our bra shows through our blouses. We'll even tell each other if our nipples aren't showing evenly. Men are focused on what they need to do and don't say a damn thing out of fear of looking gay.

Julian found the closest urinal and the two men further down the line coughed and startled while I stood there. They turned deeper against the porcelain and clung to the privacy panels until they were good and well put away. They even made a point to wash their hands before stealing glimpses of my tits in the mirror. It was all part of the game Julian liked to play. He even started to whistle his little theme song. One of these days, just to piss him off, I'd like to wait outside and let him get rolled in a stall. But what lesson would he learn from that? None, he'd just pawn it off as luck, or booze, or my damn fault for not being there to prevent it.

Once he'd finished preening in front of the mirror like a parakeet, he led me back out to the waiting security detail. Outside the front doors I could see our car had been brought up and I waited for Julian to stop dicking around so we could just leave, but then he spotted a trampy little brunette talking to one of her friends near the front desk. He smiled to the security lead and winked; the bastard actually winked back.

The casino security personnel were good at one thing, and that was protecting the casino. They were as anxious as I was to get Julian off the premises. Once a winner cleared the glass doors to their hotel, he was going to be my responsibility alone and they wanted to wash their hands of us both. But Don Juan Julian had one last finger to wave at the world. He must have looked so grandiose as he crossed the lobby with me and six hulking men in suits following behind him like some kind of secret-service entourage. The girls stopped mid-sentence to watch him approach. I stayed back far enough not to let the oil from Julian's mouth get on me. The girls laughed, they giggled at all the right places and then they smiled and slinked up to him on either side. He wrapped an arm around each of them and swept them toward the door. I just tried to ignore the bile in the back of my throat and followed after him.

The security detail and I fanned out on the entryway and secured a close perimeter while I took the keys from the valet. Julian led his friends toward the back seat while I did a quick overview of the car. I used the pocket scanner to verify that all the engine seals were still in place and that the onboard computers were in sync. The fluid weights and overall mass of the car was also unchanged. Julian tried the door, but I hesitated out of defiance. He pulled, and then pulled again. The blonde under his left arm laughed along with him and I felt my eyes roll toward the back of my head as I unlocked the doors. The lead of the security detail nodded to me as I got behind the wheel, and then gave the smallest smile. His eyes darted to my chest before he broke into a wry grin before he turned to lead his men inside.

I put up the partition between the front and back seats and flexed my jaw to release the pressure in my head. I glanced back through the mirror and saw the dark haired woman was shoving her tongue down Julian's throat. I hit the tint button on the dash a little harder that I wanted to but the partition darkened nicely. I child-locked the doors, turned on the camera for the passenger interior, and turned the monitor low so I didn't have to watch. At least if they fucked him to death, there would be indisputable evidence and they'd be trapped with his body.

I turned out of the drive onto Morocco Springs road and headed south. The sun was still a few hours away and the night looked clear enough to see all the way to Port Isthma. Isla Minor had been steadily growing its tourist base for the last few years and it was finally showed the fruit of its hard work. The streets were clean, the lights low and clear. Even the Spaceport was tuned to be a fluid exchange now instead of the usual morass of lines, surly attendants and restrictions so intense that you'd never think of returning. They'd rerouted all the commercial traffic to the outer beltways, streamlined the inner tourism traffic flow to allow easy travel between hotels and attractions. It was worth whatever they paid their city planner. Even the Casinos themselves seemed to be cooperating with each other instead of grabbing at each other's throats like in the beginning. It was like they realized all at once that there was more money to be had in partnership than at odds.

The well-lit streets of the tourism district faded a bit as I veered off toward the outlying hills but just as I was starting to enjoy the quiet the partition dropped. The smell of wet pussy and cum hit me like a ton of bricks. I didn't look back. I knew what he was going to say even before he opened his mouth.

"Morgan, turn us around, I want to see if there's a room for us back along the lane," he said to the squeals of the women on either side of him. I would have flipped him off, but I knew he would have enjoyed it too much. Instead, I raised the partition again.

"Yeah, Morgan, find us a ro-"

I locked the partition that time, and then turned down the intercom just for good measure. I forced my jaw to unclench as I turned the car around and made a few calls. I didn't want to go back to where we'd just left, and Julian had been to most of the major hotel-casinos this month. The handful that were left were ridiculously expensive, and I felt myself smile just a bit. Fuck him. I ordered a Coronet Suite at the Silver Rose and made sure there was a closed-door bedroom for me. The concierge ensured me the suite would be ready and that their security personnel would be on-hand to escort us inside. I didn't bother telling Julian where we were going and when I glanced down at the monitor, he didn't look like he was in a position to care.

When I pulled up to the front doors of the Silver Rose, I saw about ten people who were obviously security staff waiting, about five that might have been, and I lost count after twenty cameras. The valet was at my door instantly and I waited until Julian managed to collect his things before running a scan of the car. Once it was, done I handed the keys over and followed Julian and his 'guests' inside. The concierge met us at the door a few feet into the lobby and led us to the front desk where Julian left me to sign us in and arrange for the deposit. Julian dropped another 10k token on the book the moment I set the pen down. The concierge smiled broadly and swept it right into his pocket. He almost ran ahead to show us to the elevator.

The security group here was tight, but no one made eye contact with me until I reached the elevator doors. When she did, she appeared out of nowhere and made sure she knew I'd seen her before stepping into the elevator with us. She nodded and told her staff to meet us on the upper floor. She saw the way the two succubuses were glued to Julian's sides and gave the faintest smile that hid a facial tick. I liked her immediately. She was almost a head shorter that I was, blonde, but it looked bottle-brewed. She was wearing a green pant-suit that was fitted to downplay her considerable chest and the weapon she carried. Before she'd even left the elevator, I was convinced that there wasn't only one. The way her hips swayed wasn't only for the effect it gave her ass, but because the gun barrels on her hips would have dug into her skin if she walked any other way. It was why a breast reduction was a necessity for me; it was almost impossible for a cross-draw if your damn boobs kept getting in the way. That and the weight killed my back. The surgeon was heartbroken to see them go, but he sculpted a beautiful masterpiece all the same.

We showed Julian the suite turning the lights on as we went and in our wake, the airheads turned them back out again, giggling and shedding articles of clothing. By the time I was shown my room, I would have loved nothing more than to knock their damn heads together and call it a night. But, the infinite resonating gong of empty space when their heads collided could have brought the universe to an end so I restrained myself. The en-suite to Julian's was more like the traditional hotel fare I was used to. The difference being that it opened into both Julian's and the main hallway. There were security sensors and monitoring equipment, a handful of cameras in the main common areas as well as a feed to the hotel lobby and the garage. The security lead showed me the control panel and then the house phone. She smiled, then backed out of the room and closed the doors.

I waited for Julian to start living like a rock star. He was going to start with the bar, and then work his way around the world with both of the women he'd brought with him. By the look of the three of them in the back seat of the car, I was willing to put money down that he'd start with the blonde. Once he'd fucked them both, he would order room service. I looked at the clock and felt a fresh wave of tension in my shoulders. I had about three hours before he'd need me to answer the door.

I set my handbag aside and moved as fast as I could, making sure both doors were locked and that the security codes were enabled. I undressed in front of the monitors and laid my clothes out for housekeeping to clean. When I stepped into the shower, I let everything from the night just follow the suds down the drain. I soaped myself up and down twice, and then took my time washing my hair. Once I was done, I just stood under the spray watching the water swirl the drain and listened to the sound. If I imagined it just right, it almost sounded like rain.

The towels were softer than anything I'd felt in a long time, and there were robes in sealed bags to match. I slipped into one and made a quick check of the master suite. The security codes were intact and the doors hadn't been touched. The car was parked in the garage, and the lobby was virtually empty. While I waited for the inevitable, I looked through the hotel services guide. The usual staples were there, but in addition to the room service and laundry services, there were twenty-four hour room spa treatments, massages, tailoring, even a fashion consultant. I couldn't remember the last time I'd had a decent massage. I had almost convinced myself to reach for the phone when the door alarm signaled in the master suite. I turned the dial on the camera and saw the blonde trying to open the door. I checked the hallway camera too, then took my card key and slipped into the master suite. The lights were still turned low and from he sounds Julian was making in the bathroom, he'd already discovered Greece with the brunette. The blonde was giggling as she tried to turn the door handle toward the hall. Her panties were on backward, and it was all she was wearing.

"Righty tighty, lefty loosey" I said softly. She spun around and gasped, then saw me standing in my robe. My wet hair hung a bit low over my eyes. She giggled and fell back against the door. I felt a wave of anger flood through me. I had the feeling that I was the only sober person in a room full of drunks. I wanted to slap her just so she would stop having a good time.

"Oh, Maggie, you scared the shit out of me..." She giggled again and tried to stand up. It was painful to watch the amount of effort it took. "Jules said he wanted you to call up room service so we could have something to nibble on."

"Did he say what he wanted to eat?"

She smiled and started to giggle again.

"Besides that." She stumbled again. "Oh, never mind." I left her standing at the door and retreated to the en-suite again. I called down to room service and ordered a small buffet of items. Cheese, crackers, shrimp, a few local delicacies, and some bottled water. As an afterthought, I ordered a bottle of champagne. Once the food had been arranged, I ordered a masseuse. The tension in my neck and thighs was killing me.

The service cart arrived just as Julian started to entertain at the bar again. He was mixing drinks when the busboy knocked at my door. When I looked up at the monitor, I saw that the security lead was with him. I let them in and listened closely while the busboy rattled off the entrees and horderves. He finished by presenting the champagne for my inspection. I took a small plate worth of tidbits and set it aside before I let him close everything up. He moved to put the champagne away and I held up my hand. "That stays here. I think he's got enough to drink next door, don't you?"

He smiled in a non-committal way and set the ice bucket with the bottle aside. I made a quick check of the cart and then let him through to the master suite. The security lead stayed behind to watch him on the monitor. "Have you been working with him long?" She asked me, her eyes moved to Julian on the screen.

"Almost a year. You?"

"Nearly two. I used to work civilian contracts on the Cutlass ships during the trade wars. Once that settled down, I knew a friend out here who said he could get me working."

"Cutlass ships? What company?" I glanced between her and the screen. Julian was tossing shrimp at the blonde like a dolphin trainer.

"BCIC. They ran government freight. Mostly maintenance supplies. Paint, engine parts, that kind of thing."

"I worked for EmTech. Guidance circuitry and laser drilling cores." We both watched the screen. Julian was trying to get the busboy to take a body shot off of the brunettes back. "I suppose I should go put a stop to that."

"Conner can handle himself. The hotel policy is to make the client as happy as possible. Even if it means stepping out of our comfort zones a little."

"You're kidding."

"I wish. On the bright side, they also train us in about seventy different ways to politely say no."

"And which option are you?"

"Nineteen."

Conner finally struck the right cord with Julian and he was allowed to transfer the contents of the cart to the table and head toward the door. "Do you follow everyone up during the night hours?"

"Hotel policy. There have been so many lawsuits and claims of abuse that it's not worth the risk anymore."

"Then you might as well stick around because I called for a massage."

"What, he's not even going to eat?"

I laughed a bit and it felt good. "No, not for him. Me." I sat on the edge of the bed in front of the screen and watched the monitor. I took a few bites from the plate and nodded toward the champagne. "Want to make me happy? Crack that thing open. Hotel policy."

She smiled and shook her head, but then looked up at the monitor. The blonde had disappeared under the table in front of Julian. "Excuse me for a moment." She walked to the door and spoke to Conner in the hallway. He nodded and started off toward the elevator. When she came back in, she pulled up a chair and sat off to the side of the bed where she could see the doors and the monitor.

I saw her wince a bit as she leaned back. "So what do you carry?"

She straightened up slightly and seemed to consider me. I was sitting apparently naked under a bathrobe with a plate of food in my lap. My clutch was on the desk under the camera. It occurred to me between bites of brie that if I had misjudged her, I wouldn't have long to regret it. Also on the bright side, I wasn't wearing my shoes or a bra so at least I'd die comfortably.

"Bolton C-35's." She leaned back and unbuttoned her jacket. The twin holsters on her hips were tailored compact semi-automatics. She pulled the clips to release the holsters and set them on the table. "What about your clutch?"

"Veniti compact. It's about the only damn thing that will fit. Would you like a bite?"

She picked a few morsels from the plate while I opened the champagne. On the monitor Julian popped in time with the cork. "My god, does he ever stop?"

"You have no idea. I once saw him fuck his way through a cheerleader squad."

"You're kidding, when?" She said taking the flute I handed her.

"Three months ago. On Thebes. We were there for the Planix Gaming event. He finished fourth."

"And as a victory dance he made you watch?"

"Sort of. He knew I was there, that's for sure. He was disqualified for not showing up. He was on the sixth cheerleader when the announcement came in that he was dropped to fourth place. He didn't seem too phased by it." I answered and sat down on the bed again.

"He is handsome in that spoiled rich kind of way."

"He's an ass. The problem is that he knows it and doesn't care." I took a long pull on the glass and let the liquid magic do its work. In an hour, Julian would be out cold. Until then, the blonde and brunette were going to get him up for a final round. They had just recovered enough to return to the bedroom when we heard a knock at the door. Both of us stiffened and turned our eyes to the camera watching the hall. Waiting outside was a tall man wearing a hotel uniform that was almost the same as Conner's, but it certainly didn't fit the same. Where the busboy was fitted to look unassuming and built for service, the masseuse looked slow and powerful. He wasn't a bodybuilder, but fit enough to look like he spent at least a few hours a week in the hotel gym. He had a cart with a table strapped to it behind him.

"Oh, it's Allistor. I forgot that Derek was on vacation." Her posture stiffened up a bit but tried not to make it obvious.

I finished my glass and poured another before opening the door. "Hi Allistor, come on in." He looked a little taken aback and covered for it by smiling sweetly. I felt a shiver run through me but I blamed it on the ice-cold champagne. When he managed to clear the door and set his cart near the closet, he took in the room. When his eyes met with hers, he smiled again but a bit more broadly.

"Ah, Kat, I should have known you'd be here. Who's your friend?" He asked nodding to me.

"My name's Morgan." I said and took another sip from my flute. I saw her do the same. There was a certain familiarity between the two of them that bordered on cute. He got busy setting up his table and plugged in his cart. Within a minute, the towels were warming and the faintest smell of lavender started to fill the room. I checked the monitors again and saw the light from the bedroom flicker in time to Julian's missionary thrusts.