The Strip Ch. 13

"I know," the young woman softly answered, her frightened face looking up at the blonde. She was so close to seeing Daniel again. "I'm scared."

"Of course you are," Holly told her. "Just stayed patient, only play the right hands, and be aggressive when you play them..."

"That's not what I meant…" Rosie ruefully smiled.

The blonde laughed aloud. "I know, honey. I know…"

Rosie pushed the laptop off her knees and flopped back against the arm of the couch. "You really think we can pull this off?"

Holly nodded, her eyes drawn to the full breasts under that tight top as Rosie pulled up her arms and tousled her red hair. "Let's get the poker bit right, first. Do that, and we're halfway there."

Rosie kept her hands on the top of her head. "You really think I'm ready?"

"As ready as you're ever gonna be. Someone once said poker takes a few minutes to learn, and a lifetime to master," she grinned, repeating that oft stated poker phrase. "Absorbing the intricacies takes much longer than we've had, but we've got you playing solid. That's all you'll need for tonight."

"I love it," the redhead enthused, beaming at Holly's words of praise. She took a long drink from the cool glass of water beside her. "I can't believe the adrenalin rush. Is that how you and Daniel constantly feel?"

"Sometimes," the beautiful blonde responded. "But there are more lows than highs!" Her black t-shirt rode up as she stretched her toned body. Gratifyingly, she watched Rosie's eyes flicker to her tanned, flat stomach. If only circumstances were different…

"He'll be shocked to see me."

"To put it mildly," Holly agreed, turning her thoughts back to the matter in hand. "Rosie, I've no idea how he'll react. But if this doesn't work, nothing will. I want you to go back to your apartment now and dress as sexily as you can."

"Really?"

Holly laughed. "Nothing over the top, honey. I'm not sure 'Bobby's Room' would approve. Wear something casual, but I want those legs shown off. And those tits, too. You have great breasts, Rosie, so let's display some cleavage. Can you get back to your place and change, then meet me at the Bellagio in an hour?"

"No problem," the redhead grinned. It appeared that giving her hope had had a liberating effect on the young woman. She sexily pushing up from the sofa and pulling the graphic tee tight across her full bosom. "You really like my tits?"

"You're one hell of a tease, Rosie," Holly softly answered as her eyes fell to the thrusting breasts.

Rosie gave that infectious, little chuckle of hers. "I know, always have been. By the way, you have great breasts too…!"

The blonde groaned inwardly. If this were anyone other than Daniel's girlfriend, she wouldn't have been able to resist...

***

"You really dated that Daniel Stone guy?" Joshua asked Grace over dinner. They were into their third bottle of wine and all four of them were feeling good. "That's quite a coincidence."

Grace nodded, sipping the expensive Pinot Noir. "We came to Vegas together."

Joshua shook his head. "Such a small world. Now, you're dating my dad, who's playing him tomorrow at the final table!"

"Son, we're not talking about that," the older black man interrupted, causing both Grace and Joshua to roll their eyes. Despite his boasting in the car earlier, Samuel was surprisingly superstitious when it came to poker and had refused all night to dwell on the tournament that had already made him over a million dollars.

The table sat in silence for a few minutes, each of them sipping their wines thoughtfully. Nothing had been mentioned about the video that three of the four members at this table had participated in. It was the elephant in the room, and it was only a matter of time.

"Lauren, how did your meeting with Kay go?" Samuel asked at last, as the servers cleared their plates.

The blonde felt a shiver run up her spine. If only he knew what they'd got up to! "I think it went well," she settled for saying. "It was certainly different…"

"Well, if it doesn't work out, then I'm sure I could fit you in at my club."

Lauren opened her mouth to thank him when his son added, "Or you could come out to LA with me."

The blonde cocked her head to one side as Samuel Smith explained. "Josh's made a name for himself in the local hip-hop scene in Europe." The way he said it was filled with pride. "Although his lifestyle's a little… loose." The two men laughed.

"Oh, I think Lauren could handle it," the younger man smiled, winking at the blonde. He was a good-looking guy, just like his father, the younger sister thought. His shaved head glistened in the soft light of the restaurant. She liked the look. "And I've seen the video to prove it."

There it was, the unspeakable had been spoken. Lauren watched her sister's face turn bright red, and as much as the memory warmed her thighs, she knew it was time to diffuse it. "That was a while ago," she explained breathily. "We were all really high and I still can't believe we did that!"

"So it's a… how do you Brits say it? A 'one-off?'" Joshua said, showing his straight, white teeth.

Lauren nodded. "I'm afraid so, love." Her blue eyes twinkled. "I know how you men like those things. But that doesn't mean I couldn't handle… whatever you had in mind."

Samuel rose to his feet. "With that note, let's all take this back to my place. I could use a nice, long soak in the Jacuzzi."

Lauren and Grace glanced at one another, wondering what the hell they were getting themselves into.

***

It was just as well she'd checked her phone on the way to the Bellagio. The message from Samuel had been left some time ago. Getting the taxi to drop her a few minutes walk away, Holly returned the call.

"Where've you been?" the deep voice aggressively asked her. "I thought you were always available. I pay you to be always available!"

"I'm available now," she told him, ignoring the jibe. "I had intended phoning you when I saw the message."

"Never mind that," he responded, dismissing her comment as if swatting away a fly. It was just as well they'd just returned to his house. He could speak with some privacy. "I need you to carry out a job."

Two offers in one day! Things were quickly hotting up. "Who?"

"Big Eddie. I need the little shit taken out quickly. Very quickly."

"Something's up?" She knew what it was. The question was whether Samuel Smith was aware of the gangster's plans. He was.

"He's planning to take out a contract on me. Can you believe that?"

Holly paused for a second, thinking things through. "Oh, I can believe it," she answered. "But don't worry, you're safe."

"I'm safe, am I?" he snorted. "And just how is it you know that?"

"Because I'm the person he's contracting to make the hit."

The long pause was followed by a chuckle, which grew into a belly laugh. "Well, well… the dumb fucker. How stupid is that?" The laugh grew even louder until, as if someone had turned off a switch, it suddenly ended. "Wait a minute, I hope you're not getting any ideas?"

It was Holly's turn to laugh. "I work for one client at a time, Samuel. You've paid me a retention fee, so you have my loyalty for as long as that lasts. Besides, would I tell you he was trying to hire me if I was thinking of trying to take advantage?"

"Hmm…" It was more of a grunt. "Okay, makes sense. But I'm not taking any chances. I'm calling in our deal. I want Eddie taken care off. Understand?"

"Yes, Samuel," she calmly responded. This could all fit together quite nicely. Then he dropped the bombshell.

"Tomorrow."

This time Holly couldn't disguise her surprise. "Not tomorrow…" she instantly responded.

"Tomorrow," he repeated, his deep voice brooking no argument. "I paid you the money on the basis you'd take the contract when and where I want. That was the deal, was it not? You never break deals—"

Holly thought quickly. He was right, she couldn't break the arrangement, but there had to be a way around this. "I have to get to Vegas," she tried.

Samuel Smith smiled to himself. He was the one in control now. Who the fuck did she think she was dealing with? Some novice from out of town?

"You're already in Vegas," he calmly told her. "Don't shit with me."

Holly knew from the confident tone in his voice that she was in trouble. This man had the upper hand and it dawned on her why. Shit! There could only be one reason. He knew she was in Vegas. There could be only one reason was insisting on tomorrow—the bastard knew who she was…

"Tomorrow morning," she suggested, playing her last card.

"I don't think so," the club owner drawled, turning the knife. "Late afternoon works best. That's when the target will be… occupied!"

The silence between them lasted a few seconds. An invisible electric current ran down the line. It would have been a battle of wills, except there was no way out. Holly knew that, and was only too well aware that he did, too.

"And you can forget that phoney Irish accent," Smith grunted, a not so subtle reinforcement of his command of the situation. "But to show you I'm a good guy, you lose all your chips to me tomorrow and there's another one hundred grand bonus in this for you. Understand?"

Holly didn't answer. If he weren't careful, he'd push her too far.

"Listen!" Her cold voice cut through the air like a knife through butter. "I'm committed to the arrangement, we both know that. It's what we agreed and I'll carry it through. Change the timing and I'll do it for free…"

"Can't be done," he told her, his commanding smile apparent in his tone. "I'm not taking any chances with that little shit. Besides you could earn more from this than playing at the final table. After all, if you're knocked out early…"

Neither spoke for a few moments. Then the businessman threw in a final thought. "And maybe afterwards, you and I—"

"Understand one thing," Holly instantly told him, her tone soft and deadly. "I'll take care of business tomorrow, just get me the usual details..."

"No problem," he began.

She cut him off. "I haven't finished. If you ever make reference to knowing me again, or do anything with that information, I'll come and find you. If you ever fuck around with me, you're dead! Mm-kay?"

***

With Doyle Brunson, Ted Forrest, Mel Juddah and Phil Hellmuth all at the table, Daniel's concentration had needed to be at its sharpest. Instead, he'd been consumed with thoughts of Rosie, making it all the more remarkable that he was a few thousand ahead. To be fair, he was well aware it was due in high measure to the Poker Brat. As usual, Hellmuth was donating his money to others in a high stakes cash game, while bemoaning his luck.

Daniel had benefited most.

His lunchtime meeting with Holly had played on his mind all day. She'd actually seen Rosie! He'd swept the comment to one side, as if it meant nothing!! Was he really that stupid? He'd have given anything to see the redhead again.

Somehow, he'd stayed off the drink today. God knows, he needed the support of more alcohol. But the thought of Rosie had strangely encouraged him to stay on the straight and narrow. He had a big day tomorrow and needed to keep all his faculties intact. He owed that to himself.

"Shouldn't you be in bed by now, Daniel?" Hellmuth asked, as he sent a few more chips the Englishman's way. "Big day tomorrow. Don't want to use all your luck up tonight."

Daniel glanced across at his opponent. The Poker Brat had been riding him for the last hour. He'd had enough. "Look…" he began.

The arrival of Holly stopped him mid sentence. She'd promised to join him and hadn't let him down. He somehow needed the encouragement of a friendly face and her beaming smile was a welcome sight.

She wasn't alone, and the woman she was with looked familiar. Daniel knew her, he was certain of that. But with hair drawn up under that black baseball cap and her eyes were hidden behind a oversized pair of dark, Dolce & Gabana shades, it was impossible to make a clear connection.

The Englishman's mind ran around all the female poker pro's, but none of them had a body like this girl's. The short, creamy silk dress was one step up from lingerie with its spaghetti thin straps and lacy-work around the hemline, but no one was complaining. She had long, slender legs and deep cleavage mottled with a dusting of freckles.

Freckles? Just like Rosie's. The thought stopped him mid appraisal. Hell, would he ever see the redhead again?

"My friend'll take the spare seat," Holly said, breathing a soft sigh of relief that recognition hadn't yet hit Daniel. Getting the redhead to pin up her hair had worked and that bought some time. She needed him to see Rosie play for a while before the penny dropped.

That would wash away his concern about her attitude towards poker players. After that, it was in the lap of the Gods.

The first part of the plan was working perfectly. The cleavage on show was almost as attractive to the men around the table as the fact that this new woman was obviously inexperienced. The way her hands constantly shook was a clear giveaway. Holly could read their thoughts. Easy money!

She stood behind Rosie, close enough for the redhead to 'feel' her support, without getting involved. Every so often, between hands, she leant forward. "Keep focused. Premium cards only," she kept whispering.

Watching the action reinforced her decision that once Big Eddie was history, poker was her future. She loved the feel, smell and banter of the poker table.

Samuel couldn't hurt her, there was nothing to connect her to any of her previous hits. That was about the only piece of good news—an assassin whose identity was known was on borrowed time in that profession.

Not to be recommended…

***

Kay sat back in her studio, sipping her crystal glass of Chablis while she edited the recordings of her afternoon action with Carly and Lauren into four separate videos. Each as hot as the other.

Damn, they were fantastic. She'd already masturbated twice watching their entire sessions through again. The blonde and brunette made a wonderful combination, and yet were as different as it was possible to be. Lauren's sexy innocence was a wonderful contrast to Carly's overt wickedness.

Even though she was English, Lauren had that All-American goodness about her. A cheerleader type who'd be popular in school, and who everyone would want to fuck, from the football jocks to the class nerd.

Whereas Carly's entire demeanour spelt out her genuine penchant for pussy, a real love for fucking other women. And as Kay had discovered in the previous three months—for cock, too. Her delightful pussy was always moist with excitement, a wicked temptress always looking for her next conquest.

Maybe she'd think of setting them up for a movie together some time in the future? When the blonde had learned the perils of crossing her!

In the meantime, the four videos she'd just finished editing would easily bring six figures into Kay's coffers, providing a very healthy return on her small investment, and she wouldn't be required to pay Demetrius a bonus, either!

The self-satisfied woman knew exactly who to start her negotiations with. Refilling her glass, she reached for the phone.

***

As she watched the nervous redhead play, Holly's mind settled on Big Eddie and what the small time gangster had done to Rosie. Her story was heartbreaking, though familiar. That type of man used women as if they were disposable tissues to be thrown away on the wind. There was no way the redhead should have been responsible for her boyfriend's debts—that was simply a clever ruse to get what he wanted. It had worked perfectly.

Holly still felt some guilt at the inadvertent part she'd played. Rosie was getting herself away from him three months ago—until Holly had blurted out that she and Daniel had been together. Shit! That well-intentioned admission had been a bad move. All it had achieved was to send the naïve young woman straight back into Big Eddie's clutches again.

That's what made the idea that just occurred to her all the more appealing. A way of making amends. Of course she wasn't going to carry out a hit on Samuel, but Eddie didn't know that. So the text she was in the process of sending to him, giving a price and bank account number for killing the black man, was likely to result in her fee finding its way to the account on schedule.

It was a final act of retribution, a sense of correcting an injustice.

Rosie had earlier responded to Holly's request and given her bank account details to the blonde assassin. She hadn't even asked why. It was Rosie's account number she'd fed to the gangster. The money would give the redhead the independence she deserved. And recompense her for what the gangster had put her through.

It felt the right thing to do…

***

"You won't be needing your suits," Samuel said as he stepped out onto the high-fenced patio. The submerged lamps shining up out of the luminous waters of the Jacuzzi was the main source of light, although the few paper lanterns strung around the parameter added to the ambience.

"How did I know you'd say that?" Grace smiled, watching her lover pull his t-shirt over his powerful upper body.

"Because you know me too well," he grinned, his trousers going next. Both women stared at the older man's taut buttocks. For his age, his body was very impressive. "Well, ladies, you're not going to leave me hanging, are you?"

The sister's glanced at one another. No words needed to be spoken to confirm they were both up for this.

As he turned in profile, his semi-flaccid black cock caught in the light. Grace felt her heart flutter. Such a thing of beauty. To her left, her sister was already unzipping the back of her dress and shimmying out of the tight thing. The brunette forced her eyes away from the tempting sight, focusing on Samuel.

Sauntering up to the naked businessman, she wrapped her fingers around his thick cock and whispered, "I won't leave you hanging." She immediately felt his flesh stiffen at her touch.

"Of course you won't, baby," he grumbled, his eyes shifting from her grip to her sister. "But why don't you follow your baby sister's lead. Isn't she sexy?"

Grace flicked her eyes over her shoulder, where Lauren was pealing her g-string down her thighs. Her perfect tits dangled like ripe fruit before her, as succulent as ripe grapefruit. Grace began stroking Samuel's thick girth as her almond coloured eyes met her sister's. She saw lust there, and immediate guilt when she realized that the lust was returned.

Just get over it! Grace scolded herself as her sister stretched to full height. The brunette glanced across her bronzed landscape one last time. Lauren had a body built for sex—she'd always had. She turned back into Samuel and began peeling off her own, little black dress.

"I've fixed us our drinks," Joshua said, joining them just as Grace removed her bra and thong combination she'd purchased today. "And just in time, too!"

Samuel and the sisters took a few steps and then slipped beneath the hot, bubbling waves of the Jacuzzi as the young Smith handed out drinks. Grace and Lauren watched him strip, admiring his toned frame and muscled chest. There was something about muscular black men…

He had a tattoo of a wolf stretching from his right shoulder down to his thick bicep, which barely showed up against his beautiful, midnight-hued complexion. Like his father, his cock was semi-hard—an impressive sight even through his boxers. Both men seemed to be idling in the 'ready' state.

Grace nor Lauren exchanged glances again, telling each other that they both wanted to try the son out. After all, it was his birthday soon.