Vegas: Bk 02 Ch. 01

The following is a sequel to 'Vegas'.

You may gain more enjoyment by familiarising yourself with that story before reading on.

CHAPTER ONE: ONE YEAR LATER

Daniel sat quietly at the final table, waiting for the television formalities to be completed. It would soon be time to resume play from where they had finished the night before. It was the last tournament before he defended his Main Event victory last year. He had been desperate to put on a good show. As one of the last five standing, he had done just that.

His glance around took in the other four players. The remarkable veteran Doyle Brunson held the chip lead. He sat there with his usual soft style and calm exterior. Chris Moneymaker was second in chips. The chubby young man was glowing with the confidence of someone who was beginning to re-establish himself. His barren spell since winning the 2003 Main Event was slowly becoming a memory. Erik Seidel was generally recognised as one of the best players never to have won the Main Event and he was about even in chips with Daniel, and Holly Willoughby.

Holly was new on the poker scene this year. She had taken it by storm. Rumour was that Johnny Chan had coached her, but neither would confirm or deny the speculation. Whatever the truth, Holly already had WSOP and WPT titles to her name. That emphasised the most dramatic entry the poker world had seen for many years. And her growing reputation was not only as a result of her tournament play. She had also performed with distinction at the high stake cash tables.

Her wraparound deep black sunglasses were impressive. They made it impossible for opponents to study her eyes when attempting to evaluate one of her moves. But it was not the sunglasses that were her key weapon. It was her magnificent breasts.

Making a point of always dressing in black, the attractive thirty-two year old invariably went braless. With a button too far undone, she ensured the sensual swell of her impressive cleavage was constantly on display.

And clearly, her high jutting tits needed no sort of artificial support. Many an opponents' concentration had been broken by her deep cleavage and the outline of her pointed breasts under the deliberately thin material of her blouses. Daniel was no exception. During their year-long poker battles, he had constantly found himself caught up in the spell cast by those mouth watering tits.

But at that moment, his mind was on other things. He had experienced a barren time with women over the previous twelve months, at least in terms of relationships. His few brief liaisons had been sufficient to satisfy his sexual cravings, but not his need for someone special in his life.

Grace's stock in the music world had soared from one high to another. He often wished that things had turned out differently between them. It seemed somewhat ironic to him that her image had been cultivated as a clean-cut, wholesome character. That impression seemed to go hand in hand with her success. He frequently wondered about the public's reaction if they knew the truth.

Following their break up last year, and his win in the Main Event, he had sold up in England. He'd decided to return to the States to see if he could establish himself as a poker professional. And in true quirky style, his lack of success with women had provided a direct contrast to his achievements in the poker world.

His initial fear had been that he'd be considered to be another Chris Moneymaker or Jamie Gold, rather than a Raymer or Hachem. But it had not taken long to reassure himself, and the doubters amongst his fellow players, that he had what it took.

The ten million dollar bankroll he had established through his Main Event victory was nice. Very nice. He had expected to need it to fund his appearance on the circuit this year. That had not been necessary. Success in high limit cash games had provided a nice cushion for his tournament entry fees, allowing him to match Holly's record of a victory apiece in both the WSOP and WPT.

With just an average slice of luck, he intended to add another in this competition. Only four more opponents to see off.

During the year, he had bonded well with some of the other leading players. And as he knew it would, his friendship with Norman Chad had deepened over that period. He would always be grateful for the little man's major support during last year's success. As a result, they subsequently made a point of dining together at least once during every tournament on the WSOP tour.

The number of poker groupies on both of the main poker tours had been quite a surprise to him. Whilst in the early part of the year, such liaisons had assuaged his sexual needs; one-night stands had never really been his thing. It had been some time since he had had sex, too long, he realised.

He stared at Holly across the table. Her magnificent breasts seemed even more impressive than usual. Or was he just feeling horny? As his eyes swept across her curvature, he was sure he could see the outline of her captivating nipples.

Raising his eyes to the face sitting directly across the table, he saw she was smiling broadly. Although her dark glasses prevented him from seeing her eyes, he was certain she had been watching him and he felt himself blush a little. Advantage Holly, he thought. No wonder she had enjoyed such a good year, it was so hard to stay focused when that woman was around.

"You okay?" the blonde purred from across the table, her smile deepening.

She leant slightly back in her seat as she spoke, deliberately accentuating the outline of her swells against the black silk blouse. Daniel could not prevent his eyes from following the movement and they both knew it.

"I'm good," he instantly responded, wondering how to gain the upper hand. "Pleased to see you're here on time," he lamely added.

She laughed, raising the glasses so that they rested on the top of her long, wavy tresses. Her reputation for unpredictability was well known in poker circles, having occasionally missed out on a whole session of play in an important tournament.

"Now, Daniel," she purred, throwing her head back. They way her blonde hair bounced on her shoulders before settling was hypnotic. "You know I wouldn't want to miss a second of your company."

This time they both laughed, knowing that Holly had regained the upper hand, at least in conversation. It would be different with the cards, he vowed.

*

As he sat in the large leather chair in his office, a fat cigar in his hand, Joshua Smith was pleased with himself. He and his father had stood up to the biggest force in Vegas and as far as he was concerned, it had been a major victory. Yes, his father had needed to escape to Los Angeles as the heat from Big Eddie increased, but that had allowed Joshua to assume control of their business for the first time in his life.

And not only had he successfully taken charge, there had been none of the expected backlash from Big Eddie. As far as Joshua was concerned, he had proven himself and was now determined to show the so-called big-time hoodlum that he could manage very well without the need to pay protection money.

Not only had Samuel Smith's club remained a leading attraction in Vegas, their expansion into providing an escort service had proven immensely successful. And Joshua's confidence had turned to cockiness when he had set Mario up to feed misinformation to Big Eddie, who had even paid for that privilege. How naïve was that? He thought he was getting the inside track but all the time Joshua was controlling the information supplied. It seemed the local big shot was losing his touch.

As he picked up the phone and tapped in a number, it felt like everything in his garden was rosy.

Carly answered. She knew it was Joshua. "Hello, baby," she breathed into the phone.

"I'm waiting," he simply said.

"Not for long," she purred.

It took her less than a minute to make her way from the club floor. Joshua was waiting for her. His slacks were already resting around his knees along with a pair of white boxers. His impressive cock was already erect, rising from the thick expanse of black, curly hair like a mini tower.

Carly smiled and tugged up her white tank top, exposing her unfettered breasts to his hungry gaze. Joshua returned the smile. They both knew how turned on her full, pear like mounds made him.

"Don't have much time," he urged, sitting back so that she could take control.

His eyes glowed as she seductively swayed over to him and straddled him with a shapely leg. Immediately he leaned forward and took an erect, deep pink nipple into his mouth, feeding on the hard bud. He moved back and forth between each breast, turned on by her moans as his wet mouth pleasured her. He knew she could get off from just having her breasts sucked but he needed to satisfy his own cravings.

He dropped his right hand between her legs and rubbed her through her tight, black jeans. It took no time before her bucking body arched and she came on his working fingers. He sucked and stroked her throughout, loving the way her hips continued to hump his hand as she crested her summit and then began to recover.

Immediately, she knew what he expected. She pushed his hands away and lowered her head, taking his erection between her soft lips. Joshua placed one large hand on the back of her head as he moaned, tightening it in her brunette locks as she began to mouth-fuck him.

Damn, this girl was good. Every bit as good as Katherine.

He could feel her confident efforts to give him satisfaction and knew his body was succumbing to her working mouth. His shaft pushed against her throat as she slid her pink lips all the way down to the base. He grunted as she took him to boiling point. Her eyes danced upwards into his, daring him to try not to cum. They were in their own private battle, Carly racing him towards his orgasm whilst he tried to last.

The brunette left his shaft with a slurp, but his groan of disappointment turned into one of pleasure as she widened her mouth around each testicle. She sucked gently from one to the other as his grip in her hair tightened. Joshua loved the way she never held anything back and moaned as she gently ran her lips and tongue around his purple crown. Her almond coloured eyes grinned up into his as his breath caught in his throat. She plunged back onto his ramrod stiffness, deep-throating him again. As her head bobbed in his lap, they both knew from his throbbing that he was there now.

"Going to cum for Carly, baby?" she teased, a string of saliva dangling between her lips and the tip of his hardness. She stroked his pulsating shaft with her hands, working the spit into the soft skin.

The brunette took just the head between her lips and stroked his glistening length with sort jerking movements, just the way he liked it. It was enough. His body jerked as his thick seed surged into her greedy mouth. He had taught her well. Her soft lips took every last burst, pumping her head until he had nothing left to give. Then she slowly licked and cleaned his diminishing manhood.

Joshua's dark eyes rewarded his lover with a look of sexual contentment. When his phone rang out harshly he ignored it. He was relaxed now. Happy. The call could wait. He stroked Carly's black locks in quiet satisfaction.

*

Katherine snapped the telephone shut and stubbed her cigarette out. She twisted it into the ashtray on the side table of her favourite open air cafe. She had only picked up the habit since starting work for Joshua and wished she could kick it. But at least she had weaned herself off the marijuana. She glanced again at the phone, wondering if he was entertaining another of his girls. It used to be her that he would spend time with, particularly in the weeks after Grace had departed for Hollywood.

He would tell her how sexy she was and how much he wanted her as part of his business empire. Then he would fuck her brains out. But that phase had soon passed. Once he and his father had her fully under their influence, they began to use her to entertain their important contacts, and now they had a chain of girls doing the same thing.

Even so, Joshua would call for her from time to time, and their sex together was always wild. And occasionally another of his girls would be allowed to join the fun and their threesomes had somehow fulfilled a need in Katherine that she had never realised had been there. But gradually, her contact with Joshua had diminished and she had reverted to being one of his girls who paid attention to his special clients.

He paid her well, very well. But then she knew she continued to be a valuable commodity to him, the best of all his girls, so it was said. And when her hopes of forming a relationship with Joshua had fallen by the wayside she had turned to Mario. He may have been the man who had all but raped her whilst she waited in vain for Grace, but at least he was always eager to see her.

If Joshua wasn't going to take her call, then she knew Mario would not refuse her. He was often called away on business but had told her he was staying at the Rio for the next two nights. Her need for sex was acute due to the absence of escort work over the last week and she would visit Mario in the morning. He was in for a treat.

As she turned to leave, she saw a poster promoting the forthcoming Main Event and she paused in her steps. Perhaps Daniel would be returning to Vegas, and the Rio, to defend his title? She had followed his fame in the local papers and magazines and regretted that she had not made more of an effort to steal him away from Grace. Life could have been so different for her! If only she had focused on him rather than allowing herself to be seduced by the upcoming star.

She felt a tinge of moistness between her thighs. She'd check if he was staying at the Rio when she went to see Mario tomorrow. Who knows, there might be the opportunity to look him up? He would not be able to resist her, she was sure of that. This could be fun!

*

Play was cagey for a while, with not one of the remaining five players willing to take too many risks at this point. But then, after around half an hour, Erik Seidel lost a big pot to Doyle Brunson and was dangerously low in chips. The next hand he pushed half of his remaining chips into the middle and Daniel immediately called with pocket Jacks.

He fully expected four folds behind him but after Moneymaker, Brunson and Seidel did just that, Holly softly announced, "All-in."

Daniel was left with a major decision and he stared across at the blonde. As was usual in such situations, she eased herself back in her seat so that her opponent had an unrestricted view of her breasts. Daniel was well aware of her concentration-breaking tactic but that didn't make avoiding the trap any easier. As much as he tried to focus on the position, his gaze continued to return to her twin peaks and the nipples that pushed against the thin material.

He momentarily wondered if that was a tell and smiled to himself at the thought before drawing his eyes back to her impassive face. Looking anywhere else only guaranteed him an erection.

If he called and won, that would reduce the table to the final three. If Holly had Ace-King he knew he would be a 6-5 favourite. He reasoned that the fact he had called Seidel in second position told Holly he had a hand. It was improbable she would risk all her chips with a bluff and based on her style of play, it was unlikely she had made the move with Big Slick.

It took him a good few minutes before he threw his cards in. Despite being pot committed, Seidel surprised him by doing the same, sadly shaking his head to indicate he had been caught in an outrageous bluff.

"Aces or Kings?" Daniel asked Holly, looking for a clue.

She slowly raised her sunglasses enough to let him look into her eyes. "Fishing, are we?" she softly responded before dropping them back, a small smile creasing her full, pouting lips.

Perhaps steaming from his failure to follow through in the previous hand, Seidel lasted only a few minutes longer and with four remaining, the play became cagey until five minutes before the first break. Daniel looked down at his hand and saw the Ace of diamonds first, followed by the Ace of spades.

He smiled inwardly for a second, remembering his good friend Norman Chad. "She's the prettiest card in the deck," was his mantra.

When Daniel asked why, Chad would smile and secretively shake his head. That was for him to know.

Daniel knew this was his opportunity to double up if he played the hand well but Brunson, under the gun, was first to play. As he paused for a while, Daniel knew a bet was coming. Make it big, he silently pleaded, and I'll come over the top. His prayers were answered, but not in the way he expected.

"All-in," he calmly announced, sending a loud hum around the galleries.

Daniel did not need to think at all, but hesitated to disguise the strength of his hand from Holly and Moneymaker behind him.

"Call," he eventually said, hoping that he had come across as reluctant.

When Holly softly announced, "All-in," he knew his ploy had worked.

The buzz spread around the room and Daniel prayed for the poker gods to be with him. He preferred to be heads up with pocket rockets but the opportunity to triple up was too good to ignore.

Brunson turned his hand over first. Pocket Kings.

Daniel cheered inside. He put Holly on Ace-King and if he was right, he was an overwhelming favourite. When he saw her smile, he knew that as unlikely as it was, she had the other two Aces. Seconds later, her cards confirmed the fact. Damn, what were the odds on that?

The flop floored him. Three-Two-King.

Texas Dollie had hit one of his only two outs and the turn and river were irrelevant. He and Holly slowly left the table after wishing both Brunson and Moneymaker good luck and he could not avoid the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He looked at the sexy blonde as they collected their winnings.

"You played outstandingly throughout, Holly," he graciously said.

She leant into him and gave a soft kiss on his cheek, her perfume assuaging his nostrils. "And you, Daniel Stone," she responded, "are a true champion."

"Well, thank you," he ruefully said. "But I guess Texas Dollie busted both of our asses."

Norman Chad joined them as they laughed.

"You two are the happiest losers I ever saw," he commented in his true wise cracking style. "Ready for your television interviews?"

*

Daniel sat in the Rio All-American Bar and Grille, staring at Holly. She looked even better now that he could see her brown eyes, the dark sunglasses precariously perched on top of her blonde tresses. She was well known for keeping to herself and he was surprised she had accepted his invitation for coffee.

"Cappuccino," she asked when the waitress wandered across to their table.

"Make that two," Daniel said, watching as the woman scribbled down their order.

He turned back to Holly as she smoothed down her blouse and his attempts to keep his eyes trained on her face failed again.

"Was there something specific you wanted to ask me?" she teasingly asked as her brown eyes caught his. "Or do you just enjoy looking?"

Daniel smiled a self-assured smile. He enjoyed her flirting and was not about to be over-awed.

"I think every man in the room is looking," he suggested. "That's quite a weapon in your poker armoury."

"Two weapons, actually," she laughed, her bright eyes staring into his. "And I'll take any advantage I can get at the poker table."

Daniel allowed his eyes to flicker to her bosom again and gave a soft sigh. Her cleavage was almost intoxicating.

"Well, they're quite an advantage," he conceded. "But we've never really had much of a conversation and I just wanted to get to know you a little better."