Vegas Ch. 04

He moved his other hand down to the strap of her top and began to pull one down and then the other, so that each of her firm breasts became slowly exposed. She put up no resistance. Instead, the feeling of the air on her twin globes encouraged her to renew her efforts, and she began to rotate her head around on his penis with some abandon, driven on by his soft moans of appreciation.

She began tracing her tongue all over the shaft, feeling the delicious hardness of it. Her mouth was worshipping the hot feel of it between her lips, delighted at the feel of him craving for more. She slid him out of her sucking lips for a moment and held the shaft in her hand, her eyes on his, capturing his eyes before resuming her display.

She allowed him to observe her whilst she ran her tongue up and down from base to tip, and she heard him groan more loudly at the sight. She could feel her tongue stretch and curve around the thickness of his shaft, coating it with her saliva. But this did not satisfy her for long and she wanted him back between her lips again. She quickly returned him to her mouth and as she did, she heard another hoarse gasp escape from his lips.

The tingling feeling in her loins was incredible now and Grace slithered an eager hand down between her parted legs, urgently rubbing her fingers over her wet mound, following the same rhythm and pattern that she paid to his shaft with her other hand. She realised she loved this, loved the idea of pleasuring a man so big and so powerful.

It turned her on, the thought of being somewhat submissive to his sexual will and she let out low throaty moans as she continued with the intimate contact between his most sensitive organ and her own hot, wet mouth. His hips began to rise slightly off of the couch now and from the tightening of his testicles beneath her caressing hand, she could feel his orgasm bubbling up from between his legs.

Grace sucked hard on him one more time and heard him cry out as she felt the first stream arrive, splashing inside her greedy mouth. The second rope followed a few seconds later, again hitting her in the back of the throat. It was only after several more that he was eventually finished and she eagerly licked and cleaned the final drops from him. It took him a few moments to recover, lying back in the coach, gasping, whilst Grace's eager mouth and tongue continued to clean his diminishing member.

"That was quite wonderful, Grace," his deep voice eventually said, as he pulled her head to his broad chest and gently stroked her silken hair. "I can tell just how successful you are going to be. In fact, if you keep up this progress, I'm going to make you one of Samuel's Angels."

He laughed as Grace gave him a quizzical look.

"Every woman who has achieved success through me is one of a select few known to each other as a Samuel's Angel." He laughed loudly, as if to himself. "To commemorate, they each have two small angel tattoos. When you've got them, Grace, you will know you've arrived."

Grace just stared at him, her confused, aroused and happy mind taking in his words. Her thoughts filtered to an image of Lisa, with the angel tattoos on her breast and buttock. Everything was much clearer now.

As her brain ticked over, she felt his soft hand stroke her cheek. "I'll see you tonight, sweet girl." he gently said.

Grace nodded, picked up his glass from the table whilst still on her knees and drained the remains in one gulp.

"You certainly will, Samuel," she softly said.

She smiled at her powerful benefactor as she gingerly climbed to her feet. Bending forward, her naked breasts swaying, she kissed him on the forehead before departing to make herself look decent.

*

Daniel was settling down in his new position, casually glancing around the table to take in the players around him. He identified the three most aggressive. The first was a guy who wore Dame Edna style glasses, presumably in a misguided attempt to convey weakness. The second sported an enormous tattoo of picture cards covering most of his left arm, and the third had a habit of continually running his hairy hand through his blonde, Mohican hair cut immediately after folding his cards.

He began to feel comfortable, but the mood of table changed after an hour or so when a grey haired, average looking guy sporting a smart checked shirt arrived, thumping a huge pile of chips onto the green baize before proceeding to run over the table. The new table chip leader was on Daniel's immediate left, the worst possible position for Daniel, resulting in him becoming stuck in another fold-fold routine.

He was not prepared to commit suicide, particularly with very few playable hands coming his way. And he was not the only one with that line of thinking as players around the table were bowing to the chip leader's superior stack as they had one eye on cashing in, which meant achieving a top twenty-seven place.

After a while, the tattooed guy was the first to lose patience. His demeanour turned sour and his frequent complaints as he referred to the table as being 'suck out City' were clear signs of his irritation. The inevitable followed, he got his money in with the better hand and then left the table mumbling with frustration as the Chip Leader outdrew him.

Soon afterwards, Dame Edna went in similar fashion and as the Chip Leader raked in even more chips, Daniel eased back in his seat. He really had no idea how he came to find himself still in the tournament. Other than the poker Gods, of course, he thought.

At this point he was desperate to finish in the money. What a story that would be! He slowly stood up and stretched as the next hand was dealt, thinking that a few more folds could allow him to achieve his aim. Keep out of trouble, he thought. He eased himself back down and cupped his cards as he squinted at them.

Queen–Queen–Two–Three.

Despite being in late position, he told himself to lay them down. No need to play, he thought, at the same moment that he heard himself announce a raise.

Immediately he did so, he prayed for the Chip Leader to fold. Unfortunately, the poker Gods were not listening. The man in the check-shirt re-raised. Daniel thought for a long time, debating whether to get involved. Then he convinced himself that he was ahead. And if that was the case, Chip Leader could not get lucky all the time, could he?

This was a difficult decision, but after an inordinate amount of time, common sense took over and Daniel decided to fold, ahead or not. He was therefore as surprised as anyone when he heard a voice very similar to his, albeit a little deeper and thicker.

"Call."

A quick buzz of noise ran around the table and the Chip Leader glanced over his right shoulder and gave Daniel a lop-sided grin.

"Eager to leave us?" he asked.

Daniel was breathing heavily, thinking that he was in over his head. But he attempted to follow through on his statue impersonation, sitting impassively as the board produced Ace–Four–Seven. That meant Daniel had flopped the nut low, with a chance of a wheel. He check-called.

The seven on the turn paired the board. Daniel check-called again.

Then those poker Gods showed exactly how much they loved him. The river was a Queen. Not only did he have the nut low, he had Queens full also. Daniel checked again, praying the Chip Leader would raise. He did.

Daniel check-raised and Chip Leader called, turning over Ace-Two–Four–Queen.

He had the second nut low, together with two pair, Aces and Queens.

Daniel felt elated but sat with a quiet satisfaction, calmly nodding in response to the Chip Leader's "Nice hand," comment.

Then he let out a long sigh of relief, standing up slowly and easing his aching body away from the table as he folded the next few hands. He knew that if he held his nerve a little longer he would certainly cash, but would probably fail to arrive in time for Grace's performance tonight.

It was around twenty minutes later that he heard Matt Savage's voice announcing they were down to twenty-seven players. Unbelievable. He had made the money.

A huge round of applause from the remaining players greeted the announcement. Anyone knocked out from now on would leave with a small profit on his or her $2,000 investment, whereas the value increased proportionately the further a player advanced. And a cheque of over $150,000 awaited the winner.

*

Lauren had just washed her hair and was sitting naked on the bed, with just a white, hotel towel around her head, when she received the call from Kay Kristen.

"Hi Lauren. How are you doing?"

Lauren felt a lump in her throat as she took a gulp.

"Good," she nervously replied.

Her throat became very dry and she was incapable of becoming embroiled in any small talk until she knew the outcome. She paused, waiting for the news – good or bad.

Instead, Kay asked, "Dan and I were hoping you'd be free for dinner this evening?"

Lauren hesitated before replying, gently rubbing her wet hair through the towel.

"Oh, I'd love to, I really would. But it's my sister's singing debut this evening at Samuel Smith's club. I can't miss that, Kay."

"My, my..." Kay responded with a soft purr. "That is impressive. She must be very talented. How about this, Lauren? We'll eat early and then you, Dan and I can all go on to the club. I know it well. Is she there for the week?"

"No, just tonight," Lauren responded.

She unravelled the towel from her head and dropped it onto the bed beside her, before pulling herself onto her knees to explain.

"She is talented, Kay, very talented. She got this performance through a contact in England and has a booking just for tonight. But we're hoping that she'll be a success and that this will be a big break for her."

"I see," purred Kay.

Her voice seemed strangely condescending, as if she knew something Lauren did not. Lauren could not quite put her finger on it.

"And has she met Samuel?" Kay asked.

"She is there now," Lauren replied, wondering where all this was going. "She had rehearsals this afternoon and I know she will have given her all. I'm feeling so nervous for her."

"Don't be," Kay reassuringly replied. "Samuel likes his rehearsals, and if Grace has lived up to his expectations, I know she'll be fine."

"I'm sure she will," Lauren responded quickly, wanting this woman to know how confident she was in her sister's ability. "She has a fabulous voice, Kay."

Lauren had suddenly realised she had been distracted by this talk of Grace and her thoughts returned to the question of whether she had been selected to model. Her hand began playing with the towel on the bed as she waited for Kay to get to the point. She could not bear this, why was she waiting? The thought that Kay would not have offered to take her out to dinner had she not been successful, never entered her head.

"Dan and I will look forward to catching her performance with you, after our dinner," she purred. And then with a delicate feminine laugh, she added, "And over dinner we can discuss all the details around your new modelling contract with us. You've done very well, Lauren. Congratulations."

Lauren exploded with happiness, silently throwing the wet towel into the air. This was so much more than she could have hoped for.

"Ms Kristen... Kay... That's absolutely wonderful. I don't know what to say, except thank you so very much. I won't let you down, I promise."

"I know you won't," Kay responded, her voice purring again. "You are just what we are looking for and you'll do a fabulous job. We're going to start shooting tomorrow. It will take three days, all full sessions. But we can discuss the details in full tonight. You're going to be a star, Lauren."

"That's wonderful, Kay," Lauren intoned, her voice exploding with delight. "And thank you... thank you so much, again."

"You're welcome, sweetie. We'll meet you in reception at nine o'clock sharp. Bye."

*

Grace had been relieved that Daniel was not at the hotel when she returned following her afternoon encounter with Samuel. She had taken a long, hot, foam bath whilst her eyes glowed at the excitement of their encounter and the possibilities that appeared to be opening up to her.

When she returned to the club that evening she wondered how Samuel would react, but any concerns she had were quickly dispelled. He was the first to greet her, taking her hand in his and lightly kissing it. She stared into his broad smile, marvelling at the whiteness of his teeth, as he continued to hold her hand.

In a quick, imperceptible movement that she knew could not be seen by others, he turned her hand so that her palm was facing upwards, and lightly ran his tongue along the soft flesh. It gave her all the confirmation she needed. For a moment, she felt weak at the knees and would have given anything to take this giant of a man back to the dressing room and provide a repeat performance.

"You look ravishing, Grace," he complimented her. "After this afternoon, I have really good vibes about you. You're going to be a fabulous success tonight!"

Grace thanked him, aware that she was blushing. Her knowing eyes stared back deeply into his, unspoken words being exchanged between them.

"Clearly you bring out the best in me, Samuel," she whispered, her voice a little shaky as she surprised herself with her forwardness.

Samuel sat her at a vacant, reserved, booth and picked up on their long conversation earlier that afternoon. Then he asked if she had any feedback on Daniel's poker progress. Grace shook her head, her eyes still magnetically being held by the big man, and asked if Samuel knew what time the tournament would finish tonight.

"Well, little lady," he replied, "If he's still playing, you could be finished performing before he does, that's for sure."

Grace's sensual mouth dropped in surprise. Samuel laughed, ordering two soft drinks from a passing waitress before raising a big hand to stroke her cheek.

"And where is your sister?" he asked

Before she could answer, the phone call came through from Lauren. The waitress brought both their drinks and the phone to their booth, and after a couple of minutes excited chatter she relayed the full story to Samuel. His smiled widened at her excitement, and they clinked their glasses against one another in celebration.

"Kay and Dan have taken Lauren for a celebratory dinner," she added, her brown eyes sparkling at her sister's success. "But she said they will all be coming here later to hear my performance."

"That's wonderful," Samuel beamed, his deep voice making Grace tremble. "And as for the other star in the family, I've arranged to delay your performance until sometime after midnight. That way, Grace, you will top tonight's bill. And there will be plenty of time for your sister and this boy of yours, to arrive."

The excitement in Grace's eyes must have been quite evident, because Samuel took her small hand in his again and flashed his brilliant white smile.

"Samuel, that's so wonderful," Grace enthusiastically responded, beaming at this big man who was making her feel so important. "I'm very grateful."

"I hope so," Samuel responded, his eyes narrowing. "And I look forward to finding out exactly how grateful."

Grace had no doubt that she had blushed again. But this time that feeling had been accompanied by an even strong arousal between her legs. This man had such an incredibly powerful effect on her.

"Now?" she asked, her fingers stroking the hand that held hers.

"My," he said, standing up and pulling her to her feet. "You are full of surprises, Grace."

*

Daniel slumped slightly in his chair, feeling the ache in his lower back as he did so. He had thought that the announcement that they were down to the final twenty-seven would signal an end to the play, but not so. The other players laughed at his question and informed him they would all be there until they were knocked out, or had reached the Final Table.

At that point, that was definitely not what wanted to hear.

With play continuing, he continued to fold whatever was put in front of him and as time passed his chip stack reflected his reducing inactivity. If he had been able to think rationally, he would have taken a more aggressive approach, but instead his tired mind was leading him to a slow death. He was caught in two minds and his approach did nothing for his chances of making the Final Table of the tournament, or reaching the club in time for Grace's performance.

As midnight, Matt Savage interrupted his thoughts for the second time that evening with his announcement that they were now down to nineteen players and needed to balance tables. For Daniel, this was the best thing that could have happened. His move to another table drew him out of his mental lethargy and he decided he would be playing aggressively from now on. He had gained the flavour of the World Series that he wanted, plus a nice little profit, and now he would either be on his way shortly to see Grace, or have a real go at winning the whole thing.

His first hand at his new table brought him Ace–Ace–Nine–Eight. Double suited.

It did not offer a guaranteed high and held no chance for a low but his mind was now in aggressive mode. A guy with a bushy black moustache, two to his right, raised. After two folds, Daniel decided to try and isolate him and take him on heads up. He calculated that their stacks were similar sizes, so this could either double him up or send him on his way to the club. He re-raised.

Everyone else folded and Moustache put Daniel all-in. The moment of truth, Daniel thought as he called.

Moustache turned over a pair of Kings, with a Jack-Ten. Daniel had him dominated and two minutes later he had his chips too. Eighteen players remained and his stack had now doubled.

They drew to two tables and with the blinds 1,000–1,500, Daniel was in a good chip position and prepared to continue his aggression. It took a while before he saw another playable hand, but he felt that was okay as the other players seemed eager to knock one another out whilst he sat back and watched.

Within an hour they were down to twelve players, three away from the Final Table.

Daniel had an opportunity to reduce the numbers to eleven when he went heads-up against a spotty kid who looked like he should still be at school, but who had belied his age with some very aggressive play at the table. But the kid had just lost a big pot and was now the short stack. Daniel instinctively felt he was ahead when the kid went all-in, but when they turned their cards ove, he was not. And the kid's hand held up.

Buoyed by his success, Spotty Kid went very aggressively at the very next hand against a chunky guy wearing all black. This time the poker Gods were intent on balancing things out and an Ace on the river saw Spotty leave in eleventh position. This gave the chip lead to Chunky who immediately increased his stack by taking out a conservative German who had been card dead over the last hour or so.

And then Chunky did everyone a favour just before one o'clock, when he knocked out a rather vociferous Swede who had been making as much noise at the table as the rest of the players put together.

Just like that, Daniel thought, he had actually reached the Final Table at a World Series event. And it was in his very first tournament at that. This was unbelievable, quite unbelievable, he thought. He could not wait to tell Grace... and Katherine.

The spectators were ushered out of the room and the doors locked as the tournament officials counted their chips. They were sealed in plastic bags for tomorrow's Final Table and signatures requested attesting to their chip counts. Being such a novice, even this process was exciting to Daniel.

As he left to find a taxi, he kept looking back, attempting to soak every single moment into the memory banks. It would never happen again, that was for sure.