by Shana Gray
“Good idea,” Ava said, “Some nourishment for the drinking marathon that doth approach.”
“Oh, that’s right. Celia’s pool is still open. Want to get your bets in before she pukes, ladies?” Fredi asked.
“Okay, look.” Celia gave her a sideways glance. “Can we at least get one drink under our belts first? Besides, it probably won’t take much to get me plastered these days. I haven’t tied one on in so long, I don’t have any tolerance left.”
“You? No tolerance? Not sure I believe that,” Fredi teased.
“Don’t worry,” Bonni assured her. “We’ll hold your hair back.” The women laughed again, and Celia tossed the brochure at Bonni.
“My inevitable drunkenness aside, we should see what shows are on while we’re here. What about that Cirque du Soleil O? It’s the one that supposed to be sexy, right?” Celia asked. “And I could use a bit of sexy right about now.”
“Or Thunder Down Under,” Ava suggested. “Those guys look so hot and, if we’re lucky, we might get pulled up on stage for a lap dance or something.” She clapped her hands excitedly.
“I’m down for that.” Fredi smiled and nodded.
“Doesn’t matter to me,” Bonni said. “Aside from placing fifty on Celia losing her lunch in an alleyway and the quarter slots, I don’t plan to gamble much, but a show would be kickass. I vote Thunder.”
Her friends all turned and stared at her, completely aghast at her confession.
“Won’t gamble much?” their voices chimed in unison.
“We’re in Vegas, Bonni! It goes without saying. You need to gamble,” Fredi nearly shouted.
Bonni furrowed her brows. “Why does it go without saying?”
“We’re in Vegas,” Ava repeated. “You gotta gamble.”
Celia waggled her eyebrows, proclaiming loudly, “Yeah, and what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.”
Chapter Three
The women hit the casino with an energy that had Bonni bursting with anticipation. She hung behind the others and watched them chatter. Ava and Fredi had their arms linked as they followed Celia, who was leading the way through the crowd like a pro.
Bonni knew just how badly she needed this trip with her besties, and she was determined to have a great time. Nothing was going to ruin it. The last few months, she’d been so deep in a case that coming up for air was near impossible. She’d had no life. Work, home for sleep and fresh clothes, then back to work. Her only release had been working out in the police-station gym. A girl can only do that for so long.
Bonni laughed at tiny Celia easily cutting a swathe through the crowd between the rows and rows of slots packed full with people. Gone was the practical mom who thought only of her kids. In her place, Bonni was beginning to see snippets of the wild child from college emerging. Ava looked over her shoulder and tipped her head in Celia’s direction. They winked at each other, knowing what the other was thinking.
Shenanigans were about to begin.
Ava unhooked her arm from Fredi’s and dropped back to Bonni. “It certainly didn’t take her take long for her to get her groove back. We might be in for some drama.” She didn’t have to whisper so Celia wouldn’t hear as the din of the casino nearly swallowed up her words, enough so that Bonni had to strain to hear.
Bonni giggled, and said, “I don’t even know what to think. But whatever, she’s been wound up so tight for far too long, trying to make ends meet. I can’t believe Dickhead is fighting her on child support. The man is a cardiac surgeon while she’s hustling for freelance jobs that she can fit around the kids’ schedules. Men can be such asshats sometimes. She needs to let loose.”
Ava nodded seriously. “My last project, I was analyzing spreadsheets until I thought my eyes would bleed. And then, of course, not being appreciated. I’m not thrilled with the corporate-world rat race, let me tell you. Getting some rest and relaxation this weekend is just what the doctor ordered for all of us!”
The group followed Celia around until she finally stopped and declared, “These are the slots we’re going to play.”
They stood in front of a bank of video-style games with a multitude of buttons, multiple wheels, flashing lights, and all sorts of rumbling and pinging sounds. Bonni had no idea what to make of it.
She looked at them. “Holy Hannah! What happened to the old-style slots, the one-armed bandits?”
“Oh my God, seriously, Bonni? You’re a cop. In the fraud division, no less. You should know all about these!”
“Come on, Celia, I have nothing to do with gaming. In Canada, gaming is legislated at a provincial level, and the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Commission oversees things in Ontario. And I’m local law enforcement, not a fed.” Bonni eyed the machines. “What’s with all those buttons?” She tapped her fingers on one of the reels with an almost lifelike-looking dragon blowing fire. “Look at all the reels—there’s, like, six of them.”
Celia stepped forward and explained. “These are for extra spins. When you play the max”—she touched the big round button printed with max, and continued—“if you get a certain line of icons”—she ran her fingers over the images behind the screen and tapped a dragon—“you get extra spins, which gives you more opportunity to win. Big wins, too.”
Fredi looked at her and planted her hands on her hips, head tilted slightly. “Since when did you become the casino aficionado?”
Celia shrugged her shoulders. “Colin asks a million why? questions about pretty much everything, so I started listening to this podcast that explains how things work. They did one about Vegas. Plus, Mom goes to casinos and she likes to brag about her winnings. These kind of machines are her favorite. Besides, you never know when a piece of knowledge will come in handy.”
“You are the queen of useless information,” Fredi teased.
“It’s not useless. Information is power,” Celia retorted.
Bonni slid on to the chair in front of the machine Celia was touching. “Okay, ladies, enough of the bickering,” she said.
They replied in unison, “We are not bickering.”
Ava laughed, and said, “We should’ve bet how long it would take for us to revert to our old college ways. Come on, we’re here to have fun! Bonni, this trip was your idea. You take the first spin, and then we’ll all take a machine.”
Bonni stared at the machine. As part of their package, they’d all received $100 in play money to gamble with. Of course, gone were the old ridged discs of old. Now, it was all ones and zeroes on a flimsy barcoded piece of paper. She’d carefully amassed a baggie of quarters, but she might as well use the credit first.
Bonni opened her purse and pulled the voucher out. “Seems like as good a time as any to use the freebie money.” She drew in a deep breath. “Here we go.”
She slid the voucher into the money slot and was startled how fast it was sucked in. Seconds later, her machine was loaded up with a hundred dollars’ worth of credit.
“I thought you weren’t going to gamble?” Fredi teased.
The girls crowded behind her.
Bonni shrugged and cracked her knuckles. “When in Rome.” She made a surprised face and looked at her besties behind her. “That pun was totally not intended. Plus, it’s free. Now, why don’t the rest of you play, and quit staring at me. You’ll bring me bad luck or something.”
“Don’t worry, honey, we’ll play. But Ava’s right. This trip was your brainchild, so it’s only right you say hello to Lady Luck first.” Fredi stepped behind Bonni and put her hand on her shoulder. “Giving you some good luck, positive karma or whatever you want to call it.”
“Hmph. Well, gather round, girls, and let’s hope for the best.” Bonni chewed her lower lip and pondered the array of buttons in front of her. Not understanding all the numbers or what they meant, she made an instant decision and slapped the max play button with her palm.
The chorus of gasps behind her made Bonni realize how much money the max play used up. She felt nauseous. “Whelp. Guess it’s time to break
out the quarters.”
Celia squeezed Bonni’s shoulder. “You are living on the edge, girlfriend.”
Bonni didn’t answer and watched the reels spin and spin.
They stopped in a line that Bonni thought looked promising. “Is that good? Did I win something?”
Celia squealed, “Look, look! You’re getting a free play.” Her friends were totally caught up in the antics of the machine and couldn’t contain their elation.
“Shh, guys,” Bonni told them.
A crowd began to gather. Bonni hated being the center of attention, so she kept her gaze on the dragons, wishing the machine would stop with the clanging bells, strobing lights, and rumbling. It was a computer—did the programmers really have to make it vibrate like that? The slot machine continued trying to deafen her and shaking as if it were about to launch into space. Bonni lifted her hands away, surprised how interactive it all was.
Three reels on the left stopped on matching gold dragons. Bonni flicked her gaze up to see what that prize was, and the machine started to growl and rumble louder. The three reels on the right continued to spin, then one came to a stop with a whistling that sounded like a pinwheel firecracker. Another gold dragon. Bonni’s heart nearly stopped. The roar in her ears drowned out the screams behind her.
Oh my God.
The middle reel trembled to a stop. Another gold dragon. The noise from the machine increased. Bonni’s attention was glued to the images of the dragons, and she whispered to them, “Come on, baby, come on!”
The last reel stopped on a gold dragon, giving her a line of fire-breathers. Bonni blinked, not fully realizing what it meant. She knew she had won, but the crowd behind her erupted into loud cheers and the screaming of her girls was deafening. Then lights flashed, bells rang, and a huge dragon breathing fire rose from the top of the bank of slot machines. How much had she won?
Bonni bolted from her seat.
Behind her, Celia was wailing like a banshee: “You won, you won, you won!”
Ava shouted, “Holy crap! I don’t believe it.”
Fredi leaned over her shoulder, the only calm one. “You won, Bonni! You hit the jackpot!”
“Yeah.” Bonni was stunned. “But not the jackpot. Not possible.” She looked up at all the flashing lights. “I never win anything.”
“Well, you have now!” The elation in Fredi’s voice infected Bonni. “I don’t know how much, but I think it’s going to be big.”
Celia pointed up. “Shit, look, Bon-Bon! That flashing sign says you’ve won a hundred grand!”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. I never win anything,” Bonni repeated.
“This is so exciting! It’s like something out of a movie! You won, Bonni,” Ava assured her, enthusiasm bubbling out of her.
Bonni was used to pressure and to making decisions under fire, but this was out of her wheelhouse. You don’t get anything for free. Her father had drilled that into her as a kid. You work hard, you do a good job, and get rewarded. So winning money at a casino, especially so much money, by simply pressing a button was making it really difficult for her to keep her composure after winning. A hundred grand was nothing to sneeze at. She drew in a deep breath and made a decision that, if she really had won, she’d share it with her friends. It wouldn’t seem right otherwise.
Bonni looked down at the flashing buttons on the machine. Then, on a sudden impulse, she punched the payout button. Nothing happened. She pressed it again. Still nothing.
“It won’t work,” Celia said, placing her hand over Bonni’s. “You have to wait for an attendant to come and do whatever they do. Anything over a specific amount needs one. It’s too much money.”
“I can’t believe this.” Bonni shook her head and found herself in the middle of a group hug with her friends.
“Believe it.” Celia told her. “You’re a winner.”
…
Nobody ever tells you about the drama around winning a jackpot. They’d had to wait until a technician and the casino floor manager showed up to verify the win. Then Bonni was interviewed, asked why she was in Vegas and what she planned to do with the money. Given a huge fake check with her name and the amount on it, to have her picture taken. Bonni chose to remain anonymous and collect her money without a big fuss being made, but she did ask for a copy of the photo of her with the check.
Bonni had left Celia and Fredi at the slots and asked Ava to come with her, her being a financial brainiac and all. They followed the floor manager to go and do the paperwork. Good thing she knew her social security number and bank account details by heart. She was provided with a Form W-2G and advised that a percentage of her winnings would be in her bank account within twenty-four hours. Bonni was pretty sure this was so that she would keep gambling. The casino advised Bonni that they had to report any gambling winnings over $1,200 to the IRS. Furthermore, she was asked to choose between a lump sum or monthly payments. A lump sum suited her just fine.
Once the details were completed, a manager from the front desk met them on their way back to the casino, all smiles and charm. The hotel would very much like to upgrade their rooms, as a celebratory gesture. Ava gave a whoop of joy before texting the others to get their asses moving. Bonni thought cynically that it was less of a congratulations and more a thank you for all the good publicity her stroke of luck would bring the brand-new hotel. No, dammit, accept at face value, Bonni! The cop in her needed a vacation, too.
Celia and Fredi came streaming out of the crowd and they all followed the manager to the bank of elevators. They got off on the top floor and were led to a set of impressive double doors. The manager tapped a room key against the door before handing the rest of the keys to Bonni.
“The bags you left at the check-in will be brought up shortly. Congratulations, Ms. Connolly, and welcome to your suite. If you need anything at all, make sure you ring down to the concierge.”
“Thank you.” Bonni was still trying to grasp everything that had happened.
He stood aside, holding the door as the women entered. Bonni stopped dead. “Would you look at this place!” She couldn’t believe the management had upgraded them to this three-bedroom presidential suite. All because she’d won. “Wow, so amazing! I’m speechless,” Bonni whispered. “This is the lap of luxury. Can you believe this?”
“No, I can’t! I’ve only ever seen rooms like this on a movie screen!” Ava squealed.
Bonni watched her girls as they investigated the suite. Celia wandered behind the in-room bar, inspecting the liquor, while Ava took in the view. Fredi came out of the bathroom, impressed with the high thread count of the towels. Since the day they’d met, in a women’s studies class in college—their professor had opted to base the seating arrangements on the students’ first names, the names their mothers had given them, rather than the patriarchal hand-me-downs of their last names—and bonded when they couldn’t stop snickering. They’d always had each other’s backs, and she couldn’t be more grateful. Bonni wondered if they were still young and silly enough to do the crazy things they’d done in college. Lord, the dancing, the tequila shots, and climbing that damn water tower. Bonni smiled and drew in a big sigh, so unbelievably happy right now.
“Guys, we need to kick the vacation up a notch. We’re going shopping, and then we’re asking the concierge to point us in the direction of the hottest club in town. My treat.”
Celia poured a shot of tequila and waggled the bottle in Fredi’s direction. Fredi rolled her eyes but came over to line up another three glasses. Ava walked over and wrapped an arm around Bonni’s waist, saying, “You don’t need to treat us! Our original plan is already awesome! The money you won, that’s, like, down-payment-on-a-house kind of money, even after the taxes.”
Fredi snorted. “That’s our Ava. Heart of a dreamer, brain of an accountant.”
“Hey! Just because I believe in happy endings doesn’t mean I can’t be realistic, too!” Ava countered. “Money can make you or break you.”
Bonni slung he
r arm around Ava’s shoulders and guided her toward the bar. “You are absolutely correct, but this is free money. I won it on the hotel’s dime. I’m not going out and wagering it all on blackjack, just sprinkling a little magic on this girls’ weekend. And then I’ll sock the rest away for the Virginia move.” She gave Ava a kiss on the cheek. “Now calm the hell down and enjoy yourself.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Ava took a glass when Celia began passing out the tequila shots.
“Well, I’m certainly not going to argue with you. I haven’t been to a club since my ill-fated why-didn’t-any-of-you-stop-me? bachelorette party.” Celia held her shot glass up.
Fredi jabbed a finger at Celia accusingly. “Excuse me, I don’t remember every single thing from that night, but I do remember telling you the statistics on divorce and you pooh-poohing me, saying you were in lurrvvve.”
“I was blitzed out of my mind! You should’ve kidnapped me.”
“But then you wouldn’t have your kids,” Ava pointed out.
Celia sighed, swirling the shot gently. “That’s true. Everything that happened, it happened for a reason. My kids.”
“And me winning a hundred grand is for a reason, too. C’mon, enough chattering, let’s get this party started!” Bonni shouted, raising her tequila glass to her friends.
They clinked their glasses before downing the shots and slamming their glasses on the bar in unison. Bonni felt the burn go down her throat and into her veins. She was determined that this was going to be a once-in-a-lifetime, no-holds-barred trip. Bonni leaned over the bar to grab the bottle of tequila.
“One more round, ladies, before we go hit the shops. After all, someone has to be the winner of the Celia Pukes pool, and I’m feeling lucky!”
“Hmm, taking shots like that, I’ve got to wonder if you might be the one we should be wagering on!” Fredi warned.
“Nah, are you kidding? You know I don’t drink much.” Bonni waved off her friend’s remark.
Fredi slapped five dollars down on the bar. “Who’s in?”
