by Evelyn Glass
“Mr. Wilks? You wanted to see me?” Shayna asked, rapping softly on the doorframe beside the open door.
“Ms. Shephard,” Ted said as he looked up and waved her into the office.
She smiled as she stepped in Ted Wilks’ office. He was a middle-aged man, gone soft, but she liked him. He treated his charges, the entire guest services staff of Tops Casino, with the utmost respect. If you worked hard, and treated the guests well, Mr. Wilks made sure you were treated well also.
“Ms. Shephard, beginning tomorrow, Tops will be hosting a high-stakes poker tournament. The tournament will run for two weeks, from ten in the morning until ten at night. The tournament will start with two hundred fifty tables, which will be whittled down to twelve for the final week. There will be a break on Saturday and Sunday while the production team sets up, then play will resume the following Monday. During the second week the Cards Network will film the tournament. I would like you to work the room those two weeks. Can I count on you?”
“How many hosts will there be?”
“As many as we need, but I’m planning on starting with ten. If I need to add more I will. I know that sounds like a big load, but these men and women will be playing cards, so I don’t expect the demand to be unmanageable. There will be a dedicated bar, and food won’t be served other than a buffet of finger food. There will be a break every two hours, plus a lunch and dinner break. I think we can handle twenty-five to one, but if not, I’ll add more staff.” He smiled at her. “I’m putting my best in the room, so you won’t have to deal with any slackers.”
She giggled. “That’s not what I meant. That sounded like a lot of people and, you know, We’re tops in service…” she said, repeating part of the casino’s slogan.
He smiled. “Exactly why I’m putting you in the room. You’re the best I’ve got. This is going to be a big splash for us, and management wants it to go off without a hitch. They’ve given me the leeway to make sure that happens.”
“I would love to help you out, Mr. Wilks…” she began, letting her voice trail off.
“I hear a but.”
“But I have to return to school.”
“I thought you were finished. You’re scheduled to come back to work fulltime Monday, right?”
“Next Monday,” she said, suddenly nervous. Did I write down the wrong dates? she asked herself.
Ted looked to the side and typed on the laptop a moment using only the pointer finger on each hand. “Crap!” he spat. “I looked at that wrong.” He drummed a little ditty on his desk with thick fingers. “So you’re still in school next week?”
“Yes, sir. My classes and labs are over, but my final is Thursday.”
He drummed again. “Can I have you Monday through Wednesday, then again on Friday? I’d really like you in there.”
“What about Cindy? She’s great!” she offered. She didn’t want to drive the four hours to Pomona, California, take a test, then run around and have to drive four hours back. The only reason she came home to Las Vegas on Thursday nights to work the weekend was because the lucrative tips of the casino made the drive back and forth worth her time. Living with her parents Friday through Sunday, her only cost was a couple of tanks of gas, and she earned enough over the three days that she didn’t have to work during the week.
Ted leaned back in his chair and sighed. “Okay, I’m going to come clean with you, but if you repeat a word of what I’m about to tell you, I will deny I even know you. Cindy is a great hostess, but…how can I put this gently? She’s not…attractive enough.”
“What’s that got to do with anything?” she asked, being careful to keep her tone neutral. While perhaps fifty pounds overweight, Cindy carried it well and had a beautiful face.
“It shouldn’t have anything to do with it, but it does.” Ted looked at his hands in obvious embarrassment. “As I said, this is a big deal for the casino, so they want to put the best face forward. That means the prettiest girls. Cindy is great, and I love her to death, but look at it this way…how do you think she’d feel if I put her in the room then had to pull her out when the cameras arrived? It’s better to not even go there.”
“So it’s looks over skill?” she asked, her tone sharper than she meant for it to be.
“It stinks, I know, but that’s how it is. The staff is deep enough that I’m fortunate I don’t have to pick one or the other. Look, you’re one of my best hostess…and you’re certainly the prettiest girl here, not that I notice those kinds of things, of course,” he said with a smile. “I really need you in that room if possible. What will it take to make it work for you?”
Shayna thought about it, wanting to help if she could. “I can do half-days Monday and Tuesday, and a full day on Friday. Then full time the next week, of course.”
“If that’s the best you can do, I’ll take it.” He paused a moment before continuing. “Thanks for helping me out, but that won’t put you in a bind, will it?”
She grinned. “No. I’ll study for a few hours in the morning before I come in. After three or four hours of anatomy, I’m ready for a break anyway.”
He smiled. “I’ll have Cindy cover your half-days plus Wednesday and Thursday. And remember, mum’s the word, okay? I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings.”
Shayna stood while making like she was twisting a key over her lips.
“Thanks. Will you send in Nikki please? Then report to the Tails Ball Room. There’s a mixer starting there in an hour for the players. Might as well get your feet wet, find out who has the grabby hands and so on. Julia and Deb are already there, and Nikki will be along as soon as I talk to her, plus some additional help.”
“Sure,” she said as she tugged her uniform down to pull out wrinkles. “And Mr. Wilks…thanks.”
“For what?”
“For the compliment.”
Ted gave her a wink and a smile. “I don’t lie to my staff, Ms. Shephard, you know that.”
***
Conor Boyd, Beast to his brothers, stepped into the Tops Casino ballroom like he owned the place, wanting to take the opportunity to check out the competition. He was dressed in his street clothes, a rich blue Polo over tan pants, leaving his riding leathers and patch behind for the night. I don’t want to scare the kiddies, he smiled to himself.
He was almost giddy with excitement and he wanted to work off the nerves tonight while trying to get a read on the other players. The caliber of the players he’d be facing in the next two weeks was far above those he normally played with, and he wanted every advantage. For the next two weeks he had to be ice cold and razor sharp because he was betting everything he had on this tournament. The club had offered to back him, but this was for him and him alone. When this was done, if he won, he wanted to be able to cut the ties to the club clean. He was still turning over in his head if he wanted to stay as a member, but President? No, he wanted out of that. Nobody other than his best friend and Vice-President, Hightower Nethercott, knew he was planning to step aside.
At twenty-seven he was young to be President of such a large and prosperous club. He certainly hadn’t asked for the job, and nobody had asked him if he even wanted the job. The Desert Reapers was his club by birthright, the club formed by his grandfather. When his father was killed he was placed at the head of the table as his father had been before him, and it had weighed heavily on his twenty-two year old shoulders.
With a little luck the stress and headaches of running the organization were going to fall to Hightower, a man much more suited to the job than himself in his opinion. With a good head for numbers and a degree in business, Hightower was already running the business side of the club in all but name. Hightower was eleven years old than Beast and being groomed for the VP position by Beast’s father – before he was killed. Beast made it official within weeks of taking the gavel, a decision he never regretted.
Beast moved through the room, smiling, nodding and chatting, on his best behavior. Without the leather and his patch, he knew very few wou
ld tag him as a biker. His blonde hair, cut stylishly short, and lean muscled body went against biker stereotype. That suited him just fine and many an opponent had underestimated him, to their determent.
The room was awash in players, mostly men but a few women, as well. The women gravitated to him, as usual, drawn in by his roguish good looks, strong chin and cheekbones, and ice blue eyes. They weren’t overt in their actions, these were professional poker players after all and didn’t easily give anything away, but he still caught their eyes now and again, offering them a beaming smile when he did. That’s right, sweetheart. I’m nothing but a fish. You just keep thinking that, right up until I take you for everything you’ve got.
***
Shayna circulated in her part of the room. The twenty hostesses had quickly divided the huge room up into more or less equal size areas, each taking a section and sticking to it so no guest was stuck in a dead zone. They were all friends and professionals and worked the room like the pros they were, the private bar making their jobs much easier. She kept her smile on her face, chatting with guests as she mingled while keeping their drinks topped off. It was the typical crowd, middle-aged and a little older, mostly men but with a dozen or so women sprinkled about. There were a few in the room who were better than average looking, but even better than the eye candy was the fact that this group was unfailingly polite and drank the free booze in moderation.
She enjoyed eavesdropping as she moved gracefully through her section, listening to the men discuss their big scores, hard losses and how they’d taken this fish or that for their entire stake. Like most fish stories, some of them seemed a little over the top, but the stories were often told with skill and wit, allowing her to enjoy herself as she worked.
***
Beast was slowly working his way through the room, listening often, speaking occasionally, when he saw her. Most of the hostesses he’d seen so far were damned attractive, and a couple of the female players weren’t bad looking either, especially the older broad with the big tits, probably paid for out of her winnings if he were to guess, but none were in the same league as the hostess working the other side of the room.
She was dressed in the same black uniform as all the other hostesses, an ultra-short sleeveless dress with black shorts hidden underneath. The deeply plunging neckline and two thin straps crisscrossing just under their neck held the uniform up enough to cover the nipple plus a bit more, but also formed a diamond to draw the eye to the swell of their breasts. Low heeled black pumps and sheer hose completed the look, and the women wore it with devastating effect, but what truly set this one apart from her peers were the glasses. Vaguely rectangular with dark frames, they completed her features in a way glasses rarely did and gave her the sexy librarian vibe in a big way. He excused himself from the conversation, ditched his glass of Talisker Scotch, and began to slowly move in her direction. If she wasn’t married, he knew who he was bedding tonight. He was a master of blending, and as he slowly worked his way closer he engaged in idle conversation for a moment here and there to disguise his approach. He didn’t want to spook her by coming on to hard.
***
“Your hand is empty. Can I get you something?” Shayna asked the man who had joined a conversation in her area. She’d noticed him earlier, picking him out as by far the most attractive guy in the place. He was younger than nearly everyone, but she noticed that he carried himself with the utmost confidence, as if he were used to getting his way. And why not? Just looking at him made her want to do anything he asked.
A bit taller than average he was built like an athlete. Slim without being skinny, his clothes fit him in a way that flattered and hinted at what was underneath. He had shockingly blue eyes and an easy, confident manner, as if he knew he could handle any problem thrown at him.
“Talisker?” Beast asked. He was playing it cool, but it was hard. Damned hard. Not that he was alone. The other three men in his group were having a hard time focusing on the conversation, as well. The hostess had a stunning figure, that much he’d noticed from across the room. Slim and well rounded, she had the type of body that made men start wars, but it was her face that caught his attention.
About his age, her short cut auburn hair framed her face perfectly, highlighting her flawless pale skin and large green eyes, her makeup all but invisible, allowing her natural beauty to shine through.
Shayna pulled her eyes away from him to engage the other men. “Can I get you gentlemen anything?”
“The key to your room?” the oldest member of the little group, a man who had to be nearly seventy, asked. His question was delivered with such over the top hope that everyone in the group laughed.
“You’re such a flirt,” Shayna teased in return. “If it weren’t against casino policy, I might take you up on that.”
“No, better not,” the man sighed. “I wouldn’t want to lose my stake because I couldn’t get out of bed in the morning. So just bring me another gin and tonic.”
Gin and tonic to the gentleman, Talisker to the tan she said to herself so she’d remember, a little trick she used to keep her orders straight. She picked up a few additional orders on the way to the bar, then began dropping them off on her return trip through the room. When she reached her gin and tonic, she looked around for the Talisker. She finally spotted him by the food bar.
“Talisker Scotch. Anything else I can do?”
“Tell me your name,” Beast said.
Shayna smiled. “What’s yours?”
“Conor, but my friends call me Beast.”
“Beast?”
He smiled. “Yeah. Named after my dad, Animal, and my grandfather, Bear. It’s sort of a family tradition.”
“Interesting tradition,” she grinned.
He chuckled. “Yes, well, what can you do? You can choose your friends, but you’re stuck with family.”
“That much is true. You’re here for the tournament, Conor? Where do you call home?”
He saw her smile change from the fake smile she wore as her genuine smile lit up her face. “Right here in Vegas and, please, call me Beast.”
“Okay…Beast. Are you a professional player?”
“Not at all. My first time in a tournament. I’m strictly an amateur.”
“That’s interesting,” she said as she began to back away. As much as she’d like to stand and chat, she had a job to do. “Good luck to you, then, Beast.”
As she swayed away, he watched her ass move, realizing she’d neatly slipped away without giving him her name. That didn’t happen to him often.
“Jesus Christ,” a man said, stepping up beside him while nodding at Shayna. “If I had a swing like that in my backyard, I’d never leave home.”
Beast did the only thing he could think of, and nodded in agreement.
***
Beast had engaged Shayna in conversation a couple more times, and she always seemed willing to talk to him, but never for more than a moment or two at a time. Each time he tried to get a little information about her, she deftly changed the subject back to him without ever appearing rude. Each time she slipped away without revealing anything about herself, his smile grew a little more. She wasn’t wearing a band, and most women fell all over themselves to give him their name and number, or seemed to begrudgingly admit they were in a relationship. The change was refreshing and the tougher the challenge, the sweeter the victory.
That was for another time. The mixer was going to be over in less than a half hour and flirting with the hostess had put him in the mood for some company. He sauntered over to the group of women players.
“Beast, isn’t it?” the older woman with the big hooters asked as they made room for him in their circle.
“That’s right. I don’t believe I got your name.”
“Fawn. Fawn Lemay.”
“Top ranked woman in the world, right?”
Fawn beamed, obviously pleased that he knew her. “That’s right. Are you ranked?”
“In poker? No. This is
my first tournament.”
“Really?” Fawn gushed, the other women looking at each other in surprise. “Nothing like jumping straight into the deep end. Are you a horse?”
“Nope. I’m bankrolling myself. You?”
“Wait,” said another of the women. “You’re bankrolling the entire fifty-thousand yourself, and this is your first professional tournament? What do you do for a living?”
Beast grinned at being underestimated again. They think I’m some rich playboy. “That’s right. It’s my entire stake. Took a mortgage on my house for the final twenty grand.”
The women looked at each other. “You are either very good or very stupid,” Fawn said with a grin.
“I guess we’ll find out tomorrow, huh?”
“I’m sure we will,” another woman said.
“You didn’t say what you do.”
