I was aghast at his arrogance, but I tried to be nice and pulled my arm away. “No thank you,” I told him. “I have other plans.”
“Baby, you’re coming with me,” he said. “We’ll have a good time. Let me buy you a drink.” He grabbed my arm again and held it tighter.
A scene was about to be made as I said in a much louder voice, “No! I don’t want to go with you.” I tried harder to pull my arm away from him.
“Listen, when I say you’re coming with me, you’re coming with me,” he shouted. “Do you know who I am?” It was obvious his anger was sparked.
A pit boss came over and addressed him firmly, “Carl, the lady said no. I think that’s the end of the conversation.”
The man glared at the pit boss then turned back to me. He seemed to regain his composure and said, “Yes, of course.” He nodded to me and with civility said, “Thank you again for the luck at the table.” He collected his chips and walked away.
I turned to the table for my winnings. I tossed the $500 chip from the man onto the table and said, “For the dealers.” I didn’t want the man’s money and used it to tip the table workers. I stuffed his telephone number into an empty drink glass.
As I turned to leave the table, I saw Dudley leaning against the wall and looking my way. He had a slight smile on his face as though he had been entertained by the scene. When he saw I made eye contact with him, he slightly tipped his bowler and nodded my way. I nodded back but left the area quickly and made my way to the cage where the cashier cashed my chips and my slot machine voucher to the tune of $8,675.
Wow! I couldn’t help but squeal a little as the money was counted out to me. The extra money would give me and Mom loads more options as we planned the wedding this week. I stashed it in a zippered compartment in my purse and slipped the strap over my head. Too many people knew I had the money on me at the moment, and my purse would be safer closer to my body rather than hanging loose where it could be grabbed. I made my way back to the elevators and pushed number 13. Unlucky 13. Hah! It was proving to be very lucky for me.
It wasn’t terribly late, but it had been a long day, and I was tired. Back in my room, I changed into pajamas and climbed into the comfortable bed. Thinking back over the day made me smile. I would get over the videos with Dell; they were already somewhat funny to me. And winning the money had been amazing. It was the first time I had ever played craps in a casino, and I couldn’t wait to let Aunt Charlotte know what had happened. It made me smile just thinking about it. But what was up with that man? Who in the world was Carl? Was he someone famous? Only a self-absorbed person who thought they were more important than they really were would ask, “Do you know who I am?” I certainly hoped I wouldn’t run into him again.
Chapter Three
Saturday was another unseasonably warm day. The high would be in the low 70’s rather than the 50’s, as would normally be expected for this time of year.
I dressed casually in dark blue skinny jeans belted with the thin, hot pink, crocodile belt I had purchased in Florida last year. I buttoned up a simple, white blouse with a Peter Pan color and tucked it in. I topped the blouse with a pink blazer with gathered 3/4 length sleeves. Finally, I slipped into pink flats with bow accents on top. It was a cute look, pink was a good color for me, and the outfit felt fun and flirty.
I was now sitting in the food court in front of Starbuck’s and enjoying a late morning mocha frappuccino. Mom and Dad would be here later this afternoon, and we would be going out to dinner. I was trying to decide what I should do in the meantime. I didn’t really want to go back to the gaming tables and decided a manicure would be nice.
I was watching people walk by the food court and saw Dudley coming toward the area. Today he was dressed in a dark blue suit with a slightly unkempt look. His tie might have been the same one as yesterday, and he was wearing the same small bowler. If his clothes didn’t seem so tired, I might think he was part of hotel security, but the security personnel were obvious to spot and they were sharply dressed. No one was dressed like Dudley, and I couldn’t help but wonder what his story was.
He nodded to me as he passed by my table and walked to the counter to order a plain black coffee. Who does that at Starbuck’s? He could have grabbed a much less expensive cup of coffee at the nearby McDonald’s.
I finished my frappuccino and made the short walk to the spa. Before entering, my phone rang. I pulled it out of my purse and smiled when I saw the call was from Mick. To my right was a door exiting the building to the pool area. I stepped outside to answer the call.
“Mick, hi!” I chirped. I was pleased to hear from him.
“Hi, Sweetheart,” he said with happiness in his voice. “I guess you made it, and you’re settled in. Are your mom and dad there yet?”
“I made it just fine,” I told him, “and I love it here. I played craps last night, and I won!” I didn’t tell him how much. I wanted to surprise him when I saw him. “Mom and Dad will be here later this afternoon.”
“Well,” he said, “I wanted to call to be sure everything was good with you, and to let you know I’m on schedule here, so I should have no problem coming out next Friday.”
“Good,” I told him. “I can’t wait for you to get here. I miss you so much already.”
“I miss you, too, Susan,” he said with a soft voice. I loved how he didn’t hide his emotions anymore and was always trying to be sure I knew how he felt. “I’ll call you again in a couple of days. I’m taking Alex skiing for the weekend. We had a lot of snow come through yesterday, so it’ll be a good weekend for it.”
Alex was his 14-year-old son from his first marriage. Mick had married right out of high school, and Alex was his only child. He was a nice boy and had accepted his parents’ divorce, and the subsequent relationships of his mother and father, with maturity beyond his years. He was friendly and polite to me whenever I had an opportunity to spend time with him and Mick together.
“What a wonderful idea,” I told him. “I know you’ll have a good time. I’m getting ready to hit the spa for a manicure. I want to have my hands at their best to show off my ring.” I know my voice conveyed the joy I felt at wearing it and knowing we would be married soon.
He laughed and said, “That’s sounds like a good plan. I love you, Susan. I’ll call again soon.”
“I love you, too, Mick.” I didn’t whisper it. I didn’t care if anyone was around to hear me or not.
We hung up, and I leaned against the wall for a moment to wait for the rubbery feeling to leave my legs. Mick’s warm, sexy voice always turned me to jelly.
I glanced around the pool area. Even though the pool itself wasn’t open, chairs and umbrellas were set up, and one of the bars was open. The area was bustling with activity, and it was lovely with beautiful trees and plants. Dudley was standing with coffee in hand on the other side of the pool by one of the cabanas. He seemed out of place, lonely even.
I turned around and walked indoors. The spa was just around the corner, and thirty minutes later, I walked out with a fantastic French manicure which really enhanced my ring’s look. I was delighted.
The pool area had been enticing, so I walked back out and chose an empty seat in the sunshine. I slipped on my sunglasses and enjoyed relaxing and watching people. Some were reading magazines or newspapers, others had eReaders, and many people were simply visiting and chatting with each other. It was equivalent to a lovely fall day back home in Ohio, but without the colorful leaves.
I noticed Dudley again. He was seated, facing me, directly across the pool. He seemed to be looking right at me. I felt the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. It never dawned on me that he might be following me. I had been down the stalker road before, and it wasn’t pleasant. The feeling of a possible threat again was disconcerting, and I tried to quickly rationalize it away. First of all, he was in plain sight and had actually acknowledged me. If he was following me, surely he would be more inconspicuous. Maybe he was an admirer and harmless. Maybe
he was a pervert. Whatever it was, I needed to be aware, but I also needed to shake the creepy feeling. Mom and Dad would be here soon, and I wouldn’t have to worry about Dudley.
“You look bright and cheery today,” said a masculine voice.
I had been so focused on Dudley, I hadn’t paid attention when the obnoxious man from the craps table last night sat down beside me. He was still sporting an excessive amount of bling, but was dressed casually in loafers, jeans, and a gray v-neck sweater with a white collared shirt underneath. Today, in the sunshine, I wondered if he was younger than his gray hair implied. His features seemed softer. I gave him a slight nod, but didn’t respond to his comment.
“I owe you an apology,” he said. “After an evening of a few too many drinks, and then the excitement of winning – thanks to you -,” he said pointedly, “I realize I got carried away, and I’m sorry.”
Everything about him seemed so much less abrasive today. “Thank you,” I said. “I appreciate the apology.”
He extended his hand to me and said, “My name’s Carl. What’s yours?”
“Susan,” I told him as I shook his hand.
“Well, Susan,” he said pointing to my hand, “it’s hard to miss your ring, but you seem to be here alone. Trouble in paradise?”
He seemed softer, but it was obvious he couldn’t hide his true personality. “My fiancé will be here later in the week,” I told him.
“I see,” he said slowly. It was as though he paused to think about what I said. “Where are you from?” he asked.
“Back East,” I answered, and followed it with a bit of a mocking voice, “and where are you from?” I hated having idle banter with him and wasn’t comfortable telling him where I lived.
He laughed and said, “I guess from Vegas now. I came here a couple of months ago to take a position with a company, but haven’t found a place I like yet, so I’m staying here in one of the condos.”
“Pretty nice,” I simply said.
“Yes it is. It’s nice to be able to afford the lifestyle,” he said smugly. “And thanks to you, I’ll be enjoying it for a little while longer.”
I found him to be more unpleasant with each passing minute.
He became more serious and asked, “So, what’s the guy’s name? What does he do for a living? Does he make a lot of money?”
I was aghast at his brashness. “That’s certainly none of your business,” I snapped.
He laughed again and said, “I like to make things my business. Take you for instance. I see you dress nicely, you obviously take care of yourself, and you have an adequate ring.”
An adequate ring! This guy had some nerve. Any girl would be thrilled with this ring, and it was certainly more than adequate. I could feel my anger rising.
He continued with his thought, “You like nice things, and you want someone to give them to you. I can do that for you, Susan, and I want to.” He lowered his voice, leaned closer to me, and said, “I want you. I want you bad. And when I want something, I get it. I can give you anything you could ever wish for and more. Whoever is on the other end of your ring could never give you what I can.”
Oh my gosh! He was practically licking his lips, and I was thoroughly disgusted. I jumped to my feet, and through gritted teeth snarled at him, “You are abhorrent to me, and I would never, ever want you in a million years.” I whirled around and stormed away.
I could hear him yelling after me, “You’ll be sorry. You’ll regret you ever talked to me that way.”
What a dirtbag! I was so angry, I almost plowed into Dudley who was leaning against the doorway of the pool area. He started to tip his hat toward me, but I gave him a growl from the back of my throat. I’d had enough of both of them.
I rushed inside and walked briskly down the hallway. Mom and Dad wouldn’t be here for a couple of hours yet, so I decided to leave the hotel for a while. It would feel good to walk away from Carl and Dudley.
I exited through the main entrance and headed for the taxi stand. There were several cabs waiting, and I was able to get one right away. “The Bellagio, please,” I told the driver. I thought it would be nice to see the fountain show during the day, and then again at night with my parents.
The cab driver had a heavy accent I couldn’t identify, but he was chatty. “Oh, yes,” he said, “the Bellagio. Hockey players there. You like hockey? I get you tickets for game tonight?”
I smiled thinking about Dell and that horrible newscast, but it was less painful as the day wore on. “No thank you,” I told the driver. “I already have plans for the evening.”
“Ok,” he said. “I like hockey and go to lotsa games. I go see funny Dell Grady tonight. You see Dell with funny woman on his back on news?”
I could feel the blush creeping into my face. I quickly looked down and said, “No.”
Walking to the Bellagio would have taken me a little while, but the cab ride was only a couple of minutes. Thankfully, the driver was pulling in before he recognized me. I paid the fare and gave him a generous tip because the ride was so short. He gave me a huge smile and said, “Thank you, Susan,” and he pulled away from the curb.
Ugh! I should have known he recognized me the minute I stepped into his cab. What cabbie talks about hockey to the fare? I sighed, shook my head, and stood at the front entrance trying to decide if I should go in and look around the hotel, or walk around to the front and wait for the next fountain show.
Before I could make up my mind, a group of people exited the front doors, and one of them called over to me. “Susan!” It was Dell.
He was coming toward me with a big smile on his face, and I started to walk toward him. We weren’t three feet apart, and I tripped. There was nothing to trip over, but I tripped. When I was a child, my mother used to yell at me to pick up my feet. If felt like one of those moments. I didn’t pick up a foot and the front edge of my shoe stuck and tripped me. I pitched forward, but Dell caught me quickly and pulled me up into his strong arms. We both laughed. At that exact moment, from out of nowhere, came flashes upon flashes of cameras. What was going on?
Dell laughed, grabbed my hand, and pulled me inside the front doors of the hotel. “Paparazzi,” he said. “I’m afraid we might be in for it again, Susan.”
Oh my gosh! This was nearing disaster level.
He didn’t seem fazed by it at all. He was still smiling and asked, “What are you doing here? Are you looking for me? Do you want to come to a game?”
I laughed and said, “I came down to take a break from my hotel and see the fountain show. It was just my luck you were coming out as I arrived.” I looked around and saw the guys he had been with were now gone. “Where are your friends? Do you need to be somewhere?”
“No. As a matter of fact, I don’t. The guys are headed downtown to do some gambling.” He paused for a moment and said, “I haven’t had lunch yet, have you?” I shook my head. “Let’s grab a bite to eat. We can talk about your recent fame.” He laughed again.
We walked through the lobby and into to the Café. We were seated overlooking the conservatory. It was a peaceful, enchanting setting.
A waitress came to our table, and Dell asked me, “Are you allergic to anything, or are you fussy about food?”
I shook my head and said, “I’m up for anything.”
“Good.” He smiled at the waitress and said, “Two mimosas and two lobster omelets.”
“Ooh, that sounds really good,” I told him.
“It is,” he replied. “I think it’s my new favorite thing to eat.” He smiled at me. “Now, tell me what you’ve been doing since I last saw you yesterday.”
My eyes opened wide, and I told him, “Well, I had the shock of my life when a bartender recognized me from a sportscast. Then he showed it to me on his phone! Dell, I almost had a plumber’s crack!”
Dell laughed a big belly laugh, “Oh, Susan, all of those videos were hilarious. You know what they say, any publicity is good publicity. A lot of people are talking about the Blue Ba
ll Blades, and if we win all of our games this weekend, this will have all been a good lead up to even better publicity.” He smiled at me, gave me more of a commiserating look, and said, “No one was laughing at you. You’re so pretty, that’s probably why they kept showing it over and over again.”
“I’m not as freaked out about it as I was,” I told him truthfully. “And I won over $6,000 at craps last night,” Dell’s jaw dropped, “so, it’s been a good 24 hours.”
“You must have had some serious luck with you,” he said shaking his head. “I’m down at least five grand already.”
The waitress arrived with our mimosas. Champagne and orange juice; they were refreshing.
Dell turned things a little more personal and asked, “When are you getting married, Susan?”
My eyes sparkled, and I said, “I’ll be a June bride. June 22nd.”
“You’ll make a beautiful bride. He’s a lucky guy,” Dell said with a smile.
We chatted about my engagement to Mick for a few more minutes, and the waitress brought our omelets. They were made with lobster, asparagus, brie cheese, and they were delicious. “Yum,” I mumbled to Dell with my mouth mostly full.
“They are good, aren’t they? I’ve had three of these since we got here,” he chuckled.
After we had practically devoured the omelets, I asked, “What’s your story, Dell? Is there someone special in your life?”
He glanced around as though to be sure no one was listening. He smiled an endearing smile and said, “Yes, but being one of the bad boys of hockey is actually good for publicity, so I let the stories of a wild reputation go unchallenged. I’m not afraid to open the door and meet new people, and I seem to fall into situations like what happened with you, so the myth gets perpetuated.” He savored the last couple bites of his omelet and finished his mimosa. He leaned back comfortably in his chair and continued his story. “I’ve been dating Lisa for over three years. She’s beautiful, she’s smart, and she makes me happy. When hockey season’s over this year, I’m going to ask her to marry me.”
3 Sin City Hunter Page 3
