“Wait, that can’t be it. You can’t just say panic and adrenaline, and then go gambling,” Morgan insisted, jumping to his feet.
Lucy had lost all patience. “Morgan, what’s your deal? You’re acting like a total bonehead.”
Morgan reacted as if she had slapped him. He rocked back on his heels and Lucy could see the hurt in his eyes. Why did he always do this? No matter how many times and how many ways she explained that she loved him as a friend, he always got all clingy.
Penny was sitting quietly on the couch. She’d been through this before. Marcus was grinning like he was watching an episode of Dynasty. It seemed like an odd reaction, or maybe he just smiled when he was nervous. Of course, imagining Marcus was ever nervous about anything didn’t seem right either. As if Marcus could read her mind, the grin disappeared, replaced with a look of fatherly concern.
Okay, that was weird.
Lucy didn’t have time to dissect the meaning behind Marcus’ expressions. She needed to do damage control with Morgan.
“Morgan—” she began.
“Just go,” he said.
“Come on,” Lucy tried again.
“I said, go,” Morgan turned and walked to his bedroom.
“I’ll talk to him,” said Penny. “You guys get going. And win big.”
Lucy chewed on her lip and turned to Marcus. “Anything we win, can it go into the pot that the three of us are going to split?”
“Of course. I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he agreed. “But are you sure that you want to go? Morgan seems quite upset.”
“Morgan’s a big boy,” said Lucy, grabbing her purse. “Let’s go.”
The predatory smile that lit up Marcus’ face should have set off Lucy’s warning bells, but she was too caught up in the excitement of the moment to notice.
CHAPTER 11
It didn’t take Lucy long to realize that Marcus was Vegas royalty. At every casino they walked into Marcus was greeted like he owned the place. Marcus and Lucy were offered anything they wanted—food, drinks, tickets to the hottest shows—Lucy scored three tickets to the David Copperfield show and Marcus found that hilarious.
“Stage magic? Really? Now that you know real magic exits, how will you not be bored?”
“Hey, all I know so far is that it’s possible to infuse your aura,” Lucy said. “And while I can imagine a few life situations where that skill will be extremely useful, I don’t know the extent of magic powers. So a guy who can levitate and make cars disappear is still pretty cool. Besides, Morgan loves Copperfield and I figure this will be a great peace offering.”
Marcus pulled Lucy to a stop and guided her backwards into a tight alcove behind a bank of slot machines. He moved in really close. Lucy could feel his warm breath on the side of her face and it wasn’t unpleasant.
“A small demonstration,” Marcus said, holding his hand palm-up. Lucy jumped when a tiny, marble-sized ball of fire sprang to life above Marcus’ palm. He said, “The bounds of real magic are limitless.” The tiny orb of flame began to rotate slowly, like a mini-planet.
Lucy reached out a finger. She could feel the heat, it was real fire.
“Careful,” Marcus said. “Magic fire burns hotter than regular flames.”
Lucy kept her finger at a safe distance. “It’s beautiful.”
Marcus brought his other hand up and covered the tiny flame. He shook his clenched hands theatrically and then opened them to reveal a small pile of white powder.
“Is that snow?” Lucy asked, awed.
Marcus blew gently and the tiny ice crystals fanned out in a cloud around Lucy’s face. As a cold sensation spread across the tip of her nose and cheeks, Lucy laughed with delight. Marcus smiled, took her by the hand and led her back onto the main casino floor. A different kind of heat started spreading from Marcus’ touch up Lucy’s arm and she knew he could feel it also.
They ended up in the high-roller room of the Sahara. Marcus was teaching Lucy how to play blackjack. Actually, Marcus was teaching Lucy how to use magic to win at blackjack. Lucy was trying to pay attention, but Kiefer Sutherland was playing cards and laughing with his friends just a couple of tables over.
“If you would rather spend your evening with those young gentlemen, I can arrange an introduction.” Marcus said, not even trying to hide his annoyance.
“No. No, I’m sorry,” Lucy said quickly. “I grew up in LA, you’d think I’d be used to seeing famous people, but that’s Keifer. Did you see Lost Boys? No, you probably didn’t. It’s a really cool movie. He plays a totally hot punk rock vampire.”
“Are you intrigued by vampires?” Marcus asked, suddenly interested.
“Well, not the old, cape-wearing kind like Dracula, but punk rock vampires, they were pretty sexy. There, I said it—you probably think I’m a total idiot.”
“Not at all. In this movie did the vampires drink blood?”
“Well, yeah, I mean they’re vampires,” Lucy rolled her eyes. “But Penny and I, we went and saw it like five times together, and she summed it up perfectly when she said ‘Keifer can bite me anytime.’ It was sooo classic Penny.”
“Interesting,” said Marcus. “So, the idea of blood, utilized as a form of vitality and power, doesn’t make you squeamish?”
Lucy didn’t know how to respond. They were talking about movies and Kiefer. Marcus’ question didn’t sound like he was talking about Hollywood make-believe.
“Well, I know it’s all special effects and stuntmen. Keifer didn’t really bite anyone.” Lucy laughed nervously. Why was she nervous? Marcus was like a cultured guy and his skill at talking about stupid things like movies was probably non-existent. Lucy mentally kicked herself. She needed to talk about more interesting things, like art and the Middle East peace process and junk.
“Let’s forget about Keifer and vampires,” she said, flipping her hair and leaning forward on her elbows. “Teach me more about how to win at blackjack.”
The dealer, Thomas, who patiently stood at a discrete distance waiting for them to finish their conversation, stepped back up to the table. He deftly dealt the cards. Lucy’s cards totaled ten, and Thomas had a Queen showing.
“What do you do?” Marcus asked.
“I’m supposed to hit, right?”
“Yes, but,” Marcus leaned in so he could whisper in her ear. “Before you hit, picture in your mind an ace. It can be any suit, but it must be an ace. And be quick about it, casinos don’t like slow players, especially in blackjack. They think everyone is a card counter.”
Lucy did as Marcus said, imagining the ace of spades, and said, “Hit me.”
Thomas dealt her a two.
“Dang it.”
Lucy hit again and reached a total of fifteen, where she stayed, because that is what Marcus had taught her. Thomas flipped his second card, an eight.
“Dang it,” Lucy repeated, as Thomas scooped up her five hundred dollar chip. Lucy had almost passed out when Marcus told her the minimum bet at the high roller tables was five hundred dollars. “I’m sorry.”
“No, never apologize,” Marcus told her. “This just illustrated the point I wanted to make.” Marcus picked up their pile of chips, handed Thomas a hundred dollar tip, and gestured for Lucy to follow him. “David Copperfield could have made the ace appear, because he deals in misdirection and illusion. Real magic cannot turn a two into an ace, the cards are what the cards are. Now, we won several hands, many more than statistics can account for, because your aura is still infused and because of my status as a high-value gambler.”
“You’re called a whale,” Lucy said, poking gently at Marcus’ very fit midsection.
“Yes, because of my whale status, I was able to request a brand new shuffle and shoe of cards. That is the precise moment that your magically infused aura kicked in.”
“I think I understand,” said Lucy. “I can’t physically change the cards with magic, but I can influence where they end up as the deck is shuffled.”
“Exactly. So w
hile you would win more than lose, the time spent playing blackjack would not be as lucrative as when you were playing roulette.”
“But why is that?” Lucy asked. “We were picking numbers and they were hitting every time?
“Yes, but I believe it was not due to your infused aura. Well, not completely anyway,” said Marcus. “While the ritual bath certainly helped, there was something much more intriguing at play.”
“What was that?”
Marcus stopped walking and nodded over Lucy’s shoulder. She turned to see the craps tables. The game looked just as fast and complicated as it had earlier.
“I don’t know,” Lucy said, turning back to Marcus. “That looks really intimidating.”
“Nonsense, you are with me.”
At the craps table the person running the game was called ‘the Stick Man’. Her name was Heather and she recognized Marcus immediately, making sure that both he and Lucy were given their choice of where to stand. She signaled for a waitress to take their order.
“Before we start,” Marcus said to Lucy. “Every time you roll the dice, I want you to hold a clear picture of the number you want. After you let the dice go I want you to point at them and call out your number—unless you need a seven. Never call out a seven, it makes the other players nervous.”
Heather, the Stick Man, smiled at this.
“Trust me,” said Marcus.
Lucy nodded and picked up the offered dice. They felt cool in her hand. Marcus was starting Lucy’s instruction in the finer points of craps with the basics, so he had her place a bet on the Pass Line.
“It’s simple, you want to roll a seven or eleven,” Marcus said, nodding at her encouragingly.
Lucy rolled the dice and pointed while imagining a five and six. “Eleven,” she nearly shouted. Kiefer and his group glanced over at the outburst. Lucy felt like her face was on fire.
The dice tumbled to a stop with the five and six showing. Lucy let out a whoop of excitement and Marcus laughed. Heather didn’t frown exactly, but looked perplexed.
“What happens now?” Lucy asked.
“You roll again. First you must decide if you want to pick up your winnings or let them ride.”
Lucy stared down at the Pass Line. If she let it ride she would be risking five hundred dollars. “I want to win, let it ride.”
“Excellent,” said Marcus. “Do the same exact thing, just lower the volume a little.”
Lucy won the next three rolls, calling out the number she needed each time. At the end of the last roll Heather was definitely frowning.
Marcus leaned in close again. Lucy liked it when he did that, and she started leaning in too so that their bodies sort of mashed together. He told her, “The odds of someone calling the number, three times in a row, are astronomical. It’s time to stop pointing and vocalizing, use just your mind, you can do it.”
Lucy had no doubt she could do it, she would do it.
After two hours, Lucy had a pile of chips in front of her that rivaled what she won playing roulette.
“We need to cash out,” Marcus whispered. He had placed his hand on Lucy’s lower back about an hour earlier and left it there, making small circles with his thumb. His touch was electric. Lucy received a small jolt up her spine with every revolution of his thumb.
“But we’re winning,” Lucy whispered back, letting her lips brush against his ear.
“Yes, we’ve won thirty-six thousand dollars and have drawn much attention to ourselves. We need to stop winning and cash out. Casinos do not like to lose.”
“Yeah, that’s what Morgan kept saying all day.”
“Morgan is correct.” Marcus stood up and held Lucy’s chair for her. “Winning is fun, but if done regularly, the casinos will assume you are cheating and ban you from playing.”
“We can beat them at their own game and that makes them mad. They’re nothing but sore losers if you ask me,” Lucy said, as she handed Heather a five hundred dollar chip as a tip. Lucy was shocked when Marcus gave Heather three more five hundred dollar chips. She almost fell over herself to shake their hands.
“That seemed generous,” said Lucy.
“You will never be without money again,” said Marcus. “Was the tip generous? Yes. Will you miss it? No. For someone like Heather that amount of money could be life-changing. It doesn’t hurt to share what we can acquire so easily.”
“So how was I doing it?” Lucy asked. “How did the dice land exactly like I wanted them to?”
“Have you ever heard of telekinesis?”
“That’s like moving stuff with your mind, right? Wait, is that what I was doing?” Lucy was shocked.
“Yes. And you are a natural. The proper term for what you were doing is kinetic magic.”
A million ways of how she could use kinetic magic flashed through Lucy’s brain. Obviously, roulette and craps were at the top of the list, because generating more money was a priority. Lucy thought about that more as her chips were counted and a check was generated.
It occurred to her that Marcus probably didn’t run to Vegas every time he needed money. His house alone had to cost him a small fortune every month in upkeep and he had flown here on a private jet. That was serious money.
“Marcus, gambling here in town, it’s not how you generate all of your money is it?”
“Heavens no, I only come here for recreation or to woo business associates. No, my money is generated from a multitude of investments.”
“But the same principles apply? Your investments are always winners, right?”
“Yes, because the business world is not a casino. No one gets angry if you win. Instead they just want to give you more money to invest, enriching all parties involved.”
“Can you teach me how to do that?”
“My dearest Lucy.” Marcus took her in his arms.
Lucy’s belly fluttered and her knees got all shaky. Geez, she was such a spaz sometimes.
“Could you not tell that, tonight, your magic won you more than mere money?” Marcus asked, his eyes daring Lucy to look away. “My sweet, you are mine.”
Lucy’s knees now went completely mushy, and she needed to catch her breath. The way he had said mine had been so powerful. If Lucy hadn’t been caught up in the dizzying enchantment, she would have recognized the tone he used was exactly the same as Lucy used to call the craps numbers.
When they climbed back into the limousine, Lucy barely waited for the door to shut before she jumped him. Lucy wanted him now, not later, now, right here in the car. She pulled her skirt up around her hips, climbed onto his lap and started to grind, hard. Marcus’ body responded instantly. He growled with pleasure and his hands roved over her body. Lucy felt out of control, but in a good way. She just knew sex with Marcus would be spectacular. Of course, technically speaking, Lucy was a virgin. There was that one time with Bobby Steadman at the beach, things had gotten naked and crazy, but ultimately they had stopped just short of the deed. But she didn’t care, and would willingly lose her virginity in the back of a limo cruising down the Vegas Strip. She’d heard worse stories of people’s first times.
Marcus froze in mid-kiss. He dropped his hands and pulled his head back, away from Lucy.
What had she done? Why was he stopping? It had to be her inexperience. He was used to more mature women and she was just a dumb eighteen-year-old girl. Lucy suddenly wanted to curl up and disappear, feeling mortified that she ever thought he would want her.
“I’m sorry,” she said weakly.
“I told you, never apologize,” Marcus stroked her cheek. “You are a virgin.” It wasn’t a question.
“Yes, but trust me, I know how everything works.”
Marcus laughed, a deep throaty sound. Lucy would have been offended, but he pressed her to his chest. “You will not give something so precious in the back of a limousine, even to me.”
“But I want to,” Lucy fumbled at the buttons on his shirt.
“Stop,” Marcus said. “It will happen, I promise
. But not like this.”
The driver took them back to Caesars Palace. Marcus let Lucy stay on his lap for the short drive. When they pulled into the hotel, he gently pushed her off, but kept his arms wrapped around her tight.
“You enjoy spending time with your friends. Go and watch that silly stage magician. Don’t gamble anymore, you’ve already drawn too much attention to yourself.” Marcus gave Lucy a long, deep kiss and said, “I will see you when you get back to LA. Come to me as soon as you arrive back in town.”
“I will,” Lucy promised. “Where are you going to stay tonight?”
“I will be flying back to LA tonight.”
Lucy reluctantly got out of the car and watched it drive away. She stood in the driveway until she lost sight of the limo’s taillights in traffic, then made her way to the suite. She had no idea how she was supposed to go back to her normal life? It all seemed so mundane.
Morgan and Penny were watching TV. Penny turned down the volume as Lucy slumped down on the couch.
“Well?” said Penny. “How’d it go? You guys weren’t gone that long.”
Morgan remained quiet, glaring in Lucy’s general direction.
Lucy pulled the check out of her purse and handed it to Penny, who immediately let out a shriek, grabbed a sofa cushion and started hitting Lucy with it.
“You’re such a faker,” Penny yelled. “You walk in here looking like someone killed your dog and casually drop a thirty-six thousand dollar check on us.”
Lucy smiled, Penny’s enthusiasm was infectious. “That’s just how I roll.”
“So, where’s Mr. Wonderful?” Morgan asked.
Lucy didn’t take the bait. “He flew back to LA. But one of his Vegas connections got us these,” Lucy tossed the David Copperfield tickets onto Morgan’s lap.
Morgan’s eyes got wide when he realized what he was holding—he was such a nerd.
“These are front row tickets for tomorrow’s show.”
“Yep, are you interested?
“Hell yes,” said Morgan. “But what about more gambling?
“We have almost one hundred thousand dollars, I think that will do for this trip,” said Lucy.
Lucy: A Paragon Society Novel (Book 3) Page 11
