Chapter Ten: New Competition
Jaz
Tyrone was the least of my concerns as I walked into the casino to resume my takeover of Holbeck. I’d taken a day off after the heat with Ink. My body ached for him and I hoped it was just attraction. These feelings were short term, nothing more than fleeting, lustful feelings that would fade away once I left Holbeck.
I went back to wearing all black; this was a time to be incognito. My feelers were telling me it was almost time to leave Holbeck. I had a few more things I wanted to achieve in the high roller room, then I would be clicking my heels together like Dorothy… to the next town.
The sticky mugginess, courtesy of Mississippi made me a little sluggish as I walked in through the double doors. I conducted my usual peripheral scan of the premises. Tonight, I’d decided on wearing flats to give my feet a break. I weaved in between people to the cashier to set up my chips for the night.
The skeptical cashier that had already looked at me like I was a criminal worked at the front window again. This time, she wore her mousy brown hair down, but her lips were still tight and disapproving. “Jasmine Roberts,” she said my name out loud, shocking me.
“Yes. You know my name.” I looked closely at her name tag. Gladys. I should have known I was dealing with a Gladys.
“Of course I know your name. You’re a hit here since you’ve come to town and a regular at the Red Stone Casino. Great to see you again.” She smiled like a Cheshire cat. Every syllable she uttered sounded like a threat.
“Uh, thanks.” Best to keep the small talk to a minimum until I found out what she was up to. Her greeting was faker than my acrylic nails, and I knew I was on her radar for some reason. My first game would be to ease into blackjack. I would leave the high roller alone for the moment.
I played the blackjack table straight. I lost a few games and I won a few. I moved onto the next table and played blackjack again. No funny business, just straight mathematics and studying the cards the house held. I ended up with the magic cards and won.
I found myself wandering around the casino, subconsciously searching for Ink. He was nowhere to be found. I figured he might have been working the other job he liked at the bar. I felt listless inside without his cat and mouse chasing, so I left early. I wanted to text him so bad. I wanted to hear his sexy voice, to feel his rock hard body again. I only won a thousand dollars, but I didn’t care.
The following night, I entered Red Stone dressed in my black pantsuit, ready to take my chips to the Mahogany room again. I cruised up in the elevator with a few others. As I entered, I spotted the self-confessed oil man back at the same roulette table, he’d succeeded at before.
How the hell had he been allowed back in here?
I wasn’t afraid of him. I just felt surprised that he’d almost assaulted me and was allowed to enter. Money talks and bullshit walks I guessed.
He had yet to spot me, but he would. I was small, but people knew if I was in a room. I started at the other end—not that it was far enough away from him.
A jazz band was playing live and perched in the top left corner of the room with a bass violin. The sound added a nice touch to the room. Roulette would be the starter for me. The dealer was the same woman who was in the room the last time. I remained more conservative in my starting bet. I spread my chips out across the numbers low and high. Five other players were at the table, a couple of them older and one single man in a grey suit with a black shirt underneath, closer to the wheel. He looked to be of Asian descent. He had one hand in his pocket and the other casually by his side.
Another watcher, just like Mr. Oil Man, Tyrone. Ugh.
The ball rolled out, starting the evening's proceedings. I hit the first one and even though I’d been playing for years, it still excited me to see the win. The ball rolled again and this time, missed the mark. I started talking to the person next to me and nudged my chip next to the winner’s, slightly across. The trick was to catch the dealer when she was doing something else. I barely got away with it.
My radar kept searching for Ink, but he wasn’t here. Maybe I scared him off or something, but he wasn’t calling me and I wasn’t calling him.
The next game, the Asian man won. He looked at me, but it was as if he was looking through glass when he stared.
His energy seemed eerie and put me off my game. I wasn’t about to be run out of the room by either one of these dudes. I went a little crazy with the next bet and the whole table took notice.
All eyes were on me.
My heart was in my chest because I’d stacked four thousand dollars’ worth of chips on the table. I wanted to go for broke. I could afford to lose, and I wanted to feel high, oh so high. I had nothing and no-one in my life and Ink wasn’t here, so why not?
The croupier stared at my chips and then back at me with a smile.
A small crowd gathered and this sparked the interest of Tyrone at the other table, enticing him to come over to where the action was.
I watched the ball like I’d done so many times before. First number red 7. I won. Second ball out. 16 black, I won, split over the line. Third ball out, 25 red, loss. Fourth ball, 25 black. Win. Overall I won, without cheating. I was good at this.
I could gamble without cheating.
This was new and I didn’t know if I liked it. I saw the steam coming out of the ears of Tyrone and the other man had the left side of his mouth turned up in a smile. He seemed more impressed than anything, and not as eerie as when I first encountered him.
The croupier’s face changed and she didn’t seem so pessimistic about my chances anymore, but that was it for me. It was time to go home. I didn’t know why I felt so empty. I thought I would feel better about the win, but I didn’t. I cashed in and neither the Asian man nor Tyrone followed me. I wrapped my jacket tighter over myself for security and walked back to my apartment.
I looked at the mini bar, wondering if this was the best I had to replace my sorrows with and chose not to. I switched the television on for background noise and lay on my back, staring up at the ceiling. I let the pain seep in as I thought back to an early childhood memory.