~Lao Tzu
34
Sunday, November 27, 2022
Kieran
We spent much of the holiday weekendgiving Emily the scenic tour of Las Vegas. A feat that was far easier said than done.
She wanted to explore the casinos, to see what they had to offer. I wasn’t sure if that was because she wanted to compare them to the Monolith or if she was merely curious. Not that it mattered. I was more than happy to traipse up and down the Vegas Strip if it would keep the smile planted on her face. Knox didn’t seem too bothered by it either.
However, it appeared some sort of memo had gone out announcing two wealthy billionaires were making the circuit because we were greeted at every casino as though we were royalty, offered the best they had to offer. Our net worth categorized us as high rollers, which were nothing more than dollar signs for a casino.
“Do you gamble?” Emily asked as we strolled through the Bellagio, winding our way along the path that snaked through the table games and slot machines.
“Every day of my life,” I quipped. “Just not like this.”
“I’ve never done it,” she said, her gaze locked on one of the roulette tables.
“Why don’t you give it a try?” Knox prompted, guiding her closer to the table.
As though they’d been monitoring us on the camera, the pit boss was quickly at the table, a smile on his beefy face, our designated casino host also lurking nearby.
“I’ll take a ten thousand dollar marker,” Knox told the casino host.
“Of course, Mr. Montgomery.”
The man flitted about, doing whatever it was he did to get it approved. A couple of minutes later, he returned with Knox’s chips.
“How do you play?” Emily asked when Knox pointed for the man to place them in front of her.
Someone was instantly there to give her the high-level details of play.
“Wow. That sounds … complicated.”
I motioned toward the lit board. “Those are the last numbers that have been called.”
Her gaze swung to it, skimmed, shifted back to the table. “It’s picked red the last four times.”
I stood with Knox, observing her, enjoying her enthusiasm as she decided how she wanted to play.
She looked back at us, asked, “What would you do?”
“Put it all on black,” Knox told her.
Her eyes widened, her mouth falling open. “Ten thousand dollars?”
Knox’s smile was slow and sexy. “Yes.”
Emily took a deep breath, turned back to the table, and pushed the chips to the designated square.
We’d drawn a bit of a crowd at that point, but no one else was placing bets at the table.
The dealer waved a hand, signaling no more bets as the wheel began to slow.
“Twenty black,” the dealer called.
The onlookers clapped and whispered to one another excitedly.
