The room was expansive and in the middle there were ten full-sized poker tables, like the ones you would see in Vegas or on the televised poker tournaments. But those tables were nowhere near as elegant as these tables appeared to be. Not with all the different gems inlaid into each leg. As if the gems weren’t enough, the tables themselves looked to have been manufactured from silver. I couldn’t see what the playing surface was made of but I was certain it would be over the top.
Surrounding the tables was a walled off gallery, making the oval room feel more like the ancient Roman Coliseum than like a poker hall. Though with that comparison all of the players did appear to be standing in for the gladiators of old. I began to idly wonder who would be standing in for the audience. But that question was answered when I noticed that there were already people in the stands. We were a new form of gladiator. Where did all these people come from?
Again my guiding light saved me from embarrassment. “More people want to be on the floor than can. For the ones who weren’t quick enough, they can still come and watch.”
“But they didn’t come in…”
“My uncle is very good at hiding doors,” she noted, pointing out the doorway we had just came through. “When you think about it, is it all that surprising that you didn’t see them enter?”
“I guess not,” I replied sullenly. Well I had really screwed the pooch. How did I miss an exterior door? Granted I wasn’t given the opportunity to really examine the walls all too closely, but still I didn’t like missing this much. I pulled my attention away from the small crowd watching us to the light fixtures above. Now this was what put the room over the top. There were half a dozen handcrafted chandeliers that appeared to be forged from gold. From the end of each spoke to its center there was a line of diamonds strung up to connect the two points. There was other, more usable light along the edges of the ceiling but those chandeliers certainly put the room into its own class.
Similar to the lounge, the walls were very ornate. But here there was only one bar to satiate the players and, according to what I had been told, this one wasn’t going to be open. With a slight tug on my arm Bella pulled my attention from further observation of the room and looked me square in the eyes. “Remember Marcus, different tables.” And with that she turned on her heels and went off to her right in search of an open table.
Watching her walk off I wanted to go back to studying the room but I needed to find a table so that I could ensure we wouldn’t start at the same one, so I went in the opposite direction. Scanning the tables I passed two full tables that had already started, but I was curious to see where Bella ended up so I briefly turned around. And sure enough I saw that Bella had snagged herself a seat at a table but unfortunately Patrick got the last seat at her table. I shuddered when I caught sight of him, and I felt sorry that Bella would have to deal with him right away. At the same time, I was glad that I didn’t have to.
Knowing that Bella and I would have our wish I began my search anew and came across a table that, so far, only held four rather good looking women and the dealer. While two of the woman appeared to be serious players, the other two looked like easy marks so I made myself at home with a grin on my face. “Hello ladies. How are you all doing today?”
I took the fourth chair from the dealer’s right and saw some very different reactions from the five other people at the table. The woman to my left flashed me a warm smile in return but she decided to remain mute for the moment. While the two women to my right waved and introduced themselves as Simone and Tiffany, both were fairly attractive blonds. Having just met them it was probably unfair but I couldn’t help but think that they would be poster children for the dumb blonde stereotype. All the while the boyish woman across from me just stared at me with disinterested eyes. Clearly she was the Debbie Downer of the table.
Well if the other two wouldn’t talk any more, I would just have to study them silently instead. But that was only after I gave the dealer a quick once over. He was middle-aged and, from the looks of things, happened to be losing his personal war against baldness. Though that did nothing to lessen the fact that he was very muscular. He had the look of a fighter in his eyes, and I figured he was definitely one of Dempsey’s goons. I was surprised that Dempsey would risk placing one of his thugs as a dealer when I noticed what he was doing with his hands. The man was displaying just how familiar he was with a deck of cards, not to mention the dexterity of his fingers. With this dealer’s show of expertise I finally began to realize the extent of the diversity in Dempsey’s employees. It was mindboggling.
I was eventually able to pull Allison, the woman to my left, into the quiet conversation I had managed to start up with Simone and Tiffany, but the boyish one still refused to even offer her name, so we ignored her. When Malone and Gregory joined the table they were happy to offer their names and more than willing to join in on the conversation as well. After about a minute or two the boyish woman finally introduced herself as Kelly, yet she was still not entirely willing to converse.