“Trust me, I’ve met my fair share of interesting men.” Jason, of course, was one of them. Clearing my throat, I pointed to the table. “I assume you’re married to one of them over there?” I asked.
She nodded. “Going on thirty years now. He’s the one with the white hair, wearing the blue shirt,” she said, pointing at the man I hoped Jason could get close to. The other two were younger and more military looking. “No matter how many whores, excuse the word, sweetheart, try to get close to him, he’s never let me down. His friends, on the other hand, I can’t say much for.”
“I would hope he’d stay faithful to you. You’re stunning,” I admired, glancing up and down her body. “Not many women can maintain that kind of look.”
Her smile widened and she held out her hand. “I think I’m going to like you. My name’s Diane Randall.”
I took her hand. “Aylee McFadden.”
“Well, Aylee, I think we need to get a round of drinks.”
The pot was five thousand dollars and six of the men had already abandoned the game. It was now between me and the three men Aylee and I were watching. The time had come for the river card which happened to be the last round of dealing. With the cards on the table and the two I had in my hand, I had a full house. The only plays that could beat me would be a four of a kind, straight flush, or a royal flush. The chances of the latter two were slim.
“Check,” the older man with the white hair said. He stared at me with a hint of arrogance but also curiosity. The man had to be pushing sixty years old. The other men followed suit and checked. Now it was up to me. If I checked, that meant no one had to pay money for that round. But if I put money in, they had to in order to stay in the game.
It just so happened I was in the mood to take chances. “All in,” I announced, sliding eight grand into the middle of the table.
“Fold,” the big, burly guy said. From the looks of him, I’d say he was security detail. He had that air about him with his oversized muscles and shaved head, most likely ex-military. The other guy looked the same way. It only peaked my interest in finding out who the man in the blue shirt was. Once the other big guy folded, it was down to me and Mr. Blue.
Smiling wide, he pushed his chips into the pot. “Call.” He turned over his cards and showed the table his flush of hearts. The men with him grinned and waited for me.
“Good hand, but not good enough.” I flopped my cards down and smiled wide.
The man in the blue shirt bellowed out a laugh and clapped his hands. “Fantastic! What’s your name, my boy?”
We stood and I shook his hand. “Jason Avery.”
“Well, Mr. Avery, I’m Will Randall. And these two,” he said, waving his hand at his mammoth friends, “are my bodyguards, Butch and Tom. I don’t think I’ve seen you here before.”
Butch and Tom held out their hands so I shook them. “Good to meet you.” Then to Will I said, “No, you most likely haven’t seen me. I moved here about three months ago. So far, I’m enjoying it.”
He chuckled. “From what I’ve seen, I’d say so. What exactly do you do?”
I glanced around the casino, grinning. “I left an accounting job in Chicago and came here to try my luck. I was sick of sitting behind a desk. But I have to say Sin City’s been good to me.”
“It’s been good to me too,” he replied.
“So what do you do that would require bodyguards? You must be an important man.”
He chuckled. “I’m the CEO and owner of Randall Industries. I deal with real estate development, entertainment, music, you name it. I wear many hats.”
“Sounds interesting.”
“Oh, it is, or I wouldn’t be doing it.” Glancing over his shoulder, he found Aylee and the other woman sitting on one of the plush sofas, drinking. “Let’s say we join our women for drinks before starting another game? You up for that?”
“You’re on.”
He slapped me on the back. “And then tomorrow, you can come back and we’ll do it all over again.”
“Sounds even better.”