and we both won. My first hand at blackjack and I was a winner.
Drew and I didn’t draw the same numbers after that, so I had to rely on that crash course in blackjack he’d given me in the hallway earlier. Soon, I had lost all my chips and found myself once again standing behind Drew and watching the game over his shoulder.
One other guy sat at the end of the blackjack table for most of the time we were there. Other than that, people came and went, most of them giving up after losing a couple of hands.
The more Drew won, the more I noticed a guy hanging around just behind the dealer. The man wore a blue blazer and had an earpiece in his right ear. It was white, as was the coiled wire that ran from the earpiece down the back of his neck and into the collar of his shirt. I figured he must be security. Maybe he was watching over the big winners. I didn’t have much experience with casinos so I couldn’t be sure. I did notice that Drew never seemed to look in the guy’s direction, though.
His stacks of chips grew taller , and about four hours into it he asked me if I’d seen enough.
“I think so, but do you want to stop? You’re on a roll.”
“We’ll roll again tomorrow.” He turned to the dealer. “Color me up. Thanks.”
Drew stood and I said, “ What does color me up mean?”
“The dealer ’s going to change all my smaller denominations into larger ones. Just easier to carry around that way.”
“Oh, yeah, it’d be a shame to carry around that much. Showoff.”
Drew smiled down at me, put his arm around my back and pulled me close to him, forcing our bodies to press firmly together. “Smartass.” He kissed me on the lips quickly, then turned back to the table to gather his winnings.
. . . . .
When we got back to the suite, I brushed my teeth and washed my face, then collapsed on the bed without pulling back the covers. I couldn’t think of a time I’d been quite that exhausted.
Drew was in the bathroom for a few minutes after me. I had almost fallen asleep, but was stirred back awake when he opened the door.
“Hey.” My voice came out weak and almost hoarse. “Come here.”
Drew walked over to the bed and sat down beside me. “You need me to tuck you in?”
I let out a weak laugh. “No. I want something else.”
“Whoa, slow down, sweetheart. I’m saving myself for marriage.”
Another soft laugh escaped from my mouth. I was lying on my back, splayed out on the bed as though I had no muscle control. My east coast internal clock was at eight a.m., which meant I’d been awake nearly twenty-four hours, and that had involved a full workday, a flight almost all the way across the country, and an entire night in a casino. Drew appeared tired as well, but not as much as me. Probably due to the fact that he did this often and was more accustomed to it.
“Can you be serious for a minute?” I asked.
“Sure.”
I rolled over onto my side, pulling myself almost into the fetal position. I looked up at Drew. He reached for the lamp and turned it off, leaving the room illuminated only by the lights of Las Vegas beaming in through the window.
“How do you win so much?”
He hesitated before answering. “It’s a long story. How about I tell you in the morning.”
“It is morning.”
Half of his face was visible thanks to the light from outside, the other half in shadow. I saw the corner of his mouth twist into a small smile. “Okay, how about I tell you in the afternoon?”
“Fine. I probably won’t be able to process it right now, anyway. What are we doing tomorrow? Or later today, I mean. Whatever. Will you teach me how to play blackjack?”
“Maybe. But there’s all kinds of time for that. While we’re here, we can do anything you want.”
“Anything, huh?”
I felt his weight shift off the bed. I closed my eyes. I figured he had stood up and was on his way out to the couch.
“Anything,” he said. “We’re in Vegas. And what happens in Vegas
Drew and I didn’t draw the same numbers after that, so I had to rely on that crash course in blackjack he’d given me in the hallway earlier. Soon, I had lost all my chips and found myself once again standing behind Drew and watching the game over his shoulder.
One other guy sat at the end of the blackjack table for most of the time we were there. Other than that, people came and went, most of them giving up after losing a couple of hands.
The more Drew won, the more I noticed a guy hanging around just behind the dealer. The man wore a blue blazer and had an earpiece in his right ear. It was white, as was the coiled wire that ran from the earpiece down the back of his neck and into the collar of his shirt. I figured he must be security. Maybe he was watching over the big winners. I didn’t have much experience with casinos so I couldn’t be sure. I did notice that Drew never seemed to look in the guy’s direction, though.
His stacks of chips grew taller , and about four hours into it he asked me if I’d seen enough.
“I think so, but do you want to stop? You’re on a roll.”
“We’ll roll again tomorrow.” He turned to the dealer. “Color me up. Thanks.”
Drew stood and I said, “ What does color me up mean?”
“The dealer ’s going to change all my smaller denominations into larger ones. Just easier to carry around that way.”
“Oh, yeah, it’d be a shame to carry around that much. Showoff.”
Drew smiled down at me, put his arm around my back and pulled me close to him, forcing our bodies to press firmly together. “Smartass.” He kissed me on the lips quickly, then turned back to the table to gather his winnings.
. . . . .
When we got back to the suite, I brushed my teeth and washed my face, then collapsed on the bed without pulling back the covers. I couldn’t think of a time I’d been quite that exhausted.
Drew was in the bathroom for a few minutes after me. I had almost fallen asleep, but was stirred back awake when he opened the door.
“Hey.” My voice came out weak and almost hoarse. “Come here.”
Drew walked over to the bed and sat down beside me. “You need me to tuck you in?”
I let out a weak laugh. “No. I want something else.”
“Whoa, slow down, sweetheart. I’m saving myself for marriage.”
Another soft laugh escaped from my mouth. I was lying on my back, splayed out on the bed as though I had no muscle control. My east coast internal clock was at eight a.m., which meant I’d been awake nearly twenty-four hours, and that had involved a full workday, a flight almost all the way across the country, and an entire night in a casino. Drew appeared tired as well, but not as much as me. Probably due to the fact that he did this often and was more accustomed to it.
“Can you be serious for a minute?” I asked.
“Sure.”
I rolled over onto my side, pulling myself almost into the fetal position. I looked up at Drew. He reached for the lamp and turned it off, leaving the room illuminated only by the lights of Las Vegas beaming in through the window.
“How do you win so much?”
He hesitated before answering. “It’s a long story. How about I tell you in the morning.”
“It is morning.”
Half of his face was visible thanks to the light from outside, the other half in shadow. I saw the corner of his mouth twist into a small smile. “Okay, how about I tell you in the afternoon?”
“Fine. I probably won’t be able to process it right now, anyway. What are we doing tomorrow? Or later today, I mean. Whatever. Will you teach me how to play blackjack?”
“Maybe. But there’s all kinds of time for that. While we’re here, we can do anything you want.”
“Anything, huh?”
I felt his weight shift off the bed. I closed my eyes. I figured he had stood up and was on his way out to the couch.
“Anything,” he said. “We’re in Vegas. And what happens in Vegas
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