Blindfolded Innocence (25 page)

"That isn't really what I was thinking of, but it'll do.
 
Whatever you win is yours.
 
Whatever you lose… I will find a way for you to pay me back."
 
I pulled back and looked at him sharply, and saw the humor on his face.
 
The dealer cleared her throat and I looked back into her impatient face.

"You in?"

"Yes please."

"I need your bet!"

Damn, this bitch is feisty.
 
Brad reached over and took two black chips from my stack, and placed them on the betting line.
 
He shot the dealer a sharp look.
 
"It's her first time here - go easy on her."

"Yes sir, Mr. De Luca."
 
She dealt the cards.

Thirty minutes and two rounds of shots later, our somber tablemates were smiling, our chip stacks had doubled, and even bitchy Xiu had managed to crack a smile.
 
We had slowly raised our bets and I was now betting $600 a hand, and starting to sweat.
 
I was dealt two nines against a dealer six.
 
With my heart pounding, I split the nines.
 
I got an Ace and a two, and doubled down on both.
 
The nine/ace additional card was an eight, the nine/two got a four.
 
Shit.
 
18 and 15.
 
Not great hands and I had $3000 at stake.
 
Brad nodded at me and followed suit, doubling down on a twelve and getting lucky, pulling a nine.
 
We high-fived and then watched the dealer expectantly.
 
She flipped over her hidden card, another six.
 
I held my breath and the next card flipped over - a Queen of Diamonds.
 
22.
 
Dealer Bust.

The crowd that had gathered around us burst into cheers and I stood up with both hands raised, whooping. Brad picked me up with a bear hug and swung me around, setting me gently back down.
 
Xiu counted out a rainbow of chips and slid them to me with a small smile.
 
I tipped her $100, my biggest tip EVER and then gathered my chips.
 
"I'm done, " I said to Xiu.
 
Brad looked over, eyebrows raised.
 
"Done?"

"I'm due for a bad turn.
 
Might as well end on a high note."

He shrugged good-naturedly and nodded at Xiu.
 
"Alright, count me out also."
 

I counted out the $2000 Brad had started me off with and passed them to him.
 
Then I counted my remaining chips.
 
$4800.
 
Holy shit!
 
It more than quadrupled what I had in my bank account.
 
I couldn't keep the grin off of my face and grabbed Brad for another hug.
 
"Ready to cash out?" he asked.

"Yes!"

I kept an iron grip on my chips as we walked through the casino to the cashiers's long bank of windows.
 
A bored cashier counted out my cash and passed it through the window.
 
I looked up to Brad.

"Can we take it up to the room?"

"If you want.
 
Or we can leave it at VIP reception."

I frowned.
 
"Will it be safe there?"

"Yes, I assure you that your funds will not be disturbed.
 
They are used to high rollers, and won't bother your pittance."
 
He grinned down at me.

"Hhmph.
 
Then VIP reception it is."
 
I left my cash with one of the intimidatingly beautiful girls at the VIP desk, snagged a glass of champagne and two chocolate covered strawberries, and walked out to the limo, my arm looped through Brad's.
 
At some point he had abandoned his cigar, but still smelled faintly of the scent.
 
I felt giddy, my winnings still fresh in my mind, and slightly buzzed from the champagne and rich food.

Leonard was laughing with one of the bellmen when we approached.
 
He slapped the man on the back, and hurried over to us.
 
Seeing my big grin he asked, "Baccarat good to you?"

"The tables were good to us," Brad said, steering me towards the car door Leonard was holding open.

"Where to?"

"Safirre," Brad tossed out, climbing into the car after me.

---

The man's hands were way too friendly.
 
Alexis straddled the sweaty, overweight, tuxedoed man.
 
His eyes glazed over in lust, fixed on her breasts, which she kept shaking in front of his face.
 
Every time he started to lean forward, she flipped her hair over, leaning back, out of his reach.
 
But his hands she was having more trouble controlling.
 
They kept wandering from his sides and grabbing her hips and ass.
 
She could feel the outline of his small dick, pressing insistently up.
 
His hands moved again, touching her flat stomach.
 
She signed and spun around, her eyes searching until they met Ricky, the big black bouncer assigned to her section.
 
She nodded, and he started her way.
 
So much for this tip.
 
She'd been working this guy for twenty minutes now.
 
Ricky hustled in and grabbed the fat guy's arm.
 

"Hands off the lady," Ricky said, his deep voice waking the man from his lust-ridden state.

"Whaaatt?"

Oh please.
 
Like this was this guys’ first time at a strip club.
 
Everything about the man screamed Strip Club Stalker.
 
Thankfully, the song chose that moment to wrap up, and she straightened up, stepping away from the man.

"How much?" Ricky's gruff voice asked her.
 

"Two songs."

Ricky glared at the man, his huge arms crossed over his chest.
 
"That'd be $40 bucks SIR."
 
His "sir" was almost an insult.

A scowl crossed the man's pasty face and he leaned back, pulling out a handful of bills and passed them to Alexis.
 
She counted the bills - $45, and nodded to Ricky.
 
Leaning forward, she kissed the man's check.
 
"Thank you baby," she said, and sauntered off, swinging her ass.
 
She walked into the back dressing room, dropping a five into Ricky's tip jar, and headed to her locker.
 
She pulled out her cell phone and saw a text alert.
 
One line, from Brad De Luca, sent almost an hour ago.

-- HEADING THERE TONIGHT.
 
YOU WORKING?

She texted back.

HERE NOW.
 
SEE YOU SOON BB.

-- NOT ALONE.
 
AM WITH AN INNOCENT.
 
PLAY NICE.

She laughed and closed her phone.
 
Brad De Luca with an innocent?
 
She'd believe that when she saw it.
 
He typically liked the slutty type.
 
All ass and no commitment, that was Brad's game.
 
Why was he with a newbie, and if she was so fresh-faced, why was he bringing her here?
 
She thought for a moment, and then opened her phone and texted back a response.

SO SHOULD I STAY AWAY?

His response was almost immediate

-- NO.
 
I NEED YOU.
 
GET MONTANA TO PLAY WITH HER.

Alexis smiled, pleased.
 
She closed the phone and stuck it in her locker, then went in search of Montana.

----

"So why Safirre?
 
It's the best?"

Brad pursed his lips.
 
"It's not the best, but it's up there."

"I thought you only went to the best."

He laughed softly.
 
"It will be the best, it's getting there.
 
And I'm loyal to it.
 
It's a relatively new club, but a true Gentlemen's Club, versus a Strip Club."

"Oh really.
 
What makes it so Gentlemanly?"

"Well I'm sure the marketing departments all have different ways of branding it, but for me it comes down to one thing.
 
The girls.
 
Safirre's girls don't do drugs, don't drink at the club, or do "extra favors" in the VIP room."

"You don't like extra favors?"

"I don't like the type of girls who do extra favors.
 
They reek of desperation.
 
The girls at Safirre have more class, more self-respect."

I rolled my eyes.
 
"You are so full of shit."

"Yet here you are."

I looked out the window at the colorful lights streaming by, the onlookers waving as our limo passed.
 
"Yet here I am."

---

Alexis alerted the manager, Janine, as well as the doorman that Brad De Luca was coming.
 
Janine, a 40-year old former dancer, was cool.
 
She was smart, always catching the little ways the customers and girls tried to rip them off, but sweet too.
 
Being a former dancer she treated them all with respect, and knew the different problems they all faced.
 
Other strip clubs worked the girls too hard, and treated them like dogs.
 
Safirre gave them health insurance, 401Ks (not that any of the girls had one), and allowed them to move up in management if they were interested.
 
Alexis was not.
 
She liked the attention she got from dancing, and knew her strengths. Smarts she didn't have.
 
She would dance until she got too old, and would then probably become a house mom, like Sandra.
 
Alexis was one of the only dancers who did receive a salary - supposedly it came from her being a floor supervisor, which she technically was, but they all knew what it was really for.
 

Fucking Brad De Luca.

CHAPTER
21

The limo pulled up to a long white building, with columns in the front and the always-present valet area.
 
A muscular guy in a tight black tee shirt opened my door, and offered a hand to help me out.
 
Brad followed close behind, and greeted the man with familiarity.
 
They shook hands and conferred briefly, then Brad touched my elbow and we moved to the door.
 
Two more muscular guys opened the large doors, and we moved into a gold hallway with dark carpet.
 
We stopped at a desk where I was given a red wristband.

"What's this for?"
 
I asked.
 

"So they know you're with me."