1
Dave Bunn pulled his '58 Impala into the parking lot of TJ's, a popular joint in the ruff part of town. It was hard for Dave not to drive his new Vette, a '63 Stingray in red. Dave had the only one in town, he had just picked it up earlier in the day. It was supposed to go to a professional ball player, but Dave knew the owner of the dealership and the guy owed Dave big. He had owed a lot of money to the kind of guy you didn't want to owe the smallest amount to and he had fallen behind. Dave let the guy keep his kneecaps and now he had the first '63 Vette in town.
Dave had no desire to leave his new girl home, but tonight he was working and a bright red Stingray wouldn't offer much in the way of anonymity. The black Impala, on the other hand, was much more likely to blend into the surroundings.
TJ's was jumping, it was a busy Friday night and there was hardly room to move in the dark, smoke-filled club. Dave approached the bartender and laid a small piece of paper in front of him, on the down side was four names in blue ink. The bartender slide the scrap back to Dave and tapped the paper twice and tipped his head to the door past the bar.
Tonight Dave Bunn was running collections and Tim the Rat had called him earlier with information on two of the four debtors, it appeared the lead was solid. Rat had told Dave that two of the named men were playing cards at TJ's tonight and the bartender's two taps confirmed two of the four names were present.
"Drink?" the bartender asked as Dave shoved the list of names back into his pants pocket.
"Usual Mike, glass and bottle."
Dave entered the private room with his favorite bourbon in his left hand, glass in his right. He had been in the room many times and knew it well. There were six men playing cards at the large round table and two woman, arm candy for a couple of the players. "Don't let me stop the game gentlemen," Dave commented as he walked around the table and approached the door in the back of the room.
Dave made sure the slide lock was in place on the backdoor and placed the bourbon on the small table next to it. The game remained paused as the players sat frozen watching the newest occupant to the private chamber.
Dave stepped back towards the game table and as he stopped, he slide the sides of his suit jacket back and rested his hands of his hips, revealing the grips of his twin .45s. "Well, Mr. Cole and Mr. Black, I'm surprised to see you gambling away money that doesn't belong to you."
Mr. Black was an older man, probably in his mid-sixties and had borrowed small amounts from Dave's boss several times, he had always paid-up on-time in the past. Mr. Cole on the other was new to Dave, he was young, late-twenties, and a good-looking man. One of the women was with Mr. Cole, mid-to-early-twenties, blonde and wearing a tight but classy red dress with curves in all of the right places.
"I've got the money right here," Mr. Black said and opened his wallet removing several hundred-dollar bills that had been set aside, "and I'm not late. It's not due 'til midnight. I tucked it aside so these vulture would be able to cheat it away from me."
Dave took the money Mr. Black offered-up to him and turned towards Mr. Cole. "And you Mr. Cole? It would appear you are quite a bit lacking, judging from the pile in front of you and you are more than a week late. I do not approve of tardiness, it might give decent folk like Mr. Black bad ideas."
Mr. Cole sat frozen in fear and made no reply.
"Let me make an offer, Mr. Cole." With his hands gesturing to the card-players, Dave said, "You can give me what you have now, which is not enough and I believe you have been informed what missing your DEAD-line would mean, or you can finish your game until you have won enough to make payment or lose; that is, if you gentlemen wouldn't mind Mr. Cole continuing-on, as I watch over the proceedings of coarse?"
"I reckon, I would prefer to finish the game," Mr. Cole, who had begun to sweat profusely answered.
The other gamblers liked the idea of one of their opponents being placed in a desperate situation and agreed to let Mr. Cole continue with the game, except one.
"If it's all the same, and no disrespect to you," one of the gamblers said as he looked to Mr. Bunn, "I should like to call it a night."
The gambler was a man Dave had seen at several of these games in the past and knew him not to be a threat and let the man go on his way.
Half an hour had passed and Mr. Cole was still holding-on. In fact, he had increased his wins, but was still quite deficient. Dave had been admiring the woman in red sitting by Mr. Cole. Her skin was flawless from where Dave sat and her posture was impeccable. "Great less," Dave thought. "What's the lady's name?' he asked.
"Molly." The young lady spoke.
Her voice was as pleasant as the rest of her. "Well Ms. Molly, come over here and keep me company. If I have to endure these proceeding, it would be nice to have some feminine company."
Mr. Cole and Molly whispered for a brief moment and she reluctantly got up and grabbed her chair to bring it to Dave's table. "Leave the chair." He commanded. Molly froze for a moment and then shuffled meekly to him.
Dave repositioned himself so she could have a more comfortable spot on his lap and gave her new seat a pat. Molly sat down, she was light and smelled terrific. Over the next hour and half to two, Dave and Molly talked as the game continued on. Molly was apprehensive at first, but Dave warmed her up to him.
He learned Molly was a teacher that had just move to town at the start of the new school year from some one-horse town up state somewhere. Mr. Cole had dated Molly for several years and he had moved to town the year previous. Mr. Cole had proposed to Molly and she moved down shortly after. They were going to get married in next June, Molly always wanted to get married in June because of the song from
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.
Molly was a classy gal and Steven, Mr. Cole, was an idiot and a full-blown loser from what Dave could surmise. Steven didn't deserve a woman so fine, but isn't that just how it goes. Dave wasn't some idiot-loser, but Molly wouldn't be any better with him, he was sure. Still, the longer the talked, with her body on his and her heat on his lap, the more he wanted to fuck her proper!
There were just two men left in the game now. Mr. Steven Cole had made it to the final round. It was just him, his opponent, and Dave and Molly left in the room. Stevie was still about $500 short. One last hand and Mr. Cole was left busted. The opponent scooped of his winnings and practically ran out of the room. Mister Steven Cole began to softly whimper and Molly started to tremble. She had started to enjoy her conversation with Mr. Bunn, but she could tell he was a powerful man and there was a darkness within him that both intrigued and scared her.
"Well played, Mr. Cole," Dave said as he gently pushed Molly from his lap and stood, "I thought you had him beaten. Oh well." Dave walked Molly to the game table and commanded Mr. Cole to lock the door. After the door had been locked, Dave left Molly where she was and returned to his chair and poured another glass.
"I am willing to let you go home intact tonight. I will buy your debt and you will owe me, you will pay me $50 dollars on the first of every month until the whole amount is paid in full and you will NEVER be late."
"Oh yes! Thank you! Thank you so very Much!"