The following is a sequel to 'Vegas'.
You may gain more enjoyment by familiarising yourself with that story before reading on.
CHAPTER ONE: ONE YEAR LATER
Daniel sat quietly at the final table, waiting for the television formalities to be completed. It would soon be time to resume play from where they had finished the night before. It was the last tournament before he defended his Main Event victory last year. He had been desperate to put on a good show. As one of the last five standing, he had done just that.
His glance around took in the other four players. The remarkable veteran Doyle Brunson held the chip lead. He sat there with his usual soft style and calm exterior. Chris Moneymaker was second in chips. The chubby young man was glowing with the confidence of someone who was beginning to re-establish himself. His barren spell since winning the 2003 Main Event was slowly becoming a memory. Erik Seidel was generally recognised as one of the best players never to have won the Main Event and he was about even in chips with Daniel, and Holly Willoughby.
Holly was new on the poker scene this year. She had taken it by storm. Rumour was that Johnny Chan had coached her, but neither would confirm or deny the speculation. Whatever the truth, Holly already had WSOP and WPT titles to her name. That emphasised the most dramatic entry the poker world had seen for many years. And her growing reputation was not only as a result of her tournament play. She had also performed with distinction at the high stake cash tables.
Her wraparound deep black sunglasses were impressive. They made it impossible for opponents to study her eyes when attempting to evaluate one of her moves. But it was not the sunglasses that were her key weapon. It was her magnificent breasts.
Making a point of always dressing in black, the attractive thirty-two year old invariably went braless. With a button too far undone, she ensured the sensual swell of her impressive cleavage was constantly on display.
And clearly, her high jutting tits needed no sort of artificial support. Many an opponents' concentration had been broken by her deep cleavage and the outline of her pointed breasts under the deliberately thin material of her blouses. Daniel was no exception. During their year-long poker battles, he had constantly found himself caught up in the spell cast by those mouth watering tits.
But at that moment, his mind was on other things. He had experienced a barren time with women over the previous twelve months, at least in terms of relationships. His few brief liaisons had been sufficient to satisfy his sexual cravings, but not his need for someone special in his life.
Grace's stock in the music world had soared from one high to another. He often wished that things had turned out differently between them. It seemed somewhat ironic to him that her image had been cultivated as a clean-cut, wholesome character. That impression seemed to go hand in hand with her success. He frequently wondered about the public's reaction if they knew the truth.
Following their break up last year, and his win in the Main Event, he had sold up in England. He'd decided to return to the States to see if he could establish himself as a poker professional. And in true quirky style, his lack of success with women had provided a direct contrast to his achievements in the poker world.
His initial fear had been that he'd be considered to be another Chris Moneymaker or Jamie Gold, rather than a Raymer or Hachem. But it had not taken long to reassure himself, and the doubters amongst his fellow players, that he had what it took.
The ten million dollar bankroll he had established through his Main Event victory was nice. Very nice. He had expected to need it to fund his appearance on the circuit this year. That had not been necessary. Success in high limit cash games had provided a nice cushion for his tournament entry fees, allowing him to match Holly's record of a victory apiece in both the WSOP and WPT.
With just an average slice of luck, he intended to add another in this competition. Only four more opponents to see off.
During the year, he had bonded well with some of the other leading players. And as he knew it would, his friendship with Norman Chad had deepened over that period. He would always be grateful for the little man's major support during last year's success. As a result, they subsequently made a point of dining together at least once during every tournament on the WSOP tour.
The number of poker groupies on both of the main poker tours had been quite a surprise to him. Whilst in the early part of the year, such liaisons had assuaged his sexual needs; one-night stands had never really been his thing. It had been some time since he had had sex, too long, he realised.
He stared at Holly across the table. Her magnificent breasts seemed even more impressive than usual. Or was he just feeling horny? As his eyes swept across her curvature, he was sure he could see the outline of her captivating nipples.
Raising his eyes to the face sitting directly across the table, he saw she was smiling broadly. Although her dark glasses prevented him from seeing her eyes, he was certain she had been watching him and he felt himself blush a little. Advantage Holly, he thought. No wonder she had enjoyed such a good year, it was so hard to stay focused when that woman was around.
"You okay?" the blonde purred from across the table, her smile deepening.
She leant slightly back in her seat as she spoke, deliberately accentuating the outline of her swells against the black silk blouse. Daniel could not prevent his eyes from following the movement and they both knew it.
"I'm good," he instantly responded, wondering how to gain the upper hand. "Pleased to see you're here on time," he lamely added.
She laughed, raising the glasses so that they rested on the top of her long, wavy tresses. Her reputation for unpredictability was well known in poker circles, having occasionally missed out on a whole session of play in an important tournament.
"Now, Daniel," she purred, throwing her head back. They way her blonde hair bounced on her shoulders before settling was hypnotic. "You know I wouldn't want to miss a second of your company."
This time they both laughed, knowing that Holly had regained the upper hand, at least in conversation. It would be different with the cards, he vowed.
*
As he sat in the large leather chair in his office, a fat cigar in his hand, Joshua Smith was pleased with himself. He and his father had stood up to the biggest force in Vegas and as far as he was concerned, it had been a major victory. Yes, his father had needed to escape to Los Angeles as the heat from Big Eddie increased, but that had allowed Joshua to assume control of their business for the first time in his life.
And not only had he successfully taken charge, there had been none of the expected backlash from Big Eddie. As far as Joshua was concerned, he had proven himself and was now determined to show the so-called big-time hoodlum that he could manage very well without the need to pay protection money.
Not only had Samuel Smith's club remained a leading attraction in Vegas, their expansion into providing an escort service had proven immensely successful. And Joshua's confidence had turned to cockiness when he had set Mario up to feed misinformation to Big Eddie, who had even paid for that privilege. How naïve was that? He thought he was getting the inside track but all the time Joshua was controlling the information supplied. It seemed the local big shot was losing his touch.
As he picked up the phone and tapped in a number, it felt like everything in his garden was rosy.
