This is my first attempt at writing, having been inspired by a small band of authors whose work I immensely admire, and I have attempted to occasionally incorporate a flavour of their imagination in this story in tribute to them.
Having completed the novel, I have learnt so much more than I knew at the outset. Two areas of feedback are welcomed:
1. Comments of encouragement that will inspire me to write more... and constructive criticism that will help me improve.
2. Voting that will help me assess the enjoyment factor.... or otherwise.
CHAPTER FOUR: SUCCESS FOR THE SISTERS
The following morning Daniel was woken by a shaft of light drifting across the bed through a small crack between the curtains. Any fears he had of facing Grace last night had been misplaced as she had been asleep in bed when he returned to the hotel. He had taken a quick shower and then quietly slipped in beside her, but it took him some time to rid himself of the thoughts of Katherine and what he had just experienced, that were running through his head.
This morning he felt calmer and he turned to glance at the time on clock on the small telephone panel. As he did, he felt Grace fling a warm hand across his chest, her fingers gently searching for and then stroking his right nipple. He felt her sharp fingernail dig into his flesh before her sleepy hand slithered its way down his body, briefly pausing at his stomach before continuing its downward journey. He realised that he was in danger of being severely delayed.
Glancing at her face, Daniel realised that despite the movements of her hand, Grace was only half awake. He leant over to place a soft kiss on her forehead, sweeping a lock of her silky brown hair to one side in the process. Her touch had brought him to instant erection, although he felt sure that the fact his mind was also thinking of Katherine was another contributory factor to his feelings of arousal.
He nibbled her warm ear, eliciting a soft moan, briefly thinking that a morning fuck was just what he needed. But instead, he whispered that he was running late if he was to get down to Binion's Horsehoe casino in time. The fact he needed to pay his $2,000 entry fee for the Omaha High-Low Split event was uppermost in his thoughts, even ahead of his need for sex. If only just.
With some reluctance he extracted himself from the white sheets and softly hurried to the bathroom to shower. He felt guilty that it was not only the time element that was a factor in his refuting Grace's sleepy advances. It was also an indication of the mixed feelings careering around his head. His mind remained conscious of his time with Katherine the night before and, with this being the only time he had ever been unfaithful, he felt a weird mixture of guilt, arousal and confusion.
As he showered, he reflected that he needed some space and time to think things through, though he was aware that as he was playing in a World Series of Poker tournament that morning, he was unlikely to get that opportunity. He found that Grace was fully awake as he left the steamy bathroom and returned to the room.
His attempts to dress quickly were momentarily disturbed as she sat up in the large, comfortable bed and threw her hands into the air with a loud yawn. When she saw she had his attention, she explained she was going to spend a little time with Lauren that morning before travelling to Samuel Smith's for her rehearsal.
Daniel was only too happy with that, he wanted time to himself to focus on his poker. But he also knew it would be more difficult to rationalise the night before if Grace travelled with him to watch the poker tournament. Throwing on a thin, dark jacket over his red checked shirt, he explained that he would return to the hotel if, as expected, he was an early casualty.
In response to Grace's raised eyebrow, he simply shrugged and said, "Its Omaha," as if that made the same sense to her as it did to him.
"Should I wait here?" she teasingly asked, indicating with her spread arms that she was referring to the bed. Her movement resulted in the white sheet she held around her neck dropping away, exposing her full, supple breasts to his gaze.
For a brief moment he felt an immediate stirring in his boxers again. God, he loved those breasts. He thought that this was as good a time as any to get his session with Katherine out of his system and wondered for a moment if he could delay his arrival at Binnion's. But he knew that was well nigh impossible if he was to play in this tournament and therefore instead, he blew Grace a kiss across the room from his position beside the bedroom door.
"Very tempting," he offered, with a nervous smile. "But I've really got to go."
"Hmmm," she replied, slowly running her slim hands down her neck, across the top of her tanned chest and then down onto her magnificent breasts, teasing her dark nipples until they were fully erect. Her bright, shining eyes never left his as she played out her seduction scene.
"Are you quite sure?" she softly purred.
Daniel could feel his throat constrict with dryness. At first he was unable to tear his eyes away from her breasts, but then they flicked to the time displayed on the bedside table beside her. Despite the rising bulge in his jeans, he somehow found a resolve he had not known that he had. He reached for the door lock.
"I've really got to go, Grace or I'll miss registration. Although I may see you sooner than you think if things go badly. But if somehow I do okay, at worst I'll meet you and Lauren at the club later tonight."
As he hurried out of the door Grace slumped back on her pillow in disgust, her perky breasts bouncing as she did so. She pondered for a moment, thinking that either she was losing her touch, or that Daniel was more committed to this poker tournament than even she realised.
*
The length of time between registration and the tournament commencing came as a shock to Daniel. He had thought he would be in action pretty quickly, but in fact it was several refills of coffee later before he noticed players begin to filter over towards the tables. He had whiled away part of the time by wandering out onto Fremont Street, just taking everything in.
He watched the people passing by and played a game with himself, attempting to separate the tourists from the poker players. By keeping a careful eye on the characters walking into Binion's, he pretty soon had come to the conclusion that the better dressed were tourists and the others, who generally ranged from passable to downright scruffy, were the players. Or perhaps their families or friends who were present as their cheering section.
Eventually growing tired of people watching, he had made his way to the coffee shop and stayed there awhile, before he had been sufficiently encouraged to make his way back to the casino and head to his own table.
When he had registered, he had felt a burning tinge along the back of his neck as he had pulled $2,000 in crisp folded-over one hundred dollar bills from his black leather wallet and handed them over at the check-in desk. The feeling he was experiencing was a combination of relief that he no longer had to walk around with such a large amount of money secured in his pocket, plus a nervous kind of excitement that now, at long last, his dream of playing in a World Series of Poker event was about to come true.
For the moment, the Main Event was at the back of his mind, a thought for tomorrow. His focus right now, was the $2,000 worth of chips he'd been handed to use for the Omaha buy-in. With the innocence of poker youth, he guarded them closely and held them against his chest as he followed directions to another part of the room. Once there, he presented himself at the registration desk.
This all felt so strange, so new, but then Daniel was fully aware that this was the reason he was there. He needed to soak up as much experience as he possibly could before competing in the Cadillac of poker, the Main Event, in a couple of days.
He soon found that he was positioned at table fifteen, seat five and quickly found his way there, side-stepping between the increasing numbers of players. There was one other player there, an old, thin guy wearing a button up shirt, blue jeans and a white Stetson. He looked every bit as if he fitted into the environment as Daniel did not. Daniel introduced himself and the old-timer asked if was his first such event.
When Daniel briefly paused, the old-timer grinned and added, "It shows. But then we all got to start somewhere".
He put one hand on Daniel's shoulder as he shook his hand, congratulating him. Daniel saw the twinkle in the old-timer's eye as he voluntarily explained the drill. They would play in one-hour rounds, or levels, he said. With a ten-minute break after every two rounds. They would also get a one-hour dinner break after level six, he said.
"Make sure you stock up on food and fluid," he instructed rather than suggested. "Not too much, but enough. It'll keep you alert."
Daniel thanked him, warmly shaking his wrinkled hand, appreciating the time he had taken to explain the ropes. He felt sure his eager eyes were looking at the old-timer with all the naivety of a poker virgin, but by way of conversation he volunteered a little of his background. The old-timer looked interested and Daniel leant a little closer, noticing the strong lines that lit up the older face.
He quietly explained that he was using this tourney so as to obtain experience of the World Series before he sat down at the Main Event. The old-timer just nodded. His Stetson was sitting comfortably as if it had been made for this very man and his eyes underneath were as alert as they no doubt had been for many years.
Daniel confided that he had particularly chosen to play Omaha for his first tournament so that he could experience Binion's, and that the different game would keep him fresh for the 'big one'. The old-timer just kept on smiling at Daniel in that reassuring way of his, before pushing his Stetson back on his head.
"Interestin'," he replied. "If I was getting in some practice for the Main Event, I wouldn't be playing a different game."
The common sense hit Daniel like a tidal wave and he felt his face redden, the blush spreading to his neck. He found his embarrassment spared as two clean cut players walked past the table. They clearly knew the old-timer and greeted him warmly. As they started in conversation, the old man half-swung back to Daniel.
