CHAPTER TWO: Lucky at Cards
The limousine pulled up in front of the Luxor, and Julie got out to hold the door for me. I emerged from the car and instantly felt the eyes of all the surrounding women upon me. It was almost as if I could feel their desire, see myself through their eyes. I could particularly feel the presence of the pretty chauffeur next to me, and when she took my hand to help me out of the car, I sensed for a moment the same shock that had run through me and my two recent lovers, Sapphire and Nikki.
She did not withdraw her hand, but rather stood there, an eyebrow raised, a smile on her face that might have been amused or seductive. Her eyes were locked on mine, and I could feel a tangible tension in the air.
"Thanks for the ride," I said, to break the silence.
"Yes, of course," she replied evenly. "It was my pleasure."
A sudden, irresistible urge welled up within me, and I leaned forward and kissed her lips. They tasted like sweet honey, and she though she didn't respond she didn't pull away either. The world around us faded, and I felt myself slipping back into that haze of wonderful, all-encompassing lust that I had felt a moment before.
It was Julie who pulled away. Letting go of her made me physically ache, but I did so reluctantly. "Thank you for the ride," I said again.
"Anytime," she whispered.
I turned and walked across the pavement to the casino entrance. As I passed through the revolving doors, I looked back to see Julie wave at me with a sultry wink, then get back into the car and drive away.
* * * * *
Incredibly, after all the hot lesbian sex I'd had with Nikki and Sapphire, the thing that weighed on my mind as I entered the lobby was Julie's kiss. It had been so hot, so fiery, charged with power and lust... all I wanted was more.
Once again I could feel the women around me staring at me, wanting me, desiring me. If anything, it had become even stronger than before. Not only could I see the lust in their eyes, I could feel the tension in the air, the need that swept them as I walked by. It took me several minutes to realize that it wasn't just my own reactions I was sensing, it was theirs. Each time a woman caught sight of me, I could sense her sudden shock of instant attraction, followed by a brief moment of confusion, and then the hunger. It wasn't an intrusive or unwelcome feeling; I could ignore it the same way one ignores surrounding conversations, but for the moment I didn't want to. Feeling the needs of all these women increased my own, and sexual fire had become a drug to me; the more I had, the more I wanted.
After a while of just soaking in the admiration and desire of all the woman who saw me, and feeling the need for a breather, I looked for and found an empty chair at a poker table. The other players were all men, unfortunately, but some of them had wives or girlfriends who instantly turned their attention to me. It washed through me like a soothing buzz, as if I'd had a few glasses of wine. "Mind if I join the game?" I asked.
"By all means," the dealer replied. "The game is five-card draw. Five-dollar ante, hundred dollar limit on the raise."
"I'll take eight hundred in chips, plus five for the pot," I said, sliding the bulk of my remaining winnings over the table.
My first cards were decent enough. I held a pair of Jacks from the get-go, and the Ace of Spades. I didn't really know much about estimating odds, but it seemed like the sort of hand I should stick with at least until the draw.
The man to the dealer's left started the bet. "Fifty," he said, tossing a chip in.
"I'll see it," said the next.
"See it, raise it twenty."
"Make it an even hundred for the raise," said the man to my right, tossing in a total of $150 in chips.
Bluffing.
His face was impassive, but I caught his intentions loud and clear. He was holding a worthless hand, I knew. "Call," I said, tossing in my chips.
"Dealer folds," the dealer said, putting his cards down. "Discards?"
I dropped my two worthless cards, noticing that the man to my right took no cards. He meant to see his bluff through. The new cards I got were no help.
The bet started at fifty, and the next man dropped out. The one after him took a moment, but I could sense that it was for show. He was fairly sure of his cards. "Fifty, and fifty more," he said eventually.
"Another hundred." That was the bluffer to my right.
"Your hundred, and a hundred more," I said, tossing in three chips. My pile was cut by more than half, but the pot was getting rich.
"Fold," said the next player.
I looked at the confident man, who was no longer so sure of himself. He put his cards down. "Fold," he sighed.
That left me and the bluffer, and he wasn't giving up easy. "Another hundred," he said with confidence.
"Your hundred, and a hundred more."
"Again."
I had only a $50 chip left. I was about to turn in some more cash when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up, and saw a stunningly beautiful red-haired woman, tall and elegant, her eyes brilliant green, her dress black. Her hand felt warm and tingling on my bare shoulder, and for a moment I almost forgot where I was. Where had she come from? How had I not noticed her before?
Without a word, she dropped a fifty-dollar chip in front of me. I pushed it and my own remaining chip into the pot. "Call," I whispered, unable to find my voice in the presence of this goddess.
The man sighed and dropped his cards onto the table. "Just a pair of sevens," he said.
Still unable to speak, I simply showed my cards to the table.
He took it well, smiling. "Well, if one must lose, it's a pleasure to lose to a fine woman like yourself."
I smiled, thought my mind wasn't on the game or my winnings any more. Mechanically, I swept the pot into a small pile in front of me, leavinga five-dollar chip for the next round.
When I looked up, the red-haired beauty was gone.
* * * * *
"I'll see your two hundred, and raise you five."
As my winnings increased throughout the night, I moved to higher-limit tables. The group I was playing with now were professional gamblers all, I knew, but their trained poker faces were transparent glass to me. My sensitivity to their thoughts and feelings had increased as the night went on, and by now I was sitting on a fifty thousand dollar stake. It had even gotten to the point where I was occasionally losing on purpose, just to keep anyone from thinking I was cheating.
I had gained something of an entourage as well. I had noticed that pretty girls were gathering around some of the high-rollers, hoping to share the wealth, and the same thing was starting to happen to me. Three lovelies had followed me to my current table; Regina, a tall brunette in a cocktail dress; Kiko, a petite Asian woman with short-styled hair; and Shauna, a slim blonde in a tight blue sequined number. I imagined I must be presenting an intriguing image to the crowd, as it was unusual at least to see a woman attracting other women the way I was, but no one said anything.
Actually, they were helping me. When they touched me, I felt their own lusty desires, and while it was distracting it also seemed to increase my sensitivity.
"Your five hundred, and five hundred more."
I caught a sense of his hand. He thought it was a good one, but I was holding a full house, and somehow I didn't think he could beat that. "Call," I said.
He showed his cards. A straight to the queen, not good enough. Another large pot came into my lap.
