happens so fast, the man can barely open his mouth to protest.
The man turns to face me. He still has a grin plastered on his face. “We try to avoid violence at Fortuna,” he says with a wink. “Are you alright?”
“Yes. Just a bruised ego.” I feel vaguely embarrassed that security got involved. I wish I could handle situations like that myself. But… I shrug.
“David.” The man sticks out his hand.
“Lilly.” I slip my hand into his, noticing how cool and dry his palm is against my own hot sweaty one.
A look of confusion flashes in his eyes. “Why did that guy call you Laura?”
“Oh… uh.” I can’t help but giggle, slightly relieved that he didn’t catch the reference. “Laura Ingalls? She wrote those ‘Little House on the Prairie’ books for kids? About pioneer life?”
He still looks slightly quizzical.
“I think it’s because of my dress,” I go on, turning red as I feel myself babbling. “Because of the flowers. And I guess it’s a bit more um old-fashioned… I mean, it covers more than some other… It’s just that—”
“It’s a lovely dress,” David cuts in..
“Thank you.” I feel relief wash over me. “I just feel a bit out of place.”
“Well, if you want to stand out in Vegas, showing less skin instead of more is the way to go,” he acknowledges with a low chuckle and a shrug. “Did you just arrive?”
“This morning,” I nod. “I’m visiting my sister, Deanna.” I gesture towards her. Brian, Blair, and Stacy are clustered around her at the roulette table, egging her on. They’re so engrossed in the game, they haven’t even noticed my run-in with… What does this guy do anyway?
“You work here, I guess?” I cast back in my mind for some of the casino lingo I’ve been hearing Deanna and her friends use in conversation over the past hours. “As a pit boss?” I bite my lip, hoping I got it right. I think that's what Brian said. It’s the name of the person in charge of a defined section of casino floor. And this guy definitely seems to be in charge.
“You could say that,” David responds, his smile growing. “I wear many hats in my job. Sometimes that includes pit boss. In any case, you caught my eye. It seemed like you could use a hand.”
“Your timing was perfect. It was like you came out of nowhere.”
“That’s part of the job. If I’m doing it right, I’m like a ghost. There when you need me. And otherwise…invisible.” He shoves his fists, balled up, into the pocket of his slacks.
I take a moment to appreciate how well-dressed he is. The dark charcoal grey suit fits him perfectly and a blue pocket square peeks out of one pocket. Underneath, he has a crisp white shirt, adorned with gold cufflinks, emblazoned with a single letter. F. His polished leather shoes gleam against the dark maroon carpet under our feet.
“Your sister is on quite a roll.” His words interrupt my outfit analysis.
“Yeah.” I turn my attention back to the table.
He cranes his neck, presumably to assess the pile of chips Deanna has amassed. “Look like she’s up about $400,000.”
“That’s a lot,” I say softly. “That’s an entire house. That could be two houses.” I gulp. It’s unreal to me that a stack of plastic is worth that much money. That’s more than I’ve ever seen! Or Deanna. Or our parents. Or anyone I know.
“Maybe she should quit while she’s ahead,” David says, suddenly stern again. “Your sister’s riding high right now but that could all change very fast.”
“There’s no controlling her when she’s like this,” I respond, hoping he can’t hear how helpless I feel. I know that if Deanna loses this much money now, she’s going to have a total meltdown.
“Okay, well. I tried to warn you.” He gives the table a last glance before motioning to the cocktail waitress. It’s the same one who keeps plying us all with champagne. “Take special care of this group, Marissa.”
“Yes, sir, Mr. Milner.” She nods smartly. “Our high-rollers are top priority, of course.”
“High rollers?” I squeak out the words.
David, already preparing to turn away, pauses and looks back at me. He flashes that smile, running his eyes over me from head to toe. It’s like he’s taking my dress off with his look. I feel my palms get sweaty again.
“Just remember. The house always wins in the end.” He says. And then he turns to walk away.