Christmas Present

by Lauren Wood

  I reached into the bag and found one of those knit caps sailors would wear on the dock. It would do until I had a chance to color my hair. Nobody noticed me and it was exactly the purpose of my disguise. I found no one style and I was always changing things up to keep things fresh.

  The people looked like sheep penned into their little lives with no sign of escape. I learned the hard way when my father was taken into custody how life was unfair.

  My mother became a drunk and she was still living in the same trailer sleeping with just about anybody for companionship. When I was 16 it was necessary to leave to keep my sanity. Living hand to mouth afforded me the opportunity to survive on my own merits. I was an accomplished grifter by the time was 18. That was 7-years ago.

  I found the Airport and long-term parking was my final destination. I decided to splurge by seamlessly breaking into a silver Jaguar. It had the plush leather seats and wouldn’t be missed for the remainder of the owner’s trip away from home.

  I avoided suspicion by once again stripping off what I had and exchanging it for sophisticated attire. The red dress and a string of pearls along with the Rolex watch on my wrist was a nice touch. There was a colorful scarf around my neck and a pair of oversized Gucci sunglasses to hide the windows to my soul.

  The guard didn’t even look up from his paper. I was breezing down the interstate with the window open with no sign of anything out of the ordinary.

  I kept thinking about that one night a couple of months ago. I was completely blitzed out of my mind and looking to score. Last call left me with slim pickings, but there was one who captured my attention. I could barely recall his face in the haze of liquor running through my veins. He was the one that got away. By morning, the other side of the bed was still warm but he was no longer in it.

  I pulled out the bottle and popped a couple of the pills. It made me feel better to know that they were there. I had turned over a new leaf avoiding fatty foods and making my body into a healthy temple. I was even doing yoga by the numbers from a course I was taking on the Internet. A calm mind went hand in hand with my new outlook on living to a ripe old age.

  I thought I was going to give up the life, but it was too exciting to pass up the next opportunity. I had a list of those who had contacted me on the dark web. I rejected some out of hand, but there were a few who stood out from the crowd. One of them was going to be my next partner. They just didn’t know it yet.

  Chapter two

  I never was one to hide in the seedy part of any town. I lived life to the fullest grabbing onto whatever happiness I could find along the way. I had driven the expensive sports car and left it three states from where I was currently. It would be stripped for parts.

  I was no stranger to Las Vegas. The three potential partners agreed to meet me at the Mandalay. I had a standing reservation under the name of Cassandra Jamison.

  I waited in one of the many restaurants for my next appointment. His name was Patrick Owens and he came as a package deal with his wife Allison. I was willing to give them a chance to knock my socks off with some innovative ideas. The only stumbling block was that they did spend time behind bars.

  I could hear the telltale sound of the casino raking in millions by fleecing unsuspecting victims. They were doing it legally. I had an investment in the New Jersey casino with a stake in the profits for 10-percent annually. It kept me flush, but robbing banks and other establishments had nothing to do with the money. It was the rush.

  The New Jersey casino wasn’t my only investment. I had gotten in on the ground floor of some real estate deals netting me more than I could spend in a lifetime. The IRS wouldn’t be able to touch it. It was safely squirreled away in the Cayman Islands.

  I fingered the crystal of the cosmopolitan sitting in front of me. I was no longer feeling them breathing down the back of my neck. I was breathing safely in one of my sanctuaries.

  “I sent them away.” I turned slowly to face a man with a reputation to get things done.

  “Graham Locke. I wasn’t expecting you until tomorrow.” He was tanned dark and handsome, but there was only one way to find out if the rug matched the drapes.

  For him, I could definitely see myself going against my first rule of business. Getting personally involved was a mistake and one that I was determined never to make.

  “I decided to show up early. Patrick and Allison will not be joining you.” He had this dark aura surrounding him like a halo. There was nothing Angelic about him. I could almost see the horns of the devil in his eyes.

  I kicked the chair and motioned with my hand for him to sit down. I caught the attention of the waitress and she knew to bring me what I wanted.

  “I took a risk inviting you to this interview. I know you have problems playing nice with others.” There was no way to avoid him looking at my exposed cleavage. Sex did sell and made it easier for me to lull him into a false sense of security.

  “I wasn’t even sure I was going to show up.” His blazing blue eyes tore through whatever resistance I had. The wall of indifference was crumbing under his gaze.

  “I’m still not sure this is going to be a good fit.” The heat between us was unparalleled. He was dangerous and the death count after he left a job was unnecessary.

  “I was about to say the same thing. My curiosity was piqued after I got the personal invitation by the ghost. I thought you were going to be taller.” I thrust my chest out and stretched my arms over my head to make him focus on my best attribute.

  “Some people have this opinion about me. There’s a picture in their head that doesn’t necessarily match reality. I’ve followed your career. The only thing impressing is your ability to get out of tight situations. Frankly, everything else appalls me and makes me believe that you are what is wrong with this business.” I sipped my drink and watched him over the rim still staring at the modicum of skin I had exposed.

  “I may have done things reprehensible in the past. The faces of the dead still wake me up in the middle of the night.” His body was a work of art worthy of the hand of Michelangelo painting him by the numbers.

  He wasn’t muscle-bound, but he was perfectly proportioned. His six-foot height and 180-pound body had not even an ounce of fat on it. He carried himself with distinction and confidence. If he was putting on an act…it was a good one.

  “Give me one good reason to give you a chance. Remember, I will make you famous which will require you to change everything about you down to your shoes.” His chest was sculpted from marble with arms big enough to carry me into the boudoir. I would not go kicking and screaming.

  “I’m sure you could find somebody else, but they wouldn’t be as good. I pride myself on accounting for every variable. You can’t always do that, but you can have contingency plans in case things go off the rail.” He was all about having an exit strategy.

  I was a little afraid of his misogynist attitude toward women. He was already undressing me with his eyes. It would only make things complicated to throw caution to the wind.

  “I’m planning on this next job to be my last. The take will be 5050 right down the middle. I would estimate there will be $20,000,000 in your pocket. What you do with it is none of my business.” He was dressed to impress wearing a custom-made suit tailored for his body. There was no tie and the brief hint of skin from the first couple of buttons undone was enough to make me think obscene thoughts. He was the envy of every man in whatever room he stood in.

  “That is a hefty payday and one I would be a damn fool not to consider. I was wondering if there aren’t some extracurricular activities we could be doing to build the trust between us.” The trust-building exercise he had in mind was mattress related. His hand was resting on mine. His thumb was moving across to ignite a spark of excitement. It was having the desired results.

  “I never mix business with pleasure. We keep things platonic without making things personal. I don’t want to care for you. I don’t want you to pine over something you can’t have.” I pulled
my hand away like I had stuck it in a boiling pot of water.

  “I think after a few more drinks you might be changing your mind. It’s been my personal experience I look and sound a whole lot better with beer goggles.” I couldn’t help but smile at his attempt to lower my guard.

  “Drinking to excess has gotten me into trouble in the past. It’s not advisable for me to walk down that road.” He was soon polishing off a bottle of whiskey and I was getting whatever drink I wanted from a waitress who knew my order like the back of her hand.

  “I’ve never seen anybody handle their liquor…like you do. I’m feeling a little buzzed and you don’t look the least bit affected.” I shrugged my shoulders and looked at the clock to see 2-hours had gone by. I was enjoying seeing him make a fool of himself. The trick was having someone on retainer to make my drinks virgin. He didn’t know any better.

  “Tomorrow is a big day.” I moved my hand through my red hair tangling in the curly locks. “I’m going to take you into my confidence. It’s not going to happen until you are sober. You are going to need some time to sleep it off.” I downed the remaining cosmopolitan without even a trace of liquor on my crimson lips.

  “I don’t think that I can get up to my room without some help.” The twinkle in his eye told me this was a ploy to get me behind closed doors. One touch and he would find himself nursing a black eye and a bruised ego.

  I helped him to his feet and draped his arm over my shoulder. His scent was intoxicating and familiar. I was pretty much powerless to resist if he was in control of his full faculties. He stumbled and tried to say something but his words were slurred.

  We got into the elevator and he moved his finger down over the board with his eyes half closed. He finally pressed a button and then feigned surprise when he didn’t get it right. It was one floor up on the sixth floor.

  He had a considerable weight advantage. Pushing me up against the wall and running his hands down along my frame had me hungry to feel more. His touch brought about a flash of us underneath the sheets twisting and turning to the cries of ecstasy in the room. It was a waking wet dream about to come true.

  My hands were over my head and he was nipping on the skin of my neck sending a shiver of desire down along my lower extremities. His one hand was lifting my dress and I gasped with his tongue in my mouth from how he was palming my mound. The reek of alcohol did nothing to deter the blazing fire between us.

  “God damn… you are irresistible.” His words fueled me to reach between us to grab the scepter of his love.

  We were dancing to the music of lust in our hearts. The steps to this particular dance weren’t hard to figure out.

  “I bet you say that to all the girls.” I was a little breathless and my nipples were hard enough to cut through glass. He was manhandling the girls.

  “You would be surprised. I’m usually quite selective unless of course, I have been drinking more than I should. I confess it happens more frequently than I would like to admit.” The beer goggles were on the other foot.

  He was seeing things through the hazy vision of inebriation. Amazingly, his hands were not clumsy and his arousal was unaffected by the volume of liquor he had consumed.

  We were making out heavily with his fingers finding me open to his advancements. My eyes widened in surprise when he opened me up. He fell to his knees, holding my hips with the red dress bunched in his fist. He was licking me through the black panties. I was anticipating what that experienced tongue could do to bare flesh.

  I was running my hands through his hair and then he collapsed. I’m sure the guys in the video room were having a good laugh at my expense.

  It was rather embarrassing and I found it necessary to pull my dress down. The crotch was already soaking wet from a combination of him lapping noisily and my own excitement blazing a trail between my lips.

  “You are going to regret this in the morning. You’re going to wake up with a hangover and fuzzy images about what happened. If I’m feeling magnanimous, I might fill in the blanks.” It was amusing although the pleasure inflicted on me could’ve been something of an eye-opening experience. It was a shame.

  Chapter three

  He was sitting there holding onto his forehead and drinking vast amounts of orange juice and coffee. He was shaking his head and obviously trying to piece together what happened after we left the restaurant.

  “I feel I need to apologize, but I don’t exactly know what for. I remember challenging you to a drinking contest. I thought for sure this morning I was going to bring you breakfast in bed. You didn’t have to leave me in my clothes.” I did unless I wanted to take the risk of temptation biting me in the ass.

  “What kind of girl do you take me for? Don’t answer that. I did have the opportunity of taking advantage of you. You would have been none the wiser.” I was making it sound like I was an honorable woman, but I knew one look at his anatomy would have been my downfall.

  “I sometimes have a problem. I can go cold Turkey, but after the job is done some part of me wants to drink away the memory.” I was eating a dish to make fun of his ailment. The eggs were runny and the bacon had the extra fat dripping off of it.

  “I don’t want to see any of this behavior for the next couple of days.” Last night, I had laid him on the bed and suddenly envisioned riding him yelling ‘Heehaw” like I was taming a wild bull. The feelings were so intense it almost made me rip his clothes off and have my way with him.

  “I can assure you this is a one-time thing. I already took my hangover remedy upstairs before I came down to join you for breakfast. Your attempt to make my stomach turn is to no avail.” He was a little gray around the edges, but he didn’t look like he was going to be sick anytime soon.

  “This place is always busy in the morning during the buffet. The noise is perfect to prevent anybody from overhearing our conversation.” He was going to be shocked by my audacity. I was banking on it.

  These people were in the same sorry shape with bags under their eyes from overindulging. Some were running on caffeine and whatever drug to keep them awake to gamble even more. The stories in their eyes told me how far they had fallen from grace.

  “I was a little overzealous last night. Targeting you was a mistake for a potential conquest. I did wake up with a taste of pussy in my mouth.” I sputtered on a forkful of eggs and bacon.

  “There’s no reason to talk about it. I could tell you, but then I would have to kill you.” I said it in a serious tone to make him believe revisiting the past wasn’t a good idea.

  “I will refrain from mentioning it again.” I leaned forward with the dress moving to give him more than an eyeful. This one was white and virginal. There was no way to claim I was a virgin and my experience was intensely seen in my eyes.

  “We have business to conduct. Today we are going to talk about the venue for the wedding.” He cocked an eyebrow at the very mention of commitment. He suddenly smiled and instinctively understood I was using code.

  “I’m going to bow to your expertise. I’ve learned the hard way a happy wife is a happy life. This wasn’t my idea. My family wanted a huge wedding in a church with all of our friends. Eloping was your idea to prevent us from losing our minds.” I was testing him and he was passing with flying colors.

  The colorful Hawaiian shirt was a little gaudy but he seemed to make it work even with the short beige cargo pants.

  “I’ve already talked to the manager and made all the arrangements at the small chapel down the street. I would like to have it here, but the expenses are more than I’m willing to pay.” He was listening intently and it finally dawned on him the place I wanted to rob was my second home.

  “I have heard in passing this place is rather extravagant. The suites upstairs are for the high rollers. I’ve always wanted to take part in their annual card game.” He was getting the drift of my conversation. The money at the table downstairs in the casino was nothing compared to what was being doled out by those who had more money than brains.
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  “I believe we will set the time for 5:00 PM. The cake will be cut 15-minutes later and then we will be out the door 5-minutes after.” I had a plan and 5:00 was perfect, but I was going to switch the PM for AM. Their guard would be significantly diminished after drinking themselves into a stupor.

  “I doubt I’m going to get much sleep. The excitement will be too much and we might want to consider getting something stronger from the pharmacy.” He was playing along with the analogy and making a strong case for some kind of gas to enter the room before us.

  “We don’t want to fall asleep during the honeymoon.” I signaled with the room number using one hand to tap it on his leg under the table. I felt something moving and I didn’t have to be drawn a map to his over inflated manhood.

  “I don’t need much in the way of stimulation when I’m with you. I can go all night and I plan to put my money where my mouth is.” He was essentially saying his cock had a mind of its own. I smiled and gave it a squeeze to see his need outweigh his good sense.

  “Easy and you might want to pace yourself. The honeymoon isn’t until tomorrow night. I have this feeling you can’t be trusted in the same room with me. You might have guessed getting separate rooms was necessary.” His was down the hall from mine but he didn’t need to know that.

  “We are in Las Vegas. You do know the saying that people live by. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. We should take in a show and check out the sites. We are wasting an opportunity to immerse ourselves into the lavish culture.” He did make a valid point. There was very rarely any time to smell the roses. I usually stayed cloistered in an undisclosed location until game time.

  “I do believe I might just take you up on your offer. There’s no reason why we can’t throw around some money. There’s always more where that came from.” I was inferring to the robbery at how much we were going to lay our hands on. The figure I had mentioned was most likely going to exceed my expectations.