by Mary Abshire
The next four games ended like the first with Emily losing a chip. She thought she’d won once and had bet more than usual, but April beat her by a point. So far, she was down forty dollars and a screwdriver. She ordered another and malt liquor for Harold.
“Hang in there, honey,” Harold said as he rubbed her back. “You’re doing just fine.”
Easy for him to say when he’d won half of her chips she’d bet.
“I guess you really are lucky. You’ve won the most since I arrived,” she said.
He wrapped his arm around her waist and tugged her close. “My luck has just begun. Wait until later.”
The waitress arrived with the drinks. Emily quickly claimed hers and took several gulps. Nausea rolled through her from Harold’s touch. The more liquor she drank, the less she thought about his hand on her.
They played two more rounds of blackjack before Emily finally won. Tipsy, she laughed like a schoolgirl and she’d only won forty dollars. But it had been the most she’d ever claimed on her own before.
April rose from her seat. “It’s time I start heading home.” She slid the long strap of her purse over her shoulder before she collected her chips.
“Good to see you again.” Harold gave her a kiss on her cheek.
“Always a pleasure, dear,” she told him. “Emily, good luck. Keep playing and you’ll get better.”
“Excellent advice,” Harold said.
“It was nice to meet you, April,” Emily said.
April started walking away, carrying her chips on a small tray. “Take care.”
“I see her sometimes when I come by after work. She never leaves empty handed,” Harold said.
Emily arched a brow. “Girlfriend of yours?”
“No. Just someone to chat and play with.”
“Ah, I know how that is.” She gave him a sly grin and then finished her drink. The buzz in her head was starting to fade. She’d have to order another alcoholic beverage soon.
“Still playing?” Bill asked.
“Would you like to try one of the other tables?” Harold asked.
“Uh, why don’t we stay here? If I keep betting small amounts I don’t feel so bad when I lose.”
He chuckled and slid his hand on her knee. “Sure thing.”
Chills crawled up her spine while her stomach churned. She bit her tongue and lifted her arm for the waitress. If she didn’t get more liquor ASAP, she’d have to break for the bathroom.
She reached for more cash as the waitress appeared.
“Would you like something else to drink?” the female server asked.
Emily straightened. “Two more for me and two for him.”
The waitress gave a single nod. “I’ll be right back.”
“Two?” Harold questioned.
“If I’m betting more, I’ll need the booze to console me when I lose.”
He laughed. “You are too funny.”
Emily set her cash on the table. “More red chips please.”
“Is this your first time playing blackjack at a casino?” Harold asked as Bill took her money.
“Can’t you tell I’m losing my virginity?”
“Maybe I can teach you a few tricks.” He winked and squeezed her thigh.
“I hope so. I’d like to walk away lucky tonight.”
She lowered her arm to her side and clenched her fist. A wave of nausea rushed through her. She wasn’t certain how much more she could tolerate his touch.
After the dealer slid her stacks of chips toward her, she took two and placed them in the betting area. Bill shuffled the cards while he gazed forward. Howard placed his red tokens before him. Seconds later, Bill dealt the cards. Emily peeked at her upside down one. The jack went well with the queen facing up. Harold asked for another card. He checked it and grumbled. Without delay, he lifted his other two. Emily grinned as she revealed her cards.
“Maybe my luck is improving,” she said.
He patted her thigh. “I’m sure it is.”
The waitress arrived with their drinks. Needing the liquor to help her cope with Harold’s touch, Emily quickly downed the first one.
“Whoa, you might want to go easy there,” Harold said, holding his malt beer.
“I’m celebrating. Have some fun.”
“Oh, I’m having fun.” He drank his beer while Bill shuffled the stack again.
Emily continued to place higher bets. Harold appreciated them since he won the next three rounds. The rush of liquor helped ease her disgust of the man. Her mind swirled, which probably didn’t help her focus on the game.
“You are too damn lucky,” she said as Harold collected four more red chips from her.
Grinning widely, he said, “I told you I was.”
She lifted her glass in a toast. “To a successful night.”
He took his beer and tapped her drink. “And it’s not over yet.”
She poured more of the fruity liquor into her mouth, careful not to gulp too much. The last thing she needed was to get pulled over for DUI before meeting Andrew.
Harold finished his malt. “Where are you staying?”
Bill tossed the cards back and forth in his hands.
“My hotel is across the river,” she said as she pushed two tokens in front of her.
Harold placed the same amount before him. “Which river?”
“Hell if I know. I’m not from around here.”
“Is it nice?” He lifted his last beer and took a sip.
“It’s cozy. I think you’d like it.”
He set his drink on the table and then placed his cool, clammy hand on her thigh. “Maybe we should see how lucky we both are outside of here.”
“I like your thinking.” She gave him a twisted grin while her mind shouted obscenities about him.
Bill delivered more cards to each of them. Harold checked his while Emily looked at hers. She was going to lose and she didn’t care. The only thing she wanted to do was get away from Harold. But she couldn’t. Not yet.
She added two more tokens.
“Oh, got something good, huh?” Harold tossed his chips in with the others.
The dealer revealed his cards. He had nineteen. Harold showed he had twenty. Emily flipped her cards over.
“Oh… So sorry,” Harold said as he tightened his grasp on her leg.
“Damn,” she said. “I’m always so close.” She took a sip from her drink while Harold collected his winnings.
An older couple came to sit next to Harold. “Mind if we join you?” asked the man with glasses and white hair. His wife had curly white locks and wore glasses to. She smiled at them.
“Please, help yourself,” Harold said before he drank more beer.
Emily leaned toward him. “Maybe we should go after this one.”
He nodded as he continued drinking.
“Ready to play?” Bill asked.
The elderly man put money on the table for him and his wife. While Bill gave them chips, Emily scooted two of hers forward.
Harold leaned toward her ear. “I think we can take them.” His heated beer breath brushed over her and she resisted the urge to swat him away like a bug.
“Should I bet more?” she whispered.
“Wait. I’ll tap to let you know when.” He patted her thigh with his fingers.
“Got it.”
After the couple placed their bets, the dealer handed cards out to each person. Emily checked her card and combined with the one revealed, they totaled a low amount. She asked for another card. Harold requested one too. The woman at the far end took a card. Harold tapped his digits on her leg.
“Another one please,” Emily said as she added two more chips.
Harold tossed his tokens into the game. When the couple backed out of the game, Bill showed his cards. He had nineteen. Emily had eighteen. Harold had twenty.
“Well done,” Emily said as he gathered all the tokens. “I think I’ll be luckier back at my hotel.”
The dealer gave Harold a small tra
y for his chips. With a wide grin that could stretch from California to New York, Harold placed his winnings into the slots. She guessed he had maybe two hundred dollars in red tokens and most of it was from her losses. She had ten dollars left.
Emily rose from her seat. “I’m out.” Excitement coursed through her. In less than hour, the world would be a better place without Harold.
Bill gave her a nod.
The waitress appeared at Emily’s side. “Ready to check out?”
“Yes.” She dug in her purse for her wallet.
“If you check out in booth nine, I’ll have your receipt sent over,” the waitress said.
“Oh, great. Thanks,” Emily said as the gal walked away.
“I’m out too,” Harold said as he lifted his tray. “Best of luck to you,” he said to the couple.
“And to you,” they both replied.
Purse and tokens in hand, Emily walked next to Harold. “You were great.”
“Honey, you haven’t seen anything yet.”
“Harold, you’re hilarious.” Although she wanted to puke, she held a joyful expression on her face. The thought of him kissing her or worse, touching her intimately, created a storm in her gut that made her want to heave buckets of bile.
They strode down rows of machines, heading to the booths on the side. A light flashed on one of the games where a woman sat.
“I have to admit, this has been a very good night,” Harold said.
“It has,” she said. “I had a lot of fun.”
“You go first,” he said as they reached the booths.
She proceeded to the one marked nine. Harold stopped at the next open one, a few down from her. She wasn’t surprised to see he had left her to pay for the drinks.
Emily handed over her two red chips at the counter. The cashier deducted the amount from her bill. After she paid the cashier, she ambled several feet away from Harold. He stood at the booth, waiting for his cash. Seeing he was busy, Emily fished her phone from her purse. She sent Andrew a quick message to let him know she would be on her way. A quick check of the time revealed it was only after ten. They were leaving earlier than she’d originally thought and that cheered her up. She looked up and found Harold strolling toward her with his hands in his pockets.
“Ready to go?” she asked as she tossed her cell in her bag.
“Sure. Where did you say you were staying?” he asked as they headed back the way they’d come.
“Across the river.”
“What’s the name of your hotel?’
“Fairmont Suites, I think.” They rounded the corner.
“I can follow you there,” he said.
“How about I drive? I can bring you back.” Fuck, she hadn’t considered the driving situation.
“You don’t have to do that.”
With a deep breath, she curled her arm around his. “Oh come on. Let me in the driver’s seat. I promise to bring you back in one piece.” She silently chuckled.
He sighed. “Okay, but I can’t stay too long.”
She squeezed his arm close to her. “Now I get to be lucky.”
They walked out of the casino to a dark sky. Pain throbbed in her toes. She couldn’t wait to get her shoes off.
“This is me,” she said as they approached her Jeep.
“Is this your rental car?” He pointed.
“Yep.” She pressed the button on her keychain to unlock the doors. The lights flashed.
“Fancy rental.”
Emily settled behind the wheel while Harold buckled his seatbelt. He twisted and gazed in the empty back. After she started the engine, she reached for the gear.
Harold snuck his hand onto her thigh. “We could stay here. There’s room in the back.”
“I think we’d have more fun at my place,” she said as she backed the Jeep out.
Her time was running out. She could feel it in her gut. He wanted action now, probably so he wouldn’t have to leave with her. To prevent him from stopping her, she had to keep the car moving.
He moved his hand up her leg. “You’re warm.”
“Mm hm.” She bit her tongue hard. As much as she wanted to speed, she couldn’t. She’d risk getting pulled over and then her plans would be ruined. She cursed in her head at the revolting man touching her. Andrew had better be ready.
He withdrew his hand when she turned onto the main road. Her anxiety remained high as she drove. From the corner of her eye, she saw Harold watching her.
“Do you need to be back by a certain time?” she asked.
“When we’re done should be fine.” He spread his legs wider and grabbed himself.
She gripped the wheel and focused on the road. If he pulled out his snake, she would be scarred for life.
A light turned yellow as she approached it. Not wanting to stop, she pushed her foot on the accelerator. She made it through before the red appeared.
“That was a close one,” he said, his hand over his groin.
“I’m anxious to get to my place,” she said.
He reached over and pressed his hand between her legs. “How excited are you?”
The move took her by surprise. She gripped his wrist and shoved it away. The car swerved in the process, but she quickly righted it.
“Whoa,” he said.
“Harold, I’m driving. Don’t distract me please,” she said as calmly as she could.
“Take it easy, honey. I can wait a little longer.”
Anger and disgust boiled within her. As if she were a volcano, she was on the edge of exploding with hot bile. Sweat surfaced above her brow. She wiped the back of her hand across her forehead. To stop herself from spewing, she chewed on her lip.
The sign for the bridge appeared. She steered into the turn lane and came to a halt.
“How far is your hotel?” he asked.
“Not too far.”
A car stopped behind her. The lights shined in her mirror, blinding her. She pushed the button on the side of her door to move the mirror away from the vehicles beams.
“Light’s green,” Harold said.
She jerked her gaze up. Seeing the stoplight had changed, she accelerated.
She sped a few miles over the limit since the jerk with the bright beams decided to follow her off the bridge. Not many cars were coming from the other direction. Harold kept silent while he glanced around outside. After several minutes, she knew she was going to have a problem since the car behind her had yet to turn away.
“How far is your hotel?” he asked.
“Not much further. I don’t know why my company chose this one. I’m guessing they got a good deal on the rate since it’s a bit out of the way.”
Her heartbeat increased as she neared the sweet spot in the woods. The roads were so dark she could barely see the small path. She slowed the Jeep, but then the SUV on her tail moved closer. Recognizing she couldn’t make the turn, she increased her speed.
“Fucking asshole,” she muttered as she passed the dirt road into the woods.
“Whoa, someone has a filthy mouth,” Harold said. “I like it.”
She pressed her lips and gripped the wheel harder. Aside from the vehicle behind her, there weren’t any other cars on the road. She had the perfect chance to get back to the path, if she could just get there.
The trees disappeared and she was back in the area of the motel Andrew had stayed at. She flipped on her signal.
“Is this it?” Harold asked, surprised.
She steered into the lot. “Yep.”
The SUV sped past her and continued down the road. Emily curved the Jeep around to get back onto the road.
“It’s not the Fairfield. Hey, what are you doing?” he asked, irritation in his tone.
She paused, checking for cars before accelerating. “I saw something back here.”
“But what about your hotel?”
“I want to check this out,” she said, speeding to get to the path.
“There’s nothing out here.” His tone reveale
d his frustration. “Where are you going?”
The path had to be close. Her heart thudded as she searched for the flattened road with a gap in the trees. She reduced her speed and cursed the darkness for preventing her from seeing clearly.
“What the fuck is going on?” His anger reached a new high.
She focused on driving and searching for the spot she needed to turn at. A heavy weight lifted from her when she finally found the opening. She switched off her lights as she steered off the main road.
“Where are we going, Carrie?” he asked in a deep tone.
“I saw this the other day. I want to check out the view.”
The car shook on the way through the woods. Branches scraped the front of the Jeep and the windows, letting her know she had strayed from the path. She quickly straightened the car and the shrubbery stopped scratching the vehicle. When she reached the end of the wooded area, she brought the vehicle to a halt past the trees.
“We’re here,” she said, shifting the gear.
“This is what you wanted to see?”
She cut the ignition. “Yeah. You should see the view of the city from here.”
She searched for Andrew seconds after she pushed her door open. The garbage odor she’d smelled the night before remained strong in the air. Bugs whizzed within the woods. Lights shined across the river. She scanned the area again, but she couldn’t find Andrew anywhere in sight.
“Are we going back to your hotel or not?” Harold asked, coming to stand near her.
She swallowed hard as she thought of a way to distract him. He expected action and he’d no doubt get it, especially since she’d led him to a secluded area. She had to get to her gun, but it was in the trunk.
“I thought we’d admire the view of the city and the river.” She extended her arm behind her.
“I’d rather admire another view, like the one under that dress.” He stepped toward her and she backed away.
She held up her hands as she backpedaled. “Look, I think I may have misled you.”
He rushed for her. She took a step back in her heels and her ankle twisted. Pain shot through her foot as she fell to the ground. Harold was quick to pounce on top of her. Where the fuck was Andrew?
She balled her fist and shot it at his face. His nose crunched when she hit it.
“Fucking bitch,” he spat, sitting on her belly.