Lady Gambler Ch 04

I got out of bed the next morning feeling refreshed but with a little bit of soreness in my thigh muscles. Ted had spread me hard last night, farther than my leg muscles were used to. I walked down to the kitchen to put on some fresh coffee. I checked the couch as I passed by it, to see if any of the cum stains remained. They hadn't but the couch's material was still a little damp from the cleaner. I figured it should be dry by the time I got home this evening.

I grabbed a quick shower and went through my morning routine. I sat at the dining room table sipping the fresh, hot coffee thinking seriously about driving up to Vegas this weekend. I hoped to get in some poker action before my gambling skills dulled.

I lifted the deck lid on the Mercedes and put the top down. The deck lid closed securing the top below it. It was another beautiful morning in Arizona and I wanted to make the most of it. I made the drive up to Fountain Hills, arriving at Ferris's home a little earlier than usual. I saw his Ferris's bodyguard approaching me. He grinned as he opened my car door.

"Good morning, Miss Gray." He spoke.

I returned his greeting as I picked up my attaché and purse from the passenger seat. I noticed him looking at my little red convertible. We headed towards the front door of the home.

"Since I'm going to be working here everyday, it would be nice if I knew your name." I stated.

"It's Scott, ma'am." He replied. "Scott."

"Good morning Scott." I quickly responded, causing him to get a really big smile on his face.

"That car is really you!" He said.

I smiled back at him as he opened the door to Ferris's home for me. I descended down the few steps to the living area, proceeding towards the kitchen. Ferris was sitting out on the patio as usual.

"There's my girl!" He stated. "Grab yourself some breakfast and come out on the patio."

I was hungry, hungrier than usual, so I got a little more than usual. I walked out to the patio table and joined Ferris, Janine and Michael. We exchanged greetings as I sat down to eat. The servant brought me out fresh orange juice and coffee. Janine looked at me a little strange with the hint of a smile.

"You look like you had a good night." She smarted. "You didn't by chance get lucky last night, did you?

I didn't say anything, just smiled. Thinking, if you only knew how lucky I got last night you'd have a heart attack. Michael was reading the morning paper so I didn't see much of his face. That didn't bother me in the least. I didn't really care for him at all. Janine, Ferris and I chatted about my car. George wanted to go out and see it so he left the table, walking around the side of the house. Janine put her foot against my leg and started brushing it up and down. I knew what she wanted but it wasn't going to happen today. Ferris and I had way too much work to get done.

George came back to the table. He was grinning from ear to ear.

"That car says Michelle, not just Mercedes." He stated. "I feel much better now, knowing you're driving something more dependable."

Ferris and I finished our breakfast and headed down the winding path towards his office. Charlene greeted us at the door. She was wearing a bright red business suit this morning. She'd even put on some make-up. Her dark brown hair was even styled a little different. She really looked attractive when she wanted to take the time to fix herself up.

Ferris showed me to my new office just behind Charlene's area. It was all carpeted with windows along two walls. The windows along one wall were extra wide viewing out towards the back of Ferris's home. I had full view of the patio and pool. The other windows were high up on the wall. You had to stand on a chair to see out them. They were mostly to let light in I guess. There were a couple of tables, some office chairs and a desk. The cable company had wired everything for our computers and installed an extra line for a television set. I just needed to rearrange the furniture to my liking. When we had that chore accomplished, George and I decided to go computer shopping.

Charlene called up to the house to get in touch with Scott, Ferris's bodyguard. Scott was to bring the car out to the front of the house where George and I would meet him. I needed to use the bathroom before we left to go shopping. When I returned, George was in his office with Charlene. He had his arms around her, kissing her. I stepped back out of sight and tiptoed towards the main door. I stood there until Ferris came out. At least I knew Ferris liked women. I'm sure Charlene was his favorite, even though she did wear a diamond wedding band.

Ferris and I walked towards the front of the house. Scott had pulled Ferris's car, an S600 Mercedes next to mine. The rear doors were already opened. I got in the car sitting next to Ferris. George didn't give Scott any directions; he seemed to know where we wanted to go. We drove down to Scottsdale to one of those computer-television superstores. Ferris was more interested in those HDTV units than computer systems. Along with the computers, George purchased two of the new televisions.

We arrived back at the house shortly before noon. Ferris asked if I was ready for lunch. I wasn't really hungry but I figured George was. I told him I could eat if he was ready for lunch. George told Scott to drive over to the country club. We'd eat lunch there. It was a real treat eating at the country club. The waiter took care of our every need. George ordered a bottle of wine, but I only drank a glass or two. Some friends of Ferris's were at a nearby table. They came over just to say "hi". Ferris introduced me to them. One of the men was Jack Henderson, one of the firm's owners. "The lousy golfer" as George referred to him.

After lunch we head back to Ferris's again. The delivery truck was just pulling up as Scott pulled the Mercedes sedan into the driveway. Scott jumped out of the car and directed the two deliverymen towards the office. George and I went on down the winding path towards the office. Charlene was sitting at her desk. She smiled when we entered the office. Charlene said she had an appointment she needed to keep so she'd be gone for the rest of the day. Ferris grinned when she made the statement.

"I'm going to walk Charlene up to her car." He stated, smiling. "I'll be back shortly."

I told him I'd show the deliverymen where to put everything. I don't think he was paying attention to what I said though. Ferris never did come back to the office. When I left at 5:00, he still hadn't returned. I laughed when I thought George might be kissing her lips, not the ones on her face, the ones between her legs!

I worked the rest of the day getting the three computer systems set up and online. The cable modems were many times faster and more dependable than the old dial-up ISP's. I left the office a little after 5:00pm. I saw Michael out on the patio and told him I was leaving but I didn't have a key to lock the office doors. He handed me his keys so I went back down to the office and made sure all the doors were locked and secure. I thought the least Michael could have done, was come down and locked the office up for his father. I took the keys back up to the house. Michael was grinning as I approached.

"Going to spend the evening alone?" He smarted off.

I didn't answer his smart remark. I tossed the keys to him, making damn sure they fell short so he'd have to get off his lazy ass to pick them up. I heard them jingle when they hit the patio's concrete surface. I smiled; knowing it probably pissed him off.

I got in my car and pulled out of the driveway, heading back to my apartment. I spent the evening alone, sitting out on the patio looking at the lake. The thought about driving the convertible up to Vegas this weekend crossed my mind.

I arrived at George's right on time the next morning. George was sitting alone on the patio reading the morning paper. He got up as I approached. He was smiling. I wondered if he slept well last night after his probable rendezvous with Charlene. George didn't say anything about not making it back to the office yesterday afternoon and I didn't mention it. The servant lady brought out the orange juice and fresh coffee. I lit up a cigarette. I was starting to smoke more, almost up to a pack a day. I was getting hooked on the habit. We ate a fairly light breakfast. I didn't see Michael or Janine. I figured they were both still in bed.

Ferris and I discussed what we should work on this morning. I suggested we check online and see how the stock market was doing this morning. The market had already been open a couple of hours. We might see some trends starting even though it was still early.

"By the way. I'm having a little party Saturday evening." Ferris stated. "Just some friends and business acquaintances. I'd really like it if you could make it. It'll start around 8:00."

Ferris looked at me for an answer. I thought, "Well there goes my Vegas plans!" I told him I'd be happy to attend, even though I wasn't. I had to force myself to smile. Ferris was pleased with my answer, so that made it a little easier.

"There'll be a lot of important people at the party." He added. "It'll give me a chance to show you off. I'd like you to look your best."

I nodded, telling him I had the perfect dress and accessories to wear. That remark made him really grin. As long as I was making Ferris happy, I was happy.

"I've got some of the guys coming over tomorrow evening for a little poker." George mentioned.

"I thought you didn't play?" I asked.

"I play... just not worth a damn!" He quipped, laughing. "It's more of a social thing, nothing really high stakes." All of a sudden, I got real hungry to play. I asked a few off-the-wall questions, like I was just curious and not really interested. I didn't want Ferris to sense I was hinting for an invitation.

"Frank Henderson's going to be there. I'd like to beat his ass at poker like I do at golf!" Ferris stated. "He's just too damn lucky."

"The game of poker takes a lot more than luck to win." I said. "It takes a good bit of skill."

George looked at me with a questioning look on his face. He asked me if I'd like to sit in or even just watch. I acted like I was thinking about it even though I knew right off; I was going to accept his invitation.

"Well, I don't really have anything planned for Friday." I stated innocently. "I wouldn't mind stopping by for awhile."

"Great! We usually start around 9:00 and play till everyone gets tired ... or until the sun comes up!" Ferris stated, laughing.

Ferris and I spent the rest of the day on the NYSE website. We tracked several stocks that we were interested in. I used one of the other computers to investigate some stocks that seemed to be doing quite well. I jotted down some information on them and downloaded some public information that was available. I like to look at the company's profile, especially who's in key management positions.

Ferris turned on the new tv in my office. His attention drifted back and forth between the television and the stock market. I couldn't really execute any transactions until Ferris had signed the contracts with our firm so it didn't really matter that I couldn't keep his attention focused on the business at hand.

Friday morning, Ferris and I checked out several real estate websites for properties that might be good investments. I pointed out to George we should consider residential housing and industrial properties. I didn't really want to get into anything commercial or business oriented. We'd probably have to sit on the properties for quite awhile in order to see any recognizable profits.

Friday afternoon, two men came to the office. Charlene came into my office and mentioned their names to George. He got up and followed her out. I heard the door to George's office close and figured he'd be tied up for awhile. About thirty minutes later, Charlene came in and informed me Ferris wanted me to join him in his office. I entered George's office and saw they were all sitting around George's conference table. I spotted our firm's folder in front of Ferris.

George introduced me to the two men. They were some of his attorneys. They had approved the contracts. All Ferris had to do was sign them. He opened the folder and put his signature on all the papers. It was a done deal! We could start working together officially. I just needed to get the contracts back to Banks, Kellogg and Henderson and into Marla and Jason's greedy little hands. I couldn't keep from smiling knowing I'd succeeded in securing Ferris's account.

"I want those agreements and other forms here no later than Monday afternoon. OK? Ferris stated to the two men.

"Yes sir. We'll work on them this weekend so we can make sure to meet your deadline." One of the men stated.

I didn't know what that was all about. It wasn't any of my business. I was impressed that his attorneys were willing to work the weekend to meet his demands. Ferris did wheel a lot of power and authority. I phoned Marla and told her I was on my way in to the firm with the signed contracts. She screamed with joy at the news. I shut down the computers for the day and picked up the contracts.

The men left the office heading back up the winding path towards the house. George met me at Charlene's desk. I told him I should be getting the papers into the firm's hands before anything happened to them.

"Good idea." Ferris said. "Still coming to the poker game tonight, aren't you?" He asked.

"Yes. I'll stop by around 9:00 and see how you're doing." I replied, trying to act nonchalant.

I waited till about 9:30 before I left the apartment to drive up to Ferris's home for the poker game. I didn't want to appear too anxious. I wore black leather slacks, snug but not tight. I had to wear a thong underneath them so I wouldn't show any panty lines. I did wear a scoop neck top and an uplift bra to show some cleavage. I wanted to distract the men as much as possible without it being too obvious. I put on black high heel shoes to give my 5'7" height a boost. I looked ready so I got in the convertible and headed towards Fountain Hills.

I arrived about 10:00. The driveway in front of Ferris's house had several cars parked in front of it. Scott, Ferris's bodyguard, came out and opened my car door for me. He seemed to always be at the house.

"Good evening Michelle." Scott greeted, smiling. "Mr. Ferris is expecting you."

Scott escorted me to the front door and opened it for me. I could hear some men talking far off in a lower level of the house. I followed their voices till I saw them. George was sitting at the table facing the hallway. He had already folded on the game there were playing. He smiled, motioning me to come in and meet everyone. George introduced me as Michelle Gray, his financial planner. He put his arm around my waist and gave me a slight hug. The men, mostly in their late forties to maybe early sixties shook my hand. They all seemed friendly. Frank Henderson was at the table; he clenched my hand a little harder than normal. His way of showing authority I guess. I was hoping he'd saved enough strength to carry his balls home with him. My purpose, other than winning, was to beat Henderson and beat him bad. I knew that would make George happy.

"You want to sit in on a few hands?" One of the men asked.

"I'm sure she does!" Ferris answered for me. "Take my seat. I just hope my bad luck doesn't rub off on you."

I sat in Ferris's chair. He took what few poker chips he hadn't lost and put them in the pocket of his dress slacks. I was sitting directly across from Henderson. I could watch his eyes while he played. Ferris said he'd act as the banker. I handed him ten one-hundred dollar bills.

"Hon, this is a friendly game. You sure you want to put this much on the line?" George asked, smiling.

I nodded my head and Ferris gave me several stacks of chips. There was a $5.00 per round limit except for the last round. I figured each pot would be around $200. I was drooling inside to get started. Ferris brought me a glass of wine. I would have to nurse it, not wanting to get too relaxed. The game was Texas Hold 'Em, my favorite game.

The first two hands I played till the second card was dealt face up. I folded on both hands. Just the start of the evening I kept reminding myself. It'll get better. Frank Henderson was doing pretty good. He won the two hands I'd folded on. I watched the other players to see how they held their cards and how they bet. They weren't rookies but they weren't real gamblers either.

I played the third hand. I quickly glanced at my cards. I had a pair of sevens. I always leave the cards on the table instead of in my hand. I bet $5 and everyone called. The first card dealt up was a 4. I bet again, everyone called. The next card was another 4, I bet again. Everyone called. The third card dealt face up was a 10. I bet $5. I looked at the each man's face as it came his turn to call or fold. Two of the men were busy eyeing my chest so I knew they weren't concentrating on the game. Everyone called. I watched Frank Henderson especially close. The fourth card dealt was another 10. I bet $5. One of the men folded, the other four called. The last card dealt face up was a 7. I had a full house, 7's and 10's. I bet $5 and everyone folded except Frank Henderson. He raised when it was his turn. I looked at him. He was grinning but his eyes kept looking at the cards on the table. I raised him back. Henderson looked surprised. George was sitting on a barstool behind me. I could feel him looking over my shoulder but my cards were still face down on the table. Henderson raised me back, except this time he raised $20. I hesitated like I wasn't sure what to do. It was a ploy; I knew I was going to call.

"I'll call." I muttered.

"Full house, 4's and 10's." Henderson proudly announced.

I turned my cards over one at a time. "7's and 10's." I said softly.

I could see in Henderson's face he was fighting the rage back. I didn't gloat that I'd beaten him. I just raked the chips towards me.

"Damn girl! You gave ole Frank a taste of his own medicine." One of the men remarked loudly.

I gritted my teeth to keep from smiling. Lady Luck was with me tonight! I played several hands winning a few straight. The guys didn't seem to mind losing if I was the one winning. When Henderson would win a hand, he acted like he'd hit the lottery. That doesn't go over well at a "friendly" poker game. We played for a couple of hours and then everyone wanted to take a break and get some fresh air. I know I was in favor of the suggestion. Ferris started to get me another glass of wine, but I motioned him not too.

"You're quite the poker player!" George exclaimed. "Ole Frank's really pissed!"

I asked him how far he wanted me to push it with Henderson. He was one of the owners of the accounting and investment firm and my boss after all.

"Push the bastard till his heart has a blow-out!" Ferris gloated. "I don't care if he dies right on the table!"

George and I joined a couple of the other men. I smoked several cigarettes, mainly because they seemed to keep me calm. Next to sex, the cigarettes were one of my life's little perks. It was almost midnight when the game resumed. Two of the men left shortly around 1:00am. Ferris sat in and he lost every hand he played. He wasn't a poker player, but he wasn't thinking clearly either. George had been drinking beer constantly all evening. He finally pulled out of the game altogether. He just sat at the table and watched.

It was almost 3:00 in the morning when Ferris called "last hand". The cards were dealt. I had a 3 and 5 of diamonds. I bet $5, everyone called. First card up was a 6 of diamonds. I bet and everyone called. The second card was an 8 of spades. I bet and everyone called. The third card was the 4 of diamonds. I bet, two men folded, Henderson and one other man called. The fourth card was the 2 of diamonds. I bet $5. Henderson called, the other man folded. It was just Henderson and I on the last hand. The last card dealt was the Jack of Diamonds. Henderson jumped when the card was dealt. I figured he had a flush but I had a straight flush. Henderson relaxed in his chair but he'd already given his hand away.