Lady Gambler Ch 09

Ron and Charlene spent as much of the evening together as they could. Charlene, acting as co-hostess, was busy trying to keep everyone happy as well as keeping their glasses filled. When the chance arose, the two would find someplace quiet to talk. Charlene was quite taken by Ron's gentlemanly charm and overwhelming handsome good looks.

Ron Coulter, Rachael's brother, was a food supplier to many of the restaurants in Las Vegas. Along with several hotels and casinos on his customer list, he supplied many of the independent restaurants on and off the Strip.

"For someone in the food industry, you've managed to stay very trim." Charlene stated, smiling.

"Well, I rarely eat at home." Ron responded. "With my two daughters away at college, the house is a little too quiet for me to stay home. I usually just grab a bite to eat whenever I get a chance."

"I know what you mean." Charlene said. "I'm a quick-fix, microwave person myself."

Ron and Charlene seemed to have alot in common. Both were single parents of kids in college, both enjoyed their work and both were subconsciously looking for someone special to spend time with. Although Charlene felt herself quite attracted to Rachael's brother, she was skeptical as to his real attraction towards her.

"Maybe Rachael asked him to spend time with me." Charlene thought. "Maybe this is just all a set-up to keep me entertained."

Saturday evening's party ended shortly before 3:00am. Seeing most of the guests to the door, Charlene walked out with Ron to his car. Ron pulled Charlene close to him, kissing her long and lovingly on the lips. She could feel her body melting into his. Her skepticism momentarily waned; hoping the handsome guy holding her was sincere about his attentions.

"I thought about running over to Lake Mead later today and checking on my boat." Ron said. "I don't suppose I could talk you into going with me, could I?"

Charlene didn't hesitate to reply. "Sure, I wouldn't mind going. I love the water."

"Great!" Ron exclaimed. "I'll pick you up around 11:00 or so."

Ron and Charlene kissed for one last time before he left. Their kiss more passionate, lasted for several moments.

Entering the house, Charlene found Rachael in the kitchen pouring two cups of coffee. She smiled, handing one to Charlene.

"You and Ron seemed to really hit it off." She stated. "Hope you realize how great you two look together."

"Your brother's quite a gentleman." Charlene responded. "Something you don't find very often." Rachael and Charlene talked while they sipped their coffee. Instead of the night's income, Ron was the sole topic. Rachael talked about her brother extensively, mentioning his two daughters and his ex-wife. The more Rachael talked, the more enamored she found herself becoming with Ron.

"I have to tell you. The thought that maybe you'd set me up with Ron, crossed my mind." Charlene modestly confessed.

"Actually, it was the other way around." Rachael stated. "I had to coax Ron to approach you. He's quite shy around women."

"I knew you'd bring him out of his shell." She added. "He needs someone in his life who'll treat him like he deserves, not just someone who only thinks about his bank accounts."

Charlene sincerely believed Ron's attentions towards her were his own. Not because she wanted to but because she had a much better understanding of him. Like hers, Ron's life had been far from happy.

Charlene slept well, clutching a pillow close to her body. Thoughts of making love to Ron crossed to mind only to be shattered by thoughts of him finding out about her sexual activities with Glenn.

"Not only Glenn." She thought. "Suppose he should find out about her and Rachael's sexual experiences together. He'd be decimated!"

Awaking around 9:00, the thought of canceling her date with Rachael's brother crossed her mind. Knowing full well that if she cancelled, Ron might take it the wrong way. Hesitantly, Charlene decided to keep the date and see how things progressed.

Ron arrived early for his date by almost thirty minutes. Giving Charlene a light kiss on the cheek, he escorted her out to his car, a new Corvette convertible. Sitting next to Ron in the red sports car, she felt more apprehensive than exhilarated. Ron sensed she had something on her mind but was hesitant to ask.

After stopping at a convenience store to pick up some snack items and a cooler filled with soft drinks, the two proceeded out towards the marina where Ron had his boat docked. Ron's boat, a Fountain 38 foot Sportcruiser looked intimidating nestled amongst the other boats.

Helping Charlene onboard, she helped stow their purchases below deck. Charlene was impressed with the absolute luxuries the boat offered.

"I keep calling it an investment." Ron stated. "Just something to waste my money on actually."

"I can see by the smile on your face, it makes you happy." Charlene responded. "I'd call it a good investment in your life. That's certainly not a waste of money!"

Ron nodded his head; his smile grew to a grin.

"I never looked at it that way." He said. "But, I guess you're right."

Cruising far down the lake, Ron finally pulled close to the rocky shoreline before cutting the rumbling engines. The boat floated briefly before coming to a complete stop. Ron lowered the anchor over the side, tying it to one of the cleats.

Charlene prepared a lunch of sandwiches and chips. Ron opened the cold soft drinks, placing them on a small table by the rear bench seat. Sitting together, they enjoyed their lunch, looking out over the water.

"I have a feeling you've got something on your mind." Ron murmured. "Is it something I've said or done?"

"No, it's nothing like that." Charlene replied. "It's not you. I've just got other things on my mind."

"If you want to talk about them, I'm more than willing to listen." He responded, his hand playing with the ends of Charlene's hair.

"I'm not sure what Rachael may or may not have told you about me." Charlene muttered. "I don't want you to end up disappointed and upset."

"Disappointed! Why would I be disappointed?" Ron inquired.

"What exactly to you know about me?" Charlene asked. "Probably not much!"

"Rachael told me about your former boss, George Ferris and about the shootings outside the office." Ron answered. "She mentioned some girl getting caught up in all the gunfire and getting killed along with some other guy."

"Sounds like she sugar-coated most of it." Charlene stated. "There's alot more to it than what Rachael told you."

"I'm all ears." Ron quipped. "Let's hear it."

Charlene told Ron everything about the Ferris family and what she knew about their business dealings. She admitted she knew about the drug dealings, smuggling operations, prostitution and stolen goods being shipped to South America. Ferris's one weakness was having affairs with married women and playing poker.

"Wow, Ferris was really into everything, wasn't he?" Ron exclaimed. "And in the end it was some guy's wife that got him killed."

"What about the girl that was with him?" He asked. "For some reason, Rachael really took her death pretty hard?"

"Michelle, she was Ferris's investment counselor." Charlene stated. "She was also my best friend."

"The first time I met her, I took an immediate disliking towards her." She added. "Over time, we became the best and closest of friends. When she was lying their bleeding, I held her in my arms, begging God to spare her life."

Ron pulled Charlene close to him, holding her in his arms. After a long period of embracing, Charlene pulled away. She forced a smile to her face, but it was difficult.

"Why don't we go for a swim?" She spoke, softly. "I brought my bikini just in case we were tempted."

"I've got a swimsuit below!" Ron exclaimed.

The two swam in the lake's cool water staying fairly close to the boat. Drying off, Ron and Charlene stretched out on the front deck, enjoying the afternoon sun.

"I've got a great idea." Ron said, smiling. "I wouldn't want you to take it wrong though."

"What is it?" Charlene asked. "I'll try not to be offended."

"There's a marina a little farther down the lake." Ron stated. "I thought maybe we could stop and pick up some supplies, food and ice. Maybe spend the night out on the lake."

"Guess that sounds a little stupid." He added.

"No. It doesn't." Charlene replied. "But I do have a meeting with Rachael scheduled for tomorrow morning."

"Oh, what time?" Ron inquired.

"We never set a time." Charlene answered, grinning. "Whenever I get there, I suppose."

After making a brief stop at the lakeside marina, Ron steered the boat farther down the lake to a small cove. Drifting up close to the sheer rock walls, Ron tossed the anchor over the side. Sitting on the back of the huge boat, the two held hands watching the slowly setting sun. Late in the evening the two decided to turn in.

"I can give you one of my shirts to sleep in if you want." Ron said.

"That's up to you." Charlene quipped. "I thought I'd let you keep me warm."

Keeping Charlene warm wasn't a problem. Within minutes after climbing onto the bed below deck, Ron had Charlene's temperature on the rise. Kissing her warm body all over, he had her passions peaking. Tonguing Charlene's pussy with a frenzy, he brought her to an orgasm that had her screaming out his name over and over. Grasping Ron's body with her ankles locked tightly behind his back, the two fucked each other with a slow, gentle rhythm. Ron's passionate kisses grew more intense the nearer he came to climaxing inside Charlene's wanton pussy. For them, it was just raw, uncontrolled sex; it was intense, purposeful lovemaking. Climaxing together, Ron and Charlene held their intimate embrace till they gradually drifted off to sleep.

Sometime during the night, Charlene awoke, discovering Ron wasn't lying next to her. Getting up from the spacious bed, she walked to the stairs leading to the main deck. Ron was sitting on the couch seat near the rear of the boat. The moonlight barely illuminated him but she could see he was smiling as she approached him.

"What's the matter? Couldn't sleep?" Charlene whispered.

"Just woke up and thought I'd come out here and smoke a cigarette." Ron answered.

Charlene sat with her back to him, nestling into his arms. Ron's arms held her gently, his hands softly rubbing up and down her arms.

"It's beautiful out here at night, so quiet and peaceful." Charlene said.

"Even more beautiful with you in my arms." Ron added.

"If you've got something on your mind, now would be a good time to bring it up." Charlene whispered.

"I was just thinking how much different you are than anyone I've ever met." Ron muttered.

"Is that good or is that bad?" Charlene inquired.

"It's wonderful." He replied. "You're a very special woman."

Neither one said anything more. Charlene drifted off to sleep in Ron's arms. Waking again at sunrise, Charlene slipped on her bikini before preparing breakfast in the galley. Ron poured the coffee, taking it up to the main deck. Sitting at the table, the two enjoyed their breakfast, smiling continuously at each other.

"What's your plans for the day once we get back to dry land?" Charlene inquired.

"Probably check in at the office and see what I need to stick my nose into, then down to the warehouse to check inventories." Ron responded. "What about you?"

"I'm not sure how long the meeting with Rachael will last." Charlene replied. "I've got quite a few questions to ask. Thought I'd go look at some apartments afterwards."

"Apartments! Aren't you going to buy a house here?" Ron exclaimed. "I know most of the realtors."

"No, I'd just have to turn around and sell it in a year or two." Charlene answered.

"You're really serious about not staying around for very long, aren't you?" Ron stated.

Charlene noticed a look of disappointment on Ron's face. She had to come up with a good reason to back up her remark.

"Rachael's not going to need me working for her forever." Charlene said. "She's smart enough to eventually learn how to make her own investment decisions."

"Rachael's not as smart as you think." Ron stated. "She's more lucky than smart."

Charlene didn't ask Ron to explain his remark. She wanted to find out for herself. Hopefully it wouldn't be the hard way!

The two women sat in Rachael's office discussing future investments and the escort service. Rachael disclosed to Charlene her thoughts about what might be going on with the escort service. She didn't trust Crystal, her manager.

"I've got a feeling there's some money being drawn off." Rachael stated. "I need you to get really involved and find out if it's true or not."

"What about Glenn?" Charlene inquired. "Do you trust him?"

"If it weren't for his dick, Glenn would be out on the streets, hustling his ass off!" Rachael exclaimed. "I don't think he's got enough meat between the ears to come up with a scheme on his own."

"I'll need to tap into your computer system and see if I can find anything that looks suspicious." Charlene stated. "I'll also need to go through the invoices and bills, even the phone records."

"We don't have a network." Rachael responded. "We just have the one computer and Crystal has that in her office. I do have the bills and invoices but no phone records except for long distance calls."

"Hmmm. I'm going to need some time to put a plan together." Charlene stated. "This is going to be alot more difficult than I thought. Getting past Crystal isn't going to be so easy."

"The main thing is you've got to keep everything discreet and out of the public eye." Rachael warned. "I can't take a chance on anything leaking out."

Charlene and Rachael left the house driving into Las Vegas to meet with Crystal. The escort service's office was located in a relatively small office park well away from the Strip. Crystal met the two women at the door, greeting them with a warm, friendly smile.

Crystal, a woman in her early thirties, was very attractive. She was shorter than Charlene, maybe 5'7" and slightly overweight. Her shoulder length coal black hair and facial features were her most noticeable assets.

After introducing Charlene and Crystal, Rachael showed her around the office. The office wasn't much bigger than a two-car garage, furnished with all the standard office furniture and equipment. Charlene noticed that other than the deadbolt lock on the front door, there weren't any extra security measures taken. For someone running a discreet business like an escort service things were too loose. Charlene opened one of the file cabinet drawers, glancing at what appeared to be personnel files.

"If anything crooked's going on, it may not be going on here." Charlene thought. "I can't believe Crystal's running such a hap-hazard operation."

Crystal sat behind her desk, informing Charlene about business procedures and day-to-day operations of the escort service. Charlene listened intently not bothering to ask any questions. If money was being drawn off the business, Crystal was calmly covering it up. The meeting with Crystal lasted for a couple of hours, frequently interrupted by phone calls from clientele.

Rachael and Charlene left the office, driving back towards Rachael's home. Rachael suggested they stop for lunch at one of the nicer restaurants just off the Strip. Charlene asked the hostess for a booth away from the other customers so they could talk.

"Well, what do you think?" Rachael asked. "Can I still trust Crystal or not?"

"I sure wouldn't want her running a business for me." Charlene responded. "Other than the lock on the door, there's absolutely no security. Everything's too damn lax!"

"I don't quite understand why you're leasing a one-room office for something you could run from a private residence." Charlene added.

"That still doesn't explain the decrease in income from the business." Rachael responded.

"No, it doesn't. But, it does show me how easy it would be to embezzle money." Charlene stated. "There's not enough control. You need to make some changes and the sooner the better."

"Or just sell the business and get completely out of it." Charlene added. "That's what I recommend. There's alot more than just escorting going on!"

Charlene's remarks were taken too well. Rachael was covering up alot more than she'd let on. Fearing Charlene would walk away from helping her, Rachael wasn't about to divulge any more information than she absolutely had to.

"Let's put the prostitution end of the business off to the side and concentrate on finding out what's going on internally." Charlene suggested. "Let me work up a game plan. Till then, don't make any changes. Just keep a tight rein on Crystal ……… and Glenn too for that matter."

Rachael felt reassured, hearing Charlene's statements. As instructed, Rachael promised to keep a closer eye on the business.

"What're your plans for the rest of the day?" Rachael inquired.

"Thought I'd check out a few of the apartment complexes, see what's available." Charlene responded.

"I thought you'd buy a house instead of renting an apartment!" Rachael exclaimed. "Apartments seem so cramped."

"I don't need much space." Charlene stated. "Just enough room for an office and a place to sleep."

After dropping Rachael off at her home, Charlene drove back towards Vegas. There were numerous apartment complexes on the west side of the city so she thought she'd start her search in that area. After looking at several nice apartments, Charlene found it difficult to make up her mind. She decided to wait until she returned from Phoenix before making a decision.

Ron Coulter's red Corvette convertible was sitting in front of his sister's house when Charlene pulled in the driveway. Ron and Rachael were sitting out on the terrace, sipping iced tea.

"Thought I'd stop by and see if you'd like to go out to dinner." Ron stated, smiling.

"Oh, sure. That sounds good." Charlene responded.

After finishing off Ron's cold drink for him, the two left the desert home heading back into the city. Ron suggested dining at one of the restaurants in the Luxor Hotel.

"How'd the apartment search go?" Ron asked. "Find anything you liked?"

"I found quite a few I'm interested in. Too many in fact." Charlene replied. "Think I'll wait till I get back from Phoenix before I make a decision though."

"When are you going back?" He inquired.

"Thought I'd leave tomorrow morning." Charlene answered. "I've got alot to do when I get home."

"Will you be back by the weekend?" Ron asked. "Thought maybe we could go back out to the lake."

"It'll probably be early next week before I get back." Charlene replied. "I need to get my house listed with a real estate agent and get some other business matters taken care of."

"Oh." Ron exclaimed, sounding quite disappointed.

"I'm not that far away, less than five hours." Charlene stated, putting her hand over Ron's. "Why don't you drive down and spend the weekend in Phoenix?"

"I'd really like that!" Ron exclaimed, smiling. "I could take off early next Friday so I can be there by evening."

The two ate dinner, discussing possible plans for the upcoming weekend. Just spending time together was the main thing both wanted. Leaving the Luxor, Ron asked if Charlene would mind spending the balance of the evening at his home. Ron's million dollar plus home was located southwest of the city, less than a mile from one of the more prestigious country clubs.

Showing Charlene through the house, she was in awe at its size and luxurious appointments.

"You can see why I don't spend much time here." Ron said. "It's way too big for just one person."

"Yeah, I see what you mean." Charlene responded. "But it's so beautiful."

"I'd learn to compensate!" Charlene added, jokingly.

Ron and Charlene sat out on the terrace near the pool. Ron asked how the meeting with Rachael and Crystal went. Like Charlene, Ron felt the escort service was just a more pleasant name for what was really going on.