AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter
One
Kat
Examining myself in the mirror, I straighten my bow tie as I give myself a once-over. I’ve chosen a conservative black cocktail dress and a semi-comfy pair of heels, as I’ll be standing for hours. I fuss a moment longer before giving up on taming my curly hair. Who am I kidding? I gave up that battle years ago.
The doorbell rings, and I toss my phone in my purse and walk downstairs to find my friend Taylor in a similar dress and bow tie. “Hey, girl. You ready?” she asks.
“Ready,” I say, locking up my condo and walking with Taylor to her car. Sliding in the passenger seat, I rummage through my purse.
Taylor side-eyes me. “Don’t even think about smoking in my car.”
“I’ll have you know I quit,” I inform her, grabbing a piece of nicotine gum and unwrapping it before shoving it in my mouth.
“Whoop whoop!” She does a little seated dance. “About damn time.”
“Yeah, yeah. I quit just so you and Darius would get off my nuts about it,” I say, only half-way joking.
“What’s that scary cousin of yours up to?” she asks.
“He’s married now.”
She whistles. “That’s one brave-ass woman.”
I nod. “And his new wife, Lily, is a sweetheart. Of course, my mother has heard the news and is now on my case about settling down.”
“What happened to what’s his name?” Taylor asks.
I raise an eyebrow. “If you can’t remember his name, why should I?”
“Do you remember his name?” Taylor challenges.
“Thad? Or was it Lad?” I muse.
“Chad.” She laughs, shaking her head. “God, you’re terrible.”
“I’m wonderful, and you know it. Give me a run-down for tonight,” I tell her.
“Cash bar. Ten tables, plus one roulette wheel,” she explains. “You’ll be dealing blackjack.”
“And the players?” Safety is the only concern when dealing in a private setting. Security is so tight at the casino that if anyone gets out of line, the perp’s booted within minutes.
“The players were all on their best behavior last time. Plus, Russell was in and out keeping an eye on things. It never felt sketchy,” she assures me.
“Good. Do you know any of the other dealers?”
“Only in passing,” Taylor says. “One of the girls deals at Shore Bet.”
“Why couldn’t our casino have a punny name?”
“We’re a diamond in the rough,” she jokes.
“That’s the truth.” I snort a laugh. “What happened to those rumors about our house getting this big facelift?”
“Don’t know, but I’m all for it. Flashier means more high rollers, and more high rollers means more tokes,” Taylor says.
We turn onto a deserted street in a questionable part of AC. “You sure this is right?” I wonder.
