Advantage Player 2 I awoke to light of the sun coming in through our east-facing windows. Vicky was still curled up next to me, snoring almost inaudibly. She opened her eyes when I stirred, and didn't protest at all as I reached over to stroke her closest leg full length from thigh to knee, and back up again. It was a languid morning, and I wasn't sure just what I wanted to do next. Sex with Vicky again was high on the agenda, but maybe just not quite yet. Her nipples were slowly rising as she also realized where she was, and I reached over to twist and pull gently at the closest one, getting a smile as it rose further and hardened. I still had permission to use her body for both our pleasures. She reached over to stroke my hip. This might have gone on much longer except that Vicky suddenly hopped up and darted into the bathroom. She returned a couple minutes later. But instead of lying back down beside me she spread her legs in that way women can while men never will and straddled me instead. I immediately responded to having her raw sexuality pressed right up against me. I started to reach for a condom, but before I knew it she'd reached down and held me while she impaled herself. She was clearly ready for me again as I easily slid into her. "I'm on the pill," she assured me. "And past my fertile week right now as well." I believed her. Vicky is the prototypical modern young American woman who has taken responsibility for her own reproduction. Besides, after knowing each other for less than twenty-four hours, I'm not yet a good target for someone to entrap into marriage. For a moment I feared a repeat of yesterday's adventure in this position, and was steeling myself for just how much I could take from her now. But Vicky had something different in mind. Instead of pumping me as she'd done before, Vicky closed her eyes and concentrated - and I quickly felt the results of it. Vicky was performing Kegel exercises - and doing them like a pro. I felt her grip me, hold it, relax, and then grip me again. While it was very arousing, it was something I knew I could enjoy for hours just as I was. Vicky was apparently enjoying them too. Her eyes remained closed as she continued rhythmically contracting and relaxing like she could do them forever. Soon she started to sway just a bit in time with each contraction. The heat of her body against my groin was amazing, as was the pressure of her weight on me. I was impressed at how flexibly she was able to fold her legs so completely at the knees to keep herself pressed down on me. I reached out to stroke the front of her legs at their broadest point just below her hips. They were smooth - her skin burning hot. As Vicky swayed a bit more I could no longer ignore the movements this was giving to her breasts. She was leaning slightly forward and the rounded, very bottom parts now hung completely free of her chest. It was only a bit of a reach to take them in my hands again. Her nipples were quite swollen by now. I began to work her nipples in time to her contractions. I stopped for a moment when a tiny bit of thin liquid oozed out. Vicky quickly moved her hands to mine and squeezed them, encouraging me to continue. I quickly realized that the harder I squeezed them, the harder she squeezed me. She must be one of those lucky women whose nipples are hot-wired directly to her clit. And she must have liked what I was doing because she leaned further forward, making them even easier for me to reach. Together we built up to a crescendo where suddenly I couldn't hold back any further - just as she gave me a sudden squeeze far harder and longer than any that had preceded it. Together we explosively exhaled from the mutual orgasm we'd just shared. And the next time she leaned forward I pulled her the rest of the way down to rest on my body. Now I had her full weight pushing those sexy breasts against me while I was still inside her. It's the best feeling a man can ever expect to have. I held her against me like that until both of our pulses and respiration rates returned to something more approaching normal. Somewhere along the way she snaked her own arms around me to pull herself even tighter to me. It seemed a long time before she broke the silence and finally said, "Did you have anything else in mind for today?" - - - I was out of the shower as breakfast arrived. Vicky came out a couple minutes later to find it all set up next to the window. "Did you bring a swimsuit?" I asked as Vicky started on her fresh orange juice and toast. "No," she replied. "Should I have?" "I'm here for more than Blackjack," I told her. Some exercise and sunlight is good for a body's health." When she gave me a curious look I added, "It builds playing stamina." I didn't say what kind of play I was referring to, although I did mean both. "Oh," she replied, now attacking the ham, eggs, bacon, and hash browns with an appetite that left me wondering how she'd kept her figure. She had to be an outdoors girl as well. "I'm sure one of the hotel shops will have something suitable," I told her. The moment she finished eating Vicky was on the phone to the Concierge for suggestions. Moments later, after a surprised exclamation, I heard her giving some detailed instructions. It seems that you don't need to do your own shopping when you're the right kind of guest here. That can take some getting used to. Fifteen minutes later the morning shift Concierge - a short, attractive woman this time arrived with Vicky's dress from last night, and a couple more packages. She saw the completed breakfast and moved to remove it while asking, "Shall I wait to see if it meets your needs?" Vicky was about to refuse, but saw my staying glance and replied, "Only if it's not too much trouble." "It's never too much trouble for one of our special guests," came the not unanticipated reply. Vicky disappeared into the bathroom with her packages, and a couple minutes later did call out for help. The Concierge went in, and they both came out a couple minutes after that. - - - This was another Wow! I'd expected that, even if she seemed uninhibited in the room with me, Vicky was probably still more than a bit modest otherwise. But this suit was anything but! It was flat black, and all one construction of straps and small sections of fabric. Somehow it managed to cover what it needed to cover, while making Vicky appear more naked than before she'd put it on. It's secret, I realized after a moment of thought, was in how it revealed patches of skin that a normal suit wouldn't. I could understand how she'd needed help dealing with it the first time, and was glad she hadn't asked me. I wouldn't have had a clue. The Concierge took a moment to tuck back in a tiny tuft of pubic hair before pronouncing, "You look great!" I echoed that before the Concierge had finished speaking. Vicky smiled brightly, and pirouetted to show it all off. With legs and a figure like hers, to call this suit merely flattering would be a huge understatement. "We saw this in a shop on the way in yesterday," Vicky confessed. "We were daring each other to see who would actually wear it." Well, Vicky'd won that contest hands down. "Won't that give you some very strange tan lines?" I wondered out loud. "Oh, I'll put on some protection once I've gotten enough sun for proper vitamin replenishment," she told me. "And the suit is mostly tan-through anyway. Besides, these kind of tan lines are very In right now, didn't you know?" No, I didn't know. But I didn't doubt her either. I could imagine men looking at a woman with tan lines like that, and trying to figure out how to get her back into the suit that left them. - - - Before we left the room I say Vicky fussing with her eyes. In an inspired guess I asked, "New contacts?" "Yes," she admitted ruefully. "How long?" "A week now." "Necessary?" "You should have seen the glasses I have to wear otherwise." So my lovely lady was finally becoming the swan she had always been intended to be. That helped explain just why this adventure was actually happening now. She'd finally made the decisions necessary to start going out and actually looking for life. My timing in meeting her couldn't have been better. - - - The walk to the pool was leisurely. Vicky had also gotten a shear white piece of over-wear attire to wear along the way, and a pair of pool sandals with modestly elevated heels from the same shop. I didn't ask the price. I knew it was high. The Concierge had asked if we'd like her to reserve us a poolside cabaņa, but I refused. She told me she could get us one in the very difficult to get European-style topless area, but I told her it wasn't worth it for the couple of hours I planned to be out there today. Vicky tried calling her friend's one last time before we left, but there was no answer. At the pool we first lay out to relax so soon after breakfast. A proper amount of sunlight is one of the healthiest things you can get each day. Just don't overdo it. A little sun protects against the cancers that too much sun can give. Despite the very attractive other women - some of them obviously trophy acquisitions, others showgirls recovering themselves from the night before - in this part of the pool area, Vicky held her own against all of them. In fact, by ignoring them completely she became one of them. It wasn't long before several came over to say "Hi" to the "new girl" in their midst. Because she was obviously with me, there was no competition involved. After the proper interval for safety after eating had passed, I got up and slipped into the pool to start my laps. Sitting in a less than perfectly comfortable chair for hours on end in a smoky casino while only moving your hand and arm is not a recipe for great health. My motions in the warm water were removing kinks still leftover from yesterday. I'd heard of the world famous Canyon Ranch Spa Club down in the Venetian hotel, but that was too far to go even for a great massage this morning. On my third lap I noticed Vicky doing her own laps in the adjacent lane. I'd said before she is like an aquatic mammal, and she was showing it here, looking even more sleek in the water than out of it. I swam for a half hour with Vicky matching me the entire time. We didn't exchange a word. When two people exercise together, dialogue is not necessary. Afterwards I was worried about her hair, knowing how women feel about even the least dampness in it. Turns out wisely that the casino has also thought about this. Not only is there some light skin oil to handle the drying effects of too much pool water easily available, but you can get your hair dried and styled, and nails touched up, right at poolside. - - - Back up in our room Vicky again donned her red dress. It was obviously the only fine dress she had with her. It might be the only truly fine dress she owned. "Do you need another dress?" I asked her, feeling by now further investment in her was well worthwhile, although it appeared that the swimsuit had automatically been charged to the room. I'd see what happened there upon checkout. "Not yet," she said lightly. "And besides, after last night I can afford my own dresses now." I again saw the briefest flash of anguish as she suddenly worried that the money she'd won somehow would still be taken away from her. "Of course you can," I assured her, admiring how she wasn't out to gold-dig every last cent possible. "But that doesn't mean I wouldn't buy you one." She danced across the room to hug me for that. A hug that almost delayed us getting out of the room and back down to business again. But we kept our respective libidos under control - for the moment. Blackjack's siren song still tugged at us both. - - - On the way to the tables I asked Vicky if she wanted a snack before settling down for several hours of straight play. She refused, saying she didn't want "Anything that will delay us from getting back to playing." Like my arrival yesterday, no table was full yet, and most were waiting for their first players. Cathi was standing at an empty table that happened to be the one we'd played at yesterday, card decks spread out in front of her. She smiled as we took the same seats as last night. Her expression seemed a little rueful as she saw I was still with Vicky. She recognized this was already more than just a fling for a few hours. Grace had also apparently just come on duty. She came over and saw that I was starting out exactly where I'd left off last night. Although she hadn't been around long enough yesterday to see me playing at the four hundred dollar level, it was in my tracking record. "Ready to lose some money?" she asked me with a grin that I appreciated. If she had been less comfortable with me she would have been promoting the company line that I was clearly about to win more. That one couldn't have been taken wrong by any customer, although I appreciated her more joking approach. Grace had to be a good judge of people, despite my efforts to mislead her at every opportunity. "As soon as you start taking it away from me," I replied lightly. "I never know when to quit. My usual pattern is I'll do great up until the last few hours, then you'll get it all back. Just watch and see." I had no intention of carrying through on this implied promise. "You don't believe in quitting while you're ahead?" "What fun is that? Do you know what the best part of winning is?" I ask her. I continued, not giving her a chance to answer, "You get to keep playing longer." That got a good smile out of her. It also let her think that I only care about playing - with is the case with nearly all professional gamblers. Then I felt I should add something more to her knowledge. Something to leave her believing she understood my betting strategy. I'd rather have her think she already knew my betting strategy, then keep searching for the true answer. "I've realized," I said as if letting her in on my most private secret, "that you can't win twenty straight hands from me. So I always buy-in with enough to play twenty hands to start, and begin each shoe wagering a twentieth of my current stake. This way I can lose a little, or win a lot." Now she'd think she understood why I would be increasing my bets. And how I could lose all of it back to the casino very quickly before I was done. Truth is, there is no normal system in a casino that will either lose a little, or win a lot. Everyone would be playing it if there was. But casinos LOVE for you to think there is such a system. They love System players overall. As long as they feel I'm playing a flawed system they're likely to let me run with it a bit further. "And can you tell me how to enter your Blackjack Tournaments?" I ask her. While the quick play of a blackjack tournament usually works against my own particular advantage, this was more deception. Casinos don't lose unexpectedly large amounts of money in tournaments, and there crazy play like what I'm trying to keep them from noticing is not only tolerated, but expected. So if they feel I'm only doing this to get into the tournament, well that's further camouflage for me as well. Grace informed me she'd get back to me with the details on that. Cathi's smile became less rueful when I put down four black chips for my first hand out of the shoe - and another four in a side bet for her. Vicky put four reds down in her betting circle, and another four above as well. We both won our first hands, and Cathi got a nice toke out of it. I'm still her friend now. - - - We were barely through the second shoe before a couple people from last night found us and joined our table. Vicky greeted them like old friends. And as I've said before, I feel a table with more players is always to any player's advantage - except for those who are trying to play as many hands as possible. More players mean slower play, and less additional spots for a single bettor to take over. Holly came by a bit later. She seemed so happy to see me that I had her stay while I played one hand just for her. Unlike with side bets for the dealer, the table maximum bet is five hundred, and they won't let me play an amount above that for anyone but the dealer. I won, Vicky lost, and Holly's eyes got bigger than I would have believed possible when I put eight black chips on her tray. Grace saw it as well, and threw me a quick high sign. After that, we really settled down to play. - - - A number of curious things happened in the hours that followed. More players soon arrived, filling our table up and making it the most popular one in play at the moment. Yesterday had been the retelling of the Mother-in-Law hand. The seventeen you wanted to hit, but couldn't even through the dealer was showing an eight or better. Today it was the Fire-in-the-Hole hand. What's a Fire-in-the-Hole? It's a dealer with an up nine who then turns over an ace as his hole card and burns the entire table. We saw three of them in an hour. And since this casino doesn't offer Surrender at its tables yet, Fire-in-the-Hole is always something to fear. That's because nineteen is actually considered a likely winning hand, and you're hoping for at least a push once you've made nineteen yourself against a dealer up nine. About an hour after we'd started playing Ashley and Brianna showed up together, looking like they'd partied way too late last night. Most of the young women coming in for Lady's Night are only here for the evening, but this group had planned for the whole weekend to celebrate Vicky's initiation into the tradition. Now they were mostly on their own. Vicky told them all about our room, and getting the swimsuit, and everything. The doubt and envy in their eyes was so open that she tossed them her key to go see for themselves. They returned forty-five minutes later, obviously having taken advantage of the real bar, and a bathroom nearly as big as the bedroom and bath combined in their own room. Ashley dropped broad hints about that unused second bedroom, which both Vicky and I acted as if we didn't hear at all. I wanted her and I to be able to wander undressed as we wished in our suite without concern. Vicky reiterated a dinner invitation for tonight. Brianna made sure to have the restaurant name and exact time. She didn't intend to miss out twice. They then wandered off looking for some action of their own. At one point a large man in a loud shirt arrived and dumped a double handful of chips onto the table next to me with a loud clatter. After hitching himself up on the chair he looked at both of us and asked outright, "What's the count?" Now he could just be a stupid player. Or he could be an undercover casino operative scoping us out to figure out just how we were doing so well. Either way I wasn't going to help him. The only time Card Counting has ever been openly practiced in a major casino was for a few magic weeks in New Jersey when it was ruled Skill - not Cheating - by the state gaming board. People tracked counts openly at the tables, and nearly killed the casinos who were not allowed to bar them. That ended soon enough when the casinos told the state that it was either the Counters - or them - that were going to have to leave, and card counting went back underground again. Vicky, who had continued her stream of distracting patter from last night without yet repeating herself even once in front of the same dealer, was speechless. Fortunately, I wasn't. Turning to the man, who completely looked the part of an out of control gambler who had survived this long solely on luck alone, I told him sweetly, "I haven't got a clue. I can't think fast enough to keep track of all of that." With any hope that camaraderie between players against the enemy would work to his advantage now dashed, he made three large foolish bets, lost them all, and scooped up his chips to stumble off looking for some more friendly game. Soon after that I finally went through a major losing streak. These happen to the best of players and you just have to allow that it's all part of the game. I lost fourteen straight hands. Now it's not as bad as it sounds since any time I lost five consecutive hands I immediately halve my bet until it passes. After the tenth hand I was only betting one chip. After fourteen losing hands, I won the next six straight, although I didn't increase my bet until the start of the next shoe. - - - The most fascinating moment came when the boisterous group that had played nearby yesterday arrived just as a couple seats opened in the middle of our table. They were immediately taken by Giuseppe and one of his entourage. Vicky and I welcomed them to the table as we were in the habit of doing with all new players. He thanked us in heavy Italian accented English. Then he put down a big pile of chips in colors I'd never seen before. Brown ones seemed to predominate. Grace came over immediately, and a moment later she'd changed the small sign and raised our table's limits by nearly twenty-five times. Seeing the aghast looks - including my own - she quickly assured us that, "Don't worry. You're all grandfathered in at the original limits for as long as you continue to play here." Whew! Giuseppe turned out to be quite a character. His loud manner and aura of friendly inclusiveness immediately encompassed the entire table. He started playing with five thousand dollar brown - Chocolates, in the parlance - from the beginning. He quickly made Vicky and I feel like part of his family, and didn't seem to worry a bit about whether he was winning at the moment, or losing. And he seemed to play entirely by instinct and intuition, rather than by calculation He approved, and immediately jumped on the habit Vicky and I had of playing the first hand of each shoe for the dealer, and also tossed a chocolate to the dealer any time he won three straight. And he didn't forget the waitresses either. In addition to Holly, our own waitress, Giuseppe brought pretty much the rest of the wait-staff along with him, and tipped them commensurately. We needed them all, everyone except us was drinking copious amounts of whatever was at hand. This really did turn out to be fun. I felt Giuseppe and his friends were losing more in an hour than I'd won in two days, but the fun was undeniable. We joked together. He flirted with Vicky, who loved every moment of it while not taking it seriously at all. He laughed as hard as I can remember anyone laughing when I explained about the Fire-in-the-Hole card. And he made us essentially invisible. Not that I was too worried. While neither Vicky or I were winning nearly as many hands as last night, we were both winning much more money since our bets had quadrupled from when we'd started playing together yesterday. When the time came to leave for dinner we both hated to go. We knew we needed to. Needed the break, that is. But we actually apologized to Giuseppe and his friends, while promising to return afterwards. Of course he wasn't insulted at all. And when I told him we were headed towards the Bradley Ogden, he asked why not the Restaurant Guy Savoy? "Last night," I assured him. They're both great he assured me in his accent that I was actually understanding most of by now. I could see he approved of my choices in food - and women. I doubt many people ever get that full an approval from him. Ashley and Brianna were waiting for us at the restaurant entrance. Inside they were blown away once at the elegance and style, and a second time at the menu. "I've never seen a steak for a hundred and ninety dollars before," Brianna said in a shocked voice. In the end both Ashley and Brianna had to try that steak, which they insisted afterwards was the best they'd ever had. For once they weren't trying to look down on everything else with some pseudo-superior stance. Vicky and I ate more modestly, although nothing was cheap there. Again, however, no bill was even presented. I think that impressed Ashley more than anything else. Vicky and I returned to our table afterwards, but Giuseppe was gone and the limits were back to normal. We played through until midnight again, with Vicky having a sixteen consecutive hand losing streak herself at one point. She followed my lead and cut back on her bets, meaning she wasn't hurt too badly. I was tired by the time we left the table. Even with the break for dinner, we'd played over ten hours today. Sure I can play more than that, but not when I want to play at least that much again tomorrow. In the elevator Vicky whispered to me that she'd already earned a half year's wages. "There's still more," I promised her. In the room Vicky immediately shimmied out of her red dress and had the Concierge - and older man this late at night - pick it up for cleaning. "It's my lucky dress now," she replied in answer to my unspoken question. "Why would I wear anything else?" - - - Our lovemaking that night was different than before. Despite the late hour we lay together and went through an extended period of foreplay. Gentle kissing and touching all over each other's bodies. At one point I had my head between Vicky's legs, gently tonguing her engorged and easy to find clitoris. Later she'd tell me no one has ever treated her like that before. On further questioning she'd admit she'd never let anyone else try it before. When she wanted to return the favor with her own lips, however, I stopped her. "I like your lips on my own," I assured her. I didn't want her feeling badly that she wasn't carrying her weight here in the bedroom now. Then seeing a flicker of doubt, I felt I should clarify further. "As far as that part of my manhood goes," I continued. "While I have nothing against your lovely mouth, there's nothing more meaningful than putting this part of me inside that most private part of you - and you wanting it there." Vicky nodded at that, knowing what I meant and opening her legs again to accommodate me where I most wanted it to be. A short time after that we either both had another orgasm - or maybe just a beautiful dream of one. Either way, it was wonderful! - - - Part 4 - - - The next morning we awoke in what became a virtual continuation of the night before with no seeming break. There is no better way to start the day. Vicky was so eager to get the day started that she ate breakfast in her swimsuit. I smiled while I attempted to keep from laughing out loud. Then she laughed back at my own attempts to stifle myself and I lost it too. Her enthusiasm was infectious. She'd had no trouble getting into her suit the second time. In fact, she was much faster than yesterday when she'd had help. That's one thing I already love about her. You don't have to go over things twice with her. Out by the pool we had our sun and swim. Then just as we were picking up our stuff to return to the room I heard a very familiar voice. I turned to see Giuseppe waving at us from the largest cabaņa out here. Of course we had to go over. - - - This was his space, and he ruled over it like a Roman emperor. It was full of people and food and noise and energy. He personally greeted us, and proceed to rattle off introductions to everyone present by name. I couldn't remember even two of them. Then he waved us over towards a couple large cushions that seemed to be taking the place of chairs. We had glasses of chilled white wine pressed into our hands before we even sat down. I finally got a good look at the rest of the people. While I'm no judge of other males, the women ranged from plain to outstanding, and in ages from apparent teens to sixties. Apparently beauty alone is not the entry to this kingdom. A couple of them had swimsuits much like Vicky's own in different colors. Three others were completely topless. My first concern was on how Vicky herself was handling all this. It was all more than a bit overwhelming. One glance told me she was handling it just fine. This was all just anther facet of Vicky's Big Adventure. Once assured that my lady was okay, I turned back to my host and tried to apologize - or at least express sympathy. "I'm sorry our luck wasn't with you yesterday. It looked like you were losing while we were winning." "Whaaat luck?" he said expansively. "Yesterday I dropped a hundred thousand. Day before I won four hundred thousand. It's all just money. Nothing important." I don't think I can ever feel or live like that. Yet I know there are people who successfully seem to manage it for their entire lives. We stayed for an hour, eating fresh fruit, drinking more wine, and doing more listening that talking. Even so Giuseppe kept turning to us for our opinions on a wide variety of topics. This man is both educated, and very well informed. It helped that I've traveled a good amount in my life, including significant out-of-the-country excursions. He quickly teased that out of me, and showed his respect for people who actually get out of their own back yard. He didn't hold Vicky to the same standard given her younger age, but she showed a sharp mind that kept him coming back to her again. Her intuition and education were doing well to make up for a lack of real world experience so far. While this was great - being the party you've always wanted to be invited to - I still had significant gaming to do this weekend to meet my goals for this trip. I finally was able to beg us off with the one excuse that Giuseppe would accept. Our time was short, and the tables were calling. But he wouldn't let us go until we promised to have dinner in his suite this evening. Then he wished us luck and shooed us out so that we wouldn't feel uncomfortable about leaving. We continued to win steadily, and I had to discourage Vicky from betting even higher. I told her the only reason we were still being allowed to play as we were was because her bets were low while even I wasn't betting the table maximum. If we both jumped to big bets now they'd know something was up and probably invite us to play some other game - any other game - except Blackjack. She accepted that with good enough grace. The problem with limits is that you never know quite where they are until you've stepped past them - and then it's too late. For reasons I don't understand although we started at the same empty table again, ours was soon the only one full for the early afternoon. Maybe everyone just came to look at Vicky. I wouldn't blame them if they did. The big event of the day came when I missed giving a signal to Vicky. I was distracted trying to handle the incoming drinks with only one hand, and not look like I was still playing the game (I was, this being a major part of my Edge) now that my hand was finished. In theory my part of this round was already over. Before I could get back to her Vicky suddenly took a hit on her fourteen. It is exactly what I intended to signal her to do despite the dealer showing an up six. This is clearly not part of Basic Strategy. When the dealer has that bust card showing you let him play the hard hand. She got an ace giving her a fifteen. Rather than signal her now I decided to wait and see what she'd do next. After all, we're supposed to be playing by my plan here. Vicky paused a moment, then took another hit - which she needed to do and I would have told her to take - drawing a five and giving her twenty. She stood now as the dealer turned over a seven for thirteen, and then hit a five for a total of eighteen. If she'd stood on her fourteen she would have lost. Rather than question her at the table I waited until we had a break. Without comment we both "decided" to stand and stretch a bit during the shuffle. "I don't know how you do what you do," she informed me in a low voice the moment we were clear of the table. "But I knew what you wanted me to do next. I've been more and more sure since last night what you'll be signaling me next." I didn't know what to say. Vicky may not have cracked my system, but apparently she'd cracked me. Well there was only one-way to know. We started play on the next shoe, and I started delaying my signals to her. While Vicky wasn't perfect, she was amazing. Three out of four times she guessed - if it was only a guess - correctly. And the fourth time she wasn't wrong. She simply didn't know and waited until I told her which move to make. I was flabbergasted. I'd never expected anything like this. Suddenly things became a whole lot easier. I could put both hands back in sight and give her tiny verbal nudges when necessary. She was soon up to eighty percent accuracy on her own. And while I might regret holding her in such a wonderful, intimate area, truth is that not only was my arm cramping after two days of this, but this new method was a whole lot less suspicious. We've been remarkably free of casino heat up to now. - - - Ashley and Brianna came by to say they were leaving this afternoon. They weren't surprised when Vicky said she was staying. She gave them a handful of chips to cover her share of the expenses, and I'm sure they covered those expenses several times over. Both the other girls were very nice in saying good bye to me - with Brianna wistfully wondering openly what it would have been like if it had been her instead of Vicky with me. I wished them well in return, saying I'd enjoy taking them out to dinner again on some future visit. When we finally left the crowded table to hunt down Giuseppe's room there seemed a silent sigh of disappointment from the other players. Even though we were giving up two seats at this coveted table that were winning consistently, they didn't seem nearly so popular now that we were leaving. I've never had a reaction like that playing Blackjack before. - - - To no one's surprise, Giuseppe's suite made ours look like a rustic guesthouse. There must have been forty people milling around - and that's not counting the dozen hotel staff. Buffet and beverage tables lined one side of the room, and music was pumping out of what had to be many hundreds of watts of stereo system. The moment we entered the room I heard Giuseppe yell to us from halfway across the room. People magically parted like the Red Sea as he came over to greet and hug us both personally. Giuseppe is like a force of nature. He escorted us personally to the bar, and got an (honest) report out of me on how well we'd done. He seemed as happy for us as if he'd won it all himself. Now I know how the Other Half lives. I may never be part of it, but I know I can be invited into it. Vicky seemed to get along well with all the women present, and got admiring glances from all the men. It was near midnight by the time things even started to wind down, and far too late for any more gaming tonight. We retreated to our own private little guesthouse and rather combined what we'd liked doing with each other so far into a single encounter. We were so beat, however, that neither the excitement of the party we'd just vacated, nor our strong attraction to each other, could keep us awake for long. "We still have tomorrow," Vicky said sleepily, and I agreed. Again we both slept deep and well, cuddled in each other's arms. By unspoken agreement neither of us were discussing what came after tomorrow. - - - Grace was on duty when Vicky and I finally decided it wrap it up Sunday afternoon. I had a plane to catch. After expenses my rough estimate was showing ninety-eight thousand profit for me - and a little over twenty-four thousand for Vicky. "That's a whole year's income for me," Vicky said, marveling as she counted up the high denomination chips after they colored her up at the table. I had a nice stack of chocolates myself now. "Don't spend it all in one place," I advised her. Our table seemed sorry to see us leaving, and surprisingly, so did Grace. She handed me a gilt-edged card with an engraved telephone number on it. There was a handwritten code of letters and numbers in the bottom corner. "Call that next time you're coming back to town and give them your code. We wouldn't want you staying anywhere else. They'll do your plane tickets as well, if you wish." "I though you'd be happy to see us leave," I commented wryly back to her. "On the contrary," she replied. "You're what we call Magnet Players. While you were playing here this table consistently was busier, and outperformed any other. That's what we like. I shouldn't have to tell you that you're also a favorite with all the dealers and waitresses, which counts for a lot with some of us." Well, you could have knocked me over with a feather after that. And I'm guessing that Grace has worked her way up from the lowest levels, and still appreciates the workers in those positions. "Your luggage is waiting for you out in front," she informed me. "Come back soon and give us another crack at you." We both smiled at that. That left nothing for us to do except cash in our chips and fill out the tax forms. You may beat Vegas, but you'll never beat Uncle Sam. - - - We found Giuseppe in his cabaņa down by the pool, and personally thanked him for all his hospitality. He simply said, "Any time," and I knew he meant it literally. When we walked out to get a taxi they had a hotel limousine waiting instead. It's hard to say no to service like that. As our limousine pulled up at McCarren it was time to put up the seatbacks and tray tables. Our adventure was coming to an end. Like Dorothy who was about to fly away from the Special World of the magical Land of Oz back to her mundane, black and white Kansas farm, Vicky and I were also about to depart from our own adventure back to the ordinary real world where we really live our lives. I looked over and saw that she didn't realize this yet. Didn't realize that, like the heroes of legends for thousands of years who left for the Special World, had marvelous adventures, and then returned with skills and experiences to tell about it, you can't live in the Special World forever. Truthfully, you're lucky if you ever get to even see it at all. Only the most special people even have such adventures. Well, I wasn't going to spoil her last few minutes here - or my own! While Vicky had just spent her last few days winning at Blackjack, living in luxury, wearing fantastic clothes, eating sumptuous meals, meeting unbelievable people, and having a truly devoted lover - I'd had my own adventure equal to her own. I'd seen how the other far-less-than-half lives, and been part of it. I'd had an un-hassled wining streak, great accommodations, the same sumptuous food, attended great parties - and most of all, had Vicky as my lover! I'd even been invited back to do it all again - for free! The difference between Vicky and I is that I knew it wouldn't last. We'd have a tearful goodbye, exchange telephone numbers, promise to keep in touch, and then return to our mundane lives a thousand miles apart. The magic that bound us together and moved us in the same direction for four days would soon dissipate, leaving little more than a pleasant memory for the rest our lives. Still it was a memory well worth having and I, for one, am happy that I'll always have it. We said our goodbyes at the curb. Airport security has made tearful partings at the airline gates a thing of the past. I left knowing that Vicky's adventure would last at least a little longer. The limousine was taking her home next, and that would be another half hour for her. I still tasted her last kiss as I walked through the crowded airport with a bemused expression on my face. The only thing keeping my feet on the ground was the knowledge that I'd have less hassle from security this way. - - - Six hours later I arrived home, tired but happy. The year's salary I'd made this trip was one entire year more I'd never have to work for anyone else. That's pretty special in and of itself. Then I checked my telephone messages. The last one received was from Vicky. "Okay," she said simply. "When are we going to do it again?" - - - Well we did it again a month later. And despite all my past reservations, we did it at the same hotel again. There were differences - Vicky has more than one fine dress now. But Vicky also refuses to wear any other swimsuit, which I enjoy a lot. Giuseppe had returned to his villa across the Atlantic and we both missed him. And I got to see Vicky in her glasses one morning - thick black plastic frames that completely seem able to hide her beautiful face. Helped me understand how she'd managed to go so long without being claimed up until now. She also told me she'd only recently gotten serious about using makeup, and had mostly avoided offers from the opposite sex for a long time because of "Growing up faster than the boys around me made me a natural target for their teasing because of my height." Those boys must not have been paying attention when she really started to bloom. She'd managed to hide out pretty well for a long time, only recently realizing what she'd been missing out on all along. Together we each pulled in another year's salary over the course of a weekend. Despite this the casino still loved us. And Giuseppe had somehow tracked both of us down in the interim and sent invitations to come by and see him there if he didn't get back here first. We both said we'd do it. We had other adventures, some of them as amazing as our first time. And we had a lot of very intimate, affectionate, and loving sex. If anything, we were more comfortable with each other now, which only made it better. And we started dancing! At night, after we retired from the tables for the evening, we started spending an hour on the dance floor. If you don't think dancing is sensual, you're simply not doing it right. Ours was an hour of seduction each and every night. After a third weekend of doing this together the month after that there was no denying that we're a duo. I'm not sure we ever even discussed it out loud. - - - So what's my Edge? I'm sure you want to know, and I presume you mean my Blackjack Edge. You already know my other one. Truth is, once I see both sides of a card I know it from then on regardless of which side I see. By the time I've run through both sets of decks once, I can tell you what the dealer's hole card, and next card out of the shoe for seven eighths of the deck. A couple more rounds and I know virtually every card in the sixteen decks in play. If they have them spread out before starting play then I'm already a leg up. Does this make me a sure winner of every hand? Not even close. But it's the best edge you can possibly have short of stacking the deck itself. Now you know why I like the Hot Seat so much. Not only can I easily see the shoe to read the next card coming out, but only this position can determine whether to take the next card, or pass it along to the dealer to their disadvantage. Any other seat only gives me control over my own hand. Want to know what it's like for me to play? How much I've got to keep track of in the process? It's not as easy as it sounds, but it's easy for you to try. Take a deck - or eight decks - of cards and deal the entire game face up, including the next card to be dealt. You'll see you can't come close to winning every hand, and it's not as easy as you might have thought. And that's before you try to disguise you play so that the casino doesn't catch on. This is not against the rules, but don't ever figure they won't find a counter once they understand it well. If you think this is all too fantastic to be true, well then you've never played against a dealer who can literally call the next card coming out of the shoe and tell you if you should take it or not. I've played against several who never miss, and it's very real. We've had quite some duels between us. My long-term goal still remains the Blackjack tournaments, although I much prefer the gentler play at the regular tables. Tournaments are where even the craziest play is not only tolerated, but encouraged. Players aren't easily banned, and the money is good. It takes me time to get warmed up to a deck, but then I get to play against the best counters and other advantage players in the world. One other thing. I never would have met Vicky in any tournament. I do this now for fun only. I've put away enough money to ensure a good life for as long as I'll live. This helps, since like all good things this had to come to an end sometime. It's hard to play at the regular tables in - or out of - Vegas anymore. The point finally came when they realized just how much they'd lost along the way. - - - And what about Vicky? We're still together. After several years of playing together she retired professionally to raise our children. With the first one out and a second on the way she has her hands full for the next couple decades - not that I won't be helping. But she's always up for a few hours together down at the local Indian casino. We play minimum amounts down there, winning a few hundred most visits. Funny thing is that they absolutely can't bring themselves to eject a beautiful pregnant woman from the game no matter how well she does. If we'd known this a few years ago, we might still be playing in Vegas. - - - They did finally catch on to us, although the end came slowly. We held it off for a while by sitting at opposite ends of the table from each other. That confused them for awhile. I'd take First Base, while Vicky got as close to the Hot Seat as possible. Even if she didn't get the Hot Seat itself, she could often influence that person on how to play next. By now she could read my intent nearly perfectly with no obvious signals at all. I knew the end was getting near when I had to start threatening them before they'd let us play. It worked for a while when I'd tell them, "Well, if I'm not playing Blackjack than my only other option will be to go home and start writing my book." That still scared them. They didn't know how I did it and were truly scared that if they banned us entirely the next thing they'd see were a thousand more like us. While that was never a real threat, they never knew that. I can't tell someone else how I do what I do because I don't know myself. It took me the longest time growing up to realize that virtually nobody else does what I do - although there are many well documented, related talents. People do have amazing untapped abilities. I can't even tell you how Vicky can read me as well as she does. Even when they'd then let us play, they restricted the tables available to us. At first they tried the continuous shuffle machines on us, and discouraged other players from sitting our table. I've already said how playing against the dealer alone is a quick way to get wiped out. We ate them alive over that, although they may have gotten a clue that our play improved immensely once the four decks had cycled through the machine once. Finally they just put us at the cheapest tables, hoping that would keep us happy enough without burning them in the process. One casino even went as far as to make a special table limits plaque just for us. It read: Maximum Bet $10 Minimum Bet $5 We laughed in private over that, since they still comp-ed us rooms and meals. Finally they just said no. - - - Even now we're still welcome back there for any other games. We remain Magnet Players. But my Edge doesn't work well for other games - especially poker, where I can't see even the first card of the Flop since they burn that one before dealing it. I don't play where I don't have the Advantage while someone else might. That's still a game for other fools. As for Vicky herself, she's still as ravishing as that first moment I ever saw her - if not more so! Actually certainly more so. That first moment I didn't have a hint as to how beautiful the entire rest of this person would turn out to be. Now I know! I've been able to watch her transform from hesitant to daring to fun to confident to partner to wife to mother. Watching her nurse our first daughter taught me there is no finer user for those beautiful breasts of hers than that. And that red dress still hangs in our closet - along side many also beautiful ones now that each have memories of their own attached. It's been quite a ride - for both of us!