Chapter 2

It took six months before I got back to Cinncinati. Not because of business but because I was nearly beaten to death.

After I left Ohio I had two assignments. One that went well, one that didn’t. The second was in Atlanta, close enough I could go home on the weekends if I wanted.

I’d been drifting in and out of poker games, some in casinos that were legit. Most were in the backrooms of bars or rented hotel rooms. They were fairly easy to find if you knew who to ask and I had developed a talent for figuring out who that was.

I was also a member of a fraternal order that had lodges nationwide, and once they realized I was no threat I played there. They were mostly clean games with decent guys so I played it straight. The few instances I felt something wasn’t right I’d leave the game at the first opportunity without saying anything.

Looking back at it I think I understand now what I was doing. Aggie had soured me on life and unconsciously I made a coorelation between cheating at cards and cheating at life that resonated, so I sought cheaters out to expose them in the most expensive and humiliating way possible. The episode with Robert hadn’t improved my outlook either.

What I overlooked is that crooks don’t have the same sense of moral justice as regular people but they’re still pretty good haters. I’d chased a game for about four months, through three states and four cities before I caught up with them. Rarely did you find a solo mechanic anymore. It was too obvious, so they started working in teams of twos and threes. It spread the winnings around so it was less obvious the fix was in.

The stakes were petty high, much higher than usual. The takeout was twenty five grand and it was a no holds barred, sky’s the limit type of game.

I dropped my money on the table like everyone else and played tight for a while until I got their pattern down. They took turns winning but most of the time it was the straight guy who got the big pots. The next time I dealt I jacked the game up, folding early while giving two of the three pretty good hands and one of the regular guys a hot hand. It cut their winnings down but they were still doing pretty good.

In an hour I was about eight grand ahead, mostly off deals from the normal guys. After another hour I went in for the kill, ran the cards up and bet the farm. I caught them flatfooted and won a thirty-five thousand dollar pot, twenty-two of it their money.

I folded on the next deal even though I had closet queens. They knew what I had and were stunned that I’d fold. We went around the table and the next time I dealt I skinned them again, giving the pot to the biggest loser of the night. He got almost all his orignal stake back in one hand.

They were watching me closely now, so close I disrupted their concentration and bluffed them out of a pretty good hand, accidentally dropping my cards as I gave them to the next dealer to let them know they had been fooled. An hour later I got a hot hand and went through the whole routine I had established, giving them false tells that made them think I was bluffing. One of the mechanics went all in and the quiet was deafening when I raked the pot, close to fifty grand.

By now I was about eighty grand ahead so I blew the game up, stopping play and describing the hands the remaining mechanic and the straight guy had. The table erupted but I had secured my money before I blew the whistle. The table was flipped over and there was a lot of rolling on the ground with fists flying as I ducked out he door.

I never looked back and left town that night.

They jumped me three days later outside a casino in another town and it wasn’t pretty. Still have no idea how they tracked me down. They nearly beat me to death. A broken jaw, three teeth knocked out, a split ear that had to be sewn back together, two black eyes that were so swollen it was three days before I could see, and that was just my face. A broken right arm, a dislocated kneecap, broken left ankle, and three broken ribs. I would probably be dead if it hadn’t been for an off duty cop who’d gone out to get his pregnant wife some frozen burritos.

He yelled at them to stop and when they didn’t he charged, weapon drawn. That got their attention and when he yelled “Police! Drop your weapons!” they bolted. One had a gun and was dumb enough to take a shot at him. I can shut my eyes and see him now, kneeling down over me in a classic two handed shooting position. He fired three times and wounded one before they got out of range.

I spent five days in intensive care because one of the broken ribs had punctured a lung. I nearly bled out into it before the EMTs got me stabilized. Jake and Lillian flew up and after they got over the shock they were livid. “Who did this to you, honey?”

Lillian was all sweetness and light as she said it but I could see her eyes. If I told her there would be bodies piling up before it was over. Lillian was indirectly ‘connected’ thanks to her sister’s husband and she was his favorite sister-in-law. He’s the one who organized the tattoo incident.

I was still half stoned from the meds and surprised her. “I’ll handle it, Mom. You and Dad stay out of it.”

I wondered why they were crying as I drifted off. A couple of days later I woke from a drug induced haze and heard sobbing. My vision was blurred but it looked like Debbie. I tried to talk and she hit the call button, disappearing when the doctor and nurses came charging in. I thought about it later and decided I had hallucinated it while under the influence of the drugs because I wanted to see her.

In the end they got caught when one showed up at a hospital because his wound had gotten infected. They rushed him into surgery and removed the bullet, putting him on high powered antibiotics to defeat the infection. He woke up handcuffed to the bed. When they ran ballistics on the bullet it came back to the off duty cop who had saved me.

They were charged with attempted murder both for me and the officer and pled out to aggravated assault involving a firearm. They had to do at least three years before being eligible for parols and thanks to ‘Uncle Vinny’ their jail residence was anything but pleasant.

The cop who saved me refused a reward so I went behind his back and talked to his wife. Soon there was a complete nursery of brand new furniture, a bedroom suite for the master with a California King bed because the cop was six seven and his old bed wasn’t long enough, and a brand new kitchen with top of the line appliances. He tried to get me to take it back and I grinned. “I didn’t get it for you. My Mom did. You’ll have to take it up with her.” He knew why she took the credit, adding in a few things I hadn’t thought of, and he finally quit trying. Besides, his wife would have killed him.

When I did the post plan evaluation on Roberts’ company and I was still walking with a cane. When asked I told them I’d been in an accident and left it there.

They had followed my plan and things had progressed nicely. Chris had been made assistant plant manager, a suggestion I’d given when it came time to promote, and both the managers that had been demoted were back to their old positions. They only needed one but another manager quit so the other got lucky. The manager that quit was Robert. I asked Chris why over a beer that afternoon. Amy had beat us to the pub and had ordered for us.

“The short answer? You. He quit because of the bet he made with you over Debbie. Word got out about it thanks to some of our friends and nobody respected him after that, not even his workers. They wrote some pretty crude junk on the bathroom walls when he started treating everyone like shit. Ol’ lady Masters didn’t care much for what he’d done and when his numbers slipped she suggested he might be happier elsewhere. He quit a month later and no one knows or cares to find out where he is.”

They waited, Amy with a small grin on her face. Finally I couldn’t stand it. “Did his wife go with him?”

“No. She went back to Alabama two weeks after you left and filed for divorce. I talked to her the other day and she says she has 30 days to go before it becomes official.”

They looked at me expectantly. “Well?”

“Well what?”

Amy seemed amazed. “You’re not going to call her?”

“Probably not.”

“Why?”

I grinned. “Well, first and foremost she never gave me her number. Secondly, I spent roughly sixty hours with what I consider the perfect woman. I had one of the best times in my life as an adult with someone I was extremely attracted to. We never had any intimate relations, just a light kiss here and there, and believe it or not it made the experience better. It’s amazing once you know sex is not on the agenda how much fun you can have just talking and doing. I’m not sure I want to ruin that memory by finding out she isn’t the goddess I’ve made her in my mind.”

They looked at me like I was an alien that had landed among them and was speaking no tongue known to man. I grinned. “That being said, give her my number. I’d love to talk to her and see how she’s doing post-asshole.”

We talked for a couple of hours and ate at the pub. I was amazed again at how good the burgers were. They were planning on saving the extra money Chris was pulling in to help with a down payment on a bigger home. The one they had now was a starter home, fine for a young couple and a small child. They had plans for their future that included at least one and maybe two more children and they were going to need more room.

Three days later my review was almost done. I met with the clan dowager-major stockholder and she was pleased with what I had to say. She even hinted around she could use me full time if I ever wanted to get off the road and I thanked her. I wasn’t interested but you never say never, especially in business.

I was reaching for my cane, thinking about getting another burger from the pub, when my office door opened and Debbie sailed in. “Hi, honey. I’m home!” She was laughing until she saw the cane and my face, lumps and bumps still not completely healed.

“You look awful! It looks like somebody beat the hell out of you. Were you in a wreck?”

“Hello to you too, Debbie. No, I wasn’t in a car wreck. Yes, someone or rather someones beat the hell out of me.”

“Why?”

“Just a guess here but I think I did something to piss them off. I got lucky. An off duty cop saw the whole thing and got them off of me. All three of them are set to be guests of the state for at least a couple of years. We have some catching up to do. Lunch?”

It was the first time I’d seen her unbalanced. Her mouth opened and closed a couple of times before she got her composure back and she smiled. “Sure. I’ll drive. My vehicle has a lot of room.”

Her vehicle was a minivan. “What happened to your little sports car?”

Her look made me want to step back. “The unnamed asshole who is now my ex-husband sold it. Since I didn’t work everything was in his name so one day he took it to a dealer and sold it. Then he tried to hide the money along with everything else of value. He screwed up because I was the one who handled the bills and I made damn sure I kept good records. He denied most of our assets in court but I had him dead to rights. The judge gave me 55%, saying the extra five per cent was to pay for my aggravation. His lawyer tried to object and the judge slammed his gavel down.”

“One more word,” he told the lawyer, “and it’s 60/40. We done here?”

“Wow, he must have really pissed him off.”

“There was a little bit more to it than that. When I left he tried to reconcile after making my life a living hell for two weeks. He even got the Judge to order ten counseling sessions. The counselor stopped it at five after we got into his bet that started us down the road to divorce. Truth be told we’d been on that road for a while, and him betting me was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

“He started out with the silent treatment and a few days later the questions started. Did I like sex with you more? Were you bigger, did you make me have more orgasms, how many times did we do it, did I give up my ass? There at the end I think he was getting off on it. I refused to tell him anything. Then at the last session I got tired of his bullshit and snapped.

You wanna know what happened? I sucked his dick on the ride back to his suite. Then he ate my pussy until I was screaming (Asshole really didn’t like that, he was awful and never got me off). Then he slammed that massive cock into me. It was two inches longer and a third bigger around and he could go for hours. I can’t tell you how many orgasms I had that first time because when I started coming I never stopped. Saturday night he took my virgin ass. Jesus it hurt. Well, at least for the first couple of times, then I kinda got into it. Too bad you’ll never get to know what it feels like. I was so worn out by Monday I literally couldn’t walk straight. I gave him a goodby blowjob in our driveway. I think I still had some of his come on my lips when I walked through the door. That’s why we never had sex again. There was no way I would compare your pathetic cock to his and be happy.”

I just sat there processing for a minute. I made a mental note to never get her that pissed at me. “What did he say to all that?”

“He went pale. Then he snapped and slapped me out of my chair. The counselor we were seeing was part of a husband/wife practice. He was a big guy, bigger than you. Asshole would have hurt me if he hadn’t been there. I was screaming, asshole was screaming, and our counselor grabbed him and threw him across the room. His wife heard the commotion and rushed in just in time to nail him in the balls when he went after her husband. Asshole got arrested for assault and the counseling sessions ended right there. After that the divorce was a slam dunk. And this is Mom’s car. I haven’t found anything I like yet.”

I was sitting there clenching and unclenching my hands, thinking about how much I’d like to have them wrapped around his neck right that particular minute. Debbie saw and took my hands in hers. Then she grinned. “Don’t worry. He hits like a bitch. I didn’t even get a bruise.”

“Just because he’s a pussy don’t make it right.”

“Water under the bridge. Now, where are we going tonight? And I need the key to your suite so I can unpack and freshen up.”

She got a slightly embarrassed and concerned look on her face. “That is, if you, I mean...”

That’s when I kissed her. When I let her up for air she grinned. “I’ll take that as a yes. Oh, and before we leave we’re getting together with Chris and Amy. He’s in a new poker group and they’re playing Friday. I’m helping her with the sandwiches and the nibbles. You’re going to play your usual shrewd game and make enough to take me someplace really nice Saturday. Um, that is, if it’s okay with you.”

I put my hand over my heart. “I swear to do my very best but sometimes the cards don’t run your way.”

“Oh, I think money is more familiar running to you than away from you but if you lose I’ll pay for Saturday.”

She drove me back and gave me a big kiss when she dropped me off. Chris was at the door and grinned. “You’re welcome.” He was whistling when he walked back inside.

I made it back to my suite in record time. She was curled up on the sofa reading on her laptop, in a loose sweater and tight leggings. It reminded me of the first time I’d ever seen her. When she rose to kiss me I noticed she’d put together the outfit without a bra. She saw me staring at her nipples and laughed. “I’m not wearing panties either, in case you’re wondering.”

“I wasn’t until you brought it up.” I shocked her when I ran my hand across that tight butt to verify. Then she cooed and leaned into my hand. It was about to get interesting when the knock came.

“Dinner!,” she cried, rushing to the door before stopping. “Um, I don’t have any money on me in this outfit. Nowhere to put it.”

I tossed her my wallet and she opened the door. The delivery guy was so stunned by what he was seeing he forgot to speak. Debbie smirked. “Easy there big guy. I’m private property. Let’s just say it isn’t just his wallet that’s big.”

He stuttered as he thanked her for his nice tip. I just grinned. Being around her was going to be some interesting times.

She opened our food and we sat at the little dining nook as we ate, trading bites. There might have been a little tongue trading, after all, we wanted to taste every dish.

She cleaned up and insisted I take a shower. She had a movie picked out and wanted to snuggle. I limped into the bathroom, dropping my cane by the door. Showering was a bit of a chore for me considering my weak ankle and arm. I had developed a habit of baths because it was easier. I was running the water and about to settle in when Debbie opened the door. I think she was surprised at the bath and the fact that I was already naked. Then she started giggling and taking off her clothes. We just stared at each other for a minute. She was as lean and firm as I imagined and she looked at my junk and smiled. “I was was spouting off when I told asshole how much bigger you were. It seems I didn’t have to exxagerate much. Let me help you in, honey. Then I’ll wash your back.”

I settled in to the steamy water with a sigh. It was a whirlpool so I turned the jets on to ease my sore body. She lathered my back slowly, then pressed against me and used her chest to wash me. Her gentle dragging of those hard nipples across my back had me hard as a rock in seconds. Then still maintaining contact she washed my neck and chest, then slid the warm cloth on to my raging erection, stroking slowly for a minute before she stopped and stood up giggling. God I loved her giggling.

“That’s enough for now. Let me help you up and get you toweled. Don’t you even think about relieving some of the pressure we built up. I want you on edge and climbing the walls when we do go to bed.”

She rinsed me and patted me down, making sure my equipment was well dried. Then she grabbed her clothes and scampered out of the room. I enjoyed watching that tight ass bounce up and down before I dressed. She was on the couch in a big fluffy robe and I hoped nothing else. I’d put on boxers and that was it. She patted the seat beside me. “Here’s the agenda for tonight. First we snuggle. Then we watch this movie I pulled up that’s supposed to be sensual and romantic. Maybe we’ll see some things we’d like to try. We will of course be snuggling the whole time and along towards the end of the movie we make out a little. Then the movie ends and we make out a lot. I expect hands and lips to wander on both our parts while this is going on. Then I expect us to move to the bedroom to reach the logical conclusion from such activities. Any questions?”

“Can we skip to the end of the movie and go from there?”

There was that giggle again. “No! Delayed gratification, honey. It’ll be worth it.”

Long story short, it was.

She felt as good as she looked and she looked damn good. Sine she wasn’t in any hurry and my tongue touched every part of her body, stopping longer on the good spots. Missionary was out because of my arm and ankle but she had no problem riding me like she was trying to break a horse, and doggy was really comfortable.

Seems Debbie was a screamer and pretty blunt about what she wanted. I was exactly the opposite. I said very little and mostly kept my eyes shut. I’d almost always been like that. In my mind it freed my body and senses to give my partner and by extenstion me deeper pleasure.

When she finally rolled off she sighed and snuggled. “Did you enjoy it?”

I almost accused her of asking a stupid question but caught myself. “It was the most intense experience of my life. No, I didn’t like it. I LOVED IT!”

“I couldn’t tell. You’re the quietest lover I’ve ever had.”

“And you’re the best lover I’ve ever had.” I pulled her to me tighter and explained why I was so quiet. Then I grinned and told her making love to her made me want to take a vow of silence. She seemed to like that explanation.

“Let’s see if I can turn you into a mute.”

Over a very nice brunch the next morning I asked If I needed to drop her anywhere. She laughed. “Yes. Back to our place. I drove straight in and stopped to see you before I got a room so it appears I’m homeless.” She batted her eyes. “Please kind sir, would you take in a maiden in distress? I’m afraid I don’t have any money but I’m sure we can reach some compensation arrangement.”

“Now what kind of a White Knight would I be if took advantage of a defenseless woman?”

“The kind that’s going to get laid a lot.”

“Then look no further, fair maiden. I’m your man.”

I asked her what she’d like to do next and her answer surprised me. “I’d like to see a professional baseball game. I was a softball player in high school and college and I always wanted to see a game. The Reds are on the road but this town had a very good AAA team. They’ve groomed a lot of guys who went on to good careers in the majors.”

I wondered why her ex had never taken her. Obviously she had mind reading abilities on top of her other attributes because she snorted. “Asshole couldn’t stand sports. He didn’t like watching and he really hated the idea of playing. I think the only sport he ever watched was beach volleyball.”

“It’s one of my favorites.”

She poked me in the ribs. “Calm down, Caveman. You don’t have to drag me back to your cave. I’ll probably end up dragging you before the day is out. Did you play anything?”

I admitted I was a bit of a jock growing up. I played baseball, football, and ran track. My college was partially funded by a football scholarship. I was a kicker specializing in field goals and kickoffs, so I weathered my career without concussions and broken bones. I was invited to attend a couple of camps after college but I decided I liked the career path I’d chosen better so I didn’t attend.