Chapter 1

Henderson, Nevada - Post September 2001

She was making a little over two miles an hour on the tread mill but at a grade of just under five degrees. The workout always helped to relieve the stress. Twice she noticed the knot of boys over by the free weights look her way. She ignored them. Just teenagers, maybe a bit older.

Why do all these problems seem to come at the same time? Her daughter rushing out here to live with them right after she graduated from high school. The only reason she was out here was because they now lived in Las Vegas. The woman had tried for years to get custody of her daughter but the father never allowed it. Now the young woman is out here on the pretense of going to school. If they weren't in 'Vegas, she wouldn't be here.

Her present husband, who was not the child's father, was just about useless keeping her in tow. Their work schedules didn't fit. She was early. He was late. It gave her daughter just too much free time. She looked at her wrist watch. Ten more minutes.

A year ago this was all a new adventure. They'd moved up here from the south; sunk their life savings into a business that was now slowly going under. Neither of them could figure out why? Without her job they'd be in a real deep hole. As it was they were barely making it. But she hated it. Hated Las Vegas. Hated her job. So corporate and so cold. Nothing like her previous employment, where everyone was so warm and friendly. Had to be the town. City. Whatever they called it here. You hardly ever knew whose jurisdiction you were in.

Jake Morrison had started talking about the woman on the treadmill. She lived right behind him. He would often peer at her from his bedroom window... A real MILF. She wore a pretty skimpy bikini for a woman her age. He figured her for at least forty. But he'd bone her in a minute. And now it appeared a younger woman was living with them. Must be her daughter? Out of nowhere! There she was, sunning herself by the pool in their back yard one morning a couple of weeks ago. Plumper than mom but with a nice big chest full of breast meat. A skimpy bikini too! He'd bone them both.

He'd stroked his cock several times watching them sun themselves, imagining one of them sliding a hand down into the crotch of her bikini and fingering her cunt. He was getting a boner just thinking about it. His lifting buddies were all scoping her out. They'd like to bone her, too! Telling stories about peeping on them had given him confidence. He turned and strode across the fitness center.

Some movement caught her eye so she turned her head. One of the young men was coming right toward her. He stopped just short, staring her right in the eyes.

"Hi! Ms. Gilbert. Mind if I take this tread mill. I won't bother you."

"How do you know my name?" Colleen Gilbert hurled back at him.

"I live behind you and got some of your mail by mistake one day. My dad made me take it over to your place and put it in your mail box." He was smiling.

Colleen looked forward. If he wanted that treadmill then he could have it. She surely wasn't going to move even though there were plenty of unused treadmills. It's not like they were sharing a sauna. Colleen glanced at her watch once again, just three more minutes. She felt the young man, next to her, staring at her body. It wasn't obvious. He was discrete but taking a good look never the less. Colleen noticed her breasts bouncing. They were uncontrollable, bouncing up and down as she walked on the treadmill. Time was up.

She left the treadmill and rushed through a quick shower. The young man was nowhere to be seen when she left the women's changing room and headed for her car. He knew so much about her. Her name. Where she lived. He probably peeked into their backyard while she was sunbathing. She felt violated. She hated Las Vegas.

"Ms. Gilbert. Mister Edwards, from Corporate, wants to see you upstairs first thing. Before you go to your desk." It was her direct supervisor. She didn't like the woman. And she'd never been upstairs but she'd heard stories. The rumors were rampant.

Colleen knew she had pressed the edge of her authority yesterday but it kept the operation going smoothly. If she hadn't handled it that way... Well, she didn't know another way to do it. She couldn't be fired for that.

"Snake" Edwards knew she was out there waiting. Making them wait was always a positive for you. He looked down at the file. Re-tooling passwords for the operations she compromised would cost around five grand. She'd been with them less than a year... From outside not from within... Unusual. It's all this fucking growth around here. Employees usually had to work for the casino for years to get this type of job... High paying, steady, benefits and non-union.