moved closer to him and placed her hand on his arm. She pulled on his forearm, wanting to draw him to the side and explain the basics of the game, but he forestalled her by leaning down and betting the pass line again.
Why did she have this overwhelming urge to help, even to protect him? Because he’d protected her from Henderson? But then he’d accused her of being a prostitute.
Guaranteed, he was no high roller. He was defrauding her employer. His paltry fifty- dollar loss wouldn’t even cover the cost of the chauffeur who had brought him from the airport.
But he wasn’t arrogant and grasping like most high rollers. He’d even paid for her dinner and left a very nice tip for the waiter.
That wasn’t the point, though. The point was his blatant deceit and her employer’s reputation. Even more, it was her job to see that high rollers and whales lost large sums of money to the casino. After all, gamblers’ losses were what paid her salary.
How could she even consider helping him?
The shooter had rolled a point of five. The dealers collected the no pass bets, allowing the pass bets to ride until the shooter crapped out or rolled the point.
He placed a chip in the come box. Now he had two ways to win and two ways to lose, but she doubted he knew what he was doing. And she wasn’t going to tell him, either. Let him sink or swim on his own merit. Wedging herself against the side of the table, she folded her arms across her chest and waited for his inevitable downfall.
#
Rafael glanced up to see Adriana watching him. He’d made so many blunders tonight that he knew the masquerade was over. She’d have to be blind as a bat to not know he was a fraud. And Adriana was anything but blind. She didn’t miss much.
No, this wasn’t about the farce his brother had gotten him into, not any longer. Tomorrow he’d confess and pay his debts. But not tonight. Tonight, was a matter of pride. His pride. He didn’t want to look foolish again in her eyes.
He still didn’t fully understand the game of craps. But he knew better than to bet the individual numbers or the elaborate odds in the middle box of the table. The pass and no pass line, along with the come and no come bets, were where he concentrated. They seemed the simplest wagers to make, and for him, the easiest to understand. Watching his fellow gamblers, he realized they were also the most frequent wagers made.
But he needed to devise a system, so he studied what bets the gamblers with the most chips made, and then followed suit. He focused on one player in particular, an older, heavyset man wearing a flamboyant leopard print shirt. This man had the largest stack of chips in front of him, and his pile was steadily growing.
When leopard shirt lost on the Pass or Come lines, he usually doubled his next bet. Rafael tried that tactic and his pile of chips took a hit. Doubling down didn’t seem to be working for him, and besides, he didn’t have a huge pile of chips to throw away. One chip at a time was a more his speed.
Glancing at his watch, he saw that it was two o’clock in the morning. His interview was at nine. He groaned inwardly. What the heck was he doing at a craps table at this time of the night and with an interview hanging over him? He glanced up and found Adriana’s gaze still following his every move.
Okay, he might be crazy, but he was no quitter. He was determined to win at this game.
Determined to wipe the smug look from her face and show her that he was capable of winning.
He was sick and tired of looking like a loser in her eyes. She probably expected him to lose, but he was determined to show her that she was wrong.
And to regain his tattered pride.
He lost two bets on the Pass line in quick succession—down to only four chips. Sweat slicked his palms, and the four-story casino felt close and warm.
He’d brought a thousand dollars for spending money. A thousand dollars might not be much for a high roller, but he was no high roller and
Why did she have this overwhelming urge to help, even to protect him? Because he’d protected her from Henderson? But then he’d accused her of being a prostitute.
Guaranteed, he was no high roller. He was defrauding her employer. His paltry fifty- dollar loss wouldn’t even cover the cost of the chauffeur who had brought him from the airport.
But he wasn’t arrogant and grasping like most high rollers. He’d even paid for her dinner and left a very nice tip for the waiter.
That wasn’t the point, though. The point was his blatant deceit and her employer’s reputation. Even more, it was her job to see that high rollers and whales lost large sums of money to the casino. After all, gamblers’ losses were what paid her salary.
How could she even consider helping him?
The shooter had rolled a point of five. The dealers collected the no pass bets, allowing the pass bets to ride until the shooter crapped out or rolled the point.
He placed a chip in the come box. Now he had two ways to win and two ways to lose, but she doubted he knew what he was doing. And she wasn’t going to tell him, either. Let him sink or swim on his own merit. Wedging herself against the side of the table, she folded her arms across her chest and waited for his inevitable downfall.
#
Rafael glanced up to see Adriana watching him. He’d made so many blunders tonight that he knew the masquerade was over. She’d have to be blind as a bat to not know he was a fraud. And Adriana was anything but blind. She didn’t miss much.
No, this wasn’t about the farce his brother had gotten him into, not any longer. Tomorrow he’d confess and pay his debts. But not tonight. Tonight, was a matter of pride. His pride. He didn’t want to look foolish again in her eyes.
He still didn’t fully understand the game of craps. But he knew better than to bet the individual numbers or the elaborate odds in the middle box of the table. The pass and no pass line, along with the come and no come bets, were where he concentrated. They seemed the simplest wagers to make, and for him, the easiest to understand. Watching his fellow gamblers, he realized they were also the most frequent wagers made.
But he needed to devise a system, so he studied what bets the gamblers with the most chips made, and then followed suit. He focused on one player in particular, an older, heavyset man wearing a flamboyant leopard print shirt. This man had the largest stack of chips in front of him, and his pile was steadily growing.
When leopard shirt lost on the Pass or Come lines, he usually doubled his next bet. Rafael tried that tactic and his pile of chips took a hit. Doubling down didn’t seem to be working for him, and besides, he didn’t have a huge pile of chips to throw away. One chip at a time was a more his speed.
Glancing at his watch, he saw that it was two o’clock in the morning. His interview was at nine. He groaned inwardly. What the heck was he doing at a craps table at this time of the night and with an interview hanging over him? He glanced up and found Adriana’s gaze still following his every move.
Okay, he might be crazy, but he was no quitter. He was determined to win at this game.
Determined to wipe the smug look from her face and show her that he was capable of winning.
He was sick and tired of looking like a loser in her eyes. She probably expected him to lose, but he was determined to show her that she was wrong.
And to regain his tattered pride.
He lost two bets on the Pass line in quick succession—down to only four chips. Sweat slicked his palms, and the four-story casino felt close and warm.
He’d brought a thousand dollars for spending money. A thousand dollars might not be much for a high roller, but he was no high roller and
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