Strong lights shone on the green velvet-covered table, not far from the slot-eating tiger jingling and spitting coins, the craps table from time to time came to the sound of cheering, surrounded by people coming and going, noisy. None of this had any effect on me, I was just concentrating on the cards. On the table in front of me, piles of red and green mixed chips were arranged. In the red and black circle near the dealer were twenty dollar chips, and two diamonds. Eleven points. The dealer is facing me, the cards in his left hand box calling out. I add four red chips to the circle – eleven is a double, of course. The dealer gives me a card, a nine. Not bad. The dealer dealt out his hand, one busted, two stopped. The dealer turns over his cards, a nine, plus a ten, making it nineteen. He pays me eight red chips, collects the cards, sweeps the others away, and starts shuffling. I then relaxed, stretched, and looked around me.
This is Las Vegas, the world’s largest gambling capital. It’s a place of crime, a place to make one’s dreams come true, or an entertainment center to relieve one’s worries, depending on one’s point of view. I think most people come here just to relax, enjoy the fun of gambling, good luck to win money is certainly welcome, bad luck to lose a few dollars will not hurt. Real gamblers are few and far between. What about me? I am certainly not a gambler. A year ago, I was wandering around on the Internet, and I found a Black Jack simulation program by coincidence. From its notes, I found that it used a strange betting method, which allowed me to win a lot and lose a little. I didn’t believe it at first, but after rewriting the simulation program myself and switching to a dozen different kinds of number generators, I’m more or less convinced. This time I came to Las Vegas for the computer show and took the opportunity to verify it.
Blackjack, or blackjack, is the fairer bet: it is generally recognized that the dealer, the casino, has only a zero point three to zero point eight percentage point advantage over the gambler. Like roulette, the casino has a five point three percentage point advantage. Slot machines are even more worthless, and the casino can manipulate the percentage of money spit out any way it wants. But the slots are still the most crowded place in the casino, full of gray-haired old men and women. They always changed the whole pot of coins, stood in front of the humming wheel, and threw in one silver coin after another. Winning or losing seemed to have nothing to do with them. They only came here to pass the years when their children were far away and they were lonely and alone.
I left my chips at the table, asked the dealer to watch, and went to the restroom to liberate myself. When I returned the dealer had shuffled four decks of cards and resumed another round of blackjack. Apparently my secret was very effective and had already helped me win several hundred dollars, long after I had pocketed my old money. Since I was betting on my winnings, I increased my bets even more – what’s there to be afraid of if you lose, it’s still the casino’s money? As a result, the chips in front of me accumulated even faster.
I turned my head to look around at the gamblers at my table, they weren’t getting much better. I shifted my eyes and my gaze finally landed on a girl. She was second to my left, across from an old lady. She was also Oriental, with shoulder-length dark hair and a slender frame, a very pretty girl. I noticed her more because of her age than because of her playfulness. She looked so young that I even wondered if she was of legal age to gamble. That doubt only lasted for a moment and then disappeared-the dealer must have checked her driver’s license, or he wouldn’t have let her on the table. Either way, she was losing money, and a lot of it. It was obvious that she didn’t know the ropes of blackjack, and it was probably her first time playing it. Out of the goodness of my heart, I started to give her a little advice. Since I was the big winner at the table, she took the advice and won several hands in a row.
After gambling for a little while longer, I felt a little tired already and thought I’d call it a day, left the croupier and went to the cashier’s counter to redeem my chips, which, by my count, amounted to a little over two thousand dollars. Find a seat at the bar. The bartender comes over.
“Martini.” Simple and refreshing has always been my choice. The world is complicated enough without having to be preachy about even relaxing with a drink.
I never drink at the gambling table, only a couple of drinks after a bet. There’s no such thing as a free lunch. Don’t think that the endless supply of free beer and cocktails on the tables is just a way for casinos to entertain their guests, it’s there for a purpose. Alcohol impairs judgment, and after three drinks, it’s useless to do any math you may know how to do.
One man took the seat next to me.
“Hi!”
It turned out to be the girl at the same table. Her crisp voice seemed to drown out the noisy blur of people in the casino.
“Hello!” I said, a little surprised.
“Thanks for pointing that out just now.”
“You’re welcome, I’m happy to oblige. May I buy you a drink?”
“Thanks, but I don’t drink!”
“A Coke would be nice.”
“Yeah!”
I signaled the bartender to give her a Coke.
“Is this your first time in Vegas?” I said without words.
“Well, how do you know?” She asked.
Anyone who looks at you with an innocent face knows that.
“It doesn’t seem to me like you’re very good at playing black jack. I’m guessing it’s probably your first time.”
“Well, not only that, but I’m having bad luck!” She said, chagrined.
She doesn’t sound like a native, so ask her.
“You came from there?”
“San Francisco.” Bingo!
“Really! I live in South Bay. Are you Chinese?”
“Uh-huh. I grew up in Taiwan. You’re from Taiwan too, right? We can speak Chinese.” That’s great! That way there won’t be any problems communicating. You know, it’s not that English is so hard to communicate, it’s just that Chinese seems to be a better tool when talking to her.
“Yeah! I’m Roger. And you’re…?”
“Jennifer.”
You’re not a stranger if you know the name. We chatted about everything from Taiwanese snacks, to ski resorts in Colorado, to the recent opera in San Francisco. She was a bit shy at first, but in no time at all, she became like a familiar friend. She told me that she was a young international student who came to the U.S. when she was in high school and had just graduated from college, and her first job was as a buyer for a computer company, and this time she was following her boss to see the biggest computer show in the world. Her boss had to go home first and asked her to stay for a few more days to see the new products. But she was so bored that she came to the casino to try her luck, but unexpectedly she lost a lot of money.
Looking at her pitiful look, anyone would be unable to bear it, I asked the waitress for a deck of cards and taught her step by step. When she became more skilled, I looked at the time and realized that several hours had passed without realizing it. It was close to midnight, when the evening show had just ended, a group of red men and women could not wait to join the gamblers who were concentrating on killing each other at the gambling tables. The sound of yelling on the gaming table is even more exciting.
“Jennifer, do you want to try your hand again?” I asked.
Still with a pouty expression, “Yeah, but you have to look at me, yo!”
“Sure!”
We squeezed into a blackjack table and played a little. I wasn’t concentrating on my own cards, but rather, as I promised, nudging her from time to time. After playing a little longer, I found myself not even looking at her cards, my eyes wandering to Jennifer from time to time. Her side view was just about the best angle to admire. Her long hair tipped down like a waterfall to her shoulders. The bridge of her nose was straight, framed by a small, slightly curved mouth and a light frown on her eyebrows from concentration.
“I’m going to get to you…”, I told myself.
She noticed my gaze and turned her head to smile sweetly at me. I return the smile of encouragement. Looking down and counting the chips on the table, I realized that she had won quite a bit, while I myself had a small loss. Checking the time, it was almost one o’clock. Although Jennifer was still in good spirits, she looked a little tired. When I offered to send her back to rest, she was still a little saddened by her current good fortune. After I assured her that my method had nothing to do with luck, and promised to go around all the big casinos with her tomorrow – she hadn’t been to any of the others yet – she left with me! She followed me out the door and strolled towards Luxor.
Her company is so kay! Luxor is the newest casino hotel to open, a pyramid-shaped black building with a grand entrance right in the belly of a huge sphinx. The entire decor is ancient Egyptian, and a night’s stay costs over a hundred dollars. This is what people live in, unlike our company, which always shoves us into some small motel just to save a little money.
Squeezing through the crowded hall, under the head of an Egyptian pharaoh, she stopped,, and turned around. A smirking expression on her face.
“Thanks for the ride back. When will I see you tomorrow?”
“Meet me here at nine o’clock in the morning.”
“Yeah, good night.”
“Good night.”
As I watched her head toward the elevator, I turned around and headed out the door of Luxor. I went back to the hotel where I was staying, took a shower, and fell under the covers while thinking about tomorrow’s trip. I don’t know when I fell asleep, and I don’t remember if Jennifer appeared in my dream?
At 7:30am, the morning call went off. After getting up and showering, I put on the most casual outfit I had in my bag, left the hotel, and slowly paced towards Luxor.
I walked into the lobby and she was already there waiting. I hastily checked the time, luckily, I wasn’t late, she was the one who was early. I wondered, what does that mean? Is it possible that she was looking forward to this date too?
I didn’t have time to think too much about it because she was already walking over to me, smiling as she greeted me. I looked her up and down, already dressed completely differently from last night. Yesterday’s white shirt and blue jeans dress, although set off her beautiful appearance, inevitably a little too small family flavor. Today, she changed into a light green one-piece suit with a white jacket, and when she came floating along, I was dumbfounded. She walked up to me, saw that I was still staring at her, smiled gently, and held out her hand.
“Shall we?”
I’m waking up like a dream.
“Oh! Yes,…you…we…today…”
Shit, what’s wrong with me today? Don’t fuck it up!
I hastened to extend my arm, which she took graciously, and turned toward the exit.
As promised, I took her on a slow stroll through the big casinos on The Strip. Las Vegas is like that, each casino has its own characteristics, Excalibur, MGM, … each of them is decorated in a magnificent way, plus some special themes, or King Arthur’s ancient times, or the Oz Kingdom in fairy tales, or even the Treasure Island in novels; in short, it’s to create a dreamland for customers, so that they will stay and spend a lot of money. Then they will stay and spend a lot of money.
Of course, we try our luck at gambling everywhere. Maybe I shouldn’t say gambling luck, I should say verifying my secret. Naturally, the results lived up to my expectations, with a few big wins. With more and more money in her pocket, Jennifer’s excitement was also getting higher and higher, and I had to stop her from being too flashy. Who knows what kind of relationship these casinos have with the triads?
Lunch was buffet at a casino, which is notoriously rich in Vegas, with a wide variety of flavors and tastes. I told Jennifer that you can even gamble while you eat. To prove it, I bought four Keno tickets and played them while I ate. I lost twenty dollars over the course of the meal.
After lunch and out on the road, I heard a wedding march music coming from the side. It’s a place that specializes in quick marriages, which is kind of a Vegas specialty. Seeing Jennifer’s curiosity, I took her inside. Inside was set up like a chapel, with several rows of pews, sparsely populated with two or three people. As it happened, there was a couple performing the ceremony. They were wearing jeans, and only the bride wore a veil on her head. After the witnesses read their testimonies, the couple exchanged rings and kissed, and such an important event in their lives was accomplished.
Jennifer patted her ear, “How sloppy! What a shame for that bride.”
“It’s not bad, it’s convenient!”
She gave me a blank look, …men are so unemotional…, must have thought so.
“We’ll tie the knot right here, what do you think?”
That kind of joke results in a pink punch, of course. Undeterred, I grabbed her arm and wouldn’t let go. The two laughed and tangled in the back, causing the assistant next to us to glare at us before hurrying away.
Wandering around, we came to the front of Treasure Island, where the crowd was gathering, and there was obviously a good show. It was time for the pirate ship show. We squeezed into the crowd, rubbing our feet, trying to find a good seat to watch the show. It was hard to get a good seat, the music started, and the pirates came out, happily carrying their captured wealth. At this time from the other side of the waterway came another ship, flags flying, the original is the Royal Navy ships, immediately and the pirate ship to start a fierce battle. Only heard the rumbling of the guns, sparks, pirates and soldiers have fallen into the water, the heat of the explosion directly to our faces. Pirates naturally do not match the warships, see will be eliminated, unexpectedly the captain released the last gun, just hit the British ship. A big explosion, the British ship to the port side tilt, with officers and men, sinking rapidly into the water. Spectators have applauded the pirates and then dispersed. Less than a minute later, the sinking British ship slowly floated back to normal and returned along the waterway to the position before the appearance, began to prepare for the next show. This combination of machinery and stuntmen is truly spectacular, and it is no wonder that this show is so popular with tourists, especially children.
Jennifer and I hunkered down in a corner for the entire show. There were so many people that we could barely move, shoulder to shoulder, to watch the show. When the crowd dispersed a little, I turned my head to look at Jennifer, and saw her looking intently at the British flag rising out of the water, her long hair falling to one side, revealing a section of her snow-white neck, and her delicate appearance, which really made me look dumbfounded. I lowered my head, sniffed her hair, half-kissed, half-sniffed Giverny on the back of her neck. Probably tickled her, she dodged while laughing and pushed me away. My heart swings, I want to hold her. On second thought, it’s not right! In public, we haven’t reached that level yet, if she resists, it will not only be an embarrassing scene, but also a lost cause. Let’s play it safe! Let’s find a restaurant with a better atmosphere, have dinner, watch a late show, and see what happens.
Wandered around Treasure Island a bit and came to two large posters for the very same Late Show. Here it was Mystic, and at Mirage it was White Tiger and Magic. Looking at the half-naked male bodies on the Mystic poster, I decided that this show would be a better fit. The White Tiger show is so family-oriented, what’s the point of watching it? Anyway, I was the tour guide and Jennifer was fine with it. I went to the counter and bought two tickets. It was still early, so I had to have dinner first. I took Jennifer to the Mirage, a French restaurant with a good menu. I went in and ordered a seafood appetizer, an entree, and a bottle of white wine. The two of them sat in the flickering candlelight, the wine and food, accompanied by the lyrical music of the band. Such a situation, such an atmosphere, there is that girl will not be impressed?
Softly saying something that even I don’t know where it came from, and looking at Jennifer’s cheeks reddening from alcohol in the candlelight, I know I’m drunk. Drunk in this candlelight, drunk in this smile. Who wants to be sober when you’re facing each other? I reached out my hand across the table and covered the back of her hand. Gently stroking, savoring her texture. She did not resist, turned over her hand and held my hand. I gazed into her face, my eyes meeting, and there was no shyness there, no reserve, only waves of passion.
“Ding….”
I turned my head to see that the guests at the next table were tapping their glasses in unison, probably celebrating something. It was about time. With Jennifer in tow, I left the restaurant and headed to Treasure Island to catch the opening of Mystic.
The waiter with the table, holding a five-dollar bill I’d given him, led us to a booth seat against the center. Two cocktails were ordered, and soon the lights dimmed. Suddenly there was a rush of drums, and when the stage lights came back on, there were several naked dancers on stage. No, not completely naked. They were all dressed in shorts that barely covered their bodies, except that they were covered in grayish paint, so that it was impossible to tell if there was clothing there or if there was flesh there. These dancers were fit and muscular, dancing to the rhythm of the drums and performing difficult moves. Call them dancers, but they were showing movements that only gymnasts could accomplish. Call them gymnasts, but they were so in tune with the rhythm and so beautiful. The low sound of drums echoed in the enclosed space of the theater. Wild rhythms, rising from the depths of desire, climbing step by step to the peak. Is this a modern Las Vegas show? This is clearly a primitive ritual of ancient peoples praying for a good year, full of carnal desire.
I just felt my mouth dry and forced myself to suppress it, almost breathless. Looking sideways at Jennifer, a blush flooded her cheeks and her puffy breasts rose and fell slightly, obviously feeling the atmosphere as well. I reached out my right hand, encircled her waist, and gently pulled her towards me, her head naturally resting on my shoulder. With my right hand applying slight pressure at her waistline, I turned my head sideways, sniffing the scent of her hair, my lips lightly touching her earlobe, blowing slowly. In the dimness, I could still see her entire ear reddening, and could just feel her body trembling. I boldly reached out with my left hand and placed it on her leg, slowly caressing and rubbing her rich, elastic muscles. She trembled even more and her whole body almost went limp on top of me. I lifted her chin up and lowered my head, kissing her heavily on her lips that bloomed like petals. In the darkness, the music continued, one after the other–was it the drums, or our heartbeats?
The show continued, one dance wilder than the next, one dance more violent than the next. The drums beat…the lights flashed…the waves…the fiery cries…the endless pounding…the wild explorations…the more urgent and the more urgent….
There was a thud, and everything returned to calm.
The lights came back on and the actors came out for their curtain call. Looking at myself, but still entangled with Jennifer, she sits almost whole on top of me. We hurriedly separated and peeked around to see if anyone had noticed us. The two couples at the table behind us were applauding enthusiastically, and when they saw us, they gave us a sly wink.Damn! Our enthusiastic performance was probably in their eyes. We blushed and left in a hurry.
As I stepped out of the door and into the crowd outside, the heat of the desert night hit me in the face, and the heat of the desert night subsided a little. When I looked at Jennifer, her face was still flushed; when she saw me staring at her, she spat in embarrassment and turned her head away from me, her hand still holding onto mine. It’s done! Now it’s just a matter of getting there.
I took her hand and walked slowly down The Strip in the direction of my hotel. Passed a couple of big casinos, Caesar and Dune, and she had no intention of trying to get in to check them out. The two of us just strolled wordlessly through the crowds.
Walking along, I passed in front of Luxor. A cold wind came up, her thin jacket didn’t seem to be able to keep it out, and all I could feel was a shiver run through her.
“Cold? Want to add a shirt?”
In fact, I can’t wait for her not to wear any of it.
“Uh-huh. I want to go up and change my coat. Wait for me.”
She pulled me through the lobby to the elevator without asking me to stop. I just stared at her. Once inside the elevator, she pressed the button and as it began to rise, a force pushed me towards her. She didn’t dodge, she just held me in place.
“What’s going on?” I asked in surprise.
“Oh, this elevator goes up diagonally.”
After leaving the elevator, and misinterpreting and misinterpreting into her room, I brought the door closed with my foot, grabbed her hands, and pressed her whole body against the wall of the entrance door, and looked at her panting and undulating breasts, slightly opening her cherry lips in anticipation, and passionate deep eyes, and I slowly lowered my head down.
The feeling was still so strong, so hot.
Lips playing, teasing, exploring. Body pressed inch by inch, minute by minute. Chest pressed against the firm peaked point, grinding and bouncing. It’s my favorite feeling. Gripping her hands tightly against the wall. It’s domination…control…power. A wave of desire welled up from the root, hardening between us. It rubbed and explored, weaving in and out of her hair and ears. I released my grip on her and began to explore every curve, every valley.
Her dress, at some point, had come down to her chest; I don’t remember unzipping it. In any case, what appeared before my eyes was the exquisite peaks under the white silk satin. My hands gently covered them, the edges of my palms circling the circumference of the bulge, my palms slowly tracing a circular arc, caressing the tips of her peaks. A shiver ran through me, and from her belly came a spasm like the passage of electricity, oscillating my hardness. Unable to stop moaning, I pulled back the satin barrier, exposing my white, firm breasts, and lowered my head to take in the pink apex jutting angrily from one side, letting the movement of my tongue torment her moaning squirms.
Her hand slid down and rubbed back and forth against my lower abdomen as she eagerly unbuckled my belt. She freed me and continued rubbing and kneading, making me even more shaped and angry and tall. I groaned out and removed her dress completely. A well-proportioned torso, I slid my hands along the rounded curves, all the way down to her small, firm hips and picked her up whole. She was so light! Like holding a doll. Her slender legs, circled around my waist. I pressed my furiously straight erection against the wet silk, and between one friction and the other, there was only a little power left to gasp and moan.
I lifted myself up, laboriously taking one step toward the bed. It wasn’t her weight or the dim light, it was simply because I was sinking deeper and deeper. Even though I was separated by a layer of silk, I could still feel that with each step I took, I fell bit by bit into the two walls of fire. What kind of feeling was that? It wasn’t as wet and slippery as direct contact, but that heat…that friction…. She suddenly went into a spasm, her muscles twitching uncontrollably, her fingers sinking deep into my shoulders, tilting her head back, convulsing noisily…, she was so quick…? Oh! That double-wall movement, those muscles! …Oh!
I fell heavily onto the bed, only having time to avoid crushing her too hard. We were still joined together. Her eyes were closed, her hips still swaying, and I could barely stand it. What was there to wait for when you were trapped and on the verge of exploding from the soaked silk? I pulled out gently, flicking the silk aside to slightly expose the walls that were tormenting me, and holding myself, I slowly pressed closer….
She suddenly pushed me away hard. I froze. What the hell? Did I do something wrong?
“I’m sorry…, I can’t….”
What?
“I’m not safe today…, I don’t want to get pregnant….”
…So what were you doing? Making me hang in mid-air now!
“I understand.”
Other than that, what can I say?
“Do you have…a condom?”
Damn it! It’s only at this juncture that the question popped up. But I’m not that selfish of a man, I still have to respect my female companion’s wishes, especially when it comes to things like this. I did have a condom, but it was in my luggage, who would have thought we’d be in her room, I had planned to have it in my room…. How could we possibly go back to the hotel and come back at this point? It seemed the only thing to do was to try and get close by.
“Okay! But I don’t have it on me. Give me ten minutes and I’ll go out!”
I hurriedly dressed and waited for myself to subside a bit, adjusting my clothes to hide my embarrassment. Giving her a kiss on the cheek, I rushed out of the room and ran at full speed to the elevator, just as one was going down. All that was on his mind was where to get condoms?
Yes! A big hotel like Luxor has some kind of stall selling books and newspapers, usually it also sells some snacks and first aid medicine on the side, it must have condoms too. I reached the ground floor, rushed out of the elevator, and asked one of the waitresses where to go. Luckily, it wasn’t too hard to find, it was right around the corner. I rushed in and grabbed a half-dozen boxes – should that be enough? If I used it all up in one night, I’d be dead in bed. After paying, I left the flickering eyes of the clerk behind and rushed to the elevator….
I suddenly froze. What floor and what number was her room on? I had no recollection of it! Jennifer had pressed the elevator when I went up, so I didn’t pay attention to what floor it was on. When I got out of the elevator, I remembered to turn left and entered the room without paying attention to the room number… What’s worse, the guard at the elevator entrance wanted to see my room’s magnetic card, without which I couldn’t enter the elevator. Where did I get the magnetic card? I hate that I was in such a hurry that I forgot to ask for her card. How am I supposed to get upstairs? The guard had just changed shifts and obviously hadn’t seen me come down.
I dealt with the guards and still couldn’t get anywhere, so I went to the counter and asked the attendant to check for me. Apparently she hadn’t booked the room, but I couldn’t find her name. I couldn’t do anything about it, so I hovered near the elevator, hoping that she’d be surprised that I hadn’t returned and come down to check on her. But it didn’t work out that way, and after waiting for more than two hours, I went back to my hotel with disappointment.
Back to the room, I do not even bother to take off the clothes, and clothes to the bed, only thinking of Jennifer’s carcass, the subtle moans, fragrance of the body, crystal jade skin, as well as the muscles under the pleasure of the light trembling, I can be really tossed and turned. A thousand times pounded the bed, ten thousand times pounded the pillow, the heart straight complained about their own pig brain a, out of such a big picture. I don’t know what to say.
Lying down, so easily was about to fall into a hazy sleep, vaguely heard a light hum. As the night is quiet, it seems particularly clear. Following the sound to explore the source, found that it was from next door. What the hell! It’s so late and still disturbing people’s dreams! I knocked on the wall, signaling the person in the next room to be quieter. Instead of stopping, the sound intensified and turned into a moaning sound. It was obvious that there was some kind of activity going on next door. Normally, I would have enjoyed their acoustic performance; but tonight, after the fruitless scene with Jennifer, it became a form of torture, a vain attempt to torment my heightened arousal. I threw blankets and pillows over my head, but they still didn’t stop the cries from building up next door. When they finally reached their peak, the cries penetrated my ears, and I couldn’t restrain myself any longer and rushed into the bathroom… hoping that I wouldn’t wake up tomorrow with calluses on my hands….
I rushed over to Luxor before nine o’clock in the morning. To my surprise, Jennifer was checking out. It couldn’t be because of last night….
I walked up and tried to stay poised.
“Good morning, Jennifer. Are you leaving?”
I searched her face for any expression of unhappiness. No, just a hint of shyness.
“Oh Roger, it’s you oh. Our boss temporarily asked me to go back early.”
It’s over. This trip to Vegas was wasted! I really don’t know what to say. Sigh, what needs to be said.
“Jennifer, about last night….”
“Uh-huh?”
“I’m so sorry, I forgot your room number … and didn’t have a magnetic card … so …. I waited downstairs for quite a while too, thinking you’d come down….”
I shifted my eyes to peek at her, and her face reddened, and she didn’t make a sound for a long, long, long time, and it was so hard….
“I…I fell asleep after you left….”
I looked at her in amazement. Our eyes met, and suddenly I no longer felt trapped or disappointed….
We laughed almost simultaneously.
Copyright © 1995, Jiang Xiajie] [This article contains adult content and should not be read by minors] [This article is for non-profit circulation only, and may not be transferred for commercial use] [When circulating and reprinting, please retain the above statement].