Pokergeist Read Online Free PDF Page B

mold his parents had cast for him when he was still in high school. They had mapped out his life before he had a chance to leave the cocoon of their household. He was never given choices. He was the smart one; he had to pick something steady. He had to shoulder the responsibility for his bipolar brother. He had to grow up fast and not look back.
    Telly leaned against the fence, admiring the graceful water. He tapped his foot in time to the song about a chorus line. The water moved synchronized, so perfectly—it was a marvel of technology. He analyzed the patterns, working out the equations that made them work. He knew every button that was pressed, every line of programming it took to make the water dance. It was predictable—boring, like him. He felt himself pushed hard from behind. Three giggling girls, clearly drunk, surrounded him, and the bride of the trio draped herself onto Telly.
    “How ’bout a lil’ kiss,” she puckered her overfilled lips for a smooch.
    Telly disengaged her arms with a smile. “Much as I’d like to accommodate you, I’m engaged to be engaged.”
    “What stays in Vegas stays in Vegas.” Brittney pushed her bridal veil so it hung drunkenly off the ponytail that now dropped to one side crookedly.
    “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, stupid,” Tiffany said. She pushed Brittney on her tattooed shoulder. “Don’t you know the commercial?” Tiffany wrapped her arms around Telly, her hands caressing his face, dislodging his glasses. “I think we are gonna have to go home with you, ’cause we don’t have no more money.”
    Telly grabbed his glasses before they could fall and hastily put them back on. “Do you need a cab?”
    “We’re out of money, honey, but we got plenty of time.” The bride rested her sweaty head against Telly’s jacket, pushing Tiffany out of the way.
    Telly dug deep into his pocket, finding a few crumpled dollars. He took Brittney’s hand, leading them up the small incline toward the cab line. The other two girls followed him like sheep.
    “How you doin’, Telly?” Clarence the doorman asked as he tipped his hat.
    “Where are you staying?” Telly asked, turning to the less inebriated one.
    “Excal…Excalbit…Excalibra,” the girl struggled, her eyes rolling. No help there.
    “I don’t feel well again,” Brittney moaned.
    “Clarence.” Telly handed the doorman a dollar. Clarence shook his head.
    “This one’s on me, Tel. Thanks for saving my hard drive.”
    “I’d like to hard drive you.” Tiffany pulled Telly’s face, kissing him hotly on the lips, shoving Brittney behind her.
    The cab pulled up, and the cabby leaned over, smiling. “Where to?”
    “Take them to the Excalibur. How much?”
    “Gonna be at least fourteen.”
    Telly pulled out a crushed twenty from his pocket. “Get them back safely.”
    “What’s your name?” Brittney asked. She draped herself on his other side, so he was sandwiched between the two girls.
    “Telly.”
    “Don’t you want to be with me tonight, Telly?” She twined her fingers in his long hair. “It’s my last night as a single girl,” Brittney whined, drool collecting at the corner of her mouth.
    “Much as I appreciate your kind offer, I’d rather remember this night with the memory of what it might have been.”
    “Oh, Telly,” Brittney sighed, and then she threw up all over his legs.
    He helped them into the cab, waving as it pulled away. The Bellagio cleaning crew was already soaping up the cobbled pavement.
    “You need another cab, Tel?”
    “Nah.” Telly shook his head. That twenty was his stake for a game tomorrow. He was done, finito, kaput. Back to the grind. First thing tomorrow, he’d have to start looking for a job. He’d tried and failed. It was time to return to reality. It’s time for daydreaming to go back where it came from—your head, he thought ruefully.
    Clutch stopped to observe Telly escorting the inebriated group of girls to a cab. He knew that guy, had seen him