"This is so unfair...What am I supposed to do while you're out on your date?" Tina whined.

Meliza was pouring through her closet of the penthouse suite. She glanced at her sidekick, amusement lifting her lips. "You can always practice your playing skills..."

"What's the point if no one is here to play with me?" Tina countered.

"Practice your poker face," Meliza stuck her tongue out.

Tina sighed. "I guess." She frowned when Meliza pulled out a black dress. "What are you supposed to wear on this date anyway?"

"Andrew said semi-formal. So I'm assuming that means somewhat fancy dress and such..."

"Black doesn't suit you, Meliza."

Meliza tossed the dress aside. "All right...why don't you pick what I can wear?"

Tina walked over from her position on the bed and flipped through Meliza's wardrobe. She plucked out a shimmering dark green/blue dress. It had spaghetti straps, and a low, square neckline. The hem ended several inches above the knee, with a small slit in the back to allow freedom of movement. Under certain light, the dress would look blue or green. "I like this one..."

Meliza arched her brows. "You don't think it's too much for a date?"

Tina grinned. "No way. You're gonna kill in this."

Meliza snatched the dress. "Okay."

"I wish I could borrow that..." Tina mused.

"No chance of that." Meliza pointed to Tina's waistline. "That's what happens when you're a size three..." Not that she was complaining. Meliza was perfectly happy with her size six and twenty-five inch waistline.

"Go get dressed, he'll be here in half an hour..." Tina instructed as she picked up a deck of cards, ready to play a game of solitaire.
 

"What do you think?" Meliza twirled and posed after she had gotten dressed, applied make-up, and styled her hair.

Tina looked up from her game of cards, grinning. "You look great."

"Not too eager, right?" Meliza examined herself in the mirror, turning her head side to side.

"No," Tina responded.

Suddenly, the phone rang. Tina glanced at her before picking it up.

"Hello?" she greeted. "Oh, hi, Andrew...Actually, no, she isn't here...some Italian businessman came by earlier to take her on his yacht so they could-"

Meliza lunged towards Tina, snatching the phone away. "Give me that!" She placed the phone next to her ear. "Hello?" she greeted, as Tina collapsed on the bed with peals of laughter.

"I was beginning to think you had changed your mind about our date," Andrew replied.

"No. I generally don't cancel dates unless there's a good reason."

"And a rich Italian with a yacht isn't a good reason?" he teased.

"Well...let me think...no."

He laughed. "Good for me, then. I'm downstairs. Did you want me to come up?"

"No, it's okay. I'll go down."

"See you in a few minutes..."

Meliza hung up and glared at Tina. "Very funny."

"Lighten up, Meliza. I don't have anything better to do..."

"No kidding...amateur." Meliza grinned as she got her purse and slipped on silver platform sandals. "Try not to get in trouble while I'm gone, okay?"

"Yes, Mother."
 

In the lobby, Andrew sat in a plush chair, his right ankle resting on his left knee...'the gentleman's way of sitting'. His chin was propped against his fingers, and he stared at the carpet, waiting patiently. He released a breath. Andrew never really thought about it, but just now he was beginning to realize how restless he was. Something was missing in his life. What, he didn’t know. He lived adventurously and he didn’t answer to anyone. The 'ping' of the elevator alerted that another guest had come down from their room. Andrew shifted his eyes to the elevators, his eyes widening slightly as he admired the sight thirty feet in front of him.

It was Meliza. Her black hair was pulled up into a bun, with several tendrils framing her face. She wore little make-up, just enough to enhance her dark eyes and bring slight color in her cheeks. Her lips were painted mauve. He liked the dress. It clung to her body like a second skin, displaying slender long legs that seemed to go for miles. She glanced around before resting her eyes on him. Andrew rose to his feet as she walked over.

Meliza smiled at him in greeting. "Hi."

"Hi..." he glanced over her form appreciatively. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you. You look good yourself," she responded. She liked the charcoal gray collared shirt he wore with the black tie and trousers. "No suspenders?"

"Not tonight," he quipped.

"Too bad...I thought they looked cute."

He chuckled and gently pushed her towards the valet parking desk. "Do you like seafood? I made reservations at The Harbor."

"Seafood works just fine..."
 

"You mean to tell me that you just left?" Andrew asked. "No goodbyes...you just left home."

Meliza's eyes widened with horror. "Oh, no...of course not. I told my parents that I wanted to travel the world...explore my life...not stay in Las Vegas."

"What did they say?" Andrew asked, using a cracker to crush the crab legs he had ordered. The two had arrived at the restaurant. It was a small dining area, with only a few guests.

"My parents were disappointed, of course. I had an Associate's in hotel/motel management, and I wasn't going to use it. I was basically fooling around. Their one and only daughter lollygaging around the world isn't what they had in mind for her after graduation." Meliza sipped her champagne. "I have Filipino parents. They're very strict."

"Your family's pretty different, though..." Andrew used his fork to stab a couple strands of meat. "Most Filipinos I know have parents that are in medicine, teaching, accounting, or in government. Never heard of casino owners."

"They're probably more Americanized than others...yet they still try to pass on those old family values..." Meliza responded.

The two were at The Harbor, a top floor restaurant of a hotel that had a view of the ocean. Meliza had to admit, she enjoyed Andrew's company. She didn't remember ever being this comfortable around a man. He seemed open, willing to listen, and she liked his sense of humor. It was a little subtle compared to Tina's, but noticeable, nevertheless.

"Besides, they were addicted to gambling when they were younger...go figure they decide to own their own hotels and casinos..."

"Makes sense..." Andrew studied her for several moments. "What about you? Do you want to take over the business?"

She picked at her seafood pasta, staring at the table in thought. "I think a part of me can't help but take over. The casinos were my home...that's their legacy...I...I don't think I'm ready for it now...but maybe in five...ten years...I'll be ready by then."

"What would it take for you to realize that you are ready?" he asked.

"When I'm ready to settle down," Meliza responded.

He lifted a brow.

"Marriage...family...the whole deal," she clarified. "The casino would provide stability for them. But right now, I'm not ready to settle down."

"Do you have a hard time settling down?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

"In relationships," he added.

"My luck isn't the greatest in the world...I always end up going bust on that part of my life. Besides...I travel a lot...it's kind of hard to have an international relationship," she joked.

He noted her attempt at humor. "I'm the same way. Traveling can get in the way a lot..."

The two glanced up in alarm as they heard the clattering of dishes.

"What kind of crappy food is this?! The sauce is too runny...the meat is too spicy...!"

"Somebody needs to watch their alcohol intake," Andrew murmured.

"Sir, please calm down," a waiter was telling the angry guest.

The guest threw a punch at the waiter, hitting a female who was passing by. "Oh...man! You shouldn't have been in the way..."

The woman's husband was not pleased. He threw a punch at the drunk. One thing led to another, and the classy restaurant erupted into a fight.

"Do you want to get out of here?" Andrew asked, calmly sipping his champagne.

She smiled. "Yes, please."

Andrew tapped the arm of a flustered waiter passing by. "Excuse me?"

"Y-Yes?"

"Can you tell the host to bithis to room five-ten?" Andrew asked.

"Sure..." the waiter scribbled down some information on his tab."And your name, please."

"Rivera."

"Thank you, sir. We'll take care of it."

"Thank you." As the waiter left, he turned to look at Meliza's curious stare.

"This...is the hotel you're staying at?"

Andrew nodded. "Yeah. So...what do you want to do now? Walk on the beach? Play at a casino?"

The two walked out of the restaurant, heading to the elevator.

"You want to gamble?" Meliza asked. "On a date?"

"I want to see how good you are," he pointed out.

Meliza looked up in thought as the elevator arrived. "Do you have a deck of cards?"

Andrew studied her carefully. "Yes, I do. In my room."

"Then we'll play cards in your room," she stated. "If that's okay."

Andrew paused. A part of him wondered just how far this was going to go. She didn’t seem like the type of woman who would just throw herself at a man. Might as well go along with it. "That's fine."
 

"Oh, this is beautiful!" Meliza exclaimed as she stood on the balcony of Andrew's room overlooking the ocean.

From behind her, Andrew looked out at the sky before turning to his companion. "Glad you like it. So...about that card game..."

She turned to face him, a teasing glint in her dark eyes. "You certainly like gambling, don't you?"

"I don't know many professional female gamblers..." he shrugged.

"Does that mean you know plenty amateur female gamblers?" she teased.

He grinned. "Not really."

"You're lying."

"I'm being honest."

Meliza walked over to the couch of his suite and sat down in front of it, using the sofa as a backrest. She picked up a deck that was sitting on the coffee table. "What shall we play for?"

Andrew handed her several poker chips. "Here...I'll play banker." He sat down next to her, and took the deck.

As he shuffled and cut the cards, Meliza glanced at him suspiciously. "How do I know you won't cheat?"

His eyes widened. "Cheat?" he echoed.

"You seem to be very good at manipulating things with your hands. You managed to disentangle yourself from the ropes and the guard yesterday."

His eyes focused on her. "Comes from growing up in an isolated area..."

"I see..." Meliza sat back while he shuffled some more. "Does blackjack sound good? Three out of five?"

He nodded and dealt. Meliza picked up her cards and studied them. She glanced at Andrew, who was waiting expectantly.

"Hit."

He tossed down a five. Meliza picked it up and tucked it with her fan of cards, her expression neutral. She could feel Andrew's eyes on her every movement.

"Stand."

Andrew revealed a king and a nine. "Dealer stands with nineteen."

Meliza revealed her ten, two, and five. "Seventeen."

"That's one..." Andrew collected her chips and put them on his side of the table.

He dealt again, then waited for her.

"Hit." On a regular basis, she'd use the cards to signal for hit or stand, but this was just for fun.

He tossed down a three.

"Stand."

With that, Andrew picked up a card and added it to his hand. He glanced at Meliza before picking up another. Then he revealed an eighteen, slightly surprised at Meliza's twenty.

He dealt again. "One-one. Any bets you want to make before this goes on?"

"Like what?"

"Another date?" he suggested. "Loser treats the winner to a date?"

Meliza laughed softly. "Or loser gives the winner a kiss?"

"On the first date?" he asked, eyes widening. This is turning out to be very interesting…

"Sure." She was in a daring mood.

"All right."

They examined their cards.

"Stand."

He looked at her carefully. "You sure?"

She nodded. "Positive."

He couldn't read if she was bluffing. Her expression was the perfect poker face. He picked up on card. "Last chance..." he warned.

"I know."

He gazed into her eyes, hoping to see any sign that she could possibly lose. Call it male instinct, but he wanted that kiss. He placed his cards down. "Nineteen."

"Twenty."

Andrew's eyes darkened. "I guess that means I owe you."

She smiled mysteriously. "Guess so."

He gently tucked a wisp of hair behind her ear. "Would you rather have it later or now?"

Meliza swallowed, feeling prickles of nervousness and excitement course through her. "I..." Where was her tongue?

He leaned forward. "If you prefer a good night kiss...then that can wait until later. Whatever works best for you."

Meliza leaned forward slightly, tipping her head up as his lips pressed against hers. Her body wasn't working right, so it took her about a second to respond. Reluctantly, Andrew pulled away, watching her carefully, noting the shock and desire that pooled in her dark eyes.

"Well...I..." her throat went dry.

"Did...you...want to play another game?" he asked hesitantly.

Meliza's lips lifted in a wry smile. "No...I...think I should head back..."

Andrew nodded. "Okay. I'll take you back to the hotel."

Tina looked up from pyramid solitaire as Meliza walked in, slender hands reaching up to pluck her earrings off. "How was it?"

"The date went well," Meliza announced, stopping short as she noticed what Tina was playing. "Are you playing solitaire?"

"Yeah...why?"

"Have you been doing that all this time?" she asked incredulously.

"How bored do you think I am?" Tina countered. She rushed into Meliza's bathroom, observing her friend unpin her hair. "So? How was it?"

"He took me to a nice seafood restaurant and we gambled a little bit."

"That's it?" Tina frowned.

Meliza shot her friend a mischievous smile through the mirror. "He's a really good kisser."

Tina gasped in girlish delight. "He kissed you?"

"Yes..."

"Did you kiss back?"

"Of course..."

"Oh, wow..." Tina placed a hand over her heart. "Are you seeing him again?"

Meliza paused and said slowly, "You know...I forgot to ask him about that..."

"What?! Are you crazy?! Meliza! How can you let some hot guy kiss you and not see him again!"

Suddenly, the phone rang. Tina dashed to pick it up. "Hello?"

"Hi, Tina, it's Andrew. Is Meliza there?"

"Yeah, hold on." She covered the mouthpiece and called out, "Meliza! Andrew's on the phone."

Her friend picked it up in the bathroom. "Hello?" she greeted before Tina hung up.

"Hey," he greeted.

"Long time no see," she quipped.

He chuckled. "No kidding. Listen...are you busy day after tomorrow? I'd like to see you again."

Meliza took a deep breath. "Andrew...I had a great time tonight, but..."

"But?" he prompted.

"I try not to stay in one place for too long...I might get attached..."

"We could take Tina to the casinos and teach her some more," he added, fully aware that she felt things were happening too fast and she didn't know how to handle it.

"Sure...I'd like that..."

"Okay. Meet me at my place around eleven?"

"That sounds fine."

She hung up and informed Tina that they were going to meet Andrew in a couple days. The younger woman had no problem with that. None at all, Only way to learn was to learn from the pros.