The Casino

Sasha walked into the Grechi 50 casino seductively. A thin red dress covered her curves enough to invite guests to see more. She hadn't seen Alex in three days but hoped he would visit her soon. Sasha went to her table, where she was in charge of Blackjack for the night. The Guard escorting her restrained her ankles and wrists to the table. She would be forced to stand in this spot for the twelve-hour shift; even scratching her nose would be impossible with the restraints.

She focused on dealing cards while keeping track of the Guards' movements. Just like clockwork, every Guard change was right on time. During these periods, twice as many men were in the casino. A lockdown would prevent the Guards from leaving, and all the girls would be gathered together. A boy capable of teleporting could get them all out in one move.

After most of her shift, a group of five men approached the table. Each one gave her the universal currency, gold. She weighed the gold and gave each man the correct amount of chips, indicating the amount paid. The man in the middle had a powerful aura surrounding him and looked to be the group leader. His eyes never left Sasha's ample chest for the first two hands. She tried not to show how uncomfortable she was and wished she had more than a thin layer of fabric between him and her naked figure.

"What's your name, sweetie?"

The girls were instructed to stay silent while running the card tables. Only say what was needed to inform the guests of the rules and what was happening, but if someone wanted to converse with them, the girls had to put on their charm to attempt to sell other services. Sasha preferred the quiet guests and had been lucky that no one had made an advance on her so far. Tonight, she might have to face her nightmare.

"I am Sasha, dear guest. How may I address you?"

"Hmm, good question. How about Daddy?"

The men around the table laughed; alcohol wasn't allowed at the card tables, but these men had already been partaking. Their drunken laughter filled the room. Sasha kept her feminine smile, even though she had to swallow some vomit that had come up.

"Of course, Daddy. You have 15. How would you like to proceed?" She tried to stay professional while also moving the conversation along. However, her suitor had other plans.

"I'm a regular here, so I know how things work. The tables make one hundred pounds of gold per hour, right?" He pulls out two hundred standard pounds of gold from his bag. "That means this would buy me two hours with you."

Sasha tried to cover her dismay. She liked the card table shifts because the premium was so high to buy a girl's services. This man was rich and willing to pay extraordinary amounts to spend time with her. Sasha called a Guard to verify the funds and remove her restraints so she could leave with the man. She held her breath for the minute it took to confirm the payment. She hid the terror she felt when the restraints were removed.

The man held out his arm, and Sasha took it. He led her to one of the private rooms and opened the door, ushering her to go in first. She politely bowed and sashayed into the room. This was just a job, just an act. She repeated comforting words to herself over and over. Soon, she would be back in her home with Alex.

"Don't leave me hanging, sweetheart; let's see what's under the dress."

The man lay down on the bed and opened a bottle of champagne, pouring two glasses. Sasha had to admit it was impressive that he could do that without his eyes leaving her body. She lifted the straps of her dress and let it fall to the ground. The man smiled devilishly as he inspected her naked form.

"Perfect baby, now how about a kiss?"

Sasha walked over to him, leaned in to kiss him, and then knocked him out with a swift hit to his neck. She pulled off his clothes and put the covers over him. She took a drink from her champagne before pouring the rest of it out on the floor. Sasha then crawled under the covers next to the passed-out man, making sure she didn't touch him. She hoped his drunken sleep would keep him out until his two hours were over.

After two hours, Sasha finally heard a loud bang on the door. The man shot up and looked around the room. "Ugh, my head."

"I'm sorry, baby. Your time is up, but thank you for the fun night." She winked at him.

He looked under the covers at his naked body and then over to hers. A large smile covered his face. The ruse had worked. The man thought he got what he paid for. The Guards burst in and told Sasha to get dressed. She quickly put on her dress and ran out of the room.

Her shift finished shortly after, and she was escorted to her holding unit. Sasha kept her movements subtle as she looked around the path from the casino to the cells. The only entrance to the control room was an elevator inside the girls' building. Every day, the men gawked at the women as they went to their tower. Destroying the elevator was possible, but the Guards' quarters were only five minutes away. They would have to get everyone out by then.

Sasha sat in her cell and ate her dinner. It was just meat jerky and water, but it was enough for Sasha to refill some of her magic. She kept her strength as best she could without being suspicious. At any minute, she might have to use it to get away. Sasha heard heavy footsteps as she finished her meal, and a large man stood outside her cell. It was the leader of the Guards, Skeeter.

"Get up; Fiona collapsed in the casino; you must fill in for her."

"But I just got back from my shift!"

The cell door was open, and Skeeter smacked her hard. "What the fuck did you just say to me?"

"I said that I would be happy to sir."

"Good."

He grabbed Sasha's arm and forced her down the hall. When they got outside, Skeeter turned away from the casino. Sasha was about to scream when Skeeter covered her mouth.

"I'm with Healer of Worlds. The plan goes forward tonight."

Sasha didn't know what to say or do. He would not know that name or that she was with him unless Alex told Skeeter. But what was their plan? Sasha wasn't able to give Alex her report. She felt a sinking feeling as Skeeter led her through a back door in one of the warehouses. Her anxiety lifted when she saw Alex beside the short man, Kreli.

"Alex!" Sasha shouted a little too loud as she ran into his arms.

"Hey beautiful, I'm sorry to bring you into this so abruptly."

"I hope you have a good plan. I've been figuring out my side for three days."

"Well, if things go to plan, we will have enough time to transfer the goods and people to our home. We are taking over The Company."