Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 72395 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72395 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
“Join the club,” Valerie huffed out. Sal didn’t want her meeting any of the men who worked here. While she was allowed on the casino floor, she figured Winnie wasn’t because the girl didn’t look to be twenty-one yet. The sweet girl was lucky to be eighteen, by the looks of it. Her flame-orange hair, chubby red cheeks, and freckles really solidified Winnie’s fate of having to be carded until she at least reached thirty years of age.
Watching Winnie choose her next Starburst that matched her flame-colored hair, Valerie’s mouth watered. Everyone knew orange was the best.
“Can I have one?”
Winnie held out her hand with the Starburst in it. “Sure.”
“I know what some of the guys do,” she politely offered after snatching the candy with lightning-fast reflexes to pop it into her mouth. “Others, I don’t.”
Carefully taking out another orange Starburst, Winnie slowly unwrapped the candy with painstaking precision. “I didn’t say I wanted to know about a guy that works here, per se …”
“Please.” Valerie eyed her and the piece of candy. She knew when a girl wanted info on a guy, and this was definitely it. “Now, who is it you are curious about?” Valerie asked before Winnie could place the candy in her mouth.
Slumping her shoulders, the girl finally gave in, “Amo.”
Valerie happily snatched the candy cube. Amo, she definitely had gotten acquainted with. “What would you like to know?”
Winnie sat up straight, losing all pretenses. “What job does he do in the casino?”
She had to think for a moment of what she could tell the girl. “Well, he works on the very bottom floor of the casino.”
“But this is the bottom floor?”
At her confusion, Valerie simply played dumb. “Is it?”
Getting serious, Winnie took out another Starburst before rephrasing her question. It was obvious she knew something shady went on in the Casino Hotel, but she had yet to know what that was. “What’s Amo’s job?”
Yellow. Everyone knew yellow was the worst. “You have any more orange?”
Winnie switched the yellow out for the orange.
“Security guard.” Valerie couldn’t help it; she was easy.
“Really?”
“Yup,” she confirmed, popping the orange square in her mouth without remorse for being bought so easily. “You should see him walking around, checking on all the dealers and making sure everything is on the up and up from time to time.”
Winnie leaned to the side in her chair, trying to take a peek out the giftshop door to look out onto the casino floor. “How come I’ve never seen him?”
“Must be missing him.” Valerie shrugged.
“Interesting.” The girl mulled it over before giving up in trying to find him when she almost fell sideways out of her chair. “That makes sense, considering how b—” Her cheeks grew a brighter red after realizing she had gotten a bit too comfortable speaking. “Big he is.”
It was hard for Valerie not to chuckle a bit when Winnie forced the last bit of her sentence out, but she didn’t, not wanting to embarrass the sweet young girl.
Seeing her peel the yellow Starburst, Valerie generously didn’t take it from her but eyed the rest of the bag. She thought about getting up and taking a new bag for herself, but one glance at the trash can, she stopped herself. She already owed a huge tab on what she’d already eaten, and she had been wanting that bag of Skittles.
“Does he have a girlfriend?” the girl sheepishly mumbled.
It was a question Valerie had to ask many times herself about Sal. Smiling to herself, she didn’t blame the girl, having been in the same predicament herself just a short time ago. But knowledge came at a price … “You got more orange Starbursts?”
Digging in the bag, Winnie held out five.
Damn, she liked this girl.
“You have a serious sugar addition,” Winnie told her with slight concern on her face.
“Tell me about it.” Taking the candy away, Valerie started peeling the wrappers. “What I really want is my vape. Candy replaces the urge.”
“You could replace the urge with healthy alternatives, like celery or carrot sticks,” Winnie offered helpfully.
“I’m using a three-step process to quit. I’m using candy to get over the urge to vape, then when I have that beat, I’ll switch to healthy alternatives.”
Winnie watched her open the last Starburst curiously. “How long has it been since you stopped vaping?”
“A while …” she finally choked out, too embarrassed to put a number on it.
“I think I’d ditch the three-step process. You’re stuck on step two.”
“You’re right. I need to give serious thought about what my next step should be,” Valerie agreed with her newfound friend, swallowing. “You got any more red ones?”
Winnie held out the bag. “Here; you can have the bag.”
Smiling, she wiggled her brows at her. “Since you’re being so generous, I’ll ask around about Amo just for you.”
Suddenly, the bag was snatched right back out of her hands. “Don’t. I was just being curious. If you ask, then they could assume I like him. I’d die if that happens.”