Yeh,
I’m Derrick from Donegal. I’m the table games director at the Night Hawk. Don’t believe what people say about me
especially that that tight arsed bitch Caroline. I’d like to see how long she’d
last in the East End of London where I
was raised.
She
can’t see I am a damn good boss. They should have made me casino manager
instead of her. Who ever heard of a bird running a casino? She’s probably
sleeping with the Chairman John Tovar. I see the way they look at each other. It’s
like they speak a secret language.
Don’t
start me on John. All the guest and employees act like he walks on water. It’s
as if they think he’s not just the Indian chief but some kind of shaman. With
his braids he looks like Pocahontas, pretty like a bird. I like his cousins,
the Tovar twins, a whole lot better, they know the score. Don’t look too closely
don’t upset the good gig we have going on here.
Caroline
caused trouble for me since the first day she walked through the door. Towering
over me in her heels, trying to intimidate me. She acted all lady boss, calm
and efficient, but I could tell this wasn’t going to work out. I don’t know
what the problem was, but I have never done well with lady bosses. They don’t
really understand how this business works. Blokes know that if you scratch
someone’s back, they’ll scratch yours in the future. It’s what I did for my
employees. I did favors for them to help them make more money, and they passed
part of it my way. We have an understanding. Do you see the problem?
I
first walked into a casino in London when I was laying bricks at the Golden
Nugget. Working inside seemed a damn site better than freezing my bum out in
the cold, wicked streets of the city. I signed up for a grueling training class
in roulette. I remember the thrill I felt the first time I spun the ball around
the heavy mahogany wheel without it flying into space. I had to memorize so
many multiplication tables, it almost did my head in. But I survived. We
started with fifty in the class and ended up with five. I’m glad to say, London
dealers are the gold standard.
We
were wanted all over the world, from South Africa to cruise ships circling the
globe. A captive audience. I met the Ex on a Regal Cruise ship. An American who
fancied a man in a suit. I fancied a green card. When the marriage ended, I
walked away with a green card and a restraining order against me. I tried to
get as far away from San Diego as I could which is how I ended up in this
godforsaken desert, with a bitch for a boss. But it is a sweet gig and I don’t
intend to lose it.
It's
not my fault, the only thing there is to do around here is play at the casinos.
It’s so hot in the summer you feel it in your bones when you walk outside. The
dust from the wind storms so thick it settles in your suits. I can only spend
so many nights on the couch drinking Guinness and watching the telly. When I
get off work casinos an hour away in every direction entice me to eat, play,
win. I get the itch about half-way through my shift. I drive to Indio Springs
convinced I will walk away with a small fortune and make up for the losing
streak I have been on lately.
At
first, it all goes to plan. I keep hitting numbers at the roulette wheel,
turning a thousand into ten thousand. It feels so good to win, there is nothing
that compares, even sex. In the flow, I feel invincible. But a plonker like me
never knows when to quit. I keep telling myself the next roll will be my last
as my pile begins to disintegrate. Before I know it, I am back to my one
thousand and then down to naught. Pissed off at myself, I slam my fist on the
table. A few minutes later security escorts me to the door. Hope the Chairman
doesn’t hear about that.
But
I can feel it starting again, that itch. But tonight, I will quit when I’m
ahead. It will happen, I will climb out of this hole. All it takes is one good
night. Only four more hours to go. I walk over to watch the black jack game and
notice this idiot making money hand over fist. But I’m not worried I know he’ll
walk away with nothing. Because it’s hard to walk away from a winning streak. But I will tonight.
I’ve learned my lesson. Want to come with me to Indio Springs? I could teach you roulette.
Cara Bertoia is the author of the critically acclaimed Casino Queen, a new suspense novel published by The Wild Rose Press. She has drawn from her years in the casino industry to create a fascinating thriller. It is all true although the names have been changed to protect the guilty. It had been featured at The Big Thrill and Women Writers Women's Books and at many other sites. Read the blurb here.
Caroline Popov, alone, heartbroken, and deeply in debt ends up in glamorous Palm Springs, California where Native casinos have just opened, offering employment to thousands. She lands a job at the Palm Oasis Casino and is mentored by the charismatic tribal chairman, John Tovar.
Embraced by casino culture, Caroline works her way up to casino manager of the Night Hawk, in the High Desert town of Joshua Tree. There, she is responsible for managing multicultural team members, satisfying the demands of challenging guests, growing revenue while rooting out corruption.
In the process of rediscovering her inner strength, she learns, you have to gamble like your life depends on it. With her life on the line can she pull out a win?
Click the link below to order at Amazon, enjoy your stay at the Night Hawk!
Casino Queen by Cara Bertoia | NOOK Book (eBook) | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)
To check out my interview in The Big Thrill, click the link below.
Casino Queen by Cara Bertoia | THE BIG THRILL
