Page 70 of Pets in Space 10

Dahlia shrugged, surveyed the trays and selected one.

Fortunately she’d carried much bigger, more awkward trays of food and drinks so she lifted it without difficulty and made her way onto the floor.

She decided to go clockwise, stopping at each small group of guests or standing silently beside gaming tables while play was in progress and offering her comestibles during breaks in the action.

Per her prediction, her feet were killing her long before her first break, but she sucked up the discomfort and kept going.

Mardri checked in with her once or twice as the other waitress moved back and forth from the bar with drink orders.

Dahlia took notice of the fact Mardri did get tips directly from the guests, many of whom apparently were acquainted with her from previous visits to the casino.

If I was working here permanently I’d definitely want one of those jobs. She didn’t know anything about gambling or the various games so she couldn’t be a dealer, which seemed like a stressful job to her anyway.

She believed she was doing a good job. Certainly her tray was emptying nicely each time and occasionally a guest would tell her how good the treats were. Contrary to the warning and her nervous expectations, no one behaved inappropriately to her and as the evening wore on her confidence increased.

She was at her next to the last stop on what she now thought of as her route, which was the big roulette table.

As she understood it, roulette was a game of chance which originated on Old Terra itself.

It was certainly popular here, with a constant crowd surrounding the table.

Since her last stop here, a new party had arrived, with a rather inebriated man at the center.

He was flashily dressed, obviously rich, and everyone in his group was focused on him.

He’d been playing the wheel and from what Dahlia overheard, losing badly.

She was offering her wares to one of the women in his orbit when suddenly the primary guest glanced over his shoulder and pointed at her.

“You! What’s your favorite color?” he said.

“Green,” she said instinctively, only belatedly realizing he meant on the roulette wheel. There was one space marked in green and she might not be a gambler but she knew the odds had to be astronomical against the ball landing in the space on any given spin.

The man stared at her and then gave a shout of laughter. “What the fuck, why not? Put it all on the green.”

The croupier maintained her professional calm demeanor as the guest shoved a pile of chips out in front of him but Dahlia heard gasps from all sides of the table and the woman standing closest to him said something urgent in a low tone.

He shook his head and pushed her hand away from his arm.

“Nope. If my luck is going to be out tonight I might as well find out now and we can go have dinner and catch a show instead of going to the private room. You know this is how I test the luck — I let the wheel tell me. And tonight I’m letting her tell me.

” He winked at Dahlia who was aghast at the idea the guest was going to risk a presumably huge sum of credits on her casual comment.

“All bets in.” As the croupier sent the ball on its way around the wheel, circling lower and lower towards the numbered and colored slots, Dahlia was rooted to the spot, her job forgotten. She held her breath, terrified about what the outcome might be. Who the seven hells bets on the green?

As if pushed by a stray breath of air, the ball dropped firmly into the green slot and took a triumphal turn as the wheel slowed and stopped.

There was dead silence and then a cheer went up.

The man left his chair, taking Dahlia in his arms and kissing her on the lips.

“Baby, you’re something else. Lady Luck in disguise.

” Fortunately he released her before she could even form a protest.

“Name’s Sutton, Moss Sutton and you’re not leaving my side tonight.”

The whale?

He took her tray from her, over her protest and handed it off to the nearest one of his hangers-on.

Tucking her hand into the crook of his elbow, he said, “When Lady Luck calls, a man’s gotta pay attention.

You’re my lucky charm, baby.” He began walking toward the far edge of the gaming floor, where she knew from the map that the elite private gaming rooms were located.

She stumbled in the unaccustomed high heels. “But I’m working-”

“Remington won’t care. Whatever Sutton wants, Sutton gets in this casino or any other,” he said confidently. Leaning his head closer to hers, he said, “I drop enough credits in these damn places to keep the lights on and the robos humming, honey. But tonight I’m winning it all back, thanks to you.”

Dahlia was confused, but the rest of the man’s entourage was coming with them, so she didn’t feel threatened in any way.

And the casino manager had emphasized the guests were always right, and this guest had been specifically mentioned as one to please.

Besides she had her subaural com implant which all crew members were given and if anything happened she didn’t like, she could call Maeve for help.

When they reached the door to the private room, the casino bouncer standing there glanced at her. “You’re not allowed in here.”

“She’s with me tonight,” Mr. Sutton said confidently. “Let the girl live a little. She’s my lucky charm.”

Dahlia saw him slip the bodyguard a small item which she guessed was a high value chip and then the man opened the door for Mr. Sutton and her with no further objections. The rest of the group trailed in behind them.

There was a massive Zulairian mahogany gaming table in the center of the room, with luxurious chairs surrounding it.

The carpet underfoot was deep and done in lush colors as were the murals on the walls.

The atmosphere was partylike, with a number of people similar to Sutton’s companions standing in groups talking.

Two waitresses were moving through the room, taking orders for drinks.

One was Mardri and she raised her eyebrows at Dahlia but didn’t comment.

On her way out of the room to get the ordered feelgoods, she brushed by Dahlia and said, “Hey, girl, you okay?”

“Umm yeah, I think so,” Dahlia stammered.

“I’ll keep an eye on you.” Mardri’s comment was said in a reassuring tone and Dahlia felt better.

Sutton was greeted noisily by the occupants of the room and five men and two women separated themselves from the crowd and moved to the table.

A dealer in the casino uniform — black pants, white shirt, bow tie in CLC Line colors — emerged from a door on the other side of the room to take his seat at the head of the table.

“Ladies and gentlemen, now all the players are here, shall we begin?” he asked.

Sutton broke off his conversation with one of the men and pulled Dahlia forward. “You’re all screwed tonight,” he said, his inebriation showing through. “I met Lady Luck out there on the main floor and brought her with me.”

There was a general laugh and Dahlia blushed, hating to be the center of all eyes.

“Get me a chair for her,” Sutton continued, gesturing to one of the wait staff.

“Really that’s not necessary,” she said hastily.

“Need you right by my shoulder and not towering over me all night,” he replied.

“She’s not a player then she can’t sit at the table, you know the rules,” one of the women who’d seated herself at the table said, sipping her drink and studying Dahlia with a raised eyebrow.

“She’s not going to be at the damn table. She’ll be next to me.” Sutton broke off to direct the waiter how to position the chair he’d brought from somewhere and which didn’t fit the room’s décor at all, looking like it came from an office and had seen better days.

Dahlia sat as ordered. The chair was straight backed and not comfortable but she was glad for the relief from standing in the damn heels. She was so close to Mr. Sutton she was breathing on him.

“Are we ready for the first hand?” the dealer asked.

The players each knocked their knuckles on the table. Chips were brought to them by casino employees.

Lots and lots of chips. Dahlia had no idea what the differently colored counters were worth, but she understood there were a great deal of credits on the line here.

The game itself was fast paced and involved both cards and strange multisided dice.

There was absolute silence in the room as the game progressed, which surprised Dahlia, but when she studied the faces of those around the table she observed how intense the actual players were.

The atmosphere wasn’t friendly. Even Mr. Sutton appeared to be less drunk or high than he had been.

At various times, he had her blow on the dice when they came to him or touch his cards with a fingertip. He didn’t ask her anything.

When the first game ended, Sutton had won and had a huge stack of chips in front of him, although two of the other players had done quite well too, even if their stacks of chips weren’t toppling over from their own weight like Sutton’s.

One man ended the game with no chips. He shoved his chair away from the table violently, bumping into several people who didn’t move out of the way fast enough and stormed to the door without a word to anyone.

A few other guests exchanged glances and followed.

She didn’t envy them. Their host or whatever he was to them wasn’t in a good mood at all.

“Ten minute break before the next round,” the dealer announced, rising and going to the private door, disappearing behind it rapidly.

“Baby, you are a miracle,” Sutton told Dahlia. “I’ve never won the first round before. You watched Belmere storm out?”

She nodded.

“Usually that’d be me, but not tonight, not with Lady Luck at my side. Want a drink?”