Dealing to a Stranger

She found her hairbrush in the blasted remains of her purse dumped out on the bed. She sat on the bed she had woken in, working the brush through her hair. She was happy, she was so happy she bubbled happiness, he hadn't lied to her, she was the happiest she had ever been in her life. She needed the bathroom's blow dryer. She picked up her panties, except for poor Sam's blood, her panties were in as worse shape as the sheets were. She stuffed them in the bottom of her purse, scooped up everything but a few of things of make-up and dumped them back inside her purse. Slipped on her jeans, she put her bra and blouse back on. Picked up her watch, 'Shit', it was late. Now she just had two choices, rush home to change or grab something to eat before her shift started, she was hungry.

She knocked her flats off the bed, trying to step into one as she tucked in her blouse. Two light knocks came to the door, she whirled, looking at the door, scared.

"Room Service," came from the other side.

Kim went to the door, saw a waiter waiting outside holding a tray, through the peephole. She let him in, he said good afternoon to her and quickly walked over to a table and started uncovering dishes.

"Room Service was directed to delivery this now Ma'am."

'Sam you wonderful devil you', Kim went over to her purse, all she could find was a five and a ten. Well, Sam had dumped well over 3500 dollars in her tip jar, she turned and tipped the waiter 10 bucks, redistributing the casino's lost profits further.

He took the bill from her, but was looking at the wrecked bed, "Is everything OK Ma'am?"

Kim smiled wickedly at the man, "It's his, not mine."

The waiter quickly fled the room.

She giggled as she wolfed down the club sandwich and some of the French fries, sipped some tea, looking happily at the three chocolate covered strawberries. She wiped her hands, gripped the setting and sent a thank you to Sam, she released and then sent another, released and then another. She pushed the amulet against her chest, she felt two flashes, a pause and two more. She was still giggling as she walked into Sam's Town Casino and up the employee's locker rooms.

She tried hard to look serious as she entered the lady's locker room. She tried to sneak over to her locker to change, but Missy saw her.

"Kim! Where have you been girlfriend, I've tried to call your place a dozen times. I was almost ready to call the police if you hadn't of showed up. Are you all right?"

Kim didn't say anything as she started pulling on a fresh work shirt. Missy saw the necklace.

"What's this! Did he give you that?"

Kim took the amulet out of Missy's hand and finished pulling on her shirt. A couple of other women were eavesdropping on the conversation.

"What did the bastard do too you? I knew it, if you don't call the cops on the prick then I will!" Missy turned and went to her locker, picking up the notepad page she had written Sam's info on. Missy muttered, "Fucking Bastard!"

Kim was behind her quickly, snatching the note from her hand. She grabbed Missy's arm and pulled her into the restroom area, away from listening, busybody ears. She looked under the stall doors as she dragged Missy into a far corner. At the entrance to the last stall, she pushed open the door, crumpled the note, threw it in the toilet, hitting the flush lever with her foot.

She looked down on Missy, "Missy, you must never mention his name or even say that you have met him, to anybody. It's not what you think Missy. You must not tell anybody that I spent a night with him. If the wrong people find him, they will kill him, if they find out I was with him, they might try and kill me also."

"Oh My God Kim! What has he done?"

"He hasn't done anything Missy."

"Then why are people trying to kill him."

"I can't tell you that Missy, if I tell you anything about last night, then they might try and kill you to find out what you know. I'm not kidding Missy. I'm serious, dead serious."

"Is he some drug dealer, a spy, who is he, tell me, damn it!"

"He is the most amazing man I have ever met or will ever meet in my life, and he knows things that people will kill him or whoever he knows to find out."

"You're serious aren't you Kim? You're scared that I might say something to somebody, I can see it in your eyes. You're not scared of him, you're scared that somebody, the wrong somebody will find out you were with him for just one night."

"Missy, even Wayne's not safe, he was dealing to him during my break."

"Good God Kim, who is he?"

Kim sighed thoughtfully, "He was incredible, wonderful, I still don't believe what happened last night, he did things to me that are impossible, he changed me Missy."

Missy looked her friend's face, "You're not kidding are you?"

Kim looked back at Missy's now semi-smiling face, "When he comes back you're going to need a new dealer at my table Missy. I'm going to just walk away with him. I didn't say IF Missy, I said WHEN. Even if I have to wait for him the rest of my life, WHEN he comes, I'll leave with him then and there."

"God damn it! Screw Bernie, I should have fought you for him, I'm little but I know how to scrap."

Kim leaned over and kissed the top of Missy head, then gave her best friend a huge hug, lifting her off her feet. She sat Missy back down, "For him, I would kill, even you Missy," she turned and walked away from her best friend's now shocked face.

CHAPTER 15

Friday the 4^th of January

"Anything else from Mr. Wonderful yet," Missy said quietly to Kim as she came back from her break?

Kim reached into her back pocket and pulled out his postcard, handing it to Missy. Missy looked at the postcard showing the Taj Mahal. "My, he certainly does get around, where was that last one from," she said as she flipped the card over, just three dots, three dashes and then three more dots, nothing else but a stamp postmarked in India.

"Tokyo."

"Still think he's got the hots for ya babe?"

Kim clutched at the amulet under her knit shirt, "Yes Missy," she sighed.

A man and woman came up to Kim's table, she became all casino's business.

3 Days Later

Kim was in her townhouse sipping coffee, half reading the paper and half watching CNN. Somebody knocked on her door, she went to answer it. Looking out the window in the door, it was just some sales guy in a suit with a briefcase. She attached the safety chain and unlocked the door, "No thanks, I gave at the office," she started to close the door.

"Miss Kimberly Collett, Samuel Stranger sent me."

She almost broke the chain trying to open the door, spilling coffee all over her hand, "Wait! Wait just a second please," she had to close the door to unlatch the chain. She yanked the door back open, "Sam sent you?"

"Yes Miss Collett, he requested that I handle the matter personally." He handed Kim a card, Birch, Waller and Theurer, financial accountants out of New York, N.Y. "My name's Robert Theurer, I have some paperwork that requires your signature. May I come in?"

"Please do Mr. Theurer, watch the coffee I just spilt on the floor. You have spoken to Sam lately?"

"Just last week over the phone Miss Collett. I explained that the matter could have been handed through Express Mail or FedEx and your local bank, but Mr. Stranger was quite insistent that I handle the matter personally. It is very hard to argue with Mr. Stranger, especially when he offers you roundtrip airfare for my wife and myself, first class, plus a three day suite at a casino, Sam's Town. Have your heard of the establishment?"

Kim laughed, "Yes Mr. Theurer, a very fine place, you will enjoy your stay there I am sure."

"Excellent Miss Collett, seems he also insisted on providing expenses and a 15,000 dollar bonus to use at the casino. At least my wife is looking forward to spending not only his bonus but as much of my money as she can."

"Where's your wife Mr. Theurer, and please just call me Kim?"

"She's waiting in our rental outside, this matter shouldn't take very long."

"Please Mr. Theurer, invite her inside. It's cold outside and I have a fresh pot of coffee."

"Are you sure it's no problem Miss Collett, I mean Kim."

"No problem at all, I'll clean up my mess and grab a couple of cups."

Soon all three were chatting gaily around her kitchen table, Kim was telling them about the best games to try, the ones with the lowest house odds. Mr. Theurer didn't seem all that interested in gambling, but Debbie was happy at getting to drag her husband away from the office and out for a few days of fun.

After a few more minutes Mr. Theurer decided to get down to business, he opened his briefcase. "Mr. Stranger does make some eccentric requests, but he is my best client. I don't mind at all bending for his requests no matter how strange."

"I agree with you on that Robert, I doubt you have a stranger one as a client."

Everybody got a chuckle at Sam's expense.

"It really is just a simple formality of an oversea account setup and funds transfer." He pulled some files from his briefcase, then pulled some forms out of the files. He laid the first one in front of her, handing her his pen. "This is your confirmation for the overseas, numbered account, sign here."

Kim signed the form, he picked it up, dated the form, pulled a notary stamp out and affixed his seal and signature to the form sliding it back into a folder. He handed Kim a pastel blue envelope, and made her sign a form that she had received the envelope unopened, "Mr. Stranger has already set the account up, this is the numerical code to access that account along with the numerical password for the account. I would suggest that you memorize and then destroy the information. One does not want the account and password for this particular account to be laying about. At the very least get a safety deposit box and store the information there."

He pulled another form out, "This is for the first fund transfer for 50 million dollars, US currency. Please sign here," he said to her pointing at line with a sticky note attached where it need to be signed.

Kim tried to make her hand move to sign the document, she looked up at Mr. Theurer, he smiled back at her, her body helped her crab her name half off the line. He took the form, gave her the pink copy after he notarized, signed and dated the form primly filing his copy away in another folder. He took another from the stack.

She was so proud she didn't wet herself, the next one was for only a measly 43 million yen. She did almost pass out when she got to the 316 million Euros after signing a 30 million dollar, US, for a currency she never hear of. The 41 million rupees were easy, she had no idea what a rupee was in US currency, she wasn't even sure where a rupee was from, but she had heard of them. He was nice enough to explain that the 57 million gold South African Krugerrands all depended on the current market value at time of deposit. Although he did say, that at his last check, a single coin was worth around 1837, give or take a few dollars, each, US currency of course.

Kim's body went to pure autopilot then, she signed four more forms, she just safely tucked herself in a corner of her mind and watched in awe. After a few more pleasantries, they thanked her for the coffee and left. Her body waved at them through the door's glass, they waved back and pulled away. It fainted along with her, at least her body had sense enough to leave her coffee mug on the table.

She woke up sitting on the bench in front of her locker with Missy shaking her shoulder, she had no idea how she got to work. She hoped she drove, she then thought 'Fuck It', I'll just buy all the cars in parking lot, maybe then buy the casino if they bitch at her for buying the customer's cars. Shoot let's go ahead and pick-up the Resort Casino and throw in the Hollywood Casino for fun."

"He...., " she said to Missy.

Missy looked at her, "You talked to him?"

"He.........," she said again.

"He dumped you!?"

"He......,"

"He wants you to run away with him?"

She looked imploringly at Missy, "He,,,,,,,,"

"I got that part Kim, Heeeee????? I need a few more words here Kimberly or this is gonna take all night."

Kim looked at the other women looking at her and Missy, she jerked upright and physically dragged Missy from the room out onto the balcony. She looked around and waited as two guests walked past going towards the buffet.

She told Missy, in a whisper, that he had just given her over a billion dollars, maybe more, a whole lot more, she wasn't really sure how much more. If she had bothered to check current currency exchange rates, she would have found out that she wasn't even close.

The ladies in the locker room clearly heard Missy scream "WHAT!" And so did most of the customers on the floor below them, the rest just heard a scream over the clinking, tinkling, or music the hundreds of slots made. Three people in the buffet did drop their plates though.

"Ssshhh Missy!" Kim looked around, most of the people had went back to what they had been doing. Some still stared at the two ladies, maybe expecting a girl fight, those were rare and always fun to watch.

"Sam did what!" It was loud, but at least it wasn't a scream. A head poked out of the lady's locker room looking at the two women.

Kim pulled Missy over to the doors for a conference room, the doors were locked. Kim grabbed the few keys hanging out of Missy's jeans pocket. Pulled them up, also pulling the key cards attached to the key ring that were in her pocket. She found the yellow, main access card and slipped it in the electric lock, pushing the door open, she dragged Missy inside the large, empty room by her arm.

Kim rounded on Missy, even locked inside the empty conference room she still whispered, "Goddammit Missy, you can't tell anybody this, not even your husband! If I get even one sly reference from anybody, I'll buy this damn place and fire you. And no matter wherever you go, I'll buy that place and fire you from there also.

"Where the hell is he getting all that money from," Missy said quietly seeing how strange Kim was acting even in this relatively safe place to talk?

"It's not drug money or illegal," she whispered back, "he had a New York accountant fly here and do the paperwork. If it were illegal he would have never made such a bold move with drug money. He said he was going to shut down all his stuff, I guess he is selling stocks or companies and the such."

"A billion is a lot of stocks Kim."

"They were from all over the world Missy, 300 something million Euros, 40 something million yen, 50 something million krugger-somethings, a bunch of millions in rupees, I don't even know where those come from, and a whole lot more!"

"It's Krugerrands, they're South African one ounce, gold coins. Rupees are India currency, yen are Japanese."

Kim smiled for the first time, "Why you're just Little Miss Information."

Both ladies chuckled at the pun.

Kim touched her arm, "Wait! You said rupees are from India, yen are from Japan, I got a card from each of those places."

"Oh My God Kim! He selling off everything he has, from all around the world. He is going to come back for you. Kim, he's coming back for you, he's damn good looking and apparently very rich, you lucky dog. Just warn me before he gets here," she smiled evilly at her, "I'll kidnap you, grab him and rock his world."

"Yeah Missy, I thought the very same thing myself at one time. He just played with me like a cat with a toy, he didn't even scratch, and he blew my mind. He shook me down to my toes, and not just once." Missy saw Kim's eyes come back from her daydream, they grabbed hers again, "No one Missy, not a living soul, don't even go into a graveyard and whisper to a dead one, You never met a Samuel Stranger that you can remember, Kimberly Collett got sick and had to leave on Halloween, do it for your own sake Missy, for Bernie and your kids. Can you get into the computer system and delete out his account for me Missy?"

"I'll try, if I can't Trayce in accounting owes me a favor or 2," Missy thought for a moment, "I'll tell her he died. I'll get her to do it."

Kim looked at her watch, "Shit I'm late for my shift, I gotta go Missy." Kim rushed out of the room hustling to her table.

Missy followed her out of the room wondering why she even cared about her shift. 'Shit', buy the damn place and hire someone else to work it for her. 'The lucky dog!' She reached down the front of her shirt and pulled out the necklace her husband had given her for Christmas just a couple of weeks ago. It had a gold Krugerrand for the setting, he had warned her to be careful with it, it had cost well over 1800 dollars, and that was just for the coin. She did the math, 'God Damn', that had to be around 10 billion just in Krugerrands, 'The Lucky Dog'. She'd wait till their shifts stopped before telling Kim that little nugget. She almost tripped getting on the escalator going down and screamed again, when the little accountant in her head said she had made an error, it wasn't 10, but 100 billion. Oh, and that was on the extreme low side for the value of the coin, US currency of course. Missy gripped the handrails hard to keep herself from falling down the escalator, 'THE LUCKY DOG!'.

Missy tried Samuel O. Stranger this time, same results. Next she just typed Samuel Stranger, again she got back the same results. She next tried just S. O. Stranger, nothing again. She knew he was in the system, she had entered the data herself, she had given him the Sam's Town Player's Card. She went to the 31^st of October and pulled up all the issued cards for that day, she looked down the list, no Stranger was listed having gotten a card for that day. She looked at the alphabetical list of names, wrote the number down for the lowest one on the list, then found and wrote down the highest number she could find. She did a search for all numbers issued that date from the lowest number to the highest number she had written down. There were about 120 or so entries. She followed the numbers down, paged to the next page. 'There', the numbers skipped one forward. She wrote down what the number should be in the system, went to the access page and typed the number in. The number had not been activated, comp points zero. She shook her head, she had entered his data and comped him for a thousand dollars worth of play. He should have at least $75 dollars in casino comps. She waved and motioned to Denny the next pit boss that she was taking a five minute break, he nodded back and moved between the two pit stands so he could handle both stations. Missy grabbed the two notes she had made and cleared her computer screen, now she was growing scared.

She took her notes to accounting and found Trayce.

"Hey Tray. Got a moment?"

"Sure Missy, what can I do ya for," Trayce said?

"It's no real problem, but a friend of mine's husband died, She said she was getting flyers from here, it sort of reminded her about him, makes her sad. She asked me if I could do something to get us to stop sending them."

"Sorry to hear about your friend Missy, sure I can stop them and close the account. What was his name?"

"Sam Stranger."

Trayce typed some on her machine, then typed some more. "Do you know his full name Missy?"

Missy acted like she was thinking back, "Yeah, I think it was Samuel Oscar Stranger, something that starting with an O." She walked around so she could watched over Trayce's shoulder.

Trayce tried that, "Nope Missy, could he have used a different name? If he did that, I'll have to know the name he used. Do you know his address?"

"Not off the top of my head Trayce," she lied truthfully, she only remembered Baltimore, Maryland. But, I issued the card to him myself, I remember entering the data into the system. Wait, try this number." Missy pulled out her notes, telling Trayce the number she had written down.