The Ranch - Chapter 17

Chapter 17 – The Golden Touch

A cheerful ‘You can’t miss it!’ had been the ending to the gas jockey’s directions to the casino and he proved to be right. From quite a distance I could see neon lights blaring the name of the place in six-foot high lettering. I alighted and, handing my car keys to the parking valet, mounted the steps to the entrance, nerves a-jangling. The place’s decor made the unambiguous statement that whatever Golden Touch he happened to possess, Mr Klondyke had it in spades, and probably in every other suit as well! The lobby was entered via an imposing portal, adorned with marble pillars, and glittering surfaces abounded everywhere. My feet sank so deep into the thick red carpet that walking on it in heels required serious effort.

A couple of large individuals in evening dress were stationed on either side of the inner door. They looked me over unsmilingly as I approached. Nothing daunted, I stared right past them. When I got close, I halted, head in air, and waited with a disdainful expression on my face. The nearest of the two hurried to pull open one of the doors for me. I gave the other fellow a supercilious glance and waited some more. He nearly fell over himself to open the other as well, at which point I condescended to stalk haughtily through, a woman who knew her own worth.

The interior room was impressively ornamented with plenty of gilding everywhere. The Klondyke brothers certainly didn’t tire of the golden theme! A bar dominated one wall and in front of another was a small stage where a three-piece band played soft music. The place was half full, populated in the main with well-dressed couples but there were the occasional singletons dotted here and there. I checked my coat and walked over to the bar. One of the barkeeps was instantly in front of me, all attention.

“What can I get you, ma’am?”

I looked at him surprisedly, as if to convey that I wasn’t the sort of girl who expected to buy her own drinks. “I haven’t decided, as yet. Tell me, is it always this quiet in here? Where does all the action take place?”

The man nodded to the other side of the room where a double door was set in the wall. “The back room. But that’s just for Mr Klondyke’s special guests” he warned.

I seized what seemed like an opportunity. “Which Mr Klondyke is that, Midas or Auros?”

The man looked at me strangely. “Mr Midas, naturally. We don’t get to see much of Mr Auros in here anymore. Do you know him?”

“Let’s say, friend of a friend” I insinuated. “Would that get me in there?”

The man laughed. “With madame’s looks, I’m guessing she would be welcome most places.”

“You’re very kind. Let’s see what happens when I test that theory, shall we?”

I could almost feel the man’s eyes boring into my butt as I sauntered across the room. That was fine by me. I had dressed to be stared at. As I neared the backroom doorway, there was a man in a tuxedo approaching it ahead of me. Courteously, he held back and opened the door for me. The timing was perfect. It appeared as if we had entered as a couple and I didn’t have to explain my entrance to anyone. Once inside, I hesitated in order to allow the gent who had been my passport to the inner sanctum to squeeze past me. Then I shadowed him across the room. He stopped at one of the card tables, so I turned aside to where a roulette wheel was getting some serious exercise.

The room was crowded and noisy, exhibiting all the excitement, buzz and clatter of a gambling joint in full swing. It seemed I had chosen a busy place to stand. Short of pushing through the throng I couldn’t have made it to the table itself, and I was about to try elsewhere when a shortish man in a white cowboy hat and fringed shirt caught my eye, or rather I caught his.

“Make a space there” he called. “Let the little gal through, now. Come sweetheart, you can stand by me. I need a pretty little good-luck charm like you to bring me some success!”

People stood aside so, smiling my gratitude, I moved forward and stood just behind him.

“Now don’t you move from there, darlin’,” he commanded. “We’ll soon see if my fortunes don’t change. What do you reckon?”

This last question was addressed to a woman on the other side of him. Almost a head taller than he, she wore both an elaborate evening dress in pale green and a determined expression. Each time the ball was rolled she clenched her fists in apparent attempts to control its destiny by sheer force of will. It seemed, however, that the man in the hat had been losing despite his neighbour’s exertions, or perhaps because of them!
Once I had joined him, apparently, his luck began to improve, as he took care to inform the company at large. He recouped his losses and even made a few gains, before calling it a night. “Some days, it just ain’t worth the candle” he declared.

The man’s companion had left him by then, in quest of the powder room, and I found myself being escorted from the table by my new friend. He introduced himself as Alexander, but “not the Great” as he added, modestly qualifying the appellation. He handed me a small stack of chips “for your much appreciated assistance, my dear.”

I was about to refuse, but my new ally wouldn’t hear of it. “I’d be happy to see what you can do with those, sweetheart. I can tell you’re more than just a pretty face, though it sure is mighty easy on the eye. First, let’s have ourselves a drink. I’d like to get to know you better.”

“What about your friend?” I alluded to the tall woman in green.

“Jocasta? She’s no-one special to me. She just latches onto anyone that’s ahead. I was doing okay before she showed up. I reckon she should rightly be called Jonah! It was probably her that scared away my chance of a big night.”

I allowed myself to be led back to the bar and bought drinks. My companion found us a quiet corner and under the influence of cocktails became quite loquacious. I was well versed in the art of appearing to drink more than the actuality, so it was easy for me to find out a few choice facts without having to pump him. It seemed that Alexander was a regular at the place.

“I’ve known Midas for years” he stated. “We go way back. He talks tough, but…” he waved his paw in the air “…he’s just a pussy-cat underneath.”

“He has a brother; called Auros, I think. Don’t they run this place together?”

“Auros? Don’t see him around anymore. He’s as different as chalk to cheese and a mite too deep for me, if you take my meaning. A hard man to get to know.”

“This Jocasta? Where does she fit in?” The impression I’d gained of that lady bothered me. She seemed so unfeminine. Overlooking the paradox that the duality of my own gender posed, I could see why Alexander clearly preferred my company over that of the tall woman.

“Well do you know, I couldn’t rightly say.” The man shook his head and shrugged. “She’d like to put over that she and Midas are an item but I’m not so sure it works like that. She’s here most every night, rain or shine. Anyhow, time is passing. Let’s see what you can do with those chips in your purse.”

I was happy to oblige. We made our way back to the gaming room and found a space at the same table as before. It may have been beginner’s luck but after an hour’s play I had more than doubled my pile.

I thanked my new friend and made my excuses. “It’s getting late, and I’ve got a long road to travel.”

Alexander waved them away. “Don’t apologise. Just make sure you’ll be coming this way again, darlin’, and soon.”

I cashed my winnings, retrieved my coat and waited in the lobby for the attendant to bring my car around. A man in expensively cut evening attire was chatting with the woman Jocasta. When she noticed me, she said something to him upon which he approached directly and introduced himself as no less a personage than the proprietor himself.

Before me stood Midas Klondyke in all his majesty.