Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chips clinked together as bets were placed. Some in neat stacks, others scattered haphazardly across the table. The smooth matte finish of the cards slid across her ivory gloves as she dealt the next hand. Each card glided across the felt tabletop to rest in its perfect place in front of the players. One of them frowned, leaning forward and staring intently at his hand. Another reached for one of the cards, but swiftly thought better of it and retracted their hand.

Akali barely registered the rest of the game. It was all automatic at this point. Someone told her to hit, and she would. Someone told her to split, and she would. Someone told her to go fuck herself, and she would smile politely and make sure security gave them a nice escort to the Nox Vegas strip.

It was nice, in a way. She knew exactly what to expect. She would always get enough tips to get by, and she would return to her shitty apartment on the outskirts of town to sleep and do it all again the next week. There were never any surprises, no grand conflicts. She rarely had to talk to anyone.

In another way, it was hell. For those exact same reasons.

While it was easy to zone out while she worked, a part of her craved something more. Just thinking about dealing blackjack hands for the rest of her life opened a pit of anxiety inside her. Was she doomed to repeat the same day over and over until she died?

It was during one of these ruminations that she found herself with an empty table. The electronic beeping of slot machines mingled with the clack of dice and the drone of the roulette tables. Cards snapped and shuffled around her, but her table held no players.

Except one. She hadn't noticed her sit down, but there she was.

A stunned assortment of hard angles and sharp edges. Her fur-trimmed coat hung perfectly on her almost unbelievably perfect figure. A tiny black dress hid underneath the voluminous symbol of excess, and a pair of purple sunglasses perched on the edge of her nose.

“Is this table open?” she asked, voice pitched low and quiet. She extended a hand from the depths of her coat and uncurled long, sharp metallic nails. A handful of chips hit the table, each one of increasingly higher value.

“Yes, you seem to be my only player,” Akali said, eyeing the stack of chips. While this was a no-limits table, she'd never seen that much money in one place.

“I don't mind a one on one game every now and then,” the player said, tapping the rim of her glasses with a sharp nail.

“Me neither,” Akali said, dealing the hand. A ten and a six for the player. She dealt the dealer's second card. A jack.

Akali gestured at the player. Without hesitation, she tapped the table. Akali couldn't tell where she was looking with those glasses, but she thought the player was staring straight at her.

She swallowed and dealt the next card. A three. She had to stand here, it would be ridiculous to-

The player tapped the table. Akali shook her head and dealt the card.

Ace.

Akali declared her total, and the player just smiled and waved her hand over her cards. Akali couldn't help but grin herself as she flipped her second card.

Nine.

Akali happily paid out her chips. “Risky play,” she said, as she collected the cards.

“I like it that way.”

“First time here?” Akali asked, trying her best to sound casual. “Haven’t seen you around.”

The player smiled and leaned back in her chair. “Oh I’ve been lurking around Nox Vegas as long as anyone can remember. I just heard about a cute blackjack dealer and had to stop by to see for myself."

Was she blushing? She hoped she wasn’t blushing. “Akali,” she blurted out.

“Is that so? Evelynn, at your service.” She leaned forward and slid a chip across the table. “Although, I would prefer if you were at my service.”

Akali’s heart hammered in her chest as she graciously accepted the tip and dealt the next hand.

Two fours. Dealer showed a five.

Two taps on the table later, and Evelynn’s total hit sixteen. Akali fully expected her to hit again, but she waved her hand over her cards and looked at her over the top of her glasses. Amber eyes glowed from behind the purple-tinted glass. Akali tried not to meet her gaze and flipped the dealer’s other card.

Ten.

Akali couldn’t help but laugh as she shoveled more chips Evelynn’s way.

“I quite like those gloves of yours,” Evelynn said, as Akali collected the cards.

“T-Thanks.” She tried not to let her hands shake as she accepted yet another huge tip. If she didn’t know any better, she could have sworn the woman was hitting on her. But she was so far out of her league, it was barely funny. Her glittering diamond necklace probably cost more than Akali’s entire apartment complex. That coat had to be custom made, same with the dress.

A scantily-clad casino waitress walked up behind her and placed a cocktail next to her left hand. Without taking her eyes off Akali, Evelynn took a long drink and handed the waitress another ludicrously high tip. She bobbed her head gratefully and disappeared back to the bar.

“You frequent other casinos around here, then?” Akali asked, trying to remain casual under Evelynn’s withering stare. She waited for the next bet.

“Here and there,” Evelynn said, smacking her lips as she dropped another handful of chips onto the table. She didn’t even look at the value.

Akali dealt the hand. Ten and nine.

Dealer showed a two.

Even the most drunk, amateur gambler would stand here. Evelynn tapped the table.

Akali was stunned for a moment. Surely that was an accident. But Evelynn just waited.

“You going to give me another card?” she asked, snapping Akali out of her disbelief.

“Y-Yeah. Sorry.” She dealt another card.

King.

“Oops,” Evelynn said, without a hint of regret. She sat back in her chair and sipped at the cocktail. It had to be expensive. Everything about this woman was.

“Why did you do that?” Akali asked, collecting the cards.

Evelynn looked surprised. “Do what? It’s just money, Akali. I’m having plenty of fun just talking to you.”

Akali stared blankly. They’d barely exchanged pleasantries. Evelynn tipped her again. Her tips alone were already more than her daily wage.

The next bets were even more outrageous than the last, and Evelynn played more and more recklessly. She barely looked at the cards. She ran her fingers down her face while she eyed Akali. At some point, she took off her glasses, giving her an unobstructed view of her hungry eyes.

“When do you get off tonight, Akali?” Evelynn finally asked, when the tension between them was too thick for Akali to function.

“I-I… I just started a couple hours ago,” she said. What was wrong with her, stuttering all over the place now? She was usually cool and detached, not hanging on a player’s every word.

“Shame.” Evelynn pushed all her chips onto the table.

Akali almost gasped. In total, it had to be at least $100,000. More than she could even hope to make in a year, maybe even two. She took a deep breath and dealt the hand.

Queen and King.

Dealer showed an ace.

“Insurance?” Akali squeaked.

Evelynn just shook her head. And tapped the table.

Akali nearly lost it. She flipped a card from the deck and sent it gliding across the table. She almost couldn’t bear to look.

Ace.

“Twenty one,” Akali declared.

Evelynn laughed, deep and almost mocking. “Let’s see what you can do about that,” she asked.

With the solemnity of a funeral, Akali turned over the dealer’s card.

Nine.

She couldn’t believe it. Who was this woman? She had to be cheating, or had to have the greatest luck this side of Nox Vegas. Had she marked the cards? Was she counting? Hidden camera or some technology she didn’t know existed?

“How…” Akali asked, but trailed off before she could get the rest of her question out. “I need to get the manager,” she said.

Evelynn smiled and waited patiently.

Within minutes, a man in a dark suit showed up, flanked by at least four security guards. “Evelynn.” He nodded to her as he walked up to the table.

“Evening,” she said, flashing Akali a knowing smile.

“Same account?”

“As always.”

The manager flipped a lighter in his hand. “You know you can’t play here anymore.”

“Of course.”

They just stood there for a moment, eyeing each other. The manager turned to Akali. “Take the rest of the night off.”

She nodded and stared down at the table and tugged on the fingers of her white gloves. She’d done nothing wrong, but it still felt like she’d been reprimanded. And without work, what would she even do the rest of the night? Back to her tiny apartment to stare at the lights of Nox Vegas and dream of better things?

“They comped me a suite.”

Akali looked up. Evelynn stood in front of her, draining the last of her glass.

“Oh. That’s nice of them.”

“Want to see it?”

Akali nearly dropped her gloves. “Uh. I mean, I shouldn’t…” Her heart raced, sweat prickled under her collar.

“Why not? You have something more important to do?”

She was right, she didn’t. There really was no excuse not to. She could barely think, she could just eye Evelynn’s body. Those perfect curves, that little black dress hiding under the coat. Those piercing amber eyes.

“N-No. I don’t. I was just going to go home.”

Evelynn threaded her arm through Akali’s and pulled her to the casino floor. “Come on, then. Don’t you know it’s rude to keep a girl waiting?”

Akali stumbled after her. The sounds of the casino merged together into a continuous roar as she followed Evelynn. Her hips swayed side to side, and she kept glancing over her shoulder as if to make sure Akali was still following.

As if she could stop. Evelynn had her arm pinned to her side and showed no signs of letting go. Akali let herself get swept up in the wave and carried into the elevator. 

Numbers ticked up. In the confined space, Evelynn’s scent filled her nose. Roses over a lingering, rusty smell.

Evelynn’s sharp nails dug into Akali’s shoulders as she pinned her to the wall. Her back hit the railing, and her breath rushed out of her lungs.

“Tell me, Akali,” Evelynn said, tracing her cheek with a nail. “Are all the dealers in this casino as cute as you?”

“I-I-I-” she couldn’t speak.

“Shame I just got banned, then. Guess I’ll never know.”

Akali swallowed and nodded. Evelynn swiped her tongue over her lips as she leaned closer, revealing sharp white teeth.

“Nervous?”

She didn’t give Akali a moment to answer before darting forward for a kiss. It was a whirlwind of teeth and tongue, of pleasure and pain. It sent Akali’s head spinning, legs quivering as she scrambled at the railing to keep herself upright.

The elevator dinged, and Evelynn pulled away just as the doors slid open. Akali didn’t remember the walk into the room.

It was huge, bigger than most houses she’d seen. A balcony ran along the edge of the upper floor, a small fountain trickled in the corner, and a bar made entirely of glass dominated one corner. A door to the side led into a room with a gigantic four poster bed. Tall glass windows offered a sweeping view of the Nox Vegas skyline. Everything was plush and leather and gilding.

“A little plain, but it’ll do for us tonight, right?”

Once again, Akali didn’t get a chance to answer as Evelynn shoved her against the front door. Desire rushed between her legs as those sharp nails dragged along her collarbone. Evelynn’s lips left red marks all along the side of her neck.

“Evely-”

Evelynn ripped her shirt and vest off with a savage smile. Buttons exploded off, pinging against the polished marble floor. A more sober Akali would have been horrified. But now, she could only think of the sharp nails cutting through the straps of her bra. Evelynn closed her mouth around a nipple and sucked hard.

Akali cried out, she grabbed fistfuls of Evelynn’s coat as she licked and bit her nipples. Burning pain mixed with pleasure until they were the same. She panted hard into Evelynn’s mouth as they kissed again.

Somehow, she ended up on the huge bed, the shreds of her dress pants in a pile on the floor. She had no idea where her shoes were. The only article of clothing that remained were her white gloves.

A harsh tongue between her legs snapped her back to her senses, if only for a moment. Evelynn had discarded her coat somewhere, giving Akali a view of her ass as she licked the insides of her thighs.

“Evelynn…” Akali sighed, voice pitching up at the end as she bit the sensitive skin of her inner thigh.

“Yes, my dear?” She didn’t stop. She didn’t wait for Akali to answer before kissing and sucking her thighs.

“I…” What was she going to say? What was there to say? A purple haze covered her brain and eyes.

“That’s right, just lay back…” Evelynn said something else, but it was muffled to her ears. She closed her eyes as Evelynn sucked purple marks into her inner thighs and whimpered as those cruel lips drifted further up her legs.

Pleasure exploded inside her as Evelynn’s tongue gently stroked her folds. The tips of her fingers and toes tingled, she felt her back arch of its own volition. She felt like she was drifting above her own body, watching Evelynn ravage her.

She squeaked as Evelynn’s teeth nipped at her clit, hands flying down to tangle up in her hair. Evelynn just laughed and grabbed her wrists, pinning them to her hips as she continued to lick, suck, and bite.

It hurt. It hurt in the most incredible way. Akali couldn’t stop her moans, she stopped trying. She couldn’t put together anything coherent, her mind was locked in on the impossible feeling between her legs.

She wasn’t sure what happened next. The most pleasurable pain rippled all over her body. Her skin was on fire, her muscles ached. Sharp, prickling stabs ran down her back and along her legs. Each fiery touch set her body more and more on edge.

“More!” she heard herself beg. Evelynn obliged, although she wouldn’t remember exactly what she did.

The overwhelming feelings came to a head, conquering every sense until she was a sobbing, wet mess on the bed. She floated out of her body, the aftershocks of her orgasm (orgasms?) barely registering.

The next time she opened her eyes, sunlight streamed through the huge glass windows. She laid on a soft, plush couch covered in a blanket. Her entire body was covered in red and purple marks. Long scratches ran down her sides, back, and legs. Was that a bite mark on her left breast? She sat up, head spinning and pounding as if she was hungover, although she didn’t remember drinking anything.

Her clothes! They were…

Folded in a neat stack on the coffee table in front of her, completely spotless. No buttons scattered across the floor, no shreds of fabric remained in the bedroom. The bed looked perfectly made, as if she hadn’t been writhing in agonizing pleasure in those sheets the night before.

She held a hand to her aching head and staggered to her feet. During the day, Nox Vegas looked like any other city.

What parts of last night were real? Akali pulled her uniform back on and left the suite.

Something clinked in her vest pocket as she waited on the long elevator ride to the ground floor. She pulled out several high-value chips and a tiny piece of paper.

“Hope to see you again. Here’s a list of casinos I’m not banned from, in case you're ever in the market for a new job.”