Of all the places I’ve traveled, I think Vegas is still my favorite.

I stand in the middle of the casino floor, practically salivating at the sight of all the different tables. Poker, craps, blackjack — the possibilities are endless. I love the sound of the machines singing for attention. I love the way a thousand lights catch your eye at once.

I love to look at the women.

My pocket is bulging with $10,000 worth of chips. Vegas is only a once-a-year treat, after all.

To my right, rows of slot machines flash cherries and dollar signs. A little old lady with a purple-rinse perm sits hunched over a lever with a plastic bucket of coins on her lap, her eyes fixed on the row of fruit in front of her. I wonder whether she developed scoliosis naturally or her spine became curved after sitting in the position for decades.

An overweight, sweating man with a receding hairline and visibly drunken sway leans against the side of a machine. He thinks he looks suave as he tries to chat up the casino waitress. The petite, willowy young woman wears a little black dress like all the female waitstaff offering drinks to players. Her hair is blonde and voluminous, pulled back into a high pony with a coiffed front.

Eventually, she leaves the drunken lothario and passes by me. I see her eyes start on my Fendi leather shoes, slide up my gray Armani suit, and end up on my face. She finally smiles. I see a flicker of interest in her eyes and her demeanor shifts from patient politeness to a curious flirtation.

“Good evening, sir.” She looks up at me from under her lashes. “Can I offer you a drink?”

“What do you recommend?”

She grins. “A black Rob Roy.”

“I’ll give it a try.”

She disappears through the aisles of game machines. The waitress ignores everyone she passes, making a beeline straight back to me moments later with a single cocktail on her tray. She holds it up and waits while I take a sip.

Her eyes watch every movement of my hand as I lift the glass to my lips. I can almost feel her holding her breath as I taste the cocktail for the first time. The sherry oak and orange bitters meet my taste buds. Warmth spreads through my throat.

I smile. “A perfect choice.”

She lets out a relieved breath and leans her weight on one hip casually, looking up at me with undisguised intrigue.

“Are you here alone tonight, sir?”

“I’m afraid so. I’m in Vegas on business.”

That light in her eyes grows brighter. “What kind of business?”

“Sales.”

“I see. And what’s your game?”

I cast my eyes around the casino floor with a hungry smile on my face, feeling like a child at Christmas. There’s so much to choose from.

“I’m not one for tactical games. For me, it’s all about getting lucky. Do you know what I mean?”

Her grin grows mischievous. “Who doesn’t like to get lucky?” She clears her throat as if remembering she’s at work and nods toward a game table across the room. “What do you think about craps? It’s all about the luck of the roll.”

“Another excellent recommendation.”

She smiles and straightens up. “Good luck.”

I place a large bill on her tray and lift my glass in thanks. She turns and walks away. I watch her go, wondering whether I should have made a move.

No, Adam. You’re not looking to meet anyone right now.

I tear my eyes from her ass and head toward the craps table. I’ve never fully understood the game — I just like the way it feels when a thousand dollars is riding on a single roll of the dice. The green felt tabletop is laid out into a field, a pass line, a series of numbers, and an odds table.

I begin by watching for a while as a manic-looking businessman in an expensive suit that’s quite bedraggled by this point takes his turn as a shooter. He’s got a woman on each arm, but he’s entirely focused on the table. His hair is a sweaty, wild mess. His eyes are wide and intense. He seems to have lost control of his arms, flailing them uncontrollably with each outcome and clenching his hands into hopeful fists after each throw.

There are lots of other people gathered around the table. I lift my hand to catch the dealer’s eye, trying to register my interest in the game. He nods in acknowledgment of my presence. I take a step forward, taking another sip of my bitter cocktail.

I’m starting to relax already. The noise and drama of the casino help me slip into a different state of mind. In Vegas, there’s no such thing as inhibitions. The place is a limbo between real life and a world where you’re a high-roller in a penthouse.

Anything can happen here.

I feel the weight of the chips in my pocket. I remove them all and lay them on the table. I see eyes bulge around me. To my left, a young man who looks out of his element starts doing the math in his head.

“Hey man,” he says. “That’s ten thousand dollars of chips right there.”

I smile and say nothing.

“What do you do for a living?”

“I’m a salesman.”

“Sales, huh? I hope you just got a big commission.” He threads his fingers together before pushing them outward to make his knuckles crack. “I’m here learning to play poker. I kept making bank in my hometown. Everyone told me I should try the big leagues.”

“How’s it going?”

He laughs too loudly for comfort. I can hear the despair in the way his laughter cracks.

“I lost fucking everything in the first game.”

I smile sympathetically. “Vegas tends to draw you in like that.”

He nods at my chips. “You seem to be doing all right. Are you a professional or something?”

“Nope. I’m just lucky.”

“You must be if you take that kind of money into a casino.”

“Didn't anyone ever tell you the first rule of gambling? Never bet money you can’t afford to lose.”

The young man falls silent as he processes my words. Eventually, he shakes his head, blinks his eyes, and jumps back into the conversation. He holds out his hand to shake mine.

“I’m Brad.”

“Adam.”

“Mind if I watch you a while? I booked a week in this place. Lost all my money, so I’ve got nothing else to do but hang around down here and enjoy the free booze.”

I smile. “By all means.”

“What kind of sales do you do?” Brad asks.

He begins to stand closer to me, latching on. He’s desperate and broke in Vegas. I feel sorry for him. He’s young and must have thought he was invincible. I look him over carefully. Brad can only be twenty-two at the most. He’d have had more luck taking himself to college than a casino. He has fluffy blonde hair sticking up in all directions like a Labrador puppy that’s just had its fur ruffled. He’s wearing a black jacket over a plain cotton t-shirt and dress shoes with jeans. He’s barely making it past the dress code.

“I represent a medical engineering firm.” Brad gives me a blank look, so I continue. “I tour hospitals and pitch sales for new and improved medical equipment. Right now I’m talking about a new diagnostic scanner machine.”

Brad nods along. “So you do get commissions, after all.”

“A base rate, plus commissions. Ten percent.”

“Uh-huh. And how much does one of these machines sell for?”

I pause. “About eight million.”

“And how many do you sell on the average tour?”

“It all depends. If I tour a couple hundred hospitals, I might be able to sell ten machines.”

Brad’s eyes widen. “How did you get into a gig like that?”

“Believe it or not, when I was your age, I was selling vacuums door to door. I went from there to working for a pharmaceuticals company, ending up where I am now. I guess you could say sales have always come naturally to me.”

“What’s your trick?”

I grin. “There’s no trick. I have a natural charm and charisma, I suppose.”

Brad looks me over. “I can believe that.” He nods towards my wrist. “That’s a classy watch. A Rolex?”

“I bought it after my first big sale.”

“And had plenty of change left over, I bet.” He hauls himself up onto a stool at the table and slumps over. The enthusiasm turns quickly to despair. “I’ve fucked up bad, haven’t I?”

I pat him on the back. “I’ll be honest. You could have made better decisions. But you’re young, buddy. You have plenty of time to turn things around. Where are you from?”

“Maine.”

I pull out my card and hand it to him. “Give me a call when you make it back home. I’ll get in touch with our Maine branch and see if there are any positions open for you.”

He perks up. “Are you kidding me?”

“I’m not making any promises. They will have to see if you’re a good fit, but it’s somewhere to start, right?”

Brad takes the card out of my hand and perks up immediately. “I appreciate it, man. Hey, it’s your turn to roll.”

I place my bet — a thousand dollars. I need to roll a seven to win.

The dealer offers me five dice. I pick two, and he places the other three back behind the table. I roll the two cubes in my hand. The plastic is warm against my palm. I tingle with anticipation as I lift my hand and sweep it forward, releasing the dice in a dramatic throw.

Everybody pauses. The whole table is holding its breath. The dice bounce against the felt — once, twice. The third time, they settle, and everybody cheers. The red dice land on three and four.

“Yes!” I’ve won four thousand dollars.

Brad leaps up with his hands in the air and slaps me on the back. “You won four grand, man!”

I grin, and casually gather my winnings to me. “Like I said, I’m a lucky guy.”

I continue on my winning streak. Within twenty minutes, I’m up thirty grand. I see the casino staff start to prowl around behind me. They’re checking to make sure I’m playing by the rules. Everyone else at the craps table is swarming around me, watching me roll seven after seven. When I have a loss, everyone groans and the whole atmosphere deflates. I roll a seven on the next turn. Just like that, my winning streak is revived.

As I’m playing, I hear the loud chiming of the roulette wheel announcing a jackpot win. I turn around to see four women squealing and jumping up and down wildly. The top prize is only five thousand dollars, but you’d have thought they won the lottery. They hug each other and dance around in celebration, laughing joyously. They’re all wearing sashes. I suspect they’re in Vegas for a bachelorette party.

All of the women are attractive, but one, in particular, catches my eye. She’s the shortest of the group by at least four inches. At the center of the group, she has a smile that carries across the casino. Her hair is shoulder length and auburn. She’s wearing a bottle green dress with a plunging V-neckline, a tasseled hem, and black stiletto heels. Her legs are long and toned.

She’s slim and perfectly shaped. I can’t ignore the sound of her laughter ringing through the casino. The pure exhilaration makes me smile.

There’s something that makes her different from the other women in the casino. She’s having a good time, but I can tell she’s not drunk. I watch as she and her friends share their winnings among themselves, still dancing and joking around. They look like they’re having the time of their lives.

She lifts her hands in the air and does an amazing little celebration dance, where she dips at the knees and slowly sways her hips from side to side as she straightens up again while swinging her head. She looks like she’s made out of water.

The woman looks up and catches my eye. I feel a surge of attraction so intense that I don’t even realize the dealer is prodding me to roll. I’m locked into the stranger’s gaze from across the casino.

All she has to do is smile once.

I’m hooked.