Monday 8:15 pm

“We’re here, Mr. Upton.”

“Uh, yeah.” I said, coming out of my thousand-mile stare out the window at the lights of the casino Terrence had pulled up to. “Thanks.”

I sat in the black SUV for a moment longer, thinking about the demon I was going to face. Bobbi had made my work life a living hell, and she was a large part of why I’d dreaded going to work every day, and now I had the opportunity to return the favor. I just wasn’t sure if I had the stomach for it.

“Will there be anything else, sir?”

“No,” I said, opening the door and starting to get out. I hesitated and looked back at the opening in the partition where I could see Terrence looking at me. “Do I need to tip you or something?”

He chuckled, “That won’t be necessary, sir. Mr. VanCamp pays me very well. Thank you though. You’re a good man.”

I nodded and met his smile with my own forced one and said, “Alright. Thanks. Have a good night Terrence.”

I closed the door and whispered, “That’s me. A good man.”

Right now, I wasn’t so sure.

Taking a deep breath, I turned to behold the front entrance of Solomon’s Palace. It was known as one of the most expensive casinos in New York City, catering to the very wealthy and privileged. If there were any upper middle class, they were likely there as a guest of the class with most of the money, or they were blowing savings on a once-in-a-lifetime splurge ‘just to see what it’s like’. I hadn’t really given any thought to why I told Bobbi to come to this place, but I might have just been looking for some other way of putting her on her back foot.

Gathering my resolve, I strode toward the casino. A doorman at the entrance gave me a smile and held the door open for me and said, “Welcome to the Solomon’s Palace, sir!” I nodded and gave him a smile. “Thanks. Where’s your restaurant? I’m meeting someone here.”

He pointed, “Just down the hall and to the left.”

I followed his directions, walking down the massive hall completely arrayed in gaudy red velvet and gold trim. A sign was fixed to a massive entrance to my left that displayed the name of a restaurant – Solomon’s Palace Fine Dining – and a list of featured items on the menu. A lot of the options available here cost more than half my month’s rent.

Pinching myself still made it difficult to believe I wasn’t dreaming. Here I was standing in an expensive suit in the lobby of Solomon’s Palace after being dropped off by an employee who worked for one of the most prestigious law firms in New York. The whole thing filled me with a sense of dysphoria. The fact that I was here to confront someone I hated more than just about anyone else only exacerbated the feeling.

“I’m here to meet someone,” I told the hostess, a lovely woman in her mid-twenties with white-blonde hair.

“Of course, sir. And your name?”

I hesitated, wondering whether or not I should actually give her my name, but then I remembered that Helen had arranged the reservation for me after we’d finished our… meeting that afternoon. She hadn’t given me an alternate name to use.

“Um, Marcus Upton?”

“Oh!” She said, her eyebrows shooting up in recognition as she found my name on her list. “Right this way sir!”

She led me through one of the nicest restaurants I’d ever seen in my life, and I found myself looking around at all the gorgeous people wearing nice clothes eating expensive food. An entire world had been opened to me that I had only seen in movies.

As I followed her, my mind raced, wondering what the hell the game plan was. Obviously, we were going to eat, but why the fuck had I invited her out on a date? She clearly hadn’t wanted to come. She’d thrown my meager background and my in-state college in my face repeatedly, so was I just looking to rub my wealth in her face? Was I going to stick her with the bill? Should I call the cops after dessert and have her arrested?

Hi, police? This is Marcus Upton. I found out today that this woman is stealing from me, but I wanted to take her out to dinner and feed her a souffle before you arrest her. Yes, I’ll be pressing charges.

The entire idea sounded dumb, but the alternative just sounded dark. As with most casinos, this one had hotel rooms. I should know because Helen had booked me the most expensive one.

There was no way in hell Bobbi was going to be interested in sharing a hotel room with me.

She led me through a pair of doors that opened into a private room with its own table and a personal waiter. It even had a fireplace with a roaring blaze in it. The temperature outside wasn’t exactly cold, but the room’s temperature had been adjusted so that the warmth of the fire was comfortable.

Bobbi was absolutely stunning. Her light brown hair shone in the low flicker of the fire, her grey eyes meeting mine with a look I’d never seen; every time I’d locked eyes with her in the past, there’d been nothing but contempt. I’d expected the same now, but this time she had a look of wariness and uncertainty, which did wonders for my confidence. In fact, my entire experience since I’d walked into the casino seemed to calm my nerves. Everyone had treated me with importance bordering on reverence. It made me feel powerful. Bobbi with that deer-in-the-headlights look in her eyes made me feel it even more.

“Welcome to Solomon’s Palace, sir,” the waiter said as he approached the other side of the table and pulled out a chair for me. I glanced over my shoulder just in time to see the hostess close the door behind me.

“Um… thanks,” I said as I took the seat provided. I glanced at Bobbi and mentally kicked myself at not sounding confident in front of her. Bobbi was smart and opportunistic – a predator who would pounce on any sign of weakness. I didn’t want to show her my throat.

“The lady has already ordered Kobe beef carpaccio and a 1973 Château Petrus.