Chapter 31
Three days after their meeting, Ji-Su received a text from Elaine with the time and date to visit the casino and pick out the location for the tournament. He texted back that he would be there. For the rest of that night, his upcoming visit to the casino had stayed on his mind.
He wanted to make a good impression—both for himself as an individual and for gamers in general.
Plus, Raul would be with him and everyone would know that they were together.
And he couldn’t help but think of that couple—the man and woman Raul had been with at the dinner theater.
They were both beautiful and elegant. They looked like they belonged on the arm of a powerful man like Raul.
Whereas he looked like what he was—a shy gamer nerd who liked the comfort of hoodies.
At the thought of his favorite item of clothing, Cedric’s cruel words slipped into his head. The vampire had often mocked him for the way he dressed and those taunts made him doubt the way he looked was good enough for his visit to the casino.
He’d decided that he couldn’t show up in his regular clothes, so he’d grabbed his laptop and gone online to EXPRESS, the first place for nice men’s clothes that he thought of.
He’d scrolled through the site until he found three button down shirts and two pairs of dress pants that he thought would work.
He’d ordered them, using the credit card Raul had given him.
When they arrived, he tried on everything, mixing and matching until he settled on the burnt orange shirt and charcoal gray pants.
Now, the night of the location scout was here and Ji-Su was dressed in his chosen outfit.
He stood in front of the mirrored closet doors taking in his appearance as he buckled his belt closet.
Earlier he’d brushed and blow-dried his shower-wet hair back from his forehead, styling it with gel to hold it in place.
He looked good. Different but good. It was a little strange seeing himself this way.
But surely he would look like he belonged by Raul’s side in this outfit more than he would in a pastel hoodie and jeans.
He was still standing there reassuring himself when the bedroom door opened and Raul walked in. When he saw Ji-Su he came over to stand behind him, leaning down to place a kiss on his throat.
“You look nice.”
“Do you like it?” he asked, slightly anxious to hear his answer. Raul must have picked up on his nervousness because he frowned before he responded.
“Of course. The style is different from the way you normally dress. But you’re still gorgeous. You’re always gorgeous.”
“I thought that you might prefer it,” he said as he smoothed his palms down the front of the orange shirt.
Raul straightened. Without speaking, he took Ji-Su’s hand and pulled him along behind him across the room. Raul sat down on the edge of the bed and used Ji-Su’s belt buckle to pull him in close. Looping his arms around Ji-Su’s waist, he held him in a loose hug.
“Ji-Su, you don’t need to change your appearance for me. I like you. And I like you just the way you normally are. I like you cute and soft in your hoodies and sweatshirts.” He chuckled, his eyes shining with humor. “Even your aegyo gets me hard.”
Ji-Su’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Really?”
“Yep. If you want to dress this way that’s fine. But it’s not necessary to please me or anyone else. It’s fine to dress up if we’re going somewhere it’s expected or has a dress code. But we’re only going to the casino. I’m in jeans, see?” He glanced down at himself.
Ji-Su looked too. Raul was in his standard dress of dark jeans, plaid shirt—this one maroon, gray, and white—and black cowboy boots. And he looked good. He always did. Raul’s style was the reason his stream audience had given him the nickname Vampire Ranch Daddy.
“Wear whatever you’re comfortable in. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“Are you ready to go?”
Ji-Su chewed his bottom lip as he thought for a moment. “Actually, do we have a few minutes for me to change?”
Raul gave him a soft smile and let his arms drop from around his waist. “Take all the time you need.”
Ji-Su hustled over to the closet. He stripped out of the new outfit and pulled on a pair of black jeans, a neatly pressed white T-shirt that he tucked into the jeans, and a powder blue zip up hoodie.
In his usual clothes, he felt more like himself, instead of like he was putting on a facade.
In the bathroom, he ran a brush through his hair to loosen up some of the gel, but otherwise left it.
Feeling more confident, he left the bathroom and smiled at Raul patiently waiting on the bed. “Now I’m ready to go.”
They went downstairs and outside to where Sam was holding the door of the Cullinan open for them. Ji-Su slid in first followed by Raul. After they were both buckled in and headed down the drive, Raul linked their fingers together. He stroked his thumb across the back of Ji-Su’s hand.
“Wish we’d taken the limo,” Raul whispered in his ear as they sped down the highway.
“Why?”
“So I could close the privacy partition and show you just how much I like you in your clothes.”
Ji-Su blushed at the boldly sexual comment. But he came back with a bold statement of his own. “Your office at the casino is private.”
A wicked light shone in Raul’s eyes. “Indeed it is.”
They kept the conversation light for the rest of the ride.
When they approached the casino, Ji-Su stared out the window at it in admiration.
The place was huge, its style clearly influenced by the southwest. The Grand Colorado resembled a large hacienda, but the hundreds of bright lights adorning the exterior made it clear it was a casino.
They drove down a long, curving path lined with meticulously sculpted shrubbery to the front of the casino where Sam parked under a brightly lit portico.
They stepped out and a doorman in black pants and shirt with a red bolo tie greeted them as he held open the shiny, gold framed glass front door.
“Good evening, Mr. Raul. Good evening, Mr. Ji-Su.”
Ji-Su said hello back, impressed that the man knew his name.
Inside, Ji-Su was immediately hit with bright lights and a cacophony of slot machines dinging and people cheering or groaning at the gaming tables.
The western theme continued both in the decor and the staff uniforms. A large fountain with a rearing, white marble stallion at its center dominated the lobby and a mural of cowboys in chaps dancing what looked like the tango with women in long, ruffled skirts took up an entire wall.
The dealers were dressed similarly to the doorman, while the cocktail servers wore uniforms that were clearly designed to showcase their bodies.
The women wore red and white patterned shirts beneath a tight, fitted fringed vest and a short, fringed skirt.
A mini cowboy hat perched atop their heads completed the cowgirl look.
The men also had a fringed vest, but they wore pants with fringe down the side. The pants were so tight they looked as if they’d been painted on. And instead of the patterned shirt and hat, they had a snug T-shirt with a low V neckline and a red bandana jauntily tied around their throats.
“What do you think?” Raul asked.
“It’s amazing. I expected something small since this is Michigan, but it’s huge. As big and impressive as the casinos I saw in Vegas. And you run this place?”
Raul nodded. “I do. Along with a few smaller, private locations as well. But this is the main focus of the syndicate’s gambling arm.”
“What else does the syndicate do?”
“We’ll talk about that later.”
Ji-Su nodded, belatedly realizing this probably wasn’t the place for that conversation. He’d easily forgotten that the Sanguis Syndicate was a criminal organization. The topic hadn’t come up since the night they’d attended the ballet. And he still had a hard time imagining Raul as a criminal.
Raul began showing him around and introducing him to people.
Everyone, from the floor managers to the dealers to the custodians, was polite and friendly as they greeted Ji-Su.
But they spoke to Raul with a deference that made it clear he was the boss.
Each person was pleased to be in Raul’s presence, whether he spoke to them at length or simply acknowledged them with a nod.
Ji-Su had seen most of the ground level when one of the floor managers came up to them.
“Sir. Pardon me for interrupting, but there is a matter that requires your attention.”
“Give me a moment,” he said before turning to Ji-Su. “Will you be alright here for a few minutes?”
“Of course. Take your time.”
“Okay.” Raul raised a hand and gestured to summon one of the cocktail servers. She came over immediately, a friendly smile on her round, apple-cheeked face.
“Yes, Mr. Raul?”
“Please bring Ji-Su a drink and anything else he wants.”
“Yes, sir.” She bobbed the tiniest curtsy to Raul before turning to Ji-Su. “What would you like? Our screwdrivers and mojitos are both excellent.”
“I’d love to try those but I have a meeting soon so a Coke is fine.”
“Okay, I’ll be right back.”
After she left, Raul made to leave too. “I’ll be quick.” He dropped a kiss on Ji-Su’s temple then left with the manager.
Ji-Su was on his own. He didn’t mind waiting. And they still had about twenty minutes before he was scheduled to meet with Elaine so there was no rush. It didn’t take long for the cocktail server to return with his drink. She held up a protesting hand and laughed when he tried to tip her.
“Absolutely not, Mr. Ji-Su. But this is my section, so please call me over if you need anything else.”