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"High Rolling"Written By: ShenLong Disclaimer: I don't own the Gundam boys, they belong to Bandai, Sotsu and associated parties. I just borrow them from time to time and return them a whole lot happier. I have also used inspiration from the Cirque Du Soleil show 'Zumanity' for this fic without permission; also several of the hotels that will feature in this fic are real. No disrespect is intended to the show or the hotels. Written for pleasure not profit. Rating: NC 17 Pairings: 1x2x1, 3x4x3 Warnings: Yaoi, Lemons, limes, angst, sap, OOC, AU, gambling Summary: Duo is a multi millionaire having made his money in computer games and is working himself into the ground. Hilde, his secretary and best friend convinces him to take a vacation – to Las Vegas. Dedication: To Leslie, not only for giving me the plot bunny and breeding said plot bunny by taking me to see the show but for also being a wonderful friend and excellent 'tour guide'. Hope you enjoy what Fred did with the idea, Les! *hugs* Betaed by the ever patient Karina *snugs* Archive: www.gundam-wing-diaries.foreverfandom.net Anyone else please ask.
"High Rolling" August. 2015 ShenLong Chapter 18 “It's what the public wants, Mr. Maxwell. You owe it to your fans and the people that buy your games.” Duo looked harshly at the man speaking. “How many times do I have to say it? I don't want to do sequels, I'd rather put my talents into new games, not just rehashing old ones for the sake of it. Besides, it's really nothing more than a rort, slugging the public top dollar for a game that's really only had a slight change in location, the characters, scenarios and game plan are all the same as the original, just the location is different.” “It doesn't matter. The people want it and if they're willing to pay good money for it then it's up to us to deliver. I suggest you think very deeply on that, Mr. Maxwell,” the man said in a warning tone. Raising an eyebrow, Duo stared at Mr. Khushrenada, the CEO of Khushrenada Holdings, the company that provided the financial backing and production team to produce and market Duo's games. “Is that a threat, Treize?” he questioned, voice low and menacing. Treize shrugged. “Just think of it as healthy advice.” Knowing his temper was about to get the better of him, Duo decided it was time to call a halt to this meeting. He stood, scraping his chair back as he did so. “I think this discussion is over. If you will excuse me, I have work to do.” Not waiting for any form of reply, Duo grabbed his briefcase and stormed out of the conference room, resisting the urge to slam the door behind him. Riding the elevator back down to the lobby of the impressive building, he tossed things around in his mind, wondering if there was anything he could have said or done differently. Nothing came to mind. Reaching the lobby, he strode from the elevator and out into the warm LA sun. Moments later he was stuck in the LA traffic on his way back to his own office. At least it was moving, albeit slowly. * By the time he reached his own office, Duo had calmed down considerably, although the problem still remained. He parked his car and with briefcase in hand, quickly entered the building and rode the elevator to the fourth floor where his office was. Looking up from the computer screen when the door opened, Hilde quickly shut her mouth and clamped down on what she was about to say when she spotted the dark look on Duo's face. She watched as her boss strode though and into his office, closing the door behind him. “Hmmm,” Hilde mumbled. Setting the computer to hibernate, she grabbed her purse and left. Ten minutes later she was back, juggling a familiar paper bag and cardboard tray with two cups. Dropping her purse to her chair, she managed to balance the tray and bag, knocking on Duo's door and entering without waiting for permission. Duo was in his chair, back to the door and seemingly looking out the large window. Setting the tray and bag on the desk, Hilde rounded the desk and grabbed the side of the chair, swinging Duo around and forcing him to acknowledge her presence. “Hilde,” Duo growled in warning. “Not now.” “Duo, shut up. I brought coffee and donuts. Now, turn around properly, drink your coffee and eat your donut. Then you can tell me what the assholes had to say.” Duo blinked at the audacity of the woman, but meekly did as he was told, picking up the coffee and taking a sip of the hot liquid. “Assholes?” he asked and reached for a donut. “Well, it's obvious from the look of thunder on your face that some bad shit went down at that meeting and you need assholes for shit to happen,” Hilde gave a shrug. He couldn't help it, he snickered. “I have to say, your logic sometimes defies everything.” “What can I say? I'm multi talented,” Hilde grinned in reply. She wisely waited until Duo had finished his donut and was well into his coffee before she pushed again. “I take it the meeting didn't go too well?” Setting his cup down on the desk, Duo ran his fingers through his bangs before replying. “No, it didn't. They're still insisting I do sequels to a couple of my games, I owe it to the fans and all that crap.” “I see.” Hilde frowned. “Did you tell them why you don't like to do sequels?” “Of course, but they didn't want to listen. I'm sure the fans would much rather have a new game, one with different characters, objectives, goals and mysteries to unravel than to rehash what they already have that's simply set in a different place.” “Some people can't see the woods for the trees,” Hilde muttered. The pair sat in silence for a moment. Then Hilde spoke again. “Duo, you have quite a lot of money now from the sale of your games and you're not contracted to Khushrenada Holdings so why don't you strike out on your own?” Duo sighed. “I wish I could, Hilde. I know I've probably got enough financially to set up things and by that I mean purchase the top grade computer systems and software I'd need to produce the games, but then there's the actual production of the hard copy, the marketing, sales and accountancy side of it.” Seeing Hilde's eyebrow twitching, he continued. “I know you're pretty good with facts and figures, but this would require someone with a lot more knowledge than either you or I possess. I would have to hire staff, I can't do all that work by myself and that would mean a payroll. It just snowballs from there.” “I think I see what you mean,” Hilde replied thoughtfully. “If I thought I could do it all, I would, but let's face reality here, I'm no businessman. I might be good when it comes to dreaming up and creating the games, but I wouldn't have a clue when it comes down to the business management side of things.” “Yeah,” Hilde sighed. “When you put it like that it is pretty daunting.” “And I miss Heero.” Those words came out so softly that Hilde almost missed them. She sighed. “I know you do, I miss Wufei too.” A comfortable silence fell over them for a few minutes. “You know, you could always just tell them to shove it, take your money and retire,” Hilde stated with another grin. “I suppose that's one thing, but then what about you? You'd be out of a job and I couldn't do that to you, Hil. Besides, I think I'd go crazy not having any work to do.” “I can always get another job, Duo, but I am touched by your concern. That still doesn't solve our problems though. Aside from the games, we can't keep flying back and forth to Vegas each weekend, we need to find a solution to that too.” “I know,” Duo sighed and picked up his coffee, draining the last of it before tossing the empty cup into the trash. “Heero's flying to LA this weekend,” he said with a smile, the thought of having Heero here in LA, to show the man around, have him in his home, sharing his bed, gave Duo the warm and fuzzies. “Wufei has managed to get the weekend off too and he's flying in with Heero,” Hilde responded, her smile wide as she thought of her Chinese boyfriend. “I told Heero I'd pick him up. If you want to come along too I can pick up Wufei as well and bring you both back to the apartment block, save you the hassle of driving through traffic.” “Thanks, Duo. I'd appreciate that,” Hilde said with a dreamy look in her eye. Her face suddenly changed though when Duo's words really sank in. “Hey! Who said Wufei was staying at my apartment?!” Duo wiggled his eyebrows. “No one. But I know he hasn't booked a hotel room and he's not staying at my apartment with me and Heero, so that only leaves your place.” “Well, yeah, he is going to be staying with me,” Hilde grumbled, “but it's not what you're thinking.” “Oh? And just what is it I'm thinking?” Duo continued to tease. “Given your mind, Duo, I don't even think I'm going to answer that!” * * * “Hey.” “Hey, yourself,” Quatre replied with a smile as his lover entered his office. He tilted his head to accept the kiss his partner offered when he rounded Quatre's desk. Leaning his hands on the desk once he'd broken their kiss, Trowa raked his eyes over the mountain of paperwork there. “What seems to be the verdict so far?” he asked. Quatre gave a soft sigh. “Nothing I didn't expect.” The pair had come up with a survey to ask their customers their thoughts in regards to the casino, games and overall gaming experience. Most of the feedback had been positive, their clients appearing to enjoy their gaming experience, however the general trend seemed to be that a lot of people didn't have much in the way of spare cash to play with. There also seemed to be a common thread amongst the population in regards to the games themselves. “Care to elaborate?” Trowa asked. “Whilst people overall seem happy enough, with the downturn in the economy there isn't a lot of spare cash to play with. That's pretty much what we already gathered. It also seems that the majority of people would appreciate something new in the gaming capacity.” “Okay, I can understand that, but what exactly is it they want when they say something new?” “They appear to be happy with the range of games on offer, but they're all pretty standard across the board. All the casino's on the strip have pretty much the same in the way of games.” Quatre rubbed his temples. “There isn't a whole lot you can change in regards to poker, blackjack, roulette and the like,” Trowa commented. “No, there isn't and I don't think there is a lot we could do in relation to the table games. We do offer all the usual ones, just like all the other casinos. No, I think we need to try and come up with something else, something that the other casino's don't have.” Quatre closed his eyes as his brain ran in circles. He'd been thinking on this for ages and so far hadn't had one single idea. “You know, it's a shame you can't play a computer game as a casino game,” Trowa mused aloud. “The face of gaming is starting to change a lot; by that I mean there's a lot more younger people trying their luck. It used to be mainly the older generation coming in and playing, but now there's a lot more younger ones, people that are a lot more tech savvy and they would appreciate something more challenging, maybe a combination of luck and skill.” “What did you say?” “Errr, that the face of gaming is starting to change?” “No, not that,” Quatre pushed. “That there's more younger people playing that would appreciate something a little more challenging?” “Close, but not it.” “It's a shame you can't play a computer game as a casino game?” “That's it!” “Huh?” Trowa blinked at his lover. “Trowa, computer games are very popular, right?” Quatre asked, the enthusiasm bright in his eyes. “Well, yes. Everyone loves a good computer game, but they're just that; a game for a computer.” “But what if we could turn a computer game into some sort of casino game? Maybe a slot machine type of game or something along those lines,” Quatre said, his mind going a mile a minute. “It's a good idea, but it would take some serious work and even then I don't know if you could actually do it,” Trowa replied. “Computer games are quite involved to say the least. They usually have a main plot, several sub plots and many different characters and scenarios. There's actual skill involved in playing computer games. It's not a simple case of putting a dime in the slot, push the button and see if you get the three lemons all come up across the screen.” “I realize that,” Quatre sniffed, “but if we could get something of a computer game transformed into a casino game, just think of the money that could be made.” “It would take a shit load of work and I don't know about you, but I wouldn't have a clue when it comes to anything like that.” “I didn't say it would be easy, but I think it warrants looking into.” “Maybe,” Trowa said skeptically. “You'd need to speak to someone who knows what they're doing though, someone who is a tech type genius. They would at least be able to tell you if it could be done and the best way to do it.” Quatre's face suddenly lit up. “I think I might know just the person who could enlighten us and let us know if it would be possible and viable.” The proverbial light bulb went off in Trowa's head. * * * “This place is huge,” Heero commented, face plastered to the window of the aircraft as they taxied into the terminal at LAX. “It's certainly a large step up from Vegas,” Wufei agreed. The plane came to a stop and the air-bridge was deployed. Inside the cabin people were undoing their seat-belts and reclaiming their items from the overhead lockers. The door opened and people began to file out. It didn't take long as it wasn't a large plane and soon enough Heero and Wufei were traversing the aisle and along the air-bridge to the terminal. In the terminal, Duo was hopping nervously from one foot to the other in anticipation. Beside him, Hilde was just as nervous, only she managed to control it better. They had arrived early to the airport, Duo citing he didn't want to have to waste precious time looking for a parking spot or run the risk of missing the flight if it had arrived early. Hilde had argued back that there were loads of parking bays and if the flight did happen to come in early she was certain that Wufei and Heero wouldn't disappear on them but wait until they got there. There was also such a thing as a cell phone which Duo could use to contact the other two if by chance they were delayed. Duo had huffed over that and retorted with the current state of the LA traffic and it would be just his luck to run into road works, a traffic jam or detours. Consequently they had arrived at LAX at roughly the same time as the aircraft would have been leaving Vegas. Hilde had grumbled over that until Duo had steered her towards a conveniently located Starbucks and bought them both a coffee. Now they were eagerly awaiting their respective lovers to appear through the disembarking gate. The passengers had started to come through from the plane, but as yet there was still no sign of Heero or Wufei. “What if they missed the flight?” Duo suddenly said and turned an anxious face to Hilde. “I'm sure if they had they would have called and caught the next one,” Hilde replied. “Maybe they changed their minds?” Hilde snorted. “Very unlikely. Duo, calm down. Heero is totally captivated by you, there's no way he would miss that flight and the chance to see what color sheets you have on your bed.” “Hilde!” “I hope you put clean ones on, the blue, satin ones you have would be nice, make a good impression on him,” Hilde continued to tease. “Of course I put clean sheets on the bed. And how do you know I have blue satin ones?” Hilde shrugged. “I've done shopping for you and cleaned your apartment in the past.” “Have you been snooping through my linen closet?” Duo demanded. “Maybe,” Hilde grinned. “Ohh, that's a low thing to do, go through a man's linen closet. Is nothing sacred any more?” “Nope.” Hilde didn't look the least repentant. Seeing Duo's mouth about to open again, Hilde cut him off. “And yes, I have been through your underwear drawer too; kinda hard not to when you're putting away laundry. Oh, I think I see them.” Duo's attention was immediately diverted back to the people still walking off the plane. A familiar shock of brown hair with red highlights came into view and Duo breathed a sigh of relief. Eyes scanned the rapidly thinning waiting crowd of people as they greeted their friends and relatives and soon alighted on Duo. A warm smile lit up Heero's face as he strode towards the man of his dreams. “You made it,” Duo breathed and gave his lover a warm hug. “Yeah, we did,” Heero replied. Alongside them, Hilde and Wufei were sharing a greeting of their own, able to enjoy more than just hug, much to Duo and Heero's frustration. LA wasn't quite as accommodating of same sex couples as Vegas – yet. “Let's go get your bags and go home where I can show you just how much I've missed you,” Duo murmured. “That sounds like a wonderful idea,” Heero replied. * Bags safely stowed in the trunk, Duo climbed behind the wheel of his modest sedan, Heero riding shotgun, Hilde and Wufei in the back. As they left the parking area and slipped into the LA traffic, Wufei slowly began to relax. He'd been rather apprehensive of getting in a car with Duo at the wheel after the display of the man's reckless driving when they'd been playing the grand prix racing game at the 'Fun Dungeon'. He was more than relieved to find that Duo was, in fact, a very careful driver. Heero gazed out of the window at the passing landscape. “Ever been to LA before?” Duo asked, keeping his eyes on the road even when they wanted nothing more than to gaze at his boyfriend. “No, I haven't,” Heero replied. “I have heard quite a lot about it though.” “Oh yeah? Good stuff I hope.” “Mostly.” Heero turned to look at Duo's profile as the man drove. “I hear Hollywood is an interesting place to visit.” Duo chuckled. “Yeah, I guess so.” “They say you can often spot celebrities at some of the restaurants and even walking down the street,” Wufei chipped in. “That's true, but very unlikely,” Hilde replied in Duo's stead. Spotting the look on Wufei's face, she continued. “Most celebrities don't go for just a stroll down the street, they're usually driven everywhere by their chauffeurs or drive themselves. Most normally have bodyguards with them too so it's not that easy to spot them. You stand a better chance of seeing one on Rodeo Drive where all the big, expensive stores are. As for the restaurants... Yeah, they do frequent a lot of places, but they're always the high end joints where an appetizer can and usually does start out at a minimum of around twenty to thirty dollars. Main course is upwards of fifty. Not exactly the places most of us peasants can afford.” “And that's if you can even get a table there,” Duo quipped. “A lot of them are booked out months in advance by people hoping to catch a glimpse of a star. Funny though, the stars themselves never seem to have a problem getting a table, even if they decide on the spur of the moment to go out for dinner.” “Do you live in the city itself?” Heero asked, changing the topic slightly. “Sort of, we're on the outskirts,” Duo replied. “Hilde and I each have our own apartments in the same apartment block to the west of the city itself. We're in Santa Monica with Beverly Hills and Hollywood to our north east. They aren't far and if you want, I can take you for a drive through there at some stage.” “Santa Monica,” Heero mused. “Isn't there a famous pier there, a beach and other stuff?” “Yep. The pier has been there for years. It was built in 1909 and has had several face lifts, additions to the fun park and heaps of restaurants amongst other things. There's also the beach if you like the sun and sea and fishing charters if you're interested in that sort of thing. They also run historical tours of the pier; it's a fun place to visit.” “That is something I wouldn't mind seeing,” Wufei announced. “We could go there tomorrow if you like?” Hilde offered. “That would be most welcome,” Wufei said with a smile. “You two are welcome to join us if you can drag yourselves out of the bed for long enough,” Hilde stated with a grin. Feeling his cheeks starting to redden, Duo did his best not to rise to the bait. “I'm fine with that if Heero wants to go.” “I'd like that. Thank you.” “Then it's a double date,” Hilde laughed. It wasn't long before Duo was pulling into the basement parking area of the apartment block and parking up in his allotted spot. The four exited the car, grabbed the bags from the trunk and aimed for the elevator. The car soon arrived at their floor and all four stepped out and along the hallway. They reached Hilde's apartment first. “This is my place,” Hilde announced with a grin and fished her keys from her pocket. Opening the door she stepped back to allow the others to enter. Duo had been there before of course and knew Hilde's apartment as well as he knew his own. Hilde gave the other two men a quick tour, promising Wufei a better tour once Duo and Heero had left. Thanking Hilde for the tour, Heero stepped back out into the hall with Duo. “My apartment is two doors down this way,” Duo said as Heero grabbed his bag. “Hey, Hilde, you two wanna grab some dinner after?” Hilde glanced at the clock. It was a little after six in the evening. “Sure. Anywhere in particular you have in mind?” “What about Gladstones?” Duo suggested and turned to Heero. “Do you like seafood?” “Yes, I pretty much eat anything,” Heero replied and gave a lustful look at Duo. The braided man swallowed as the heat raced through his body. Down boy, down, he mentally told his eager cock. Hilde, in the meantime, missed the exchange as she had turned to ask Wufei the same question. “We're good for seafood,” she told Duo. “Great. We'll stop by and grab you guys around eight? That should give Wufei and Heero enough time to freshen up after their flight.” “Sounds good to me,” Hilde replied. “See you at eight.” With Duo nodding and moving off, she quietly closed the door. “This way,” Duo said and led Heero two doors down to stop at his own apartment. The door was unlocked and Heero ushered in. Once the door was closed, Heero found himself whirled around and his mouth hijacked in a deep and demanding kiss, one he was more than eager to respond to. “God I've missed you,” Duo murmured as he nibbled along Heero's bottom lip. “I've missed you too,” Heero groaned and pulled his long haired lover closer, trying to get as much contact as possible. “I'll give you a tour of the apartment-” “The only thing I need to know right now is which way to the bedroom?” Heero growled, cutting Duo off. Duo snickered. “I thought you'd like to freshen up first?” “I'd rather get dirty first and freshen up after,” Heero moaned as Duo's groin met with his own and rubbed seductively against him. “I'm pretty sure I can accommodate that request,” Duo purred and then yelped as Heero bodily lifted him up. He quickly wrapped his legs around Heero's waist to keep himself in place as Heero began to walk. “Second door on the right,” he murmured. Moments later Heero entered Duo's bedroom for the first time. Striding to the bed, he deposited his lover on the mattress and gazed hungrily at him. Duo gave him a coy look in return. “Don't forget we have to pick up Hilde and Wufei at eight,” Duo teased, wriggling his way across the mattress so Heero could join him. “That's more than enough time for round one,” Heero purred – and then pounced. ~ * ~ tbc...
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