Her first night in Las Vegas and Addie had already found herself sitting at a poker table.  Billy had given her a bit of money to set herself up in their new city and she could not think of a better way to invest it.  After all that was how he made his money it seemed -- gambling on the dice.  Well she was more of a poker player herself.

Sitting at a table that was only half-full she studied the hand she had been dealt.  Biting the corner of her mouth she debated what to throw away and what to keep.  She had a pair of 9's and an Ace through queen run.  Quite a decision to make.  The pair was unimpressive to say the least, but had a better chance at winning than the run did unless she drew well.  She had never been one to play it safe so she threw away the pair of 9's and asked the dealer for 2 more cards.  Picking up the replacement cards she added them to the end of her hand.  Some folks liked to move their cards around to arrange them, but Addie did not want to give away what she had in her hand by doing that.  It was the telltale signs that people never seemed to pay attention to, except for the really dangerous ones.  Those players could strip you blind if you were not careful.

Laying her cards down in front of her she picked up a chip and threw it into the pile to call the bet to her.  One by one the play went around the table with people either calling or folding.  Apparently no one had a strong hand as no one raised the bet.  Showing her cards with everyone else she revealed two Queens.  Better than the 10's had been, but no good enough to beat the pair of kings to her right.

Damn!

She tossed the cards back to the dealer and picked up her drink to sip on it.  The deep red wine was refreshing as it flowed over her taste-buds and down her throat.  It was an alright wine, but apparently the free drinks being offered to the establishment's patronage was less than the best.  Sitting back into her chair as she sat the glass back down, her hands moved to smooth out her black dress.  She hoped that the next hand went better.  She could not afford to lose to many.

Silvio winked at the beautiful woman sitting to his left as he collected his chips.

"Mie scuse, bella donna. It is a relic of the ancient world we have left behind that kings automatically defeat queens, no? Today, I think I would put my money on the queen defeating the king."

He smirked as the dealer dealt the cards. Silvio had dark hair and a five o' clock shadow, and he was wearing a perfectly tailored suit. Still, he'd bought in for less than one might expect from someone wearing that suit. Still, he'd managed to nearly double his money so far that evening.

"What are you drinking, Miss...?"

He waited for her to fill in her name.

"Ah, my name is Silvio. Silvio Violante."

They continued playing, but Silvio's attention seemed split between the game and the beautiful woman at his side.

Addie couldn't help but to return the smirk.  This guy was smooth, but she had seen his kind before.  Still she enjoyed the attention he was affording her and proceeded to flirt with the man in return.

"Miss Addie Moretti, and I am drinking the house's wine."

When he gave her his name she reached out her hand to him, "It is a pleasure to meet you Silvio Violante!  Are you a resident of this fair city?"

Silvio took her hand and planted a gentle kiss on her knuckles as he bowed his head.

"The pleasure is mine, Miss Moretti. I suppose it is the sad truth to say that I am a resident of Las Vegas. A Las Vegian. A Las Vegetable. Las Vegilite... qualunque cazzo si chiamano. Still, in my heart I will always be a resident of la bella Venezia. The opposite of this... covo sabbioso d'iniquità. Ah, apologies if you are a resident here or you particularly love the city?"

With a smirk, he folded his cards.

The man did not disappoint as he lifted her hand to his lips for a kiss.  She rather liked that she felt she could predict this man.  She smiled at him sultry-like.  "Mmmm a fellow country man.  I myself hail from Sicily and to be honest this is my first night in this city. However, so far I must say that this city has not disappointed me yet."  Her smile slipped into a playful smirk as she reached down to pick up her new cards.

Already her mind mapped out and predicted what Silvio's next move would be and she eagerly waited to see if she was right.  Cat and mouse games were always so much fun, but she had to remind herself that her brother was not here to drag her ass out of any trouble she might get herself into.

"Well, I shall have to make sure I do not disappoint you either. For your first night, I'll have to make sure you have a good time."

Silvio snapped to get the waiter's attention and ordered a higher quality bottle of red wine.

"Keep our glasses filled. Grazie."

He tipped the waiter one of his chips as he studied his cards.

"I hope you have found somewhere comfortable to stay, yes?"

Silvio raised the pot a moderate amount, his hazel eyes shining at her.

Addie gave him a nod of appreciate, “Grazie for the drink.”

She studied her hand making sure to keep the cards at such an angle as to hide them from her competition. “I was planning to get a room at this hotel and look for more permanent residence tomorrow.” Picking up the chips needed to call, she tossed them into the pot. “Do you have a recommendation for potential housing?”

Laying her cards back down, she looked at Silvio.  

Fuck he is gorgeous.  I could fall into those eyes and die a happy woman.

Silvio grinned. 

"I do. But let's see how much money you have at the end of the evening?"

And how much I have. With a grin, Silvio flipped his cards down. Three of kind. But his smile faded as Addie showed a heart flush. 

Good thing he hadn't pushed harder.

"Well, you no doubt collect all the hearts at the table, Miss Moretti. I can show you one of the rooms, if you'd like? See if it meets your standards? There would be a particularly striking view from the balcony, I think."

The dealer dealt the next hand, professionally ignoring the back and forth.

She knew he would move fast, but this had to be setting a record of some sort.  They had barely played two hands and he was already offering to take her back to his room.  Addie grinned in delight.  She was normally the one that wanted things to move faster, but Silvio was going to give her a run for her money.  

"I would like that very much.  It would be delightful to get a bird's eye view of the city and it is always a good idea to check out what you will be getting for your money.  Alas though we have yet to enjoy the wonderful bottle of wine you just purchased."  She smirked as she verbally danced with him -- sparring and parrying -- one taking a step and the other taking a counter-step.  It was lovely and beautiful and full of life.

Causally she laid a hand on his thigh and leaned forward, closer to him.  "Though I suppose we could just take the bottle with us."

Silvio raised an eyebrow and grinned. Well, sometimes there was a chase. Other times, there were two people very willing to be prey for each other. Silvio enjoyed the chase, of course... but there was something to be said for preserving all of one's energy for other pursuits. Si, she certainly seemed eager. He quickly gathered his chips.

"Deal me out- grazie. I will return later. Perhaps tomorrow. It would be rude of me to deny this beautiful woman a bird's eye view of the city."

As they both cashed out, Silvio guided Addie through the crowded game room with a light hand on her back as his other gripped the bottle of wine. They weaved through the crowds of excited gamblers as the room buzzed with life. With a feline grin, he leaned back against the wall of the elevator and hit the button for the top floor. His eyes ran over her like a light caress. 

"How fortunate for us to find two of a kind here across the sea, yes?"

The doors began to slowly close.

As soon as the doors closed shut, Addie closed the distance even more between them.  Standing in front of him she took advantage of the fact that his back was against the wall.  She allowed her hands to run up the front of his chest and her passionate, fiery eyes followed their trek.  

"Fortunate indeed," she replied her voice sultry.  Her hands slid over his shoulders and her eyes looked up into his.  It was a foregone conclusion where they were heading and her eyes shown with desire.  She moved forward even more to lift herself onto her tip toes, and in doing so pressed her body against his.  Slowly her mouth reached to kiss his lips and was nearly there when the elevator dinged to indicate that the door would be opening soon.  

In a flash she had spun away to stand next to him and quickly smoothed her dress.  Try as she may, she was not nearly so successful at smoothing her facial features to hide the smirk she wore as the doors opened.

Silvio immediately stepped forward and prevented the pair of older women from getting on the elevator. 

"Uh, next one. Emergency. Mi dispiace."

The elevator doors closed and Silvio spun back towards Addie. His hands went to her hips and their lips met as the elevator began to climb again. When the elevator dinged again, the doors opened slowly to reveal Silvio with his jacket half off; Addie was holding his tie and one of her straps her slipped down her shoulder.

Taking her hand with the briefest of winks, Silvio led her to his room. It took him a little longer than it should have for him to take out his key and open the door due to Addie's hands snaking around toward his stomach.

Eventually the door opened and Silvio led Addie inside. There was a large king-sized bed, a shower, a small table, and a balcony that looked out on The Strip.

Silvio led her to the balcony; they were on the top floor in a corner room, and the balcony next to theirs was empty; instead, they were surrounded by the neon signs that were the hallmark of Vegas, each glowing and buzzing like a miniature sun. 

As Addie stepped out on the balcony her mouth fell open in amazement.  The young woman from a small olive grove farm in Sicily had never seen such a thing as she now saw.  It was even more breath-taking than the man standing next to her was.  "It is so beautiful," she whispers in a hushed tone as she stepped forward to the railing and looked out over the city. "Have you seen anything like it before?"

The warm desert air gently lifted the edges of her long black hair as the breeze softly caressed her face.  Her eyes dazzled like diamonds with the reflections of the flashing neon lights that cast colors of various hues upon her olive-skinned face.  Placing her hands on the top of the rail she leaned out over it to get a better look at the ground.  Below her she could see the cars and people scurrying down the street in both directions.  How very small they all looked to from so far above.  Small and oblivious to the whole wide world that laid beyond.

This.  This was what she had dreamed about all those times she had looked towards the horizon as a young girl.  She had always know there was more to see and she wanted to see it all. She wanted to do it all.  She did not understand how people like her twin brother was content to just stay in one place, doing the same thing day after day.  She had longed for more.

Silvio leaned forward on the balcony, resting his right forearm against the metal bars. He gently rested his other hand on her far hip.

"Careful, you would not want to fall. And you are just as beautiful as this glorious show of lights, but I must admit that you are more beautiful for being illuminated by them- just as they become more pleasant in shining on a face like yours."

He glanced outward towards The Strip and Freemont Street.

"It is a great adventure to be in this city, no?"

Addie turned her head to look at Silvio.  The question was unexpected and came remarkably close to her own thoughts.  Was she as easy of a read to him as he was to her?  Maybe they really were more alike than she had originally thought.

"Life is one great adventure, but yes this city does seem to offer its share of excitement."  She smiled at him.  "One might say that it is a land of opportunity.  What opportunity are you looking for Mr. Violante?"

Silvio shrugged innocently before he retreated to the room and emerged with two glasses and the bottle of wine; he poured them each a large glass and grinned.

"I tend to live in the moment, Signorina Moretti. There are only a couple things I want from my life, but the big picture matters little to me at any given moment."

He gently clinked his glass against hers.

"Let us drink to tonight, where the only opportunity I am looking for is to enjoy this wine, this view, and your presence. Is there something more you're looking for- either tonight or in the grande immagine?"

She chuckled as she took the glass, "I just know I want to live this life I have to the fullest, and please call me Addie." 

She swirled the wine in the glass a bit to let it breath properly before giving it a taste.  It was literally the very best wine she had ever had.  Granted she had never had really good wine before.  "Mmmm I could get use to this."

She smiled at him, "Thank you."  

Reaching down she slipped her heels off, sighing with a bit of relief.  "So what brought you to this wonderful city?"

Silvio sighed as he took a long drink of his wine.

"Of course, Addie. It is a bit of a long story. I will try to shorten it to the basics. But suffice it to say that I fell in love with the most beautiful woman in Venezia- who happened to be the daughter of the most powerful man in Venezia. And I loved her so hard and so well that I had to run for my life to escape the city. If I wasn't so skilled at ducking trouble, I would have surely died. And so... here I am on the other side of the world."

He filled Addie's glass again. 

"Just be careful about dulling your senses; a pleasant buzz is excellent, but I think you will want to remain sensitive to the world tonight."

Turning, he looked with a smirk at the sign's illuminating the night. For a few moments, the pair sat there in silence as the contemplated the shining monuments to mankind. Then, Silvio saw how the light breeze shifted Addie's hair and he could no longer hold himself back. Placing his wine glass down, he moved closer to her and kissed her as he trailed one of his hands down her back.

"Of course, Addie. It is a bit of a long story. I will try to shorten it to the basics. But suffice it to say that I fell in love with the most beautiful woman in Venezia- who happened to be the daughter of the most powerful man in Venezia. And I loved her so hard and so well that I had to run for my life to escape the city. If I wasn't so skilled at ducking trouble, I would have surely died. And so... here I am on the other side of the world."

So that was why he was like he was.  Addie could understand.  If she had truly loved one so dearly and then was denied that love by an external force beyond her control, she might go from one distraction to the next.  She was not angry about it.  She did not mind being a distraction.  Though it did make her feel like she understood him better because of it. 

He filled Addie's glass again. 

"Just be careful about dulling your senses; a pleasant buzz is excellent, but I think you will want to remain sensitive to the world tonight."

The comment elicited a smile. She did want a buzz to take away any of the inhibitions that might otherwise get in the way.  After all she did not need Nonna in the back of her mind telling her how a proper Catholic woman should behave.  

Turning, he looked with a smirk at the sign's illuminating the night. For a few moments, the pair sat there in silence as the contemplated the shining monuments to mankind. Then, Silvio saw how the light breeze shifted Addie's hair and he could no longer hold himself back. Placing his wine glass down, he moved closer to her and kissed her as he trailed one of his hands down her back.

She pulled back after the kiss and smiled.  Stepping back she took another drink of her wine before sitting her glass down next to his.  Then she moved back to him, sliding her arms around him in an embrace.  "Where were we?"  She smirked before claiming his mouth with hers once more.  He tasted of the wine and her hand moved to pull his shirt out from pants.  Tonight she wanted to feel everything with this man, to feel every inch of him.  Neither cared about the next day or the next month.  The here and now was all that mattered for either of them.

As Addie untucked his shirt, Silvio reached his hands to her face to kiss her before sliding them down her shoulders, taking the straps of her dress with them. He lifted her by her waist, carrying her to the bed and depositing her on her back. Silvio slid onto the bed, resting in between her raised knees as he began to kiss her neck. As she fumbled for his belt, he turned out the light- although the room was still half-illuminated by the neon signs outside.