Tales from The Ruby Plaza Ch. 01

Never in his life had he been to Las Vegas or stepped foot in a luxury casino and hotel resort like this. Not even an hour had passed and he already felt that this was like a completely different world. All those times he had attended basketball games or stepped foot on golf courses were nothing compared to this. Seth's mind wandered off to the V.I.P. area yet again while he made his way to a gold plated elevator and stepped in. Two women and an older man joined him in the elevator as he now had to wait for a long ride with the two of them. Seth didn't pay any attention to the guests standing idly in the elevator alongside him. Several minutes passed and they left after stepping off into the tenth floor. The next ride up was to the nineteenth floor and now that he was all alone in the elevator, he figured it was a good time to call Michael on his cellphone for a status report. Within seconds, the phone was ringing as he placed it up to his right ear. It clicked and the man answered.

"Hello. Seth, is that you?"

"Yes, hello Mr. Johnson, how are you doing today? I just got off the plane to Vegas about an hour or so ago. I'm checked into the Ruby Plaza and making my way up to my room."

"That's great to hear. Did you get the card for the V.I.P. access?"

Seth was almost startled by this question to come so soon during this phone call.

"Yeah, I got it. I was gonna ask you about that. What the hell is this V.I.P. thing all about? You didn't say anything to me about needing a special membership card when we spoke on the phone last week."

"It's something you'll need to meet with my contact for your story. He has agreed to meet with me in a place that only he feels safe. You'll learn why he prefers this when you see the V.I.P. place yourself, don't worry. I'm gonna be expecting you around eleven PM tonight. Are you fine with that?"

"Yeah, I think so. I can take a nap to prepare for the meeting tonight."

"Good, don't be late. Eleven PM, you get down there to the V.I.P. area. I'll find you after I've had a couple drinks."

Just like that, the phone clicked as Michael hung up and left Seth standing there pondering a reply. Yet again, he was left wondering what this allure was to the V.I.P. section of the resort. Patience was his friend, as later in the night he would learn about the place for himself. The flight had made him exhausted from last night, though it was excitement of stepping into a city he had never visited that motivated Seth to push ahead of the fatigue he was feeling. Tonight's events would be the reason he made this trip to begin with and he couldn't wait to go down into the V.I.P. area of this grandiose place. By the time Seth got to his hotel room, he went on and unpacked his suitcase. He brought two suits with him, not counting the pair of pants and jacket he wore on the flight. Among the suitcase was a laptop which he used for work purposes when travelling. A few other bare necessities were included along with a laptop and phone charger.

Taking the V.I.P. card he had just acquired, Seth shoved it into his black leather wallet and sat it down on the night stand so he wouldn't forget it. The suite itself was a step up from the luxury he had already witnessed thus far in the hotel. The walls were a faded white color with similar gold lining from down in the lobby. Red carpets covered hard reflective tile. The bed itself was a king size made up with silk robed ruby red sheets and pillows. For the time being, it almost felt as if he had checked in to some fantastic castle for a week. It was funny how little history Seth knew of the Ruby Plaza, as he had just learned of the resort's existence just a week ago. The hotel and casino resort itself had a long history, dating back decades ago into those 'good ole days' of the mafia's rule in Las Vegas. Over fifty years ago, Ruby Plaza was originally founded under a different name.

Various changes had come over the decades in Las Vegas, beginning in the nineteen-eighties when corporate power and entrepreneurs moved into the city. The power of the old mafia had deteriorated while landmark casinos were destroyed and the new mega-resort era that the city was known for today. Ruby Plaza was one of the few old mob hotels that survived, all thanks to the original owners accepting a cheap buyout from a corporation whom planned to spend over a billion dollars extending onto the old building and refurbishing it under a theme based on Bellagio Italy. The former name of the casino had been all but purged from historical accounts and Ruby Plaza was born in the year of nineteen ninety four. It didn't take long for the name itself to begin rising up among the most well respected hotel and casino resorts. A decade into the new century, Ruby Plaza was the second ranked luxury hotel in all of Las Vegas by consumer reports and tourist traveler guides.

Over the course of the nineties decade, the casino began to move up the ranks of the hottest spots for poker players and traveling gamblers. "Johnny's Room" was the official name given to the game room. The name itself was dedicated to poker legend Johnny Moss, whom had a history with the original casino before it became Ruby Plaza. Johnny Moss helped sponsor the renovation shortly before his death of old age, one year after Ruby Plaza's grand opening. The higher stakes 'big game' deals became a known attraction, as many local gamblers began to take Ruby Plaza as their home base all thanks to the higher table limits. Many professional poker players began using the game room, as pots were known to exceed over a million dollars with stakes raising over six thousand to nine thousand dollars. Going into the new century, Ruby Plaza partnered into the World Poker Tour. The tournament events still found a home in live television broadcasts directly from the game room.

Outside the resort building was one of the most beautiful attractions to the Ruby Plaza resort. Rightfully named 'The Fountains of Ruby Plaza', a massive choreographed water fountain that moved with light shows and music. The fountain itself was visible throughout other areas of the city as the water fountain shows were a daily event, yet sometimes had cancellations due to high winds. The fountains extended over eight acres of man made land and had cost nearly fifty millions dollar to build under the first renovations of the mega-resort. At night time, the hotel building lit up in array of different collars with yellow and a hue of gold being the most commonly visible light. For this reason alone, Ruby Plaza was known for the allure it represented in night photos of Las Vegas. Sometimes the lighting changed in colors depending on the holidays, as red and green hues were used in time for the Christmas spirit. Such enchanting appeal was one of many things that made the luxury hotel and casino resort the landmark it was today.

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The night had come through the following hours while Seth laid down to take a nap when the hands of the clock moved past twelve to begin the PM hours. His dreams were nothing that he recalled upon awakening from his much needed slumber. Forty minutes after ten PM on the clock, he was out of bed and had taken a shower to prepare for tonight's meeting. Taking the man's words seriously from the office, Seth decided to wear his full black suit for this meeting. Underneath the pinstriped black pants and matching jacket was a simple white shirt, but with no tie. He didn't enjoy wearing ties and often kept the top few buttons undone beneath the collar. After tucking his cellphone and wallet into the inner pocket of his jacket, Seth was prepared to make the journey down to the ground floor again and find that black elevator. The V.I.P. section of the resort was the next destination that awaited him as this day was coming to an end with the midnight hours coming up.

He took his time in the lobby after taking the first elevator down. Seth was tempted to go off exploring what the resort had to offer with sight seeing. Though he wasn't the kind of man to gamble, he was curious to see what the slot machines looked like. If only he had a couple hundred bucks to go on a spending spree with, it would've been possible to blow some money in a men's clothing store he had passed by. Seth's attention had already been stolen once today by the gorgeous art and interior architecture design, but tonight's event was for job purposes. It didn't take him long to find the black elevator, as it was sitting just beyond the V.I.P. offices that he had entered earlier. Upon stepping towards the elevator, a man and a woman brushed past him, nearly tripping him. They didn't say anything after walking past him. As his eyes turned back to the elevator, two black men stepped in front of him. One was wearing an all white suit with a double breasted coat and tie while the other man had a cheaper black jacket covering a muscular built body that was visible from a white T-shirt. The man in the white suit turned and spoke to his companion.

"Remember what I said. You fuck this up, our asses gonna get grassed. You feel me?"

"Yeah, I feel you."

"Make sure you do."

After the small exchange of words, one of them pushed the button to call the elevator. Seth stood behind them waiting for the doors to come sliding open. Both of the men were taller than him. The man in the suit had his hair braided in cornrows and with visible diamond studs in both ears. Seth didn't utter a word to them when the elevator 'ding' was heard and the doors came sliding open. He joined them, stepping into the elevator. One of the men pushed the button to head down stairs. The elevator itself was black tinted with only three buttons on the control. It was apparent that the elevator served only one purpose to go down below into the V.I.P. area and back up. Seth couldn't help but anticipate this moment, as he had been so curious to learn what awaited him in this section of the mega-resort. After a few minutes of waiting, the elevator came to a halt and the doors opened.

"Come on, let's go."

The suit wearing man spoke to his companion again as they wasted no time stepping out of the elevator and into a short hallway. The walls were painted white and the floor was grey, completely different from anything Seth had seen from the main lobby and interior of the building. Through the passage, booming bass beats could be heard growing louder as Seth made his way down towards a door with two security guards standing in front of it. Both guards were tall, bald headed men with muscular builds visible from the short sleeves of their black shirts. He watched the two men reach into their pockets, pulling out their V.I.P. cards that they showed to the guards. Seth came to a halt and reached into his pocket. He fumbled through his wallet to grab his V.I.P. card while the large black door opened to allow the two men entry. Now it was Seth's turn to flash his V.I.P. entrance membership.

One of the guards took his card, examining it before handing it back to him and then quietly stepping aside to allow him entry. When the door opened, Seth was greeted with the loud music becoming truly audible beyond the booming bass. It was something of a slow jam song with bass and drums. The grey walls changed to a gold color upon entering the room. Seth watched as more security guards stood near the entrance beyond another door. The two black men who had entered before him were now standing up against the wall while a short security guard was frisking them for any weapons. With the card still in his hands, Seth stood there watching as the security guard pulled out a gun that was hidden on the man in the white suit. He turned around and nodded, giving up his firearm without any argument. Once they were done, the guard opened the next door, allowing them entry into the V.I.P. area. Like before, it was now Seth's turn again.

"Let's see here, you must be new cause I haven't ever seen you come through here before."

A security guards spoke while another one examined Seth's membership card. He then moved a bit where a computer terminal was set up with two monitors. Seth watched as his card was scanned through a slider for verification. A beep was heard from one of the computers, verifying his membership. He then decided to wave his arms up, preparing to be frisked to prove he had no weapons on him. The security guard handed back his card and then he was properly patted down by the other guard. It took just another minute as Seth could only patiently wait much longer to witness what the V.I.P. section of the resort had to offer. He was given the nod from the other security guard and entrance was granted. Slipping the card back into his wallet, he adjusted his jacket and then stepped through the door as it was opened for him. Once he stepped through the door, Seth's eyes marveled over the immense room before him.

The room stretched out to a massive size. There were passage ways in every corner, leading to other rooms. Many people were active in the V.I.P. section, as Seth's eyes wandered around countless people. There was a row of round white tables in one corner that seemed to be for meetings and concessions. Across the front wall was a long black bar set up with a bartender and several seats. He stepped down the stairs leading down, still glancing all around to make out what was a large room with a number of people. The music was loud, but nothing up tempo or dance-able. It seemed to be present only to set the mood for what was a party atmosphere. Without studying any individual people among the crowd, Seth stood there momentarily until a waiter in a white shirt with a red bow-tie approached him.

"Good evening, sir. Is there anything I can get for you?"

Turning around to see the waiter's smiling face, Seth was slightly startled. The man spoke again.

"Would you like a drink, sir?"

Seth nodded.

"Yeah, sure. Get me a glass of water."

"We don't supply them in glasses, sir. Would you mind it being bottled?"

"That's no problem."

"I'll bring you back a bottle of water, no problems."

After speaking, the water stepped away and then Seth decided to walk a little bit to the bar. He turned around, walking backwards for a few steps while his eyes still gazed away at the party atmosphere surrounding him. The V.I.P. of the resort was almost like a mini night club built underground, only for the most exclusive of special people. He was lucky to be here as Seth had to remind himself this was all for a job and not to go wild drinking tonight. As he stood at the bar, he caught sight of a black haired girl just down the right side of the bar. She wore a black dress hugging over a curvy body. They caught eye contact momentarily and he could see a soft smile over her face from the distance. Before he could study her appearance, the waiter approached Seth with a bottle of water over a metal tray.

"Your water, sir."

"Thank you."

He gave the waiter a smile before taking the bottle from his tray.

"Are you Mr. Dupree? Mr. Johnson has been waiting for you."

It was a surprise to Seth that the waiter knew of him. Perhaps it was Michael sending him all along. He didn't expect to made out in the crowd this quickly.

"Yes, that's me. Where can I find him?"

"I'll escort you to him. He has reserved a table awaiting your arrival."

Unscrewing the top to the water bottle, Seth took a quick drink while he followed the waiter through the crowd, leaving the bar behind him. They stepped through a number of people walking back and forth, some of them with drinks in their hands and others enjoying the light music. Off into the bottom right corner of the room sat several round tables. A few people were seated at them while there was a row of more comfortable seats arranged with black fancy cushion seats and matching black tables. Seth guessed that those tables must have been reserved for special people that were regulars every night. In the distance, there was a black man sitting at one of the tables all by himself. His hair was short in a light layer. He wore a pinstriped black suit and the gold watch over his left wrist shined from afar. Seth shifted his sight to the tables when he finally witnessed Michael's old face grinning in the middle of a table with a large goblet of wine sitting next to him. Another man sat next to Michael, sipping on a glass of whiskey.

"There he is. Have a seat, Seth. It's good to see you again."

"Good evening, Mr. Johnson. Thank you for having me here."

Seth replied upon having a seat. The old man grinned at him. He wore a navy blue colored jacket over a white shirt. The grey hairs in his beard and hair clearly represented the age of a man who had seen several decades in life.

"I want you to meet my friend here. I'm sure you're familiar with the name Rick Smith. If you're not, then you're covering the wrong sport."

In an instance, Seth's eyes widened. Rick Smith was one of the hottest names rising in the PGA Tour over the last several years. He was known as a hot shot in the golf world, nearing his thirties and taking on Rory Mcllroy in the last tournament where he finished in second place. Smith sat there in a button up dark yellow shirt, sipping on his drink as his brown eyes glanced over to Seth's face. His hair was short and black, his face cleanly shaved. The man took another look at Seth while he was greeted.

"Oh yes, it's my honor to be here and meet you. So you are my contact who has a bombshell for a story?"

Michael laughed at Seth's words.

"Rick here has a big story that he would like to break. It's something major that could reach headlines, but I doubt it's gonna do anything to change how the game is planned."

"Really? Well, what's the big scoop?"

The golfer glared into Seth's eyes before uttering only a single word in his low voice.

"Steroids."

Seth raised his eyebrows.

"Steroids in golf? That's what you've got for me?"

"Yes. I've got connections and enough evidence that I could turn the entire sport upside down. There's so much of this going on behind the scenes, it'll be a huge bombshell. You interested in doing a story with me? I wanna come clean and confess."

The older man shook his head at the reply.

"The only problem is that doping has been around for so long, it probably won't change much if it makes headlines. You're forgetting that there has been other famous golfers joke about it in the past. This ain't football or baseball where the public would be horrified to know their icons are juicing. No one cares about golf like the other major sports."

Rick ignored Michael, still looking into Seth's face as he carried on.

"The old man here might be right, but it'll muddy the waters and destroy reputations. That's all I give a shit about after what I've been through these past two months."

Something clicked in Seth's mind. This entire story and confession from the professional was motivated by some form of vengeance. He had to consider the possibility of this hurting his reputation as a journalist. What was the safest route to this story? The question lingered through Seth's brain for a few seconds before he made a decision and replied to Rick.

"That's interesting. I'd love to be the guy who breaks the story of your confession. We can start there and move on from there. Let your confession be the first story before you break the other ones."

"You're on. Just know that I'll only talk to you from this casino. We can arrange something in a few days, I'll sit down with you and give you my whole story."

"Sounds like a good plan to me."

"I'll be in touch with you, Seth. Whenever Rick here is ready, we'll call you up and arrange something tomorrow or by Wednesday."

"I like the sound of that. We'll get together for sure. I have to thank you Mr. Johnson for paying for my fees out here. It was also nice of you to pay that crazy fee to get me a V.I.P. membership to this place."