The Big Scam
Tags: Scam, Vegas, Business, Friends

He had drained his bank accounts. He couldn’t believe he had fallen for that scam. How was he supposed to pay his bills? How could he tell anyone about this? Jay considered himself fairly successful for his age. Fresh out of college, he had graduated Cuma sum Laude from his University in a busy and bustling city in Washington State. A collegiate athlete, a track star, who received his business degree scored himself the best job Tacoma, Washington could offer him: a job at a soon-to-be tech giant. Jay, however, was naïve. With all of his successes, he never considered the possibility of someone able to take his place. On a crisp fall evening, he found himself slowly lowering himself into his luxury, leather, wheelie chair in his home office. He felt the stress of the day disappear as the cushions gently hugged him. Scrolling through his email, he came across a message that looked very peculiar to him. The email read “To Jay Thompson, We know how much work you do. You are very valued at your company. That is why we would like you and 3 of your coworkers to come to Fabulous Las Vegas for a week of networking and gambling.” His chair made a gentle squeak as he leaned back after reading of his opportunity. He then whispered to himself “well, three coworkers…” His decision was not going to be like ordering takeout. The first person who came to mind was Calliope, the sweet and spunky programmer from North Dakota. She was the lead programmer on Jay’s first project. She made him feel welcome in the company. Calliope was definitely invited. Next person to come to mind was the man who interviewed him for his position, Daniel. Daniel is like the Ryan Gosling of head management positions; he’s a snappy dresser, but he knows how to keep it professional. The third person Jay would choose is his best friend and partner at work, Terry. Terry is such a good friend that they’ve promised to be the best man at each other’s weddings. Another, more secret, reason for inviting Terry is that Jay is thinking that maybe he will be one of those lucky guys who finds true love in Vegas. He fell asleep to the happiness he got from the thought that the woman or man for him might be out there… in Vegas. He awoke from his slumber with a pain like someone was behind him trying to force him into a neck brace. He could not move his neck much, but Jay knows how to keep looking at the brighter side.

3 weeks later…

Jay, Calliope, Daniel, and Terry are all lined up waiting for their flight to Las Vegas. To their surprise, someone paid for their seats to be moved up to first class. While they were all very grateful that someone would do this, they had no idea who. The four of them, who were still very confused, enjoyed their almost stale and over salted pretzels and peanuts they received from the flight attendants. After settling in, they met with the company who contacted Jay. They said the four of them were free to spend this first day as they pleased. All of them had different dreams to fulfill. Calliope headed off to watch a “real” magic show, as she described it. Daniel went to a bar to try and meet some locals for some tips and tricks at the casinos. Terry slept in his hotel room because he thought the sheets were literal silk. Jay went to gamble. He found himself to be quite good at blackjack. After turning his 50 dollars into 200, he was about to leave and get himself a good Vegas meal, when a stunning woman caught his eye. She was on the taller side, with a beautiful smile. Something about her just made him stay at the table. As he gently slid 10 dollars in chips towards the dealer, he noticed the woman gave him a wink and a smirk as she threw down 50 in chips. A woman with confidence was something Jay liked. Jay and the woman continued to battle out their bets. Jay tapped out when he was even with his starting 50 dollars, admitted defeat, and tapped out. His reaction to defeat made the woman realize that she had maybe found the person she needed to complete her task. She ran after him and they took a walk outside and introduced herself as Mel. As they were both extroverts, they immediately clicked into an intriguing conversation about their lives. They found that their walking led them to Jay’s hotel, where Terry had just ruined his sleep schedule. They decided to take a visit to the hotel bar to rest their legs. Jay had gotten a little tipsy, but felt safe because Terry was awake as a dog with zoomies. Mel ordered sodas, but began to act tipsy after Jay had, because he would never find out that she wasn’t drinking. This wasn’t her first attempt. Mel knew the exact time to ask Jay if he wanted to get married in Vegas. Terry had gone to the restroom, Jay was about to pass out, and her hand was about to touch his. They found an ordained minister on the street like a stray cat. They were married on the street corner. They linked their bank accounts on the street, Mel transferred all of Jay’s money to her personal checking account and abruptly stopped acting drunk, and took off and ran towards the trees. At least Jay would leave Vegas legally married.