William Knoff - ARRIVING - LOUNGE<br/><br/>Ok, so Roulette wasn't the best way to wager money, or the best game to play while drinking.  Still, I hadn't lost terribly much more than I'd won last week playing 21.  Not more than twice that, I thought.  I hoped.  Monte Carlo was the city that truly never slept.  I'd been to Las Vegas, and even with it's neon glow, it just could not compare to the high stakes excitement that Monaco offered.  Lights burned bright long into the night, the sounds of cars, and people, and everything else.  I loved this place, and even with the casino from my home town, Gatineau, paled, there was simply no comparison.  Even when losses exceeded winnings.  It was the excitement, the noise, the people, the women.   That was what made the games fun, and after a day or two of recuperation, I'd be back at the tables again.<br/><br/>This morning, and it was technically afternoon, since it was pushing 1 pm, I decided to walk the short distance to the club.  Pick up an English paper, and maybe some cigarettes, and walk the alcohol induced fuzziness out of my brain, before ordering my usual scotch and water at the club.  It was early, for the club, but if there was nothing else going on, I'd have a drink or two, something to eat, then see what dogs were available, and perhaps take one for a walk.  The park was always busy during the day, and evening, with lots of owners walking their dogs.  So public, so humiliating, so many opportunities to torture just the right girl, or boy!<br/><br/>The doors were already propped open as I climbed the steps, and entering I flashed the same old guard inside my same old smile, and my pass, and walked inside the cool dark expanse of the club, heading off to my right for the lounge.  I recognized Laurenne, and gave her a wave as I staked out a table by slapping my paper, cigarettes, and sunglasses down on it.  Then, seeing no pets in attendance, something that should be seen too, I walked to the bar to retrieve my drink, which was waiting for me as I approached.<br/><br/>