Chapter 11.1
Friday, the first day of the tournament was a beautiful sunny and hot day in Las Vegas. Though not officially summer, temperatures had been in triple digits just a few days earlier and was predicted to persist throughout the weekend. Then by chance a freak weather incident occurred, dropping temperatures over twenty degrees and settling in the high 80s. There was a good chance temperatures could spike again before the end of the weekend. But for Las Vegas this was a welcomed cold snap.
The one thing that Dee and Julie hadn't considered during their grueling pretournament workouts, was the impact on their physical appearances. Not only did they no longer look their age, but they could pass for a twentysomething if they wanted to. They were tan, fit and more healthy than they'd been in decades. As a result, they'd spent considerable amounts of money on matching brightly colored outfits, a different one for each day, and of course in the latest styles. They easily won the fashion side of the event.
Their first event was Women's Doubles 4.5, their opponents were a pair of young Filipino women; Dee recognized one from the UNLVs women's tennis team. The trouble with playing National Tennis Rating Program (NTRP) was that older players would often have to play younger players who had the advantage of youth. Additionally, often there were players who were much stronger than their ratings, either by fluke or on purpose. Their opponents had done their homework and looked at Dee and Julie's tournament histories. Seeing that they were much older, their strategy was to run the older women back and forth, tiring them from chasing lobs and drop shots. Their plan didn't work.
Dee's serves and Julie's net play proved too much for the younger women. Despite being very good players and having many good rallies, they were no match. With her slicing spin serve, Dee pulled them hard to the right leaving little choice for a good return accept to Julie who was waiting at the net for a winner. Defensively, when receiving serves, as planned Julie played the deuce court while Dee played the ad side. Their opponents' serves were strong. They had a nice variety of top spin slices and mixed the occasional flat and hard cannonball in for good measure. However, it's what Dee and Julie had practiced for and easily dispatched their opponents. Facing their accurate lobs would have easily worn down any average doubles team, Dee and Julie's age. But it never had a chance. Both Dee and Julie ran down every lob and drop shot scoring winners on most. After shaking hands, the losers were very gracious and wished Dee and Julie good luck.
They left the court covered in sweat, with only two hours before the first match of their Women's Doubles 50 competition. Although Dee should have been playing in the 60's age group, Julie was in her fifties and as a team they had to play at the lower age grouping. It was a quick ride to the Suncoast Hotel and Casino. It sat one exit west of Darling Tennis Center (DTC) and just off Summerlin Parkway, where they'd gotten a room for the weekend. They showered alone so there would be no temptation to play with each other and each got a quick nap in before heading back to the courts.
Playing in your age group presented another type of risk; you could run into much stronger players, 5.0 or better. They'd be roughly the same age, but their skills may be far advanced. In this case, Dee and Julie were the stronger players. Using the strategy their Filipino opponents had planned for them, Dee and Julie quickly finished off their first round 6-0, 6-0 and hardly broke a sweat.
Their two victories didn't go unnoticed; they ran into many friends, men and women, acquaintances from league as well as the legal profession. Most were surprised to find the two rivals teamed up. As they mingled with friends laughing and joking, Dee and Julie spied on their next 4.5 adversaries. Two experienced African American women nicked named Serena & Venus. Not that they looked like the two professional sisters, but they played smart like them. One was a large woman, well over six feet tall and more than thirty pounds overweight. Looking at her you'd never think she'd be good at tennis. But looks were deceiving.
She was extremely quick and strong, able to pass her opponents down the alley with practiced ease. The other was a smaller cute younger looking woman who had great hands and reflexes and a deadly topspin serve. For their second match in the Women's Doubles 50s age group, they faced the winners of last year's contest. The defending champions were an odd couple, a pudgy short white woman and a long graceful Asian woman with a reputation of being "a wall", able to return anything thrown her way. Tomorrow Dee and Julie would have their hands full, but they felt confident of their skills and most important how well they worked together. The tournament didn't just draw locals but people from all over the USA looking for an excuse to come to Las Vegas.
As the first day of the tournament, it meant this evening was the mixer. It was open to all the players, their families and anyone associated with the tournament. It was held in the grand ballroom at the Suncoast Hotel and Casino, the host hotel, where most of the out-of-town players and their families were staying. It was a combination of buffet, dancing and an open wine bar. Since their first match wasn't scheduled until 9AM, at Dee's insistence their curfew was 11PM, no excuses. That would assure them of at least seven hours of sleep.
Joining the party fashionably late, Carl strolled into the gathering capturing the eyes of all the women and some of the men. He was wearing a white skintight compression shirt, khaki slacks, tan loafers and no socks. Those who knew him couldn't believe it was him. He'd been keeping a low profile since his transformation. When Gail Summer sensed her master was near, and instinctively turned in the right direction, she watched breathlessly as the Adonis figure strolled through the hall. When she was finally able to breathe again, she tossed the remainder of her drink down her throat and left her friends to greet him. "Dr. Newman...it's good to see you. You're looking as handsome as ever. Are you looking for Dee?" Seeing her he smiled. "Hello Gail. Thank you. It's, good to see you, too."
Before he could ask, Gail replied softly, "Master, it is good that you have joined us. Dee is here somewhere, she's got an early morning match, but I doubt if she's turned in this early. Would you like me to find her?"
Smiling more broadly now, he pulled her closer and whispered in her ear, "I'd like to fuck that ass of yours, but we'll have to wait and see." Then pulling back from the blushing woman he continued, "No, thank you, don't worry about looking for her. I'll find her, soon enough and I've always got her cell number."
Beaming Gail continued the small talk as several more women approached. Most were from Gail's tennis league, others teammates. A few were around when Gail caught him playing hooky from work, and of course there were stories. She'd shooed them away back then, now he was "red meat". She introduced them and the women melted as they chatted about nothing in particular while breathing in his potent pheromones. It wasn't something he could control, so before he gained too much attention he politely excused himself. He wandered around the hall, chatting with friends and acquaintances, and enjoying the delicious hors d'oeuvres. He must have had an influence on some of the wait staff, too. One drop dead gorgeous Latina kept bringing him tasty morsels. Spying Julie, he knew Dee wasn't far away, the two had become almost inseparable.
Like most of his women, they could feel the presence of their master well before seeing or hearing him. Such was the case with Julie as it was with Gail. As he continued to traverse the ballroom, Julie turned to see her master. He approached. With a huge grin on her face, she pulled on his arm and reached up to plant a kiss on his cheek. Returning her affection, he pulled her into a bear hug as she inhaled more of his pheromones and his cologne.. "How'd you do, with your matches today?" She felt his cock growing and her panties dampen. If she didn't break free in the next few seconds she'd lose all control, fall to her knees and begin blowing him among all present. He let her free. "We won both matches, ma..." she bit back on the title, knowing others could hear and that they were being watched. To those watching, the kiss and hug seemed innocent enough. Those who knew him and Julie surely knew Dee was partnered with her one-time rival. Not far away Dee was the center of attention in a small group of admirers, friends and league acquaintances. As if holding a post-match press conference, she answered questions about particular points in both matches. Her harmless flirting had many in the group and beyond hoping that her long marriage to her husband had taken a turn for the worst, so they could have a chance.
That evening, she had turned down several room keys, and offers to have breakfast the next morning. She politely explained her early morning match meant she'd be turning in early, thus keeping her admirer's hopes alive. A few of Dee's lesbian girlfriends were picking up interesting vibes, that had their "gaydar" pinging constantly. They'd continue to watch discreetly for any signs of confirmation.
When Carl finally caught up with Dee, their greeting had been so passionate that those who observed were seconds from asking if they needed a room. Forgetting they were in public, the couple blushed slightly. It had been several days since either had seen each other conscious. Their long hours at both work and play had taken a toll. To spectators, it was obvious the couple were still very much in love, dashing the hopes of many.
"Julie told me you won both matches, congratulations! Did you win it fairly or did you enchant your opponents?" Until that very moment, Dee had never once considered that possibility.
"Seriously, you think I'd resort to that?" her scolding obvious by the tone of her voice. There was no question as to her feelings on the subject. Carl admired her for that honest approach to the game they both loved; unsure he'd make the same decision if the roles were reversed. "No," he confessed, "just needed to hear you say it."
Saturday would be a very busy and physical day for them. They had a possibility of four matches. If successful they'd have two more on Sunday. Electrified by the two wins and the party, Dee would have normally stayed up, but she and Julie excused themselves. Carl walked with them to the elevator one arm around each. "Good idea to get a room so close to the courts. Any idea how much time between matches?" In the confines of the small elevator, his pheromones were playing havoc with both women.
Once inside and the door was secured, Dee dropped to her knees, ripped open his trousers and swallowed his cock. Julie captured her master's mouth. Of course, he was ready to fuck. Then it occurred to him, he may be jeopardizing their chances to win their matches. They could be too tired to play their best. However, now that they'd begun, how could he get them to stop? They'd normally fuck until the early morning hours. No. That wasn't acceptable. Their dedication was paying off. They were unstoppable if they could maintain their stamina. Dee had him in her throat, orally worshiping him the way she had perfected over the decades. Julie was tongue wrestling and swapping spit, as he exposed her large tits and played with her nipples. They were on a marathon trajectory if he didn't do something.
He had an idea. When he broke their kiss, Julie swooned, he caught her and carried her to the king-size bed. "You both need your rest, but I don't want you waking in the middle of the night trying to scratch that itch. So tonight, you both get one oral orgasm and I'll share my single ejaculant with both. You decide how you want to receive your orgasm, but it mustn't take more than ten minutes."
Dee suggested a daisy chain, she suck his cock, Julie would eat her pussy and he would eat Julie. It was a little cramped, but they managed. Dee hadn't had his cock in over a week, despite her private day. That was due to the tennis practices. Julie knew exactly what her mistress liked, instead of bringing her off quickly she was set on running out the clock. Carl could make Julie cum within a minute, but he wanted her to really enjoy it and brought her to the edge only to back off several times before the time was up. As if choreographed Dee and Julie squealed together as they came simultaneously. Being capable of holding off his ejaculant indefinitely he waited until the girls came, then as promised stood over them as he finished himself on their beautiful tits and faces. There was so much cum, they rubbed it into their breasts as if it were a cream lotion, then ate what remained from each other's faces ending with a sensuous kiss. They showered one at a time. Reclining in bed he watched them run around the room naked, jiggling titties and wiggling asses, tending to their nightly hygiene. They teased him mercilessly with their bodies to a point where he almost countermand his decision. Once they'd laid out their outfits for tomorrow's matches, they were ready to rest. The large bed easily accepted all three of them. They slept naked as was now their habit, with Carl in the middle. It wasn't long before all three were off to sleep.
The next morning Carl woke to a beehive of activity as one at a time the women emerged from the bathroom with towels wrapped around their heads, and as naked as the night before. It was looking like it would be a windy day in Las Vegas. Which is not unusual it happens often in the late Spring. The problem is that strong wind and tennis don't mix very well.
Living in Las Vegas for almost twenty years, Dee had played countless league and tournament matches under these conditions. She didn't like them, but like the heat, it was part of life in Las Vegas. The only good news was that they were playing doubles and not singles, doubles shortened the court so that it shouldn't impact play as badly. The hardest part of the game for her would be service. She had a high toss. The wind would move the ball in unpredictable ways. However, if she were to strike it with her normal stroke, her slicing serve would be more lethal. The spinning ball's bounce would be more exaggerated, making an already difficult return almost impossible. As for Julie, she'd grown up in Las Vegas. She knew how to wait for the right moment between gusts to serve. Her topspin serve would also be aided by the wind.
The Darling Tennis Center (DTC) is a sprawling tennis park, built on the Badlands National Park of Las Vegas, part of a 110-acre Sports Complex which opened almost twenty years ago. It's dotted with twenty-three hard courts along its perimeter with a 3,000-seat stadium in the center. As a result, a few courts tucked away in the southwestern corner had more protection from the winds than others. This fact was only known to local regular players who'd experienced it firsthand. Dee and Julie had a possible four matches today, assuming they won both their second-round matches.
Before exiting the hotel, Dee and Julie could hear the strong wind and see the bending palm trees. Checking her phone, Julie looked crestfallen. The forecast called for high winds all day. Asking her to cheer up, Dee reminded her that the wind didn't play favorites. Everyone would be dealing with the same conditions and perhaps it might be a cooler day. She checked her phone again, there were no indications it would be any cooler, but she kept that information to herself.
They drove to Las Vegas from San Diego exclusively for this tournament. In their late twenties, they'd met at the famed Balboa Park, Morley Field Tennis Center. They were both members of the Balboa Tennis Club. Like many San Diegans they played league tennis and were on the same team. Temperatures in San Diego are particularly mild compared to Las Vegas. Even in the dog days of August, temperatures rarely broke 100 degrees. Morley Field Tennis Center sits mostly on a bluff and is often cooled by an ocean breeze. It's only in the eastern part of the county where summer temperatures can reach the triple digits, but it always cools once the sun goes down.
Not known to be a particularly windy city, with the exception of a few weeks in early March, during the normal rainy season, or during late Autum, when the Santa Ana winds blow. San Diegans have probably the best weather in the country year-round.
During the summer months, everyone is outdoors. There was so much to do outside that like most people they didn't just play one sport like tennis, they were active in many. From cycling and hiking to scuba diving, riding jets skis and boating. The pair were young and in very good shape, confident they could run down anything Dee and Julie threw at them. But the unforgiving Las Vegas winds were something which they'd not prepared.
Dee and Julie defeated the pair easily, winning their first match of the day 6-0, 6-0, and advancing to the next round for the Women's 4.5 Doubles Crown. The two San Diegans shrugged off the loss and enjoyed the rest of their time in Las Vegas as most tourist do, gambling, watching shows and working on their tans.
Their second match was against two familiar tennis acquaintances, they'd met individually during league play. Both were fierce competitors. Having only played them during singles competition they had no idea what to expect from the old girls when they faced them in doubles.
One problem was these weren't the old girls they played in league. They looked to be half their ages, in fact before the coin toss, they weren't sure they were the same women. Another problem was that the wind hadn't died down at all. In fact, it's strength may have increased. Although not unaccustomed to plain in windy conditions, Dee and Julie had the advantage of their first match and understood well what they could get away with and what would be a fool's errand under these conditions.
Their opponents were typical fiftysomething housewives, who carried too many extra pounds, from years of only caring for their families. Both had young children to care for and played club tennis to compensate for their executive husbands and their extra marital affairs. Tennis allowed them to let loose their frustrations and get much needed exercise, though the benefits were neutralized by their after-tennis lunches and consumption of alcohol.
Although they had sound groundstrokes and a decent service game, their strategy was predictable and proved no match against Dee's "wind assisted" right slicing serve and Julie's net game. The wind did play havoc for both teams and allowed their opponents some success, it wasn't enough. They were defeated 6-3, 6-2. The pair of wins assured them of playing the semi-finals for both Women's 4.5 Doubles and Women's 50 Doubles.
Before leaving the courts to rest for their afternoon and evening semi-final matches, Dee and Julie watched their possible next round opponents play. Dee noticed that both teams' foot faulted badly but never when the roving tennis officials were around and weren't called on the rule violation. The good news was that as the day wore on, fewer matches were scheduled as teams and players were eliminated. As a result, the officials assigned to the tournament were better able to cover the fewer courts and rules were more closely observed.
Tennis Officials came from all walks of life; some were professionals and made a livelihood following tournaments around the country while others had full time jobs as attorneys, teachers or sales executives with a passion for the game and the sanctity for the rules. It was often a thankless job. However, an important one. One didn't take on the role to make friends or to be admired by the crowds. They did it because they loved the game and wanted to see it played at the highest levels. Specific rules helped officials to deal with the Prima Donnas and those that followed only some of the rules. In tournaments, the rules applied to all. It was never a good idea to take on an official. Even the veteran officials had their limits. There were an amazing few that thought they were entitled to act the same as professional players, who depending on their stardom were treated much differently than club players. Unfortunately, amateur level tennis officials weren't always as plentiful due to the expense of hiring a full crews or the number of officials available at any one time.
In Las Vegas where there weren't any indoor courts available to the public at affordable prices, the tennis tournament season was short and fewer officials were available. Those that were available were focused on collegiate and Junior's tennis, the latter feeding into the former. Adult amateur tennis got what remained. They were seldom experienced officials with any passion for the game. Usually, they were younger people putting in time to gain experience so that they could move on to college ITA matches or hoping to officiate at professional tournaments. As a result, they tended to be content with simply handling the occasional scoring disputes when asked. Otherwise, they roamed the courts showing the colors, while others may start matches flipping a coin and enforcing the five-minute warmup rule.
One of Dee's greatest pet peeves were how some players would ignore certain rules while insisting on others. Foot faulting in her mind, was the greatest of these sins. And it was so easy to fix. A player needed only to move back away from the baseline a few inches. When she found the lead official, she looked at him intensely, then calmly explained that she wouldn't tolerate foot faults at this level of play, and it was a blatant rule violation. Staring more intensely she suggested a chaired official would be the best solution.
Although the lead official had the authority to implement Dee's suggestion he was obliged to confer with the tournament director who like the lead official became immediately enchanted by Dee's intense gaze and her abundant physical charms. So, it was decided to chair the semi-final matches as well as the finals.
The wind was a continuing factor. Impacting the game at all levels of play. As the day wore on, the hotter it became, at times players felt like they were in a blast furnace. But like troopers, they carried on, drinking plenty of fluids and eating or drinking salty juices to avoid cramping. Pickle and olive juices were favorites, but Gatorade and its knock offs were the dominant drinks of choice.
By the time of their Women's 4.5 Doubles semi-final match, it was over a hundred degrees. The lead official kept a close watch on the rising temperature. It was his duty to suspend play if it got much hotter.
When they'd learned they had been assigned court 14, the one tucked against the slope of the Durango Drive off-ramp where they'd had previous success, they were elated. The winds were calmer there and they knew how to win on that court having already been successful.
The official, a brown man looking to be in his fifties and very fit, went over the rules with the players at the net and then flipped his coin in the air where Dee called heads. Winning the toss, she elected to choose the southern side of the court. That would have their opponents starting on the more windy north side. Thinking they could turn the tables, the blonde from Utah elected to receive. This couldn't have worked out better for Julie and Dee. With the wind to their backs Dee's spinning slice serve would have the extra aid of the wind making it more deadly, provided she could place it properly. They moved into place and began their five-minute warm up. The umpire called off each minute, "Three minutes." The women moved behind the service line and began practicing their serves. The wind would be a factor on the north side of the court.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this semi-final match is the best-of-three tie-break sets. To the left of the chair, from Las Vegas Nevada, Dee Newman & Julie Betts, and to the right of the chair, from Salt Lake City Sarah Brown & Mary Jo Taylor. Newman/Bets won the toss and chose side, Brown/Taylor elected to receive. Time!"
Sarah Brown, the blonde, took her place on the deuce court after slapping rackets with her partner, the thin brunette Mary Jo Taylor. Dee was their strongest server and began with a strong slicing serve that hit just inside the service box in the right corner (from Sarah's perspective) and broke sharply. Sarah swung but the ball was no longer there. Dee had her first of many aces, "15 luv!"
Crowding the center line Mary Jo anticipated the same medicine, but Dee placed her serve in the left corner and Mary Jo now had a backhand and over ran the ball as it jumped over her left shoulder. Mary Jo had to jerk her head to avoid being hit in the face with the spinning serve, "30 Luv!"
The women were both embarrassed and caught off guard, not sure if the wind played apart or their opponents were just that good. Sarah was ready for Dee this time and moved slightly more to her left. Dee decided to try a hard flat serve up the center, although she rarely used that serve due to the strain it put on her shoulder, but it was a potent weapon she used when she needed to mix things up a bit. She put good pace on the serve and again it caught Sarah off guard as she moved back to her left catching the ball on the rise, but her timing was off. Instead of a good return she hit it cross court deep and off the court out of play, "40 Luv!"
Mary Jo was determined to return Dee's serve and took a position in the center of the base line making sure she had enough reaction time. Seeing that she'd missed her first attempt so badly, Dee thought it made sense to give her another with perhaps a little more spin. Waiting for a gust of wind to subside, Dee added an extra motion and then served. Just as she struck the ball the wind gusted, causing the ball to corkscrew as it landed in the shallow part of the service court. It bounced high and Mary Jo hit it on the frame of her racquet. It sent the ball over her head and landed behind her, bouncing off the wind screened chain-link fence. "Game, Newman, 1st game."