Forty-five minutes later, Mr. Joshua walked into the customer room, followed by Raoul. The Kellers were clearly furious. They were seated at the hard metal table in hard metal chairs, flanked by two security guards, and looked quite put out. Neil Keller was a slender, balding man wearing wire-rimmed glasses, the very epitome of a school principal. Even angry, he looked like a man about to lead the class in reciting the alphabet.

"What the hell is the meaning of this?" he demanded. "You call me down here and leave us both cooling our heels? This is outrageous! We don't have to put up with this kind of behavior!"

Mr. Joshua cut him off with a wave of his hand. "I apologize. If you and your wife will pay what she owes, you can both be on your way."

"How could you let her gamble again?" It was a rhetorical question. He turned to Erika. "And how did you get the money to gamble tonight?"

"Uh..."

"What did you do?"

"I sold the car."

Neil gaped. "The Mercedes?"

"I was trying to make back what I had lost before!"

He turned his gaze to the ceiling. "How much did you lose tonight?"

When she didn't answer, he looked at Mr. Joshua.

"Close to fifty grand," the owner said. "Forty-eight, to be exact."

Neil gasped. "You let her lose that much before you cut her off? Are you nuts?"

"Like we said, we didn't recognize her at first. By the time we caught on, she was actually starting to win. It didn't seem fair to kick her out then."

Neil turned to Erika. "Fifty grand? You had to know what you were in for, didn't you?"

Erika was contrite, an emotion she rarely displayed. "I was ahead for awhile! I thought I could get even and then I promised myself I'd quit forever!"

Neil closed his eyes and pushed up his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose. "This is really the last straw, Erika."

"Neil, no! I can make it back! I'll... I'll get a job! I'll sell my jewelry! We'll be okay."

"You've already sold your jewelry, remember, to pay off your debts last time. All you got left is junk. And what kind of job will you get? What are you good at? I mean, other than spending money that you don't earn?"

Mr. Joshua spoke up before the conversation could degenerate into something ugly. "I take it you don't have the funds to cover your debts?"

"You know we don't. Not right now."

He paused. "What's your house worth?"

"In this market? Have you seen what's happening to home sales lately? We owe more than the house is worth. You can have it as far as I'm concerned."

"Neil! Where would we live?"

"Where would you live, you mean. I can afford a place by myself - I have a job."

"Neil! You wouldn't! This is just a dip in the road! We can get through this!"

"You always say that. What you mean is, I can go into hock for a couple years to pay off your debts, only to have you do it again. I'm not bailing you out this time. You can work out your debts with the club by yourself." He stood up.

Mr. Joshua spoke up before he could leave. "Actually, Neil, the debts were incurred as a married couple and therefore, you're just as much responsible for them."

"I didn't gamble my life away!"

"I know that." He looked at Erika, who was staring miserably at the table top, her normally haughty demeanor shattered. "I may have a solution."

Both husband and wife swiveled their gazes to him. "Yes?"

Mr. Joshua signaled to the two security guards to leave. He jerked his head toward Roaul to go stand in the corner in the semi-darkness.

"Please, sit down," he told Neil, taking the third chair and easing his bulk into it. He smiled at Erika.

Neil, after displaying some reluctance, sat down. He could barely hide his disgust. "This better be good because I'm so mad I think I could actually ... file the papers." He said it with distaste as if the very idea wounded him.

"Neil!" Erika's cheeks flamed red. "A divorce? You wouldn't!"

His tone softened. "You know I love you, baby, but I just can't go on like this. You have to know that."

"But... but ... you can't! I love you, Neil!"

He sighed and turned his attention to Mr. Joshua. "Well?"

"First, I want to tell you a story." Mr. Joshua said. He sat back and pursed his lips. "When I was forty-two, I met a gorgeous woman of twenty-eight that I just had to have. She seemed to be a perfect fit for me. We got married. Like you, Mrs. Keller, she had a sense of entitlement about her, brought on, perhaps, by my position at the club. And, like you, she liked to gamble."

Erika's cheeks flamed red, but she had the wisdom not to speak.

He paused and stared off, as if recalling his old self, all those years ago. "I put up with it for a long time, covering her debts with the other casinos. But finally, I had enough. It broke my heart, but I had to file for divorce. We had a prenup, and much of what she got went to pay off her gambling debts. She walked away with almost nothing."

He scooted back in his chair and shook his head.

"About a year later, she killed herself," Mr. Joshua continued. "Took a bunch of pills and went to sleep. Left a note that said she still loved me."

Raoul, standing in the corner, could see the story resonate with the couple. In the eight years he had worked for Mr. Joshua, he had discovered little of his past, only that he had been married twice. He wondered if the story was true, although from the man's display of emotions, it seemed to be.

Mr. Joshua's eyes were wet as he continued. "Ever since, I always wished I could've found another way to cure her of gambling and give her the humility she needed. That's how I came up with the idea of this, uh, little game, but I never thought I'd ever have the chance to try it out."

"A game? What kind of game?" Neil asked, his suspicions on high alert.

"Let me put it this way. What if I were to agree to wipe out your debts - all of them - if you two agreed to play my game for two weeks - just fourteen days? Would that be of interest to you?"

Neil raised an eyebrow. "I don't know - maybe."

"It depends on the game," Erika said.

"It's an adult game, but there's nothing illegal about it."

"What? 'Adult game?' You mean a sex game, don't you? Are you mad? No way!" She turned to Neil. "Let's go."

"This is not so much about sex as it is about changing your behavior. It might very well save your marriage."

"That's really none of your business," Neil said.

"No, it's not. And you can pay me what you owe instead. I'm just offering a modest alternative in honor of my late ex-wife."

Erika's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, well, you can forget it."

"Wait, let's hear the man out."

Her head jerked toward him. "You can't be considering this!"

Neil ignored her. To Mr. Joshua, he said, "You said it's not illegal?"

"No, it's not illegal. It might actually be fun. Let me tell you the rules." He ticked off the points on his pudgy fingers. "There will be a list of, um, events. One to be revealed each day. You have to complete all fourteen items in order to have your debts wiped out."

"Oh, no! I'm not doing some nasty things just because they're on some stupid list!"

"Shut up, Erika, let the man finish."

Erika didn't like the sound of that. "The hell you say! I won't stand for this! I'm leaving." She stood up.

"Sure. You can leave. You both can leave. But we will collect our money, rest assured. And once word gets out, it can't be good for your school."

Mr. Joshua had never before threatened to reveal her gambling problem. Her fear showed on her face. "You don't have to make this public! I'll pay what I owe! I'll figure out something."

"That's the spirit, dear. Stand up for your own debts for once. I like it," Neil said with sarcasm.

"This isn't the time nor place for this, Neil," she said evenly.

"Yes it is. I say, hear him out because they're your debts. This doesn't involve me."

"Oh, but it does," Mr. Joshua put in. "Since her debts are your debts, your participation is required as well. However, your involvement will be limited."

"Okay, okay, maybe you'd better explain what this twisted game is all about," she said. She sat down again.

"It's quite simple. It's kind of like an Advent calendar. You open one envelope per day. On the first day, once I have proof you've completed your assignment, I mark it down. If you continue to perform the tasks, at the end of two weeks, your debt to me will be wiped out." He paused. "And no one will need to know."

"Okay, okay, I get it - but what are the tasks?" She seemed exasperated.

"Oh, but that would be cheating. That's part of the fun."

"No way! I'm not going to debase myself for you! Neil, let's go!" She stood up again, but Neil remained seated.

Mr. Joshua turned to Neil. "How do you feel about it, knowing the outline of the game?"

Neil let his anger flare briefly. "It's about time she took some responsibility!" He regained control of his emotions. "But I don't like the idea of my wife ... fooling around."

"Trust me, it won't be like that. The majority of the tasks are quite simple and do not involve anything like that. As I said, this game was something I thought of after my wife died. I think if she had played it, it would have cured her of her gambling. Like you, I wouldn't want her to do anything ... untoward."

Neil digested that tidbit. "You said my role would be minimal. What do you mean?"

"You'd have to provide me with proof by filming each task and sending the tapes to me."

She gasped. "No. Fucking. Way. I'm outta here." She went to the door and found it locked. "Hey!" She turned around, furious. "You can't hold me here! I demand to be released!"

"And you will be. But I think your husband is still deciding."

"You can't be thinking about this, Neil! He's nothing but a dirty old man!"

"Like he said, I'm still thinking about it. Unless you'd rather get a divorce? You know, we have a prenup too. I'd hate to leave you broke, like Mr. Joshua's poor wife."

Raoul, standing in the shadows, nodded to himself. That fact had come up during their research into Erika Keller's life. Neil was twelve years older than Erika and he had been smart to ask for the prenup. She had been so much in love - or maybe so eager to latch onto the good life - that she had signed it with little complaint.

"You can't possibly think I'd agree to do something without knowing what I'm agreeing to!"

Silence descended over the room. They seemed to be at an impasse. Mr. Joshua spoke up. "Tell you what. To show you these tasks are not onerous or illegal, I'll share with you the first one, okay?"

Erika and Neil both watched him, riveted. Finally, Erika nodded.

"Good! Okay, on the first day, you must..." he paused dramatically, "...get a full Brazilian wax."

"Ha!" Neil laughed. He looked at his wife. "That's easy, Erika! You're practically there already!"

"Neil!" She blushed scarlet. She composed herself and straightened up. "That's... it?"

"Yes. For the first day. As the days go by, the tasks can become more ... involved."

She shook her head. "You're disgusting. Come on, Neil, let's go."

He turned to her. "So, you're choosing divorce then?"

"That's it? That's my choice? Play his obscene sex game or you'll divorce me?"

"Can you think of a better way to wipe out your debts? I'm through covering for you, Erika."

Erika hesitated. She looked at Mr. Joshua. "What if I decide not to do something?"

"Oh, once the contest has started, there's no going back," he said. "If you quit, you'd owe the full amount. It's like a game show - all or nothing."

"It's worth fifty thousand dollars, Erika - and our marriage."

"I'm still not going to do it without knowing what I'm getting into."

"Erika, every time you sat down at that blackjack table, you knew what you're getting into and that never stopped you. Now you have a chance to get yourself out of trouble and you refuse?"

"Why don't you do it if that's the way you feel!"

"He didn't ring up the debt, you did," Mr. Joshua pointed out.

"But you said we're both on the hook!"

"Yes. And his part is that he will have to film you. That may be difficult for him."

"About the film," Neil put in. "What's going to happen to it?"

"It belongs to me. Once you turn it in, it's no longer your concern."

"God! You're not thinking of.... Neil! I'm not going to fall into that trap! It could wind up on the Internet! We'll be ruined!"

"Oh no. If you agree to play, I will not put the tapes on the Internet. I'd be a fool to do that - you could sue me for millions. They would be held... privately. You can go back to your lives without worry or concern. Plus, if you agree to play, we will move you and your husband to Las Vegas for two weeks until the game is complete. That way, you won't accidentally run into anyone you know."

"What would I be doing that I don't want people to see?"

Mr. Joshua just smiled and looked at Neil. "Well, what do you think?"

"I think ... I think we should do it. Come on, honey, let's do it and get out from under this. It would be a good lesson for you."

"Fuck you! I won't be subjected to humiliation and ridicule!"

"Fine. Then you both may go, but I expect payment on the forty-eight thousand immediately. Say, ten percent per week, plus interest? So tonight, I'd need fifty-two-hundred. Do you have your checkbook, Mr. Keller?"

"No, wait," Neil said. He went to Erika and grabbed her by both arms. "You know we don't have that kind of money. This is it, Erika. This is your chance to pay off your own debts. I'll be there every step of the way. If we can get out from what you owe, in two weeks, we could start all over again. We'd have our lives back."

"I'm... I'm scared, Neil."

"I won't let anything happen to you."

Her shoulders sagged. She turned to Mr. Joshua. "Okay, I'll play your stupid game. I'll do it to save my marriage."

"Splendid!" Mr. Joshua said. He pulled an envelope out of the inside pocket of his tuxedo and passed it over to Neil. "I'll pay for all expenses. I have a hotel all picked out for you, where I'm sure no one knows you. We'll start in two days."

Both Neil and Erika nodded.

"Neil, you'll have to take some time off work. I'm sure you can make up some excuse. When you get to the hotel, someone will meet you. He'll have the equipment you'll need to record each event and he'll have an envelope outlining your first task, Erika, which you already know."

She hung her head. "I can't believe I'm agreeing to this."

"Remember the rules, Erika. If you fail to complete any task, you will owe the entire debt, and that can't be good for your marriage. And Neil, you have film it, no matter what, and send it to me by midnight each day. If you don't, it will be the same as if she failed."

He nodded.

"You are to email the film clips to me at the address inside the envelope. Don't worry about editing or anything." He pushed a button underneath the metal table and the door locked clicked open.

He stood. "Raoul will see you out." He left immediately.

Raoul stood impassively, his mind reeling with what he had just witnessed. Why had Mr. Joshua done it? For amusement? Or was there something else at work here? His face didn't betray his emotions as he and Neil helped Erika up and into the corridor.

He pointed. "This way." They led the dazed and unresisting woman out to the parking lot. Neil told him where his car was. Once they eased Erika into the passenger seat, Neil closed the door and took Raoul aside. "So what's this all about? Do you know what she's going to be doing?"

"No, I honestly don't. This is news to me too."

Neil shrugged and got into the driver's seat. Raoul watched them drive off. He returned to Mr. Joshua's office to find the fat man in a good mood.

"So, was all that true what you said?"

His boss smiled. "Yeah, up to the point where I said my ex killed herself. She's actually living in a trailer park in Elko, which is about the same thing, huh?"

Both men laughed.

"No, she never woulda played a game like this one, no way. She was far too snooty. But ever since I dumped her, I've wondered just how far a woman might go to save her marriage - or if her marriage would survive the game!"

Raoul was amazed at his boss's duplicity. It made him even more curious to learn what Erika would have to do. "So, come on, boss, you can tell me. What's on her list?"

The smile widened. "Why don't you come by every morning about ten and I'll show you."

Suddenly, Raoul was in a very good mood too.