William was yet again playing with another stack and looking from the community cards to me then Tyson and back down to his pocket cards. All the actions were purely there for show. He had already made up his mind as far as this bet was concerned. He was just trying to distract us, well me, with some indecision. “Hmmm… Well I think I’ll start this round out with ten thousand.” William said with all the apparent calm of someone sitting at a bus stop casually waiting for his ride.
He was so confident, but how could he be if he was really chasing down a straight? There was no straight flush available, was there? In play were the two and four of spades, I suppose he could have two low value spades then he would need just one more. Could he really be trying to pull off a straight flush? If he was he would be able to fall back on the flush, which ordinarily would be a decent fall back hand but I still held the ace so I would beat him. I studied William and as I counted out the ten grand. “You said ten grand right?”
With a nod William answered, “It’s not too rich a bet for you is it?”
He was certainly full of himself, it was time I cured him of that. “Certainly not, Will.” I answered as I collected fifty thousand dollars of chips, “Not when I’m about to raise you forty grand.”
Slightly annoyed William retorted, “Marcus you’re not going to be able to bully me out of this hand.” So we sat back and waited for Tyson to make his bet.
William was fishing for a straight flush, I had no way to know how I knew, but he was fishing for the straight flush. And I knew it just as soon as the words left his mouth. William was one card away from a straight flush, which of course would net him the better hand, but I had to keep my rising fear inside. I decided to be a little flippant if only to lighten my mood. “I wouldn’t dream of it Will, though by the looks of it our friend Tyson must have quite the hand since forty thousand is of no concern to him.” Unfortunately while William had been so busy talking to me he had missed just how quickly Tyson collected his chips. He was really eager for this hand, it was the first time I had seen him excited.
Meanwhile Allison, who had just returned, couldn’t restrain herself any longer. “I couldn’t be happier that I skipped the hand. I hate giving my money to Tyson.”
A blustery William looked away from me and stared her down asking, “And just what makes you think he’ll win this hand.”
And with my mouth running on autopilot I answered for Allison. “Well Will, I think Allison is basing that statement on the fact that our, apparently mute friend here has yet to actually lose a hand that he pursued.” Looking from William to Allison I made sure my logic was accurate. When I saw her looking down her nose at me I added, “At least I presume that’s what you meant. Was I wrong?”
With a playful grin on her face she looked at me and answered, “No you weren’t wrong. But next time I would thank you to let me answer for myself.”
I knew that she was only slightly serious, I just took my verbal slap and apologized. “I’m sorry Allison it will never happen again.” I admit that I laid it on pretty thick but she was only slightly serious with her admonishment so there was no need offer her full sincerity. “Next time our ears will be graced by the perfection of your voice.”
Scoffing Kelly couldn’t take my mock apology any longer and broke in. “Oh please Marcus.” I guess she was just too confused by all the playfulness, because she seemed genuinely upset over my obviously insincere words. “Allison might fall for your over-the-top complimentary nonsense, but I don’t.”
Now by this time I was as sick of Kelly’s complaints as anyone else at the table but apparently not as upset as Allison. Because she beat me to the tongue lashing that Kelly deserved. “Kelly dear I know you aren’t willing to listen to compliments real or embellished. But I rather like being complimented especially when it’s over the top. Unlike you I encourage this kind of behavior, it makes me feel good. And with just how prickly you are I can see why you have yet to receive a single compliment about anything, ever.”
Allison had done all the work and I should have left well enough alone and simply let Kelly sulk but I couldn’t help but add, “The one thing I cannot stand is wasting my breath on someone.”
Allison must have approved of my comment because she gave me a wink that seemed to scream whether I won or lost the two of us would be winners in private. But after the quick flash of something intimate she returned her attention to Kelly so she could stare down at the woman who, from the looks of it, had hate smoldering in her eyes
“William the bet is to you.” Everyone, including the dealer turned around and looked at Tyson, who had spoken for only the second time today.
The shock of someone she thought of as mute actually speaking must have scared her witless because Kelly jumped out of her chair and broke eye contact with Allison. When her heart stopped racing she turned to face the steely eyed man and muttered, “It talks.” I was sure she had not meant for everyone at the table to hear her, but with the silence at our table we could have heard a pin drop.
Fixing her with his emotionless glare he responded, “Yes, I talk. But unlike the rest of you I simply prefer to hold my tongue while I play. But none of you were keeping your attention where it belonged and that was starting to annoy me.”
“Well this should satisfy you Tyson. Here is my extra forty grand.” William placed his bet in front of him. He was playing it very calm for someone fishing for a straight flush.