Chapter 4
Jude
I can honestly say that that was the best sex of my life. That girl was something else.
Sexy, funny, smart. When I saw her creep into the lake with those little white panties and bra I knew I wanted her.
Well, I knew I wanted her the moment I saw her at the poker table really. But when I saw that body in full view, that was when it really hit home.
There was something incredibly hot about not knowing her name. She was this mystery, this enigma, this box that I couldn't open. I'd slept with girls before and forgotten their names, but this wasn't like that.
No, this girl was on a whole different level.
I'd f*cked her for hours in that hotel room. By the time we were done for the third time I was on my last legs. She was insatiable, her tongue and mouth running loose all over me.
When I woke up, though, and she was gone, I felt this surge of disappointment rushing through me. OK, so sex aside, I'd really liked her.
I liked her confidence. I liked the way she was willing to follow me around town like that in the middle of the night. I liked the fact that she played poker, and drank beer, and was wearing an expensive dress.
I liked the way she smelled, the way she tasted, the way she sounded when she moaned underneath me.
Or maybe it was just because I didn't know who she was? Maybe I liked her because I knew I couldn't have her again? I was putting two and two together and getting five. I just couldn't work it out.
I kinda felt like a chick.
I was used to sneaking out of girls' apartments at the crack of dawn, but had never had the same treatment. It was a bitter pill to swallow, that's for sure. I've tasted my own medicine, and it's f*cking horrible!
I lay there for over an hour before the maid came in and threw me out so she could clean the room. I could still smell her perfume on me, her scent sticking to my body. It was driving me crazy, so I rushed back home to take a shower.
No wonder the girls I slept with were always so pissed with me if ever I ran into them again. I remember doing that only about a month ago. I'd f*cked this girl back at her place after a night out, you know, told her everything she wanted to hear.
“Yeah baby, I really do care about you.”
“No, this isn't just a one night thing.”
“Yes, I'd love to come to your sister's wedding with you.”
I was always laughing inside when I spouted those lies. The things these chicks would believe. I don't know how they were so gullible.
I'd said everything this girl wanted to hear, then I'd got what I wanted. By the time she woke up I was long gone. And yeah, I'd given her a fake name and number as well.
So, I guess, when I ran into her in town it wasn't a huge surprise that she didn't come running in to give me a hug. I never knew such a small girl could pack such a punch. I should have remembered she was the a kickboxing blackbelt. Rookie error.
But now I kinda got it. Even though we'd agreed it would be a one night thing, I hadn't expected her to be gone when I woke up. Usually that would have been perfect. They're gone and you don't need to bother with any post-night small talk.
But on this occasion, I wanted that small talk. I wanted to find out who the hell this girl was.
So what did I do? I did what any sane guy would do in this sort of situation. I scoped out the casino big time.
I went down there the whole of the next day, cruising the casino floor, hiding up in Kyle's office with a pair of military grade binoculars. OK, so I didn't do that, but I did keep my eye on the security monitor for the entrance, hoping to see her walk in.
I even got someone to cover for me at the bar. Saturday night was our busiest night, so I should have been there to take care of things. But f*ck it, I needed to catch up with this girl again. I got the impression she wouldn't be hanging around in Branton for long, so I wasn't too bothered by the idea of acting stalker for a few days at least.
As the night drew on I knew she wasn't going to turn up. I knew it was a one-off, that she wasn't going to be coming back there any time soon. So I did what most 21 year olds do on a late summer Saturday night. I got so drunk I couldn't see straight.
When I woke up on Sunday I was in a completely random room, lying on a completely random bed, with a completely random girl naked next to me. She was lying face down with this mop of dark hair covering her face up, so I had no idea who she was. The thought rushed into my head that it might be my mystery girl, so I tried to creep to the other side of the bed without waking her so I could take a look.
When the realization dawned that her hair was too dark I literally flew out the door, grabbing my clothes as I went. When I stepped outside into the morning sun I realized I was about 5 miles out of town in this little suburb.
God only knows what the hell happened that night.
….
It was Monday night when I stood in the kitchen at the 'Den'. That's what I called my underground poker club. I'd wanted so much to run Logan's Casino that I'd decided to say 'f*ck it' and start up my own little thing on the side.
In many ways this place was much better. It was small, exclusive, and purely for proper poker players with proper money. I didn't really want to have to deal with all the shit that went into managing Logan's. No, this place would do me just fine.
The one problem, of course, was Crash.
I hadn't told him, or any of my brothers, about this place. It wasn't strictly legal, or regulated, and I knew if he found out about it he'd hit the f*cking roof. Crash ran the whole family now, and was overseeing all of the family's assets. But he was so busy building this new hotel and casino that he'd never notice my little side business.
No, I kept this all under control. As long as people who came down here kept their mouths closed, I'd be all right.
It had been so far anyway. I'd been running poker games down here for months now, and no one knew anything about it. I started with close friends, before letting some friends of friends in as well. I wanted to keep a lid on it, so made sure anyone who came down knew the deal.
“Don't f*cking tell anyone,” I'd tell them.
But then, I also wanted to make money off it. I got my friend Zig involved. He'd been a bouncer at my bar for a long time, so I used him as muscle. I started to charge fees for playing, skimming off the top and putting the money into my own pocket. It was beautiful.
I even began giving people credit. I'd let them play with up to $5,000 depending on how reliable they were. If they won, they'd cut me in on 20% of their profits. If they lost, I'd send Zig over to collect.
I felt like my father's son. I'd grown up idolizing him, this big f*cking boss in town. No one messed with Charles Logan, and Crash soon followed in his footsteps. Now dad was gone, and Crash was looking to set his sights higher than dad ever did.
I guess, in a way, I wanted to prove I could set something up for myself. I'd been allowed to run the bar but Crash never trusted me with it, not since dad died. I was always trying to show him that I could do a good job, that I wouldn't f*ck things up.
With this poker club, I was proving that, if only to myself.