“Avery, right here,” Drake called, patting the seat beside his at the poker table. There were only four of us at the table even though there were other men in the room. Clearly, they weren’t invited to join. Across from me sat Chazz with an eat shit grin on his face. To my right was Drake who drank his Bourbon like it was water, and then to my left was Mark, his expression unreadable.
The dealer took his place and shuffled the cards. “Gentlemen, are you ready? No chips will be allowed tonight. Strictly cash, or whatever it is you want to bet.”
“Hell yeah,” Chazz exclaimed, slamming his hand on the table.
I glanced quickly at Aylee who smiled and winked at me. At least I didn’t have to worry about her being ready for this. If I’d detected any hint of fear, I wasn’t going to let her go through with this. I would drag her kicking and screaming back home to Maine.
The dealer passed around our first two cards and mine were more than pathetic. I had a two and five of hearts. Drake threw in a hundred dollar bill and instead of folding like I knew I should, I put a hundred in as well. Chazz and Mark followed suit. The dealer then put down the three card flop and much to my surprise ended up having two heart cards in the mix. If the last deal turned out to be a heart, I would have a flush. It was no surprise when Drake upped his bet to one thousand dollars. Reluctantly, I did the same and so did the others.
Smiling, the dealer dealt out the last card. Fuck me. It wasn’t a heart and I was left with nothing but a pair of fives. Drake checked and I followed suit so I wouldn’t have to up my bid. The other two checked and the round was over; Chazz won the pot. “Good round, gentlemen.”
Round after round we played, gambling nothing but high bills. I actually won a few hands. Aylee watched the game like a hawk, studying the players. I knew the time was going to come when the real gambling would begin. The men were feeling me out, waiting for the perfect time to strike. It’d been two hours and still no request for Aylee.
Unfortunately, by the way Chazz was drinking, it was only making him bolder. He took a sip of his liquor and glanced at Aylee over his shoulder. “Why aren’t you playing tonight?” he asked, slurring the words.
Drake cleared his throat. “She decided to give her playing rights to Avery.”
He frowned and finished his drink. “I see. What a shame. I was really hoping to see you in action tonight. Maybe there’s still a way.”
She perked up and smiled. “Oh yeah, how’s that?”
Chazz stood and circled her like a hawk ready to strike its prey. “Why don’t you be the prize for the next game? Sure money’s great and everything, but nothing can beat the feel of a woman’s touch.”
“Surely, you can have any woman you want. Why do you have to gamble for me?”
This time Mark spoke up. “Because you’re beautiful and not like the women he’s used to. Not to mention, you’re taken, which makes it all the more alluring.”
“Eh, she’s not exactly taken, are you kitten?” Chazz said, sliding his finger down her arm. “Women like you always choose the highest bidder.”
She glanced quickly at me before facing him, forcing a smile. “Not all the time, Mr. Davies. But in this case, I’ll accept the challenge, on one condition.”
“Name the terms,” Drake called out.
Moving her arm away from Chazz, she stood and swayed her hips as she walked over to the table. “Whoever wins gives me the money in the pot. That’ll be my payment for the night. Do you all agree?”
We all nodded. Instead of going back to her seat, she sat down at the table to watch. The dealer passed out our two cards and I ended up with a king of spades and an eight of diamonds. Drake tossed in a thousand dollars and I did the same. Mark, on the other hand, raised it to three thousand. We all had a choice to make, either put in three or fold. Nobody backed down. The flop was dealt out next which ended up being a seven of diamonds, nine of hearts, and a six of clubs. I was close to getting a straight.