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Across the table from me, another man’s cell phone rang stridently, breaking the spell, as the man got up to take the call in the other room. Within seconds, he was back, looking worried. “That was a friend of mine. He’s been in a minor car accident. He’s okay, but I have to go check on him.”
“Of course,” David said, rising to his feet to show him to the door. There was a brief flurry of activity while the man gathered his belongings and quickly settled his accounts. We routinely played for money, though it was only a few dollars a chip. The man, Carl Lowery, had been losing steadily since he’d sat down. He was relatively new to the club, and tonight, in just a few hands, he’d proven himself to be a poor sport. I wondered why David had even asked Lowery to play, except for the fact that he was rumored to have deep pockets, and we needed investors for our newest venture. Still, I had to wonder if Lowery’s friend’s accident had provided a convenient way for him to get out of the game.
“Well,” David said, coming back into the room. “Do you guys want to carry on with the four of us?”
“We have two more men in the room,” I said quietly. “Perhaps one of them would like to sit in.”
David looked surprised. “Not Billy for sure. He doesn’t know anything about cards. As for Cruz…”
I interrupted him. “How about it, Cruz? Do you know how to play poker?”
He shrugged. “I’m not very good at it, but I’ve played a couple of times.”
I pushed out the chair with my foot. “Sit down then and I’ll deal you in. Unless, of course, you’re afraid to play—with me.”
Cruz froze at the suggestion and looked up defiantly into my eyes. It was exciting to see all that flashing in his eyes. “Why would I be afraid?”
I shrugged. “Well, you don’t know me very well or how I…play. Some men are fascinated by the unknown, while others run from it. Maybe you’re afraid you’d like it too much and lose yourself in it.”
Cruz glanced up with an indignant look on his face, obviously aware of the double entendres, just as everyone else in the room was, and the boy’s cheeks pinked up again as everyone turned to stare at him. Cruz had lovely, tanned skin but still every emotion showed plainly on his face. I had been enjoying his blushes all night.
“I’m not afraid of anything. Or anyone,” Cruz said hotly.
“You can decide for yourself, Cruz,” David said quietly.
“Well, I…” Cruz began, biting his bottom lip. “It’s just poker, right?”
“Of course.”
“Then why wouldn’t I want to?” he asked hotly, stepping back toward the table. “Deal me in.”
“Are they still talking about cards?” Billy whispered loudly, and David bent his head to murmur something in his ear.
Chapter Three
Cruz
I sat at the table across from the gorgeous Michael Bradley, gripping the cards tightly in my hand, while he sat back in his chair almost smirking at me, probably trying to rattle me. If so, it was working.
I finally had a decent hand after playing for almost an hour. I’d lost several hands since I’d sat down, but I’d won a few too, and Billy was watching me in fascination as he leaned against David. It was getting late, and this would probably be the last hand for me. I badly wanted to win at least one, so I could rub it in Michael Bradley’s smug, handsome face.
I looked down at my cards again. Two of the other men at the table had thrown theirs down after the opening bid, leaving just three of us still bidding.
“I’ll bet five chips,” Michael said.
The man on his left, the only one still bidding with us, folded, saying, “I’m out.”
I pushed five chips forward, never taking my eyes off Michael. “I’ll see your five and raise you twenty.” This could be my chance to win all my chips back. It might be a paltry sum to a man like Michael, but it was the principle of the thing to me.
Michael raised one brow. “Really?” He smiled across the table at me. Separating twenty chips from his large pile, he pushed them to the middle. “I’d like to see what you have. I’ll call.”
I laid down my cards triumphantly. “A full house.”
Billy clapped his hands in delight, and I smiled over at him. I started to reach for my chips and Michael’s voice stopped me. “Wait a minute, Cruz. Not so fast.” He laid his cards on the table and four queens stared back up at me. I gazed up into a pair of glittering blue eyes. “I believe the old saying is ‘Read ’em and weep.’”
I felt a surge of anger and irritation, but I managed to keep my face calm. I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction, so I simply shrugged. “Well, I guess you win.” I scooted my chair back. “I’m out. And I need to get home.” I pulled out my wallet. “Let’s see, at a penny a chip, I owe you five dollars and change. Here’s six,” I said and dropped the bills on the table.
Michael looked up at me and shook his head. “I’m sorry, Cruz. I thought you knew we were playing twenty-dollar chips.”
