Scholomance 1

by Logan Jacobs

  “Me either,” Vesta said as she turned a shade of pink. “I’m with Cole.”

  “Well, I’ll go with you, Morgana,” Faye said with a light shrug. “I don’t care what I look like as long as we get the money.”

  Faye grabbed Morgana’s hand and pulled her into a back room, and several waitresses turned to look at them but then continued on with their work.

  I shrugged and headed toward the back of one of the bars. Luckily, no one stopped us to ask what we were doing. I saw a small opening covered by a long, carpet-like door, and women in mesh dresses carrying platters of food and drinks would go in and out.

  “Good thing they went their separate ways,” I whispered. “We can’t all walk around together. We’ll draw too much suspicion.”

  “I just hope you know what you’re doing,” Akira grumbled as she looked at Vesta.

  “Trust me,” I assured them. “Like I said, there should be a coat room somewhere.”

  The witches nodded, and their eyes were filled with both excitement and fear.

  I walked around the large, gold gambling tables, and behind a bright, orange-colored bar, I saw a server take a long, green velvet cloak from a rat-faced man with oversized ears and beefy hands.

  “Over there,” I hissed.

  The women followed me as we headed toward the back room. I walked as if I knew exactly where I was going, and servers paid us very little attention. I knew if I seemed confident enough, people were less likely to question me.

  When we stepped inside the back room, our mouths dropped at the rows and rows of cloaks, suits, strangely colored fur coats, and extravagant, bizarre-looking dresses. The colors ranged from every color on the spectrum, and it was strange to see so many hues all at once. I’d grown quite used to all the blacks, reds, and grays of the academy.

  “I’ve never seen so many colors,” Akira whispered with wide, black eyes. “I’m not sure if I like it.”

  “It’s a bit overwhelming,” Vesta added.

  “We don’t have time to marvel and gawk at everything,” I said. “Just find something that you think will fit you and change.”

  I went deeper into the room, and I found a dark, navy satin suit with a silk white tie and a gold pin on the breast pocket. It looked like my size, so I quickly changed into it, but I could feel the witches staring at me as I undressed.

  “You’d better find something instead of ogling me,” I said as I buttoned up my shirt. “As flattered as I am by the attention, we’re running short on time.”

  The witches gasped in disgust before they disappeared behind one of the racks, and I could hear them whispering and changing from behind the rack. When I finished dressing, I walked over to the large gold and black mirror that hung against the gold-painted back wall and studied my reflection.

  I looked pretty damn good. My suit was sharp and fit in all the right places, and I looked like a million bucks. I tucked my black hair behind my ears and smiled.

  Then I smiled even wider when I reached into my pocket and found a handful of gold coins.

  I was ready to take over this fucking casino.

  Chapter 11

  “Are you two ready yet?” I called out to Akira and Vesta after I finished checking myself out in the mirror.

  The witches slowly emerged from behind one of the many clothes racks and flashed me a shy glance. I tried not to open my mouth as I stared at them, but it was difficult.

  They looked sexy as hell.

  Akira was wearing a skin-tight black dress that glittered as she moved under the green chandelier above us. Her breasts bounced as she walked, and a sliver of her leg peeked through the dress as she spun around. She even took the time to apply a little bit of makeup. She wore a deep purple colored lipstick and lined her eyes with a bright pink liner. Her dark hair was down and loose, and she paired her dress with matching black boots.

  I then turned my attention to Vesta. She wore a short, glittering silver dress that matched her eyes, and her long, wavy green hair tumbled past her shoulders and grazed her tiny waist. Her wrists were adorned with heavy bangles, her lilac skin shimmered as brightly as the dress, and her pointed ears were adorned with long charms.

  “What do you think?” she asked. “How do we look?”

  “Hot,” I replied, but as much as I wanted to just stare at them, I knew we had to get out there and start gambling. “Come on, we don’t have time to waste. Be sure to hide your uniforms, as well.”

  The witches blushed, but they quickly schooled their expressions and hid their robes underneath a pile of dirty clothing. We then marched toward the door, stepped out onto the casino floor, and looked around.

  “Where’s Morgana and Faye?” Vesta asked.

  “They should be here,” I replied as my eyes scanned the room.

  Finally, we spotted them. The other two witches were both wearing the same sheer dresses as the servers, and I could see the outline of their erect nipples and the gap between their perfect thighs through their see-through dresses. The pair of them glanced over at me from across the room, and they both scowled and blushed as I made it obvious I was eye-fucking them. Then they turned their noses up into the air, grabbed serving trays, and disappeared into the crowd.

  I offered my arms to both Akira and Vesta, but the two witches scoffed and tried to step away from me.

  “Take my fucking arms,” I hissed. “We need to fit in.”

  They rolled their eyes but then hooked their arms into mine. Then we wandered around the maze of the casino, and I carefully observed each table as I wondered which one I would tackle first.

  After half a lap around the expansive room, I felt a magnetic pull toward a corner table with five or six creatures drunkenly playing with a set of cards.

  “That one,” I whispered as I pulled the witches toward the table.

  “Do you even know how to play?” Akira whispered under her breath.

  “It’s like another version of poker,” I replied as I used my sixth sense of premonition to determine that. “I’ve got this.”

  “You don’t even have anything to bet with,” Vesta hissed, and worry colored her voice.

  “You underestimate me,” I said with a wink before I broke away from them.

  I confidently sat between a pale green skeletal man and an overweight looking slug of a man. They shifted uncomfortably in their seats and shot me a pair of dirty looks.

  Akira and Vesta took a seat with the other creatures who were not playing, and I tried not to look at their worried expressions as I focused on the game at hand.

  The dealer, who was tall, thin and beastly, had massive curled horns that protruded from his red, bumpy head. With clawed fingers, he handed us each a set of cards, and I remained neutral as I looked at my straight flush. It was a good hand, but what if one of these fuckers was hiding a royal flush in their sweaty palms?

  I took a deep breath and focused. Then I recited the incantation in my head as I looked at everyone’s cards, but I grew anxious when I couldn’t get a reading on their hands.

  It was a blank slate.

  “Who’s in?” the dealer growled.

  I set my mouth in a tight line as the group all bet their money. I breathed in one more, long slow breath, and then it hit me like a bullet.

  These idiots were all bluffing. Each one had a shitty hand.

  “I’m all in,” I said as I tossed a stolen gold coin on the table.

  I had no idea what it was worth, but at least it was something. Everyone at the table chuckled, but when I placed my straight flush down, their eyes widened, and some cursed violently under their breath.

  “Fuck,” hissed the slug-like creature on my right.

  I smiled, took my share, and settled in my seat for another round.

  Several rounds passed like this, and each hand saw me gain more and more gold coins until I had a neat pile before me on the table. My premonition skill was never wrong, but I threw a hand or two so as not to arouse suspicion. Still, I’d accumulated a
good stack of coins in less than half an hour, so I’d say I was doing pretty good.

  From the corner of my eye, I saw Morgana walking around with a tray, and I snapped my fingers in her direction.

  “Some drinks over here, please, and keep them coming.” I grinned.

  The brunette rolled her eyes and served the table.

  I glanced over at Akira and Vesta, who looked bored and irritated as the dealer handed out the next set of cards. Vesta whispered something to Akira, who nodded, and then they moved to my side.

  “We have to get our coins,” Akira bent down to whisper in my ear.

  “I don’t think that will be a problem,” I said as I gestured to my winnings. “That’s probably over three hundred, and I’ve only been playing for--”

  “No,” she huffed. “We need our own winnings. I’m not taking your coins. You don’t own me. I’ll play for it myself.”

  “Then sit down.” I nodded to the chair beside me.

  “No, we want to play a different game.”

  “Well, take some of my money,” I suggested as I rolled my eyes.

  “I want to earn it,” she retorted. “We both do.”

  “Oh?” I raised an eyebrow. “Do you have any money?”

  Akira opened her mouth to speak, but then she closed it and narrowed her black eyes at me.

  “You’re going to have to start off with something,” I continued. “Take some of my winnings to start with and stop arguing, alright?”

  The dark-haired witch grumbled and crossed her arms, and I could practically see the wheels turning in her head before her shoulder slumped.

  “Fine,” she groaned.

  “I knew you’d see reason,” I teased.

  “Just give us the money,” Vesta demanded impatiently over the other witch’s shoulder.

  I chuckled before I gave Akira a handful of coins. “Don’t spend it all in one place.”

  “Whatever, Cole.” Akira snatched the money, spun around, and marched off, with Vesta by her side.

  “And not even a thank you,” I snickered as I turned my attention back to the table.

  It felt like all eyes were on me as the dealer handed out the next set of cards. I could sense everyone’s frustration and concern as I leaned back and coolly sipped on my drink.

  I picked up my next set. This time, I had a royal flush.

  Fucking bingo.

  I cleared my mind and dug down to my premonition powers. I could feel everyone had decent hands, but not one of them had a royal fucking flush, so I began casually pushing coins into the center of the table.

  When I showed my hand, everyone growled and someone even tossed their drink away.

  “I guess that means I’m the winner.” I smirked.

  I played another few sets, and each time, I won a respectable amount of coins. I was on such a roll that I managed to piss off quite a few other players. Some decided to just toss their cards into the air and storm off, while one player nearly flipped the table over in a violent fury.

  I finally felt that I’d milked this table for all it was worth, so I stood up with a grin on my face and my pockets filled with gold. When I found Vesta and Akira, they were both sitting together at a dice table, and each of them seemed to have increased the small handful of coins I gave them to what I guessed was a few dozen each.

  “How are you both doing?” I asked as I stood at the table between them.

  “Fine.” Vesta cleared her throat as she glanced sideways at me, and then she let out a sigh of frustration when the dealer rolled the dice and half of the coins laid out on the table grid were taken off.

  “Doesn’t look like it,” I said.

  “Shut up, Cole,” Akira said, but instead of her usual bitchy tone, this sounded more playful. I could see her cheeks were flushed, and I noticed the drink next to her small pile of coins was almost gone.

  “Make me?” I chuckled as I rested my fingers on her shoulder. Her skin was like satin, and I half expected her to growl and rip my hand off.

  Instead, she turned up to look at me, and I saw her flush deepen.

  My, my, my. What did we have here?

  “You did amazing back there,” Akira finally muttered. “I hate to admit it, but it was kind of hot. We saw you cleaning up in between different rounds.”

  “Yeah,” Vesta added as she took a sip of her tall, lime colored drink. Her silver eyes were hazy, and I could tell she was on her way to a nice buzz. “I’m actually kind of glad you’re here, Cole. But don’t get used to it.”

  “You both want to go to the bar, get another drink, and relax for a bit before we play some more?” I suggested.

  “Sure,” Akira said as she grabbed her coins.

  “Yeah,” Vesta agreed and also collected her winnings.

  Both women stood, and I traced my fingers down Akira’s arm and then wrapped my fingers around her elbow. She didn’t complain at my touch, so I reached out with my left hand, grabbed Vesta’s hip, and pulled her to my side. She also didn’t complain, so I turned both of them toward the bar across the casino floor, and we began to walk.

  The three of us found secluded seats at the edge of the bar. I was about to gesture to the bartender, but I spotted Morgana and Faye serving drinks. They looked pissed off, and I figured they weren’t making as much money as they had hoped. I hadn’t done a count of my coins yet, but I figured I’d easily have enough to pay everyone’s three-hundred coin price to get back before the night was over.

  I was going to tell Morgana and Faye that I would cover them, but first I wanted to have a little fun.

  “A round of drinks, please, ladies,” I called out as I dropped a handful of coins down on the bar.

  The main bartender, who was a tall, pale man with a golden suit, nodded as he took the coins, but when I glanced at Faye and Morgana, they both shot me a dirty glare and refused to move.

  “Excuse me?” I grinned. “I’d love another round from you two gorgeous creatures.”

  “Are you bitches deaf?” the bartender growled. “Get the man his drinks.”

  Morgana and Faye rolled their eyes as they poured us a round of colorful cocktails. When they slammed the glasses down on the platter, some of the alcohol spilled over.

  “Easy there,” the bartender grunted. “You break it, it comes out of your paycheck.”

  “It’s alright, I’d actually like these two lovely ladies to join us for a drink.” I tossed another gold coin on the bar, and the bartender chuckled before he turned to Morgana and Faye.

  “You heard the man,” he said. “Get your asses over there.”

  The witches nodded, and as quickly as possible, they walked over and stood by my side.

  When the bartender was out of sight, Morgana and Faye smirked in my direction.

  “Check this out.” Faye grinned. She pulled a handful of coins from the inside of her dress and discreetly showed the rest of us the money she’d acquired.

  “Turns out we’re pretty good at pickpocketing drunk patrons,” Morgana snickered.

  “Impressive.” I winked.

  “How are you three doing?” Faye asked, but her eyes were only on me.

  “Oh, Okay. I suppose.” I pulled out as much money as I could hold in one hand, and the coins were overflowing in my palm.

  “How in Satan’s name did you manage to do that?” Faye breathed with wide, green-gold eyes.

  “Skill.” I grinned.

  “He’s good at this,” Akira sighed.

  “Really good,” Vesta said as she drained the rest of her drink.

  “Come on,” I told Faye and Morgana. “Let’s the five of us have a drink.”

  “Fine,” the redhead said as she sat down at the table across from me. “I guess we have time. It isn’t even night time yet.”

  “Yeah, whatever,” Morgana said as she joined us. “I guess we are due for a break.”

  I gestured to the bartender, and we soon each had a tall glass of teal-colored drinks with bright purple fruit slices wedge
d on the brim of the glasses.

  “Cheers,” Morgana toasted, and she surprisingly smiled at me.

  It looked like I was winning all over tonight if I could get these reluctant, stubborn women to smile.

  We drank and chatted about the patrons and various games on the floor, and then I ordered another round while we talked some more. The music was so loud, and the people were growing rowdier as the coins, booze, cards, and dice flowed through the fantastic casino.

  I continued to order drinks for the four beautiful witches, and they continued to drink them. The alcohol made my skin tingle, and I craved more of the sweet liquid on my tongue almost as much as I craved each of the four women around me. Yeah, they were all bitchy witches, but both Akira and Vesta were insanely hot in their elegant dresses, and Morgana and Faye were practically naked. I knew the women were getting hornier with each drink, since Akira and Vesta leaned against me on our seat, and Morgana and Faye each stole glances at me while their nipples pushed urgently against the sheer fabric of their servant dresses.

  “I think we should get back to work,” Faye finally said as she set her empty glass on the table. “I still have a few hundred more coins to acquire.”

  “Same,” Morgana groaned. “Fuck, I just want to relax for the rest of the night.”

  “The sooner we get the coins, the sooner we can relax,” Akira sighed. “Are you two going to stick with your pickpocketing routine?”

  “It’s been working so far,” Faye said with a shrug that caused her perfect breasts to bounce. “No one is paying attention to the staff.”

  “I’m going to get back to gambling,” I said as I stood from the table and turned to Akira and Vesta. “You both want to come with me?”

  “Yes!” Akira blurted, but I decided not to raise my eyebrow or snicker at her.

  “Of course.” Vesta nodded.

  “Hopefully, we’ll see you both tomorrow,” I said to Faye and Morgana as I took Akira and Vesta on each arm.

  “You will.” Morgana’s blue eyes narrowed at me, and then the two of them turned around to thread through the crowd.

  “Come on,” I said to Akira and Vesta, and we wandered through the rooms as I looked for another table to conquer. “Let’s find some trouble to get into.”