Call My Bluff

by Elizabeth Knox

  I tipped my head down and rested my forehead on his and said, “I could go for a drink.” Then I did something I had rarely done in our acquaintance and made the first move, touching my lips to his.

  I was aware of the fact that we were out in the open with what amounted to his ex-booty call closely looking on, so I kept it short and sweet. I wanted to show him I appreciated the gesture and, even though it wouldn’t last, I wanted to soak up every moment like this that I could.

  It would be cold comfort when he was off galivanting to wherever he was off to next, and I was wherever I was going to be, miserable and alone.

  Nick looked over his shoulder, the opposite side of Nat, and caught the bartender’s attention. He grinned and said, “Coming right up, bud.”

  When he grinned up at me, I asked playfully, “You already ordered it for me? Wasn’t that a little presumptuous of you?”

  “That’s why it wasn’t sitting on the bar waiting on you. I didn’t know for sure, so I gave him a heads up.”

  Arms around his shoulders, I gently brushed my nose over his. It was so easy to get lost in him and forget the people around us, and I did, until she cut in using a ridiculous baby voice and said, “I remember when we were that way.” Then she let out a wistful sigh.

  All ease left him in an instant. I dropped my arms and wrapped them around myself at the bitter coldness in his expression, though he didn’t let me move away completely, keeping his thumb around my waistband. I could either standstill, as he obviously wanted, or risk showing every patron of this hotel bar my bright pink thong.

  Obviously, I stood still and waited.

  Thank fudge, I’d worn my comfy clothes.

  “That’s it. We’re done. Don’t approach me, don’t approach Harlow, don’t look in our direction and don’t breathe either of our names. What we had was a convenient piece of ass that I couldn’t stand being in the same room with unless my dick was in you, and having had the best, I can assure you that you Nat, are subpar, at best. Don’t try and fuck with Harlow’s head because what we have is nothing like what you and I had, and I say that loosely since what we had was absolutely nothing.”

  Then he waved at the bartender and pointed toward a table in the back corner, grabbed his beer while rising, and used the thumb in my freaking pants to guide me to a seat.

  I was thanking every star I’d ever seen when I looked back up, and she was flouncing from the bar.

  The handsome black man tending the bar brought my glass of wine and asked, “Did you guys want to see a menu?”

  I looked to Nick to see what he preferred and almost laughed when he took over, “No need, my man. Get us a large pizza, everything, and all the fixings. Bill it to my tab. Oh, and add a bottle of the red.” he gestured at my glass, “Can you send it up to our room?”

  With a knowing grin, the other man winked and said, “Sure thing, brother.”

  We sat and finished our drinks; in my case, that meant drinking it since I’d only just gotten mine and talking.

  “What are you planning to do when this is all said and done, Baby Doll?” He asked before tipping his beer up for a swig.

  I shrugged, “I have no idea. I’ve been the breadwinner since I was fourteen, so I’ve never had the freedom I’m going to have in a couple of days. It’s scary, but it’s exciting. The possibilities are endless. What about you? What are you going to spend your ten large on?”

  A strange look crossed his face, and he asked, “You think the winner walks with just the seed money?”

  I shrugged and took a drink of my wine before saying, “Honestly, I have no idea. I’ve never been a risktaker, so by default, I’ve never been a gambler.”

  “Harlow, the buy-in was ten thousand, the pot is ten mil.”

  I gasped and choked on the sip of wine I’d just taken. It took a few moments for me to calm enough to demand, “You’re going to win ten million dollars?”

  My voice was shrill, and I didn’t care. Did that kind of money even exist?

  “Well, not quite.” The giant jerk paused to take a drink of his beer, then finished, “House takes a thirty percent cut.”

  I quickly did the math in my head. Math hadn’t been my strong suit as a student, but even I could work a basic percent and subtraction. Seven. Million. Dollars.

  He watched as everything sank in and then roared with laughter when I said, in awe, “No wonder you had no problem forking over the money for my contract and a bonus on top. Holy hell, dude, you’re loaded!”

  “Technically,” he interjected to burst my bubble, “I only get the money if I win. Otherwise, someone else walks away with all of it. Though,” and there was the cockiness of his grin, “I never lose, so there’s that.”

  I had questions. Dozens. Nay, hundreds. But I settled on asking, “What are you going to do with that much money, besides pay taxes on it?”

  The cocky grin morphed into a sexy, cocky smirk. The things that man could do with his mouth, some of which I was very well acquainted with. My cheeks heated, but I ignored it, waiting for his answer. “First of all,” he informed me, “it’s an underground championship. That means no taxes. It’s all cold hard, most importantly untraceable, cash. As far as what I plan to do? I’m making my way to the border, and swapping Nicholas Foster for Nick Reyes. Then I’m driving until I find a stretch of beach to call home, opening myself a little beachside bar and learning to surf or something equally dangerous.”

  “Little beachside bar?” I asked.

  He tipped up the bottle, drank the last of his beer, and set it on the table, confirming, “Little beachside bar.”

  “That’s actually,” I grinned, “that’s an incredible idea. I’m so jealous.”

  The easy never left him even as he rocked me with an offer, we both knew he didn’t mean, “Come with me. We can do it together. All the booze we can handle, a beach as our office, you in a skimpy little bikini. Fuck yeah.”

  I sighed. “I wish. I can’t intrude on your dreams, no matter how amazing that sounds.”

  He grinned and raised his empty beer to me in salute, “Well, here’s to winning it all, and both of us getting everything we want.”

  That I could drink to, so I did. And I didn’t set the glass back down until I’d emptied it.

  Those knowing eyes flickered over my face, but he didn’t say anything besides, “Come on, Har, let’s get upstairs before the crazy chick comes back. Dinner should be coming up not far behind us.”

  I nodded and stood, but he didn’t let me get far before he used a finger to snag my waistband and bring me to a halt until he caught up and tossed his arm over my shoulder.

  He brushed a heartbreakingly tender kiss to the crown of my head and pulled me away.

  The whole time my heart was aching.

  The whole time he was whistling.

  Chapter Eight

  Wednesday

  I had officially drunk more in the last week than I had in the last month. Mostly it was to quiet the pain in my chest that reminded me constantly that I was driving a hundred and ten down a bridge where the middle had fallen out.

  And when I hit that hole and crashed to my death?

  It was going to hurt like a bitch.

  The sun was beating through the window, the only indicator that at some point, we’d made it to one of our beds. I just wasn’t sure which.

  Then my phone cut through the blessed silence once more, a tone set just for Rico. Groaning, I threw my arm over my eyes and begged, “Please find my phone, tell your uncle to kiss my ass, and then throw it out the window so five hundred and seventy-two cars can run it over, and I never have to hear that fucking sound again.”

  He chuckled. It was raspier than usual, so I figured he was feeling it too, but it was abundantly clear he was in better shape than I was because there was no way in hell I’d find anything to laugh about for at least the next ten years.

  Before I could tell him this as well, he reached over to the nightstand, snagged my phone, and put it to
his ear, informing Rico, “We’re hungover, and you’re annoying. Call back never.”

  Then he just hung up.

  It shouldn’t have, you’d think I’d know by then that there was no predicting what Nick would do, but this shocked me to the core. “I— you— I don’t even know what to say right now. You can hang up on Rico, and the world doesn’t end? I’ve never hung up on Rico, and I’ve known him for years.”

  He snorted then reminded me, “I’m his favorite nephew, and you’re his favorite female on Earth.” He stopped for a second lost in thought then informed me, “You may actually be his favorite person, blood or not. I’m pretty far down on his shit list these days. I’d bet even more after that, and I’m a bettin’ man.”

  Before I could respond, my phone started blaring again. I was so killing him just as soon as I was sober again.

  He answered once again and laughed, “Fuck off. Yes, she’s right here. No, you can’t talk to her.” Pause then, “She’s busy, that’s why.” He finally relented with a groan and handed me the phone. Then he bent and kissed me in a way that I didn’t care one iota about the open line on my phone with a man I considered the closest I had to a father.

  Nick leaped from the bed, naked as the day he was born, dick swinging in the breeze, not a care in the world.

  I shook myself and put the phone to my ear, greeting, “Hey Rico.”

  “Harlow, how are you?”

  I decided to mess with him, “Well, your nephew tied me up and has decided to turn me into his love slave. I’m not sure how long he plans to keep me, though. Everything ok?”

  He chuckled and said, “All’s well. I just wanted to touch base with you. Your job is almost over, so I want to know where your head is.”

  He was never going to find out where my head was. My head was dreaming of impossible dreams, dreams of living on the beach, selling booze next to the gorgeous man making his way across the room to me holding a cup of coffee in one hand and a bottle of water in the other.

  He was a freaking catch. Too bad, I was going to have to release him soon.

  Then I promised myself I wouldn’t mope again for whatever time we had left. I was tucking it back in the corner and living in the moment, even if it killed me in the end. I was living my fantasy for as long as I could.

  “Well, I’m definitely done escorting. I’m not sure about the job offer yet. I’m really thinking about spending some time traveling, seeing what else is in the world. Sea to shining sea, kind of thing, you know?”

  “My nephew has wild dreams, I’m undecided if this bodes well for me when it comes to you.”

  That was sweet, so I made sure to tell him, “I’m not running off with your nephew and corrupting him—“

  I didn’t get to finish because Nick snatched the phone from my hands and laughingly held it out of reach as he informed his uncle, “I didn’t want to tell you this, but I’m stealing your girl, Tio. Taking her off to a foreign land and making her queen of my harem.”

  No matter how hard I fought to snatch the phone back, I just couldn’t reach it. I collapsed in giggles as he used dirty tactics and tickled my ribs to keep me from making contact.

  Finally, I decided to fight fire with fire and started poking at his ribs. I learned something very valuable in that moment; Nicholas Foster was ticklish.

  Extremely so.

  He laughed and yelled, “Sorry, Rico, gotta go!” Hanging up the phone, he tossed it to the floor and pounced on me.

  I was running late, hopping from foot to foot while I slathered and smeared moisturizer, primer, and foundation on my face. We were going to be late if I didn’t pull it together and get done.

  It was the second game, and there was a really good chance that Nat was going to be there. I didn’t want to look homeless. I’d already rocked that look once before for her viewing pleasure.

  Nick stood in the doorway to the bathroom, watching me, completely at ease and ready to go. If he felt any urgency, he sure didn’t show it. He was the picture of calm.

  He just watched me, as intently as he always did, with a grin teasing at his lips.

  After eleventy billion years, I was finally presentable and only needed to buckle on my shoes.

  I hadn’t even gotten the dress on before Nick had caught sight of my thigh highs secured in place with a garter belt this time, and jumped me, hence the running late. So, there was no way I was putting the shoes on before we were about to walk out because they were going to turn him on.

  I’d officially had more sex with Nick than I had anyone else combined, and I couldn’t wait to have more of it, but knowing he had seven freaking million dollars to lose, I wasn’t taking any chances.

  He went on full alert when he got a load of the whole outfit, eyes lingering on the fuck-me shoes, and I watched as he talked himself down.

  I’d never felt so powerful and wanted in my life.

  We walked in, and he grabbed a glass of wine for me, then led me to a different seat than I’d used the last time. This seat was in full view of the table. I understood why, when he said, “The other day, the way you kept crossing your legs and shifting in your seat? I want you to do that tonight, right here.” He pointed to the table, saying, “I’ll be sitting right there watching you put on your show, and I’m going to be thinking about all the ways I’m going to fuck you tonight. First, I think we’ll start with you bent over the couch, that perfect ass in the air for me to do with as I please.”

  I crossed my legs and shifted, not because I’d been told to, but because holy fuck balls, that was hot.

  He chuckled darkly, his laughter full of heat and promise then said, “Yeah, Baby Doll, just like that. My eyes are going to be on you all night long.”

  I was breathless when I asked, “Won’t that be a problem? Since you need to focus on your cards?”

  His voice was full of promise when he hovered his lips a breath from mine and spoke, “I can play this game in my sleep. So, I think I’ll have my cake and eat it too.” I waited for him to make contact, but this was Nick we were talking about. He changed course and went for my neck, nipping lightly and sending shivers through me. That was when he came back to my lips, brushed them gently, and winked before striding away.

  How dare he walk away and not even look affected when I was halfway to an orgasm right there in my seat.

  I wouldn’t have even noticed she was in the room if Nick hadn’t stiffened with a frown for a second before turning his attention back on me. I glanced where he’d looked and saw Nat sitting in the same seat I had on Monday. Her posture was rigid, and she stared at Nick.

  The first ten hands were over, and the dealer was switching the cards for new ones. Nick snagged a glass and walked past Nat without sparing her a glance.

  He held out something that was very clearly not red wine and announced, “Watching you, I’m getting all sorts of ideas for what I’m going to do to you later, and I think I want you completely sober for that.”

  Gulp.

  I nodded and took the glass, taking a sip and finding bubbly water, to cover my embarrassment because he’d just announced that in front of the waiter making his way past and the very young, big breasted woman to my left.

  I’d already given up on having a normal complexion around him. He made me blush entirely too much for that to work, but I was sure that the color of red radiating from my cheeks was probably visible from the moon.

  Making it worse, I had to ask, “Can you point me to the ladies’ room?”

  He looked at his watch and offered his hand, “I’ll do one better, I’ll take you there myself.”

  In for a penny, in for a pound at this point, so I stood and took his hand, lacing our fingers together. This felt real, it felt natural, it felt amazing. So, I was going to keep on living in my dream world where this was something I could look forward to for the rest of my life, and reached across my body with my left arm, wrapping my fingers around his forearm, holding on to him doubly.

  There wasn’t a li
ne, so I handed off my clutch to Nick and hurried inside. I was tossing the paper towel into the trash when Nat walked in. She brushed me in that way that bullies do when they’re trying to intimidate you and tripped over her own feet.

  Instant karma.

  I cheered a little inside and walked out, taking my clutch back from Nick and letting him escort me to my seat, holding on to him again.

  He waited until I was seated and then handed my drink back to me, bent and kissed me softly, then rocked my world when he brought a hand up and cupped my cheek, he smiled, the real smile, and whispered, “I’m a lucky man, Baby Doll, getting to have you by my side. Even if I walk away a loser, I’d still be winning.”

  I couldn’t hack it. I couldn’t stop myself from melting, couldn’t stop myself from wishing, and couldn’t find it anywhere inside to remind myself this was a just for the week romance. What I did was surge up in my seat and attack his face with my lips.

  That, of course, set us off on another one, and it was the shouting voices that pulled us apart.

  “That bitch did this on purpose! I want her out of here, Frederick. She ruined my dress!”

  That was Nat. I pulled back slightly and looked to the door where she stomped in and searched the room. My stomach sank when she found me, smirked, and declared, “Get her out of here! She poured her red wine all over my dress because she knows Nick and I used to be together, and she’s jealous.”

  I was frozen solid. How was this even happening?

  I immediately looked to Nick and stuttered, “Nick, I— I swear I didn’t do anything!”

  All eyes were on me, and his jaw ticked with fury, then he declared, “Fred, I’d lose her if I were you. Harlow is drinking sparkling water, which I brought to her myself, and you can ask the young lady beside us.”

  The girl I’d been judging secretly only minutes before jumped to her feet and declared, “It’s the truth! He brought it to her before he took her to the restroom, he said some stuff that had me panting and hanging on to his every word wishin’ it was me he was talking to. That bitch,” she jabbed a finger in Nat’s direction, “is a liar.”