“Something funny back there? I’m sure you’re expecting Cody. I can see it in your eyes. A dirty blow in like that should not be welcomed amongst our people. Now someone get me a beer.”
Barrett walked back towards where the original voice had come from. One of the men stood up and allowed him to sit down as he cozied in and was immediately dealt five cards.
***
“Plenty of reason I have to seek him out. The man has been coming onto my land, in the middle of the night and stealing my animals. My way of life.”
“What are you going to do, Barrett? Fight him? Shoot him?”
Barrett collected his cards and spread them out between his fingers, inspecting them closely before betting. He rubbed the stubble on his chin with his free hand before looking his comrade straight in the eye.
“I plan to do a lot worse to that coward. I’m going to make him admit his guilt and humiliate him right here in front of all these people. I’m going to make sure he leaves this town tonight and never steps foot on our soil again, gentlemen.”
A huge roar went up from around Barrett’s table as he announced this. The remaining men at the table laid their cards face down on the table as Barrett hauled a stack of poker chips back towards him.
“More beers over here!” He called out bullishly.
“I think this Cody guy has a lot about him, Barrett. He’s not going to be a pushover.”
Again, Barrett took his time as he let this statement wash over him. He scratched his chin and raised his head once more.
“And how many times have you said that to me now? How many guys have tried to drink in my bar and been tossed out just as quick as they walked in here? But this Cody guy is the worst. I mean come on guys, he wasn’t here a week before he walked in here and started going after all of our women. It was only last week that he advanced on your wife. Don’t you try and tell me he didn’t know she was taken. I saw that glint in his eyes.”
Barrett pointed across the table at his friend who had answered his question upon his arrival. He bowed his head in shame as he know what Barret had said was right. Cody had marched in that very bar the week previously and in the blink of an eye had his hand brushing against the taken woman’s leg. But the man had been too intimidated by Cody’s huge frame and the aura he possessed to do anything about it. It was left to Barrett to smash a beer bottle on a table and threaten him with jagged, broken chards.
“You’ve no proof that he rustled these animals from you anyway, Barrett. I mean, who’s to say they didn’t just run loose?”
Before the words came out of his friend’s mouth, Barrett was on his feet and had lurched across the table, grabbing his friend by his collar.
“How long do you know me now, boy? You know I’m always right around here. Especially when it comes to my animals.”
“Woah there Barrett, easy now. If I didn’t know any better I would have said you fought in here every night.”
Cody walked into the bar and immediately all eyes were on him. The tavern fell silent as his aura spread throughout the room. Barrett began to grind his teeth together as he sat back down and finished an entire bottle of beer in three gulps before calling for another one. The various tables returned to their conversations as Cody slid between two women to get to the bar, buying them one each in the process.
***
Barrett continued to dominate his table as his stack of chips piled up beside him. Around his stool bottles of beer began to accumulate as his betting became more and more intense. One by one, the men at his table left until he was sitting alone with his stack of poker chips. He placed the palm of his hand on the back of his stool and spun around to survey the room.
At the far side of the room he spotted the back of Cody’s head. His eyes became glazed over as he placed yet another beer bottle on the ground beside him. He clamped his eyes shut as he attempted to regain their focus but no matter what he tried, the room continued to spin.
“Bar. Barrett. Hey Barrett.”
By the time he regained his focus, he noticed that Cody had turned around and was now staring straight at him. Calling out to him. Goading him. Barrett gritted his teeth as he returned to his senses and stared straight back at his new nemesis.
“They tell me you’re the best at poker ‘round this parts. Why don’t you take that stack of chips you’ve got there and come over and we’ll play some heads up. Unless you’re ready to go back to bed to that lovely wife of yours?”
His stomach turned as he heard Cody mention his wife. He didn’t need to be asked twice, however. Without speaking as much as a word, he stood up from his stool before shaking slightly as his feet were unsteady underneath him.
He looked up and saw Cody sniggering and whispering to the woman who was perched to his right hand side.
“Something funny you outsider?” Barrett hissed across the room as more and more of the residents tuned in to the dialogue between the pair. Bar stools turned until everyone in the tavern had taken an interest in the two. The tavern fell silent, awaiting Cody’s imminent response.
“Nothing much. It’s just that I was also told that you were the best drinker in the town too but you look a little unsteady there after your couple of beers.”
The tavern erupted in laughter as Cody reached down and clasped his mountain of poker chips in both hands.
“Funny that, I was also told you were quite a hit with the ladies, yet every time I see you here you’re always sitting with those other old guys while I have all the fun over here.”
The people of the tavern were by now hanging on every word that came from Cody’s mouth.
“My wife is at home. Just like all good wives should be. Instead of being paraded around in here, in front of the like of you.” Barrett snarled his response.
“What’s the matter Barrett? Afraid I’m going to take her from you? But hey, who could blame her for switching sides?”
With that final insult, Barrett launched himself across the room at Cody, only to be restrained by four of his friends as his hands stopped just short of his now deadly rival. Cody did not flinch as he looked up and saw the spit dribble from Barrett’s lips.
“Let’s play some cards gentlemen.” An older man took a firm grip of the deck of cards placed in the middle of the table as Barrett took his seat opposite Cody. The entire tavern had now gathered around the pair, intent to see who would be crowned the new alpha male of the town.
“You both have roughly an equal stack there. Are you happy to play for the entire lot or would you prefer a more friendly game? That’s all worth quite a lot if my eyes serve me right.”
Cody and Barrett stared at each other, neither wanting to be seen as the weaker man. Barrett looked down at his chips and counted and counted and counted some more. It was at that point that he realised how drunk he must have been because he had won more in a couple of hours playing than he had in weeks. He looked across the table again just as the words began to form in his mouth.
“A friendly game? This isn’t worth my time here. I’ve got a better idea. How about we raise the stakes? If I win, I get all the chips, plus you admit to your filthy ways and what you’ve been doing on my land and then you leave this town for good.”
Cody stared back. He remained cool and calm.
“I’ll admit to it right now. I brought a tasty looking animal of yours back to my ranch. It will be making me quite a bit of money when all of those calves are born. Great pedigree in that animal of yours.”
“I knew it!”
Barrett jumped from the table before smashing his fist back down against it.
“Sit down Barrett and let’s here the man out.” The old man with the cards motioned for him to return to his stool, which he duly did, seething with anger. Cody merely smiled.
“So I’ll cut you a deal. If I lose, I’ll return your animal plus all of mine too. Then I’ll leave town for good.”
“You’ve got yourself a deal!” Barrett rose up again, reaching his hand out
to shake Cody’s in order to seal their words.
“But if I win, I go straight to your house and show your wife who the real man is this town. And you’re going to watch us while I use her just like your animal used mine.”
Cody stood up and gripped Barrett’s hand, squeezing it tightly as Barrett recoiled with a mixture of shock and pain.
“We’ve got ourselves a deal gentlemen. Now let’s play some cards.” Cody sat down as the old man began to deal out the cards, Barrett remained standing, still in shock at what he had just been forced into.
***
“Not looking so good there, are you big man?”
Cody smiled across the table as Barrett folded his hand once again. Cody’s muscular arms reached across the table and slid a large pile of chips back in his direction. Behind him, a number of women began to cheer. To their right, their husbands shot them angry glances as they cheered for the man they all dreamt of being married to.
Cody continued his thrash talk as he slowly ground Barrett down. He goaded Barrett into rash calls and he began making the types of mistakes he would never make against another opponent. With each hand that he lost, his face grew redder and redder.
As he was whittled down to his last few chips, Cody began to describe in intimate detail, the ways in which he would violate Barrett’s wife. The women who were gathered around became heated as they imagined themselves being taken in the way that Cody so expertly described.
Since he had shook Cody’s hand, signifying the beginning of the battle of wits, Barrett had yet to utter a word. He sat with his head bowed, pushing his chips across the table for Cody to ultimately pull to his side.
Finally, Barrett was dealt a full house by the old man. He gripped them between his fingers as he stared at its beauty. Three aces and two kings. This was where he would mount his comeback.
“All in.” He mouthed, licking his lips and staring his opponent in the eye for the first time as confidence surged through his body again.
“You’re right Barrett, I will be all in your wife quite soon in fact.”
“So are you going to call me or not you coward?”
Cody looked down at his five cards, staring at them intently, making Barrett sweat as he waited and waited.
“You know what, I think I will. I call.”
The crowd leaned in with anticipation as Barrett laid his full house on the table. Cody shook his head, feigning disappointment.
“Three aces and two kings. Nice hand. Well done.”
Barrett reached out and began to sweep the chips back towards himself. He turned to his few remaining friends behind him. Many had been converted and now stood behind Cody, cheering him on as they longed for him to pound the aggressive man’s wife.
“Looks like I’m not done yet boys.” Barrett declared to the entire crowd.
“I’d have a look again if I was you.” Cody laid his five cards straight down on the table. Barrett’s jaw dropped as he stared down at a ten, jack, queen, king and ace. All of spades.
“By my reckoning that’s a royal flush. But I can’t remember, can somebody help me out here? Does that beat a full house does anybody know?”
Barrett’s faced glowed a vibrant, bright red as he lunged across the table and grabbed Cody by the collar of his shirt. Just as a crowd of men attempted to move in to break them up, Cody grabbed Barrett by the wrist, causing him to buckle to his knees in pain.
Cody stood up, bending Barrett’s wrist back as he heard an audible ligament tear away from the body. Barrett cried out in pain.
“Now I’m only new around here so maybe I’m missing something, but I believe we had a bet. Now am I mistaken or something?”
“No!” Barrett cried out in a mixture of pain and shame as Cody continued to exert the excruciating pain on his wrist.
“So can you remind me about what I’ve just won then? My memory is very bad you see.”
Barrett began to curse at Cody and threatened to kill him until Cody increased the pressure ever so slightly until another ligament popped loose and Barrett felt physically sick with the pain.
“What did I win Barrett?”
“Okay, okay! I’m sorry. You won all my money and all of my animals!” Barrett squealed in pain.
“What did I win Barrett? Tell me what I won or I’m going to break your wrist clean in half and I’m not going to stop there.”
“Okay, okay! You get to pound my wife!”
A crude smile spread across Cody’s face.
“And are you okay with that? Why would you be okay with me doing such a thing?”
Barrett finally looked up at the man who had just humiliated him in front of all of the people in the town.
“Because you beat me. You won fair and square.”
With the final admission of his inferior status, Barrett was led out of the tavern by Cody, who had twisted his arm painfully behind his back. He continued to thrash talk as he forced Barrett back towards his house.
***
The front door bounced open as Bethany rolled her eyes. Lying on her back, she exhaled deeply and turned onto her side as she waited for that all too familiar sound of glass meeting wall. Her eyes remained open as she pushed as far to the side of the bed as her body would allow her without ending up on the floor.
But then came something unexpected. The sound of voices. Barrett had never allowed another person into the house at any time. Never mind in the middle of the night. She turned back over as her ears perked up, straining to make out what the voices were saying.
“Where is it?!”
“Through here, this room here. Please let me go! She’s in here!”
The door of the room burst open as Barrett came through first, effortlessly dominated by the physically imposing man behind him. Bethany sat up in the bed as she gasped for breath. The man was ruggedly handsome, with jet black hair and dark eyes. Barrett crumped to the ground beside the bed, rubbing his arm as he tried to regain some kind of life in it.
“Well howdy there, I’m Cody.”
Bethany sat up in the bed as her mouth remained wide open. She heard Barrett shuffle around on the floor as he tried to regain his composure.
“Would you like to tell your wife what’s going on or should I?” Cody sneered as he looked down at his conquered foe. Barrett merely grunted back at him.
“Okay then.” Cody smiled as he sat down on the far edge of the bed from where Bethany lay.
“Poor Barrett here challenged me man to man. Naturally enough I came out on top, much to his surprise although everyone else that was down there tonight knew what the result would be. The thing is, Little Lady, your husband here placed quite the wager on the outcome. He lost, which gives me his permission to satisfy you in any way I see fit.”
Bethany’s jaw dropped further as she felt her body tingle. Her eyes were lost in his dark eyes as she took in his tanned skin and his powerful frame.
“But you see darlin’, the thing about me is, I’m a gentleman. Just because your mighty husband here has been forced to give me his permission to ravage you in just the right way, doesn’t mean that I will. I just want to know how you feel about all this.”
Cody slid in closer to Barrett’s wife, who himself had dragged himself up using the edge of the mattress to take a closer viewing of the events that were unfolding within the walls of his own house.
Cody moved to the center of the bed and stretched his legs out. He reached over and slid his hand down the outline of Bethany’s leg on the outside of the covers. Bethany remained lost for words.
“I would never force a beautiful lass like yourself to do something that she didn’t want to do.” As Cody inspected her, he realized that what he was saying was in fact true. Just from looking at her, he realized how much her life must have been dictated by the loser who leaned against the mattress still, staring intently at his wife. Cody noticed how delicate Bethany’s shoulders were beneath her thin gown. He loved how her fair hair curled down below her shoulders. Strands of
it slid across her face, concealing her shy expressions.
“But you don’t have to force me.” Bethany eventually responded, looking her husband in the eye as he allowed his body to fall to the ground in defeat.
Another crude smile spread across Cody’s face as he realized that he was about to have his way with his enemy’s wife. He rolled over on top of Bethany, immediately reaching for her gown and sliding his right hand beneath its low cut.
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