by Sarah Curtis
He pushed the deck to her. "You can deal first. No Limit Hold 'em with a one-bill ante."
River took the cards in hand and eyed his stack of bills. She'd been counting while he doled them out. They had twenty bills each, but she planned to have them all soon.
She alternately dealt the first four cards face down—two to Alec, two to herself. Cupping one hand over the top, she lifted the corners of her cards with the thumb of her other hand, tilting her head to peek at their value. Ace and two of diamonds. Not a bad hand, playing heads up. She sat back in her seat, waiting for Alec to make a move since she was the dealer, and he was the first to act.
It didn't take him long to toss two bills in the middle of the table atop the two bills they'd already anted. She easily made the call. Sliding the top card off the top of the deck face-down, she set it off to the side and dealt the next three cards face-up in a row on the table—eight of clubs, king of clubs, two of spades. She'd flopped a pair of twos.
Alec sat, lazing against the back of his seat with an ankle resting atop a knee. She assumed he tried to appear casual, but his eyes were too calculating to look anything but highly alert. Trying to spot her tells? Good luck, she didn't have any.
He tapped a pointer on the table. Check.
Her pair of twos weren't bad, but the king on the flop made her cautious. She checked back, happy to see a free card. Again she burned a card before flipping over the next and setting it down beside the three cards already on the table. Two of clubs. She'd made trip deuces.
He nonchalantly tossed another two bills onto the pile. She thought a moment. Should she call or raise? Her hand was good heads up, but there were still many that could beat it. Just a call then, she thought, adding two more bills to the pile.
She turned over the last card—the river, her namesake—revealing the five of diamonds. More than likely no help to him, making her trip deuces look better. He tossed four more bills onto the pile and still cautious of a higher set or a flush, she called.
She looked over at him. "Whatcha got?"
He turned over the queen and four of clubs. Flush. With a small nod, she showed her twos and said, "Nice hand."
"You know," he said, scooping up the cards and giving them a shuffle. "I'm surprised you never went professional with all the rumors I've heard about you."
He'd heard rumors about her? Or was he just fishing? "Oh yeah, like what?"
He gave her a small smile, his eyes glinting with humor. "Not sure I should stroke your ego while in the middle of a game."
Oh, she had no doubt that's exactly what he wanted to do. Inflate her head, make her feel invincible, and then swoop in for the kill. Two could play at that game. "I'm sure the rumors I've heard about you have got mine beat." She peeked at the cards he'd dealt her and bet two bills.
He called her bet, throwing two of his bills onto the pile. "I'll share one of mine if you share one of yours."
River's lips curved up into a rare smile while playing a game of poker, and she quickly looked over at Alec, catching his lips twitching as well. Okay, she'd play his game. "It's been said, you won your Ferrari in a high-stakes cash game," she said, watching him deal the flop. She'd also heard he loved his Ferrari more than his own mother, but she doubted that part of the rumor was true.
She looked back over at him when he chuckled. "That rumor is false. While it's true Jerry didn't have enough money to cover his bet, it was a classic '69 Chevy Malibu—which I have absolutely no use for and is currently sitting in storage—that I won and not my precious Ferrari."
With the sly smile he gave her, she couldn't help blurting, "Is it true you love your Ferrari more than your mother?"
Alec tipped his head back and let out a bark of laughter. "I hadn't heard that one," he said, seeming to truly find the rumor amusing. "But in all honesty, that one might be true." He spoke jokingly as if he expected her to not believe his words, but the shadow that crossed his eyes had her thinking he might not have been jesting.
She placed her bet, another two bills on top of the pile. River still missed her mom and would give anything to have even one more day with her. She could never imagine not thinking that way. Tentatively she asked, "You and your mom don't get along?"
Alec threw down his cards, folding. "I would say we are pleasantly cordial. My mother came from a wealthy background and has very high standards, especially when it comes to me. And I'm afraid she doesn't quite think the career path I've chosen, lives up to them."
"But surely she must be proud. You've done very well for yourself."
Alec shrugged, then very efficiently changed the subject. "Is it true you punched Donny Lightman, breaking his nose, when you caught him trying to cheat?"
River laughed while scooping up the pot she'd just won. She was still a little behind and needed to win the next hand, too. Leaving him in suspense, she shuffled, then dealt the next hand, peeking at her cards before answering. She gave him a grin. "True." At his raised brow, she amended, "Well, mostly true."
"Which part?" he asked, tossing two bills into the pot.
"I did punch him, but being only fourteen at the time, unfortunately, my punch didn't pack quite as much of a wallop as I'd hoped. I only bloodied his nose, I didn't break it." She threw in three bills, raising his bet. He called, and she dealt the turn card.
He had that look again. The same one as when she mentioned she never carried cash. A cross between concerned and angry. She couldn't help but think he was judging her upbringing and a lifetime of defending her father had her elaborating, "I wasn't playing. Dad liked to hit up local cash games in whatever city we were staying at the time. Royal and I didn't always tag along but sometimes we did. We'd sit off to the side, out of the way, and watch them play, sometimes do schoolwork, stuff like that." Then for further justification, she kept babbling, "I remember Royal and I always begging my father to let us go with him. He would eventually cave, even when he thought we were too young." She gave him a small smile. "He had no defense against the two of us, and our pouty faces and puppy-dog eyes did him in every time. He wasn't as big a sucker before Mom died."
She stopped speaking abruptly, realizing she'd let her mouth run, spilling too much information. She remained silent while she waited for him to place his next bet.
He was silent for a minute, too before he said, "How old were you when your mom died?"
She found it unbelievable how, even after so many years, the pain from the loss of her mom sometimes still felt fresh. Needing to change the subject and not wanting to meet his eyes, she took another peek at her cards while saying, "Your turn to act."
Taking the hint, he threw in three bills and after doing the same, she dealt the river. The four of diamonds, giving her a full house, fours over sevens.
She waited for him to act. She had a good hand. Full houses were tough to beat normally. Heads up, damn near impossible. He tossed in four bills and she sat, pondering a moment, pretending to think before she shoved in all her money. "All-in."
He had more money than her and if he called her bet and she lost, he would win the game. Her face expressionless and her body still as a statue, she waited patiently while he came to a decision. Shoving his own money forward, he said, "I call."
River flipped over the seven and four she held in her hand, showing her full house. From an outside observer, she knew she looked in total control, but butterflies had taken flight in her stomach, and her heart rate had picked up speed at the thought of beating The Prince of Poker. She even felt a smile tugging at her lips until reality came crashing down along with Alec's cards as he laid two sevens face up on the table.
He had a full house, too. Only his was bigger than hers. Alec had won.
* * * * *
/>
He watched the light dim from her eyes as she realized he held the winning hand, and a feeling he'd never felt before after winning a game overtook him. Regret. Alec always felt a surge of power course through his veins and a glow of pleasure slide through his body when he beat an opponent, but he felt none of that now. Her eyes stripped him of the high he usually experienced, leaving him strangely dissatisfied.
She wouldn't meet his gaze as she gathered the cards, sticking them back in their box and making a neat stack of his money. He was silent throughout, waiting for her to collect herself. When she finally looked up, a courteous smile graced her lips.
"Congratulations, guess I owe you an answer." She held out her hand, offering him a handshake.
He stood from the table and took her offered hand, not to shake but to help her up from her seat. He tugged on her hand, aligning their bodies a bit closer. "I want to see you again."
Even in her heels, she only reached the bottom of his chin and had to tip her head back to meet his eyes. She issued a soft laugh, the melody pleasurable, and he found himself leaning closer to hear it better. "We're participating in the same tournament. It would be hard not to see me."
He slowly shook his head while issuing an equally slow smile. "I'll take you out to dinner tomorrow night. I'll get my answer then."
Chapter Three
For many reasons—that she didn't wish to delve into too deeply—River didn't think sharing another evening meal with Alec was a good idea. While on the surface, spending time with a person she was about to go head-to-head with in a competition might seem smart, her inner-brain—the intelligent part—seemed to think Alec was too much of a distraction. She could get lost looking into his icy blue eyes that contrasted so dramatically with his inky black hair. Engrossed in the sharp slant of his cheekbones that accentuated so well with his long straight nose. She could become absorbed by his hard, determined jaw, stressing the equally hard and determined set of his lips. And all that proved her inner-brain was right.
He was distracting with a capital D.
Add the fact he was too smart, too sharp, and would gain as much insight about her as she would about him, had her thinking spending any unnecessary time with Alec, flirting with danger.
"Sorry, but your winnings must be claimed by midnight tonight or all bets are forfeited," she said, giving a subtle tug on her hand to extract it from his grip, which had the opposite effect she hoped for when he just held on tighter.
"I don't remember that being a stipulation of the bet."
If possible, he drew even closer to her, making her tip her head back farther to keep him in sight. "Yes, but it wasn't not stipulated either."
"Hmm." He looked down at his chunky, gold watch. "That still leaves me two hours then."
"Um, no. I'm tired and want to go to bed." She gave him a stern look as she emphasized, "To sleep."
"I'm sorry, but if you're going to change the rules, I'm afraid I must insist."
"I didn't change..." She held up her free hand, taking a deep, calming breath. She had a feeling arguing with him would do her no good. "How about lunch tomorrow instead?" Lunch was better than dinner, right?
A small frown crinkled his brow as he said, "I have a prior obligation tomorrow afternoon."
"You've been here less than a day." She could well imagine what his "prior obligation" looked like. If she recalled correctly, leggy brunettes were his usual preference.
He shrugged but didn't say anything and after a long few seconds, she guessed his silent gesture would be the only explanation she'd receive.
She took a large step back, creating some much-needed space between them, but he still firmly held her hand as if afraid she'd flee from his sight. He needn't worry, she'd never renege on a bet, even if she would try to tweak things in her favor.
He remained silent, waiting for her to come to a decision and after a long, drawn-out sigh, she said, "Fine, you win. My brain's too tired to spar with you further. Dinner, tomorrow. But know this," she held up her finger to emphasize her point. "You will ask your question by the end of the meal or all bets are off."
He insisted on escorting her up to her room. They were silent in the elevator, and she spent the time obsessing over the last hand of their game. After mentally rehashing each of her moves, she concluded she'd done everything right and nine times out of ten she'd have played it the exact same way. The odds had been low he'd have a higher full house, making the outcome not from her playing ability but just a really bad beat.
"I'll pick you up here at six tomorrow night," he said, holding the door open with his arm as she stepped into her room.
She figured two could play the silent treatment so only gave a nod to confirm their plans. She gave the door a push, letting him know she was done with him for the evening but it barely budged, his one arm stronger than both of hers together.
His grin was infectious, and she felt her lips twitch before breaking into a smile, declaring him the winner of their battle of wills. Shaking her head, she stated firmly, "Good night, Alec." But the smile still gracing her lips pretty much ruined the effect she was going for.
His finger ghosted down the length of her nose before giving her a light tap on her lips. "I'll see you tomorrow, sweetheart." And with a wink, he was gone.
River sat out on her balcony, watching as the sun inched its way over the water. She wasn't usually an early riser and needed an alarm to wake her from sleep, but that hadn't been the case this morning. Thoughts of Alec had invaded her slumber, waking her and leaving her unable to fall back asleep. She had to admit, the peacefulness of early morning was lovely, watching nature free from human disturbance as they interacted with their environment. She relaxed back in her chair, amused by the antics of some seagulls, sipping her coffee as the day grew brighter. The in-room, two-cup coffee maker produced a poor substitute of the delicious latte she'd had the night before, but her brain, unlike her taste buds, didn't care. It only wanted the caffeine.
Too soon, the beach started to fill. Early morning joggers transcended into beach-goers, laying out towels and putting up umbrellas. Sounds of merriment drifted up to her on the breeze, and she figured that was her cue to actually get out and enjoy her few days of vacation.
Before getting ready, she placed a quick call to Royal, checking in. She heard the nerves he tried to disguise behind a happy and upbeat attitude, wishing her luck. She knew how important the money was, knew she needed to place at least third in the tournament to win enough to cover his debts and the cost of the trip. Knew as well as he did that poker could be a fickle sport and no matter how good you were, if you're only dealt crap cards, you will go down in flames. Poker, after all, was equal parts luck and skill. She had the skill, now she just prayed for the luck.
Slipping a flowing gauze sundress over her bathing suit, she picked up her beach bag and headed out the door. After stopping to grab an iced coffee, she easily found a path that led from the hotel to the beach. Finding a semi-secluded spot was the challenge. Only nine in the morning and the sand was packed. Multicolored towels, umbrellas, and swimsuits as far as the eye could see. She stood, scanning left, then right before thinking she should just head over to the pool when something caught her eye. A wide net was being erected, seemingly for a volleyball game, and a large section of the beach had been roped off.
Intrigued, she made her way closer. One of the neighboring lifeguard stations had a sign attached proclaiming the Tenth Annual Kids are Konsequential Beach Volleyball Event. A small crowd had already started to gather and not wanting to lose her good vantage spot, she pulled her towel out of her bag and plopped herself down. If the few men she spied already inside the perimeter were some of the players, than she definitely wouldn't want to miss it.
&nb
sp; As the last pole was hammered into the sand, more players drifted into the game zone. A woman about her age sat down beside her and gave her a shy smile. "Any of those hunks yours?" she asked with a tip of her head.
River was about to reply with a negative when a flash of red caught her eye, and Alec Throne entered her field of vision. Tall and shirtless, with bronzed muscles on display, she found once her eyes latched on, she couldn't look away. She'd known he was fit from when her arms encircled his waist at the airport, and such close proximity does not lie. But seeing it was a another thing entirely.
He wore red board shorts that hung low about his waist and fell just to the tops of his knees. He turned, his back now facing her and she saw he had a tattoo on his right shoulder. Five cards fanned–a royal flush.
River remembered she had a question to answer. She turned to the woman beside her and smiled. "No, you?"
She pointed to a group of players. "The tall blond in the black shorts, talking with the guy in yellow."
"Lucky you."
The woman chuckled and held out her hand. "Silvia."
"River." She took her hand.
"That's an unusual name. Don't come across that one very often. You here on vacation?"
"Something like that, but I would call it more a working vacation."
Silvia chuckled, "Can't think of a prettier place to do business."
River nodded in agreement. "So what's this event all about anyway? I just sort of stumbled upon it."
"Oh, every year, the resort hosts the Kids are Konsequential charity that coincides with the big poker tournament, the Omega One. A lot of people turn up for that, so I guess they think it's a good time to hold it. They have a few other fundraisers scheduled before the big event that a lot of the poker players, as well as island locals, participate in. This is the first year my boyfriend's participating in the Omega One, and he's signed up for a few of the fundraisers, as well."