Black Number Four

by Kandi Steiner

  Yesterday, I brought the same cup of coffee that I had guessed last week to Dr. O’Neal’s class. Skyler was all smiles when I sat down and handed her the mug, but her mood quickly changed when she realized it was the same one. I blamed it on being busy with fraternity stuff and Erin, making sure to smile when I mentioned her name, and that was all we said to each other. She left fifteen minutes before class ended and I didn’t text to ask why, even though I’m pretty sure I already knew.

  It kills me to play this game with her, but at this point, I have no choice. Wanting more with her is fucking stupid and I should have seen that from the very beginning. I let myself get too caught up with her and now I have to pay the price. Being friends with her kills me, being anything more than that isn’t going to happen, and being anything less means I can’t do my job. This in-between shit hurts and every time Skyler looks at me with those blue eyes of hers, I feel my resolve weaken. Luckily, my determination is far greater than my weakness, and I’m using that to my advantage.

  I’ve been to the casino three times this week. I haven’t entered tournaments, just played at the tables, but I already feel myself falling into a comfortable style that I’ve never had before. I lost my money the first night, but the last two times I’ve come out ahead. Each time I go, I learn my giveaways – my tells. I’m starting to figure out how to play aggressively without being stupid and the cards seem to be playing in my favor. Let’s hope they stay that way through May.

  Erin stands, pulling me from my thoughts. I watch as she slowly and seductively turns to face me before sliding her knees on either side of mine, straddling my lap. She bites her lip, her eyelids heavy with lust. “You should let me pay you back for that,” she says, her fingers trailing down my stomach. I groan when she palms me through my sweat pants, my dick reacting to her whether I want it to or not. I swallow hard, reining in my hormones. I already hate using Erin, I don’t need to make it worse than it already is.

  “As tempting as that sounds and as sexy as you look right now…” I use my thumb to pull down on her chin, freeing her lip from her teeth before sliding my hand back through her hair. “I need to get to the gym and work on this paper before the tournament tonight.”

  Erin’s shoulders deflate. “I don’t see why you have to go.” She pouts. “Poker is Skyler’s thing, not yours. I know you’re trying to be nice and be her friend, but I don’t think she’ll blame you if you bail.”

  I shake my head. “I promised her at the beginning of the semester that I’d help her train for May. I never see her other than class and poker, so it’s not like I’m doing too much. Besides, it helps with this script idea I have about a poker player who gets caught up with the wrong people in Vegas. It’s a rough idea, but it might work for my final paper. I’m learning the terms and shit.” I smile through the lie and Erin sighs, still not happy.

  “Well,” she says, her eyes lighting up again. “Then why don’t you skip the gym and let me work you out instead?” She licks her lips and arches a brow, challenging me.

  “You’re relentless, woman,” I tease, but silently pray she’ll give it up. I’m just a guy, for fuck’s sake – I can only say no to sex so many times. “I really do need to go. But not before you give me a kiss with those lips you like to bite so much.”

  Erin still doesn’t seem satisfied, but at that, she smiles and leans in to plant her lips on mine, running her fingers through my hair to pull me closer. I hate myself for kissing her back, for dragging her into this mess in the first place, but again I remind myself of the bigger picture. Erin is a small table, Skyler is the final one. I have to go through one to get to the other, and unfortunately no one cares much about the small table.

  My level of asshole-ness is just growing by the minute.

  The Palm South campus is a beautiful one, but perhaps one of their biggest bragging points is the gym. With two floors of machines and equipment, three studio classrooms, a spinning studio, a pool, and three full size courts for Intramural games, it’s massive – and my favorite place to burn off steam. The view of the Atlantic through the large glass windows only adds to the experience and they just put in a smoothie bar this semester. They didn’t have gyms anywhere close to this nice in Kansas, and I’ve taken full advantage every chance I’ve had.

  My triceps are on fire as I grip the weight bench, lowering myself down to the ground and back up again. Each dip sends a burning pain through my arms and up to my shoulders but I grit through it, staring straight ahead and focusing on the house music blaring through my ear buds. Sweat drips into my eyes and I blink it away, counting the reps in my head. Suddenly, someone walks up beside the bench. I ignore them, but their presence pulls my focus.

  What the fuck?

  There are twenty other benches, stalker. Stop creeping on mine.

  Just as I lift myself back onto the bench and let my arms fall like Jell-O to my sides, my right ear bud is ripped from my ear.

  “What the fuck?” I yell louder than I intended as I look up to confront the offender. Skyler stands with her arms crossed, smirking. Without realizing it, my eyes fall from hers to the tight workout clothes hugging her curves.

  Goddamn it, this is not part of the plan.

  “Easy there, killer.” She laughs, throwing her hands up in surrender. “I just saw you over here when I was walking to Spin Class and thought I’d say hi. Clearly disrupting your lift session is a serious offense.”

  I shake my head, realizing the scowl from my initial reaction is still cemented on my face. I trade it in for a smile and stand, rolling my shoulders back and pulling my left arm across my chest to stretch. “You’re damn right it is. Do you even lift, bro?”

  She giggles and it’s the cutest fucking thing. Why does it have to be the cutest fucking thing?

  “Remind me not to ever need a favor from you when you’re working out,” she says, her eyes playful.

  “Who says you get any favors from me at all?” I arch my brows and her face falls, her eyes dropping to the ground. I laugh, nudging her with my hand as I switch arms and stretch the right one. “I’m joking, Sky. You ready for tonight?”

  Her smile returns and she scoffs. “Please, I think the better question is are they ready for me tonight? The people playing tonight will definitely recognize me, which means I don’t have to worry about playing dumb. I can bring my A game. These poor suckers won’t know what hit them.” She winks and tosses her towel over her shoulder and I laugh.

  “Well damn, looks like I’ll finally get to see the famous Skyler Thorne in her own element.”

  “I bet you can barely contain your excitement,” she teases, but my eyes won’t listen to me and they fall to her chest. The sports bra she’s wearing paired with the low-cut tank top is enough to unravel me.

  “You have no idea,” I murmur.

  Skyler shifts uncomfortably under my stare and I lift my eyes again. She looks at me through her lashes, biting her lip just a bit – almost not enough to notice. I swallow and she clears her throat, pointing behind her with her thumb. “Um, you need to get in some cardio? I’ll let you bike next to me if you promise not to kill me with that lifting glare of yours.”

  I laugh, crossing my arms across my chest. Skyler’s eyes follow the movement and I flex even though I don’t really need to in this position. “I got in plenty of cardio earlier, trust me,” I say, winking.

  I realize immediately how that sounded as Skyler’s face turns white, her eyes wide. I was referring to running the circle around campus, but I know that’s not what she’s thinking. By now, she knows Erin stayed the night, and I watch as she puts two and two together.

  My smile grows and I hold my ground as Skyler stares. It’s too easy to get caught up with her, to fall into our comfortable banter, but this slip up actually plays into my hand better than I could have planned. I’m supposed to weaken her, and comments like that might be the key to achieving the mission.

  “Oh, uh… okay. Um,” she stumbles, backing up as I arch my b
row. “Well I have to go, class is starting. I’ll see you tonight.” She turns on her heel and rushes toward the spin studio.

  “Pick you up at five!” I yell to her back and she throws her hand up in a wave of acknowledgement.

  Well shit, I definitely didn’t expect to run into her here. It makes sense that she would be at the gym, given how in shape she is, but this couldn’t have worked out any better for me. I smile, walking to the free weights. When I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror, my cocky smile fades. I look into my own blue eyes, searching for a compassionate man that I know must exist in there somewhere. There’s got to be a better part of me that wants me to stop what I’m doing.

  I guess he’s not speaking to me right now.

  Can’t say that I blame him.

  “You look different tonight,” I observe, eying the baggy black hoodie and dark jeans Skyler’s paired together. She taps her sunglasses on her leg nervously and stares out the window as we ride to the casino. The tension that built between us earlier at the gym has only magnified since we got in the cab. Skyler and I don’t do close very well. Or, rather, we do it too well, which is why I know my comment earlier got under her skin.

  “I told you, they know me here. That’s why I waited until last minute to enter. Last time I entered early, they ended up using me on fliers to get people to sign up. Come Challenge Skyler Thorne – Hot Young Poker Star!” She rolls her eyes and I smile, snagging the sunglasses from her fingers.

  “You wearing these tonight?”

  “Definitely,” she says, glancing at me quickly before turning back toward the window. I didn’t think I knew Skyler’s weaknesses that well, but apparently I stumbled upon a nerve earlier. She’s clearly affected and as much as I want to take a small victory lap, I hate it, too. I don’t want to fuck her up. I don’t want her to not be on her game. Not necessarily just because I want to see her play at her best so I can beat her at her best, but because I saw how much she loved playing after the auction. Her smile, her cocky façade – it’s amazing to watch.

  “Well, that really sucks,” I say, sliding them back into her hand. She turns back to me slowly, a questioning look playing in her eyes. I trail the pad of my thumb slowly down her temple to the side of her eye while my fingers brush the hair from her face. “You have incredible eyes. I know if I was at the table, I’d be distracted by them.”

  Skyler’s eyes search mine, her face torn between two emotions that I’m not sure I can decipher. Slowly, sadness overtakes the other contender and she turns her face away from my hand and back toward the window.

  Damn. Not even a corny line can shake her? The Skyler I knew definitely would have called me on my shit. Or at least joked around about me being a lame ass.

  “Are you nervous?” I ask, thinking maybe a more blunt approach might get her to open up. We pull up to the casino and before the cab has a chance to stop, Skyler swings her door open.

  “Nope, I’m fine.”

  I stay in the cab for a moment, watching as she storms toward the tall glass doors before finally paying the driver and climbing out myself. I catch up to Skyler and we walk in silence to registration, the lights and bells of slot machines mocking our lack of joy along the way. There’s a thick cloud of smoke already building and the faces lining machines and tables range from playful and hopeful to miserable and desperate. I’ll never understand why my father loves casinos and gambling so much. If you ask me, it’s just as sick an addiction as smoking or drugs. Some people ruin their whole lives on this false hope of hitting a quick fortune.

  After May, I’m done with this shit. With casinos, with poker, with gambling, and with lying. None of this is worth the trouble. My dad? Yeah, he’s worth it. We don’t exactly get along, but he’s been there through a lot of shit in my life and I know at the end of the day, he always will be. I owe him this and I honestly do want to let him live this dream through me. I get it. But damn, this turned out to be a lot more than I signed up for.

  Skyler checks in and gets her first table assignment. An older man is running registration and explains that the final table most likely won’t start playing until eleven, so we should expect a late night. By the looks of it, there aren’t a ton of people here for the tournament and they have twenty minute blind levels, so that should get the less aggressive players out quick. In theory, this should be an easy night for Skyler, but judging by the look on her face, you would think we were in Vegas already.

  “We have fifteen minutes. You want to grab a drink?”

  She nods, sliding on her sunglasses and pulling her hood over her head before leading the way to the nearby bar. We slide up on the stools and Skyler puts five dollars in the computer game built into the bar. She mindlessly plays Keno as I order us a couple of beers.

  “Hey.” I nudge her playfully, smiling. “After you rob all these chumps, wanna go skinny dipping?” I waggle my eyebrows and she deadpans before focusing on the screen again. I sigh. “What’s wrong? Talk to me. You can’t go into the tournament like this.”

  Her finger hovers above a number and she stops short. Suddenly, she turns in her seat to fully face me. “Who the hell made you think you could tell me what I can and can’t do? In case you forgot, you haven’t worked with me on this since the first night you saw me play. You don’t know my style, you don’t know my before-tournament rituals – you don’t know anything about me. So back off.”

  “I know this isn’t you, Skyler.” I cut her off, refusing to let her make this into a fight about us. “You don’t want to talk about what’s on your mind? Fine. But get your shit together and focus on winning this tournament. It’s a waste of money and both of our time if you blow it over your need to be moody.”

  Her mouth flies open and I know I’m being a fucking dick, but I don’t know how else to get through to her. I tried joking around, I tried being genuine, and apparently she’s not shy when it comes to throwing out low blows so I’ll throw her some of my own.

  “Skyler?” A voice comes from the seat beside Skyler and we both turn to find a short, smiling blonde. “Skyler Thorne? Wow, what luck! I’ve been searching for you everywhere in here! I figured you would be hiding out and I should just give up. Then I sit down to get a drink and you fall into my lap! Funny how that works. Oh, sorry, gosh I’m so rude. I’m Lacy – Lacy Moondella. I’m with Big Blind Magazine,” she rambles on, but Skyler immediately turns to me and even through her glasses I can tell her eyes are wide. Shit.

  “Listen, you wouldn’t mind if I asked you a few questions, would you? I’m a new writer and I could really impress my boss if I got an exclusive interview with you.”

  “Actually, we need to get to the first table. Come on, Sky.” I stand, pulling her arm but she jerks it away, throwing me an evil glare before turning back to the reporter.

  “I’ve only got a few minutes. No quotes about being young or hot or a female. Poker questions only. Go.”

  I let out a frustrated sigh before falling back onto the stool next to her. Lacy gives a giddy smile and little clap and pulls out a digital voice recorder. She asks how Skyler’s feeling about May, if she’s been entering a lot of tournaments, how she’s balancing school and her social life along with playing, and on and on. Skyler answers each question quickly but with character and I actually think this reporter will have a pretty decent article once she finishes.

  Checking my watch, I tap it and motion to the tables and Skyler nods. She stands, smiling and leaving a twenty on the bar. “I have to get to the table, but I hope you have enough to impress your boss. Good luck.”

  “Wait!” Lacy hops up quickly and we both turn back to face her. “What about the guy you were seen kissing a couple weeks ago? Can you tell me a little about him? Is he your boyfriend? Is…” Suddenly, she eyes me closer. “Is this him?”

  Skyler remains calm, but I feel my face redden and I clench my fist. Fuck.

  “Oh gosh.” Skyler laughs, covering her smile with her hand. “I’m sorry, but it’s just funny tha
t you think I would have a steady boyfriend. I’m in college. I kiss a lot of boys. Sorry to disappoint you, but I don’t even remember his name.”

  Lacy looks me up and down, still scrutinizing, but laughs it off. “Oh yeah. Duh! Obviously. I was in college not too long ago.” Now it’s my turn to say obviously. “Well good luck tonight. Hope you’ll check out the article!”

  Skyler nods curtly and forges toward the tables. I hurry to catch up with her. “Great cover. Looks like you’ve got your poker face on, after all.”

  She stops short and turns on her heel to face me. “Maybe if you weren’t so stupid saying my name in a crowded bar I wouldn’t have had to think on my feet. Thank God I did, though, because clearly you had nothing to say. And stop acting like my coach. You want to help me train? Fine. But right now I need you to just back off. Back. Off.”

  I throw my hands up in surrender and she rolls her eyes before storming off. “Good luck!” I shout after her and she flips me off, sliding into her chair at the first table. I smile, shaking my head, but this isn’t a laughing situation. She’s shaken, she’s off, and obviously she’s pissed off, too, which is just wonderful.

  This is going to be a long night.

  It’s just past midnight and only five players are left at the final table. Skyler is one of them, but mostly due to luck because she has played like shit all night. She’s playing aggressively but not smart, and though that might have worked well enough to get her to this table, it’s working against her quickly now. The other players are calling her on her bluffs and when she does have a strong hand, she bets too quickly and chases callers away. Sunglasses and hoodie aside, she isn’t fooling anyone. She’s on tilt. She’s playing with her emotions and not with her head and it’s all about to be over. Skyler’s going to lose this tournament and I don’t have any doubt about it. If anyone wanted to make some quick cash, they’d bet on that tonight instead of a Blackjack hand.