folds it a few times, concealing what she’s offering to the winner.
Frank chuckles. “You know I already have your phone number?”
“Maybe it’s not my phone number,” she says cryptically, smiling at Frank fondly. But her eyes blaze when they turn to me.
Carl’s the first one out. He hisses and pushes back from the table.
I eye the stack of chips in front of Kate and dig into my pocket. My eyes never leave hers when I toss a wad of hundreds into the pile—Tiffany money clip and all.
Frank bows out. “Too rich for my blood with the crap cards I got.”
And then there’s just the two of us again.
Kate and I stand off, her eyes gyrating through an assessment I’ve become familiar with. First she squints, looking deep into my eyes, then her eyes relax again. Her gaze drops to my lips and then slowly makes its way back to my eyes. An ever-so-slight uptick on the right side of her mouth is the only indication that she thinks she’s got me.
She pushes all of her chips in.
I take a deep breath and turn over my cards.
Three kings.
And two tens. I haven’t had a full house this high since, well … ever.
The guys whistle.
Kate’s eyes sparkle. I hold my breath as her eyes drop down to read my cards and then quickly return to mine. She throws her cards into the pot. Face down. Defeated.
Laughter erupts in the room. Carl stands, grabbing his jacket. “Damn. That was intense. Nice job, Coop. Glad one of us didn’t get beat by a girl. It was a pleasure, though,” he says to Kate. Then he nods to Frank. “Come on, I’ll help clean this up.”
“Go ahead, guys. I got it.”
“You sure, Coop?”
“No problem. Have a good night, gentlemen.”
Frank slaps me on the back as he leaves. “If I can’t have your old man around, you’re the next best thing. You turned out good, kid. You turned out good.”
The room goes quiet as the two men exit. Neither Kate nor I have moved from our seats. We stare intently at each other. I watch as her pupils dilate and the rise and fall of her chest seems to grow deeper with each breath. And then something happens. It hits me. And I realize playing the game really is all about reading people. So I reach into the ante pile and my hand hovers over the folded-up paper for a long count. Then I veer slightly to the left and flip over her cards.
Four of a kind.
Beats my full house by a mile.
Kate grins and arches an eyebrow. I don’t bother to clean up. She grabs my hand and we head for the door, leaving her folded-up bet that reads One Night unopened.
chapter fifteen
Kate
“I’ll follow you,” I say as we reach the warm summer air outside.
“No. I’ll drive you.”
“But I need my car to go home later.”
“You aren’t going home tonight.”
“But …”
Cooper stops in place. He takes my face into his hands and speaks. “I won one night. I get the full night.”
“I don’t have any clothes.”
“You won’t be needing them.” He opens the door to his car and leads me in.
“But what about my toothbrush?” I grasp at something. I know it was my decision, but I need a minute to think about the consequences of what I’ve just done.
“You can use mine.”
“But …”
He interrupts me. “Buckle up.”
I pull the seatbelt on and the engine roars to life. I give it one last college try. “I need …”
Cooper cuts me off. Again. “I’m not giving you a chance to change your mind.”
“How do you know I’ll change my mind?”
“Because you already are.”
“I’m n …” I trail off.
He removes his hand from the gear shifter and turns to me. “Look at me.”
“Bossy,” I say under my breath, but he hears it.
“You haven’t even begun to see bossy yet. Tonight I’m going to tell you to do things, and you’re going to do them. When I tell you to open wider, or take my cock deeper, you’re going to listen. You know why? Because since the moment we met, all I’ve wanted to do is make you feel good. Hell, I don’t even need
Frank chuckles. “You know I already have your phone number?”
“Maybe it’s not my phone number,” she says cryptically, smiling at Frank fondly. But her eyes blaze when they turn to me.
Carl’s the first one out. He hisses and pushes back from the table.
I eye the stack of chips in front of Kate and dig into my pocket. My eyes never leave hers when I toss a wad of hundreds into the pile—Tiffany money clip and all.
Frank bows out. “Too rich for my blood with the crap cards I got.”
And then there’s just the two of us again.
Kate and I stand off, her eyes gyrating through an assessment I’ve become familiar with. First she squints, looking deep into my eyes, then her eyes relax again. Her gaze drops to my lips and then slowly makes its way back to my eyes. An ever-so-slight uptick on the right side of her mouth is the only indication that she thinks she’s got me.
She pushes all of her chips in.
I take a deep breath and turn over my cards.
Three kings.
And two tens. I haven’t had a full house this high since, well … ever.
The guys whistle.
Kate’s eyes sparkle. I hold my breath as her eyes drop down to read my cards and then quickly return to mine. She throws her cards into the pot. Face down. Defeated.
Laughter erupts in the room. Carl stands, grabbing his jacket. “Damn. That was intense. Nice job, Coop. Glad one of us didn’t get beat by a girl. It was a pleasure, though,” he says to Kate. Then he nods to Frank. “Come on, I’ll help clean this up.”
“Go ahead, guys. I got it.”
“You sure, Coop?”
“No problem. Have a good night, gentlemen.”
Frank slaps me on the back as he leaves. “If I can’t have your old man around, you’re the next best thing. You turned out good, kid. You turned out good.”
The room goes quiet as the two men exit. Neither Kate nor I have moved from our seats. We stare intently at each other. I watch as her pupils dilate and the rise and fall of her chest seems to grow deeper with each breath. And then something happens. It hits me. And I realize playing the game really is all about reading people. So I reach into the ante pile and my hand hovers over the folded-up paper for a long count. Then I veer slightly to the left and flip over her cards.
Four of a kind.
Beats my full house by a mile.
Kate grins and arches an eyebrow. I don’t bother to clean up. She grabs my hand and we head for the door, leaving her folded-up bet that reads One Night unopened.
chapter fifteen
Kate
“I’ll follow you,” I say as we reach the warm summer air outside.
“No. I’ll drive you.”
“But I need my car to go home later.”
“You aren’t going home tonight.”
“But …”
Cooper stops in place. He takes my face into his hands and speaks. “I won one night. I get the full night.”
“I don’t have any clothes.”
“You won’t be needing them.” He opens the door to his car and leads me in.
“But what about my toothbrush?” I grasp at something. I know it was my decision, but I need a minute to think about the consequences of what I’ve just done.
“You can use mine.”
“But …”
He interrupts me. “Buckle up.”
I pull the seatbelt on and the engine roars to life. I give it one last college try. “I need …”
Cooper cuts me off. Again. “I’m not giving you a chance to change your mind.”
“How do you know I’ll change my mind?”
“Because you already are.”
“I’m n …” I trail off.
He removes his hand from the gear shifter and turns to me. “Look at me.”
“Bossy,” I say under my breath, but he hears it.
“You haven’t even begun to see bossy yet. Tonight I’m going to tell you to do things, and you’re going to do them. When I tell you to open wider, or take my cock deeper, you’re going to listen. You know why? Because since the moment we met, all I’ve wanted to do is make you feel good. Hell, I don’t even need
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