“Just a nickname,” Micah answers for him. “And please excuse his ill temper. His girlfriend got roughed up at your party.” He stares his friend down. “But it was absolutely nothing to do with you.”
My eyes widen. “Oh, that’s awful.” When my gaze returns to his restless fingers, I assume the recent bruising and split wound on his knuckles are from taking care of the situation. “I know the owners if there’s anything they can do to help.”
He smiles and flaps his hand. His palm so large it could cover my entire face with room to spare.
“You play poker?” Teodor asks. “Micah can fund your buy-in.”
“And how much is that?”
“One hundred chips to start and then I guess you’ll have to get his approval for more.”
“Sure,” Micah answers for me. “Deal her in.” He massages my shoulder. “I’ll help if you need it.”
“I’ve played a few games before,” I say in a deliberately nervous voice. In my head, my nana lectures,“The trick to a good poker face starts well before the first card is played.”It’s nice to have something up my sleeve for once.
“Excellent. Dealers’ choice. Basic draw to make it easy for the lady.”
I fold in the first game, check in the second but lose on reveal, and fold again in the third. Micah’s turn to deal and he once again opts for a simple game. Such a gentleman.
A straight flush in clubs. My face falls and I bite my lower lip, staring miserably at the pot. From under my lashes, I watch as Stefan and Teodor exchange a glance, then purposely look away from each other
When I turn to Micah, his nostrils are drawn together, his lips thin as he watches his friends. It gets to my turn, and I say, “Raise,” in a small voice, pushing enough chips into the centre to double the bet.
“Are you sure,” my fiancé asks in a tight voice.
“Why? Are the chips worth a lot of money?”
“They’re a hundred each,” Teodor says and when Micah opens his mouth, he glares at him. “You’re the one who staked her. Let her play.”
Yeah, Micah. Let a girl play.
“I can cover it if you need me to,” I whisper to him, suspecting the correction he was about to offer puts them well outside anything I can afford.
“You don’t need to,” he says, even more aggravated. “I’ve got you.” Nevertheless, he folds on his turn.
I raise again, feeling his tension while the rest of the table fills with quiet satisfaction. Stefan drops out, too, leaving Teodor and Baxter struggling not to look pleased with themselves.
“Check,” Teodor says, matching my bet.
Micah shakes his head, standing. “Jesus, you two are arseholes. I’m getting a drink.” There’s a fully stocked bar in the corner and he calls out to me, “Do you want anything?”
“No, thanks. The last one went straight to my head.” I bite my bottom lip as the other two exchange one card each and I again stick with what I’ve got.
“Raise,” Baxter says without even pausing to think and I stiffen as though in doubt.
“Check.”
“You’re sure, honey?” Teodor says, apparently having second thoughts.
“I’m sure.” My voice is so soft they lean forward, straining to hear it. “Check.” I push most of my remaining chips into the centre.
Teodor exchanges a glance with Micah and reluctantly folds.
Baxter lays out two pair, tens high, and I stare at them wide-eyed. I spread my hand out, deliberately dishevelled, so it takes a second for him to put them in order. “That’s something, right?”
Stefan chuckles and glances across to the bar. “Are you hustling us?” With almost no stake in the hand, he’s enjoying the reveal a lot more than the others. “Because good friends don’t hustle.”
“Yeah, that’s something,” Baxter admits, slowly blinking as I swipe the entire pot towards me.
