Cleo didn’t hesitate, following Dante through the room.
Could this night get any better?
*
“Jesus Christ!” The man seated across from her slammed his cards down on the table, grabbed his glass and finished off his drink, and settled back in his chair. All the while glaring at Cleo.
She wasn’t making many friends at the table. Usually she wouldn’t be celebrating that. But she was too focused on the stack of chips in front of her.
I’m winning!
Dante had set her up at one of the tables in the back. It was a smaller group with only four players. There weren’t any crowds watching like the others. The only other person close to the table was Dante. She wasn’t sure if he’d stayed the entire time she played. She became so engrossed, she tuned out her surroundings. But every time, she glanced around, Dante was stationed near the table watching. And twice he approached. The last time, he slid another stack of chips in front of her. She wasn’t sure of the equivalent from cash to chips but she had quite a few. Maybe there were different chips for beginner tables with lower denominations.
“She’s a shill, isn’t she?” The man across from Cleo gestured in her direction.
A what?
Dante arched his brow and smirked, but his scowl deepened. “We don’t allow shills or plants at our tables. You’ve been coming here long enough to know that insult isn’t appreciated.”
The man laughed though it seemed forced. “Just a joke, man.” Clearly, he was trying to play it off, but Dante didn’t seem the least bit amused.What the heck is a shill?
“Cleo.” Dante curled his finger while glaring at the man. She slowly got up and started gathering her chips, but halted when his hand gently rested on her forearm. “I’ll have someone take care of those for you. Follow me.”
Cleo looked down at her chips. The last thing she wanted was someone to steal them.
“Cleo,” Dante called, and she rushed around the table to catch up to him.
“Um, Dante?”
He glanced over his shoulder. “Yes?”
“What’s a shill?”
His lips twitched. “It’s someone who plays for the house.”
His explanation was simple and should’ve made sense but it didn’t. Dante must’ve read her confusion.
“Ashillorplantis seated at a table and uses the poker house’s money to play. They keep a portion of the winnings as payment and the house collects the rest.”
People got paid to play poker with someone else’s money? The whole concept was mind-boggling to her. More inconceivable was her being mistaken for one.
She hooked her thumb over her shoulder. “And he thought I was a shill?”
“You played well.”
Cleo shrugged. “Beginner’s luck.”
Dante cocked his brow. “Or? You have a natural gift for playing poker.”
Cleo chuckled. She didn’t have any gifts or talents.
Dante gestured toward the table she’d been playing at. “They’re not the best players but by far, not the worst. And you held your own, winning most of the hands. That’s impressive, Cleo.”
She stilled, staring up at him. She couldn’t recall ever doing anything that impressed anyone. An unfamiliar energy raced through her blood. Pride? Cleo flattened her lips trying to batten down her smile. She failed.
“Thank you.”
Dante gave a curt nod, and gestured her to follow him.
