He smacks his lips, turning back toward me, his eyes dangerously dark. “I’m just wondering how I’ll be able to stop myself from murdering any man that looks at you for too long tonight. And trust me, they’ll be looking.” His eyes do a quick sweep of my body.
He hasn’t called me pretty. Or beautiful. But this possessive outburst does wonders for my self-esteem. “Where are we going, anyway?”
He gives Persephone a quick pat before putting his elbow out for me. I wrap my hand around it. A zing of electricity shoots through my arm, but I credit it to the anticipation coursing through me.
“We’re not going far,” he responds.
He closes the door behind us, not locking it. It’s something I’ve noticed before. He never locks the door. Considering how obsessed he is with security protocols, it seems weird. His tall frame fills the lavish elevator, but instead of pressing 1, he presses floor number 4. Confusion overtakes my features, but the ride doesn’t last long enough for me to ask questions. He leads me out of the elevator, straight to the door of another apartment.
He reaches for the door, but I plant my feet firmly in the ground. “What’s going on?”
“I’m trying to surprise you.”
“Why the hell are you leading me to your neighbor’s apartment?”
He huffs a laugh. “The apartment is mine.”
“You own two apartments in the same building?”
“No.” He smirks. “I own the building.” With that, he turns the doorknob and opens the door, leaving me with my mouth hanging open.
Dom appears in the doorway; his massive shoulders clad in a tuxedo. He dips his head in greeting, and I do the same.
The real shock appears after he moves out of my line of vision. Rationally, I know that this apartment, exactly three floors under Leon’s, probably has the same floor-plan, but it looks nothing like it. It’s decorated like a small luxury casino with only one table. A massive, professional-looking poker table. My eyes trace the expensive wooden legs, the oval green felt. It’s not until Leon introduces me I realize the table isn’t empty.
“Good evening, gentlemen. This is Alex. She’ll be playing tonight.”
The five men at the table all turn toward us, greeting us with warm smiles. I’m locked in place as my gaze frantically searches the faces around the table. Recognition clicks, and my eyes widen to saucers. Leon doesn’t let me stand there like a fool; he presses his hand to the small of my back and urges me forward.
We reach the table and the men get up, one by one, shaking my hand. They each say their names, which is completely unnecessary. I know them from all the late nights of high-stakes cash games I watched after I ran away from Robbie. Each night, I would fall asleep to their voices humming from my TV. Their friendly banter would lull me to sleep after my brain tired of studying their game. Each of them is a proud owner of at least one World Series of Poker bracelet, making them the best of the best.
A server steps into our way, carrying two trays, one with champagne and one with appetizers. Champagne isn’t my favorite drink, but I welcome the liquid courage, downing it in one sip. The alcohol clears my mind enough to speak up.
“What’s this?” I ask Leon quietly after the introductions are over.
“A cash game. I thought you might miss poker.” He says it casually, as if this isn’t the most bizarre thing ever to happen.
“But… these are pros.”
He flashes me a smile. “Exactly. They’re the ones you should playagainst.”
The exact nature of this outing suddenly becomes clear to me. I’m supposed to play poker against these professional players. Butterflies erupt in my stomach, their frantic flutters making me both nauseous and excited. My heart leaps in my chest. “Why?” I whisper, more to myself, but he catches it.
He turns toward me, wrapping his hand around mine. “You wanted to go pro, didn’t you? You couldn’t because it would mean the possibility of your ex finding you.” I swallow. “But you love this game, and you’re just as good as anyone at this table. Here is where you deserve to be.”
Tears start prickling behind my eyes as my whole chest squeezes. Robbie was so intimidated by my poker skills that he almost killed me for it. But Leon’s different. He loved watching me play ever since the first night we met. He supported me when we were nothing to each other, and now, he made a poker dream come true. One more swallow does nothing to dissolve the lump in my throat, so I clear it.
“I don’t have any money on me.” Of all the sentences swimming through my mind, this one seems the safest.
Leon’s chocolate eyes warm with a smile. “Yes, you do.” Dom hands him a black briefcase, and he places it in my hands.
He opens the briefcase so that I can see inside, and I stare at it like I’ve never seen cash before. “That’s a lot of money.”
“200,000 dollars. That’s your buy-in. I have more if you’ll need it, but somehow, I doubt you will.”
I’ve played cash for years. Sizeable sums of money aren’t new to me. But $ 200,000 is something different. “I can’t take this.”
“You can, and you will. You should take a seat. We’re starting.”
