AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“My lap is all yours.” He pulls me down with him as he throws a bundle of cash onto the table. “You’ll be my good luck charm.”
Axel smirks. “As if we need luck.”
Ford shoots him a warning look. “Don’t push it, Ax. I’m not up for the hassle tonight.”
Axel shrugs. “Just keeping it real.”
I have no idea what they’re talking about, but Dedra doesn’t seem bothered by their cryptic conversation. She lowers her lithe form onto Axel’s waiting thighs, and I file away my curiosity for later.
The table fills quickly, bets are placed, and the first round is dealt by a formally dressed dealer sporting a stoic expression.
I’m not familiar with gambling in general, but I know enough to know they’re playing blackjack. Ford explains the motions for hitting a hand or staying, and he has me tapping the table and waving off the dealer in no time.
And dang it. He wasn’t lying when he said it would be fun.
“How about a side bet?” Axel says after a solid hour of them bleeding the house dry.
“What do you have in mind?” Ford doubles down on a nine and a two. The dealer is showing a six—a card that favors the players. Sure enough, Ford is dealt a face card, giving him an unbeatable twenty-one.
Axel stays on nineteen, his date waving off the dealer. “We play until midnight. Whoever comes out with more money takes the win.”
The dealer reveals a nine hiding under his six, and I hold my breath as he places another card face-up on the table. It’s a seven, and the house goes bust.
“And the stakes?” Ford asks his friend as they both rake in more chips. They’ve been on a winning streak since the third hand.
“If you win, I’ll sell you the Bugatti.”
Ford is pulling a long drink from his beer when he almost chokes on it. “The yellow 110 GT?” He sets the micro brew down. “Are you serious?”
“I’m always serious when it comes to cars.”
“And if you win?”
Axel’s gaze lands on my chest. “I want her for the night.”
Disbelief roils in my gut, and I stiffen in Ford’s arms. He squeezes my side, as if telling me not to panic.
“You know she’s a virgin and has to stay that way.”
“I’m aware. There are other ways of fucking a woman, as I’m sure you boys in the Brotherhood have already discovered.”
“She’s not a goddamn bargaining chip.”
Axel raises a brow. “Isn’t she?”
“Dude, she’s off-limits to you.”
And that’s when I relax into Ford, realizing that this is the reason he wanted me to accompany him tonight. Despite the cards and chips on the table, the real game is an unspoken one, and Ford had the winning hand from the moment he walked in with me on his arm.
Axel gives a carefree shrug, but there’s a tightness to his mouth that wasn’t there before. The gambling commences with an undercurrent of disquiet, their talk of a failed side bet taking the fun out of the game. Another hour passes before Ford calls it quits.
“Afterparty at my place?” Axel asks as he and his date stand.
Pulling me against his side, Ford shakes his head. “Maybe some other time. I’m eager to get the queen out of this dress.”
“Excuse me?” I turn wide and angry eyes on Ford. “I don’t know what you think—”
He interrupts me with a finger to my lips. “No need to put up a fight, baby girl. Your virtue is safe with me. I wouldn’t dream of taking you out of your role.” He smirks. “Just your dress.”
