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“You okay, babe?” his girlfriend Melissa sat down on the bed. She rubbed her fingers through his hair and let the strap of her black teddy slip down her arm, revealing the top of one of her firm breasts. Melissa was no Jessica, but she was good enough for now.
“Yeah, just stressing over some business. Nothing to worry about,” he said, putting his hand on her arm and pulling the strap further down to reveal an erect areola. “But I do know how you can make me feel better,” he said.
Melissa giggled as she pushed him down on the bed and started pulling at his shorts. An image of Jessica flashed before his eyes, and he tried to push the thought of her away, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get her flushed face out of his mind. The way wisps of her raven locks fell in front of her face, little drops of sweat beads running down her shoulders, and the way her mouth moved when she was reaching her high point of ecstasy got him every time.
“Baby, something must be wrong. You didn’t even move when I did that favorite thing you like. That thing with my tongue.”
Spencer sat up. “I’m sorry, babe. I guess I just can’t get out of my head tonight. Let’s lay down and go to sleep.”
Melissa gave him the pouty face.
“I mean it. I’m not in the mood. I’m tired.” He was getting irritated now. Throwing the covers over himself, he turned over and had his back facing Melissa. He just couldn’t look at her right now because the one person he wanted to face right now was who he left at the altar. He left her at the altar because he was too much of a coward to tell her what was really going on in his life. He had never kept one secret from her for years, but he knew this was the clencher. If he had told her about his gambling debts, she would have left him. There was no way that she would have been able to forgive him. He came from a family, who was very well off, and she would never understand how he got himself into this mess. He didn’t understand it himself. All sense of reason flew out of his mind whenever he was gambling. There were times he wished he played as well as Matt, and then there were times that he wished he had never met Matt at all. This is why it had to be this way. This is why he would have to settle for Melissa as his consolation prize. No matter how hard he tried, he would never be able to find a woman like Jessica again, which made him want to cry more than anything in the world. Today, he did not only lose the love of his life but also his best friend, and right at this moment, that was more than he could bare.
The sound of Melissa’s snoring was getting on his nerves. Anger started to well up inside of him. He hated the Coretti brothers and Matt, but mostly himself for now for being the coward that he was. Jumping out of bed, he put on his shoes and a hoodie, grabbed his keys, and decided to go for a walk. He needed to get rid of some steam. The night air was crisp and cool when he walked outside. He loved desert nights in Vegas, especially in the spring. They were such a nice reprieve from summer nights in Vegas, where the only thing different was the moon replacing the sun.
There was a trail behind the house that led up to the most amazing view. Whenever he had the time, he made his way up to this clearing to see the lights of the city across the night sky. It was the one place where he could come to release some tension. It reminded him that there was always something greater than himself—something in this world that was bigger than his problems. A small bench was positioned behind a tree. It faced the opening in the clearing, and it was one of the most romantic places he had ever been. He only wished that he could have brought Jessica there. However, Melissa was the one who discovered this spot on one of their walks early on in their relationship, and there was no way he could have brought his fiancé anywhere where she might run into his mistress.It’s not like that matters now!he thought to himself as his mind came back to reality.
His phone beeped. It was a text from Matt.Plan still on. Things going good. Will call you tomorrow and explain things.
Spencer felt some tension leave his chest. Now, he could go back and get some much-needed sleep next to the woman who would always be second in his life.
7
Matt couldn’t realize how much Jess’ story moved him. There were times when he wanted to cry for her, especially since he knew that this would happen to her. He didn’t know all the details, but Spencer had told him that he was going to leave his fiancé at the altar. That was one of the main reasons why Matt was in Monaco this weekend. If Spencer had actually married Jess, they wouldn’t be in the mess they were in now, and he wouldn’t have to be the one to improvise. He hated having to play this beautiful woman like this, but it was the only way to get what he wanted and so desperately needed. He needed to make sure that the Coretti brothers never got access to his money, so he had to keep playing Spencer like a fiddle and have them go after Spencer and his family, while he still got what he wanted: Jessica.
He had met Spencer Garcia a little over a year ago at the Venetian at one of the card tables. He seemed out of place where he was. He wasn’t playing but just observing the players at the table. There was a crowd standing behind the players on all sides and, for some reason, this man stood out from the crowd. His hands were hanging down his sides. His hands were opening and closing into fists, and his neck was moving in a nervous tick. Matt knew then and there that this man wasn’t a card player.
Matt slowly made his way through the crowd until he was standing within arm’s length of the nervous observer. “Good game?” he asked to spike up a conversation.
“I don’t really know. I don’t play. I’m trying to figure out if he has a good hand or not,” the observer pointed toward the man sitting in front of him.
“Put your hand down,” Matt hissed, looking around to make sure no one had noticed. “You have to be careful around here. People might think you’re cheating.”
“Oh, sorry,” he lowered his hand. “I’m new at this gambling thing.”
“It’s okay. I just know how people are here. I do this for a living.”
“You’re a professional gambler?” the man was clearly stunned.
“Poker player, but yeah,” he chuckled.
“That must be so awesome. I wish I could do something like that. My girlfriend is the poker player. She could give these guys a run for their money, but me? Not so much. I can’t even win at a game of blackjack.”
Matt chuckled. “That’s because you never had the right teacher. Poker is more than just a game of cards. It’s a game of observation as well. You need to know how to read people. You might not have the best hand but can still go home with a lot of money if you know how to read people. It’s a great advantage and one that helps me win every time.”
“Spencer Garcia,” the man held his hand out for Matt to shake.
“Matthew Miller,” he shook back.
“Do you want to grab a drink? I would love to pick your brain about the world of professional poker,” Spencer asked with curiosity.
He wasn’t here on business tonight. Tonight was one of his nights off, but he still found himself at the casinos on these nights because he loved the sound of people’s hopes here, and it was a far cry from his boring life at home. The sound of people’s voices happy to be here and wanting to go home with more than they came with. This was a place that could make or break people, but for some reason, that sound made him feel at home. “Sure, there’s a lounge on the other side of the card tables where we can sit away from the madness for a while.”
The two found a booth and ordered a couple of beers. “So, is this your first time in Vegas?” he asked Spencer.
“It is, actually. I’ve been to Atlantic City a few times but have never been here. I had to come out here on some business and decided I would check out what everyone has been talking about.”
“And what do you think?”
