He’s one in a million, this guy.
And that’s why I have to keep playing. Not because he cares whether I win or lose. I believe him when he say he doesn’t.
No, I need to win big, because I have a purpose for this money. And it could be a matter of life or death.
I’m not the praying sort, but I start asking Lady Luck, the angels, God, fairies, leprechauns and whatever the hell else might be out there to show up and help me out. And then I remember that desperation never wins. Control wins but not as big or with ease. No, the gut gamblers, they surrender.
So I sit back and imagine I’m tied to Stefano’s bed. Imagine I’m surrendering to him. To pleasure. I have no choice but to receive.
A tingling starts between my legs and I have to press my inner thighs together to alleviate the slow throb of my clit. My nipples harden and I start to sweat. All the guys at the table start glancing over at me, like they sense the change.
And I get dealt four aces. Four freaking aces!
And that’s when I start to feel the energy pulsing around me. With each hand I win, I get hornier and hornier, as if every win is a sexual gift, every dollar the stimulation I need to get off.
Five hours later, I’m nearly delirious with need and I’m up one hundred thousand dollars.
I play it safe until the end of the tournament. When it’s finally over, the announcer gives my total winnings and I hear cheers behind me. I spin around and take in the audience. They are whistling and cheering for me. The sound catches on and pretty soon, the entire place is clapping, including the men I was playing with.
Giddiness kicks in and I laugh, disarmed by the unexpected affection of strangers. Fortunately, Stefano appears at my side, because I’m not sure I remember how to walk, and then we’re out of there, up to our hotel suite, where he takes me in every position imaginable until I pass out from utter delirium.
Chapter 15
Corey
Getting away from Stefano these days isn’t as easy a feat as it should be. I wouldn’t call him controlling, but he definitely likes to keep tabs on me.
We flew back today and he went straight to work, but I had to make up a story about meeting a friend for dinner to get him off my back.
I quickly pack the suitcase of cash we brought back into a duffel bag and make the call. In a way, I’m still riding the wave from yesterday. It’s like I can see all the possibilities and how they will shape up. I know just how to play each situation. I know just what to say to put Stefano at ease, and I know just what to say to my dad. I keep the call short, urgent and cryptic.
Then I get in my car to meet him.
I don’t want to meet at my apartment, but I don’t want him anywhere near the Bellissimo either, so it will have to do. The air inside my tiny one-bedroom smells stale, like I haven’t lived there in years. Even though it’s still my old furniture and my books are on the shelves, it feels nothing like home. I’m not the person I was when I lived here. I don’t even like her much. She was closed off, barricaded into a confined existence. Afraid to love, afraid to live.
I take one bundle of cash out of the bag and stash it under the sofa cushion. It doesn’t hurt to have a little emergency money.
A knock sounds on the door and my dad pushes it open before I respond. “What’s going on? Are you in danger?” His gaze is sharp and he stands up like he’s going to try to hug me or something.
Oh that’s ripe. Like he ever cared about me. He’s just hoping I want to give him the scoop on his case.
“No.” I toss the duffel bag filled with my winnings on the couch and unzip it, giving him a nice view of the cash.
“Where did you get that?”
“I won it in a poker tournament.”
My dad snorts; he doesn’t believe me. That’s because he doesn’t think I’m good enough to win anything.
“There’s a little over one hundred grand in here.”
A small smile plays on his lips. He’s figured out where this is going. Or he thinks he has. “You want to buy your boyfriend some safety.”
I was right.
I always suspected my dad was corrupt. How could anyone who truly believed in justice be such as asshole?
I put my hands on my hips. “That’s right.”
He nods his head slowly. “All right. I can make his problems go away. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be new ones. And I may not be the one investigating next time. Is this really the kind of guy you want to keep company with?”