"Are you all ready to lose your cash? " Daniel asked, lifting his glass.

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Everyone cheered in response.

Paige smirked. "Then let the games begin!"

We all clinked glasses and downed our champagne in one collective gulp.

"Gome on, gorgeous," Upton said, squeezing my hand. "Let's gamble."

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CHAPTER 35 LUCKY REED

Everyone held their breath as the dealer turned over the river card. Queen of spades. My breath caught, but I didn't move. Didn't blink. Didn't react in the slightest. Graham grinned and leaned back, hooking his arms over the back of his chair. Not the most practiced poker face I'd ever seen. Gage kneaded Graham's shoulders from behind as the rest of the guys clinked glasses, looking every bit the high rollers in their tuxes and ties. Graham shoved his three piles of chips into the center of the table.

"I'm all in," he said, giving me a wink.

"Reed, you'd better have something good," Noelle warned.

The boys vs. girls poker battle was down to me and Graham. Winner would take all the glory. The girls were gathered behind me, breathing down my neck. Even Paige, Poppy, and Sienna were rooting for me. Though somewhat reluctantly.

"You can just fold, you know," Graham said with a smile, leaning

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forward with his elbows on the table and looking at me like he was my private poker tutor. "Then I just get what's in the pot, and you can keep the rest of your chips there."

I looked down at my carefully arranged stacks of chips and frowned in thought. All night I had been playing dumb--asking stupid questions to make it look like I didn't know what I was doing, pretending to be shocked when I won hands--as if it were all luck. And it had worked. Graham clearly thought I was just winging it. But he was in for a big surprise.

"But if I want to go all in, too, I can?" I asked, glancing at the dealer warily.

"Yes, miss," he said, all business.

"Okay, then," I replied. I shoved forward all my chips. "Why not?"

The guys groaned and laughed and high-fived. Clearly, they thought they had me. Even Upton shook his head like I was just too cute.

"Okay, then, show your cards," the dealer said.

Graham turned over his two hole cards. Both queens. With the two on the table already, he had four of a kind. The guys shouted, and Gage and West started jumping up and down like they' d just won the World Cup.

"Four of a kind!" Daniel crowed. "She can't beat that!"

"Wait a minute, wait a minute," I called out, standing up and raising my hands. The guys kept talking as they looked over at me, clearly confident. But the girls behind me leaned in a bit, sensing something big. "Doesn't a . .. straight flush beat that?"

Dead silence. Jaws dropped on the other side of the table as I

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turned over my cards, revealing the ten and jack of spades. On the table already were the eight, nine, and queen of spades, which had just been revealed on the last turn.

"No!" Graham wailed, standing up so quickly that his chair fell over.

"Yes!" Noelle cheered, throwing her arms up.

"We won?" Amberly asked. She looked at Tiffany. "Does that mean we won?"

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