“Flip the card!” continued the chant.
I was out of options. And honestly? As mortifying as this would be…I couldn’t stop staring at Cole. He was so handsome. Would it really be the worst thing in the world if I climbed on this table and spread my legs for him? I took a deep breath. Raven Black was filthy. Or maybe I was just turned on because I’d just seen Tanner’s ghost.Fuck you, Tanner.I removed my hand and flipped the card. And Cole’s face…sunk?
Huh?Why was he upset? He had won. I looked at the card. It was a two of clubs. I blinked to make sure I was seeing it right.How is that possible?A second ago it had been a queen of diamonds. I was sure of it.
But now it was definitely a two of clubs. I looked back over my shoulder to where I thought I’d seen Tanner. But he wasn’t there. Because of course he wasn’t.
I looked back down at my cards. It took a second for it to sink in that I’d just won. I’d freaking won!
“Ha!” I yelled right in Cole’s face. “You suck!”
“Should have let her fold, sucker,” said Chastity as she scooped up all the chips. $360K worth.
Cole shrugged. “It’s your loss, really. You could have had the night of your life.” He gave me another stupid cocky smile and left the table.
***
I was exhausted by the time I got home. I’d had way too many drinks without nearly enough food. And it was about six hours past my bedtime. I stumbled through my tiny family room and into my giant closet. The two rooms could not have been more different. My apartment was one step above homelessness, while the closet was fit for a queen.
Queen.The image of the queen of diamonds popped into my head. That had magically become a two of clubs. How was that possible?
It didn’t matter. Because despite being exhausted, I felt alive for the first time in months. Every ounce of sense I had told me to forget about Cole. He was clearly a total manwhore. And he would have been more than happy to strip me down in front of an entire room of people and have his way with me.
And yet…I couldn’t stop thinking about him. More than once since he’d walked away from that table, I’d found myself wishing that I’d lost. Especially after I went to the cashier and found out that my $360K in winnings was actually just Monopoly money.
When could I see Cole again? I could probably convince Chastity to go back to Club Onyx tomorrow night. But first I needed to get out of these clothes and get some sleep.
I pulled my dress over my head and hung it up on a rack before slipping out of my bra. God, it felt so good to get out of that push-up bra.
“You should be more careful,” said a deep voice.
I screamed and nearly fell over.What the hell!? Who’s in my closet?!I covered my boobs and spun around.
“AH! Die, pervert!” I chucked my bra at him, dove behind a table, and started throwing shoes.
He dodged them all easily.
“Are you stalking me, baby?”
Oh God, the last thing I needed was another stalker…Wait.That’s not what he’d said. He’d asked if I was stalking him. And I only knew one person that would say that to me. I poked my head above the table.
What the hell?My heart started beating even faster. And tears welled in the corners of my eyes. It couldn’t be.“Tanner?” My voice cracked.
“That’s my name.”
“Tanner!” The tears spilled down my cheeks. I ran over and gave him a big hug. It was really him. He was here.
“Ash.” His arms wrapped protectively around me, holding me firmly against him.
The smell of blueberries washed over me. God, I loved his smell…
No!I hated him. And his stupid smell.
I pushed him off and covered my boobs again. My heart was still pounding. But I wasn’t scared now. I was fucking furious. “What are you doing in my closet? You can’t just sneak in and watch a girl undress.”
“Technically this is my closet. I never transferred the deed to your name. And you’re not just any girl. You’re my girlfriend.”
“Girlfriend?” I scoffed. “I think you might be forgetting something important. Like, oh, I don’t know…the fact that you faked your own kidnapping just so you could get away from me.”
