Page 10 of Take Me, Sir

Kyndall

I'd paidan obscene amount of money to have my belongings shipped across the country within a week, but it'd been worth it yesterday when I'd been able to move my things into my new place. Granted, they hadn't taken up much room since my previous apartment could've fit into my new one three times over, but they made it feel more like home.

And that's what I was looking for here. A home. A place of my own, where I could be in charge of my own life, without having to worry about all of the expectations that came with being a part of my family. I loved them, and I was proud of the people my brother and sister had become, but I wanted to be me. I wanted this to be the place where my family came to visit me and acknowledged it as mine, to decorate and furnish as I liked.

They'd have questions, I knew, about how I could afford a place like this. Dalton had already started asking, and it was clear he didn't believe me about having saved money while I worked through college. I didn't blame him. The sort of money I would've needed to make to be able to afford a place like this was well beyond what a graduate student could've earned.

My plan for keeping up the subterfuge was actually a simple one. Let Juliette keep Dalton out of my business for a month or two so he could see that I really was financially secure, and I'd let it slip that I found an excellent job that paid well. A statistician for a wealthy start-up company that'd given me a hefty signing bonus. I was counting on my family thinking that the sort of work I did was boring enough that they'd never ask more than the basics once they knew I could take care of myself. Probably six months to a year of constantly reassuring them that I didn't need their help, and I'd be set.

As I looked around the spacious layout of my new apartment, I smiled with pride. My means might've been unconventional, but I'd accomplished all of this on my own. It was slightly annoying to have to keep all of it to myself, but I knew my family would never understand. Hell, they'd most likely go beyond not understanding to straight-up scolding and condemnation. We didn't do the sort of unseemly things I made a living doing.

Because my parents had both inherited a sizable chunk of land, they were considered pillars of the community, the sort of people who'd always had eyes on them. Lia's teenage pregnancy had been scandal enough, but the area was liberal enough that the fact she graduated rather than dropping out had been more than enough to make things right again. What I was doing, well, I doubted I'd get the same leniency.

I gave myself a critical once-over in the mirror. I needed to look good enough to show that I belonged, but not so decked out that I drew unwanted attention. I wasn't going tonight to be eye candy, or to find a high roller to hang onto. I had a nice nest egg, but I wanted to make sure I was even more secure before I took too much of a break.

Besides, I needed the distraction, and this was better than sex since I was willing to bet that I wouldn't find anyone as good in bed as Dean had been.

It was too hot for pants, so I'd gone with my favorite dress. Too slinky to be considered a sundress, but not so tight or revealing that I looked like I was going to a club. A low enough neckline to show a bit of cleavage, but still respectable. Long enough that I could sit comfortably, but short enough to take advantage of the distraction my legs could offer. It was definitely an asset.

If I'd been a superstitious person, I might've called it my lucky dress, but I believed in things I could see, count, touch. While there was an element of chance in what I did, for the most part, it required skill, not some fickle, mystical energy that came and went without rhyme or reason.

I checked the bills I'd tucked into the small pocket at my waist – another reason this was my favorite dress – and then double-checked the directions to the address Jan had given me. Jan Denman had gone to MIT with me but dropped out to pursue an acting career. When I arrived in LA, I looked her up, but not because I wanted us to hang out. We'd been acquaintances more than friends in school, but she'd always been friendly enough, and the sort of person who always knew what was going on, and that hadn't changed.

Thanks to Jan's boyfriend, Teddy, I was on my way to my first poker game on the West Coast. My nerves were steady as I made my way downstairs to where I had a car waiting. I'd sold the one I used for school and hadn't yet bought one here, so I'd be using a car service for the foreseeable future. I didn't mind though. While I liked the independence having my own car brought, finding a reliable service in LA wasn't difficult, and it gave me the opportunity to focus on the night ahead.

I allowed the familiar thrill to run through me, let my adrenaline have free reign. Once I arrived and got into the groove of playing, the excitement would keep me going, but I needed the edge to start. That wasn't why I did it though.

Sure, I enjoyed the rush of doing something illegal, but that wasn't the main attraction. And it wasn't an addiction. When I took a break, I didn't get the sort of itch that came with needing a fix. For me, it was a job. A means to an end. A way of proving that I could use the skills I had to take care of myself. The fact that I could be a little rebellious while doing it was just a bonus, even though it wasn't exactly the sort of rebellion I planned on anyone else knowing about. It was more of a...private thing.

Still, in the back of my mind, a part of me wondered if I'd chosen this particular route because I never intended for anyone to know about it because I was ashamed of the choices I'd made with my life.

I told myself to shake it off and smiled at the driver who opened the door for me. I needed to get my head in the game.

The driver looked surprised when I gave him the address, but thankfully, didn't make any comments. I knew he assumed I was going to the game as entertainment, not a player, but as long as he kept his opinions to himself, I didn't particularly care what he thought.

The man at the door glowered down at me, but Jan had sent me a picture of Teddy, so I didn't even hesitate as I walked right up to him.

“I'm Kyndall.” I smiled, but it wasn't the same sort of smile I would've given to a bouncer at a club. Those sort of guys, I'd flirt with to get inside without a cover charge. Here, I had to show that I was only here for business, and not the sort of business that most women would be here for.

Teddy frowned at me. “Kyndall?”

“Jan said you put me on the list for the game.” I tried to look like I wasn't about to melt in all this heat. “She and I went to school together.”

“Right!” The lightbulb went on. “Mr. Maverick said to make sure you had your buy in.”

I pulled out the bills I'd tucked away. “Fifty grand, right?”

Teddy nodded and opened the door. “Straight down the hall, second door on the right. You don't got no weapons, right?”

I shook my head and started past.

“They're probably gonna pat you down anyway,” he called after me.

I'd long since gotten past any issues with groping disguised as a pat-down for weapons. As long as they kept their hands over my clothes and didn't linger longer than a couple extra seconds, I didn't complain. Well, technically, I didn't complain either way, but I had ways of making my displeasure known.

I thought back to the first high-stakes game I'd gotten into.

“Honey, my girls wear a hell of a lot less than that. You want to work one of my games, lose the dress.”

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