Page 20 of Dangerous Pursuit

Thankfully, they pull apart shortly after, and I see her shyness from here. There’s no fucking way she’s into what she says she is, so where does this date come in, and how the fuck could she be okay with it the night after an attack? I’m more lost than I was before and determined to find answers—not to mention putting the kibosh on any future date with this fucker.

Following the pair as he walks her to the bus stop, I watch them awkwardly hug each other before she gets on alone. Perfect. I wait until the bus is out of sight.

“Hey, Mason. That was Mia, right?” I ask, coming up behind him.

He turns around, studying me. “Yeah. Do I know you?” He’s caught off guard hearing his name.

“Let me give you a little tip. She’s off-limits. She may act all sweet and innocent, but she’s involved in some shit you don’t want to mess with. Stay away from her, or you might not like the consequences.”

He holds up his hands in defense. “What the fuck, man? I don’t want any trouble. That was our first date. If she’s with someone, she didn’t tell me, I swear.”

“I’ll let it slide and keep this to myself for now, but if you mention this to her or try seeing her again, there’s no guarantee you won’t be paid a little visit, understand?”

“Yeah, man, we’re good. She’s all yours or… whoever’s. I don’t need this shit. I’m out.”

“Good choice, Mason. Glad we’re on the same page.” I turn and walk away, feeling damn satisfied with the evening.

DANGEROUS

Mia

Commuting to the poker game tonight gives me plenty of time to reflect on my conversation with Walker this afternoon. Apparently, describing last night’s kiss as “nice” wasn’t good enough. It wasn’t terrible, but it certainly wasn’t a mind-blowing “take me back to your place” kind of kiss. Although, I suppose it doesn’t matter since he ghosted me. He told me to let him know I made it home safely and then never responded. Walker told me to give it another day before losing hope, but we’ll see.

I’m sure we’ll talk more about it since I’m staying at his place tonight. I told my mom we were going out and then crashing there. Walker was surprised to hear I was taking up poker again, making withholding the truth difficult. But I can’t risk these guys finding out I told someone, so the less he knows, the better.

I’m starting to get nervous as the bus approaches my stop. Then again, I’m always a little anxious before an in-person tournament. Most players don’t take me seriously. Not onlyam I female, the minority at these things, but I’m always the youngest. Condescending remarks are common until I prove myself. I’ve gotten good at pulling off indifference, but inside, I’m not as calm as it seems. I started branching out into live games just over a year ago, and it’s gotten better since those early days, but still nerve-racking.

Stepping off, I look at my phone to see where I’m going. The address arrived an hour ago, with instructions to send my results after. It came with barely enough time to get here, and had it been any later, I would have had to Uber. As it is, I’ll arrive right on time without a minute to spare. You never want to be late, or you’ll start with fewer chips, which is fair but not a great way to begin.

I dress more maturely at live tournaments, but with a game in this neighborhood, I stepped it up, wearing black slacks and a sexy low-cut shirt that doubles as a distraction tactic. We ladies should use what God gave us for something other than sex. Men have strength, and we have beauty, which is helpful in certain circumstances.

The large house in front of me has a circular driveway lined with expensive cars along the edge. No other details were given besides the time, address, and buy-in, but this looks like a big game. I hope there are no issues, and I’m on a list because you don’t just show up to these things; they’re by invitation only. Stopping before an enormous wooden front door, I take a deep breath and knock.

It swings open to reveal a staff member who asks my name while looking down at his clipboard. My heart is pounding as he skims the list, but he finds it quickly before standing aside and motioning for me to enter. Once inside the foyer, he takes my coat and leads me to a table to take care of the buy-in. This is the most money I’ve ever paid for a game, and I’m shaking a littleas I hand it over. It’s a month’s worth of wages, but much more than that is at stake.

Once he’s finished securing it, he holds out a playing card. “Here you are, dear. Find the seat with the matching card, although that won’t be hard to do with everyone else here. I’ll show you the way.” I look down to see the Queen of Hearts. Is it fate that it’s my lucky card? I hope so, because here goes nothing.

He motions me to follow before leading me down a set of stairs, where the sounds of conversation can be heard below. The voices get louder as we descend, and after reaching the bottom, he steps aside for me to pass. All eyes immediately turn in my direction. Three large oval tables with ten chairs at each tells me twenty-nine other people are already here. As I scan the room, my eyes land on a familiar face, and I blanch.

Holy shit, what is Jackson doing here?

Jackson

“What the hell?” I realize I’ve said that out loud as all eyes target the stairway.

“What’s up, man?” Eli asks from the table over, hearing my expletive. We didn’t end up at the same one tonight, which is good and bad. While we don’t get to fuck with each other all night, it does prevent us from potentially taking a friend out of the game.

“That’s Mia,” I say in his direction, quieter this time.

He looks at me with shock. “From the office?”

I nod, watching him mouth the word ‘fuck’, which is my thought exactly. This is no place for her. What the hell is she doing here?

“Do you know her?” Cole asks from across the table. I barely know the guy and don’t feel like answering but decide to satisfy his curiosity in hopes of ending the conversation.

“She works for me. I didn’t know she played poker.” Her presence takes me off guard, and my answer comes out harsher than intended.

“Well, this should be interesting. She looks about twelve. Are you violating any child labor laws?” The table chuckles at his jab, and I ball my fists. I see Mia’s head turn toward our table and know she heard his comment.

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