Page 99 of Gamble with Me
But instead, my stunning woman was here. She came, yet I still didn’t know if it was to celebrate my birthday or spit on my painted face.
“You’re quiet.” Stefano Gravaldis leaned closer to me. His alcohol-smelling breath fanned my face when he chuckled, and his painted, bloody face twisted into a menacing grimace. “Has Chester got you off of your game?”
“Please.” I laughed, casting him an amused glance. “He could never do that.”
“Then what is it, my friend?” Stefano pushed, his expression changing to serious. “I’m a little drunk, but I can tell something is bothering you.”
“I didn’t expect Chester to show up here tonight,” I admitted, glimpsing at wavering Valeria. She had way too many drinks for my liking. “We are being watched, Stefano. After yesterday’s tragedy, we are under the surveillance not only of the authorities but also your Italian bosses.”
“Do they know it was you who destroyed the Americans?” Stefano asked, folding his cards and winking at a smiling Alice.
“Me?” I raised a brow, throwing my cards into a muck. “I was in Jersey at a business meeting.”
“Yeah, and I’m a speaking donkey,” he deadpanned, shaking his head. “The entire city knows you’re behind it. The word about the Starlight building’s underground burying missing bodies of high-profile officials spread like a plague. I hope you have bulletproof alibies.”
“It’s not my first rodeo, Stefano,” I reminded him, stealing another glance at my beautiful Valeria. Chester won a game, and she smiled at him when he turned to her, but it didn’t reach her gorgeous eyes. She pretended to be the loving wife flawlessly, yet I saw right through her.
It was just an act. Her touch was cold. Her look was emotionless, and her smile was as fake as Chester’s mistress’s long eyelashes. When he wasn’t looking at her, she stared at him with repulsion.
It warmed my heart to know she was disgusted by him, but it couldn’t tame the fury raging in me. She belonged to me. She was my woman. Mine!
“Do you need help with something?” Stefano interrupted my inner turmoil, dragging me back to reality because I’d killed Chester at least three times in my head.
“No,” I replied curtly, noticing Malin at the bar cautiously watching his surroundings. We were all on high alert for what Chester may be up to. “Your assistance will be required later.”
Stefano nodded, returning to his conversation with Laszlo, who sat on his other side. They discussed the European market, which didn’t interest me, so I directed my attention elsewhere.
Chester won three big pots in a row, and his loud celebration after each hand began to irritate me. I kept a perfect façade on my face. The excellent makeup my artist had created to mask my facial features tremendously helped to cover my true feelings. No one would notice my frustration with him and this whole situation, but my patience was running out.
Valeria shifted her weight from one leg to another exactly when I looked at her. The insane high heels she wore surely tortured her delicate feet. I would massage them for hours after this charade was done. I just had to get Chester out of my casino and snatch his wife away.
I checked my cards, fighting the smile that threatened to stretch across my face. After almost an hour of folding, I finally received a decent starting combination. I looked at thequeen and jack of hearts, thinking about how to play it. With Chester on the button, the reraise from him was expected. My hand was great against his wide range and massive ego. This should be fun.
I raised to seventy-five thousand, my eyes set on Chester. His interest instantly spiked when I put the chips into the game. He craved to beat me, win my money, and humiliate me. His obsession with me was almost as crazy as mine with his stunning wife. Almost.
I watched the other players, seeing one gentleman narrowing his eyes at his cards. We had played a few times already, and I knew it was a sign he held a mediocre hand and wanted to see the flop. His call didn’t surprise me.
Everyone else folded, and the game stopped on Chester. He made tricks with chips, watching me cautiously. I held his scrutinizing look, an arrogant, challenging smirk appearing on my lips when he raised me—exactly as I had planned.
Chester put two hundred thousand in the middle, and Stefano whistled beside me. Laszlo, on the big blind, grimaced at me, instantly folding his cards.
Without thinking twice about it, I called Chester’s raise, focusing on the third player. He should fold, but perhaps he would like to gamble a little.
The gentleman whose name Dorian had told me many times, and I still didn’t remember it, refused to continue in this hand. After a few moments of thinking and watching Chester and me, he gave up, and we moved on to the flop.
Alice showed us three community cards, but I watched my opponent instead of looking at them. I knew him enough to read his game and predict his cards, but this time, I was distracted by the guests and Valeria standing behind him. It was hard to focus when all I wanted was to take my woman and disappear.
Chester continued with a small fifty thousand bet, making me wonder what kind of cards he had. On the flop were six of diamonds, ten of spades, and king of diamonds, giving me a straight draw. If he had a king, he would’ve raised more to protect it and built a pot to win more from me.
I called his bet, waiting for the action on the turn. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Valeria nervously shifting behind her husband, but I chose to ignore her and my surroundings. I wanted to deflate Chester’s enormous ego. He was in my territory. He would jump only as high as I allowed him to. So, I had to maximize my focus.
Alice turned the next card, motioning for me to take action. I checked, waiting for Chester to make a move. The eight of diamonds completed the flush. My opponent’s bet of three hundred thousand was convincing, but something didn’t match up.
The wheels in my head were spinning, analyzing every possible combination Chester could hold to play his hand like this. He could have pocket kings and bet for value or pocket aces with a nut flush draw. Or perhaps my hand was dead. He had nuts and wanted to win as much money as possible from me.
After a few seconds, I decided to go for a raise to find where I was. It was the best strategy to understand if Chester was better than me. I had to know if I still had a chance to beat him or if it was better to fold and find another way to kick his ass.
I put two million dollars in the middle, earning gasps and murmurs from the guests. The players stopped their conversations, directing their attention to Chester and me.
