Page 9 of Wolf Fated
If I don't do this, then I'll never get away from the debt that Stephen has racked up for both of us and he'll hate me for it.I could see him taking it out on me for the rest of our lives. Besides, he was right, our chances were sky-high.
Why did he have to do this on our wedding day though? I really want to chew him out, but what good would it do? He's already committed us and like a fool, I agreed, thinking this would be an hour-long game, tops. And I don't agree with Stephen's flippant response of having sex with them just to please them and think I was into them. That's just wrong and I won't be a prostitute for him or anyone, no matter how much cash is on the line.
"I agree with the terms and vow to adhere to the rules, under one condition.” My face heated as Axel smirked and at that moment, I felt like the walls were closing in.
"What condition?" Stephen practically spat.
"I won't sleep with any of you." I crossed my arms over my chest. "So the deal is off if that's what you have in mind." Sex with three guys? No f—ing way.
"Brookie," Stephen said in a warning tone.
"No. I mean it." I wasn’t backing out of this. "Zero sex or any type of sexual acts whatsoever. Take it or leave it."
Axel steepled his fingers in a prayer position before nodding. "Counteroffer. We will not force you to do anything you don't want us to do, ever. However, should you wish it, sex is back on the table."
4
Idon’t know why, but his words and crooked smile should’ve had me running away. Instead, I was intrigued at just what I’d gotten myself into.
"Fine,” I said, straightening, “but it won't be."
"We all in agreement?" Stephen asked, not even looking back at me.
An uneasy feeling bubbled inside my gut like I'd eaten bad sushi.How can he do this to me without any sign of remorse?
Axel, Nathan, and Drake all faced me and for a moment, I swore their eyes reflected the light like a cat or a dog. I blinked hard, but their eyes were normal again. Must be the stress of this game and our future riding on this. And according to Stephen, our lives. These men did look like the kind who would take offense and fit someone in cement shoes if it humored them. Didn’t help that Axel sounded like he could be affiliated with a New York mob and wore a dark, gray Armani suit. I could picture him gunning down his enemy and I involuntarily took a step backward.
"Show us what you've got, Stephen," Axel said, but he didn’t look worried at all. Like he was holding four aces and my stomach dropped.
All of my instincts screamed to take our losses and get the fuck out of here. But Stephen would never agree to that. He was confident we could win this, yet, I felt like a fly in the middle of a giant web with three spiders creeping toward us.
"You first." Stephen leaned back in his chair, looking more relaxed than I'd seen him in the last half hour.
My chest lightened a little bit that maybe I was being paranoid about all of this for no reason. After all, Stephen’s hand was a good one and he’d never lost a game on the handful of ones I'd accompanied him on before I figured out that he had an addiction.
Drake chuckled his muscles bunched under his T-shirt. He flipped his cards onto the table. "Full house. Beat that."
Outwardly, I kept my face a mask of neutrality. Inside, I was jumping for joy. We just won against him. Two more to go and we walked away multi-millionaires. Later, I was sure, Stephen would tease me and say it was all worth it and why didn't I trust and have faith in him.
"What do you have, Nathan... Axel?" Stephen asked.
"I fold." Nathan’s country twang came out harsher and he threw his cards down. Except he didn’t look upset. If anything, he looked a little too satisfied and I shuffled my feet, feeling like we should forget all of this and run while we could. Except we were stuck, all because Stephen endangered our lives with this fucking game.
"Just you and me." Axel's amber gaze never left my face and I swallowed, feeling suddenly like the room had turned on the heaters full blast.
"Four of a kind." Stephen laid his cards down like he was a judge dishing out a life sentence.
I should be relieved, happy even that this was almost over. Instead, I felt like the tension in the air was almost tangible like I was a balloon being blown up to the point of popping any second.
"Impressive," Axel said with a hint of a Brooklyn accent and rubbed the stubble on his chin. His gold ring on his right hand catching the fluorescent lights overhead. And I was sure the diamonds and yellow gem in the center were all real and wickedly expensive.
"Oh my God, I did it." Stephen jumped up, but instead of kissing me or even hugging me, he grabbed armfuls of the loot from the center table. "I did it. I'm rich."
"Not yet." Axel slammed his hand on the table, and I flinched. "I still have to play my cards."
"Fuck you." Stephen curled his fists, the chips he had in his hands spin on the table. "You can’t beat a Four of a Kind."
"Except with a Straight Flush," Axel said, laying down a ten of diamonds, then a jack, queen, and king of the same suit. “Or the one hand that beats them all… a Royal Flush.” His final card was the ace of diamonds.
