Page 27 of Dark King (Advantage Play 2)

“Game on, Ms. Mezzerich. I have one condition, though.” His gaze heats with lust, making me squirm in my seat. To hide my reaction, I stand up and raise my hands over my head to stretch then yawn for good measure.

“And what’s that?”

“We play strip poker.”

Giggling, I shake my head then start walking down the hall before tossing over my shoulder, “How did I know you were going to say that?”

“Is that a yes?” he yells back.

“Maybe. Now, come to bed. You got me all hot and needy with all that poker talk.”

His laughter echoes back, and I’d be willing to bet all my chips that he’ll be joining me in a minute or two. The bastard might like to make me beg, but I’m glad I was able to put a smile on his face.

Even if it’s just for a little while.

Chapter Fourteen

Ace

Nearly skipping down the stairs and toward Kingston’s office, I rap my knuckles against the doorframe.

“Yeah?” His voice sounds annoyed, but I know that’ll change. Sure enough, his eyes light up when he looks over at me.

“Oh. Hey.”

I grin. “Hey, Mr. Romano. Are you ready for a challenge?”

Kingston’s brows crinkle. He’s been cooped up in his office all day, and I’m ready for him to put away his work and have some fun with me. The pressure to keep the Romano family intact while the tournament looms closer has been eating him alive, and I want my playful, fun Kingston for a few hours.

Sensing my need, he clicks a few buttons on his computer before scooting his chair back and swaggering toward me. The pheromones must be oozing from his pores because I’m seconds away from throwing in the towel and begging him to do me right here, right now, which would completely ruin my plans for the evening.

“No offense, Ace. But with the way you’re looking at me right now, I don’t really sense a challenge.”

I turn on my heel before I can prove him right and yell over my shoulder, “Whatever, young Padawan. Follow me.”

Cards in hand, I walk to the kitchen table, take a seat, and begin shuffling the Allegretti deck. A curious Kingston sits across from me, pressing his back into his chair and casually undoing the top button of his shirt to reveal the long column of this throat.

I know he’s simply getting comfortable after a long day at work, but he’s totally distracting me with a glimpse of his olive skin. Damn him and his ruggedly attractive face.

“Okay, Yoda, let’s see what this challenge is.”

It takes every ounce of concentration to remember my game plan for the evening, but I dig deep and somehow spark my memory about tonight’s lesson.

“Plain and simple. I believe you promised me a game of strip poker, and I’m calling to collect.”

Throwing his head back, he laughs loud and hard. The sound makes my heart sing, and I join in, giggling right along with him.

“Well, alright, then. Let’s see whatcha got, Wild Card.”

I begin dealing the cards and watch his demeanor for any little twitch that might tell me what he’s thinking as he looks at his cards. But he’s like a steel vault, not revealing a thing.

Three community cards are placed face-up in the center of the table when he glances up at me.

“So, what are the rules? How does this work? You’ll have to forgive me for not being strip poker savvy.” Narrowing his gaze in suspicion, he adds, “And you better tell me you had to Google this shit, or I’m going to have to hunt someone down.”

With a grin, I explain, “No hunting necessary. The rules are pretty simple. If you fold, you automatically lose a piece of clothing––victor’s choice. However, if you play the round and lose, you can choose your own article of clothing to discard. Other than that, it’s the same rules as normal Texas Holdem without the betting in between. And…to see how well you can read your opponent––aka me––we’re going to add one more rule. If you’re able to guess what my hand is before I show you, then I have to take off two articles of clothing. But if you’re wrong, you have to remove two pieces of your own clothes. Understand?”

“Yeah. So, pretty much you’d be an idiot to fold because even if you know you’re going to lose, you still have the chance of guessing what cards the other player is holding, which makes them discard two items of clothing, right?”

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