Page 44 of The Gambler

“You better have good news,” he said. “Don’t tell me this guy isn’t here.”

“Alfie doesn’t do crowds. He’s in the back. Let’s go.”

He grabbed her elbow before she could take off again. “Is there anything else I need to know?”

“Such as?”

“You tell me. Do I need to pummel through another guy? Do the cha-cha? Sacrifice a goat? In other words, will there be another Tess moment I can look forward to?”

“That’s so insulting. As if I’m some weird ass chick that gets you into trouble.”

“Tess…”

She rolled her eyes. “Fine, fine. No worries. It’s nothing bad. It’s just, well, Alfie… he’s special.”

Of course he was. “Don’t you have any normal people in your life?”

“My pops.”

“I’ve met your pops. He’s anything but normal.”

“Let’s agree to disagree.”

“Stop deflecting my question. Is there anything I need to know about this Alfie guy?”

She pursed her lips. They were a dark pink color, almost like cherries. He wanted to bite in them. Right there, at that spot in a randy bar, he vowed to himself that he would have those lips. He would have everything Tess Gibson offered.

“It’s no big deal, really. Alfie just believes in aliens. So, he might think you are one. Try not to sound too… alieny.”

“Great.” Guess he should consider himself lucky she didn’t want him to wear a tinfoil hat.

CHAPTER 17

LUCA

Alfie was a middle-aged guy with the body mass of a pencil. He sat behind a computer in a tiny office, surrounded by paperwork. Apparently, he was also the bar’s accountant. His tiny eyes snapped up when he saw them walk in.

“Have you ever been probed, boy?”

Luca couldn’t remember ever being called a ‘boy.’ “Can’t say that I have, Mr. Alfie.”

“You sure?” Alfie looked at Tess. “Didn’t you say he was in prison?”

“Not everyone in jail gets raped or probed, Alfie.”

“You don’t have to be in lockup to get probed,” Alfie continued on what appeared to be his favorite subject. “They can zap you up from anywhere they want. Believe me. It’s happened to me. Twice!”

Luca wasn’t sure where to go from here. He didn’t see any computers Tess could pick out, so they could get the hell out of Crazyville.

Then, just when he thought things couldn’t get any weirder, Tess started stripping.

He grabbed her arm, effectively preventing her from taking off her bra. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Do I really have to explain? I thought you were a poker player. I’m sure you’ve heard of strip poker.”

He ignored her mischievous smile. “I’m not kidding, Tess. What’s going on?”

“That’s the wrong question. You already know what’s going on.”

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