Page 23 of Royal Shark
I’m prepared to lose, but I have to make it look good, not like I did it on purpose.
Half the guys are easy to read, looking at their hole cards immediately after they’re dealt, their expressions pleased or disappointed. I’m not the only one catching their tells. Two of the players play like pros—emotionless but observant.
“Have you been playing together long?” I ask casually.
“Since August,” Alexy says. “Ivan got the introduction to Sara through Sergei. We all knew each other in different ways, gradually bringing it to ten.”
“We started with five,” Sara says. “I think ten’s more fun, don’t you?”
“I like it,” Alexy says.
There’s a round of agreement and then someone proposes another toast to the ten of them. I take the shot and catch Sara slip off to the corner for her juice chaser. I bet she spit that one out. I’m feeling really warm and relaxed now. I should get myself a chaser too, so I don’t veer into drunk territory and lose sight of my purpose here. I don’t care if the guys never do chasers. As my twin likes to point out when I do what I want, I’m comfortable enough in my masculinity to pull it off. Besides, I’m on a mission to make sure Sara isn’t in danger. He-man enough right there. Ha!
I don’t want to get up from the table, so I signal to Sara with a really obvious drink gesture, tipping my imaginary glass to my lips.
“More vodka!” Ivan calls to Sara. “The prince needs more vodka.”
“Juice chaser would be good too,” I say, sending her a meaningful look.
She grins. “I’m on it.”
I stick to Sara’s method of using the juice chaser to casually spit my vodka into for the next shot. No one gives me shit about the chaser. They’re all having a great time.
An hour later, I’ve lost on purpose, and a few of the guys have triumphant gleams in their eyes. I don’t lose a horrible amount. Just enough to make everyone happy.
Sara stays quietly standing in the background, looking like she’s enjoying being here as host. She doesn’t comment on wins or losses, only chiming in when they address her, which becomes more frequent as the night goes on. All warm friendly talk. No one’s out of line, so I relax.
Yuri arrives, a tall man in his twenties with slicked-back dark brown hair and a neatly trimmed beard. The guys greet him cheerfully. Sara introduces us, and then I step away from the table so he can take my place. I head over to Sara. Normally, I’d leave once I’m done playing, but I want to stick close to Sara to see how things play out.
“Everyone’s having a good time,” I say to her in a low voice.
“That’s the plan,” she says cheerfully. “A good time for all. I saw what you did there with the juice chaser.”
“Yeah, well, it was a good idea you had.” I return my attention to the game. I need to find out last names so I can look into everyone later, just to be sure everything is okay.
The night passes uneventfully. Just guys having a good time. It’s late when Yuri makes his move, asking the guys if they want to get in on a real estate deal. He only has a slight accent. “Prince Adrian, you could join in too. I’ve got a lead on some industrial land in Queens. It’s a sure thing. Queens is like the next Brooklyn. You’d get your investment back fivefold.” He passes his business cards around the table and leaves one for me on the end, tapping it with his fingers and inclining his head toward me.
“I’m investing in my homeland right now, but I’ll think about it,” I say, striding over and tucking the card in my pocket just for reference. Now I have a last name for Yuri to look up later.
He nods and turns back to the guys, switching to Russian. There seems to be some interest and a few nods. Real estate in nearby Queens sounds legit to me. Maybe Silvia was worried for nothing.
The game ends with Sergei in a snit over his loss, throwing his cards down and challenging Ivan to a fistfight. He says it in English, and I suspect it’s because he wants Sara to know what he’s up to.
Sara steps in right on cue, smoothing things over. “It’s late. Game will be back on Thursday. More fun, more chances to win. How about we raise the buy-in to one hundred K? Makes it that much easier to recoup quickly.”
Sergei huffs, his dark eyes murderous on Ivan. “Be a man and step outside.”
Ivan grabs him by the shirt collar and hauls him up close. “Get out of my home. You are no longer welcome here.”
Sara hovers nearby. “Next game is in a hotel suite. Perfect for everyone. Sergei, Ireallyhope to see you there.” There’s a hint of flirtation in her voice.
Sergei yanks Ivan’s hands off him and straightens his dress shirt. He turns to Sara. “I will be there for you, beautiful Sara.”
“See you then,” Sara says with a sunny smile. “Goodnight.”
He swaggers out the door.
Does she always handle the guys by being flirty?
