Page 16 of The First Deal

“You’re very distracting, but since you told me that the mile-high club is overrated, I better keep my focus on the game.” Hannah finished shuffling the cards, then began to lay them out on the table between us.

When she was done Alice appeared with the bottle of champagne which I told her to leave with us. She offered to get us snacks, and I caught Hannah looking into her now empty glass.

“Strawberries, please,” I requested on Hannah’s behalf.

She threw me a grateful smile, then leaned over to grab the bottle and refill her glass. Once Alice had placed a bowl of freshly cut strawberries on Hannah’s armrest, she began to explain the game.

“Pick up those three cards there,” Hannah said, gesturing to the small pile sitting closest to me. “You must have three cards in your hand at all times, well, until later, but we’ll get to that when we get to that. Now, I have a three on my face-up set, so I go first. I’ll lay cards, in the middle, then draw from this pile…”

Hannah went on, explaining in great detail what each card did, some were nothing more than their face value, and others had magic powers, or at least, that was how she explained it.

We took turns, and she prompted me from time to time, reminding me of cards that could do wonderful things like force her to skip her go, and a couple of times I ended up with the whole pile in my hand, but then managed to ‘burn’ another pile with a ten. It was a brilliant game, and in no time, we were neck and neck, turning over our cards on the table, playing with luck at the final point of the game.

“You’re going down, Rex,” Hannah said with a sly smirk.

“Rex? When did I drop the T?” I asked. “Also, your fighting talk is awful, we really need to work on it.”

We?

“The ‘T’ is a formality, I think we’re past that.”

“And yet, you still call me Mr Hudson.”

Her lips twitched, and she flipped her last card, squealing as she flipped a goddamn ten. “Would you prefer I call you Shithead, because baby, you’re a goddamn Shithead!”

The way she smiled and wiggled in her victory dance had me roaring with laughter. Never before had I been around anyone who looked so pleased about winning a silly card game, especially one with no stakes. She was radiating pure joy, glowing like the sun, and I was getting sucked into her orbit.

How was the girl from the bar and the creature before me the same person?

And why was I staring at her like I wanted to peel back every delicate layer of her being until I reached her core?

Nausea rolled in my stomach, and my laughter morphed into an awkward cough as I pushed away the feeling. I had been feeling perfectly fucking fine up until this moment, and I wasn’t entirely sure that I could blame the shake that trembled through my fingers on the fact that we were flying.

“You good over there, Shithead?” Hannah asked as I coughed again.

With a reassuring smile, I reached for my water and sipped, allowing the icy liquid to calm me. “Never been better, but I’m not sure I like that nickname, how long are you going to be calling me that?”

“Once more.” She leaned forward, licked her lips, then slowly—ensuring she put heavy emphasis on the ‘shh’ sound—she purred the insult, “Shithead.”

The laugh that followed turned my smile from fake and forced to genuine and bright, the signature one that I wore when things were looking up. She was making me look up.

“Do we have time for another game before we land?” Hannah asked as she collected the cards.

Twisting my wrist, I checked my watch. “Plenty of time, and perhaps, now that I understand the game, I’ll win.”

Hannah’s eyes lit up and a grin spread from cheek to cheek as she shuffled the deck of cards. “Wanna make it more interesting?”

Leaning forward, elbows resting on my knees, I swirled the water in the glass a couple of times. “Always.”

She didn’t even bother to look thoughtful before she spoke, knowing exactly what she wanted from me. “Loser gets spanked when we get to the hotel room.”

“Suite,” I corrected her, then mulled over her suggestion. Did I want to be spanked? Not particularly. Would I let her if she won fair and square? Of course, I was a man of my word.

Then I thought about winning, and the moment I imagined her ass glowing, I was reaching across, hand outstretched, making a deal and praying to god that I had luck on my side this time round.

Lady Luck was a cruel bitch. I cursed her out loudly in my mind as we rode the elevator up to the suite in the hotel that overlooked the Colosseum.

Hannah grinned up at me, excitement buzzing through her, electric where she touched me; her soft, small hand looped in the crook of my elbow. I couldn’t help but grin back down at her, even knowing what would be coming in a few minutes’ time.

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