Ana's POV
When you're young, you go to school to learn. Once you graduate you enter the 'real world'. You go to college or enter a family business or sit on your ass and work at a fast food restaurant for the rest of your miserable pathetic life. You live to work so that you could live. The cycle goes on.
I had a teacher, he was my dad. The many bars and casinos I attended was my school. There, I learned and got educated. When I got older, I had hands on training, much like in college, and I'd definitely say I entered a family business. Gambling is my job, which makes it my life. It puts a roof over my head, food in my mouth, clothes on my back, and anything else I need or want in order to get by. It's fun, thrilling, and better than some dead end job that makes you want to overdose on anti-depressants.
It's also dangerous when you aren't careful, but I've been in the business long enough to know what I can and can't handle. And I can pretty much handle anything.
So here I am. At another bar two block's over from Christians work.
Christian.
The name gives me chills. Was he a shrink or an investigator? With all those damn questions, I couldn't tell. And then he was standing only inches away from my face like he was going to kiss me. I almost gave in. Almost. I have walls up for a reason, and I'm not about to let him knock them down. Not a chance.
I trace the rim of my glass, filled with Bloody Mary, and stare at the pool table. There was a group of guys and their slutty looking girlfriends laughing. They stood around the pool table and took a few shots. I watched them. I stared long and hard. I studied every move they made when they played the game. They all sucked, except tall elegant looking blonde. She seemed like a pretty decent player, but she still looked pretty slutty to me, she was hanging all over this guy who looked a lot like Chase Crawford.
Should I go over there and gamble them out of their money or should I just leave it alone? To gamble or not to gamble? I like Shakespeare, sue me. I do need money and it isn't to pay Christian. I already have money for that. I have to different piles of money. One is for emergency, which finding father clearly is, and the second is for food, rent, clothes, and other necessities. My emergency stash has over fifty grand. My dad and I have saving since I was thirteen.
When you gamble, it's all about the people. My dad always said to pick the overly confident pricks with watts of cash. It simple, the difficult part is pointing out the dumb ones from the smarts one. Some play dumb to sucker you, like yours truly. So the question is who is the dumb one going to be? Me or this blonde? The answer is easy. It's going to be me. It's always me. I toss back the rest of my drink and head over to the pool table. As I approach, all eyes turn to me and the Chase Crawford look alike gawks like an idiot.
"Close your mouth, sweetheart." I wink at him then turn to everyone else. "Now who here, is actually good at this game and wouldn't mind a challenge?" As I suspected everyone pointed at Miss Prissy pants. How am I going to make her play me for money? These people don't normally look like the type of people I usually gamble. I'm going to have to trick her into this. Hmmm. Let's piss her off. "You? You guys can't be serious?" I smirked. She narrows her eyes at me and places one hand on her hip.
"What's that supposed to mean?" She spat out. I looked at Crawford and he was studying me intently. My eyes returned the blonde.
"Nothing hon, it's just, well I was hoping for a challenge, not some chick who thinks she could play." The hon part pissed her off to a T.
"You don't know me or how I play. Who do you think you are?"
"Well I think I'm Ana, wait no, I know I'm Ana. And you are?" Her face went red.
"Fuck off." She replied.
"Oh tsk tsk, such language. Why don't you prove me wrong? Show me you could play. We can even make it interesting, if you want. I mean if you're as good as you claim to be then what have you got to lose."
She was contemplating my proposition. She whispered to her friends and they shook their heads. Crawford had no part of it and was observing from behind. He kept
looking up at me than back down at his phone. What was up with him?
She wasn't sure she knew what she should do, but I was getting impatient. I knew she was cocky, overly confident, I could see it in her face, and I have been watching her for the past hour. I knew she was going to agree, but I would let the interesting part be on her terms which was fine with me. I knew what it was going to be.
"Fine. How are we going to make this interesting?" Bingo!
"I will let you pick. It could be anything you want." She thought for a second.
"Alright. How about we play for money?" As long as I have been on this earth, there is one thing people will do almost anything for and that's money. No matter how rich or poor, everyone wants it. It keeps the world a float.
I smiled a devilish smile. "Okay, how much? I have over two hundred. You have to be what you have or less, otherwise if you were to lose…" I didn't finish the sentence. She knew the deal.
"One hundred." Ugh. What a cheap bitch. She looked rich, I figured she have more money. Or she's just scared to lose, which gives me an idea. The light bulb in my head just went off.
"Okay than, let's do this. Do you want to break or do you want me to break?" I asked, while setting the rack.
"You could break." She must have a week arm or something.
I grab a pull stick and rub chock at the end. I place the white ball at the bottom of the table in the middle. I aim for the second row of balls. I hit my target and the balls roll in every direction. A solid goes into the middle left pocket. I circle around the table to find my next hit. I lean over the table and hit the white ball, which then hits a solid red into the right corner pocket. I looked over at blondie and she was getting nervous, so were her friends. I looked back and saw that the white ball was far from my solids. I still could have made any number of them but I didn't. I missed, on purpose. Her face flushed with relief and I smiled a sweet innocent smile.
The game went on for another ten minutes. She was pretty good and I let her flaunt her pride. It was all part of the plan. She had the eight ball left. She called the middle left pocket. It was an easy hit, and she made it. She gave everyone a triumphant smile and I hid mine. She was a cocky bitch for sure.
"So it seems you lost." She said with smug smile.
"It seems I did. But hey, everyone gets lucky every once in a while." I handed her the cash and she just stared.
"That wasn't luck, bitch that was skill." Her friends chuckled behind her.
"Oh was it? Surely you couldn't win again, it just wouldn't happen." I played innocent the best I could but she was pushing it with the name calling.
"Oh, really? Watch me .I'll even double it, including your hundred." I knew this chick had more money.
"So three hundred for another game?"
"Yeah!"
"Sure, I have nothing to lose."
"Except for three hundred." I shrugged and turned to ready my pull stick. My back was turned to them and I let the hugest, most devilish grin, plaster on my face. If only she knew.
I racked up the balls. I did the break again, seeing as how her weak ass self couldn't do it. I hit the balls much like last time and hit two stripes into the upper right pocket. I looked at her from the corner of my eye and she was still smirking and talking with one of her friends. One of them stared at my ass the whole time and his girl was completely oblivious. I went around the table and hit three more balls. She was starting to worry, I could tell.
Eventually I had only the eight ball. She didn't get a chance to hit one ball, and she deserved it for being so arrogant.
"Upper left pocket." I said. I aimed and hit the ball easily. I turned and her smile left her face. I put the pool stick away and walked over to her. Everyone's mouths were open and the blonde was starting fume. Her face was changing color.
"I'd like my three hundred please." I smiled and held out my hand. She looked at and shook her head. "We had a deal. How about next time you don't get so cocky and be smart about the game. Now hand it over."
She looked at me in disbelief, but handed over the money. I looked at her friends and smiled. Crawford had a look of amazement on his face. I gave him a wink and walked across to the bar. "Let's hope you learned a valuable lesson today!" I yelled as I tossed back a jello shot.
Her eyes got big, I mean they got huge. "You fucking played me!" She screamed.
"Don't hate the player, hate the game!" I shouted and then wiggled my eyebrows. "I'm out."
I walked out the building three hundred dollars richer. I think I gambled enough for tonight. I made nine hundred, not too shabby Ana, not too shabby. While walking back to my apartment, I started to count my money, and then I rounded the corner and walked into a muscular body. I felt the electricity and knew who it was, before he even said my name.
"Ana." I stashed the money in my pocket and looked up.
"Oh, Christian, hey. It's late why are you out here?" I asked.
"I should be asking you the same thing." His voice was soft, but authoritative at the same time.
"I am actually on my way home." I said in a matter of fact tone.
"Yes, after you gambled my brothers friend." I tilted my head, questioning him with my eyes.
"The blonde you gambled, her name is Elena. My brother was one of the men there. He saw you walk out of my office earlier, and texted me telling me you were here, gambling."
Busted!
"Right. And now I'm going home. Bye." I dashed by him, but it was fast enough. He grabbed my upper arm and stopped me.
" I will take you home."
"Look," I snatched my arm from his hand. "I don't need a babysitter. I can make it just fine on my own." I walked past him again. This time he didn't stop me. He followed, which was worse.
"I'm taking you home whether you like it or not."
"Ugh! Fine Christian whatever makes you fucking happy!" I was yelling in his face. I hate when people think I can't take care of myself. It's annoying and I get a little offended. I have been on my own, I take care of myself, and I trust no one for good reasons. My life hasn't been a walk in the park, I need to be careful and I need to let people know not to fuck with me. Christian included. Yeah, he's helping me with my dad and I owe him, which is what the money is for. I don't need him to watch me, put me in time out, or come to get me because a source tells him I'm gambling. I've always gambled and I will continue to gamble, I will change for no one, especially not a man. Fuck that shit. "I don't need you to fucking…"
I couldn't finish because his lips were pressed against mine. I fought back, I tried to push him away, but his lips, his touch made me forget everything. I eventually stopped fighting and gave in. his lips were soft and tangy. He tugged on my bottom lip with his teeth and I opened my mouth for him. Our tongues circled together and his hand went into my hair, tugging on it, to get a better grip on my lips. I moaned in his mouth and my hands went up to the nape of his neck.
What the hell am I doing?
He's kissing me, like it was his life's mission. I'll admit, I am enjoying it, but it has to stop, business and pleasure never went down well.
How could I stop though? It was an amazing feeling and there was something there, I could feel it.
Ana, what in god's name is happening to you?
***Thoughts***
