A/N: Hello everybody! Sorry I haven't been faithful with my updates, but you know family and laptop drama have kept me away. But I am back and I am looking forward to this next chapter. Mainly, because it will have poker in it and who doesn't love poker? It's an awesome game! Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy it and leave kudos and comments if you want.
Heaven
Chapter Eight: Spider Web
She's a craze you'd endorse, she's a powerful force.
You're obliged to conform when there's no other course.
- "Simply Irresistible" by Robert Palmer -
Leo Corbett sits on a stool at the poker table he will playing at and takes a sip of whiskey from his glass. The alcohol burned his throat, but he still enjoyed the taste, especially since the whiskey had been aged a few decades. Tonight, was the night a bunch of former Power Rangers dressed up in their finest, got together, and played poker. All of the proceeds of the game going to charities all around the galaxy.
He had won the first game he had played in and was waiting for four other players to win their games. Leo had beat Billy, Nick, Tori, and Mia to get to the winner's table. Thankfully, he wouldn't be alone long. The door opened and Xander from the Mystic Force team walked in. He had a huge smile on his face and a drink in his hand. He sat down in the middle chair and made himself comfortable.
"You win your first game?" Leo asked the former Green Mystic Ranger.
"Yes, I did and I even knocked Jason out of the game!" Xander replied. He was clearly excited over his victory. Leo knew that Xander had never made it to the winner's table before. He was happy for Xander. The younger ranger was getting better at the game.
This was Leo's third time at the winner's table. He and his brother Mike had learned their game from their grandfather. He had worked as a poker dealer in a casino in Las Vegas before he settled down and moved to Angel Grove to start a family. He missed thrill of Las Vegas and decided to pass he love of poker on to his grandsons.
The door to the room creaked open, pulling Leo out of his thoughts. Summer Landsdown entered the room and greeted them both with hugs. "It is nice to see I will have beat some of the best to be declared the winner." She said as she sat down in the seat next to Leo's. She wore a little black dress and a pair of black high heeled shoes. There was no sign of the color yellow on her, besides the yellow diamond tear drop earrings she wore.
"Those are nice earrings." Xander pointed out and Leo had to agree with him. They looked nice on her anyway.
"Thank you. My parents got them for me. This is my first time wearing them actually." Both men nodded and jut then the door opened again. All three of them looked up and saw Wes Collins enter the room. Leo got out of his seat to greet his old friend with a hug.
"How are you doing Wes?" Leo asked his friend as he pulled away from him and made his way back to seat.
"I'm doing pretty good," Wes answers Leo's question as he takes a seat across from Summer. The former red ranger greets Xander with a handshake and Summer with a smile. Xander enthusatically returned the handshake and Summer's cheeks turned a light shade of pink, but she smiled back at Wes.
The door opened again, revealing the fifth and final player. Gia Moran walked in and silence fell over the room. Hair blond hair was in loose curls and her gold sequin dress showed off a nice amount of leg. Leo shook his head and looked away from the beautiful former ranger. She sat down across from him and smiled at him. (Even though when he replayed this night in his head again he would realize it was a smirk.)
"Hello Leo." Gia greeted him from across the table. She sounded like a spider trying to lure a fly into her web.
"Hello Gia." He returned the greeting. Sounding like a fly that was already trapped in her spider web.
He wouldn't lie. Gia Moran was one of the most beautiful women he had ever met. There was also the fact, if the rumors were true, that she liked him as more than a friend. He kind of hoped those rumors weren't true, but the way she was staring at him he began to wonder if they were.
Thankfully, the game began and Leo had something to distract himself from Gia and her legs.
Seventy minutes into the game Xander would fall into Leo victim to Leo's trip aces and be elimanted from the game. Leo could tell Xander was bummed about being the first out at the winner's table, but he handled it all well in Leo's opinion.
An hour later Gia would get rid of Summer and Wes on the same hand. Both of the players were shocked, but they boh handled it with grace, just like Xander had before them.
Wes wrapped his arm around Summer's shoulders as they left the room. "How about I buy you a drink?" he asked and she nodded her head in response. "That would be nice. Thank you Wes," The door closed behind them and it was down to the final two players.
"I guess it's just you and me now." Gia said from across the table. She crossed one leg over the other and for a moment it distracted Leo. But only for a moment.
"Yeah, just you and me." He replied once he stopped himself from staring at her legs. They wished each other good luck and they remained silent as the game began again. They traded the chip lead for an hour and a half until they were both tied. They both went all in on the final hand and it looked like Leo was going to win the whole game. But Gia needed a one of the two queens remaining in the deck.
And he final card that was laid on the table was the Queen of Spades.
"I won!" Gia shouted and Leo just sat in silence. He couldn't believe it. She had suckered him out on the river. He got up to congratulate her on her win. She came around and they met in the middle.
"Good job." He said as she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. He hugged her back and he tried to ignore how nicely this twenty-one year old fit in his arms. He was eighteen years older than her and shouldn't be thinking about her like this. She pulled away and smirked up at him again. "Maybe we can celebrate my win a later." It was clear to him that she was a little tipsy.
Thankfully, people wanted pictures of the winner. And he wasn't able to reply to her, which Leo though was a good thing. It was pretty clear to him how she wanted to celebrate and he knew it would be hard to say no, but he had to say no. She was too young for him.
She sent him a wink and wave over her shoulder and in that moment Leo Corbett knew he was screwed.
