Chapter 29:

As Ethan cut the cards and handed out the chips. Instead of money they will play until the last chip was gone. If Dante was the winner then Ethan will give his permission to marry his little sister. What Ethan did not know, that after they were first married, Lulu taught him how to play cards in case this day arrived sometime in the future. Dante fought the urge to smile.

Two hours later, Dante had a majority of the chips in front of him. He had to suppress his smile. Ethan was getting conned in his own game.

Ethan drank his beer. "Someone learned how to play cards since our last game."

"I take it this time you are not cheating?" Dante threw some chips on the middle of the table. "I am not going to find aces up your sleeves this time?"

"You really expect me to answer that, mate?" Ethan added his own chips. "We are talking about my baby sister's dignity here."

"So tell me, Ethan can you tell me about the other tasks?" Dante asked.

Ethan shook his head. "Nope, I don't even know what the others have in store for you."

"Should I be scared?" Dante asked.

Ethan nodded. "I would be mate, considering the fact that one of her brothers is a Cassadine. He might make you polish the gargoyles or something."

Dante laughed. "He'll make me polish the gargoyles with only a rope supporting me, huh?"

Dante set down his cards; he had a Royal Flush again beating Ethan. Lulu's brother sighed heavily. "Good game, Mate. There is no way I can win back the chips. You have my permission to marry Lulu."

Ethan extended his hand, Dante shook it. One task down, four left to do.

When he returned to the loft Lulu was only wearing one of his t-shirts watching TV and eating a bowl of cereal. "How did it go?" she asked.

"Let me just say thank you for all the times that we played cards. Those lessons sure came in handy." Dante sat next to her on the sofa.

"You beat my brother Ethan in cards? Wow. I am impressed."

"You are impressed, is that all you have to say?" Dante pouted. "I beat your conman of a brother in cards and all you have to say that you are impressed?"

Lulu set the bowl on the coffee table. "You got Ethan's permission. What else do you want another reward."

"Actually from what they have planned for me, I think I do need a reward."

"In that case", Lulu leaned forward giving him a kiss.

Dante wrapped his arms around her pulling her close. He ran his hand through her tangled bed hair. Lulu's hands began to undo the first couple of buttons of his shirt. Dante pulled her shirt up and over her head he began to tug her panties down. He scooped her up in his arms and carried to the bed.

"Wow… if I complete every task, will this be my reward?" Dante asked, panting as he reached for the fallen sheet to cover them up.

"If you tell me what was in the bag that you brought from the store a few nights ago." Lulu smiled.

"Still want to know what is in the bag?" Dante asked.

"Yes!" Lulu exclaimed. "When are you going to tell me?"

"I could be persuaded." Dante winked.

Lulu pouted. "Please?" she began to nibble on his neck. "I promise I will be a good girl."

"Good, huh? You won't make me eat any of your weird food concoctions again?" Dante asked.

"Come on they are not that bad!" Lulu protested.

"A garlic dill pickle in a root beer float?" Dante cringed as he remembered how vile it tasted and how bad it upset his stomach the next day. "Okay, I will at least try some of the least disgusting stuff you eat."

"Please tell me what you bought!" Lulu said. "Do you want me to beg?"

Dante grinned. "Beg? As much I would love to see you beg, I know the suspense is killing you."

He threw back the covers got out of bed butt-naked. He went to retrieve the bag that he had hidden in one of the kitchen cabinets that held the pot and pans, giving her a great few of all his manly assets.

He came back to bed and handed her the bag. "Here you go. I hope it was worth the wait."

Lulu peered into the bag. She gave Dante a quizzical look. "What?"

"Go ahead take them out."

Lulu turned the bag over, spilling out what Dante had bought. She picked up the pink oneise 'Daddy's Little Girl'. The blue on had 'Mommy's Little Man'. Tears filled her eyes. "Wow, this is…"

Dante caught a tear with his thumb. "Don't get so emotional babe. I sure you and my mom bought out the baby department of the department store."

"But this is from their Daddy, the first thing that their daddy got for them." Lulu threw her arms around Dante, giving him a deep kiss.

"If I knew I was going to get this kind of reaction I would have given it to you a long time ago," Dante said between kisses.