Chapter 3 Cards n' sex
"Shit! I hate it when you use this damn window!" Cassandra yelled, then grabbed the sweater that was caught in the window, and tugged. Yvonne turned angrily, and starting brushing the dust off her arms.
"Well the next time we go from the Dungeon to Stanton's, remind me we have to enter the long way!"
Serena snorted as Cassandra dropped her hands in defeat. When she saw Stanton, Cassandra's face brightened, and she said, "Hey," in a soft, almost reverent tone.
Stanton cocked his brows at her, then went back to his cards, making Serena raise a brow. What in the world were those two up to? Kelly lazily pulled out a chair, then plopped down, and rubbed the dark circles under her eyes. "Tired?" Serena asked, observing the kneading pressure Kelly applied on her eyelids.
She put her hands on her cheek, and shook her head, the blond ponytail swaying at either side of her head. "Just didn't sleep well. And this mornings group jog didn't help."
That explained the matching jogging suits they all wore, but Cassandra luckily wore a blue tank top underneath her still-caught sweater. Yvonne strutted to the table, and flicked her hair. "Sweet haircut." Serena complimented, liking the flirty curves. Yvonne smiled proudly, and ran a hand through it. It was now so short, the back reached the nape of her neck, and flipped out at the bottoms.
"It's getting hot around here, and hair grows back."
"True." Stanton agreed. Serena looked at them all as they sat. Maybe this was what being the key was all about. She was now friends with the most evil followers, and...the Prince of Night's girlfriend.../lover.
"Aaah!" Shouted Rachel, making them all jump. She ran up to Yvonne, and stroked her hair. "What happened to you?"
Yvonne patted her hand. "I had it cut. The weather's getting too hot to keep it long." She ran her hand through it again, then asked with girlish sly, "So where's lover-boy?" Rachel drew back in aghast.
"Who's Lover-boy?"
Cassandra grinned, then drew a sandwich from the plate. "I had our phone conversation on speaker. The receiver's broken."
Stanton stilled, and looked up in shock. "As in...?" Cassandra nodded as she bit into the sandwich, then their eyes locked. Serena looked at both of them, and judging by the immense fires in their eyes, they must have been having a pretty fierce argument. Tymmie walked in, running his fingers through his thin blond hair, then observed the silence, and nudged Rachel questioningly.
She answered telepathically, which seemed to make the silence grow dense. "Okay." Stanton said reluctantly, then dealt the cards, and eyed his sister. "You gonna play or not?" Tymmie pulled out two chairs, and he and Rachel sat down, her shorts riding up her thighs. Tymmie wore the same clothes he wore the night before, but he left his jacket upstairs. Rachel had run a brush through her mussed hair, and was in one of Stanton's shirts, short-shorts, and pulled out a modest pair of broken sunglasses.
They all pressed their hands to their face-down cards, and waited for Stanton. After a second of deciding, he announced: "Five card draw, two to open, twenty limit, no wild." They all picked up their cards in unison. Stanton had an Ace of clubs, a Jack of clubs, a nine of diamonds, a queen of clubs, and a three of spades.
Rachel looked in disgust at her hand, then said to Stanton, "Why are you the only one round here who never plays with wilds?"
As Stanton placed the Jack in front of the Ace, he said, "Not my fault you're dealt trash."
She turned to her brother, then brought her glasses down, and peered at him from above the rims. "Yes it is."
"How so?" Stanton asked innocently.
"For all we know, you stack the deck." Rachel said, eyeing his cards skeptically.
Stanton shook his head at his sister, then looked back at his cards. "If I stacked the deck to make sure you got a bad hand, then I wouldn't have first degree burns on my fingers."
Rachel raised a brow, and asked, "Oh?"
Yvonne looked at Rachel, her chin resting on her hands, and said expertly, "He's bluffing." Cassandra leaned over to address Serena.
"Is he bluffing Serena?"
To be fair, Serena shrugged, and said, "I don't know. I've never played the game." That part was true, but it was also true that Stanton's hand wasn't exactly, burn-worthy.
Then he put in three dollars, stating, "Opening three." They all put three dollars in, and Serena watched their moves, their hesitation, their rush. Stanton dropped his nine and the three, and without looking at his new cards, placed them over his old ones. "Any replacements?" Tymmie had two, Rachel folded, Yvonne had four, Kelly four, and Cassandra folded too.
As Stanton scooped up his hand again, Serena had to fight to keep her eyes from widening. His not-exactly-burn-worthy-hand was now a flush. As they all put in, Serena calculated the pot size to be about sixty dollars. "Three kings." Tymmie stated reluctantly. Yvonne tossed her hand, and crossed her arms. Kelly put down a full house, twos over tens, and Cassandra put down four sixes. Stanton laid down the flush, and they all groaned.
Serena smiled, and watched each hand in amusement, enjoying the kind of bond they all had, herself not included. It amazed her how lenient the Atrox had been lately. Perhaps it was planning something, and was just biding its time. After about six hands, Serena stood up. "You mind if I go upstairs and wait for you?"
Stanton shook his head, and put down ten bucks. "Go ahead." Rachel stood, and dropped her sunglasses.
"I'll go with you. I'm out thirty-five." Serena smiled, and they walked out of the kitchen, and up into Rachel's room. A few minutes later, they were flipping through channels, and eating popcorn. Rachel tossed a kernel into the air, and without moving her head, it landed in her mouth. "So, what's with your clothes?" Serena looked from her handful of popcorn to her sweats, checking for any stains. "There's nothing wrong with it. It's just more laid back than your usual attire."
Serena shifted her eyes, and a tiny pink color stained her soft cheeks in memory of what had conspired that morning. "I just didn't think I'd be going anywhere."
At the knocking of the door, Rachel shoved some more popcorn into her mouth, then shouted, "Come in." Yvonne, Kelly, and Cassandra, all packed into her room. Cassandra promptly dropped onto the bed, and reached into the bowl of popcorn.
"Who won?" Serena asked, stuffing three salty kernels into her mouth.
"Stanton. What else is new?" Yvonne said, and sat on the bed by Rachel, then slid under the covers.
Kelly looked over Serena from head to toe, then asked, "What's with the casual look Serena?"
Serena dropped the fistful of popcorn, and Rachel pointed to Kelly, "See?" Serena rolled her eyes.
"I just had a feeling I wasn't going to be going anywhere today, and I saw no need to dress up." At her defensiveness, the others rose their brows. Serena felt the probing of her mind, and shot out the invader. "What's the big deal?" Serena yelled frantically. Kelly shut off the TV, and sat right in front of it.
"You're being awfully defensive goddess." She used Serena's old name, not offensively, but more teasing. Serena crossed her arms, not about to give in, and chewed nervously on her popcorn.
Cassandra studied her for a second, then grinned, and tossed some popcorn into her mouth. "So, how raunchy did you and Stanton get this morning?" Serena choked, and began to cough hoarsely. The others burst into laughter at Cassandra's brazen question. When she managed to retrieve her breath, she gave Cassandra a feisty glare.
"First, we didn't do anything this morning. Second, if we did, it's none of your business." Serena reached for the remote, and with a playful sigh, Kelly slid away, and sat next to Serena.
Cassandra grinned again, also, not about to give in. "Well, maybe it's none of my business, but I happen to know you're lying." she said, and slanted a wicked eye at Serena, making her shiver.
"And how would you know?"
Cassandra stood, then fell back onto the bed, so her whole body stretched across the mattress. "Stanton told me so, that's how." Serena sat, immobilized with shock as the others laughed loudly. What possessed Stanton to tell anyone, let alone Cassandra about what they had shared? That was something not meant to be shared.
Serena jumped over, and grabbed Cassandra by the collar. "Why the hell did he tell you!?"
Laughing like a mad-man, she shook her hands over her defenseless head, and said, "He needed to clarify something for me. I wont tell you now, but eventually you'll know, I promise!" Serena simmered, but with the hope that she would find out later, she reluctantly let go of Cassandra's collar.
Kelly suddenly lunged forward, and asked eagerly with her face in her hands, "So how was it?"
"Shit! I hate it when you use this damn window!" Cassandra yelled, then grabbed the sweater that was caught in the window, and tugged. Yvonne turned angrily, and starting brushing the dust off her arms.
"Well the next time we go from the Dungeon to Stanton's, remind me we have to enter the long way!"
Serena snorted as Cassandra dropped her hands in defeat. When she saw Stanton, Cassandra's face brightened, and she said, "Hey," in a soft, almost reverent tone.
Stanton cocked his brows at her, then went back to his cards, making Serena raise a brow. What in the world were those two up to? Kelly lazily pulled out a chair, then plopped down, and rubbed the dark circles under her eyes. "Tired?" Serena asked, observing the kneading pressure Kelly applied on her eyelids.
She put her hands on her cheek, and shook her head, the blond ponytail swaying at either side of her head. "Just didn't sleep well. And this mornings group jog didn't help."
That explained the matching jogging suits they all wore, but Cassandra luckily wore a blue tank top underneath her still-caught sweater. Yvonne strutted to the table, and flicked her hair. "Sweet haircut." Serena complimented, liking the flirty curves. Yvonne smiled proudly, and ran a hand through it. It was now so short, the back reached the nape of her neck, and flipped out at the bottoms.
"It's getting hot around here, and hair grows back."
"True." Stanton agreed. Serena looked at them all as they sat. Maybe this was what being the key was all about. She was now friends with the most evil followers, and...the Prince of Night's girlfriend.../lover.
"Aaah!" Shouted Rachel, making them all jump. She ran up to Yvonne, and stroked her hair. "What happened to you?"
Yvonne patted her hand. "I had it cut. The weather's getting too hot to keep it long." She ran her hand through it again, then asked with girlish sly, "So where's lover-boy?" Rachel drew back in aghast.
"Who's Lover-boy?"
Cassandra grinned, then drew a sandwich from the plate. "I had our phone conversation on speaker. The receiver's broken."
Stanton stilled, and looked up in shock. "As in...?" Cassandra nodded as she bit into the sandwich, then their eyes locked. Serena looked at both of them, and judging by the immense fires in their eyes, they must have been having a pretty fierce argument. Tymmie walked in, running his fingers through his thin blond hair, then observed the silence, and nudged Rachel questioningly.
She answered telepathically, which seemed to make the silence grow dense. "Okay." Stanton said reluctantly, then dealt the cards, and eyed his sister. "You gonna play or not?" Tymmie pulled out two chairs, and he and Rachel sat down, her shorts riding up her thighs. Tymmie wore the same clothes he wore the night before, but he left his jacket upstairs. Rachel had run a brush through her mussed hair, and was in one of Stanton's shirts, short-shorts, and pulled out a modest pair of broken sunglasses.
They all pressed their hands to their face-down cards, and waited for Stanton. After a second of deciding, he announced: "Five card draw, two to open, twenty limit, no wild." They all picked up their cards in unison. Stanton had an Ace of clubs, a Jack of clubs, a nine of diamonds, a queen of clubs, and a three of spades.
Rachel looked in disgust at her hand, then said to Stanton, "Why are you the only one round here who never plays with wilds?"
As Stanton placed the Jack in front of the Ace, he said, "Not my fault you're dealt trash."
She turned to her brother, then brought her glasses down, and peered at him from above the rims. "Yes it is."
"How so?" Stanton asked innocently.
"For all we know, you stack the deck." Rachel said, eyeing his cards skeptically.
Stanton shook his head at his sister, then looked back at his cards. "If I stacked the deck to make sure you got a bad hand, then I wouldn't have first degree burns on my fingers."
Rachel raised a brow, and asked, "Oh?"
Yvonne looked at Rachel, her chin resting on her hands, and said expertly, "He's bluffing." Cassandra leaned over to address Serena.
"Is he bluffing Serena?"
To be fair, Serena shrugged, and said, "I don't know. I've never played the game." That part was true, but it was also true that Stanton's hand wasn't exactly, burn-worthy.
Then he put in three dollars, stating, "Opening three." They all put three dollars in, and Serena watched their moves, their hesitation, their rush. Stanton dropped his nine and the three, and without looking at his new cards, placed them over his old ones. "Any replacements?" Tymmie had two, Rachel folded, Yvonne had four, Kelly four, and Cassandra folded too.
As Stanton scooped up his hand again, Serena had to fight to keep her eyes from widening. His not-exactly-burn-worthy-hand was now a flush. As they all put in, Serena calculated the pot size to be about sixty dollars. "Three kings." Tymmie stated reluctantly. Yvonne tossed her hand, and crossed her arms. Kelly put down a full house, twos over tens, and Cassandra put down four sixes. Stanton laid down the flush, and they all groaned.
Serena smiled, and watched each hand in amusement, enjoying the kind of bond they all had, herself not included. It amazed her how lenient the Atrox had been lately. Perhaps it was planning something, and was just biding its time. After about six hands, Serena stood up. "You mind if I go upstairs and wait for you?"
Stanton shook his head, and put down ten bucks. "Go ahead." Rachel stood, and dropped her sunglasses.
"I'll go with you. I'm out thirty-five." Serena smiled, and they walked out of the kitchen, and up into Rachel's room. A few minutes later, they were flipping through channels, and eating popcorn. Rachel tossed a kernel into the air, and without moving her head, it landed in her mouth. "So, what's with your clothes?" Serena looked from her handful of popcorn to her sweats, checking for any stains. "There's nothing wrong with it. It's just more laid back than your usual attire."
Serena shifted her eyes, and a tiny pink color stained her soft cheeks in memory of what had conspired that morning. "I just didn't think I'd be going anywhere."
At the knocking of the door, Rachel shoved some more popcorn into her mouth, then shouted, "Come in." Yvonne, Kelly, and Cassandra, all packed into her room. Cassandra promptly dropped onto the bed, and reached into the bowl of popcorn.
"Who won?" Serena asked, stuffing three salty kernels into her mouth.
"Stanton. What else is new?" Yvonne said, and sat on the bed by Rachel, then slid under the covers.
Kelly looked over Serena from head to toe, then asked, "What's with the casual look Serena?"
Serena dropped the fistful of popcorn, and Rachel pointed to Kelly, "See?" Serena rolled her eyes.
"I just had a feeling I wasn't going to be going anywhere today, and I saw no need to dress up." At her defensiveness, the others rose their brows. Serena felt the probing of her mind, and shot out the invader. "What's the big deal?" Serena yelled frantically. Kelly shut off the TV, and sat right in front of it.
"You're being awfully defensive goddess." She used Serena's old name, not offensively, but more teasing. Serena crossed her arms, not about to give in, and chewed nervously on her popcorn.
Cassandra studied her for a second, then grinned, and tossed some popcorn into her mouth. "So, how raunchy did you and Stanton get this morning?" Serena choked, and began to cough hoarsely. The others burst into laughter at Cassandra's brazen question. When she managed to retrieve her breath, she gave Cassandra a feisty glare.
"First, we didn't do anything this morning. Second, if we did, it's none of your business." Serena reached for the remote, and with a playful sigh, Kelly slid away, and sat next to Serena.
Cassandra grinned again, also, not about to give in. "Well, maybe it's none of my business, but I happen to know you're lying." she said, and slanted a wicked eye at Serena, making her shiver.
"And how would you know?"
Cassandra stood, then fell back onto the bed, so her whole body stretched across the mattress. "Stanton told me so, that's how." Serena sat, immobilized with shock as the others laughed loudly. What possessed Stanton to tell anyone, let alone Cassandra about what they had shared? That was something not meant to be shared.
Serena jumped over, and grabbed Cassandra by the collar. "Why the hell did he tell you!?"
Laughing like a mad-man, she shook her hands over her defenseless head, and said, "He needed to clarify something for me. I wont tell you now, but eventually you'll know, I promise!" Serena simmered, but with the hope that she would find out later, she reluctantly let go of Cassandra's collar.
Kelly suddenly lunged forward, and asked eagerly with her face in her hands, "So how was it?"