Chapter 5
Elizabeth tightened her hands around her small bag, her sparkling ocean eyes lingering on Lucky who obviously didn't give a damn about what she was saying.
"Lucky," she repeated softly, stiffening when Jason's eyes landed on her. "I said I want to go."
He scowled, folding another hand and turned to Jason giving him an apologetic look. "Women," he muttered, rolling his eyes before turning back to her. "Elizabeth, baby, come on."
"Don't baby me," she said, raising her eyebrows at him. She snuck a glance at Jason from the corner of her and he could see that she was embarrassed that he was watching them. "I'm tired. I want to go back to the room."
"Then go," he said flatly, tossing a chip back and forth between his hands. "I'm not ready."
She nodded, pursing her lips tightly together. "I guess you don't owe me anything," she murmured, moving to her feet. She smoothed one hand down the front of her dress, then moved it to the back of her neck and rubbed it uncomfortably.
Jason cleared his throat, turning away from them, feeling as if he were watching something he shouldn't be. He craned his neck, searching for a waiter, desperate for another drink.
He did his best to ignore what was going on beside him, but it was difficult not listen in, especially considering now he really despised the man that was sitting next to him. He had a date, not just any date, but the most beautiful woman in the room. He'd sat down all smugly beside Jason, acting as if he were out to sleep with half the women in the world.
Actually, he expected half of those women to sleep with them.
No wonder she'd spent the better half of the evening perusing the room all by her lonesome, only to end up flirting with Jason. She'd been bored and alone, her date far too clueless to realize what he had beside him.
"…You are such an asshole…"
"Whatever…Fortunate enough that I brought you tonight…"
"Oh, this was a favor…Remember what I told you before…"
"…You need to loosen up…"
"You need to get a fucking clue, Lucky Spencer…"
Jason couldn't help but smile when he'd heard the word roll of her tongue. It sounded almost dirty, but full of spite, like she meant it. And for some reason, the thought of her just giving it to the asshole really turned him on. Though when he thought about her giving it to him, he was annoyed.
Did she really have to give it to someone like that?
"…Go back to the room alone. That's what you want anyway…"
She laughed sarcastically. "I sure as hell don't want you…"
"…Whatever honey…"
"Been there, done that, Spencer," she spat, leaning towards him. "And to tell you the truth it wasn't all that good."
"…Oh, that's not what you-"
He was caught off by her hand colliding into his face. "Don't you ever talk about me like that you son of a bitch," she hissed, her eyes blazing with fury.
She shot Jason one last look, her eyes filled with embarrassment and apology, then turned to hurry off. Lucky moved quickly, jumping from his seat and grabbing her by the arm.
Jason shook his head, his hatred for his opponent deepening. They didn't strike him as one of those couples who fought for the sake of fighting, only to make up later, usually in bed.
He watched Lucky's grip tighten on her arm, noticing how Elizabeth's face grew flushed with embarrassment. He took a drink from a passing waiter and sat it down on the table, trying to decide if he was really going to get involved.
"Maybe I should introduce you to security," he fired off, pulling her close to him.
"If that means they'll dock this fucking thing and kick me off then please do so," she replied, attempting to shake him off.
When he didn't buckle she raised her knee, driving it in between his legs. "Asshole," she spat, shoving him away when he loosened his grip. She glanced at Jason again, forcing a tight lipped smile his way, her soft eyes telling him a thousand different things.
Jason couldn't decide if she was more so embarrassed or annoyed that he'd discovered she not only had a date, but a very rude one at that. He almost wondered if she'd approached knowing there'd be a fight; if she was one of those women who wanted him to step in and save her. Then again, she'd done that perfectly on her own.
No, she was definitely not a woman who needed to be saved by any man.
Lucky groaned, holding a hand over his face as he turned back to Jason. "Women," he muttered, forcing a painful smile at him when she finally stalked away, muttering obscenities under her breath.
Jason grunted, bringing his glass to his lips and taking a long drink. He glanced around Lucky to see Elizabeth stalking across the room, her head hung. He thought about going after her, but figured she'd only pushed him away. Besides, if he wasn't going to get a chance to be around her in anyway, he could always make her awful date miserable.
"You ready to get back to the game?" Lucky asked, voice filled with annoyance at being belittled like that in front of him.
Yeah, Jason definitely wanted to take every penny he could from him.
Too bad for him that Jason had enjoyed every second of it. "She uh-she seems like a good catch," he murmured, looking down at his pile of chips.
He grunted, shaking his head. "Far more trouble than she's worth," he spat, stacking his chips. He patted the table and motioned for cards to be dealt.
Jason's jaw tightened and he threw in for the blind, tipping his head towards Lucky. "She's a firecracker that's for sure."
"She acts like a five year old child," he spat, looking at Jason curiously as if he were wondering why he were so interested in his date.
No, you're the five year old, he thought to himself, glancing briefly at his cards.
He tilted his head back, looking in the direction that she'd fled, and was saddened when he saw no sight of her. He wondered where she was going; if she would actually go back to the room or go back to moseying around the room, finding someone else to flirt with.
He really wanted to be the only one she was flirting with.
"You're turn," Lucky said flatly, following Jason's gaze.
Jason folded, finding it hard to concentrate when he could only think about wanting to strangle the man sitting next to him.
"She uh, she's the one that took my money," Jason confessed as they were dealt another hand.
Lucky was silent for a couple of hands, jealousy written all over his face. Jason almost felt guilty, so he let him win a couple of hands, thinking it would be nice to build the man up before he knocked him down.
"What? Did you let her?" he asked curiously, a smug grin on his face when he took another pile of winnings from Jason. "Did you think that you'd get laid?"
Jason clenched his fist, resting it against the edge of the table. He glanced around, this time for Johnny. He'd need his best friend to clean up this mess by the time the night was over.
"I wasn't aware she had a date," Jason replied, chewing his lip as he looked thoughtfully at his next hand. He didn't have to see Lucky's face to know that in the man's eyes that didn't make it any better. "But I also know that she wouldn't go home with me if I begged her too."
He raised the bet, sitting back in seat and threw a smug grin Lucky's way that rivaled the ones he'd been tossing towards Jason all night.
"That doesn't mean you weren't going to try," Lucky said, matching Jason's bet.
Jason shrugged, then nodded. Hell, just twenty minutes ago, Lucky'd been talking about finding another woman to take home for the night. He wasn't going to lie to Lucky Spencer, anymore than he wouldn't deny if it was in his control, she sure as hell wouldn't be going anywhere near him.
"Perhaps if you paid better attention," Jason murmured, leaning over the table as the dealer flipped their cards.
"What's the point when it's not getting me anywhere," Lucky replied, following it with a loud string of curse words when the dealer revealed that Jason had twenty-one.
"You just never know when the cards will turn," he said, reaching out to draw his pile of chips in, thankful that he'd never broken the bad habit of counting cards.
Lucky scowled, his lips turning in a pout, and much to Jason's dismay-just as Jason started to enjoying picking at him, he remained quiet for the next six or seven hands.
"Well, well, well," came a voice behind them. "The boys club still going at it?"
Jason shook his head, not bothering to look in Johnny's direction. "What's wrong? Not finding anyone to hold your interest long enough?" he asked, not raising Lucky's bet.
He didn't want to take his money too fast. He wanted it to be slow and painful.
"You know these ladies," Johnny replied, sliding into the seat next to Jason. "They want you to work for it and that's boring. Damn ice queens."
"Tell me about it," Lucky murmured, his face lighting up when the dealer flipped their cards and he actually won a hand.
Jason shot Johnny a look, telling him to drop the subject. He knew that Lucky wasn't referring to any of Johnny's women as ice queens.
No, he was talking about Elizabeth, and that didn't sit right with him at all.
"My friend here doesn't get it," Johnny continued, ignoring Jason's eyes. "You know, I'm just trying to have a good time, buy a lady a drink, maybe take a walk…Back to my room, but hey, is there anything wrong with that?"
Jason scowled, smacking his hand against the table when he noticed just how small Lucky's pile had gotten. He was ready to take his money and get the hell away from him before he pushed Jason's buttons more than he already had.
"They think you should just bend over and give them the world," Lucky agreed, staring at his cards for a second.
"Johnny O don't bend for nobody," he replied, placing a hand on his chest. "And all I'm giving a woman is a free ride-a free drink if she's nice."
Jason shook his head, covering his face in his hands. He often wondered why he was friends with Johnny; he always had his back, he could shoot almost as well as Jason, and he always kept the refrigerator stocked with beer.
Anyone could do those things and talk a lot less while doing it.
"No woman comes with a free ride," Lucky quipped, raising the bet again, pausing when he realized he was practically out of chips. "Ah, shit." He moved in his seat to slip some money from his back pocket and held it across Jason. "Think you could get me some chips, pal?"
Johnny raised his eyebrows and stared down at Lucky's hand. "Are you fucking kidding me?" he asked, looking at Jason as if to say who the fuck is this guy.
"You work here," Lucky replied, shaking the money at him. "And you got them for my friend-"
"For your friend?" he interrupted, tilting his head towards Jason. "You are friends with this guy?"
Jason wanted to point out that Johnny was the one trading bed side manners with him, but instead he just looked down at his cards.
Johnny smacked Lucky's hand away. "I don't fucking work here, pal," he replied hastily. "I night as well fucking own the place."
Lucky's eyes widened and Jason was amused that this was the second time in the last thirty minutes someone had hit him. Jason was sure that at one point one of them was going to throw a punch.
"And I got my friend here fucking chips because his panties are in a twist," he spat, narrowing his eyes at Lucky. "Some stupid broad took all his fucking money and he's pissed cause he wanted to fuck her."
Jason groaned, leaning against the blackjack table on his elbows, his face in his hands. He did not want to fuck her, but that was something that a man like Johnny O'Brien would never understand. Sex may have crossed his mine briefly when he laid his eyes on Elizabeth, but he wasn't one to use and abuse the way that Johnny-and apparently Lucky did also.
He wanted to look at Lucky to see the expression on his face, but he couldn't. Cause had he been Lucky Spencer and someone said that to him about his date, he'd pummel them.
Then again, Lucky Spencer wasn't Jason Morgan by far.
"Did that happen to you?" Johnny asked as if he were making some grand point.
He was definitely going to fire Johnny come the next work day or hell, maybe even by midnight. This broke their code of conduct, if you could call what they lived by that, in some way and Jason was going to make damn sure that Johnny paid.
"No, it didn't," Lucky replied in a small voice, his eyes shifting to Jason, who hand dropped his hands from his face and was staring down at the green felt table.
He cleared his throat, tugging at the collar of his shirt as he sat back and took another long drink of bourbon.
This was turning out to be a very bad night.
"Why the long faces folks?" Johnny asked, slapping Jason on the shoulder. "Between me and your pal here, we can find you a hot piece of ass."
Lucky grunted, narrowing his eyes at Jason. "No, he only wants one woman," he replied smugly. And with a shrug he added, "Too bad you can't have her."
"Hey now," Johnny said, pointing at him. He motioned at the empty space in front of him where his chips had been. "Don't go getting too big for your britches because it's not like your broke ass is picking anyone up." He stopped and glanced a Jason, briefly aware of his grim expression. "Then again, having money doesn't get you anywhere."
"I have money," Lucky replied, still staring Jason down. "And unlike you're friend here, I'm sure I won't be going home alone tonight."
Jason's jaw tightened and he ran a hand over his pile of poker chips. Usually such a towering win would allow him to walk away feeling as if he'd had the upper hand, but tonight he definitely losing.
"So, it seems like you've ended up the winner after all," Jason said, holding up his hands in a gracious defeat. He reached for his glass, polishing the rest off in one drink, just as an idea flashed through his mind.
It was something he'd have to credit Johnny O'Brien with later, so maybe he wouldn't fire him. Only his experiences with Johnny and his God awful influence would be the only excuse Jason had for the next sentence that came out of his mouth.
"Or maybe you could put your money where your mouth is, Spencer," Jason said coyly, lowering his empty glass to the table.
When Lucky gave no reply, Jason decided he may need further encouragement. "I'm willing to go double-Actually triple," he continued, shifting in his seat to pull out a large wad of bills.
Lucky eyed him suspiciously, glancing between he and Johnny. "For…?"
"I think you know what for," Jason replied, tossing the wad of money down on the table.
He almost hated himself for how sleazy he sounded; literally turning the man's date into a wager, but it was bait that a man like Lucky Spencer would surely bite.
"Hell, if you're not going to take the bet," Johnny cut in, staring down at the pile of money on the table, "I sure as hell will."
"Shut up, Johnny," Jason snapped, holding his hand out at him. He turned his head back to Lucky. "So, what do you say? Feeling like a winner tonight?"
"Well, his statistics would show that's a negative," Johnny quipped, shoving Jason's hand away from him.
Lucky shifted in his seat, his eyes dipping down at the money on the table. Jason could see him starting to foam at the mouth over the money and was sure that he was stalling only to appear a better man than he was.
"What if I lose?" Lucky asked, chewing his lip.
"I break your kneecaps cause from the look on your face you don't have the money to cover it," Johnny replied, sitting back and folding his arms. "And I just love breaking kneecaps."
"Shut the fuck up," Jason growled, his attention remaining on Lucky. "Nothing happens. You get up and walk away…"
Lucky raised his eyebrows, his eyes filled with contemplation.
"And," Jason continued with a sly smile, "you send Elizabeth in my direction."
"Elizabeth," Johnny said flatly, glancing between them. "You're making a fucking-what is that?" He paused to count the chips and money up in his head. "You're making a fucking eight thousand dollar wager on a piece of-" He stopped again, looking at Lucky, an amused smile spreading across his face. "You're her date."
He nodded.
Johnny laughed softly, then broke into snickers.
"Johnny, I'm going to break your fucking kneecaps," Jason warned sternly.
"What? She came with him," he replied, shaking his head, a goofy smile still on his face. "And she wants to leave you. She already made that clear."
"Oh, is that right?" Lucky snarled, moving to his feet and pointed at Jason. "You're fortunate I don't beat your ass right now."
Jason's eyes went wide and he placed a hand over Lucky's finger. "You should be far more respectful to the owner of the casino you're in, Mr. Spencer," he replied, tightening his grip. He released Lucky's hand, extending his own as if offering to shake his. "Jason Morgan."
"So now are you trying to scare me into playing cards with you?" he asked, his eyes widening when Jason spoke his name and judging from his pathetic grip on Jason's hand, he was scared too.
Jason held his hands up. "By no means," he replied. "I was just asking if you wanted to raise the stakes a little bit. You came here to win money. I came here for-" He paused, trying to remind himself not to grimace when he said it. "I came here for ass, so I say we help each other out…Either choice you make, you walk away a winner."
"Leave now and go back to your date," he continued with a shrug. "Or play a game and win eight thousand dollars and lose your date-Oh, say-" He looked at Johnny intently. "What do you think? For a couple of hours?"
Johnny's brow furrowed, clearing confused by what Jason was doing, which he knew worked to his benefit. Both men were thinking that he only wanted to steal her away for a little roll in the hay, and hey, maybe he did, but he knew it wouldn't come to that.
He simply wanted the satisfaction of knowing she'd walk out those doors on anyone's arms but his.
"Or you can lose eight thousand dollars and go back to your date," he finished, then gestured towards the table. "It's up to you."
Lucky eyed the two of them suspiciously. Jason was pretty sure he didn't believe he was the owner of the casino, but the money had reeled him in enough. He really wasn't going to try and scare Spencer into playing with him, though that would have been very valuable too, but more of a Johnny O'Brien tactic.
Then again, this whole thing was straight from his handbook.
"Deal," Lucky said, sitting back into his seat. He kept his eyes on the table, his hands gripping the edge of it.
Jason could see that he was shaking. His fear made no difference because he would win even if Lucky weren't scared.
Both men were silent when their cards came out. Lucky was dealt a Jack of Spades upright, Jason a Queen of Hearts. And something about the hearts made him feel like the cards were on his side. His other card was a Three of Diamonds, definitely not bad, but not good either.
Lucky motioned for a hit, his eyes fixated on his cards.
Jason did the same.
And both men passed the second time.
Leaning back in their chairs, they folded their arms, waiting impatiently on the dealer to flip their cards.
One man cursed loudly and the other grinned, maybe even laughed a little; one surely a fool, the other a thief.