A Variation on a Card Game

Classes were back in session for Tony; he sat on the couch in the living room going through his schedule, feeling the weight of his final semester of classes. His textbooks were scattered on the table and a now very cold cup of coffee waited for attention next to them. Tony was lost in thoughts of his impending graduation and how it would be another change for the better in a year that had already been one of positive changes for him, and Angela. It seemed like only yesterday that he had enrolled in college and in only a few months it would be time to close this chapter of his life. He had completely lost track of time, and so he was startled when he heard Angela's voice coming from the steps.

"Hey there, remember me?"

He forced himself not to jump, he looked over and there was Angela in her pink bathrobe looking quite ready for bed.

"Hi," he answered.

"You going to spend all night with the books?"

"My adviser warned me about girls like you; said you were a distraction from my studies and I should be wary."

Angela affected her most innocent look, "me? If anything you could teach me a thing or two."

"I doubt that." It was true, they really did teach them a lot in grad school.

"It's getting a little lonely upstairs; and you know what they say?"

"No, what do they say?"

"All studying and no playing makes Tony a bored boy."

"I've never heard that said before."

"Me either, but it's a theory that should remain untested, yes?"

Yes, it was definitely time for bed. "I'll meet you upstairs in a few," Tony said as straightened up his books and headed to the kitchen to tidy up and throw out the rest of the coffee.

Angela went back to their bedroom and checked on the preparations for her latest surprise. This one was a step outside her comfort zone and she was a little nervous about pulling it off. A sudden knock on the door shocked her.

"I only knocked because I know Tony hasn't come upstairs yet."

It was her mother; she had to get rid of her, "what do you want, mother?"

"Can't I say good night to you anymore?"

"Of course." From most mothers that would be a lovely sentiment, for Angela it did nothing but put her on guard. She walked over to the bedroom door and cracked it open, "good night, Mother."

"Hiding something, dear?"

"Of course not."

"Bedroom off-limits to everyone else now?"

"It's the same bedroom it's always been. That reminds me, we need to find a contractor for the remodel. Put that on the agenda for tomorrow, will you?"

"Of course, Angela," but this in no way assuaged her curiosity concerning Angela's behavior tonight. There was something she was hiding behind that door and she wanted answers, "Angela, what are you up to?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're being secretive tonight."

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Uh huh." Mona took a step back and crossed her arms, "I could just push my way into the room, you know."

Angela had had enough, this was none of her mother's business; but how was she going to get her to go away? Angela decided that honesty was her best policy; in this instance for the sole reason that her mother would never believe her anyway, "we're going to play cards."

"Cards? I've never heard it called that before."

Angela rolled her eyes; but inwardly preened because she had the satisfaction of being right, her mother didn't believe her.

Mona, seeing that she wasn't getting anywhere with Angela tonight, left with one quip, "at least it's not solitaire."

Angela crossed her arms, her mother was incorrigible, "no, it's definitely not solitaire. Good night, Mother," she added, hoping her mother would take the hint.

Still curious, but taking the hint, Mona responded, "good night, Dear."

A relieved Angela watched her mother walk downstairs. She locked the door behind her just in case her mother decided to double back and surprise her. She sat down and waited for Tony.

Tony tried to open the door a few minutes later and was more than a little surprised to find it locked.

"Angela? You mad at me? Did I take too long downstairs?"

Angela rushed over to unlock the door, "sorry honey, mother's been nosy tonight." She let him in and relocked the door. Tony entered their bedroom to find a little table and two chairs as new additions to the furniture. On the table was a deck of cards...and poker chips? He looked at his wife quizzically.

"It's poker night," she explained hesitantly.

"I didn't know we had a poker night."

"We do now. Please, sit down."

Tony sat down, still not quite sure what his wife was up to. Poker was a twist in the evening he did not expect, although he was starting to put two and two together and the summation he came to had him inwardly jumping for joy.

Angela sat down across from him and handed him the cards, "your deal."

Tony shuffled the cards, "ante up." They both threw in a chip and Tony dealt the cards, "five-card draw, deuces are wild." Angela picked up her cards and gave them a cursory look, she had a decent hand, but the cards themselves were irrelevant to tonight's game. She threw in a chip to up the ante, Tony followed suit. "How many cards do you want, Angela?"

"These are fine, thanks."

Tony looked at her, her poker face was in excellent form tonight. "Dealer takes two," he said. Tony looked at his new cards, they were ok, but he had a feeling that the actual winning of this game tonight had nothing to do with cards, "I'll raise," he said as a way of testing the waters.

"Oh Tony, that's too rich for my blood, I fold." Angela threw her cards on the table and pushed the poker chips over to Tony. "You win. My, but it's getting warm in here," she feigned. Then she did something that made Tony's heart skip a beat and affected other portions of his anatomy as well; she untied the belt of her bathrobe and slipped the robe down off one shoulder, then the other and shrugged the robe off her back. Leaving her chair she pulled the robe out from underneath her and took her time walking over to her vanity and tossing the robe over the back of the chair.

Tony was grateful he let the guys talk him into letting Angela play poker with them all those years ago; for that game was now paying off in ways he could not have imagined then. Truth to tell, he could have imagined them, but he would not have thought his fantasies could come true. This fantasy in front of him was one of those on his mental 'never to become reality' list; but he was very happy to be wrong about that. Angela had a way of making reality far, far better than a fantasy as she revealed that under her robe she wore nothing but a short ivory satin nightie. It was deceptive in its simplicity, just a couple of shoulder straps attached to a v-necked gown that ended mid-thigh. Angela didn't need overly fussy garments to seduce him and she knew it. Angela really didn't need anything to seduce him; one touch, one look, one kiss, or even one smile was more than enough for him.

Angela took a moment to lean over and look in the mirror on her vanity. She flicked her hair over her shoulders, an action which Tony added to the list of Angela's traits he was already admiring. She pretended not to notice him looking at her and straightened up. She took a deep breath and turned, walking slowly back to the card table and making sure Tony now had the benefit of the front view in addition to the back view he'd been treated to on her journey over to the vanity. Tony was enjoying the simple act of Angela walking; he loved to watch her move. The soft satin of the gown swayed as she moved, caressing her curves and highlighting her luminous skin. He was so focused on her sublime legs that he almost didn't notice she was only wearing the nightie and a pair of slip on (or more importantly, slip off) kitten heels; almost.

This was going to be the world's shortest game of poker ever.

"Comfy?" He asked as she sat down again, not so sure that he was himself. Angela was correct, the temperature in the bedroom was warm.

She shrugged, telling him she could be a little more comfortable.

He was more than happy to oblige her comfort, assuming her comfort meant she would have even fewer clothes on than she had at the moment, "your deal," he said pushing the cards over to her. She didn't even bother shuffling, she just dealt, "seven card," she paused to look him directly in the eye, "stud." Tony had to bite his cheeks to keep from grinning over the way she emphasized 'stud'; but there was nothing he could do to keep the spark out of his eyes. Oh yeah, tonight's game definitely had nothing to do with cards.

Angela was still a little uncomfortable about this whole idea, why she didn't really know. It wasn't likely that Tony would have any sort of objection to strip poker, but this was going out on a limb for her. She was still getting used to Tony overtly looking at her as a sex object; it was thrilling, of course, but she was still afraid she was going to disappoint him.

Tony was anything but disappointed and he watched his wife deal the cards. They went through the motions of anteing.

"You have the low card Angela, you start."

"I fold," and she threw in the cards she just dealt.

"Angela, you didn't even look at your cards." He had to hand it to his wife; she had perfected the anti-bluff.

Angela's only answer was a small shrug and a turn in her chair to extend a leg and flick off one of her shoes.

Tony watched the shoe fly across the room and realized that if he didn't do something soon this game was going to be over before he had a chance to really participate. It was back to his deal, "five-card draw, nothing wild," he said. "Except you," he added in thought.

Tony took his time dealing the cards, making sure Angela could see him admiring her bare shoulders and that lovely expanse of skin from her ear lobes to the top of the nightgown. Neither was sure if Tony actually dealt three, five or even seven cards. They looked at each other and both threw in their ante chips.

"I fold," he said.

Angela hadn't expected that, this was intended to be a strip poker game in which she did all the stripping; but she wasn't objecting to Tony throwing in his own contribution. Her poker face was gone and she couldn't keep a smile from bursting out. "You didn't look at your cards," she pointed out.

Tony took a quick look at his cards and threw them in, "I still fold."

Tony stood up and started unbuttoning his shirt. Angela bit her lip to restrain herself from saying anything else. Button by button came undone and Angela envied Tony's hands as they worked. She reached out to help him unbutton but he shook his head, wanting to put on a show for her. She nodded and backed away, fulling enjoying the delight of Tony slowly exposing his chest. He pulled the shirt out of his pants and then decided to have a little fun. He turned around.

"Tony!" Angela objected.

He turned his head over his shoulder and smiled at her; then he put one hand at his shoulder and imitated the Chippendales by knocking the shirt just off his shoulder and letting it drop to mid-bicep, pretending to be surprised by the action. Then he dropped the other sleeve the same way, leaving Angela a delightful view of his back being framed by the collar of his shirt. He kept looking at her over his shoulder and watched as her face beamed. Then he shimmied his shirt down the rest of his back and off one arm to Angela's gleeful clap of her hands.

"Bravo!" she said as he turned around and finally removed the shirt with a flourish; tossing it on to Angela's lap. She hugged her trophy and draped it across her shoulders in triumph.

"That's not the way this game is supposed to go," he said, referring to her putting his shirt on, as he sat back down.

"Spoils of war."

"I didn't know we were at war," he said while shuffling the cards.

"We aren't, I just like to feel your shirt around me."

"Lucky shirt," he said, causing Angela to blush. From this night on Tony would always think of the shirt currently cocooning Angela as his lucky shirt; not only for its importance tonight, but because whenever he wore it in the future, Angela could not keep her hands off him as it held fond memories for her too. Funny how he started wearing it far more often.

Angela blushed even more as they gazed at each other from across the table.

The stakes were high now and it had nothing to do with the poker chips.

"Whose deal?" he asked.

"Who cares," she answered honestly. Tony, never losing eye contact with his wife, dealt out a few cards. Neither bothered to ante.

"I fold," Angela without even looking down to see the cards on the table.

"No, I fold," Tony countered.

"Nope, sorry, I folded first. You'll have to be a gentleman and let me take something off."

"It's tough being a gentleman, but as you are my lady; I bow to your wish."

Angela's eyes were sparkling and she was doing her best not to break out in a full grin; doing her best wasn't working and the grin became full-fledged. She had something up her sleeve, (or was that his sleeve?) Tony could see that. He found out what it was as her still shod foot started at his ankle and slowly drew its way up his calf to rest on his knee. "A gentleman always helps a lady with her shoes," she simpered.

"I had no idea that being a gentleman carried such benefits," he said, trailing his fingers along her ankle.

"Mmmhmm," she managed to answer even though her breathing had suddenly become difficult to control.

Tony continued to caress her ankle, then moved up and down her calf. As much as he delighted in the curves of her leg; he refused to lose eye contact with her as he adored watching her sink into bliss. He took his time, making sure his hand explored every inch of her foot from the soft curve of her heel to the hollow of her arch, to the charming tips of each toe. Angela was gripping the seat of the chair for dear life; it took every ounce of strength she had not to give in and jump into his lap. He touched her arch again and she whimpered; he loved reducing her to that state beyond words. When her eyelids started to drop, he finally slipped his hand under her heel and slid the shoe off her foot, tossing it somewhere behind him. If it were physically possible he would have kissed that tender high point of her arch, but that would have to wait until later. Until then, he kissed a couple of his own fingers and drew them down her instep; then gently put her foot back on the floor. Angela sighed and sank into her chair.

"Are we going to play another hand?" he asked.

"What?"

"Cards, Angela; the game, remember?"

"Oh yeah; darn, I hoped you were talking about your other hand."

He laughed.

Angela looked at the cards from the previous hand strewn on the table, they still hadn't even bothered to look at them. She had a choice; deal out more neglected cards or go to bed with her husband. It's a good thing it was an easy choice to make because Angela wasn't capable of complicated thought at the moment. "No," she answered.

"No? Could you be a little more specific," he teased.

Angela leaned over the table and kissed her husband. "Was that specific enough for you?" she asked when she finally finished making her wishes known.

He nodded.

Game over.

Although neither knew it until the next morning when they cleaned up, Angela's hand held the Queen of Hearts.

Why Tony was so surprised by Angela's creativity in the bedroom, he still didn't know. He'd been warned; he saw little hints throughout the years, and she worked in a creative industry, but he was still so used to seeing her repressed that the full force of Angela's femininity floored him. He'd underestimated her all those years ago, the first time she played poker; he never thought she'd take to the game so well, and for certain he never thought strip poker to be in her wheelhouse; but he was now finding out that being wrong could sometimes have very beneficial consequences.