SR1 time! Also, holy long ficlet, Batman.
This was the best hand that she had ever seen in her life.
At least she was sure it was. Her poker experience had seen more highs and lows than Stilwater's university crowd, so as she sighed and set it down she wasn't sure what to do with it.
Winning was the obvious pick, but even then it was hard to tell if it would work with the group surrounding her. They were often blank-faced or full of barbs, but tonight they were a bit more subdued. After the shoot out by the Carnales a few days before it was understandable.
It had thrown them off, but it hadn't broken them, something the Carnales had intended by sending one of the toughest motherfuckers in existence at them. The message sent back by their victory had to have caused waves, and now they were getting back into their old routine. Nothing said 'I don't give a shit' like poker, strippers, and good company.
Stu, on her right, was staring at his cards intently, likely wondering just what the hell had made its way into his hand. Luis on the other end seemed unhappy, and wrinkled his nose. Dee didn't even bother putting up a front. She set her cards down and drank, putting back another beer.
That left Troy, and he was tapping his cards against the table, lost in thought. He caught her looking over – he always did – and gestured towards her. "Bad hand?"
She took a careful pull of her cigarette and leaned back in her chair. "You're hoping I have one."
"Not always." He smiled. "Just most of the time."
"Jerk," she said, flipping her cards back up. "I'm never wishing you good luck ever again."
Since Dex wasn't there he was the one to beat, but he'd taken it easy for most of the rounds that night. A few wins, a few losses, no giant payout.
It shouldn't have struck her as strange, but she was suspicious as hell as they kept spying on each other. One of her fingers had begun to play with a pigtail, and she did her best not to drop it when he glanced over.
"Stop being a tease, V," Dee said from across the table. "You know it's your turn, right?"
She snapped out of it and the table snickered. Troy hid his grin behind his hand, and V knew she had to be blushing. "Shit. Why didn't someone kick me?"
"No guarantee I'd get the leg back," Stu said, taking the punch in his arm with ease. "Then again, after a shot like that maybe I would."
"Fuck you, man. I raise." She slapped a hundred into the pile and tried not to regret it.
Luis whistled and half the table groaned. "Going for the good stuff, eh?"
"Maybe." She put her chin in her hand and chewed on her lip. "Maybe not. Though I'm wondering what sorry cards you're all packing to get a reaction like that."
Luis folded, then Dee. Troy tilted his head to the side and exhaled, his fingers holding his cigarette tightly. "I'll see your bet, V."
Shit. She was afraid of this, but he seemed tense. Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all. "You'd better be hiding something nice under there."
"Only one way to find out, right?"
I'll say. She lowered her lashes and tried not to grin. "Anyone else?" They folded and V turned her attention back to Troy. "You ready?"
"You know it," he replied, his hand on his cards.
They flipped them over at the same time. V held her breath, then let out a large cheer as she raised both of her arms. "Fucking magical!"
It took a second to sink in, but Troy put a hand over his eyes and sighed. "Real fucking magical."
Stu slapped her on the back and she reached forward to scrape together her winnings, a shit-eating grin on her face. "This almost makes up for last time. Almost."
Luis leaned forward. "What do you say, double or nothing? You can fly pretty high after a round like that, girl."
"Oh, I don't think so," V said, sitting back in her seat. "You pulled that shit last game, and I'm not letting you get the drop on me again. I've got better things to do with this money than just throw it at you."
"Lap dance's cheaper, anyway," Stu grumbled.
"Or shots," Dee added. "Does that mean you're done?"
"Yep. I'm retiring to the bar to drink away my earnings like a champ." She pulled out her wallet and put the money away before standing up. "Thanks for being an amazing enabler, Troy."
He gave her the finger as she left and she whistled all the way to the bartender. Only a sliver of her winnings actually went towards drinking the overpriced booze, and she savored the drink with the tiny umbrella as everyone else kept on playing. However, her self-imposed vacation did not last long.
She finished half of the purple mixture and walked back over to circle the table, watching everyone closely. Half the fun of not playing was getting an inside look at her friends' cards, though some were more likely to flash them than others. Luis was a 50/50 shot. Dee 80/20. Stu? 70/30 depending on the day and how much she teased him. Troy was also roughly a 50/50, but she suspected that was because he knew she was picking up on their tricks. He wasn't completely wrong.
The corner of Troy's mouth curved up when she peered over his shoulder, and he held up his cards for her. "What do you think?"
His hand was pretty damn good. Almost depressingly so. "You're asking the wrong person, Troy, unless that's your way of asking me to blow on them." He gave her a look, and she batted her eyes at him. "What? Didn't say I wouldn't."
"Fuck, if you're offering, I'll take you up on that," Stu said, grinning.
Dee rolled her eyes. "Keep your dick in your pants. There's a reason that's a dice trick."
V laughed and Troy held up his cards again. It took her a second to notice the playful look he was sporting. "Why not? Pretty girl makes an offer, better not turn it down."
She could count the number of times he'd ever referred to her as attractive on one hand. Giving his cards an awkward blow, she retreated back towards the bar and downed the rest of her drink.
The rest of her time was spent twirling the umbrella and smoking her cigarette down to a stub. It was easier to occupy her mind that way. Any buzz she'd picked up from the drink had faded by the time Troy wandered over later, and she spun around in her seat to face him. "Good haul?"
"Good enough. Had to work hard to recoup what I lost to you, but the others are feeling it more than me." He leaned an arm on the bar beside her and glanced back towards the table. "When you clean us out, you clean us out."
"Thanks," she said, smiling at him. "I'm starting to recognize my 'on' days."
"Who's your ride? I didn't see your car in the parking lot."
"Stu. He drove me over right from the church once we were done messing around with the VKs. Johnny had us running them down all day, so the last thing I felt like was driving tonight. Thought I'd just snag a ride back if he wasn't too wasted."
"I can take you. It's not far."
Troy was a hell of a lot more sober than Stu, and to be frank, a much better driver. He was also Troy, and she had a hard time turning down any offer he threw her way. "Sure." She put out what was left of her cigarette and got up.
It was hazy outside, half of it the weather's fault, the other half the crowd that hung around outside. It wasn't as bad as it was in the summer, but it was present enough for anyone to take notice, minus anyone tripping on the local Colombian offering. V glanced up at the flashing lights before following Troy, and tried not to laugh at the perpetually malfunctioning sign on the front.
He was waiting for her by his car with a fresh cigarette in his hand. "Ready to go?"
"Yeah. Just admiring the scenery. When this place isn't full of loud drunks, it's actually kinda nice out here."
"Kinda is, isn't it? Short of the naked woman blinking on the side, it's almost classy."
She put her hands in her pockets and dug the toe of her boot into the ground. "Wasn't really complaining about that..."
"Right," he replied, giving her a faint grin.
They stepped into his car and he offered her a cigarette, holding out the pack just as she was buckling her seatbelt. She turned him down and they got going, heading down the mostly empty streets.
The late nights always left their area of the row a bit calmer, which was a large change from how it used to be with the other gangs crawling around. Now she could spend hours outside of her apartment doing anything from hanging out to taking a nap without worrying about getting mugged. It definitely made things a lot easier with half of the plans they tried to pull in the evening, and it certainly made things easier for the others living there.
They pulled into the parking lot, not a single other person in sight, and she yawned. It really was a lot later than she expected. "Thanks, man. You know you don't need to go out of your way for me, right?"
"You're close. It's never a problem."
"Sure it isn't." V glanced down at her feet, then back at him. "Don't think I'm going to win like that again."
"Why not? You're getting pretty damn good at hiding your tells."
She rolled her eyes. "Bullshit. You know exactly when I'm messing around. Every time."
"Not every time." Troy gave her a small smile. "Think you're starting to see through mine, though."
"Maybe." V wet her lips and took in a deep breath. "I'd like to."
Her mind was caught between the safe choice and the stupid choice at the moment, with the stupid one taking the lead. Maybe it was the hour, maybe it was her, but she wanted to take it. Just to see.
She leaned over in her seat and took the cigarette out of his mouth, pulling a long drag from it as he watched her closely. His eyes were on her lips as she exhaled, and once she was done she stubbed the cigarette out in his car's ashtray. Kissing him was simple after that.
One finger hooked the gold chain hanging around his neck and tugged him forward, just enough for her to close the distance. She didn't open her mouth or try to make him respond to her. She just wanted this if only for a minute. Just once.
Her heart felt like it was beating double-time as she pulled back. "Sorry. Been thinking about that, and there's only one way to find out, right?"
Troy blinked once, then twice. Then he pulled her forward, his hand tangled in the hair behind her head. It was rough. She felt her lips tingle as he kissed her hard, and she wanted more. Whatever he would give her.
When he withdrew something flashed across his face, hesitation, or something close to it, but it left just as fast when she kissed him back. He pulled her forward again, and she moaned when his tongue slipped into her mouth, skipping any teasing in favor of being more direct. It made her legs shake as she pushed herself up over the console, and when she finally straddled his lap, it was all she could do not to grind against him until he was just as breathless.
Her hoodie went to the side, his eyes on her even as she was undoing the zipper, and she pushed him back against the seat, her hand going for his belt. His grip on her hips tightened when she backed off enough to slip her fingers past his boxers, and when she wrapped her hand around him he couldn't hold back a groan.
Her thighs tensed, and she wished they weren't in such a small, cramped space right now.
She kissed his jaw as he swore under his breath, each line of profanity punctuated by a different stroke. He was in the process of saying a phrase that made even her blush when he decided to use his hands again to drag her tank top off. It hit the dashboard and he buried his face in her neck, mouth somewhere over her pulse.
Her bra followed shortly after and she bit her bottom lip as he ran his thumb over a nipple. Her nails dug into the drivers seat, anchoring her, and she let go briefly to run her fingers through his hair. That earned V a kiss on the corner of her mouth, and he cupped her face as she ran her tongue along his lips, kissing her properly soon after.
Her hand kept moving, slow and tight, and he let out a shaky breath when she paused to suck on the skin above the collar of his shirt. His clothes were still on, and she briefly lamented the tragedy as she ran a hand under his shirt and undershirt. He was in damn good shape, they all had to be, but she still raised an appreciative eyebrow when she tugged the shirts up to get a better look at him.
The look he gave her in return made her want to shove him into the backseat to take things further, but this felt too urgent, too short. Too surreal.
And whatever window she had to finish this felt like it was closing fast.
Troy started when she kicked open the driver's side door and planted her feet on the ground. She knelt beside him and any questions he had were lost when she took him into her mouth, resuming the same pace as before. His breathing hitched, then grew ragged, and she tried not to moan.
She felt a hand run through her hair as she worked, then grip it tightly. Each reflexive movement felt like it was being wrenched out of him as he came, and the low groan that accompanied it nearly made her put her hand between her legs.
However, as she stood up and wiped her mouth, she became aware of a few things. She was still in her apartment parking lot, her top was still in Troy's car, and she had just sucked off her unofficial secondary mentor figure. It sounded worse in her head when she put it that way, but part of her wondered if she was doing it on purpose. Prepping for the inevitable disappointment.
It was probably better that way.
V placed a hand on the door as a flushed Troy redid his pants, and she gestured towards her clothes. "Uh, thanks for the ride. Could you...?" He stared at her for a good second, noticing the way she tried to avoid meeting his eye, then handed her back her things. "Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow?"
She tossed on her tank top as she jogged towards her door, shutting it loudly behind her. He called after her, but didn't follow.