7. Vitorio
Walking back into the thrumming beat of the game room reminds me of what is at stake in this next part of the game. I have come far, matched up against almost all of the players, but now the two that are left are the best players with the sharpest minds. Luca, I am not too worried about, unless he gets really lucky. I know his tells and it will be easy to read him as he struggles to hide his emotions. Dominic is a different story. He plays a quiet game, keeping his expressions bland and controlled. He does have a tell sign, a very subtle one, where he touches the inside of his ring when he's tense, but it is a fleeting gesture and if you are not watching him very closely it can be easy to miss.
"I am going to get a drink. Can I bring you one as well?" Nicki asks, with her hand resting on my arm. "Yes, thanks. Whisky on the rocks, please." She smiles and I am lost in her eyes again. Bright hazel with golden flakes that catch the light. "I'll be right there." She says, gesturing at the table.
I can't let Nicki's presence distract me in this next, and final, part of the game.
But that kiss has me reeling. I could have easily lost myself in her for hours out there if we didn't have to come back inside. The way she tastes and feels against me. The curve of her body and how it fits perfectly against mine - there is something about her that is like a magnet. Or I am the moth, and she is the flame. Whatever it is, I can't get enough of her.
My body is still tingling from her touch when I take my seat at the table again, and I have to forcefully push aside the thoughts I am lost in about what it would have been like to keep going with her.
I take a deep, loud breath, and smile at my brother.
"How are you feeling, Luca?"
"I am looking forward to seeing your disappointed expression when I wipe you out of this game." He replies with a dark smirk on his lips. "How about we add a little more incentive for the winner and increase the bet?"
"Bets are already in place for the final outcome. Why would you want to put yourself in a position where you will walk away with even less?"
"Ha. You're a joke. I say we throw in some added incentive. How about the winner doesn’t just get her for one night, but for a week?"
"You are gambling with someone else's life and time?"
"I own her. She has no choice." He sneers and I feel anger rising. Who the hell does he think he is to tell me he owns Nicki?
Dominic arrives at the table, sitting down and placing his drink in front of him. "Did I overhear something about added incentive? I want in."
"Dominic, this is between my brother and me," I say calmly, not wanting to put Nicki in an even more awkward position should Dominic somehow win a week with her.
"Nonsense." Luca snaps. "We are all equals here. Why shouldn't Dom be allowed to join our bet?"
I shake my head.
Luca grins, seeing that I am clearly not impressed with this new twist he has added.
"Vitorio, Dom has been playing since the beginning; he should be allowed to take part in the new bet."
Dom looks at me and I know if I refuse this, it is going to cause tension in our business, and other parts of our family's alliance with him. I can't say no, but I need to somehow limit the risk.
"Alright, so then the winner takes her for the week.”
"How so?" Dom grins, looking intrigued. He is a man who likes to take risks, so I have definitely piqued his curiosity.
"Since your chip count is low, Dom, this round could be a make or break for you. If you win, you stay in the game. If you lose, the rest of the game will proceed with just me and Luca, and the winner takes her for a week." I say with an air of drama, to entice him into accepting the restrictions I am trying to place over his chances.
"I do like a high-stakes bet."
Luca chuckles. "A whole week with that little minx." He grins, nodding his chin towards Nicki as she arrives at the table and places a drink in front of me.
"A week. Mmm. Now that is something worth going all in for." Dom growls, his eyes tracing up and down Nicki's beautiful body.
I feel my jaw tightening and resist the urge to pull Nicki protectively onto my lap. The way he is looking at her will have me flying across this table and ripping his eyes from his skull if I am not able to get myself under control.
She belongs to me.
I take a breath. "So you accept the terms then? The winner gets her for a week."
"I most certainly do." He smirks, with hungry eyes.
Luca's cold smile is like a knife in my stomach. My brother still manages to surprise me sometimes with his callous demeanor, and how little he cares for others.
"Let's not waste any time then. The dealer can get to work, so we can get this game back in full swing." He eyes me through lowered lashes. "And brother, remember, even if Dom is out on the next round, the winner still takes Nicki for a full week."
I nod, and while the dealer is shuffling I update Nicki on what has happened.
I watch as horror flashes through her eyes, and she bites her lower lip.
I gently squeeze her thigh beneath the table, away from the watchful eyes of the other two players. "It will be alright," I whisper.
Her entire body looks tense, but as soon as the dealer starts dealing, she smiles, calm and beautiful. "This is certainly going to be an exciting round, gentlemen."
"Sweetheart, it is going to be an exciting week when you come home with me." Dom chuckles.
“What did I get myself into?” Nicki whispers to herself, and I have a feeling she is not only talking about the game but whatever it is that is bothering her, whatever it is that has brought her here tonight.
The next round begins, and tensions are so high I can taste metal in the air.
Like shards of lighting, preparing to strike.
Luca's brows are knotted tightly as he stares down at his cards.
He glances over at Dom, and my eyes follow his gaze. Dom looks calm. He adjusts his hold on the cards. Luca looks back at his own cards and Dom watches closely as the dealer finishes placing five cards face down on the table.
I glance over the cards on the table, and down at the two cards in front of me. It's hard to tell right now which way this round will go, as soon as I can read Dom's tell, I will be able to make my decisions.
Luca is chewing at the inside of his cheek, so I already know he is not happy with his hand.
Dom throws a handful of chips into the center of the table. He places his blind bet, and Luca follows and does the same. The dealer waits until everyone is done. With deliberate slowness, he reveals the flop—three cards laid face up in the center of the table.
Dom's eye twitches, and he touches the inside of his ring.
My stomach flips as the next round of betting commences. Dom, who usually has minimal expression, is now smiling as he raises his bet.
Luca reluctantly joins in, even though I know without a doubt that he is bluffing. It is Dom that I am worried about. His tell was there, but was it because of the tension, or because he was not happy with his hand. He never smiles during a round, yet there he is with a subtle smirk on his lips.
I place my bets and watch.
Nicki shifts from one leg to the other and bites her lower lip.
Don't watch Nicki, watch the game, Vitorio.
By the time we reach the fourth and final stage, the river, tension tightens like knots between my shoulder blades. No one has folded, and Dom's smile remains unwavering.
The final round of betting escalates rapidly with Dom having to go all in. I can't help but wonder why Dom is betting so aggressively. His confidence seems excessive, almost reckless. It's unlike him to be so forward. Is he bluffing? Given his penchant for risk-taking and the bravado with which he's flaunting his hand, I'm inclined to believe he's compensating for a weak hand.
Either way, I have to stay in the game, regardless of the risk, I have to take it.
"Showdown." The dealer announces.
And Luca and Dom both look over at me.
"Go ahead." I nod at Dom.
Now his grin turns icy with confidence. He turns his cards over and announces. "Flush."
His eyes pierce into mine.
Luca tosses his cards across the table in a fit. He stands up and walks away, then comes back to make sure that Dom is at least going to win this round and stay in the game.
"A good hand." The dealer says. "Flush." He announces, for everyone in the room to hear.
The audience gasps, and then all look towards me.
Nicki is holding her breath next to me, and I can see her hands shaking at her side as she tries desperately to maintain her composure.
Suddenly I can't hide the grin on my face.
I turn my cards, without taking my eyes off Dom.
Nicki breathes a massive sigh of relief as all the tension drains from her body.
The dealer glances over my cards. "Four of a Kind. Vitorio wins this round."
Dom's face darkens and he snarls under his breath, something I can't make out.
He stands, pushing his chair from the table.
"Good game." He says bitterly, but politely nods towards me and then to Luca.
Not only did he lose the week with Nicki, but he lost a lot of money and is knocked out of the game.
He is a man of risk, and despite being obviously disappointed, he is also a man of integrity. He leaves the game without any macho display or tantrums, as some of the other players did before him.
Nicki takes another slow breath and a nervous smile of relief spreads across her face.
The game isn't over, but now it is between Luca and me, and my guess is that she is just happy that she won't be tied to a stranger.
Once the rumble of comments settles in the room, and Luca has taken his seat again, we start the next round.
"Almost there," I say to Nicki. She smiles and takes a seat near me, but not right next to me. I am disappointed but also relieved. Having her too close to me is distracting, and this last part of the game is going to determine her fate, so I need to put everything I have into it.
The game moves forward. Round after round. We place our bets. I lose some, I win more, and Luca starts to look nervous as his pile of chips grows less and less.
Luca tosses a handful of chips into the center of the table.
When he loses that round, his lips curl into an angry sneer.
"You seem to be down to your last bet Luca." The corner of my mouth turns upwards in a half smile, which seems to grate against every nerve in Luca's body.
Luca glances at my pile of chips, I have plenty, I can play for much longer, but he is in a tight spot. He needs to win the next couple of rounds to stay in the game, and so far, he has not managed to keep a steady streak going.
He looks around the room, desperately trying to find answers or some way to manipulate the situation in his favor.
One of his allies steps forward. "I can back Luca." He says. "I have plenty of chips to add to his pile. As long as he shares his winnings with me." The man grins at Nicki.
Luca chuckles. "I like that idea." He remarks, looking relieved.
My heart hammers loudly. If every time Luca is about to fall out of the game, someone steps in to give him additional funds, this game is going to last forever.
I have to figure out a way to not allow this. This game is between my brother and me, not any outsiders.
Nicki giggles. "Are you saying you can't win without help Luca?"
She grins at him, cheeky and mischievous. "I would think a player with your level of skill could win on his own, not needing to run to other men for assistance?"
She tilts her head and locks eyes with him. The audience falls silent, and Luca's face flushes red. She has embarrassed him. If he accepts the other guy's offer, even if he wins - people will always know he could not win on his own and needed that help. His reputation as a poker player will be tainted. At the same time, he knows he is trapped in a corner.
He is going to lose without the funds, and that means losing his access to Nicki, but with the funds, he loses his pride.
I know he won't be able to accept the offer now.
I hear a chuckle rumble through the audience. Someone shouts "Luca, are you winning this on your own or do you need help because you lost so badly up to now?" The crowd bursts out laughing, and Luca looks even more furious.
"I don't need it. Let's carry on. This next round is going to be the turn of the game anyway. Watch closely." He snaps at everyone around him.
Nicki is smart and played a really good move to defuse what might have quickly become a bad situation. I glance sideways at her and find myself even more attracted to her. She backed me. She helped me out there. And she clearly wants me to win over my brother.
That move earned her more of my trust.
The dealer hands out the next round of cards and lays the community cards on the table.
Luca bites his lips.
We place our bets, and the dealer lays more cards face up.
Luca starts shifting in his seat.
He is not happy.
He pushes in his last handful of chips, and demands I show my cards.
I pause, watching him, knowing he has already lost.
"That girl has been cheating this entire game." He stands up, angry and pointing at Nicki. "She has been watching everyone else's cards and feeding information to Vitorio."
"Are you blatantly accusing me of cheating brother?" I snap with a fierce threat in my voice. I don't take lightly to false accusations.
He is fully aware that he has lost, and now he wants to try and deflect it.
"There is no chance someone can play as well as you have been playing," Luca shouts and the crowd gets excited, eager to see the drama unfold.
I stand as well, glaring into his eyes. His fists are clenched as he leans over the table towards me.
"Why don't you check the security cameras, or ask any of the people we have set up around the room to watch out for people playing dirty? You were never good at accepting defeat with dignity, Luca. And now you are showing your true, bitter colors to everyone in this room."
"Fuck you, Vitorio. I know you stabbed me in the back in this game." Luca is becoming angrier by the second, as he moves aggressively around the table towards me. I can see this is going to turn into a physical fight any second.
I have to stop this.
I glance around the room and immediately know what I have to do.
If Luca wants to accuse me of cheating, I will remind him of all the men in this room - very powerful families - who he has ripped off without them knowing. But I know. I know all the dirty, underhanded deals he has turned in his favor, leaving people at a loss and confused as to why the deals went sour. I know about all of them, and his victims are standing all around us right now.
As Luca flies at me I grab the collar of his shirt. The crowd gasps and people rush back, trying to get away from the danger zone.
I pull Luca's face right up against mine and whisper harshly.
"With so many in this room who have fallen victim to your underhanded deals, it would be a tragedy for them to find out who was behind their losses, don't you think?"
Threatening my brother is a dangerous game in itself, as I have no idea what consequences this will have in the future. But I have to do this, to keep Nicki safe. She is the entire reason I decided to play tonight, the only reason, and I can't stop fighting for her safety now.
Luca's eyes shoot open wide with shock, then he leans back, glancing at the men around us. He knows exactly what I mean. He knows the risk of them finding out he has screwed them over, on more than one occasion.
He pushes hard against my chest, stepping away from me as I release his collar.
"The game is over. Vitorio wins." He says with heavy distaste in his tone. The look on his face assures me that this is not over.
Luca walks over to Nicki and grabs her arm, yanking her against his chest and whispering in her ear. I step close, wanting to pull her away from him.
His words are dark and menacing.
"Little girl, our deal is off. Your family is going to pay for what happened tonight. I know you and my brother were up to something. I'm not an idiot and I won't be played like that." He pushes her away from himself and she stumbles backwards. I move quickly and catch her before she falls.
I don't know what deal they had, or what he plans to do to her family, but I do know that I won't let him touch her ever again.
I can't deny the truth anymore. I am obsessed with Nicki. I am intoxicated by her. She consumes me, and I refuse to let anything happen to her.