drink?” She asks, holding back the red velvet curtain so I can walk through.
“Good to see you, Tessa,” I smile. It’s comforting to have her here. “Just a glass of champagne please.”
“Of course.” She nods to a bartender I don’t recognize and steps after me, letting the red velvet curtain fall behind us.
I’m the last one to arrive, just like David wanted. He really is a puppet master, always in control of every detail. I’m not sure if that knowledge makes me feel more secure or more afraid.
“Gentlemen, please welcome Miss Lilly Madison,” Tessa announces my arrival to the room. But my arrival, for once, doesn’t need announcing. The second I step into the small space, every head turns towards me. Again, just like David wanted.
Maurice stands and nods politely. “Good to see you again, Miss Madison.” He gives me a small smile. Like last time, he has a cigar in his hand. Apparently it’s a permanent fixture.
“Whew, Vegas agrees with you!” That young guy Jeremy who was there the night Deanna played is here too. “You are smokin’!” His eyes run over my body.
“She sure is!” Another man at the table speaks up. “Pleased to make your acquaintance, Mizz Madison. I’m Bobby.” The small, balding man gives me a friendly nod. Unlike Maurice, he doesn’t even try to hide the fact that he’s blatantly checking me out. “Quite a dress you got there. What about givin’ us a twirl?”
“Shaddup Bobby, ya’ feckin’ idiot.” The stranger’s partner, the other half of the duo that David has warned me about, speaks up. He’s sitting across the table from Bobby. This one is pale and thin, with a rat-like face and slicked-back dark hair. He doesn’t smile at me or even say hello. “Tony.” That’s the most of an introduction he gives me, or rather my tits, which he’s staring at.
And then there’s David. His eyes are boring into me with just as much intensity as on the first night that I stepped into this room. His eyes aren’t smiling though, and he looks intensely serious. But, there’s the tiniest spark of something in his face. Pride, maybe? He’s taken his hands from the table and jammed them into his pockets, and his jaw is clenched tight. It’s a look that I first associated with irritation. Now I realize it’s a sign of self-control. He’s holding himself back.
“I’ve set a place for you to the side,” Tessa smoothly gestures to the tall chair against the wall to one side of the table, next to the bar. It’s positioned so I’m easily in line of sight to Tony and Bobby. David will only be able to see me from the corner of his eye or if he looks to the bar to place an order. Again, I realize he must have planned every detail just so.
“Thank you, Tessa.” I glide to my spot—careful not to get a heel caught on my long dress—and I slip into my seat. As soon as I’m settled, Tessa has a glass of champagne ready for me. I take it by the stem the way David taught me…and then notice I’ve already fucked up. I was supposed to order something with a straw! For a moment, I panic before realizing this is easily fixed.
“Tessa, I’m sorry, you know I think I’ll take a gin and tonic instead,” I murmur quietly, hoping David hasn’t noticed my screw up. “With a straw, please.”
“Good call, girly! I like a girl who drinks hard liquor. None of this fancy-pants champagne nonsense,” Bobby calls over. David jerks his head in my direction and observes quietly, one eyebrow raised, as my champagne is swapped out for a gin and tonic. Embarrassed, I avoid his gaze.
“Shall we?” David turns his attention back to the table.
“Let’s do this,” Tony, the sour-faced man responds.
“Yep, locked and loaded,” Bobby chimes in.
Maurice simply gives a delicate nod. David looks to the dealer, and with that, the night has begun.
Other than the five men and the dealer at the table, the room holds me, Tessa, and a bartender. There are no extra cocktail waitresses tonight. Tessa seems to be handling the drinks herself. Ben and Mike stand silently in the shadows, looking straight ahead. They don’t even watch the game. They’re like statues and will only come to life at David’s call. I hope that their muscle won’t be needed tonight.
Having taken in the surroundings, I turn my attention to the game. David loses a few hands early on. I’d