Just Another Silly Love Song - Rich Amooi Page 0,70
eyes in the room were on me, waiting for me to make a move.
I just needed to figure out what that move was.
Chapter Twenty
LORI
The crowd went nuts again, chanting, “Call! Call! Call!”
Of course, everyone wanted me to call his bet. They also wanted to see me lose so they could see another kiss, like the one Grandma Joyce posted online.
Ben grinned. “There’s no shame in folding, you know.”
There he went, mimicking me again.
This was why I liked to be the one applying pressure to players in the tournament. It put them on the spot and they had to make a decision that could change a hundred times in their head because of the pressure.
Ben used my trick.
Now, I felt the pressure.
I needed to step back and analyze the situation and the cards carefully.
I glanced up at Ben, who was still grinning.
His hands were on his hips, waiting for me to make a move.
That’s when I figured him out.
Ben was trying to distract me again.
Forget about the whale watching and the kiss, because those were just sneaky ploys to mess with my concentration.
He was bluffing.
I pointed to his cards. “You don’t have anything.”
Ben smirked. “Then why are you taking so long to make a decision?”
“Because I’m surprised that you think you can bluff me.” I glanced down at his cards again. “I bet you have a two and a five.”
Something flickered in his eyes. It was so slight, but I caught it.
I was right.
His cards were crap.
Ben chuckled, but his energy was different this time and his cocky grin seemed less natural. “I guess you need to push your chips in if you want to find out.”
I disliked him feeding my lines right back to me, but now I knew he was bluffing.
Gotcha.
I stood and pushed all my chips to the center of the table. “Call.”
The crowd erupted with cheers and whistles, this time it was almost deafening.
“Turn ‘em over,” the dealer instructed.
I flipped over my pair of kings.
Ben nodded, eying my cards as the entire place went crazy.
“Come on, Dr. Tough Love. Show her what you’ve got!” someone yelled.
“Turn over some aces. That’ll show her!”
Ben hesitated, but then sheepishly turned over his two cards.
The crowd went silent.
My eyes went wide.
Ben’s cards were exactly what I had said earlier.
A two and a five.
He was bluffing.
Apparently, ESP was in my bag of tricks without me knowing it.
Ben slid his glasses down his nose and looked over the rim. “How did you do that?”
I smirked. “A magician never reveals her secrets.”
Ben chuckled and shook his head in surprise, glancing back down at the table. “Come on, give me something good.”
The dealer flipped over the first three cards, which didn’t help either of us.
I was still winning.
My heart was so close to banging right out of my chest.
We weren’t even playing for real money, but I didn’t care.
I wanted to win.
There were two cards left.
If Ben didn’t pair up his two or five, it was impossible for him to win.
I held my breath, waiting for the next card.
The crowd cheered.
I blew out a breath of frustration and nerves when the dealer flipped over another two.
My heart sank a little, but I wasn’t giving up hope.
Ben had a pair of twos and I had a pair of kings.
If he got another two or five, he would win.
Anything else and I would be the winner.
I held my breath as the dealer turned over the next card.
The place went wild again as I stared at the card in disbelief.
It was another king.
I won.
I jumped up and down and shot my arms in the air. “Yes!”
“Lori! Lori! Lori!”
The dealer pushed all of Ben’s chips in my direction and pointed to me. “Winner!”
“Give it up for our new champion, Lori Martin!” declared the man on the microphone.
More cheers and applause.
Before I could even fist bump Ben someone pushed me back down in my chair. Five or six men lifted my chair in the air like they typically did with the bride at a Jewish wedding, parading me around the room as I held on for dear life.
The room continued to chant. “Lori! Lori! Lori!”
“R-E-S-P-E-C-T” by Aretha Franklin blasted through the speakers.
I glanced back in the direction of Ben as the guys got to the end of the room and turned around to work their way back to the table with me in my chair, high in the air.
Ben shook his head and laughed, his eyes never leaving mine.