Single Wide Female: The Bucket List Mega Bundle - 24 Books (Books #1-24) (55 page)

SWF,

I could be a real cowboy. I even have the hat for it. I know for sure that you would distract me. Let me know how you do. We could always celebrate together.

Blue

I laughed a little as I pictured Blue in a cowboy hat. Of course I had no idea what Blue actually looked like, other than his blue eyes. I did know that he was one of the most charming men I’d ever encountered, and I’d not even heard him speak a single word. I was very tempted to type out the address of the bar I was going to. It would be amazing to meet up with him. But I decided against it.

Chapter 6

Blue was as much a fantasy to me as Max was. The difference was that Blue could always turn out to be an ax murderer. I’d known Max for what seemed like forever. Blue was a mystery. I wanted to know more, but I wasn’t yet sure how far I wanted to take it.

I decided to wait a while to message Blue back. I double-checked the bar’s website to make sure that I had the right time and place. By the time I was off the computer, my phone was buzzing. I snatched it up off the table. To my surprise it was Max texting me.

The suspense is killing me. Where are we going tonight?

I smiled. He wasn’t trying to wiggle his way out of it. He couldn’t wait to go. I knew that he was probably thinking the worst. I had given him plenty of reason to. My activities lately were pretty strange. I decided I would torment him a little. I texted him back.

You’re going to need swim trunks and a good scrub brush.

I stared at the phone, waiting for a response. After a few minutes I gave up and set my phone back down on the table. I grabbed an orange for breakfast and began peeling it. I was only halfway through when my phone buzzed again. I grinned and snatched it up. Max had sent me a picture. It was him in his swim trunks holding a scrub brush. I’ll admit I stared at the picture a little too long. He certainly had been working out. His chest and abdominal muscles looked rock solid. The phone buzzed with a new text.

And what will you be wearing?

I sighed as I looked down at my still fluffy belly. I certainly wasn’t sending him a picture in my bathing suit. I decided to toy with his mind just a little more.

I didn’t mean that you had to wear them. You’re going to need to bring them with you—for later.

This time I didn’t have to wait long for him to text me back.

Sammy! Just tell me where we’re going!

I laughed at his desperation. It was fun to have the upper hand for once.

You’ll find out soon enough.

I hit send and he almost immediately texted back.

Don’t make me come over there.

I was tempted to invite him over, but I had some other things I had to do first. I wanted to be sure that I could focus all of my attention on poker that night. Which meant I had to run my errands. I sent him a quick text in return.

I’ll pick you up at six.

Then I tucked my phone into my purse. I was going to keep Max wondering. I didn’t think that there were going to be too many more times that I beat him at poker. I needed to make sure to enjoy the hold on him while it lasted.

After running my errands, I headed to Max’s apartment. My apartment had become the place for us to hang out, mostly because it was closer to the places we liked to eat and the things we liked to do. Max’s apartment was much more luxurious than mine, but sparse. He had very few decorations and liked it that way.

When I knocked on the door he answered it wearing his swim trunks with his scrub brush in his hand.

“Oh, you won’t actually be needing those.” I grinned.

“Sammy, you’re killing me!” Max frowned.

“Oh, Max, don’t forget. I won!” I gave him a quick hug. “We’re going to a bar. There. Is that better?”

“Yes!” Max groaned. “Let me go change.”

As he disappeared into his bedroom I looked around his kitchen. I could tell a woman had been hanging out because there were a few organic items. Max only ate healthy when he was trying to impress a woman. Otherwise it was pizza and cheese puffs for him.

“Ready to go!”

Max stepped back into the living room dressed in a button-down black shirt and dark jeans. Max in jeans was quite possibly one of my favorite sights. I had once thought about suggesting it as one of the world wonders. Max had this perfectly shaped rear end and he bought nice jeans. He bought jeans that actually fit his waist and butt. Everything was snug and defined. Whenever he wore jeans it was hard for me to look away. But tonight, I couldn’t be distracted. I had to focus on poker, not on Max. I forced myself to look away.

“Great! You’re driving!”

I went straight for the door without looking back. I couldn’t risk being sucked back into such a mesmerizing sight.

As we drove to the bar, Max asked question after question.

“Is it a strip club? Are we going to need some special password? Will there be pain involved? How come you won’t tell me anything?”

I just smiled at him and gave him the directions to the bar. I wasn’t going to give anything away, mainly because I liked to hear him guessing.

When Max pulled the car to a stop in front of the bar, he looked at it with disbelief. It was a dive bar with nothing to make it appealing on the outside. It was the type of place where only locals would go.

“Why are we here, Sammy?” He glanced over at me with concern.

“Don’t worry, you’ll see soon.” I pointed to some parking spaces in the next lot. “I think that’s a good place to park.”

“Okay.” He steered the car into the parking space. “I still think this is not the best place we could go.”

“It’s not, but it’s my choice, remember?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, yes. You won.”

Chapter 7

The place was not very crowded. There was a handful of people scattered throughout on the bar stools. One large table was occupied. Just as I expected, there were several men seated together with a deck of cards.

“Oh. Now I see.” Max shook his head. “Sammy you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.”

“That’s why you’re here.” I gave his upper arm a little squeeze. “You’re my muscle.”

“Nice.” He shook his head. “I’ll get us some drinks.”

While Max was ordering drinks, I turned to look at the men playing poker.

“I can’t believe what a terrible streak I’ve been on.” The man closest to me shook his head. “I guess that my luck has run out.”

“Stay for another hand.” The man across from him smiled.

“I’m almost out of cash.”

“I don’t believe that for a second.” The other man laughed.

I was already drawn into their banter.

“Alright, one more hand.”

The first man slid in his ante and the cards were dealt. I watched closely. I wanted to learn even more than I already had. Max handed me my drink.

“So you could have chosen to get me to do anything you wanted, and this is it?” He met my gaze.

“Well, it’s not like it will be the only time that I beat you at poker.” I took my drink from him. “Thank you.”

“You seem pretty sure of yourself.” He grinned. Then he took a sip of his drink.

“I am. Only because I know I don’t have to win a bet to get you to do what I want.” I poked him in his side.

“I won! I can’t believe I won!” The man at the poker table looked around with surprise. “Something must have changed my luck.” His eyes landed right on me. “You—you weren’t here before.”

“We just came in.” I smiled at him.

“Well, I think you might just be my lucky charm, young lady.” He tipped his cowboy hat in my direction.

I couldn’t help it—I giggled. I wasn’t sure if he was being serious or not, but I enjoyed the attention from a man who struck me as an old-fashioned cowboy.

“What’s your name?”

“Samantha.” I took a sip of my drink. I assumed that he was done with me and was going to go back to his game. Instead he smiled even wider.

“Come and sit next to me, Samantha. I need all of the luck I can get.”

I glanced over at Max. I could see that he was trying to hide a grin by taking a swallow of his drink.

“Oh, come on. He can share you for a few hands,” the man said.

“I think I can.” Max winked at me. “Don’t worry, I’ll be right here if he gets a little too handsy. This is your chance to see how the game is really played.”

I nodded in agreement.

When I walked over to the table, I felt like I was walking back through time.

“I’m Bill,” the cowboy said and drew out the chair beside him. “Please, sit.”

“Thank you, Bill.” I almost called him Cowboy Bill. I was sure that would lose me my seat at the table. As I waited for the cards to be dealt, Bill leaned close to me.

“Now listen, I need to win a round here. I’ve been losing pretty badly up until that last hand, so I’m going to need you to work your good luck mojo.”

“I’ll do my best.” I raised an eyebrow. I had no idea how to work my good luck mojo. I was sure that it was just a coincidence that he happened to win a hand just as I sat down.

Each of the players picked up their cards. Bill swept his hand up and glanced over it. I didn’t have to see the cards to know that they weren’t great. His expression was tense and impatient. I knew that he was expecting to lose again.

On the other hand, the man across from Bill looked so confident that I might have called him smug. The man beside him was tapping his cards lightly against the top of the table. The man on the other side of Cowboy Bill was lightly stroking his beard. I frowned, as I was starting to see that Cowboy Bill’s odds were not good.

The more I noticed the different little gestures of the players at the table, the more confident I became that I might be able to win a hand. I was itching to try, but I didn’t have the kind of money it took to buy into the game. I pursed my lips and tapped my foot a little. I shifted from side to side in my chair. I was nearly boiling over with the desire to play, but I knew it wasn’t something I could just force myself into.

“What’s going on over there, Samantha?” Cowboy Bill asked with a chuckle. “Can’t sit still?”

“I’m sorry. I just get a little twitchy when I’m sitting in one place for too long.” I smiled at him.

“Oh, I see. That makes sense. I get a little bored myself now and then. Did you want to maybe try your luck at a hand?”

I looked at him with surprise. I hadn’t expected him to be so willing to offer.

“I don’t have the cash it takes to buy in.” I spoke to him in a quiet voice. I didn’t want the others at the table to think I was destitute, or that I was trying to get Cowboy Bill to help me out. It was bad enough that I was perched at his side like a plump blonde trophy. If he also paid my way, they might think I was a professional of a different kind.

“I’ll take care of that, don’t worry.” He gestured to the bartender, who was handling the buy-ins for the game.

“No, really, Bill, I couldn’t.” I shook my head.

“You have to.” He shook his head as he looked at his cards. “I’m folding this hand anyway.”

“Well, if you insist.” I smiled.

Chapter 8

When the hand finished, Cowboy Bill bought me into the game. The other men grumbled a bit at the idea, but no one outright denied me. This was it. I had my very own seat at the table.

The ripple of the cards being shuffled sent a shiver down my spine. I was bursting with excitement. Even though I was nervous, I was determined to enjoy the game, no matter how it turned out.

As each card was dealt, I prepared myself for the worst possible hand. I knew that there was a good chance that I wouldn’t have any option but to fold. As everyone picked up their cards, I stared at mine with some anxiety. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to look.

I wanted to see the initial reactions of the other players to their cards. From what I could tell, the man across from me had a solid hand. The man to my left was holding garbage. Cowboy Bill had a good hand, and the man beside him was hard to read. So I knew that the odds weren’t good that I would have a good hand.

When I finally did pick up my cards, I discovered that there were two aces hiding there. Two aces made any hand fantastic. I knew that I had the potential for getting two pair with aces high, as long as I got one more matching card.

As each person slid in an additional bet based on their cards, I felt my heart pound. I really could win this. I really could. The question was, had I already given it away? Had my eyes widened? Had I licked my lips nervously? I had no idea if anyone else at the table knew what I was holding.

I slid my bet into the pot. Cowboy Bill looked over at me with a confident smile. I knew that he felt he had the winning hand.

I thought about folding and letting him win, since he had been so kind to me. But the idea of actually winning a hand of poker with strangers was just too enticing for me. I felt like I was back in the Wild West. It was delicious!

I raised my bet. Not enough to draw too much attention, but enough that I would make quite a bit. The other players followed. Not a single one folded.

Since it was the last hand of the game, everyone was a little extra tense. I could tell from the way they were glancing at each other that everyone was wondering who would be the winner. I felt the blood pressure rising at the table. It was very hard for me to keep a secret, especially a good one.

I stole a peek over at Max. He had finished his drink and was ordering another. When he looked over at me, I briefly met his eyes. He smiled warmly. I wondered if he knew that I had a good hand. From the smile, I suspected that he did.

Cowboy Bill was a man of wealth. I could tell from the suit he was wearing. I knew that it was not cheap. Yet he’d taken the time to invite me into his circle and even allowed me to take part in the fun. That was something I was grateful for. I just hoped he didn’t expect too much in return.

When it was my turn to place my bet, I was nervous. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to maintain my poker face. As I started to slide in my bet, I moved too fast. My arm knocked into my fruity drink and knocked the glass right over.

Cowboy Bill gasped. The drink spilled all over the tan pant leg of his suit. I cringed as I watched the thick red liquid seep into the fine fabric. I knew it was going to stain.