Lockout (7 page)

"Five hundred it is," said the dealer. "Shall we play?"

The game resumed. It took me all of two hands to work out that this wasn't an ordinary poker game. The action was fast and reckless; exactly what I'd expected from men playing stakes far below what they could afford. Almost every other hand ended with a huge pot. Often, that's the sign of a weak player, but as the game progressed, I began to see that they weren't playing badly at all. They had a kind of raw cunning to their style that made up for their lack of restraint.

Even during the lulls, I was enjoying being a fly on the wall. It was fascinating watching Sebastian with his colleagues. Seeing him laugh and joke along with the rest of the guys made him seem more human, somehow. He still had that steely intensity, but the camaraderie tempered it a little. It was a side of him I hadn't seen before.

Every so often he glanced back at me and smiled, making sure I wasn't bored. It was nice that just because he was with his friends he hadn't forgotten about me.

Ewan continued to drink and get more raucous, drawing more than a few uncomfortable looks from the other players.

"Why don't you guys just kick him out?" I asked Sebastian quietly.

He sighed. "You know that annoying uncle you don't really like, but are obligated to keep inviting? That's Ewan."

"My mum kicked
my
uncle out at Christmas last year for making a scene."

He laughed. "Somehow that doesn't surprise me. But be that as it may, we don't do things that way here. Our office is like a big family, and people don't get excluded."

A few hands later Sebastian got involved in a pot with a quiet, dark skinned man that everyone called Jav.

"Two fifty," Jav said, throwing some chips into the middle. It was a big bet. Big enough to be scary.

Sebastian sighed and checked his cards once more. His hand was weak. He'd been going for a flush and had missed, so he effectively had nothing at all.

I could tell he was about to throw his cards away, but I reached out and tapped his arm. "He's full of shit," I whispered. While the others had been chatting, I'd been paying close attention to the game, and had a pretty good feel for how everyone was playing.

"What?" Sebastian said.

I hesitated. I realised Sebastian might not appreciate me giving him advice. Also there was a chance I was wrong and would cost him a bunch of money. But my gut told me he was making a mistake, so I decided to bite the bullet. "Jav, he's full of shit. Remember a few hands ago when he bet small at the end with the straight? He likes to sucker you into a call when he's strong. He wouldn't bet this big if he had it. His hand missed as well. You should raise. He'll fold and you'll win the pot."

Sebastian studied me for a few seconds, a curious smile playing on his lips. "You're sure?"

I nodded slowly.

"Okay." He reached for a stack of chips. "Raise to five hundred," he announced.

Jav instantly threw his hand away. "All yours," he said.

"You know 'a little about poker' hey?" Sebastian said to me, as he raked in his winnings.

I grinned. "A little." It felt good to know I wasn't outclassed by these world-conquering men.

"I'll keep that in mind."

The game continued, and Sebastian gradually increased his stack. Soon, it was almost as big as Ewan's, with two towers of the green chips I'd worked out were fifties. It was an intimidating sum of money to be gambling with. Several more times during big hands Sebastian turned to me, seeking my advice about a particular decision. I don't know if he was just indulging me, or genuinely wanted my help, but it was nice to be included.

A few minutes later, one of the players left and was replaced by Trey.

"Gentlemen," he said.

"Well well well, if it isn't my favourite ATM," said one of the other men. "Time for your weekly donation, is it?"

"Not tonight my friend," replied Trey, "tonight is going to be my night. I can feel it."

The amused expressions that sprung up around the table said nobody really believed that.

"What's all that about?" I whispered to Sebastian.

He gave a little shake of his head. "Trey is just terrible at poker, that's all. And everybody knows it but him. At this point it's become a matter of pride more than logic, I think."

It only took a couple of hands for me to see that Sebastian was right. Trey was nothing short of awful, bluffing when he had no business bluffing and calling when presented with a clear fold. Mostly due to good luck he managed to win a little, but luck inevitably runs out in the end.

As one hand ended, a man who had been lingering by the door approached. "Sebastian, I hear you've been looking for me."

Sebastian nodded a greeting. "Will. About time you showed up. Can we go and talk for a few minutes?"

"Sure."

He turned to me. "Want to hold down the fort while I'm gone?" he asked, gesturing to the table.

The huge wall of chips loomed up at me. "Oh I can't play with that kind of money."

"Sure you can. You've been doing just fine from back there. Why not take a turn in the hot seat?"

I waved him off. "Really, I wouldn't want to ruin all your hard work."

"If I thought you were likely to do that, I wouldn't ask. Look, either you play, or we lose our spot. It'll just be a few minutes, I promise."

I eyed the men around the table. As intimidating as the prospect of playing with them directly was, it was also kind of exciting. You don't get into law unless you have a healthy competitive streak. "Well, if it's just for a few hands..."

"Excellent." He got to his feet. "Everyone, Sophia here will take my place until I get back. Play nice with her." He winked at me. "Back in a few."

I slid into his seat.

"Not sure we've ever had a girl at this table," said Ewan, clearly not happy about the fact.

"It's kind of nice," said one of the other men. "Gives us something prettier to look at than your ugly mug." Laughter rippled through the room and Ewan scowled at me, although he kept silent.

Play resumed, and soon enough Trey found himself in a tight spot. All the cards had been dealt, and he was facing a massive final bet. I knew straight away his opponent had something strong. He had shown no propensity to bluff in spots like that. But Trey appeared oblivious. Rather than folding as he should, he seemed to be considering making a heroic call. Sure it would look amazing if he was right, but the chances of that seemed impossibly low.

Sure enough, after about thirty seconds, he pushed his chips into the middle. "Call." He wore a rather triumphant look, but it quickly dissipated as his opponent flipped over his cards.

"Full house," he said with a smirk.

Trey stared for a few seconds, before smashing a fist down on the table and throwing his hand away.

"Have you ever considered taking up knitting, Trey?" Jav asked. "Or maybe stamp collecting? There's not a lot of profit there, true, but at least you wouldn't be actively losing money."

Trey just stared down at his few remaining chips and shook his head. I felt bad for him, but there wasn't much I could do.

The game continued. I still hadn't played a hand. Part of me wanted to jump in and throw my chips around as recklessly as the rest of them, but I was afraid of putting Sebastian's stack at risk.

"Is that your plan then?" asked Ewan, after a few minutes of this. "Just play scared and fold until Sebastian gets back?"

Despite the fact that he was right, I was sick of his banter by that point. "I'm not scared. I'm just waiting for the right hand to take your money, that's all," I replied, as sweetly as possible.

There were several chuckles. "That sounds like a challenge to me, Ewan," said Jav.

"That it does," the other man replied, staring straight into my eyes. I knew that from that moment it was game on between us. The second I played a hand, he'd be all over me.

And a few minutes later, I was dealt something I couldn't ignore. A pair of Queens. One of the best starting combinations possible. My pulse quickened. This was it.

I raised, and several people came along for the ride, including my new friend. The first three cards dealt into the centre looked harmless, so I bet again. Everyone folded until it got around to Ewan.

"Finally found some stones, hey?" he asked. "Alright then, let's play." He threw in enough chips to match my bet. Everyone else folded.

The next card didn't change much, but nonetheless I began to feel nervous. The first few bets in any given hand are relatively small, but as the money in the middle grows, so do the size of the wagers. There was already a large sum in the centre of the table. This hand had the potential to get out of control very quickly.

I considered just cutting my losses and giving up, but I couldn't stomach the thought of giving Ewan that satisfaction. I'd sat down to compete, and so compete I would. With shaking hands, I bet again.

He thought for about thirty seconds, staring me right in the eyes. "Okay," he said, then called once again.

The final card was an Ace. It wasn't very likely that it helped Ewan at all, but it was still a scary card. One of the only ones higher than my pair. I didn't think I could bet again.

"Check," I said, passing the action over to him.

Instantly he pushed a tall stack of greens into the centre. "Nine hundred."

I exhaled slowly. It was a huge bet; all of my remaining chips. My first instinct was to fold. I couldn't imagine calling such a bet and being wrong, and Ewan had made a habit out of betting big when he had the goods. For all his recklessness, he hadn't shown much of a propensity to bluff.

But as I thought it through, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was just being bullied. My presence clearly offended him, and this was the perfect opportunity for him to show me who was boss.

As if on cue, he spoke. "Just let it go, girl," he said. "You've still got most of your lad's money. There's no shame in admitting you're outgunned here."

I'm not sure if it was his tone or the smug look on his face that did it, but I suddenly knew I couldn't fold. If I was wrong, I was wrong, but I wasn't going to let him intimidate me.

With my heartbeat thundering in my ears, I silently pushed my money forwards and flipped up my hand.

He gazed at me for what felt like a lifetime, his mouth slowly twisting into a snarl, before shooting wordlessly to his feet and storming from the room. The table erupted into applause.

"I guess he folds," said Sebastian from behind me. I hadn't even realised he was back. "God, that was the most satisfying thing I've seen in a while."

I grinned. "It felt pretty damn satisfying too."

"You should bring her along more often, Sebastian," said Jav. "I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a show as much as that."

Sebastian grinned. "I told you you could handle it," he said to me.

"Oh I knew I could too, I just didn't want to embarrass your friends here."

He laughed. "That's very gracious of you."

I smiled. "After that hand though, I think it's time to call it a night. Not sure my heart can take much more." I started gathering up the chips. "Still, over a thousand bucks profit for a couple of hours work. Not a bad night."

"It was a little more than that."

I paused and did a quick count in my head. "Well, I guess it might be closer to one point five, if you add up all the change."

He stared at me for several seconds. "Sophia, that hand you just won was worth a little over two point two million dollars."

I did a double take. "Excuse me?"

"You didn't know?"

Something hot surged through me. "Know? How could I know?" I said, my voice getting progressively louder. "You said you were buying in for five hundred."

"Yes, five hundred thousand."

I looked down at the stack of chips once more, my eyes wide. There was more money in front of me than both my parents had made in their entire lives. I was no stranger to extravagance — the partners at work were notorious for their heinous disregard for money — but this took it to a whole new level. It seemed almost impossible to comprehend. "Holy shit. How the hell could you let me play with that kind of money? I could have lost it all!"

"But you didn't."

I shook my head slowly. "I know but still...fuck."

"Relax. You showed me you knew how to play. I had faith things would work out. And if they didn't, then c'est la vie. It's only money."

Several of the other players were watching this exchange with amusement. "He's lost more than that in a night before, Sophia," said Trey, who seemed to have recovered from his own loss. "And I dare say I'd take you over him if it were my money," he said with a wink.

Sebastian tried to look offended, but he couldn't quite hide his smile. He really did seem completely at ease with the situation. Perhaps he really would have been okay if I'd lost.

"Still," I said to him, "the next time you put me in charge of a million dollars, do me a favour and let me know, okay?"

"Of course. Sorry, I really thought you were aware. Anyway, look on the bright side. Since you're responsible for a large chunk of the winnings, you're entitled to a cut of the profits. How's fifty fifty sound?"

I gaped up at him. "I can't do that."

"Of course you can. You earned it."

"No, I didn't. I won it by accident, using your money, playing for stakes that I was totally unaware of."

"But you deserve some kind of reward. I want you to have it."

"Well I don't want it. It feels too much like a handout."

"Sophia—"

"—I'm not taking it, Sebastian! End of discussion."

Something in my tone must have got through to him, because his expression softened. "Okay. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to push."

I took a deep breath. "It's alright. I just don't do well with charity, you know? I like to earn my success."

He nodded slowly, a strange smile appearing on his face. "I completely respect that. Like I said, I'm sorry. Can we not let this ruin our night?" He leaned in so only I could hear his words. "I still have plans for you and I'd hate for them to go unfulfilled." As he spoke, he reached out and ran a hand tantalisingly down my hip.