Page 9

Five Card Studs Page 9

by Madison Faye


He drives in, and when I feel his body flush to mine, I know he's so deep inside of me. I cry out, his fingers strumming my clit and his cock throbbing so deep inside of my ass. He pulls back slowly, making me whimper before he pushes back in, filling me up all over again as our bodies come together.

His hand grips my ass possessively as his other teases my clit in slow circles. He moves in and out, fucking my forbidden ass with deep, purposeful strokes until the filthy pleasure of it begins to swallow me whole. I turn my head, and his lips crush to mine, kissing me as we move as one. His cock fills me again and again, making the whole world spin around me as he makes me his. I can feel him getting bigger, his thick cock swelling up even more, and I know he's close.

And so am I.

His fingers press into my clit, rolling over it again and again as his fat cock drives balls-deep in my ass. His masculine growls fill my ears, his arms circling me and pulling me close to him as I start to tumble. He buries every inch deep inside, and as he rubs my clit in just the right way, my whole world shatters. I scream as I come for him, clenching tight around his cock as my pussy floods his fingers with my cream. Vince roars, pulling back and then driving every single inch deep inside of me as I feel him just let go. His hot, sticky cum pumps deep in my ass, filling me to the brim with his huge load as the both of us moan, coming together until we can barely breathe.

I'm barely aware of him gently pulling out of me, scooping me up in his arms, and moving us to the couch, where we sink down together. He draws me up in his arms. His lips find mine, and he kisses me slow and deep as his powerful arms hold me so tight and safe.

We're just sitting there grinning at each other when I start to hear noises down on the casino floor.

"Shoot," I mutter, making a face. "I guess I should probably go get ready for work."

He grins, shaking his head. "Tess, you really don't have to, you know."

"Eh," I shrug. "It should be fun."

Vince's face frowns. "These guys coming to this thing tonight — a lot of them are real scumbags."

"Hey, they're coming to your poker night."

He rolls his eyes as I grin at him before he shakes his head. "No, seriously, Tess. These guys are bad dudes. How about you just take the night off?"

"And be that girl?"

He chuckles. "And what girl is that?"

"The one that screws her boss so she doesn’t have to work."

He laughs, his whole body rumbling as he pulls me close and kisses the top of my head. "That why you fucked me?"

I grin. "Nope."

"Good, then don't work."

I sigh. "Okay, how about Gaige or Noah comes and works the bar with me. They've both bartended before, and no one's going to give me trouble with one of them there."

Vince raises a brow. "Sounds like an excuse to get Noah or my brother to put their hands all over you while you work."

I bite my lip and arch a brow at him. "Maybe it is?"

And for one second, I worry about the jealousy. For one second, I hold my breath and wait for this whole "there's no jealousy between the five of us" act to drop, and for this dark, gorgeous man to get mad that I'm attracted to Gaige and Noah. Not to mention Luke and Dane.

But it doesn't come. And I know then that it really won't, because this isn't an act at all. Vince and the four others really are all in this together. They're all into me, and there really isn't any jealousy there.

…Shit, I mean, what in the world did I do to deserve all this again?

I say it out loud, and Vince just laughs as he pulls me close and kisses me.

"Because you're incredible, that's why," he murmurs. "And because I somehow get the impression that somehow, no one's ever told you just how fucking perfect you are, and that you deserve all the damn happiness in the damn world."

My heart does a flip, my whole face beaming with a smile.

"Vince, I—"

He shakes his head, holding a finger to my lips. "Let's save that part," he whispers, his eyes burning into mine. "Look, I'll get Gaige or Noah to help out tonight. You take whatever time you need. The shower's all yours if you want it."

I smirk, my lip catching in my teeth.

"You could join me?"

Vince's eyes flash with hunger as he turns back to me.

"My my my," he growls, his jaw tight.

"A quick joining me," I giggle. "I really do have to get to work."

I squeal as Vince suddenly stands, effortlessly picks me up in his arms and swings me over his shoulder. His hand swats my ass as we march towards the bathroom, making me giggle.

"No promises on being quick," he growls. "But I do promise to wash every single inch of you."

14

Tess

Hours later, the night is slowly winding down, along with the poker tournament. Slowly, more and more tables close up and consolidate, until there's just one game left — the final.

True to what I expected, Gaige has been behind the bar with me all night. Mostly he's just been sneaking teasing feels all over me, or letting his thick cock brush against me, or stealing kisses on the back of my neck — all of which has had me soaking wet for literally the entire time. Even if I did have an incredible, mind-blowing time with Vince up in the VIP room earlier. Even if he did drop to his knees in the shower and put his mouth on my clit until I screamed out another climax.

Yeah, in spite of all that, Gaige has had me aching for more since the second he got back here with me.

As the night's progressed, and especially after talking with Vince earlier, I've given up worrying about it — "it" being "jealousy," or being the one that gets between these five men who are closer than brothers and ruining that. But slowly, and as much as it's still so new to me, I've let go of worrying. They're all okay with it, and over the course of the night, they've each let me know that in their own way. So really, why not? Why not just admit that what I have here with the five of them is something insane, but also insanely good, and go with it?

I've imagined myself being that girl, dating or juggling multiple guys. But that's not what this is. This — whatever it is we're calling this — isn't a juggling act, and I don't need to manage anyone's expectations. Because their expectations are to all share me, and that seems to work just fine for them.

…It certainly does for me.

There's a bell, and big red, felt table in the middle of the floor is surrounded by the remaining crowd of onlookers — the same men in suits from the first night, along with some of their dates. Of the guys — of my guys, I guess you could say — Dane's the only one left as the final game gets dealt. It's Dane, a couple of real old-school-looking mafia types, and a huge, fat Russian guy with mustache and a scowl who's been slugging back double vodka's almost as fast as I could pour them all night.

The bet goes around the table, and slowly, the table starts to fold until it's just Dane and the Russian left. The latter grins a beefy smile from under his mustache, but his dark eyes glint in a not-so-friendly way.

"All in," he mutters in a thick accent, pushing his chips into the center of the table.

Beside me, Gaige swears.

"Shit."

"Shit is right," Noah mutters, leaning against the bar next to Vince. Luke is also near, his big arms crossed over his chest as he watches with a scowl on his face.

"What?"

"Ivan betting big is never a good thing," Gaige growls under his breath, leaning into me. "He's a shit loser."

"And when he bet's big, nine-times out of ten, it's just a big show," Vince adds, his brow furrowing as he watches.

"You think he's about to lose?" I bite my lip, worriedly looking at Dane as he contemplates his move.

"With that kind of bet?" Gaige nods grimly. "Yeah, that isn't a 'I've got a great hand' bet. That's a fuckin Hail Mary. He's about to go down hard, and when he does…" He shakes his head, his jaw tight.

"Fuck, I almost hope Noah loses, just so we don't have to deal with one of Ivan's legenda
ry meltdowns," Noah hisses.

"Call."

Dane's voice cuts the silence, and suddenly, it's like the whole room is holding its collective breath. Dane lays his cards down, and I might not know a ton about poker, but I do know that five cards in a row of the same suit is pretty fucking good.

…Ivan apparently knows that too.

He stares at Dane's hand for a second before he suddenly explodes in a stream of Russian and English swears. He tosses his cards down, showing a single pair of threes before he lurches to his feet.

"You fucking rigged it!" he roars, jabbing a finger at Dane.

"I rigged you being a bad player when you're drunk?" Dane yells back, jumping to his feet.

"Aww shit, here we go," Gaige groans.

"You fucking cheated!"

"Easy, Ivan," Vince steps forward, hands raised. "You've had some drinks, we all had a good game—"

"And your little friend here fucking stole my money!"

"Calm down, Ivan."

The words seem to ignite something in Ivan. Suddenly, his whole face turns red and he screams something in Russian. Instantly, a number of guys around the room — all of them his guys — suddenly yank guns out from their suit jackets. The room erupts into chaos, as suddenly everyone has guns out and drawn — the whole place screaming and roaring in rage. Gaige swears and yanks me down behind the bar, covering me with his body.

"Whoa, whoa!" Vince roars, stepping forward and holding his empty hands up high. "Let's take it waaaay back here, gentleman!"

I sneak a peek from under Gaige's arm and take in the room. The mafia-looking guys are pointing guns at the Russians. Noah's pointing a gun at Ivan. Ivan's pointing a gun at Dane, and the rest of the Russians are pointing guns at pretty much everyone.

"You know the rules," Vince bellows. "None of this! There's no violence at the games," he growls.

"You heard the man, you Russian fuck," one of the Brooklyn mafia guys spits at Ivan. "Put the fuckin’ guns down!"

"You put the guns down!" Ivan roars back.

"Fuck you!"

"Fuck you!"

You can feel the entire pulse of the room lurch as the whole thing starts to escalate. My guys are jabbing fingers around the room and roaring for everyone to shut up. The mafia guys have decided this is their stand to make against the Russians, and Ivan and his guys will not back down.

But suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, something catches my attention. I turn my head away from the powder-keg situation that's ready to blow and suddenly focus on what I'm seeing. It's Rick, the perpetually scowling bar back who's constantly on his phone. He's scowling, as always, but this time, something's different.

…It's not a phone in his hand. It's a gun, and his eyes are locked onto Dane as he creeps towards him from behind.

I don't think, I just act.

I push Gaige aside, lurching for the row of glasses on the back of the bar. My hand closes around a big, heavy, pint glass, and while the room slowly gets ready to explode, I haul back, take a rough aim, and throw with everything I have. The whole scene seems to go into a frozen, slow motion state as I watch the glass sail through the air, turning and twisting and spinning slowly until…

Success.

The glass explodes against the side of Rick's head, and suddenly, everyone is whirling towards the sound. He screams, and the gun drops from his hand as he clutches his bleeding face and falters to the ground.

I guess it's the distraction everyone needs.

The mafia guys, along with Luke and Noah, suddenly make a move, tackling the momentarily distracted Russians to the ground and kicking their guns away. Vince roars, lunging over one of Ivan's guards and bringing the big man to the ground. Dane whirls, his eyes huge as he looks at the gun, the broken glass, Rick, and then right at me.

And suddenly, the whole thing is over.

"Enough! Enough!" Ivan holds his hands up, shaking his head as he lumbers to his feet.

Rick is still moaning, but suddenly, everyone's attention moves back to him as he starts to mutter swears…in Russian.

"What the fuck was that?" Gaige hisses.

Ivan scowls. "Leave him be."

"Oh, him?" Gaige hurdles the bar, strides over to Rick, and point down at him as he looks right at Ivan. "You mean leave him be?" He jabs a sharp toe into Rick's side, making the guy bellow in pain. Ivan tries to take a step towards them.

"Ivan," Vince hisses dangerously.

"He's my nephew, okay?!" Ivan's shoulders sag as he scowls. "He's my sister's kid, Jesus. He's just trying to be a good boy for the family is all."

"A good boy who, what, snuck in here for a job to be your inside eyes around here?" Vince's eyes turn to rage as they narrow at the big Russian.

Ivan says nothing.

"A good boy who was going to come up behind me and try and shoot me over a fuckin' card game?" Dane seethes, glaring down at Rick and making a threatening move that has the guy trying to scramble away.

"Game’s over," Vince growls. "Get them the fuck out of here."

The mafia guys help shove and kick Ivan, Rick, and the rest of the Russians up the stairs and out of the place, before Gaige pulls one of the older guys aside.

"Thanks, Sal."

The older Italian guy grins, pulling out a cigar from his coat and shrugging. "Anytime, kid." He pats Gaige on the cheek before he turns to leave. "Next month, my place?"

"Only if we skip the Russians," Vince mutters.

"Where's the fun in that?"

Sal winks at the guys before he turns to me. "Hell of a throw, miss. I think the Yankees would like a word." He grins, tips his hat, and then follows the rest of the crowd up the stairs. Luke strides over and slams the door shut, locking it with a heavy click.

"You alright?" Gaige raises a brow at Dane, who nods.

"Yeah, I'm…" He stops, and suddenly turns my way. And before I know it, he's striding right towards me, scooping me up in his arms, and kissing me hard. My head spins as he pulls me tight and kisses me fiercely, and when he pulls away, I can see the other guys just grinning at us.

"Hi," I breathe quietly. "What was that for?"

"Besides saving my ass?" He grins. "Because I'm fuckin crazy about you, Tess." He shakes his head, still grinning as he holds me tight. "You know how hard it is to play poker with you fucking standing right here?"

The smile stretches across my face, and I can feel my heart skip a little inside my chest.

"Actually..." Gaige coughs, clearing his throat. I turn back to see him glancing around at the four other guys before turning to me. "Actually, I think I speak for all of us when I say we're all crazy about you."

"Look, I know— we know it's not conventional," Noah adds. "And I don't want you to think this is some weird fetish or whatever where we all have to share you, or anything like that."

I grin.

"It's just that none of us have jealousy when it comes to each other," Luke says slowly. "There's nothing like that between us. So when you add in this perfect storm of you being exactly what each of us was looking for, well…" He shrugs as he steps forward, grins, and then leans down to kiss me softly. "Well then I guess that's how we end up here."

"So what about you?" Gaige says quietly, turning me to face him.

"What about me?"

He swallows, and for the first time, I see something I couldn't have imagined ever seeing on his cocky, confident face.

"How does all this make you feel? I mean, we're all cool with it, but I know that makes us different. And I know you might not be into the idea of—"

"I'm in."

I say without thinking, because I don't have to. I don't have to think because I know it suddenly and absolutely clearly in my heart: I want them all, and each of them. I want them as individuals, and as a whole.

And even if I know it's too weird to say it yet, I know the words I'm feeling in my heart, for all of them.

"Whatever this is," I say slowly, looking at each of them. "I'm in, with all
of you."

The guys grin widely, eyes flashing as they move in around me.

"Well I think that calls for a drink," Gaige murmurs in my ear before he draws me close.

15

Tess

"That's how we got this place."

Dane sits back and slugs down the last of his beer. He, and the rest of them, have just finished telling me how five poor kids from Queens ended up owning the hottest, most thriving nightclub in all of New York City.

…Poker, of course.

"Anyone who tells you it's skill instead of luck is a fucking idiot," Luke chuckles. "Believe me, it's luck."

"Unless you're Dane," Noah grins. "That's pure fucking skill. That or he sold his soul the devil and never told us about it."

"You kidding?" Vince laughs, raising his glass. "He's almost as bad as my brother at keeping secrets."

My face burns at the memory of Vince letting me know that he knew about what had happened with Dane and his brother. But the heat in my face is really more hunger than anything else. It's not embarrassment — not anymore.

"Sal helped too, of course," Gaige adds, talking about the older Italian guy who helped with the Ivan situation earlier. "I mean, not like a mafia-type loan where our kneecaps were on the line, but a regular one with pretty decent interest."

"Sal and our grandad were war buddies," Vince says quietly. "Yeah, he's definitely mafia, but to us he's more just extended family."

"And here you are, with the hottest nightclub in town that just so happens to have an underground casino in the basement."

The guys laugh, Luke putting an arm around me and leaning down to kiss the top of my head. "Hey, never forget your roots. The five of us came up hustling cards, and the dudes that show up to play at these monthly things might be a little grungy, but…" He shrugs. "We just like to remember the grit we came from I guess."

"Still, pretty lucky for a couple of guys from Queens to end up here," I say with a smile.