Sean Michael - Winning Hand.pdf - Dokumenty - aleashapettipas

an imprint of Torquere Press

Winning Hand

By Sean Michael

whatsoever without written permission except in case of brief quotations embodied in

critical articles or reviews. For information address Torquere Press, PO Box 4351, Grand

Junction, CO 81502.

ISBN: 0-9762384-5-4

Printed in the United States of America.

Torquere Press electronic edition / February 2005

Torquere Press eBooks are published by Torquere Press, PO Box 4351, Grand Junction,

CO 81502. <http://www.torquerepress.com>

Chapter One

"Full house." Erith spread the cards on the low table, grinning as Lord Renault groaned

dramatically. The Gentlemen's Club was packed, card games, dice games and various

other amusements being enjoyed by dozens of Lords and Ladies looking to avoid the

spring rains.

"Na'eb and his Holy Sister's crusty left ball! If I didn't know better, I'd swear you were

cheating. That makes what? One thousand taban I owe you?"

Erith smiled over at the handsome young man. Charming and wealthy, Renault was a

perfect gambling partner, jolly and pleasant and always willing to pay up. "Two

thousand, three hundred and eighty-six, so far."

"Two thous..." Dark brown eyes looked across the table and then Renault reached for the

cards, shuffling them in his broad hands. "Well, I guess I'll just have to win some back,

won't I?"

"Or lose some more. Addina had some lovely ponies of Jutanari stock that I'm of a mind

to buy. I've almost enough to buy the ones I wanted." Erith grinned and took the cards he

was dealt.

Three ladies on the first deal, it almost made him wonder if Renault was cheating to lose.

He hadn't been paying that much attention, but he supposed it was possible. But why on

earth would the man want to lose that much?

"More ponies? You've got some of the finest stables in Saluee. Rumor is the stable boys

fight for a position there. Of course," Renault winked suggestively, "it could just be those

terribly interesting parties you've been known to throw. I imagine somehow sleeping in

the barn loft has quite a view of the salle."

Renault took three cards, wincing at the result. "Did you hear Elle's pony had to be put

down? Broke a leg jumping a creek. Your bet."

Erith tossed two cards at the table, not letting his expression change as he pulled the six

of axes and six of jewels. "She pushes them too hard. That's not the first pony she's put

down and it won't be the last."

He looked over at Renault, eyebrow raised. "You start off the bets."

He tried to figure out what Renault wanted from him, the ladies might have been a

coincidence, the sixes were not.

"Two hundred," Renault threw his chips onto the table with confident flair, but Erith had

a hunch the man was going to lose.

It was time to have some fun, see just how far Renault was willing to go to get into his

good graces.

Erith waited for the other two to make their wagers and then casually tossed in one

thousand taban worth of chips. Lords Simpson and Tweland threw down their hands with

unhappy groans and Erith turned to Renault, wide grin on his face.

"Well?"

"I don't have the markers with me to cover that." Renault looked at Erith, eyes wide and

falsely innocent. "I don't suppose you would take my word on it as collateral?"

"Your word, Lord Renault? Now I could hardly show my face here if word got out I was

taking soft bets." Interesting... Renault knew Erith didn't take soft bets, that fact was

common knowledge around the gambling circuits.

"I've enough markers for half the bet..." Renault frowned and began to go through the

pockets of his surcoat. "I came straight from the sales and I've the papers for a new

slave." Renault pulled out the sheaf of papers from his coat. "I paid eight hundred for

him. If you'll accept that along with my remaining markers, it'll see your bet and raise

you three hundred taban more."

"Those must be quite the cards," Erith drawled. Only he knew they weren't. Curioser and

curioser... the man was scrambling to cover a bet he knew he'd lose. The amount was

nothing that Renault would truly miss, but he was doing his best to make sure Erith took

him for an awful lot of money.

He held out his hand. "May I?"

He perused the papers. One boy, approximate age of seventeen summers, clean of

disease, though he was in fairly poor shape -- probably beaten by his handlers. He hardly

needed another slave, but he did want to know what Renault wanted.

He threw the papers onto the pile of markers along with three hundred more of his own

markers.

"Let's see your cards."

Renault threw down his three Lords, looking over at Erith with a grin. "Three of a kind."

"Full house." Which you well knew. "Sorry, my Lord. Na'eb and his Holy Sister isn't with

you tonight it seems." Erith pulled the pile of markers and papers over to him. "I believe

I've risked my luck enough for an evening."

"Already? But Lord Erith, the evening is young. The moon is hardly in the sky."

Sean Michael - Winning Hand.pdf

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