Against All Odds

by Aarti V Raman

Sophia smiled, a nervous stretch of lips. She was aware of Bharat looking speculatively at her.

  “What kind of story was it?” Bharat asked lazily.

  “A story about her father. And how he taught her blackjack.” Gary answered promptly.

  “I’d be interested to hear that.”

  “I don’t think --”

  “Is your father a dealer too?” The Asian woman unwound herself from her man long enough to ask.

  Sophia shook her head and tucked wayward hair behind her ear. Her ear burned from where Bharat kept looking at it.

  What was wrong with the man? Why was he making her feel so uncomfortable? Worse, why was she allowing it?

  “No, he isn’t into gambling anymore.”

  “Your father and I have much in common then,” Bharat murmured. Dragging her attention back to him.

  Sophia smiled, politely. She had him now. “Then what are you doing at this table, sir? After all.” She included the rest of the table in her smile now. “We all are here to gamble. Aren’t we?”

  “Actually,” Bharat replied slowly. “I was wondering if you’d go out with me. That’s why I’m at this table.”

  ~~~~~

  Sophia kept her jaw from dropping with effort. She couldn’t believe him. Of course, she couldn’t. And he didn’t mean it, of course. He didn’t really want to go out with her.

  Men like Bharat Shrinivasan did not want to ‘go out’ with women who worked the card tables. They wanted something else entirely.

  She thought fast. Maybe, he knew who she was already, then immediately discarded the possibility. She wasn’t using her full name. And she’d not told anyone any deep facts about herself, preferring to let them all draw their own conclusions.

  The truth was, she’d had a nomadic childhood with dad taking her and Nakul wherever he felt like. Nairobi for six months, Laos for a year were major highlights. Her schooling had been pretty erratic till she’d reached second standard and required a firmer discipline.

  Nakul had gone back to school two years before her, as he was older than her by three years. He’d been also working summers at dad’s firm by then.

  “Do you not gamble at all, then?” she asked, evading Bharat’s outrageous proposition.

  The action at the table was limited to the dealer and the player. Cards were redundant.

  Bharat’s expression was inscrutable. “I gave it up.”

  “Why?”

  He shrugged.

  Sophia held her breath, waiting for the buttons on his jacket to pop off and the seams to tear in some Hulk parody. He was so built. It was breathtaking.

  Sexy and scary too.

  “I have better ways to channel my energies.”

  She gripped the underside of the table, feeling the hard-edged wood dig into her palm. The intent behind his words was deliberate, rigged to unsettle her. But she wasn’t going to give some random stranger, some random hot stranger the satisfaction of knowing he could get to her.

  The pain helped her focus.

  “Well, if you’re not going to play maybe you’d like your chips back?”

  Bharat shook his head, the edges of his hair brushing the stiff white collar of his dress shirt. “I’ll play.”

  “Okay, then.”

  “I’d still like to hear the story though. And an answer to my question.”

  “What question would that be?” Sophia knew she was being obtuse. She prayed that she could get away with it.

  “Will you go out with me?”

  “I am sorry, sir.” Sophia shook her head. “We can’t fraternize with the guests of The Lotus Dragon. It’s a fireable offence.” She added a small shrug to go with her refusal.

  “Don’t you believe in living dangerously?”

  “I am not in the movies or a character in a book so no.” Sophia was aware she’d snapped at a patron of The Lotus Dragon, another fireable offence. But she’d had enough.

  And a part of her brain, the cold, logical part that made her such a good dealer was yelling at her. Are you crazy? He wants to be with you. Say yes and use it to your advantage. It’s the right thing to do.

  But, for once, she didn’t want to listen to that voice. Even if it was right for her family.

  She didn’t want to get intimate with Bharat. Not this way. Because, it wasn’t right. That much she was sure of.

  Bharat chuckled. A rough sound that suited him perfectly. He finished his drink and it was immediately filled.

  Sophia immediately resented the sense of power and assurance he gave off – this man who’d once been reduced to nothing. A public spectacle and a nuisance. A common criminal. It wasn’t fair.

  It was not fair at all.

  “Alright, I could be a pest and say I could play you for it but I won’t. I don’t want to get you fired.”

  “Thank you.” Relief made her breath whoosh out louder than she would have liked to. “Let’s continue the game, shall we?”

  She looked warmly at the rest of the table. Even the couple was looking at Bharat and Sophia instead of eating each other’s faces. Stetson too was grinning widely, clearly enjoying himself.

  “How much for engaging your professional services?” Bharat asked casually.

  He had not just said that.

  Sophia froze. “I beg your unbelievable pardon?”

  Bharat grinned, held his hands up in a gesture of harmless fun. “I only meant I want to learn to deal like you. Play professionally. I’d like to pay you to teach me. Surely, that is permitted. I could talk to your team leader and get approval and everything.”

  “It’s pit boss not team leader,” she corrected automatically. “And I don’t think so, sir…”

  This time Bharat put a hand on hers. Right there on the green baize. It was warm, large and calloused. She wanted to snatch hers back but she looked at him as if it didn’t bother her in the least.

  “Don’t think,” Bharat rumbled. “Gamble with me.”

  “Say yes, sweetheart,” Stetson encouraged.

  “If I do, will you double up your ante?” she asked sweetly of both of them.

  “I’ll triple it.”

  Sophia did the math. If Stetson and Bharat upped the ante, the house would clean about two hundred thousand after the game was done. Jing Tao, her pit boss, would give her a goddamn raise if she managed to rake in that much cash in one game. And she needed the money, dammit.

  “I am not cheap,” she warned him.

  “I would expect no less.” Bharat winked at her, an unexpectedly impulsive gesture in such a still man.

  In fact, she didn’t know what to make of this man. This Bharat Shrinivasan. He wasn’t anything like what the media had made him out to be. Nor did he resemble the other man – the one who’d been reckless, selfish and senseless, and ruined her family.

  She felt scared and nervous but her brain cleared enough for her to realize opportunity had come knocking at her door. Her brother’s nemesis was offering money, a lot of money on her. On being with her. This was her chance to even the odds.

  Make things right.

  She had to take it, see it through. And maybe teach him to play blackjack. Badly.

  “Alright then.” Sophia nodded. “We have an agreement. Now can we place the bets and finish the game?”

  Bharat murmured in a voice only she could hear. “I thought you’d never ask.”

  Chapter Five

  Sophia finished her last shift at table four.

  Stetson and Bharat sipped their non-alcoholic drinks and steadily played to gain money back from the house, while the couple sucked face. She knew they didn’t need the money, not like she did but it was unsettling to see them betting thousands of dollars without breaking a sweat.

  They lost, of course. She was very good at dealing cards.

  Bharat didn’t bother her, didn’t get personal anymore. It was as if he’d lost interest in her the minute he’d gotten what he wanted from her – the answer.

  Sophia was grateful. And piqued.
>
  So, she forced herself to laugh and chat with Stetson and the romantic couple who confessed to having gotten engaged, blatantly flouting organization rules of conduct. More champagne was called to the table.

  Bharat did not touch his flute, preferring to stick to ice water. She didn’t know of anyone who had that kind of control.

  It was disturbing.

  Finally, her required two hours were up and she pocketed her tips from the table.

  Stetson drifted off to join his cronies for an early morning breakfast meeting and the lovebirds took off for parts unknown.

  Then, it was only Bharat at the table. He sat on the far right. Saying nothing.

  She finished stacking the chips neatly and placing the cards in their correct decks.

  “I don’t even know your name,” Bharat said.

  Sophia didn’t stop her tasks. “It’s Sophia Roy.”

  “I’m Bharat--”

  “I know who you are. Everyone knows who you are.”

  This time she did look up to see the chagrined half-quirk of his mouth. He knew that she knew. He didn’t expect any less. And, apparently, the knowledge pleased him.

  “I think it’s still polite to introduce myself. Bharat Shrinivasan.” He held out his hand.

  Sophia had no choice but to shake it. One brisk pump and she let it go.

  Bharat held on for a moment longer. Looked at the tattered leather watch she wore on her left wrist. It read four am. “What time do you get off, Sophia?”

  “An hour more.” She took her hand back without making it seem obvious.

  He didn’t touch her again. “Can we have the lesson at six, then, unless you’d like to sleep?”

  Sleep? How could she sleep when every nerve ending she had was zapped with adrenalin? Sleep was not going to happen right now but it wouldn’t do to let this man know that.

  “I would like to rest a bit, yes. It’s been a long day,” she acknowledged.

  “I have to get off this boat. We are staying at The Aria. It’s on the mainland shore.”

  “The Aria’s lovely this time of year.” She’d seen pictures of the hotel, seen it in movies and on Masterchef Australia. It was expensive, first-class, and utterly beyond her reach.

  “You live on the boat, I guess?”

  Sophia nodded. “We are in the lower decks. The upper staterooms are reserved for patrons.”

  Her tasks were complete, the baize was as neat as it would be and there was nothing more left for her to do. She had to get a move on.

  “Of course, they are.”

  “Look,” she said diffidently. “I know you were messing around when you said that thing about taking professional lessons. You played like a professional with Stetson. So, we don’t have to do this.”

  He stood up, uncoiling six feet plus of sheer male power.

  Sophia’s heart thudded madly. He was built, no two ways about it. And she was positively tiny in front of him. Thank god for her four-inch heels. He would have swallowed her otherwise.

  “I wasn’t messing around. I don’t have time to mess around.”

  “I just --”

  “I understand your concern in being alone with me. Given what you…what everyone knows about me, I have a solution for this pain point.”

  “Pain point?” Sophia couldn’t help the chuckle that slipped out.

  Bharat was supremely serious. “Pain point. It’s the idea that helps in starting a business. The idea behind the vision and mission of it all.”

  “Right.” Who spoke like this in real life?

  “So, are you open to my solution?”

  “What would be your solution to my pain point?” Sophia was droll.

  He couldn’t miss the mental air quotes on the last few words. If it fazed him, he didn’t let it slip or bother him.

  Bharat shrugged. “Coffee. Well, something less energetic for you. And maybe something to eat. I am starving and, I am guessing, so are you. We could get to know each other over food.”

  “I just told you we can’t go out for a date…”

  “It won’t be a date.” He put his hands up again. “Consider it an interview. Whether I am qualified to be a suitable pupil. That works right?”

  She stared at him for a second longer than was wise. Saw the crinkling of crow’s feet at the edge of his eyes. This man had lived. He was not going to be easy to snow. She shouldn’t even be trying anything with him. But there was her family to consider and …

  “Tell me something, Mr. Shrinivasan.”

  “Bharat,” he invited.

  “Bharat,” she amended.

  “Tell you what?”

  “Does anyone ever refuse you anything?”

  He smiled and a small dimple appeared on his left cheek. Hidden by the stubble of an overnight beard. He wasn’t as good looking as he had been, but it didn’t make him any less attractive, dammit.

  Sophia wished she wasn’t so aware of him. It would make dealing with him so much easier.

  “What do you think?”

  “I think,” she answered softly, rounding the table and standing precipitously close to him. Unwisely close. “No one would dare to.”

  Bharat’s eyes darkened with something close to anger. Or maybe she wanted it to be anger and not desire. Anger was easier to deal with. Desire was not something she was equipped to fight.

  No one had ever wanted her in so long…

  “You know what?” he said slowly. “I have taken far too much of your time, Sophia. And I am going to leave now before you think even more low of me than you already do.”

  Bharat caught the tips of her fingers and brushed his own against them. Sophia suppressed a tingle.

  “Your laugh is enchanting,” he said. “Please don’t ever lose it. Goodbye, Sophia.”

  He inclined his head and left the table before she could say a word.

  Sophia watched him leave with a sense of unreality.

  ~~~~~

  The first thing Sophia did in the tiny changing room they all used for punching out was swap out her SIM and call Nakul again. It was two in the morning India time but she didn’t care. She needed to talk to him right fucking now.

  He was groggy when he finally picked up. “Nakul here.”

  “He is here,” Sophia said, without any preliminaries.

  “Wha—what? Who is where?”

  “Pay attention, dada,” she hissed, as she slipped out of her pants and yanked on shorts, holding the phone in the crook of her neck. “Bharat Shrinivasan is here. He was at my blackjack table earlier. He…is here,” she repeated for the third time.

  For some reason, she didn’t want Nakul to know exactly what had gone down between her and Bharat. That he’d asked her out and now wanted to pay for professional card lessons.

  Bad move, Sophia.

  “What the fuck?” Nakul shot awake and cursed the air blue in Bengali for ten seconds straight. “Are you sure it was him? The rumors of him showing at ConCon are true? Because I heard that fucker was in Menlo working in some underground bunker to build the next GPS.”

  “No,” Sophia said distinctly. “He is here.”

  “Okay, if he’s here then it means the thing on the dark web is also true.”

  Sophia frowned. She could practically feel the wheels of her brother’s mind turning. “What thing?”

  “Never mind that. What did he want? Did he recognize you?”

  Trust Nakul to always safeguard his own interests first. Well, the family’s interests. Nowadays, the family interest and Nakul’s interest were one and the same.

  It stung a little. “No. He didn’t recognize me. I don’t look anything like the girl I used to be. And, he wanted to play blackjack on my table. Nothing more.”

  More lies. More evasions. God, what was wrong with her?

  “I hope a rogue wave hits him and he falls overboard,” Nakul spoke with characteristic venom.

  She chuckled, even though it was a weary sound. “We’ve dropped anchor, you know? There are n
o waves here. Death by rogue wave is out.”

  “A guy can hope,” Nakul said stubbornly.

  Sophia sighed. Tried one more fruitless time for her brother to see reason. “You know he isn’t single-handedly responsible for what happened to Dad, right? I know it’s the most convenient explanation of events but I think…the man I met…”

  “The man you met was what? Hot? Charming? Sexy? Rich?”

  The incredulity and anger in the question didn’t really surprise Sophia. Nakul had spent the last six years trying to build the family business back to where it was.

  It had taken a toll on him.

  She wondered what Nakul would do if she agreed to everything he’d just asked. Yes, Bharat Shrinivasan was hot and charming and sexy and definitely rich if he could afford to play blackjack games in the mid-five figures. But she didn’t.

  Because she didn’t want her brother to get a heart attack.

  “It was too dark for me to see how handsome he was, dada,” she teased him gently.

  “Don’t joke about him, Meethi. He is bad news,” Nakul said morosely.

  “I know that,” she shot back. “It’s all I know. The one constant of my life is that Bharat Shrinivasan is an evil man.”

  Except, there had been nothing evil about him when they’d talked. When he’d touched her hand and made her feel less lonely for a moment.

  “Yes.” It was all Nakul said.

  She pulled on her shirt and gave her hair one last shake before snatching it up in a functional tail.

  “If you see him again, stay away, will you?” Nakul was deathly serious. “Promise me.”

  “Sure,” Sophia said tonelessly. “I promise.”

  ~~~~~

  Bharat had perfected efficiency in the last five years. It was a core asset when it came to rebuilding yourself after being an addict. The more time was spent in completing tasks, in being occupied, the less time there was to think about other things – like a constant thrum under your blood that wanted to use. Anything.

  Alcohol. Weed. Something stronger.

  So, he was efficient.

  Meticulously inputting tasks into a calendar app he’d developed and put it up for free on the interwebz. It was still hugely popular and Henry was still upset with him for making it open source.

  Bharat coolly informed him that time was not anything he wanted to own.