by Logan Jacobs
“Wonderful, then have three meals sent to our room, please,” I requested.
Elissa gave me a grateful smile, and Mahini’s lips twitched up into a pleased expression, so I knew I’d made the right call. My women were obviously hungry after our long day of travel.
“We can square up when you leave,” Melanie said before I could ask her the prices. “Don’t worry, dear, my services are the most affordable in town. Well, for the quality, that is. I know old lady Cross has prices lower than mine, but between you and I, I wouldn’t want to be caught dead in her establishment. Last I heard, there was a rat problem, and that’s all I’ll say about it.”
I waited for her to take a breath and then cut in. “Thank you for dinner, but I believe we are wanting to bathe first, so if you don’t mind…”
“Oh, dear me, what a blunder I’ve made.” Melanie let out a self-conscious chuckle and backed out the door to the suite. “Make yourself at home, dear, and let me know when you’re ready for your dinner. It’s cabbage soup tonight, and my famous cheese herb rolls.”
“Sounds lovely,” I said, and I gave her a pointed look.
The woman could talk until the sun came up, it seemed, and I had other priorities. Namely washing the horse smell off me and filling my stomach with some hot food. I didn’t want to hurt the innkeeper’s feelings, though, at least not until our dinner arrived unmolested. I’d worked in the food industry before back in my old world, and I knew how awful people could be to the customer’s food if they were insulted. I didn’t want that to happen to me or my women tonight.
“Very good, very good,” Melanie said, and she inclined her head as she pulled the door closed behind her.
When we were finally alone, Mahini let out a loud exhale and shot me an exhausted look.
“I thought she’d never leave,” the desert goddess complained.
“I claim the first bath!” Elissa declared, and then she headed to the bathroom while simultaneously undoing the straps of her corset.
“You better hurry, or I’ll come in there and get you dirty all over again,” I teased.
Elissa giggled and tossed her corset at me over her shoulder. “I’ll be fast, don’t worry!”
I ended up letting Mahini take the second bath, and while she enjoyed a good soak, I helped Elissa rub a thick oil into her skin and hair. I loved tracing every line and detail on my wife’s body, and I followed my fingers with a wispy breath that left goosebumps along her skin.
Mahini cleared her throat to get my attention, and my jaw fell open when I turned to see her still dripping wet and completely naked. Her shiny black hair was damp, and droplets of water trailed down her breasts to plop off her perky nipples.
She looked like melted caramel mixed with toned muscles, and I wanted to devour every inch of her.
“Your turn,” the desert goddess announced with a mischievous smile.
I sighed dramatically, but I stole a kiss from her that tasted like sugar coated cherries on my way past into the bathroom.
Surprisingly, there was still enough hot water for me to fill the tub a third time, and I sent an appreciative murmur up to the owner of the Cat Scratch Inn as I lowered my aching body into the blissful heat. I took my time and scoured every inch of my body, and then I leaned my head back against the edge of the wooden barrel-like tub and closed my eyes.
I wasn’t sure how much time had passed when I opened them again, but the water had chilled to an uncomfortable level. I didn’t want to get too wrinkly, either, so I pushed myself out of the basin and pulled the plug on the drain.
It was pretty incredible the kind of technology the people of Kilwick had in comparison to Bastianville or Carleone, and it made me wonder what other adventures I’d have on the way to the duke’s castle.
I didn’t have any intentions of meeting everyone in the port city, though, so my main focus would be on winning as much money as I could at the gambling house. With unlimited attempts, I was sure to make a killing, and excitement boiled inside my stomach as I thought about my plans for the evening.
I wasn’t much of a gambler in my old world, but I knew the basics of blackjack and poker. I doubted the card games in this medieval world would be the same, but I was confident I’d figure it all out quickly.
I was a god, after all.
After my bath, I pulled on some clean clothes Bellona had made for me back in Bastianville. It was similar to what I usually wore, but a little more fancy. The white shirt had frills around the wrists and neck, and the doublet was a deep navy blue. I paired the top with tight fitting black leather pants, and then I pulled on my knee-high boots to complete my gambling ensemble.
By the time I emerged from the bathroom with a freshly shaved face, combed hair, and dressed in my fancy outfit, the food had arrived, and both girls were dressed.
“What do you think?” Elissa asked as she gave me a slow spin. “Bellona made me and Mahini both new dresses for our trip.”
She wore a tight, sparkling green corset that matched the color of her eyes over a white lace hemmed dress that danced around her knees. The tiny goddess had paired her outfit with a pair of what looked like high heels, and the strappy shoes brought her higher up from the ground.
I bet she wouldn’t have any problem kissing me at all, since normally I had to squat a little in order to reach her juicy lips.
“You look delicious,” I observed as my mouth watered. Then I turned to look at Mahini, and my jaw practically hit the floor.
The desert goddess wore a black wrap dress that squeezed her cleavage and flowed around her curves. The dress stopped just below her ass, and she’d pulled on knee high black boots to go with it. She looked like a hot Lara Croft with her jet-black shoulder length hair.
“I feel silly,” she complained with a self-conscious blush. She moved to cover her body with her arms, but I quickly crossed the distance between us and pulled her arms away. Then I lifted her chin until she was looking into my eyes.
“You are beautiful, Mahini, and the dress suits you.” I gave her an appreciative look. “You look fucking hot.”
“It’s actually kind of chilly with so little fabric covering me…” Mahini’s piercing blue eyes gave me a confused expression, but I just laughed.
“Either way, I’ve definitely got the two most beautiful women in the world.” I eyed them proudly. “Shall we eat?”
They quickly responded in the affirmative, so we all sat down to enjoy the hot cabbage soup and delicious herb cheddar rolls. They reminded me of the biscuits Red Lobster made, which was one of my favorite forms of carbs in my old world.
The cheddar biscuits paired wonderfully with the herby roasted vegetable soup, though, and I found myself so focused on shoving roll after roll into my mouth that I spent the entire meal without saying a single word.
I leaned back in my chair once my stomach could no longer hold another drop, and I sighed with contentment. This was the life. I didn’t care how many times I had to die to get to enjoy this world, I wouldn’t trade it in for my old life at all. I didn’t know how or why I’d come to this land, but I knew it was more fun than the life I’d left behind. Plus, I had Elissa and Mahini with me now, and I couldn’t imagine ever losing them.
Good thing I didn’t have to.
When all three of us had eaten our fill, we gathered up the empty dishes into a pile and shoved them aside.
“So, when do we leave?” Elissa cast a questioning look at Mahini and me.
“As soon as you two are—” I’d barely gotten the words out when Elissa squealed with joy and bounded out of her chair to leap into my arms.
“I’m so excited, thank you, thank you,” she gushed while painting my face with kisses, and then her eyes lit up as she turned to Mahini. “Ooh, you should let me paint your face, Mahini!”
“What?” the desert goddess scoffed. “No way.”
“Come on,” Elissa pleaded, and she wiggled her eyebrows up and down. “It will be fun, I promise! You have such nice lip
s, I bet a little rouge will heighten them a lot.”
“Very well,” Mahini sighed, and she gave me a hopeful look. “Unless Bash says otherwise?”
“Oh, I’m all for Elissa painting your face,” I laughed, and Mahini shot me a deadly glare.
“Fine.” The warrior woman crossed her arms and somehow managed to look intimidating in a thin wrap of a dress. “But don’t make me look ridiculous like those girls in the whore houses.”
“You could never look like a whore!” Elissa gasped.
“Thank you,” Mahini said with a small smile.
Then Elissa hopped up from my lap, grabbed Mahini’s hand, and pulled her into the bathroom.
I occupied myself with cleaning and organizing my weapons and gear while I waited for them.
They finished up at the same time I was putting everything away, and I turned and was blindsided by how hot Mahini looked in this world’s version of lipstick. The contrast between the bright red rouge, her tan skin, and her jet-black hair was mesmerizing.
“Mahini…” I breathed in total awe. “You look amazing.”
Mahini blushed and tucked her hair behind her ear in a self-conscious gesture. “I’m glad it pleases you, Great One.”
“I’m beyond pleased.” I grinned. “Now, who’s ready to watch me make us some money?”
“I am!” Elissa bounced up and down on the balls of her feet, and she was so full of excitement she was practically bursting at the seams.
“I am ready to accompany you,” Mahini said with a little less enthusiasm.
I knew the desert goddess was out of her element with the makeup and dress, but that just endeared her to me even more. I wanted to make her confident and aware of how sexy she was, and what better way than to flaunt her in front of an entire city?
We headed out of the inn and waved goodbye to Melanie as she finished cleaning off some tables, and then we turned toward the bright shining lights of the city proper. The docks swayed and bobbed beneath our feet, and it took some getting used to. I hadn’t spent very much time on boats in my old life, so I hoped I didn’t get sea sick just from walking around town.
The sun had set while we were enjoying our dinner, so the streets were full of shadows, but the gas lamps did a good job of illuminating the way as we stayed in the middle of the streets.
“I have my dagger,” Mahini whispered conspiratorially into my ear. “Just in case.”
“I’m a god, remember?” I laughed. “There’s no need to worry, Mahini. You’ve got me.”
“You’re right.” She let out a low exhale. “My nerves are just frayed from meeting so many new people…”
“Don’t worry, we will have plenty of time to unwind after tonight.” I rubbed my hands together with excitement. “I want to be a rich man by the time we reach the duke’s palace, and I think Kilwick is a great place to start.”
“If you wanted to be a rich man, then you shouldn’t have given most of our coins to the stablemaster thief in Carleone,” Mahini chuckled.
I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and squeezed her into a side hug. “That’s just what gods do, my love.”
A few moments later, we arrived at the gambling house I’d seen advertised on our way into the city. It had bright torches and mirrors to push light toward the sky, like a lighthouse beckoning the highest bidder. The smell of alcohol was strong, and loud music filtered out through the old western style swinging doors.
Elissa began to sway and dance as we approached, and it brought me a lot of joy to see her so happy.
I made a new save point before we pushed through the swinging doors, and I paused to take in my surroundings.
It was chaotic inside the gambling house, and it took me a moment to gather my bearings. I heard several voices competing to be heard, smelled food and beverages as serving women trailed past with heavily laden trays, and saw so many colorful articles of clothing I could be in a music video from the 70s. Smoke filled the air from several people’s pipes, and the stench of burning tobacco filled my nostrils.
I cruised around with my women on my arm, and the three of us got a few turned heads in our direction. I raised my chin proudly since I didn’t see any women in the building who could hold a candle to my two lovely ladies.
I was curious about the games, since I didn’t recognize anything being played. I didn’t want to show my ignorance by asking for help, though, so I ended up picking a table where a simple looking card game was being played.
The dealer wore a white lace up shirt, much like mine but less fancy, and a black vest over that. He was a middle-aged man with crow’s feet around his eyes, and the lines around his mouth enhanced his bland expression. He had a handlebar mustache, which reiterated the old western atmosphere of the establishment, and he handled the deck of cards like a magician. Then he laid four cards face down on the table and announced that betting was open.
I watched for a round, and I tried to figure out what the players were betting on. An old man in a gold embroidered black jacket laid a pile of coins in front of the first card. A lady with a hawk-like nose who wore a fancy silver dress with a black corset put her money in front of the second card. Then a young man who looked out of place amongst the rich customers put his small stack of coins in front of the fourth card.
The dealer flipped over the cards, and everyone groaned. All of the cards with money in front of them just had numbers on their face, while the one no one had bet on was a face card that looked like a queen.
“Dealer wins,” the dealer announced, and he scooped the piles of money toward him with a long stick. Then he picked up the cards and began to shuffle once more. “New player, are you in or out?”
“I’m in.” I took a seat and pulled out my bag of coins. I’d given most of my money to Hal, but I had enough to get started, so I picked out a single coin to bet.
I played a few rounds while I tried to figure out the rules. During the first hand, I placed my coin in the second row, and it ended up being a jester.
“Automatic loss.” The dealer’s face was ambivalent as he took my money.
So, jesters were an automatic failure.
Chime.
I sat back down at the same table, but before I even sat down, I reached over the table to place a coin in the empty space no one had bet on. Then the dealer flipped over the cards, and everyone at the table groaned again.
“Queen is high, new player takes the pot.” Then the dealer pushed all the coins on the table toward me.
I grabbed them up eagerly and slid them into my small leather pouch as I took a seat. I made a new save point, since I’d figured out the first round, but it had mostly been luck so I wasn’t totally confident in my ability just yet.
After the dealer placed the cards down, I placed my bet in the third column, but when the card I’d bet on was flipped over, a two was revealed. I lost the second hand, but I’d only placed a small amount, so I wasn’t too worried about it.
The winning card was a noble looking man in a blue hat, and the pot went to the poor man who sat on the other side of Elissa.
The old man had bet on a jester and threw up his hands in defeat over the loss, but the winner gave us all a small smile as he scooped up our money.
“Guess it’s my lucky night,” he quipped with a shrug.
“Oh, no!” Elissa moaned in sympathy for my loss, and the adorable pout of her face made me want to scoop her up and kiss her in front of everyone. “I’m sorry, Bash…”
“Don’t worry about it,” I assured her. “I’m just warming up.”
Chime.
On the next hand, I avoided the jester but placed my bet on a number card. The old man won that round, since he’d placed his bet on the card farthest away from me, and I made a mental note of the winning slot and allowed him to take my money.
“Are you sure you wish to keep playing this game?” Mahini asked with a look of concern on her beautiful face. “You don’t seem very good at it.”
“What?” I c
huckled. “I’m having fun, aren’t you?”
“I think winning would be a bit more fun,” she countered with a mischievous twinkle in her light blue eyes.
“Just wait, you’ll see.” I winked at her.
The next hand came and went. The winnings went to a lady who’d placed her bet on the fourth slot, and it ended up being a king card. I was beginning to figure it out. It was mostly luck, if you didn’t have the ability to memorize the card layouts, but it seemed like the highest card would always win.
Suddenly, a loud, gruff voice came from behind me. “Playing Highs and Lows, are we? Well, that’s my game, so I think I’ll sit.”
He was a giant of a man, probably close to seven feet tall, and about half as many feet wide at the chest. His torso was built like a barrel, but I could see the strength in his legs as he sat down in his chair. He had long, wavy brown hair, a hooked nose that looked like it had been broken a few times, and dark rings below his eyes that indicated he’d already been heavy in the drink.
Now, there were five people playing, so someone would have to place their bet on the same slot as another player. I wondered if that would mean the pot would be split, but I didn’t have to wait long to figure it out.
The newcomer placed his money on the third slot, and he had a knowing smile on his face, so I copied his bet. The other three players bet on the empty spaces, and then the dealer revealed the cards. Newcomer and I both lost, but the old man took the pot again. He’d placed his bet on the second row of cards, which had ended up being a ten.
By the sixth round, I was starting to get the hang of it, and I started to do things like have Elissa or Mahini blow on my money before I placed the bet. I’d seen that done in movies before, and I’d always wanted to try it myself.
Once I had the first several rounds of winning cards memorized, I reset back to the beginning and played with my newly formed knowledge. I placed my bet on the winning card and waited for the dealer to do his flip over thing.
I wasn’t surprised when I won, but the other players didn’t seem too happy about it. The old man grumbled about upshoot luck, and the lady sniffed with her bird-like nose stuck up in the air. The poor man stayed quiet, though, and the gruff voiced man hadn’t arrived yet.
