The Game

by Natalie Clarke

  What made her beautiful was the fact that unlike all of the fake women around her that fill my casino, she didn’t have to try to be beautiful, she was just that... beautiful.

  My dick jumps.

  “That’s more like it,” the girl on my lap moans, a seductive smile touching her lips.

  I snap out of my daydream and look up at the girl as she continues to palm my cock through my pants.

  All I can think about as I look up at her, is that she isn’t the girl from the casino. She isn’t the girl I want.

  She climbs off my lap and slides down between my spread knees. She runs her hands up my thighs before she begins to pull my cock out of my pants, but I grip her wrists to halt her.

  “Stop.”

  “What? Why?” she asks, she sounds almost hurt.

  “I'm sorry, I’m just not feeling it.”

  “Come on, we could have so much fun together.” She reaches for my cock again, but I push her away as gently as I can.

  “I said no. I'd like you to leave.”

  She huffs and reaches for her clothes, tugging her dress back on.

  “Asshole,” she mutters as she turns and stalks away, slamming the door behind her.

  I lean back, my head falling back against the couch cushions as I stare up at the ceiling. “Fuck,” I mumble.

  My thoughts return to her. My dick instantly hardening.

  What is it about this girl that I can't shake? Why can’t I get her out of my mind?

  My hand reaches into my pants and grip my length hard, shamelessly jerking off to thoughts of her like some hormonal fucking fifteen-year-old. I imagine how she'd smell, how she’d taste, how she'd feel writhing underneath me as I fuck her to oblivion.

  Would she like it slow or fast? Hard or gentle?

  I think about the sounds that would escape her lips as I thrust into her, as she is consumed by her own orgasm, as she screams my name.

  A moan from deep in my throat escapes my lips, echoing through the dark, empty suite.

  I come, twitching and spasming all over my stomach as my orgasm rips through me.

  I saw the way she gazed up at me, the fire in her eyes, the lust. She wanted me just as much as I wanted her.

  And I’ll have her.

  Whatever it takes.

  Chapter 4

  Hayley

  The next morning, I skip downstairs and into the living room where I find my dad sitting on the couch, the television turned on but he’s not paying attention.

  “Morning dad."

  He looks up and smiles. "Morning Hales." The expression on his face is one that I’m not accustomed to, he seems less stressed and worn out. He seems content, and happy.

  “What are you doing?” I ask as I make my way around to the couch to sit beside him.

  “Just going over last night.” He shakes his head and smiles in disbelief. “We still have a while to go, going to take us some time, even quicker if we were to take our winnings back to the casino once it comes through, I’d say we were on a winning streak, wouldn’t you sweetheart?”

  “Dad, no. We’ve been saving for years, what’s another few months? It’s too risky gambling it all. Promise me you won’t go back. Please, dad.”

  Winning on one slot machine is not what I call a winning streak. More like a miracle. A fluke. A shred of luck that is very unlikely to ever happen again. My dad let’s out a deep sigh and turns his head towards me. He takes his arm and wraps it around me. I lean into him and rest my head on his shoulder.

  “I promise, Hales. I swear everything will work out just fine. You’ll see.” He kisses the top of my head.

  I wrap my arm around him into a hug before heaving myself out of grasp. “I’m going to go work, I’ll see you later.”

  “Have a good day, tell Jack I said hi.” He offers me a smile and a wave goodbye.

  “I will, bye.” I grab my bag that hangs from the bannister and head out the front door.

  I turn the corner of our driveway and begin my walk to work. I plug my headphones into my cell and press play on one of my favourite songs, and yet despite the music that fills my ears, blocking out the world around me, my mind wanders to the mysterious man from the casino last night.

  Those piercing blue eyes and his penetrative stare that made me weak at the knees. That deep, gravelly voice that sent vibrations through my body, the way music rumbles through you at a live concert. I’ve never had a reaction towards anyone the way I did him. I've never wanted anyone the way I want him, but I’ll probably never see him again, so I turn up the volume and keep on walking.

  ∞∞∞

  “Hey, Uncle Jack,” I say as I approach the counter, the door to the diner shutting behind me, the bell chiming.

  “Hey there, sweetheart. It’s a pretty slow day today I’m afraid,” he replies.

  “Great,” I deadpan.

  Uncle Jack, my mom’s older brother is around fifty years old but has the spirit and the stature of a man half his age, from what I can tell, there is not a trace of fat on his body, to look at him at a glance he wouldn’t look a day over forty, save for his hair that is slowly turning white at the ends. He’s always been more like a father to me than an uncle.

  After my mom died, my dad closed off for a while, he became distant, shrinking into himself, cutting himself off from the world, and so the only person I could really turn to was my uncle.

  Rounding the counter, I drop my bag and jacket off in the back room before changing into my uniform, tying on my apron, and going to work.

  It was just like Uncle Jack said it was, dead. The 'slow day' as he called it, drags on longer than any day I’d known since I started working here two and a half years ago. I try keeping busy by cleaning, but there’s only so much you can do.

  “Hey, girl!” I hear. I spin towards the door to see Gwen floating towards me, Aaron following closely behind. A wide smile stretches across her face as she crosses the short distance and pulls me into a tight hug.

  “Hey, what are you both doing here?”

  “Well, it’s my day off and Gwen is unemployed again, so we thought we’d drop by,” Aaron says, Gwen slapping his arm playfully.

  “I’m glad you’re here, I’m losing my mind.”

  We turn and head to one of the tables by the front window, Aaron’s arm wraps around my shoulders as he drops a kiss on the top of my head before sliding into the seat opposite Gwen.

  “What do you guys want?”

  “I’ll have a strawberry milkshake please, babe.” Gwen winks.

  “Just a coke.” Aaron smiles.

  “Okay, I’ll be right back.”

  A short while later I return with their drinks, and since it’s relatively quiet, one for myself. I perch on the seat next to Gwen and sip my coke.

  “So, how did the casino go?” Gwen asks.

  “Um… we won twenty-five thousand dollars.”

  “Oh my gosh! Seriously?” she squeals, pulling me in for a hug.

  “Yeah, it was crazy.”

  “Holy shit! Congrats, girl.”

  “That’s awesome.” Aaron’s reaches across the table and squeezes my hand. “I’m so happy for you, you and your dad both deserve it.”

  “Thanks.” I smile.

  “So, tell me everything that happened,” Gwen says, excitedly.

  “We went to the Royal Hotel in the city, I spent most of my time wandering around while my dad played the slots. There was this dress store inside, it had the most gorgeous dresses, and then there was this guy...” I trail off, as images of the man reappear in my mind.

  Gwen squeaks. “A guy! What guy? Tell me!”

  “Just some guy who I saw while I was in the store. He was watching me through the window.”

  “Was he hot?” she quizzes. “What did he look like? Was he tall, dark and devastatingly handsome?” she asks.

  I breathe out slowly. “He’s the most gorgeous guy I’ve ever seen.”

  Aaron pulls his hand out of mine, leaning back against
his chair.

  “So, is that all he did? Just watch you through a window?” Gwen presses.

  “No... he came and talked to me. It was weird though, I was looking at this dress, and he offered to buy it for me. A dress that cost six and a half thousand dollars!”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yup.”

  “Did you let him?”

  “What! Of course not, who do you think I am?”

  “From where I’m sitting, a girl who turned down a six-thousand-dollar dress! And not only that, from a fucking gorgeous guy.”

  “So, you would’ve accepted?” Aaron snaps.

  “Obviously,” she replies without hesitation.

  “Seems off to me, why would he offer to buy a total stranger a dress?”

  “I don’t know, all I know is that… I can’t get him out of my mind.”

  “Will you be going back?” Gwen asks.

  “I don’t think so,” I reply, disappointment laced in my voice.

  I probably won’t ever see the beautiful man again.

  Do I want to?

  Yes, I think I do.

  Chapter 5

  Hayley

  The next day passes pretty uneventfully, a steady stream of customers coming and going as usual, aside from of a five-year-old boy deciding I needed a new uniform by covering me in chocolate milkshake while having a tantrum.

  Shannon, the other waitress on shift this afternoon comes to a stop next to me, resting her forearm on the counter. “Holy shit, who is that?” she asks, her eyes on someone behind me.

  I follow her gaze over to a man who is shrugging off his coat to reveal a tailored navy suit underneath that hugs his body beautifully. He’s facing away so I can’t see his face, he’s tall and lean.

  “Look at that ass. Jesus, what I’d give to take a bite out of him,” she says, biting her bottom lip to stifle a moan.

  The man places his coat across the back of the chair and slides into the booth, his face comes into view and I gasp. His face is all too familiar.

  It’s him.

  Did he know I worked here when he came in? It’s a bit of a big coincidence for him not to, considering he’s never once stepped foot in here before. How did he know I worked here? Did he look me up?

  “Oh shit. What the hell is he doing here?”

  “Wait, you know him?” Shannon asks.

  “Something like that,” I reply, not taking my eyes off him as I answer her.

  At that moment, he turns his head and looks directly at me, one corner of his mouth curving up into a smile. My knees almost give way under his intense gaze as I slowly make my way over to him, coming to a stop at his table. His woody citrusy scent hitting my nose instantly as it had done the other night. I used to think lavender was my favourite smell, now I'm not so sure, it’s intoxicating.

  I stand a few feet away from him, unsure as to what to say, my mind has drawn a complete blank, as if I seem to have suddenly acquired amnesia.

  “You,” is all that escapes my lips as I stare into his beautiful eyes the colour of the ocean, drowning in them.

  “Me indeed.” His deep voice washes over me, sending a shiver through my body.

  When I realise I’m staring I clear my throat, “Um... what can I get you?”

  “I’ll have a large coffee, black, two sugars.”

  “No problem.” I turn on my heel and hurry around the side of the counter to start on his coffee.

  My gaze flicks to him and once again, I find him watching me. I inhale deeply and turn my attention back to his coffee just as Shannon tugs on my arm.

  “So who is he then?” Her eyes wide with anticipation.

  “Just some guy from a casino I went to the other night, he owns it or something.”

  “Ooh, hot, young and loaded.” She turns and heads over to him, swinging her hips seductively.

  I watch with rapt attention as she reaches his table and leans over far enough for her cleavage to become visible over the low neckline of her shirt. I can’t deny the pang of jealously that hits me in the gut at the sight of her, leaning over him, running her fingers up his arm, suggestively. Why does the thought of her going to talk to him fill me with jealously? I have no right to be jealous, he’s not even mine.

  I see his eyes flick to her chest only for a second before he smirks, shaking his head slightly, speaking words I'm too far away to hear. I can tell he isn’t really interested by his body language, he leans back against the seat confidently, casually, shrugging off her touch, saying something that make Shannon retreat, her face like thunder as she stomps towards me.

  “Dick,” she mutters, brushing past me and heading into the back room.

  I suppress a smile though I'm silently dancing inside at the fact that he turned her down, happy that she was brought down a peg or too. Shannon has always been that girl who thought she could have anything and everyone she wanted at the snap of her fingers, never having had to answer to anyone, never being rejected, especially from guys like him. She was always the girl in school who would pretend to be your friend but wouldn’t hesitate to stab you in the back of she thought it made her look better.

  My gaze flicks to him to find him staring directly at me, smirking. I take a deep breath, my heart thundering against my ribcage as I round the counter with his coffee in hand, setting it down in front of him when I reach his table.

  “Thank you,” he says.

  “You’re welcome. I'm sorry if Shannon was bothering you, she’s been told not to hit on the customers, though she still does.”

  “No apology needed, nothing I couldn’t handle.”

  I nod slowly. “Is there anything else I can get you?”

  “No, thank you, the coffee's fine.”

  “Okay.” I begin to back away before I turn back to him. “What are you doing here?”

  “I came for coffee,” he replies coolly.

  “Did you know I worked here?”

  A small smile touches his lips. “What would you say if I did?”

  I hesitate. “I’d… say you’re wasting your time.”

  He frowns a fraction. “Why would you say that?”

  “Because guys like you aren’t interested in girls like me.”

  “What would you know about who I’m interested in?” he asks, leaning forward, his elbows resting on the table. “Surely my being here gives a clear indication on who I’m interested in, and it’s certainly not her.” He inclines his head to someone behind me.

  I turn my head to see Shannon stood behind the counter, her arms crossed over her chest, shooting daggers at him. Or is it to me? Maybe both. I go to respond but I’m cut off by a customer calling for me.

  “Excuse me,” I say to him before I withdraw to the table where the customer is sitting.

  I can still feel the heat of his gaze on my back as he continues watching me. Once I’m finished with the customer, I turn to find the man heading for the door. He stops, glancing over his shoulder one last time as he had done in the casino before continuing out the door, the bell chiming after him. I'm ashamed to say that I feel a little disappointed.

  I walk over to the table where he was sitting to find a small pile of dollar bills underneath the cup of his coffee, which he left untouched, along with a gold encrusted poker chip worth one-hundred dollars, inscribed with ‘The Royal’ along with a crown in the center, underneath the chip is a note.

  Here’s your tip. Cash it in at 7pm tomorrow night. K.

  Who is this man?

  Chapter 6

  Hayley

  I'm still a little uneasy after yesterday’s encounter with the man from the casino. My head tells me to stay away, that there’s more to him that meets the eye, but try telling that to my heart, the heart that skips a beat whenever I think about him, when his eyes bore into mine, when he casts that cocky grin my way.

  I can’t put my finger on what it is about him that I can’t seem to shake. Why it is him that is making me feel things I have spent years believing lost to me?


  The truth is he intrigues me, which is why I spent an hour last night when I got home on Google, trying to find out as much as I could about him. I started with the casino, figuring it would tell me somewhere the name of the owner. And it did.