few minutes.”
“Hey! As a matter of fact, that’s why I called. Me and Rhonda want to take you out someplace nice. Bring Mariah.”
“I don’t know,” Tucker said as Mariah came out of her room. She looked hot in a colorful dress with a plunging neckline that he’d be admiring all night. “Hold on.”
He put his hand over the phone. “You look hot,” he said, honing in again on her breasts. “Really hot.”
“Thank you,” she said, blushing.
“Tony wants to take us out. I can tell him no if you’d rather not.”
“No, that sounds fun,” she said, fastening a bracelet on her wrist. “I know you haven’t seen him for a long time.”
With a thankful smile, Tucker got back on the phone and hammered out the details with Tony. The four of them were to meet at the steak place at the Bellagio.
“Rhonda wants to see the fountains,” he explained after hanging up.
“I don’t blame her,” Mariah said. “They’re beautiful.”
“Hey, wait a sec. Before we go, I want to see who’s at the final table at the IPI. I was supposed to be there, but I had to come be the best man.”
Mariah moved so she could see the TV as Tucker got the remote control and turned up the volume.
“Yeah, see?” he said. “No surprises…Gary, Kho, Sumner. Whoa, and Tran. I’m telling you that kid’s on the rise. He’s a cagey son-of-a-bitch. Real good at protecting his stack, but when he smells weakness, he’ll make a move real quick. He really had me sweating last time we played.”
Mariah scoffed. “Oh give me a break. That guy doesn’t hold a candle to you. You dusted him at the Bay 101 and the Bellagio Five Diamond. Not to mention that beautiful win at the Mirage in May.”
A little stunned at the unexpected accolades, Tucker cocked his head at her. Not even Tony kept track of his wins like that. Pride swelled in his chest and he had a humble quip on the tip of his tongue until he saw her face flush with embarrassment.
Uh-oh.
Mariah snatched the remote from him and fumbled with it, trying to turn off the TV. She wished with all her might that the rewind button worked for real. All she needed was to go back to before she opened her big mouth, because she’d lied before when she said she’d only caught Tucker once or twice on TV. Tracking his progress on the World Poker Tour was her guiltiest pleasure, and while she knew this behavior probably qualified her for membership in Stalkers Anonymous, she had actually set it up as an erstwhile reward.
The fact was, Tucker was in town all the time, and because the damned Internet had handy schedules posted, it was easy as pie for her to go online and see he’d be at the Mandalay Bay on such and such days. But to purposefully/accidentally put herself in his path would have been pathetic and too much like those bimbos in the glass shop. So instead of putting herself on a Tucker starvation diet, she allowed herself to watch him on TV.
Unfortunately, as a result she’d become a bit of a WPT armchair expert and now he knew it.
Tucker laid his hands on her shoulders and squeezed gently. He tried to catch her eye, but she just couldn’t meet his gaze.
“You watch the World Poker Tour a lot?” he asked softly.
She thought about trying to convince him she just liked the game. Plenty of people followed that show like they did American Idol, but she decided that was cowardly, and frankly, she was tired of the self-recrimination.
“Yes,” she admitted, hating the quiver in her voice. “I watch it all the time. And if I’m not home, I TiVo it.” What the hell. The cat was already out of the bag. Might as well let the whole zoo out while she was at it.
He didn’t say anything at first, but then he scratched his temple and asked in that offhanded way of his, “Because of me?”
Not trusting her voice now, she nodded.
“Oh Mariah.”
To her surprise, he gathered her into his arms and hugged her. She went stiffly at first, unsure what was going on, but he
“Hey! As a matter of fact, that’s why I called. Me and Rhonda want to take you out someplace nice. Bring Mariah.”
“I don’t know,” Tucker said as Mariah came out of her room. She looked hot in a colorful dress with a plunging neckline that he’d be admiring all night. “Hold on.”
He put his hand over the phone. “You look hot,” he said, honing in again on her breasts. “Really hot.”
“Thank you,” she said, blushing.
“Tony wants to take us out. I can tell him no if you’d rather not.”
“No, that sounds fun,” she said, fastening a bracelet on her wrist. “I know you haven’t seen him for a long time.”
With a thankful smile, Tucker got back on the phone and hammered out the details with Tony. The four of them were to meet at the steak place at the Bellagio.
“Rhonda wants to see the fountains,” he explained after hanging up.
“I don’t blame her,” Mariah said. “They’re beautiful.”
“Hey, wait a sec. Before we go, I want to see who’s at the final table at the IPI. I was supposed to be there, but I had to come be the best man.”
Mariah moved so she could see the TV as Tucker got the remote control and turned up the volume.
“Yeah, see?” he said. “No surprises…Gary, Kho, Sumner. Whoa, and Tran. I’m telling you that kid’s on the rise. He’s a cagey son-of-a-bitch. Real good at protecting his stack, but when he smells weakness, he’ll make a move real quick. He really had me sweating last time we played.”
Mariah scoffed. “Oh give me a break. That guy doesn’t hold a candle to you. You dusted him at the Bay 101 and the Bellagio Five Diamond. Not to mention that beautiful win at the Mirage in May.”
A little stunned at the unexpected accolades, Tucker cocked his head at her. Not even Tony kept track of his wins like that. Pride swelled in his chest and he had a humble quip on the tip of his tongue until he saw her face flush with embarrassment.
Uh-oh.
Mariah snatched the remote from him and fumbled with it, trying to turn off the TV. She wished with all her might that the rewind button worked for real. All she needed was to go back to before she opened her big mouth, because she’d lied before when she said she’d only caught Tucker once or twice on TV. Tracking his progress on the World Poker Tour was her guiltiest pleasure, and while she knew this behavior probably qualified her for membership in Stalkers Anonymous, she had actually set it up as an erstwhile reward.
The fact was, Tucker was in town all the time, and because the damned Internet had handy schedules posted, it was easy as pie for her to go online and see he’d be at the Mandalay Bay on such and such days. But to purposefully/accidentally put herself in his path would have been pathetic and too much like those bimbos in the glass shop. So instead of putting herself on a Tucker starvation diet, she allowed herself to watch him on TV.
Unfortunately, as a result she’d become a bit of a WPT armchair expert and now he knew it.
Tucker laid his hands on her shoulders and squeezed gently. He tried to catch her eye, but she just couldn’t meet his gaze.
“You watch the World Poker Tour a lot?” he asked softly.
She thought about trying to convince him she just liked the game. Plenty of people followed that show like they did American Idol, but she decided that was cowardly, and frankly, she was tired of the self-recrimination.
“Yes,” she admitted, hating the quiver in her voice. “I watch it all the time. And if I’m not home, I TiVo it.” What the hell. The cat was already out of the bag. Might as well let the whole zoo out while she was at it.
He didn’t say anything at first, but then he scratched his temple and asked in that offhanded way of his, “Because of me?”
Not trusting her voice now, she nodded.
“Oh Mariah.”
To her surprise, he gathered her into his arms and hugged her. She went stiffly at first, unsure what was going on, but he
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