On our return home, Catherine follows me into the apartment, that she provides for me. She says it is time to get serious.

“Fallon, the progress you have made is outstanding, but I have so much more to teach you. Over the past few years, you have learned how to hold yourself, speak properly, and stand out in the company of the elite.” She continues to speak as she sits down, crossing her legs. “Now we must continue in the art of seduction, which will lead us to the manipulation of men. Any man will bend to you if you desire him to. We now need to advance in your lessons. Listening is knowledge, and that, my dear, is powerful. Men will say things, thinking it is over our heads. They will let things slip when enthralled in the state of arousal. Knowledge of these things equal power. You must always pay attention. Be careful that you don’t let on you are interested. Try to get deep into what is being discussed. Watch their body language; that can teach you the mood of the person, whether it be they are turned on or angry with the situation. It can also teach you how to tell if someone is lying, comfortable, or confident. Confidence, however, can lead to arrogance. Arrogance can lead to failure. When a man looks scared, ask yourself why. It is never a good answer, never.” She looks away and continues.

“I am going to teach you poker. It is a game of skill and luck. It is an important game for various reasons. It will teach you how to read someone. It will also allow you in the room with men if you can hold your own. Listening to conversations and watching how the men play their hands can be beneficial to our causes. It is also a very seductive game. The lure of a man by using his game against him is erotic. Shall we begin?”

“Yes.”

As she begins to teach me the game, I learn quickly and find myself very fond of poker. I can see how beneficial the game can be. I understand the thrill of it and how reading your opponent’s mood or body language is necessary. Catherine stands, telling me I am doing great. She then brings a box over, sits it on the table, and opens it. It’s a humidor full of expensive cigars.

She asks if I ever tried to smoke. Shaking my head no, she says, “Good. Smoking is not a habit you want, but to enjoy a good cigar with a man is a sexy vice.”

She teaches me how to light it, then shows me how to roll it between my fingers so it looks seductive. We continue the night playing poker and smoking our cigars. We play for months, including bringing the professor and Vin in on our games so I can learn more. That’s where I start to recognize Catherine cares for Vin more than just as a bodyguard or security; she treats him more like a mother, making me wonder why.

Months later, on one of Catherin’s visits, she states I am to go out. She has a high stakes poker game she wants me to play with some high rollers. When I tell her I’m not ready yet, she laughs as she says, “Don’t be silly. I’m never wrong. If I say you’re ready, then you are.”

I try to argue, saying I’m not old enough. “I’m not even 21 yet.”

She claims no one will question me. With all arguments exhausted, I’m pushed to get ready. Again, my garments are laid out for me. A sexy red dress this time, with a low plunging neckline. She wants me to wear my hair up to show my neck. With matching heels and gold accessories, I am now ready to leave. Vin escorts us to the limo. On the drive, Catherine stresses the point that this will be a very important game.

“Fallon, I won’t be attending the game with you, but don’t worry; I will be close by, my dear. I will not leave you to the vultures. I’ll be watching you; I need to witness you on your own. So, do make me proud. There is a certain man at the table I need you to entice. I want you to listen and observe all you can from him and report back to me with your findings. Use what I taught you. Now, just because I want this one man to be your target, I would also like for you to get the others’ attention as well. One to reel in, and the rest on the hook waiting, if you will. You are the bait. This is a huge test; do not let me down. Do you understand, Fallon?”

“Yes. How will I know which one he is?”

She looks at me, trying to decide how much she should tell me.

“Fallon, this man oozes with confidence and power. He will be more than likely smoking a cigar. He will also likely have a woman on his arm as candy.”

I interrupt, “But Catherine, how will I be able to lure him in if he has a woman with him?”

She laughs, then turns toward me, looking serious. “Have I not taught you anything? That woman is nothing; you, my dear, are everything. The sooner you accept that, so will every man in that room.”

I nod my head in acceptance.

The limo pulls in front of a riverboat casino. Catherine tells me to go straight to the cashier box and give them my name. They will have enough chips for me to play on for the night.

Catherine smiles, then kisses me on my cheek as she tells me, “Good luck. Remember, I won’t be far.”

Vin opens my door to the limo, and I exit alone. As soon as he closes the door behind me, I feel his hand softly on my arm.

“I want to let you know I won’t be with you either tonight, but feel safe; I won’t be far.”

I smile at how kind his words are. He might not know how much it means to me to hear him say those words, but I do. For the first time in my life, I have someone who watches out for me. Not even in my childhood did I ever have someone who cared if I felt safe or not. With a nod and a smile, I begin to move forward.

As I walk into the casino, I begin to get nervous and find myself stumbling. I have to stop and take a minute to gather myself. I chant over and over again in my head, “I can do this.” With my newfound confidence, I find the cashier’s box. I give my name, and in return I am handed a tray full of chips, different values of chips equaling to a hundred thousand dollars. I almost have a heart attack. I can’t believe she would give me this much to play on. What if I lose it all?

A man comes around the cashier’s box, introducing himself, then he escorts me to a table full of men; five, to be exact. I quickly scan and take notice they range from different ages and builds. As I sit, I feel all the stares, one particularly. A very handsome man sits right across from me. He has a strong build with wide shoulders. I take in his large hands and how strong they look. His face is a masterpiece, as if it is chiseled out of stone, with brutally soft looking lips. He has dark hair, and his eyes are intoxicating. They’re amber in color and seem to be focused on me.

I sit with proper posture, accentuating my breast putting them on display. It gets the attention I intended it to, though the man across is still just staring at my face; however, it isn’t long before he slowly begins to appreciate my dress. Step one accomplished: get noticed. The game begins, and two hands are played, but I bide my time as I start to get a feel for my opponents. Once I feel confident that I have them pegged, I begin to play. I win a few and lose a few, and even fold some hands I know are winners. I don’t want to get anyone angry; money is not my goal at this table. I am not playing to win their money; I am playing to gain their attention and desire, especially from the man sitting across from me. A couple of them try to talk to me, to gather information I’m not willing to give.

I lift my eyes as I fold my next hand. A man brings a humidor box to our table and lays it in front of my desired man. Mister tall, dark, and handsome proceeds to open it and offers one to each of the other gentlemen. He skips me, which kind of pisses me off. I think, How dare he overlook me?!

I make a noise with my throat and ask, “Is there a reason I wasn’t offered one? I love a good Cuban, just as much as I’m sure you do.”

He looks me in the eyes to see if I am serious, then says, “Please forgive me. I don’t know many women who can handle a good Cuban, as you put it.”

I respond, “I can handle a lot, and you shouldn’t presume to know what a woman can or cannot handle.”

With interest, he hands me one and I begin to roll the cigar between my fingers in a sexy manner, for the exact purpose to see who would get a rise from it; it gets more than I would have thought. The mouth of the man on the side of me drops as he clears his throat. My mystery man obviously appreciates the view as I light my cigar, puff on it a few times, then blow out a perfect circle. His mouth tilts all the way up, and his eyes burn through me. I knew from the minute I sat down this was the man Catherine wanted me to learn more about. He acts as if he owns the place. His ego seems to be as large as he is, but I get the feeling he could live up to his ego.

The next hand is dealt, and a sexy blonde wiggles her way into position next to my mystery man. She leans on his shoulder, whispering something into his ear, which does not get the desired effect that I’m sure she wanted; however, it gets me an ugly scowl from the blonde. I, in return, ignore the look and go on with my hand.

I tell the mystery man, “I think your lady would like some of that attention you are giving out. I appreciate it, but as you can see,” I look around at my captive audience, “I have enough to share, and I won’t be accused of being greedy.”

He looks thrilled by my bluntness. Then I look down at my cards; I am given pocket twos. The board shows a pair of kings. I make a bid, but modestly; a lot could change on the next card, and I really don’t have a good hand. From my position, it’s just a play to see what the others will do. I’m called by three of the five men, then the turn card is revealed: another two. I decide to slow play the hand, letting my opponents take the lead so I can learn which of them feels confident. One of the men makes a small bid but looks weary. The other man folds his hand. My mystery man decides to raise the bid, and I call after watching him for a minute. I figure he might have three kings. Posture is everything in this game, and unless the woman who is trying to hang onto him has him thrown off, he doesn’t have the winning hand. The other man also calls the bid; however, I am pretty certain he has nothing. The river card is revealed, and it changes nothing. I know I’ve won this hand. I need to decide how to get as much of their chips as I can, and this is where skill comes into it. I place a higher bid than before, showing some restraint, but not enough to seem overconfident. The man on the side of me folds. Mystery man raises again, and I give him an appreciative look and venture to go all in. He in return gives me a curt smile that says, “Baby, let’s play.” We flip our cards. He has three of a kind, kings. Impressive, but not as impressive as my full house: three twos over kings. I smile at him and gather my winnings as he stares, sending a shiver through my whole body. It causes my body heat to rise, and I can’t help but to blush. His smile continues to rise as he belts out in laughter.

After calming down, he tells me, “I appreciate your skill. I like a woman who knows her way around the game.”

I think my panties melt at his voice; it is deep, smooth...like a fine brandy. Warm and inviting.

“Well, I appreciate the chips.”

As I stand to leave, I watch all the men follow my lead and stand like gentlemen.

With a small smile, I tell them, “Gentlemen, good game.”

As I start to walk, my man – Huh? My man? Surprisingly, it sounds right in my mind – asks, “What’s your name?”

Not wanting to reveal any information about myself, I smile and say, “Mine. My name is mine.”

I wink and start to walk. I don’t look back. It’s a show of confidence, but I know he’s watching. I can feel his glare on every curve of my body. Tonight, is the best night I ever had. I felt wanted, desired, and for the first time, it was wanted. But the best part was I felt in complete control.