“Are you going to call or are you going to fold?” The man across the table from me had a stare that hid his emotions.
“I’m...” I looked down at my cards and then looked up at him. “I’m going to raise you.”
“You’re a fool.” He chuckled, but I could sense nervousness in his laugh.
“I don’t think so. I think I’m going to walk out of here with all of your money.” I pushed the rest of my stack towards the center of the table.
“Fuck you, Gill.” The man folded his cards in his hand and tossed them towards the pile of money.
“Deal the cards, I’m on a streak!” I laughed and pulled my money towards me.
“No, I’m done.” He shook his head back and forth. “I’m tired of losing.”
“See you tomorrow.” I winked and started to stack up my winnings.
A deck of cards could keep money in my pockets and a few drinks could keep my bed warm at night. With the former burning a hole in my pocket, it was time for the latter to flow so I didn’t have to go home alone. The game had ran late, so most of the girls that weren’t looking for someone that would pay for their company had already found other arms to hold them. I made a few passes at women, but they were so drunk they didn’t need another drink, or instantly naming their price. As much as I hated paying for sex, it didn’t look like I had much of an option.
I put back one glass of whiskey and then asked for another, which the bartender was happy to provide. With prohibition ruining what was once a glorious nation of drunks, it wasn’t easy to get a good bottle of whiskey and I was okay with the higher price. As I sat there wallowing in what was soon to be a long night alone with my dick in my hand, I saw someone enter the speakeasy out of the corner of my eye. When I turned my head, I saw vivid emerald eyes that were so mesmerizing, I felt like I had been enchanted the second they met mine. She walked towards me and it felt like a dream when she took a seat on the barstool next to me.
“Are you buying?” Her eyelashes blinked as a smile formed on her ruby colored lips.
“Absolutely.” I nodded and motioned to the bartender.
“My name is Gwen.” She took her drink with it was brought over.
“I’m Gill.” I turned towards her.
“You remind me of someone...” She looked over at me and tilted her head.
“Hopefully I remind you of someone you want to go home with.” My lips spread to a devious smile.
It was love at first drink—or lust at first sight—perhaps it was a mixture of both. Gwen had an appetite that never seemed to be satiated. Her thirst for passion was as unquenchable as her need for one more drink. My desire for her was stronger than my desire for dominating people with a good hand of cards. The money in my pocket didn’t last long, and after a few days, I was broke. Gwen didn’t seem to mind. The instant I ran out of money, she started paying for everything.
I questioned where she got the money from, but she told me not to worry about it. There was something that didn’t feel quite right. When we were together, I didn’t feel like she was there with me. She seemed lost in a memory and I was just the warm embodiment of what she really craved. I tried to forget the feelings that messed with my head, but after several months together, I just couldn’t get it out of my mind. It haunted me even more than her emerald eyes. I waited until she was asleep one night and decided it was time to go. I took all of the money in her purse and disappeared into the night. I tried to stay in the city, but it felt like her eyes were always haunting me—at every card table—at every speakeasy. I finally decided I would have to leave. Chicago would always be Gwen, so I decided to start over in New York.
“YOU’RE REALLY BLUFFING me when I’m holding a pair of aces?” The man across from me puffed on a long cigar and shook his head. “Fine, I raise you.”
“I call.” I pushed the money towards the middle of the table. “You’re the one that’s bluffing.”
“Sorry, son.” The man revealed two aces and laughed. “I don’t bluff.”
New York had been a tragedy. I couldn’t seem to win. Chicago had been my playground and I always walked away from the table as a winner, but the minute I got to New York, it seemed like my luck ran out. I barely had enough money left in my pocket for food and against my better judgment, I gambled that away as well. I walked back into the speakeasy with nothing in my pockets but lint. I couldn’t even buy a drink. I had been in New York for a couple of weeks and it had all been downhill. The second I stepped into the stench of burning cigarettes and liquor, I saw the same eyes I had seen in Chicago.
Gwen didn’t ask any questions. She walked towards me and took my hand. I felt the same enchantment I felt in Chicago. We went back to her hotel room and fucked like two passionate lovers that hadn’t seen each other in years. I was once again under her spell and no matter how much I wanted to escape, it was hard to resist her touch. I followed her around for nearly a year before I finally got the courage to try and escape again. I no longer felt like a man—I felt like I was a slave to her desires. I did the same thing to her that I had done in Chicago—I took her money in the middle of the night and I ran. I took a train to Boston and I swore that I would never fall into her embrace again.
“YOU SON OF A BITCH!” Gwen’s voice pierced the night and caused me to pause as I went balls deep in the ravishing young woman underneath me.
“Gwen?” I turned my head as she stepped into the hotel room.
“Who the fuck is this?” The young woman started to push me away. “You said you weren’t with anyone else!”
&nb
sp; “I’m not!” I stood to my feet and stared at Gwen. “In case you didn’t understand after I left you in Chicago—and again in New York—it’s over!”
“I gave you everything.” Gwen walked towards me and her body seemed to become engulfed in a green aura. “I would have loved you until the day you died.”
“It wasn’t love.” I reached for my pants and started sliding them off as the woman I was with darted out the door. “You never loved me. I don’t know who your heart belongs to, but it has never been mine.”