Vienna was challenged by Charles continually. Nearly every hand she stayed in, he pushed the betting, only dropping out when it was clear someone else was going to challenge her. She was careful not to buy into his deliberately misogynistic personality by appearing to look at him directly when he was aggressive. She played her cards just as she would any hand where she was confident of a win. He was trying to force her into making a mistake. Unfortunately for Charles, the more someone became antagonistic toward her, or outwardly belligerent, the calmer and more settled she became.
Four hours later, she was facing Art, Charles, Jameson and Leo. She’d been dealt a pair of queens. She opened the betting at three times the blind. Park and Theodore folded. Art was dealt the ace and king of spades. He called. Charles had the jack and ten of hearts. He couldn’t resist taking the flop, so he called the bet as well. The flop was laid out—ace of hearts, queen of hearts and eight of diamonds.
Vienna made a pot-size bet, knowing Art and Charles both connected on this flop. Art raised the bet considerably, over five hundred thousand. He was sitting on two aces. Charles had a royal flush draw; the king of hearts would make his hand unbeatable. He didn’t hesitate to stay in. Jameson and Leo folded. Vienna put her chips in and raised the bet another five hundred thousand. Art studied her face. Looked at the cards on the table in front of them and then pushed his chips in. Charles did so without hesitation, staring at her belligerently.
The turn was a three of clubs. That changed nothing. Vienna was still sitting best with her set of queens. Art still had top pair top kicker, and Charles was still in with a massive royal flush draw. Vienna bet big again; she knew that Art was too good to call her with just one pair, even if it was top pair. But Charles, on the other hand, was stuck. His draw was too strong in his mind.
As expected, Art studied her, studied his chips and came to the correct decision. He slid his cards back to the dealer. Charles coolly raised the bet on the river card another million.
Art sat back in his chair. “You’re going for red on the river, Charles,” he announced with a shake of his head. “Pretty damn ballsy.”
Pretty damn stupid in Vienna’s opinion. She was certain Charles wouldn’t have done it had he been betting against any of the men. He seemed to have a grudge because she was in the game. She was there for the money, just like the rest of them. Vienna answered him coolly, pushing her chips in, her eyes meeting his as his eyes shot daggers at her.
The dealer turned the last card over. The eight of hearts. Charles made his flush, but it paired the board, giving Vienna a full house. Charles shoved all his chips into the middle, daring Vienna to call. She slid her chips into the middle and said, “Sorry, Charles, flush is no good. Queens full.”
For a moment there was absolute silence, as if everyone in the entire room held their breath. Charles leapt out of his chair, pacing around the table, swearing under his breath. There was no recovery. He had no chips to continue. The crowd’s low murmur seemed shocked at the outcome. Charles had appeared so confident.
Vienna didn’t make the mistake of smiling over her victory. She offered her hand graciously. Charles nearly slapped her hand away, but in the end, he shook it, as he pretended to be civil before he left. The dealer rose, signaling they were finished for the day. It had been a grueling few hours and they were down to six players. Vienna had bumped both Benny and Charles and improved her chips by several million. She’d also made at least one enemy.
Art handed her a bottle of cold water as she stood and stretched. “I’m sorry he was such a dick. I gave you a bad time, but I didn’t mean anything by it. I do that to all the players.”
She took the water gratefully. “I’m well aware. I’ve studied your techniques for years.”
Leo came up on her other side. “Art, I told you that was a bad idea, getting in front of the camera the way you do. Someone smart is going to study your every move and figure you out. Who knew it was going to be our lovely addition?” He saluted her with his water bottle.
Vienna laughed. “I don’t think I figured him out. He has his timing down so perfectly, that would be nearly impossible.”
“Charles is a dick,” Park announced.
Leo put his hand on the small of her back to urge Vienna away from the table and the onlookers shouting at them. The cameras were still on and audio could capture anything they might say. He was used to being under the glare of the lights, having been a celebrity in the poker world for well over a decade, going on two now. He leaned down as Art took up the other side of her.
“Audio picks up everything we say,” he whispered.
Vienna nodded. She had realized that immediately and gave a small shake of her head to Park, indicating the cameras. He grinned at her, uncaring, used to getting away with almost anything just by smiling. She had to admit, he was rather breathtaking. Theodore came right up behind them while Jameson led the way. She had the feeling the men were protecting her, but she wasn’t certain from what. Or they were getting their airtime, afraid she would take it away from them. She didn’t want it, so if that was their motivation for keeping her inside their “pocket,” she was happy to stay there.
Inside the next room, there was food and drink laid out for them. Park remained close to her side as she took advantage of the fresh fruit trays. “We should do a shoot together here. I ran it by a couple of my sponsors and they loved the idea. They could send you some of their designer clothes. The lines are two of the best, Vienna.”
She was well aware of the two brands he modeled. He was talking about two high-end companies selling T-shirts for well over a hundred dollars. A jacket was at least a thousand. She knew both brands were considered soft and elegant and trendy. Park looked like a million bucks walking around in the suits or the casual clothes.
“I’m not a model, Park. I’m a nurse.” The fruit was amazing. Exactly what she needed. That and the water. She was exhausted and close to crashing. She needed to get upstairs and into her suite as soon as possible, but she didn’t want to look like she was running away.
“You look like a model and you carry yourself like one. You could pull it off, and the paycheck is great.”
“I’m hoping to score a huge paycheck very soon,” she pointed out.
“You really think you can win against Art or Leo?” Park asked, leaning past her to snag a plate so he could add fruit to it.
His body brushed up against hers. She knew it was deliberate, and she stepped away from him, just enough to put space between them.
“That’s why I’m here. Don’t you think you can? You’re a serious player online, Park. You win often. You made it to the final table because you’re good. You’re still here when Benny and Charles are gone, and they have more experience than you.”
Park followed her to a small table with high stools. They sat down to eat the fruit they’d put on the plates. “I have to admit, I was a little shocked to make it this far. I’m good, but I’m not in their league.”
Vienna lifted one eyebrow. This man was going to sit down at the final table with her in another day to play again. Would he seriously be talking to her this way? She doubted it. He seemed open and friendly, just the opposite of Charles, who was hostile. More than likely he was trying to lull her into a false sense of security so she would let down her guard and talk to him about how she played the game.
“You’re good at bullshit, Park, I’ll give you that.”
He looked at her, a little stunned, and then he burst out laughing. “I’ll bet you’re a darned good nurse.”
“You’d win that bet. I’m a surgical nurse, but I work in a very small town so I take rotations in the emergency room as well. I like what I do. It requires fast decisions and it saves lives, which is very fulfilling.”
Someone across the room with a camera in their hands waved at Park, signaling him to come over. He gave her a little fake apologetic smile but rose immediately and went to pose, as several flashes began going off as paparazzi gathered around him.
Theodore joined her, taking the high-backed stool Park had vacated. “I just wanted to warn you, Vienna.” He kept his voice low. “I’ve known Benny Dobsin for years. He’s well known on the circuit and plays all over the world in the bigger tournaments. He doesn’t like to lose the way he did.”