As Kristen stepped from the shower she took a towel from the hook on the wall. She used it to wring the excess moisture from her hair and then toweled what was left of the shower from her lean body. She wrapped the towel around her body and then tucked the free end under the edge of the towel to hold it in place. She walked into her bedroom, slid open the closet door and surveyed the clothes hanging in front of her.

She pulled down a linen blouse. It was a short sleeved-lavender blouse with a small pocket on each breast and two small, white buttons where it came together in a "v" at the front. She laid it on the bed and pulled open the bottom drawer of her dresser where she found a pair of light stonewash jeans. She let the towel fall to the floor and pulled the jeans up over one long leg and then the other. They were fitted in the butt and thigh areas and then widened a bit as they reached the tops of her feet. She rummaged through the top drawer and found a white cotton bra. She hooked it over her shoulders and fastened it in the back before slipping the shirt over her head.

Kristen had packed her suitcase the night before. It sat open atop the chest at the bottom of her bed. She surveyed the contents checking to make sure she had everything she needed from her bedroom then she zipped the lid closed. She lugged it into the living room, mentally running down the list of things she needed for her trip, checking each thing off as she went. She set the suitcase by the front door and headed back to the bathroom to finish getting ready.

It was not too often that Kristen was able to get away to do something fun. She was looking forward to leaving work behind for the weekend and spending time with old friends. She had taken Friday off and made reservations at a nice hotel. It was a two hour drive into the city, the 160 miles driven entirely on the freeway. She had loaded a new audio book onto her iPod for the drive and was looking forward to meeting some new characters.

Kristen squirted mousse into her palm and then rubbed her hands together. With both hands she scrunched the mousse into her damp hair. Her light brown hair was slightly wavy so sometimes she would add mousse right out of the shower and let it air dry into long spiral curls. She wore very little makeup most days and today was no exception. She brushed on two coats of mascara and smeared gloss on her lips. She threw a few things into her bathroom bag and headed for the door. Kristen opened the trunk of her car and loaded her suitcase before slipping in behind the wheel and heading out of town.

Time and scenery passed quickly as Kristen lost herself in the story unfolding in her ears. Since deciding to give audio books a try, Kristen had found herself disappointed to arrive at her destination as this meant she had to put aside her characters until another time.

She had made reservations at the Golden Dragon and she drove toward downtown so that she could get checked in to her room. Some of her friends had been talking about the nightclub inside the casino where they planned on going later in the evening. She approached the check-in desk and handed the clerk her credit card and ID.

Kristen checked her phone and saw that she had a text. She assumed it was from Kelly since she had written her earlier to let her know that she was in town. She was surprised however to see that it was from Jake. "How's it going?"

Kristen replied, "Great! I am in town for the weekend to see Kelly. We are going out tonight you should come! Bring your wife!"

Kristen's phone dinged and she looked down. Jake had replied that he was going to a poker game with some friends from work and that his wife was going out with some of her girlfriends.

Kristen texted him back, "That's too bad ... it's going to be FUN!"

Kristen had gone to high school with both Jake and Kelly. They had all grown up together. Sometime during their junior year Kristen and Jake had started sleeping together. They had a lot in common and there had always been chemistry. It had been sporadic and once Jake had fallen in love with Samantha—the girl he married—they had remained friends. They had kept in touch over the years through email and found they made just as good of friends as they had lovers. They talked about work and Jake was always a welcome voice of reason when Kristen needed advice.

"It's probably for the best," Kristen thought.

She hadn't seen Jake in years and more often than not their written conversations turned to sex. They flirted shamelessly and talked about the things they would do to each other if Jake was single. The last time she had seen him he had been with his wife and still Kristen had fantasized about all the ways she wanted him to fuck her. Each time she had gone into the bathroom she had wished that he would come in and take her from behind like he had when they were young.

She texted back, "Maybe next time."

Jake was tall and handsome. His once bright red hair had darkened to a burnished copper and his boyish good looks hadn't changed much in the last 10 years. His smile was impish and each time he flashed it, it seemed that he had a secret that was too good to share. He had been a star athlete in their high school days and even though he only played basketball from time to time now that he was all grown up, he still had that "just from the court" look about him.

He wrote back immediately, "We are missing a poker player, so if you change your mind let me know. I'd love to have you at the table!"

"That could be fun! Five guys, one girl? Hanging out with Jake again?"

She loved to play poker. She didn't get to do it much. Her work schedule was quite grueling and ever since Full Tilt had been shut down it had seemed like such a hassle to go looking for a new site to play poker on.

Kristen took her suitcase to the fold out rack in the closet and set it on the fabric straps that were strung across it. She unzipped the top of the case and began to unpack. She put the shirts on hangers in the hotel closet and laid the pants out across the suitcase to air out. She was glad that she had packed a hoodie, it was only 6 o'clock and it was already starting to cool off outside. It would get hot inside the club but outside it would be chilly.

Kristen was pleased that the room was nice and spacious. There was a king bed situated with the headboard against the wall to her left and to her right was an oak armoire with 3 drawers in the bottom and doors that she was sure hid a TV on the top. Past the bed was a seating area with two overstuffed chairs and a table. She was pleased to see that there was plenty of room between the armoire and the seating area. Kristen liked to do yoga in the mornings before she showered and that open expanse would be the perfect place to put down her mat.

She walked back toward the door and went into the bathroom to freshen up, taking with her the tank and jeans that she planned on wearing. She flicked the switch and was greeted by an expanse of white marble. There was a large white tub and shower combination on her right and a double sink under warm lighting to her left.

Kristen wet a washcloth. She used it to wipe her armpits and between her legs. The cloth was cold and when it touched her sex she shuddered. The tank top had its own built in bra so she took her cotton one off and laid it on the counter. She stood in front of the mirror and admired her naked body. Her pink nipples were erect thanks to the cold washcloth and she rubbed them with her fingers taking a breast in each hand. She twisted this way and that to get a good look at her body. Her long hair sashayed around her as she moved.

Her reflection wasn't spectacular but she was satisfied with what she saw. She was not muscular but thin. Her arms showed a small bit of definition but her stomach and legs were smooth and undefined. Her skin was the colored of fresh cream. She had always hated that. As a teen, she had laid out in the sun and had gotten nothing to show for it but painful sunburns and peeling skin. In the last few years she had come to accept her paleness and had even begun to cherish it as she watched those who spent time in tanning beds begin to wrinkle up like prunes.

She told herself, "Maybe you aren't a tanned goddess in the summer, but at least you won't look like a raisin when you're 60." It made her feel better most of the time. Once in a while when she flipped through the pages of a Victoria's Secret catalog she would start to think she should make a tanning appointment but it didn't take long for her senses to return and she would throw the catalog away, cursing models and their perfect beauty. Kristen was beautiful in her own way and she had to remind herself of that, lest she begin feeling like the ugly duckling.

She pulled on the skin tight jeans and topped them with a skinny braided leather belt. Next she covered her breasts and bare stomach with a teal tank top. It was gathered in the front and scooped low enough to show a fair bit of cleavage. The back was low as well and all of the exposed skin gave her a comfortable feeling. She turned and admired her ass in the full length mirror to the right of the sink. She was pleased with what she saw. Just then she heard her phone ding from the spot on the bed where she had left it. She walked back into the room and flopped across the bed.

There was a text from Kelly, "OMG! My babysitter canceled. Call me when you get this!"

Kristen's heart sank. She dialed Kelly's number and listened as it began to ring. Kelly picked up on the third ring, "I am so pissed right now," she said without introduction.

"What's going on?" Kristen asked, unaware she was holding her breath.

"Apparently the girl that usually watches Dylan got into some kind of trouble. She called me crying an hour ago and said that she couldn't babysit tonight. I was like, 'Why the hell not?' and she told me that her mom won't let her."

Kristen didn't say anything, just waited for Kelly to continue as she knew she would.

"I have spent the last hour calling everyone I know trying to find someone to take him, even it's only for an hour so we can get a drink. There's no one! Everyone has plans tonight it seems like."

"Kel, I am really sorry. That totally sucks!"

"Fuck yes it sucks! I have been looking forward to this all month! You guys better go though, it will be fun" Kelly said in a tone thick with disappointment. "Though not as fun as it would be if I was there."

"No way! I don't want to go without you. Don't get me wrong, I love Natasha and Rochelle but I don't want to go out without you." Kristen had no desire to go dancing with those two. When Kelly was with her she didn't care who else was there. When they were together nothing could go wrong, but nightclubs were not near as fun without Kelly. Plus, Kristen was beginning to see a poker game in her future.

"You are too going! I don't want you sitting up there in your hotel room all night! This is your first night in the city in a couple of months. You will have fun. Please tell me you will go," Kelly pleaded.

"Don't worry about me; I am not going to be sitting around here. Jake texted me earlier and he's playing poker with some friends and he invited me."

"Don't I feel special? My best friend is in town for a couple of hours and she is already making a backup plan," Kelly teased.

"Yep, you know me, gotta have a plan. Plan A, plan B..."

Kelly laughed. "Jake huh? How's Jake?"

Kristen smiled, "Jake is fine. Still married, still an accountant, still funny as hell, aaand still married.

"You said that," Kelly said.

"Oh yeah, I did. Well he is, unfortunately for me. I wouldn't mind some 'Jake sex' after I kick all their asses in poker."

"Sounds like you will be just fine without me. You better get going then."

"Let's go to breakfast in the morning and then we can shop all day," Kristen said. "Bring Dylan. You can even bring Rob if you want to." Kristen did her best to make the last part sound genuine. She hoped Kelly wouldn't bring Rob. Hell, she would be happy if she never saw Rob again.

Rob was Kelly's husband and he was none too fond of Kristen. He was a jealous man and he had the insane idea that Kristen was always trying to hook Kelly up with other men. Kristen had no idea where he had gotten that idea from but no matter how amiable Kristen was toward him or how much Kelly pleaded that he stop being silly, he still treated her with a cool neutrality that made her feel more than a little uncomfortable.

"You got it," Kelly said. "Call me when you get up and we will make a plan. Let's try for 10, okay? That way we have the better part of the day to spend together."

"I'll call you. Ten sounds just fine. I really am sorry things didn't work out tonight. I miss you."

"Miss you too. Tomorrow will be fun. Love you girl, be safe tonight."

Kristen told her that she loved her too and hung up.

She pulled herself up off the bed and turned to head back into the bathroom when she realized that she needed to call Jake and tell him that plans had changed.

She picked up the phone and called him. When he answered she said, "Hey! Guess what?"

"I give up. What?" he replied.

"Kelly just called and her babysitter has cancelled, do you still have an open space for me at your poker table?"

"No shit? Yeah, we are still missing a player. Do you want me to come get you?" Jake asked.

"Sure, if you want to. Or I can drive over, whatever is fine."

"No I will come get you. Where are you staying?"

Kristen gave him the name of her hotel and agreed to meet him out front of the hotel in a half an hour. As she hung up she felt a flutter of excitement in her belly.

"I'm excited to play poker, that's all it is," she told herself as she plugged her phone charger into the wall. She headed back to the bathroom to put on the finishing touches.

She swapped out her silver hoops for long, dangling earrings that had silver chains and stars, sprayed a tiny bit of perfume on her wrists and checked herself in the mirror. Kristen smiled at her green-eyed reflection. She looked great. She grabbed her purse and her phone and headed downstairs.

It would be another 15 minutes before Jake picked her up so she stopped at the hotel bar and ordered a drink. Her mind began to wander. She wondered how long it had been since she had last seen Jake. It had been at least a year, and probably 10 since he had shared her bed. She began to fantasize about kissing his lips and feeling his swollen manhood pushing against her leg. She knew that was all it could be though, a fantasy. Jake was married now and they had a child together. He was a good guy and there was no way he would be unfaithful to his wife. Kristen would have to find someone else to satisfy her. Hopefully there would be someone else at the poker game. She wanted to feel a man inside her, wanted to be taken.

Kristen drained her glass and walked to the front of the hotel. She stood there for several minutes before she saw Jake waving from the driver's seat of a blue Saturn SUV. She walked across the pavement and got into the passenger side.

"Hey," she said with a smile and closed the door.

"Hey, yourself!" Jake said. "You look fantastic!"

"So do you," Kristen replied. "You ready to get your ass kicked?"

Jake laughed his easy laugh. Kristen had missed the sound of that laugh. He was saying something about how he had gotten a lot better at playing cards since those days they had played strip poker together, but Kristen barely heard him. She was surveying his face, taking in his light skin, sprinkling of freckles and auburn hair. He looked exactly the same as she always remembered. He was still fit and unlike most of the guys she had gone to school with, Jake hadn't gotten a spare tire around his middle. She was seized by the urge to reach over and lick his ear. He had always loved that.

He rubbed the side of his face, "Do I have something on my face?"

Kristen giggled, "Jesus! Did I just giggle?" She wanted to slap herself in the face. "Get a grip!" she commanded in a stern voice.

"No, there is nothing on your face. I was just thinking that I would really like to lick your ear right about now."

Jake reddened slightly, "You better keep your licks to yourself young lady." There was a strain in his voice and Kristen wondered if he really meant it "Would he push me away?"

She shook her head trying to clear out these thoughts, "Tell me about Jory."

"Jory is a ball of fire!" Jake seemed thankful for a change of subject and he had no shortage of stories to tell about his young son. Kristen loved kids and she found it easy to listen while Jake told her all about the little man in his life.

Eventually they pulled up in front of a beautiful Victorian style home and Jake said, "Here we are!"

"Wow!" Kristen breathed, "This place if beautiful! I totally forgot to ask about the buy-in and now I am worried. I only brought a hundred dollars and I was hoping that I wouldn't have to use all of it."

"Yeah, I guess I should have said something. There is no buy-in; blinds are two and four although sometimes we increase them as the game progresses."

A big man came out the front door and hollered to Jake, "Hey there! We are around back. Go through the side gate and meet us out there."

Jake walked past Kristen and around to the side of the house. She followed him. There was a six foot white fence and right up against the house there was a small gate that led through to the back yard. Kristen went through behind Jake and he closed the gate behind them.

Kristen gasped and whispered under her breath, "Holy shit!"

The back yard was a beautiful expanse of greens and color splashed everywhere she looked. Purple lilacs and orange, pink and yellow lilies. There were willows and poplars, maples and chokecherry trees. There were also groups of trees and bushes that Kristen could not identify. There was a pool of water off to her right and around it in a spiral were beds of flowers, some were blooming and some seemed to be acclimating to the spring weather.

Up ahead Kristen saw a group of guys on the back porch and could hear them laughing. There were stone walkways twisting and turning to different destinations out in front of her. She and Jake stayed upon the path that took them to the back porch stairs. The porch was painted white and was an enormous thing. It sat tall above the back yard and was contained by a three rung railing that attached to the back of the house.

Kristen followed Jake up the stairs and was greeted by calls of, "Whoa! Who's the girl?" and "Look like you left the wife at home and brought the mistress!"

Kristen laughed, she didn't mind male banter, in fact, it made her feel powerful in a queer way. There were no other women present that she could see and feminine charms could give her an advantage at the poker table.

"This is Kristen. We went to high school together. She was supposed to go out with some friends but they had to cancel so I thought I would bring her over here. I figured you guys could use some real competition."

Jake leaned back against the railing and introduced her to the guys, "Kristen, this is Bruce." Kristen stepped forward and took the man's hand. He was middle aged and atop his head very little black hair remained. What was there sat in a scruff around his shining bald head. He wasn't unattractive, rather nondescript.

Jake continued, "This big guy here is the host of tonight's game, Tony." He was the man who had yelled from the front door. He grabbed Kristen and pulled her in for a giant bear hug. She didn't even have time to put her hands up and they were squished to her sides when his strong arms enveloped and squeezed her. She felt like a child in the arms of this big oaf.

"I know who to call if I am in trouble," Kristen jested. "Thanks for having me over."

Next Jake pointed toward the better looking member of the group. He smiled and Kristen felt her legs go weak; his teeth were blindingly white against his tan skin and his bright blue eyes seemed to sparkle. "That's Garret. He just started at the firm about six months ago when he moved here from Texas."

"Very nice to meetchya," he said with the slight twang of a Southern accent, "it will be nice to have a beautiful face at the table."

Kristen's hand was covered by Garret's warm one and she felt a slight shiver run up her spine, "Thanks Garret, it's nice to meet you too."

A gruff voice pulled her focus from Garret's blue eyes, "I'm Matt," said an older man. He had black hair frosted with silver at his temples. He was sitting atop the railing with his feet resting on the lower rung. His legs were tanned and muscular below the hem of his shorts and his polo shirt was pulled tight by his broad chest. "Have you played poker before?"

His grey-green eyes seemed to mock her, saying "Girls can't play poker."

"Oh yeah. I got into online poker a few years back and ended up playing a few hours each day. When my bachelor's program got to be really demanding I had to give it up but I still play in the casino now and then and every once in a while I will get into a tournament. Mainly though, I play with friends, just for fun."

Tony's voice boomed, "What do you guys want to drink? There are beers and some other stuff in the cooler over there and I just popped a bottle of red. Kristen, do you like wine? I can open a bottle of white if you would prefer."

"Absolutely! Red is fine by me. I like all wine," she said with gusto. She could definitely use a drink. Matt was still starring at her and his gaze made her feel like he wanted to take her head off.

Tony stepped towards the sliding glass door and motioned for Kristen to follow him. She stepped inside. It took a minute for her eyes to acclimate to the darkness within. When she could finally make out her surroundings she realized they were in a game room. There was a beautiful wooden pool table on one side of the room. Hung on the wall behind it was a rack with pool cues and a wooden triangle for racking balls. To the right of the pool table was a big screen TV atop a low cabinet and a chocolate brown sectional was facing it. There was a supple brown leather recliner to one side of the couch that made Kristen want to grab a blanket and curl up in it. She could almost smell the leather from where she stood.

Closer to where she had stepped into the room was a round, cherry wood table with six leather chairs positioned around it. Kristen assumed that was where they would be playing poker, although she hoped Tony had a mat or something for the top, as slippery surfaces sometimes made it hard to keep cards in place.

Jake walked in behind her, "Isn't that beautiful?"

"Yeah, it really is. Is that where you guys usually play?"

"Well we trade off, each week we go to someone else's house but, yes, when we play here we use that." Jake walked across to the table, "Hey Tony, do you want me to get the table set up?"

"Go ahead! Me and Bruce were late getting in from the golf course so I haven't gotten time to do it," Tony called from where he was pouring two glasses of wine.

Jake walked over and pulled out the chair in front of the door in the base of the table. He opened the door revealing storage. He pulled two racks of chips and a deck of cards from inside the hull then he stood and reached under the edge, releasing two levers on the side closest to him and then walking around and releasing the levers on the other side. He slid the wooden top from the table to reveal a Texas Hold 'Em themed table top below. There were recesses for chips in six separate areas. Jake pulled out a drawer from one side of the table and set his beer in it.

Tony handed her a glass of wine and Kristen gushed, "That is so cool! I gotta get myself one of these! Where did you get it?"

"Actually, my wife bought that for me for Christmas a couple of years ago. I have been having guys over to the house for poker games for years. The wife gets me something for this room each year and I swear she never ceases to surprise me!"

Tony towered over Kristen and he outweighed her by at least 100 pounds. She estimated that he was probably 6'5" and about 250 or 300 pounds. He laid a big meaty hand on her shoulder and said with a smile, "Take a seat sweetheart. We are about to get this show on the road. I am going to get the other guys in here."

Kristen sat next to Jake and pulled her wallet from her purse, "How much money do you usually bring?"

"I only bring fifty dollars. We do this every other week and I lose more often than not. I am too cheap to lose much more than that."

"You never were much of a poker player," Kristen teased him. "You can't keep a poker face."

Just then the other guys came through the door. Kristen scooted her chair closer to Jake and prayed that Matt didn't choose the chair to her right. She sent up a silent "thank you" when Garret sat down. He rolled in close to her and whispered, "Want to form an alliance?"

Kristen shot back, "Am I already intimidating you?"

He met her gaze. "Damn, he is sexy!"

"Cool confidence, you are my kind of woman," Garret told her.

"I sure hope so," Kristen thought as she checked his ring finger. "No ring! That's a good sign!"

She looked around at the fingers of the other guys. She didn't see a ring on Matt's hand either. The other three men sported wedding rings and she hadn't seen Bruce look at her tits one time. Using enough self restraint to keep from ogling her chest didn't mean he was happily married—or gay!--it just meant that he had couth.

Matt took a seat to the right of Garret and Bruce sat to the left of Jake. Tony took the chair opposite Kristen.

"Okay boys—and girl—give me your money," Tony said as he pulled twenties from his shorts pocket. He took their money and doled out poker chips in return. As he dealt the first hand Kristen smiled. She was excited to start the game and even more so about what the night might hold.

Kristen was dealt relatively bad hands the first time around the table but luckily won a small pot when she posted the small blind. Her first chance at a big pot came when Tony dealt again, dealing her pocket kings. She raised to ten dollars; Bruce and Matt both called. The turn card was a king and Kristen bet half her stack. Bruce ended up folding but Matt called. Kristen checked on the river and Matt raised another ten dollars. She called and when she laid her kings on the table she thought Matt was going to lose it. He let out a bellow and cursed loudly. Kristen stood to pull in the chips and he turned, throwing daggers with his eyes, "Fucking bitch!"

Each of the guys admonished him in some way but Tony's voice rang out above them all, "That's enough, Matt!" You can leave if you are going to treat my guest like that. Do you hear me?" When Matt refused to answer he grabbed his arm and asked him again in a more forceful voice, "Do you hear me?"

Matt jerked his arm free and answered, "Yes! I heard you." He turned to Kristen and mumbled, "Sorry."

Jake put his hand on Kristen's arm, "You okay?" he asked.

"It's fine, I'm fine. I know how it can be. It's no biggie, I'm fine." Kristen sat and began stacking her chips. She had cleaned up on that hand, fucking bitch or not her heart was pounding. She loved poker, plain and simple.

Play continued and so did the drinking. Tony kept the wine coming and Kristen was loosening up. She flirted shamelessly with Garret and he flirted back.

It was her turn to deal and she had to scoot in close to the table to deal the flop and the rest of the face-up cards. When she did her leg pressed against Garret's. She felt something stir deep in her belly and when she felt his hand lay across her thigh she had to fight the urge to buck her hips. She could feel the wine going to her head and need gnawed at her insides. There was an ache deep inside of her and she thought Garret would fill it perfectly.

When the latest hand had ended and Jake pulled in his chips Kristen spoke up, "I need a bathroom break. Can we take a few minutes?"

Bruce chimed in, "I would like to step outside and smoke. Let's make it ten."

Kristen stood up and put her hand on Garret's shoulder. She wanted him to know that his touch was well received. She noticed Jake starring at her hand and quickly removed it. She got closer to him and asked, "Where's the bathroom in this place?"

Jake smiled, "It's down the hall. I'll show you."

He led her down the hall. When they got to the third door on the right he reached in and turned on the light, "There you go!"

He turned to go and his arm brushed against Kristen's. Sparks flew. She felt electricity shoot through her body and for a moment he stopped and starred at here. She thought he might kiss her, but suddenly he dropped his gaze and headed back toward the game room. Kristen entered the bathroom and closed the door behind her. When she was through she washed her hands and turned out the light. As she left the bathroom she felt someone step up behind her. He wrapped his arms around her body and planted a kiss in the crook of her neck. Kristen closed her eyes and imagined it was Jake behind her with his light blue eyes and curly hair. She held on to that thought for a moment before she opened her eyes and turned around to face Garret.