"Yeah?" Gavin says, "Well, mine does. And I'm not going back home smelling like second-hand ass funk."
Jason mutters something under his breath, but he stuffs the lighter and the pack of cigarettes back into his pocket.
"How's Brianna anyway?" Kevin asks.
A light brightens Gavin's eyes and a slight smile comes to his lips. "Pretty good. She's having a blast raising our little man Rafe, but lately, she's been complaining about the baby weight that won't come off."
Kevin chuckles. "Tara does the same thing. But I think it fits her."
Gavin nods, a boyish smirk curling his lips. "I rather like it myself," he agrees.
I shift in my seat, feeling slightly uncomfortable. Talk of wives and babies always makes me feel anxious for some reason. I don't particularly have a desire to settle down with a woman and have children.
Not when my last relationship left me sour with how overly needy and clingy she was. She loved the way I fucked, but she loved the size of my bank account even more. When I found out what she was truly after, I dropped her faster than a hot potato.
Since then, love ‘em and leave 'em has become my motto. Except lately, I haven't been doing much loving at all. I'm always too busy with my corporate security startup and helping my mom when she needs it.
In fact, it's high time I get some action. It's been awhile since I made a girl . . .
"So when are you going to settle down, Oliver?" Jason asks me, tearing me out of my thoughts. "You're the only guy at the table who's still single."
I clear my throat. Why do we always end up talking about this shit? Can't we just play the damn game without going into our personal lives? "I don't know. Haven't met the one yet."
Kevin shakes his head. "You're missing out, man. Nothing beats having a family to call your own."
"I could argue against that," I say in braggadocious tones, not letting any of my feelings show. "Being free to do whoever you want, whenever you want has its perks." I wiggle my eyebrows for maximum effect.
"So about that game," Gavin says, suddenly eager to change the subject, noticing that it's something I'd rather not discuss. "Let's play."
Joe deals me my two cards, and I look-Ace of diamonds and the Ace of spades. I wait while Gavin checks his cards. "I'll raise five thousand," Gavin says.
"Five grand? Are you out of your damn mind?" Jason asks, shaking his head. "Man, every time I get a decent deal, you just slam the pot with that shit. Fuck this. I'm sitting this one out."
"Yeah, me too," Kevin adds, turning his hand over and tossing it in. "Two-four off suit? I'm not an idiot yet."
Gavin's done that before, tried to bully the little bits of the blind by splashing the pot, but I'm not taking it this time. Not with paired aces. "Ten grand."
Joe drops the flop, and I see magic. Ace of hearts and two sevens. I've got a full house-three aces and two sevens. Gavin licks his lips, and I know I have him. I got exactly what I needed. He checks. I knew he was trying to steal the pot.
"You wanna raise the stakes? I raise twenty thousand," I reply, shoving in the chips. The odds of him beating my full house are slim to none, and I'll admit, I'd like to get one over on the former football star.
I can't believe it when Gavin calls my bet. "Call," Gavin says, his hands shaking slightly. Joe gives Gavin a look but shrugs as Gavin moves in the chips, and then he flips over the turn card.
King of diamonds. Gavin blinks, his eyes tight. "Check," he says.
Inside, I grin. I've got him. Even if he had two kings in his hand, he loses. "One hundred thousand."
There's not a sound in the room as everyone looks at Gavin, wondering what the fuck he's doing. Finally, he takes a deep breath and slides his chips into the middle. "Call."
Joe drops the river, and I feel a sense of concern. But then I see it's the ten of clubs. No chance in hell he can beat me, but his next words confuse the hell out of me. "Five hundred grand," he says.
Gavin gives me a tight smile and slides the money in. Has he lost his fucking mind? "This one's mine," he gloats.
"Hardly," I say with a laugh, pushing in my chips. "Call." Gavin grins again and turns over his cards. "Four sevens."
As soon as I see the pair of sevens, the air is ripped from my lungs.
I stare at the cards in disbelief, feeling numb all over. He raised five grand on a pair of fucking sevens and then flopped four-of-a-kind? How lucky can you be? I can't believe it-he flopped a four of a kind. Around the table, everyone seems to be echoing my shock. Old Joe, Kevin, and Jason are frozen like statues, staring at me with surprise in their eyes.
I clench my jaw, anger rising from the pits of my stomach. It doesn't matter though. I accepted the bet and I lost.
I get up from my seat, feeling absolutely defeated, ignoring all the eyes on me. "I'll transfer the funds to your account in the morning," I say, keeping my tone even, even though I'm fucking pissed with myself. I don't know what the hell I was thinking.
It fucking sucks losing that much money, but it's not going to break me, though it's sure going to hurt.
"I'm done for the night. That's gonna put me on tilt if I keep playing," I tell them, turning to leave.
"Wait," Gavin says, standing up.
I turn, arching an eyebrow. "Yeah?"
Gavin glances around at the other men. "Are we done for the night? Let me talk to Oliver alone."
Without saying a word, Kevin, Jason, and Joe get up, gather their things, and leave the room, each one casting sympathetic looks my way as they file out.
"What's this all about?" I ask. "It's a lot of money, but you know it's not going to break me."
Gavin stares at me for several moments before asking, "What if you could keep your money?"
I frown. "What do you mean? I got overconfident and lost fair and square."
Gavin goes silent, studying my face. Finally, he speaks up. "I have a proposition for you."
"What-"
"You do a favor for me and we'll call it even."
I want to tell Gavin to go fuck himself. I'm a man, and I pay my debts. But a part of me is intrigued now, and I'm dying to see what Gavin has up his sleeve. "What kind of favor?"
Gavin steeples his fingers together, staring at me, appraising me.
"Well?" I ask, the anticipation killing me. "What is it?'
His next words shoot across the table like a speeding bullet. "I need you to pretend to be a friend's fiancé for a week."
I let out an incredulous laugh. I was totally not expecting something like that. "What?"
Gavin proceeds to tell me all about his friend, who's the godmother of his child and best friend of his wife, and how she's gotten herself into a bind because of a lie.
"Absolutely not," I say firmly when he's done, shaking my head. I'm not gonna lie, his offer is tempting. But there's no way I can accept it. I have too much lined up. Business meetings, lunch dates . . . and there were those repairs to my mom's attic I'd promised her I'd fix myself instead of paying some stranger to do it. "I'm not disrupting my life and plans to be some chick's cuckold for a week."
Gavin leans forward in his seat. "Just think of it this way . . . you get to spend a week with a chick for over half a million dollars."
"My half a million dollars," I say dryly.
"Was your half million," Gavin corrects. "And you can keep it if you just do this one little thing."
I stare at him long and hard. His words are tempting enough, but it suddenly dawns on me how invested he is in this.
"You set this whole thing up," I accuse. "You knew I was the only single guy in our circle. You've been waiting all night to try to get me in this position."
Gavin manages to look guilty but doesn't say anything.
I begin to get up from my seat. "I'm done-"
Gavin reaches into his pocket and tosses a small photograph across the table. As soon as I lay eyes on it, my mouth goes dry. The young woman in the photo is drop-dead gorgeous, with beautiful golden brown hair, gorgeous green eyes that sparkles with mischievousness, and an impish smile to match.
"Yeah, so what? I was getting shit for cards and had to make a move. I didn't expect to flop those sevens-that was a miracle. Anyway, it's one week," Gavin nearly purrs, watching my intense interest in the photo. "And you have your money."
His words hardly register. I can't seem to bring myself to take my gaze off the picture. The playfulness in her eyes seems to call to me.
When I finally look away from it, I have only one question on my mind.
"What did you say her name was?"
Want to read the rest? Get Mr. Fiance HERE.
Sneak Peek: Stud Muffin: Irresistible Bachelors Book 4
by Lauren Landish
Prologue
Hannah - A year ago …