Errors of Judgment(101)

Gabrielle shrugged. ‘OK.’ She liked the atmosphere of casinos, and watching people gamble, even though she didn’t do much of it herself. She went mainly to socialise; a number of her friends, and those of her brothers, were regulars at Blunt’s.

It was a five-minute walk to Mount Street. The casino was busy, and Julia and Piers were there, hanging out with Darius and their usual crowd. Anthony left Gabrielle chatting to friends and went to buy drinks. While he was at the bar, someone gave him a friendly slap on the shoulder. He turned and saw Piers.

‘Anthony, how are you?’

‘Fine, thanks,’ replied Anthony, mildly surprised.

‘Excellent, excellent. Good to see you.’ Piers gave him another pat on the arm, and wandered away.

Five minutes later, as he was paying for the drinks, Julia came to the bar and ordered a cocktail. She and Anthony greeted one another warily.

‘Your husband is being strangely pleasant to me this evening,’ remarked Anthony.

‘Probably because he thinks he can sucker you into a private poker game he’s organising. Some Saudi clients are in town, and he’s trying to set up a game for them.’

‘Sounds interesting.’

‘I’m afraid you’d be rather out of your depth. They’re enormously wealthy. Not quite your league.’

‘That doesn’t make them expert poker players.’

The bartender handed Julia her cocktail. ‘Oh, I quite agree. I imagine they’re more likely to lose than win. But then, so are you. And the thing is, they can afford it. If I were you, I’d steer well clear of it. Remember, I know your limitations. And so should you.’ She raised her glass and smiled. ‘Cheers.’ Then she slipped away.

Piers caught up with her on the other side of the room.

‘Give it an hour or so,’ said Julia.

Piers nodded. ‘Jolly good. I’d better keep an eye on how he does at the tables. No point trying to enlist him when he’s on a losing streak.’

But Anthony was on a winning streak. He started out with a modest fifty pounds worth of chips, and by midnight he was several hundred up. Poker wasn’t a game he often played, but his success began to convince him that perhaps he was one of those rare people who were naturally good at it. Gabrielle came and went, sometimes watching with interest, sometimes talking with friends. Anthony knew that a couple of hours of the casino were usually enough for her, and that soon she would want to go. He felt an itch of frustration at the thought of having to leave. He felt he could go on winning all night.

Sure enough, at the end of the next game, she came over and kissed his ear, murmuring, ‘Quit while you’re ahead. Let’s go back to yours and play games of our own.’

Anthony swallowed a sigh. ‘OK. Let me cash these in and I’ll be with you in a few minutes.’

As he was pocketing his winnings, Anthony once again found Piers’ hand on his shoulder.

‘Anthony, old man – do you have a minute?’ Piers drew Anthony aside and they were joined by Darius.

Darius and Anthony shook hands. ‘I’ll tell you what it is,’ said Darius in a confidential manner. ‘My father and I are trying to organise a private poker game here at the casino, something to keep some Saudi friends of Piers amused. We need around eight players, but of course we can’t have just anyone. You seem to be a pretty handy player, and we wondered if you’d be interested in joining in?’

‘I might,’ replied Anthony. He had been stung by Julia’s remarks earlier, by the implication that he had neither the skill nor the money to participate in anything high-level.

Piers chuckled. ‘I have to tell you, Tony, these boys are absolutely fucking loaded. They throw money around like confetti. And they’re not exactly card sharps. Anybody who’s any good stands to do pretty well out of the evening. I’m certainly going to be playing.’

‘The stakes are pretty high,’ said Darius. ‘Lowest opening bet in any game is two hundred.’

Anthony smiled. ‘I think I can manage that.’

‘No, of course. I wouldn’t have asked you if I didn’t think you were good for it. Just letting you know.’

Anthony considered for a moment. There were risks – he knew to his cost how losses could mount up in one evening – but it was a one-off game, and if tonight was anything to go by, he might come out of it pretty well. He could even make a killing. He nodded. ‘OK, count me in. When is it?’

‘We were thinking next Saturday. Probably kick off around ten, make it an all-nighter.’

‘Bring Gabrielle, if she wants to come,’ added Piers. ‘Julia will be there, and some of the other girls. Galina, probably Connie and Abigail. Gabrielle knows them all. Hate to sound sexist, but it’ll be an all-male game. You know what the Saudis are like. But it should be quite a party. Plenty of food and champagne on the go. Fun for all.’