Let the Chips Fall

I don’t own any of these characters. Paramount does. I’m just borrowing them for a little while. I will return them when I am done and I will try not to break them.

The weekly ritual was underway. Poker night in Commander Riker’s Quarters. Riker, Doctor Crusher, Deanna Troi and Data were seated around the table, Data wearing the ridiculous visor.

The night had been going well for Deanna and Riker. Both were up quite a bit. Data’s inability to read poker faces, as was often the case, was making him the big loser so far this evening.

Data was holding three fives and had no wilds. The bet was to him. “Call” he said as he added a $5 chip.

Troi folded and the Doctor raised another five.

“Too rich for my blood,” Riker said as he threw down the cards.

When he first heard the expression, he was confused what the human circulatory system and availability of funds had in common, but having played Poker with his crewmates for 5.375 years, he came understand the saying, if not its roots. “My blood as well,” he said as he laid down his cards.

“Data,” the doctor chimed in, “you don’t have any blood.”

“True, Doctor. Nevertheless I have opted to fold, being that my hand is not very strong.”

The doctor beamed as she slid her winnings toward her. She knew she was not obligated to show her fellow player what she had, but wanted to make a point to Data. “Data, we have been telling you for years that a string hand is not always the winning hand. I was bluffing.” She laid down her cards. She didn’t even have so much as a pair.

Riker and Troi both smirked. While they valued Data’s friendship, it was always a little funny to them when he was duped this way. He never could get a read on a bluff, and he was horrible at it himself.

Data just put on a sheepish grin. “The bluff, another human behavior that I cannot emulate.”

The door chime sounded. Riker called out, “Come in!”

In walked Captain Picard. The group was surprised. He, like all the senior officers had an open invitation to the game but he very rarely joined them.

“Good evening sir,” the said in unison. Riker continued on his own, “would you like a drink Captain?” “No Will, I’m fine, thank you. I would like to sit in for a hand or two if you don’t mind.”

“Of course not sir, I’ll get another chair!” Will usually kept the players in his Poker games to four. Five changed the odds and made gambling riskier, but he had no problem making an exception for the Captain.

Data interjected, “Captain, would you care to deal this hand?”

“Yes Mr. Data, I would.” Picard began shuffling the cards. “Okay, we’re playing Romulan Widow this hand, everyone know the rules?”

Crusher looked at him. “What the hell is Romulan Widow?”

Picard smiled. “Romulan Widow, Beverly, is where we play off a ‘widow hand’ in the center of the table. I deal each of you three cards and lay out a hand of five, face down, in the center of the table. Each round of betting we flip one card in the widow hand and we wager again. You have to play at least two, but no more than four cards out of the widow hand.”

Beverly thought it over. “Sounds like fun! What’s wild?”

“Wild?” Picard asked. “Only Ferengi play wilds! No wilds this hand.”

Picard dealt.

The hand proceeded slowly and methodically. One by one the players folded until it was down to Riker and Crusher. Riker laid out his Full House with his three sixes and the pair of Queens in the Widow Hand. Crusher smiled from ear to ear as she laid down a Royal Flush Using the ten and Queen from the Widow Hand. She was so happy she kind of jumped up and down in her chair, making her pert breasts bounce slightly.

Troi noticed that this brought a brief flash of emotion from Picard. “He needs to act on that one of these days,” she thought to herself. “And soon. Beverly needs to get laid, and it wouldn’t do him any harm either.”

Riker won the next hand, and then the doctor got on a roll. She won three in a row and was almost giddy. As Troi dealt a hand Beverly noticed someone rubbing the foot along her right leg.

“Who the hell?” she wondered. “Someone playing footsie?” Beverly ruled out Deanna for the obvious reason and Data too. Picard was across from her and Data to her right. Will was on her left, and it seemed that he was too far away from that leg. Beverly shot a knowing look to Jean-Luc.

The Captain misunderstood the look. He thought she had a really good hand and folded. He had no idea about the footsies, being that it wasn’t him.

As the came wore on, the foot rubbing Beverly had wandered farther up her leg and was softly rubbing her inner thigh. Troi was amazed with the lust Beverly was giving off and couldn’t figure out why no one else in the room was emitting a similar emotion.

Then the Captain stood and excused himself, claiming to need to get a good night’s sleep before his diplomatic mission in the morning. As he left, the foot stayed where it was and Beverly sat dumbfounded. The game lasted a few hands longer, but soon Will called it a night and thanked them for coming.

As they left Deanna walked with Beverly. “Beverly can I ask you a question?’

“I know what you are going to ask. Someone was playing footsies with me and I was SO turned on.”

“Footsies?” Deanna gasped, “Who?”

“I don’t know.” Beverly confessed. “I thought it was Jean-Luc finally acting on our mutual feelings, but it continued after he left.” She paused for a moment, “You don’t think Will…”

Deanna chuckled, “Believe me I would have felt it if it was Will. I can read him better than anyone. If it wasn’t the Captain and it wasn’t Will, that leaves Data.”

“Data? But he’s an…”

“Android,” Troi finished the thought. “Look at it this way Beverly, he is fully functional and will probably go all night.”

“Deanna you can’t be suggesting that Data was trying to seduce me, and I should succumb!”

“Absolutely, Beverly. Data is obviously exploring human sexuality, and you need a good stiff dick a badly as anyone.”

The ensign walking the opposite direction in the hallway shot them an odd look and stumbled into a doorway before ducking through it.

Beverly stared at Deanna as if she had just said she was half Cardassian.

Deanna stepped into her quarters. Before the door closed, she concluded with, “You know I’m right.”

The doors slid shut and Beverly left to seek out Data

More to come soon…