"No, I just thought you had fun," Robin said, sounding disappointed.
"I did have fun, Robin," Cyn said. "I just can't make it this weekend."
"Hey."
Cyn looked up and saw Sylvia standing a few feet away. Cyn stood with a smile and they hugged. Cyn was surprised to see her and then wondered why; all of the spa-goers went to the same school.
"Hey, you look good. What's up?" Cyn asked.
Sylvia sat down in another chair next to Cyn's and a worried expression came up on her face. "I...we didn't do something, did we? I know our sessions were intense and I worried we might be pushing too hard-"
Cyn cut her off and grabbed one of Syl's hands to caress it reassuringly, "Syl our sessions were amazing. I'm still kind of processing what I learned, to be honest, but in a good way."
"About the spa?"
"More about this," Cyn said, shifting her grip on Syl's arm so it was more forceful. She could have pulled the girl over to her, but she returned to the gentle hold. Based on Syl's expression, she understood.
"Well that's why we were confused. Robin hasn't shut up about this morning," Syl said, "She came really close to accusing Bill of raping you, actually."
Cyn couldn't help a grin flashing onto her face, and tried to suppress it, but Syl caught it and smirked. "Ohhh you're being evil, aren't you? Are you actually going to show up?"
"No," Cyn said, "I really
am
sitting out this weekend. Personal project."
"That personal project wouldn't have anything to do with getting back at Robin and Vincent, would it?" Syl asked with a smile.
Cyn smiled at Syl's expression, but her own faded. "I just...I don't like being manipulated into things. Even if they're fun. I don't want Vincent playing his cards and shuffling me into people's beds while Robin cheers him on and occasionally goes in for some fun herself."
"You don't have to, you know," Syl said. "I mean, Noelle and Zach are both way more interested in the poker than the sex. I was actually kind of surprised Noelle cashed in with you; she rarely calls in favors herself, though apparently she still gets into it if someone pays her."
"She's a good player who bets high, who managed to get a favor on her?" Cyn asked.
"Rumor has it she lost a set of skies to Vincent. That would be unusual, but, well it's Vincent. I know we said we usually just trade chips with him because he doesn't like that we ask both people to be in the room, but between you and me if he had a set of my skies and asked about trading them in I'd be seriously tempted to put Bill on the other side of the door and brace myself against it for Vincent."
"He's too fucking good looking," Cyn agreed, "But after I figured out what he was doing...I'd probably still fuck him but just for the experience. And there's no way I'd end up with enough chips. Who's Zach?" she asked, trying to change the subject.
"Zachary Bufield, he wasn't there last week. Family thing. He's like Noelle; purist, playing mostly for the poker, but he's not as good as she is. He's militantly gay, though, doesn't even like to pretend with women, so most of the girls don't bother trying to call in favors and most of the guys prefer women, though a good number of them will swing a little higher on the Kinsey scale if they're pushed."
"And it's assumed us girls will dive between each other's legs at the slightest provocation," Cyn said.
"Well, to be fair,
you
did. And decently well, at that," Syl teased, making Cyn blush a bit, "But we've got some fairly hardcore straight girls in there. Purna isn't really about messing around with women, though she makes...certain exceptions. Susan really isn't interested either. We had her chips once and she was okay with me staying in the room, but she only wanted to deal with Bill. We do try to invite more adventurous types, though."
"So, is Robin the one that marked me down as adventurous?" Cyn asked.
"Could have been," Syl agreed, "All right, we have to head off. Good luck with whatever you've got going on."
Cyn rose and hugged Syl again, but before she pulled away, Syl whispered, "Don't stay away too long; I've still got your chips, and this pet doesn't mind having two masters on occasion."
*****
Despite Syl's and suggestive promise, Cyn didn't attend the spa. However, she did sneak out of her dorm Friday night and meet a car a ways up the road.
This car was two miles up the road, however, technically off-campus. It was a regular rideshare and had to park that far away because of Veretrum's car service. It was available for all students, but it was also traceable and Cyn didn't want others to know where she was going.
She didn't advertise it, but Cyn was good at math. She could pick up most mathematical concepts quickly and had actually inferred some in school before her tutors or teachers got around to teaching them. The application of probability in the poker games piqued her interest and she'd spent a lot of time looking at ways math applied to the game and how it could be used to win.
Of course, she knew that was only part of the game. If you were a player in a poker game, you didn't have all the data for your calculations; you had to try to read the other players to figure out what they had. Cyn wasn't horrible at that, but she wasn't great either. She'd actually paid a poker coach for some lessons on reading other players and she'd spent four hours over the past week video chatting with the slightly awkward but knowledgeable older man. She had laughed to herself at the thought that if anyone had caught her, they would probably have thought she was exploring being a cam girl.
The rideshare took her to a community hall in a nearby city where her research had identified a poker game. It was a charity tournament with a ten thousand dollar cash prize, but she wasn't interested in the money; she could and had spent that much by accident on clothes. Everyone at the spa told her she was half-decent at the game, it was time to find out if that was true.
There were about two hundred people there to play when she arrived. Cyn was easily one of the youngest and definitely the youngest woman. Her coach had told her keeping players distracted was the easiest way to beat them, and if she could distract them just with her clothing that was great because she didn't have to try. Cyn was dressed down, but her outfit was still fancier than most of the other attendees and it emphasized her figure, leaving ample but not indecent cleavage visible. That said, there was a thin Asian gentleman wearing clothes that looked understated but Cyn recognized as high-end and tailored. His figure caught her eye as well, but she guessed he wasn't going to be flaunting his abs.
She got a lot of sidelong glances from people as she bought in and sat to play. At first, she played into everyone's assumptions that she was just out for a good time or had seen a boyfriend play poker once and wanted to try it out. She would disguise her aggressive bets as accidents or misunderstandings and claim she wasn't allowed to take the money back, and she would play out obvious winning hands rather than going all in like most others.
By two hours in, Cyn had an impressive but not overwhelming stack and she'd outlasted more than half the field. She was starting to drop her persona; it was becoming harder and harder to maintain convincingly and many people had figured out she was faking it. When she ended up at a table with tailored-shirt guy, he figured out her game almost right away, but he and Cyn started a sort of truce that turned into an alliance. Both of them were able to recognize when someone bluffed badly, though Cyn guessed he did it through reading tells whereas she more often picked up on the math. They would subtly check with each other over who would take the person down and then go to work.
At the end of the night, the final table had Cyn, her pseudo-partner, and five other players sitting at it. Despite her desire to win one for feminism, Cyn knew she was out of her league. The players she dealt with now were much better at reading others than she was, and she started bleeding chips fast. She could really only win when she had the mathematically best hand and the other players would fold long before she could draw them into making big bets. Cyn got knocked out in a hand she wasn't really a part of; she'd paid to see the flop and been left with a measly amount of chips that put her all in when two other players went head to head over their hands. Her cards weren't even a consideration.
Despite losing, she stuck around until the end of the game to see her Asian ally with the tailored clothes collect the final pot and the prize, which also gave her his name; Keith Young. Cyn sauntered up to him once the perfunctory award ceremony concluded.
"Cyn," she said, offering her hand.
"Really?" Keith said. "Is gambling the only one you're good at?"
Cyn smirked and stepped closer, "Would you like to find out?" she purred.
Cyn was excited after her experience at the table and she was impressed with this guy. His playing skills were unquestionable, but he'd also respected her play and not challenged her. She appreciated allies, and felt they deserved a reward. Just because she wasn't at the spa didn't mean she had to abstain from some fringe benefits after a game.
Keith took her to a local bar that at least tried to cater to a college-aged audience, with modern music, space to dance, and drinks aplenty. Keith supplied her with as much of the latter two as she wanted, and it didn't take long before their dancing felt more like a formality leading up to what they both wanted.
It was raining at two am when they left the bar. Keith claimed his apartment was nearby and it would have been a pleasant walk if it weren't pouring. They arrived at Keith's place soaked but laughing; the run, the alcohol, and the lingering rush from the poker game had them both on a natural high.
