"I'm all in." the dark-haired man said exuding a look of total confidence.
The overweight bald man sat up in his chair and peeked to see his under cards. He glanced over at the younger man across from him and saw the smug smile on his face. The bald man rubbed his mouth in contemplation trying to mask the ill feeling churning in his stomach.
"Whatcha gonna do, Jack?" The young man said leaning back on the two legs of his chair. "Call or fold?"
Jack gazed at the top cards going through the run down in his head. The highest card showing was only a ten with no pairs on the table, but there were three diamonds on the table and a possibility of a gut shot straight.
Jack looked at his cards again. He made the ten high straight on the river. The only thing that could beat him was a flush or a higher straight.
"You have the nuts, don't you Brad?" Jack said.
"Sure, but if you want to know for sure, you'll have to call." Brad said leaning forward and placing his cigar in his mouth avoiding any kind of eye contact.
"If I fold, will you show me?" Jack asked.
Brad closed his eyes and calmly shook his head.
Jack propped his head on his hand staring at the heap chips on the green felt table. The amount was in the neighborhood of a million dollars, but the all-in bet had raised the stakes to assets not on the table.
"You're mulling this one over for quite a while. You should probably just fold." Brad said taking a nonchalant puff from his cigar.
"I don't think you got it?" Jack said.
Brad offered no response and puffed away.
"Okay. I call." Jack said causing no outward reaction in Brad's demeanor.
Brad sat up to the table and placed his cigar on the ashtray and pick up his under cards.
"I'm surprised you called with what's at stake." Brad said looking at his cards.
"If I folded this hand, I don't know if I'd ever overcome the regret."
"What about if you lose?" Brad said.
"Did I?"
Brad turned over one of his cards to reveal a six of diamonds.
"Are you nervous now?" Brad asked.
"Come on. Come on. Let's see it!" Jack said standing.
Brad smirked and turned over his last card. It was the ace of diamonds.
"Nuts!"
"Son of a bitch!" Jack said slamming his fist on the table and threw his cards in anger. He turned and stepped away with his back to Brad.
"Come on Jack, you're filthy rich. You think I smoke Cubans in a marble tiled game room at home?"
Jack rubbed his brow and took a deep breath before turning to face Brad.
"There's about a million here on the table. What do say if I made it $1.5 million and we call it even?"
Brad smiled and held his empty hands open at his side, "A bet's a bet my friend. No take backs on the playground."
"Fucking nuts." Jack said shaking his head.
"I told you to fold."
"Yeah, yeah, shut up and let's get this over with." Jack said walking out of the room.
Brad sprung to his feet grabbing his brown blazer from the chair and followed Jack into the main foyer.
"Remember, it's my choice." Brad said.
"I know." Jack said and buzzed the intercom on the wall.
"Give'em a couple of minutes."
"Of course." Brad said putting his blazer on and straightening his tie.
The two Gentlemen small talked to pass the minutes when the first Lady emerged from the top of the stairs and was soon followed by another only a few paces behind. The Ladies were completely nude except for a pair of 4-inch white strapped heels.
"Very nice. I totally understand your disappointment." Brad said watching each Lady saunter down the stairs and standing at the foot of the dais.
"You sure you won't take the $1.5? 500 grand is a lot."
"No. I think I'll be fine with one of these lovely Ladies." Brad said as the last Lady came down the stairs and stood at the other end of the dais.
Brad walked across them slowly letting his eyes linger on one till he stood in front of the next. They were all young and slender with varying heights and ethnicities.
"Six. You really are rich."
"How many do you have?"
"Just two. I'm not nearly as well off as you are."
"An extra 500 grand can go a long way." Jack said, but Brad waved a dismissive hand at him.
"Can I see the papers for each of them?"
"Yeah, let me go get them." Jack said reluctantly.
Brad continued to examine them one by one. The Ladies all held their hands behind their backs with their eyes casted down toward the floor. He swept his eyes across the dais and caught the blonde at the far end looking at him. As their eyes made contact, she quickly darted her eyes back to the floor.
"Here. Take a look." Jack said striding in with a clipboard in his outstretched hand. Brad took the clipboard and began examining the first page.
"Is this in order?"
"From left to right."
"Then you must be Martique, correct?" Brad said standing at the left most of the dais.
"At your service, guv'nor." Martique said raising her head.
"Oh. African-Brit?" Brad said looking over at Jack.
"African-French raised in England. Exotic. Beautiful. And classy."
"I'll second that." Brad said examine Martique and the looking at her papers. He dragged the back of his hand on her shoulder and ran it down her arm. Her skin was a radiant glow of smooth milky chocolate. She was the tallest of them with her papers listing her at 5'11" 23 years old.
"Very pretty. Thank you Martique."
She gave a small curtsey and bowed her head down again.
"Wow, five more to go and they're all pretty. I could be here for hours."
"Well, it's late so try and put the pedal to the metal." Jack said.
Brad examined the papers one by one. The Ladies all had different backgrounds for the next whether it was physically or culturally. The Ladies standing in front of the Gentlemen were like a small sampling of the beauty in the corners of the world.
"So have you decided yet?" Jack said.
"I know how to make this easy. Who is your favorite?"
"My favorite?"
"Yeah. Who do you like the most?"
Jack sighed and looked at the Ladies and then back to Brad. "What car did you drive tonight?"
"I drove my Mercedes. Why?"
"Why didn't you drive the Aston-Martin or the Bentley?"
"I don't know. I didn't feel like it."
"Tonight, you felt like driving the Merc, but maybe tomorrow you'll feel like the Bentley, right?"
"Okay, I get your meaning. You don't have a favorite. Then let me ask you this. I know you don't want to part with any one of them, but since you have to, which one would you be most willing to part with?"
Jack looked at the Ladies and pursed his lips. He looked at Audrey, the fiery redhead with the alabaster skin. She was the only Lady he allowed to have pubic hair. Her red hair on her pussy against her white skin seemed to radiate raw sexual nakedness in the air.
Jack then looked over at Saiyuri. She was short with long black hair and blessed with ample sized breasts. Her shy face was more like a mask. Looking deep into her dark almond eyes laid a raging demon filled with uninhibited passion.
Jack stopped in front of Adrina, the leggy, bronzed Brazilian. She had the sultriest mouth a woman could have with her tapered jaw and her supple lips that would glisten in the dimmest of light. Just making eye contact with her bright hazel eyes and her curved eyebrows would flood your mind with constant stream of lustful thoughts.
The last two were Angelique, the naturally bright haired blonde and Latti the strong featured Indian. Standing next to each other, Latti's features looked almost masculine even though her body was beautifully sculpted. Her body was nothing less than amazing, but Angelique, although no single feature stood out physically, she emitted an aura of femininity.
"So, who would be the easiest to part with?" Brad said.
"Is that the one you'll choose?"
"Perhaps, but I'd also like to know who you could part with."
"You know what? Let's change it around. Let's assume these were your Ladies. Since you don't have an attachment to any of them, who would you part with?" Jack said.
"Well, if I had to choose, I'd part with..." Brad said then fumbled through the papers, "Latti."
"Latti? Open your eyes. Look at her body." Jack said standing next to Latti.
"Look at these shapely breasts and this immensely sexy curve down to her waist and back out to her hips. See this curve around her tush? Look at her eyes. They are just dreamy."
"All true and very nice. Put it all together and she's amazingly beautiful. I'm just telling you which one I'd pick." Brad said.
"Well, she isn't my pick."
"Obviously. So, who then?"
"If I had to choose one, I guess I'd have to say...Angelique."
"Angelique?" Brad said and glanced over at her.
It was the blonde girl peeking at him and Brad flipped the pages over to look at her papers. Her stats read she was Danish, 22 years old 5'7".
"She's the one you'd choose?" Brad asked again.
"Yeah."
"100 percent?"
Jack looked at the Ladies again then nodded, "I'm sure."
"Well then this should make you happy because she's the one I want."
"She is?" Jack said more surprised than relieved.
"Yep. 100 percent." Brad said and pulled her papers out from the clipboard.
He handed the clipboard back to Jack which he accepted still surprised. Brad folded the paper and pocketed in his trousers and took off his blazer.