Bancroft - Peaky Blinders Reverse Harem x Reader

Chapter 25

I push open the door to the Shelby house that evening, my arms full of produce and meat I picked up on the way home. I'm still stubbornly refusing to let them pay for any of those things, and asked John to drop me off at the high street on our way back from the office.

He's sat at the table with Arthur when I enter. There's a bottle of whiskey in the centre of the table, and they're both packing up a deck of cards.

"Hello," I greet them.

Arthur stands, taking the heavy bags from me and wrapping his arm around my waist in a one-armed hug. "Just in time," he says. "Ever played a round of poker?"

"Forget about it," John groans. He has a cigar between his teeth. "Deck's uneven."

"Fuck off," Arthur says as he unloads the groceries for me.

"We're missing two jacks and an ace."

"It'll be fucking Michael," Arthur mutters. "He ruined the last deck, too. Dropped cards all over the place."

"What are we going to do now then?" John asks. "The Garrison's shut for stocktake."

"You don't need cards to play something," I say, sitting at the table beside John. He pours me a glass of whiskey at once, clearly an important piece of etiquette in the mind of a Shelby. "What about a drinking game?"

"Without cards?" John asks.

"All you need is a coin." They both stare at me as though I've grown an extra head. "What?" I say. "I grew up in a boxer's house. There were parties all the time. I used to watch."

Arthur pulls a shilling from his wallet and sits with us. "Show us how it's done then," he says, placing the coin on the table.

I drag it across the wood, hold the cool metal in my fingers. "I toss. John, you're to my left, you guess heads or tails. You get it right, you flip for Arthur. You get it wrong, we flip again. If you get it wrong three times in a row, you have to drink, and then we move on regardless."

John nods slowly. "I'm liking this." Then, a look of pure mischief crosses his face. "What if we made it more interesting?" He says. "If you get it right the second guess, we get to ask a question. You have to answer truthfully."

I swallow. "Alright."

"I'll raise you one," Arthur says. He looks right at me with his piercing eyes. "For every drink, you have to remove a piece of clothing."

John whoops. "Fucking genius, Arthur."

He's still looking at me. A silent challenge. I'm not backing down — and not just because my thighs are pressed together beneath the table.

"Deal," I reply calmly. "I'll begin."

But John tuts. "We've never played before, Bancroft. Arthur can toss. You can show us how it's done."

"I've never played these rules either," I argue.

John shrugs. "Alright. If you're too scared."

"You're so childish, John Shelby." I roll my eyes, but slide the coin across the table to Arthur. My throat bobs slightly as I gulp.

Arthur turns the coin slowly in his fingers. "What'll it be?" He asks. "Heads or tails?"

John blows a fresh stream of smoke through the room as I answer. "Tails."

Arthur flicks the coin, catches it, and breaks out into a grin. "Heads."

Fuck. I clear my throat. "Tails," I say once more.

Arthur flips the coin, and lets out a low whistle as my heart hammers in my chest. "Tails it is," he says.

I take the coin from him, my shoulders sagging with relief, until John speaks. The added rules. He gets to ask a question.