Nine Shillings

Playing at Bragging

London - 1842

'You're cheating.' Josef tossed down his cards.

'The question isn't: am I cheating? It's: how am I cheating, sugar stick?' I picked his pocket watch up off the table and dangled it by the chain.

Bran had decided our bickering was the funniest thing he'd ever seen and was shaking with suppressed laughter, one hand covering his face.

Josef's gave Bran a side-long look. 'Bran's loading the deck for you.'

'No.' I put Josef's watch next to Bran's cufflinks, they'd get them back when the game was over.

His grin was drenched in wicked suggestions. 'What do I get if I figure it out?'

'Gentleman's choice.' I sipped my whiskey and arched my eyebrows at him. 'Mine if you don't.'

'Did you guess, brother?' Josef asked, pouring himself more whiskey.

Bran cleared his throat and took a gulp of whiskey to settle himself. 'No.' He met Josef's gaze. 'And lady's choice is none of your business.'

I rested my elbows on the table, steepled my fingers, and bit the tip of my thumb. Josef saluted me with his glass.

Bran dealt us four cards each then put the stack in the middle of the table. We checked our cards and each picked one to return to the bottom of the deck, Josef watched me for any sleight-of-hand. I put a stack of coins in the middle of the table.

Bran glanced at Josef and made a show of checking his pockets. 'Shirt it is.' He still had his wedding ring but he was never going to gamble with it, even in jest.

I leaned across the table and slipped my hand inside the open collar of his shirt. 'I hope I win.'

He kissed me softly, lips sharp with good whiskey.

'What about you, Sef?' I sat back. 'What've you got left?'

'Shirt for a shirt.' Josef unbuttoned his waistcoat and tossed it onto the empty chair next to me then shrugged off his braces.

'I fold.' I turned over my cards. 'Off with it then.'

He turned his over and frowned. 'You haven't won.'

I flipped Bran's cards over. 'Winner.'

Josef bent towards me and held my gaze, searching for deception. 'You're using your magic to look over our shoulders when we check our cards.'

'Both complicated and wrong.' I put my face close enough to feel his breath and rested my chin on my linked fingers. 'Shirt.'

Josef pulled his shirt off and tossed it to Bran who caught it and threw it to me. I pressed the collar to my nose and inhaled the cut wood and cinnamon scent of Josef without taking my eyes off him. He watched me as if I was doing the most erotic thing he could imagine. I draped the shirt over the back of the chair beside me.

He pushed the coins over to Bran and collected the cards. 'I'll deal. I'm not sure you two aren't pulling a fast one on me.'

'I'm an innocent bystander,' Bran said to the ceiling.

'There's nothing innocent about you.' I bumped Bran's knee with mine under the table.

Bran blushed and squeezed his lips together.

Josef separated the deck and flicked them together on the tabletop, completed a few nifty manoeuvres, and dealt them. 'Blind bets. Beat that.'

I grinned. We each returned a random card to the deck and placed our bets, except Josef.