Depends

“That depends,” Tom answered, “Is this what you really want?” Tom held their gaze. Finally they nodded; first Linda, then Cindy.

“So tell me,” Tom said, “How do plan to make it worth my while?” Both girls stared at Tom dumbly. Their roommate crossed to the stove and turned on the oven.

“I’ve got work to do.” Tom told them when he returned, “Unless you’re planning to pay the rent next month.” He quickly grabbed the remaining groceries and turned away. A smile appeared on his face and he didn’t want the girls to see it. The truth was he had already decided that he was too tired to be effective tonight. That meant he would have to work on it tomorrow. And that meant Linda and Cindy would have had to do his chores. Helping them in exchange would keep their feelings from being hurt. Besides, the idea of watching them practice strip poker was intriguing.

Tom let them worry while he put away everything but the frozen pizzas. Since he was working, he paid most of the rent. He also paid all the utilities, except for their cell phones. While they split the cost of beer and fast food, he ended up buying most of the actual groceries. He didn’t mind. Ann had done the same when he had been a junior several years ago. This was how he repaid her kindness.

“Well?” Tom prompted as he handed each of the girls another beer.

“Couldn’t you do that work tomorrow?” Linda asked.

“I’ve got chores to do tomorrow.” Tom answered.

“How about we do those chores for you?” Cindy offered. Tom paused just long enough to make it seem that he was considering it.

“Okay, go get the cards and clear a space on the floor.” Tom told them. He turned back to the kitchen as a soft click indicated that the oven was hot. By the time he unwrapped the pizzas, popped them in the oven, set the timer, and returned; Cindy and Linda were sitting on the floor with a deck of cards on the carpet between them. Tom sat opposite them with Linda to his left and Cindy to his right.

“I’m no expert, but I can hold my own.” Tom told them. He picked up the cards and shuffled them idly. “I cannot make you experts; certainly not with only a week to work with. However, I can teach you enough so your play isn’t embarrassing.” Both looked at Tom intently.

“Rule number one of gambling.” Tom said sternly, “Never, ever, EVER bet more than you are willing to lose. For strip poker, that bet is your clothing. While most of the time people give back that clothing after the game, not everyone does. Other times the clothing is removed in such a way that it becomes…unwearable. So don’t wear anything you absolutely must get back. Also, be careful, if you are naked, the others may try to keep you in the game by letting you offer sex instead of clothing. Just make sure you know what you’ll have to do if you lose BEFORE you play the hand.”

“The other thing to remember is that you can quit at anytime.” Tom told them, “If things are going bad don’t hesitate to leave, even if it means walking home in your underwear…or totally naked.” It was obvious that neither girl relished the thought, but both nodded that they would. Tom didn’t believe for a moment that either would leave before the end of the game, but he doubted Tony would do anything to harm them. Tom had no doubt Tony wouldn’t hesitate to fuck their brains out, but he also had no doubt that Tony would keep them safe.

Despite the fact that both Linda and Cindy claimed that they knew the basic games and the ranking of hands, Tom quizzed them for five minutes before he was satisfied.

“What’s the most important thing to remember about gambling?” Tom asked. He smiled when both girls repeated his rule about not betting more than they could lose.

“You now know enough to become an ‘expert’. However, now comes the hard part, learning to make decisions.” Tom explained, “During each hand, you have several decisions to make; whether or not to play, whether and how much to bet, and if there is a draw, what cards to throw. Of the three, the most important and hardest to make is whether and how much to bet.”

Tom paused as the buzzer on the oven rang indicating the pizza was ready. Cindy jumped up and grabbed the pizzas from the oven. A few quick strokes and she had them sliced. Linda grabbed the empty bottles and brought another round. They sat back down and looked at Tom