A Tale of Two Tables

"How much?!"

"What's the issue? That's fairly low stakes for us," Tyrell Tissle stated.

"It might be for you, but Austin is a high school student," Amelia reminded her brother-in-law.

"Yeah, not all of us grew up with a silver spoon," Rusty pointed out as Tyrell appeared unaware of how the other side lived. "If I had that much at once growing up, it went for things I needed."

"Yes, yes, my apologies. Perhaps we can lower the stakes," Giles suggested. "Or have the young men buy-in at a fraction of the cost."

"Well, I came over here to win money, not waste time," Edward Laffont declared. Sounding annoyed by the issue, his voice matched Fred's face. Usually a people-pleaser, Edward already seemed rattled by Fred's constant digs.

"I can cover their buy-ins," Harvey offered hastily. Knowing Fred, he saw the coming comment directed at Edward written all over his reddening face.

"That's alright, Mr. Diamond. I don't need to play," the embarrassed teen replied.

"Nonsense! You're playing, kid. And I'll cover your buy-in. Harv can cover his girl's boyfriend," Fred jumped in. Seeing Austin about to protest, he insisted on his offer. "Don't worry about it. I go way back with your dad and probably owe him for something. Besides, I plan to win my money back anyway.

Jeff shot Harvey a quick look, who rolled his eyes at Fred's plan. Clearly, their friend wanted Austin in the game so that he could continue to press him for details about Orrin's plans. A reasoning that Austin had no clue about and confused him. Funny, Dad's never mentioned Mr. Singer as an old friend.

"Well, if you insist, Singer," Giles nodded, pleased that the game would go on at the original stakes. "And you'll cover the other young man, Harvey?"

"Yes, I--"

"No, I'll pay for myself," Owen interrupted his girlfriend's father. "Thank you for the offer, but I don't need a handout."

"It's not a handout. You're a college student, and I know how tight money can--"

"Thank you, sir, but no," Owen firmly insisted. The touch of anger in his voice caused Harvey to raise his hands in a gesture of acceptance.

"Now that's a sorely missed sight. Most young men these days don't have the necessary pride. They'll take and take, never learning to earn their way through life," Tyrell proclaimed, slapping Owen's shoulder.

Nearby, Amelia barely stifled a laugh. Her brother-in-law inherited money from his wealthy family and never turned Giles down whenever he paid for a dinner or trip.

"Very true. I made sure to instill that pride into my son," Edward stated haughtily.

Harvey's slight hand gesture kept Fred from giving his two cents on the matter. They both knew that Eddie loved to ride the coattails of his brother-in-law, Cyril Olesky. Also, knowing how his old friend's mouth loosened after a few drinks, Harvey hoped to get seated near Fred.

"Everything settled then? So everyone has played Texas Hold 'em before?" Rusty inquired. Seeing the nods from the two younger players, he continued, "Any ideas for how to split us up?"

---

Harvey waited as Tyrell pondered whether to raise the bid or not. For the third time, the uncertain man began to push his chips slightly in before pulling them back. Growing bored, Harvey moved his attention to the others at the table. Besides Tyrell, he ended up sitting with his daughter's boyfriend and the married couple of Amelia and Rusty.

The Vandermeers' game room was located on the second-story above the garage. An avid gambler and frequent entertainer, Giles' setup impressed Harvey. The large rectangular room had two billiard tables, a full-size bar, and three tables straight out of a casino, with two of them currently in use. If Giles pulled out a roulette table, Harvey wouldn't so much as flinch in surprise. He practically expected one to be in storage in the next room or basement. The only thing he hated about the room were the damn windows. Long plate glass windows lined three of the sides, with the room's French doors also made of glass. Harvey couldn't imagine living in a house with such minuscule privacy. And it's not like Giles and Vivienne are prudes. Are there even blinds on the bedroom doors?

Focusing on the Ridges, a thought popped into his head.

"How's Elliot?"

"He's doing well," Rusty answered about his younger brother as Amelia waited for Tyrell's decision. Two years younger than himself, Elliot was the even more outgoing and friendly Ridge brother. A freelance journalist, the younger Ridge traveled worldwide once he found a story that intrigued him. "He called us for the holidays but was very hush-hush with his whereabouts and what he was up to. That's fairly typical when he's working on one of his big stories. Once he's finished, he'll pop up out of nowhere for a visit."

"That sounds about right. I've run into him twice over the last five years—both times under the oddest circumstances. The first time, Dalton and I traveled through Europe and Asia to meet with a few business partners. We had a layover in Dubai, and guess who comes strolling out of the bar's bathroom, returning from a story in Afghanistan. Then, about two years ago, I was...uh, greeting an old friend backstage at a fashion show in Paris. Imagine my surprise when the door crashes open to reveal another model and your brother. The ladies found it quite amusing."

"Yes, I'm sure Elliot's tales of adventure and lust rival even yours," Amelia chuckled, shooting an impatient glare at Tyrell. "We--or should I say I--have to remind him to censors his stories when he regales the kids with his stories. As I'm sure you do, Harvey."

"The kids are old enough to hear the uncensored version," Rusty shrugged.

"Robin is only sixteen," Amelia stated, thinking that alone was a valid reason. She arched her eyebrow toward Harvey for support.

"I'm not the best person when it comes to this topic. I haven't censored my stories around Whitney for years," Harvey admitted, earning a frown from the mother.

Having avoided the conversation until now, Owen added a frown as well. He could understand a confirmed-bachelor such as Elliot Ridge carousing for women at his age. However, a father such as Mr. Diamond should behave in a more proper manner if you asked him.

"I can't say I'm surprised," Rusty chuckled. "I've heard that daughter of yours is a chip off the old block." Turning toward Owen, he warned, "You better work hard to keep that one. She won't settle for a boring life."

"I fold," Tyrell announced, causing everyone at the table to groan at the time wasted.

"We're going to set a time limit from now on," Amelia declared.

---

"Whoa, slow down, kid. You don't need to burn through those chips that fast," Fred warned Austin. Shit, I haven't even had a chance to prim my questions about his dad.

"Isn't betting the whole point?" Austin lazily replied.

"Well, yeah, but you got to be smart about it. Don't go--"

"It's your deal, Lockett," Giles reminded, talking over the impromptu poker lesson. Besides himself, the homeowner's tablemates included Fred, Austin, Jeff, and Edward. Between the teen's sloppy play and Fred and Eddie's bickering, only Jeff seemed like a worthy opponent. Always searching for an advantage, Giles felt satisfied that he'd found one.

"Another drink, sir?" Zarita queried, dipping low to show off her abundance of cleavage.

Jeff's eye's twinkled but not from the display of flesh. "Sure thing, sweetie."

Good, good. A man his size will require many more drinks to affect his decision-making. Peering around, Giles felt some disappointment to see that the other women had left the room. No worries. There is plenty of time tonight to seduce Sybil. Strange that such a magnificent piece of ass has never found her way into my bed yet. Of course, she was a late bloomer in high school, but our paths have crossed over the years. Her husband must be a fool! Even her brother can tell that she's itching for a different cock.

"Don't you dare talk to him like that," Fred growled, jabbing a finger at the man across from him.

"I'm sorry, Singer. I didn't realize that you were part of the Big Brother, Big Sister program," Edward sneered back. "Either that or you suspect that he's really your kid."

"Don't transfer your own worries to me. You know, Reggie does look more like your brother than you," Fred shot back.

"Wait, what did you say about my mom?" Austin challenged, taking several long seconds to get the implication.

"Nothing, I assure you. I meant that dig at him," Edward gestured to Fred.

"No, you heard right, kid. He implied that your mom is--"

"Fred!" Jeff finally shouted after several attempts to kick Fred away from the topic.

"What? If Eddie called my mom a whore, I'd--"

"I think that's enough from both of you," Giles interrupted. Fixing a menacing glare on his face, he added a verbal threat. "I haven't had to remove anyone from my home in several years. However, I can assure you that the lifetime ban from all of my homes would only be the start."

"My apologies, Giles," Edward responded, sounding slightly put off by the warning.

"Yeah, sorry," Fred said but couldn't stop from adding another shot. "But, I think Austin is the one owed an apology."

Silence settled over the table. It went on for an uncomfortable thirty seconds before Giles finally spoke.

"Apologize, Laffont."

"Wait, what? Are you seriously going to--sorry, Austin, I didn't mean to drag you and your mother's reputation into our disagreement," Edward relented, after buckling under Giles' withering glare.

"So that means it's Fred's turn to deal," Jeff directed, hoping to change the subject. With the cards getting dealt, he downed his full glass.

Absentmindedly playing the next several rounds, Giles reminisced over similar married women that he'd conquered. Eventually, he glanced down in amusement. Even on autopilot, I can't help but win.

"I'm all-in," Austin announced, jerking Giles' attention back to the game.

"Oh, you're going down, Eddie. And this kid is going to be the one that does it," Fred gloated, leaning forward in his excitement.

Jeff opened his mouth, intending to point out that even if Edward lost, he'd still have almost half his chips left. Thinking better of it, he closed his mouth. Having his turn as dealer come back around, Jeff figured he'd better not start another argument until after the hand was over.

Everyone studied the four community cards laying face-up on the table. The Two of Clubs and Eight of Hearts didn't necessarily strike interest in the observers. The Jack of Clubs and Ace of Spades led to several speculations in their minds. Figuring that Austin had an additional ace, Fred practically bounced with joy as Jeff dealt the river card.

A Four of Diamonds lay face-up.

"Alright, let's see them, kid," Fred directed as Edward flipped his cards over.

The reveal showed a Three of Diamonds and a Jack of Spades, giving the older player a pair of jacks.

"Shit," Austin mumbled, tossing his cars onto the table.

"What the...you gotta...are you fucking for real?!" Fred stammered, seeing a pair of sixes. "You went all-in on a pair of sixes?!"

"Tough luck, kid," Jeff said, attempting to be polite.

"Tough luck? That's fucking idiotic!"

"Thanks for the addition, Austin," Edward remarked, shooting a grin at his nemesis as he moved the pile of chips back toward him.

"Don't give me that smirk!" Fred yelled, pointing across the table.

"Freddie, play nice," Harvey called over from the other table.

"Play nice, my ass," Fred grumbled but held back any further comments.

"Sorry about your money," Austin said with a shrug. Standing up, he moved to the bar and his girlfriend's father. Clive commented about having better luck next time before handing the teen a beer for his defeat.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Fred responded, attempting to blow off the loss. Studying the piles of chips, he realized that Austin's exit left him with the least amount at the table. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's play!"

"Uh, it's your turn to deal, Singer," Giles pointed out.

"Oh, right."

---

"Is Whitney planning to follow her father's college footsteps?" Amelia inquired over at the friendly table.

"Indeed she is. Whitney's all-in for Zurbrugg College," Harvey replied, beaming with fatherly pride. "Not only is she following my footsteps but also her mother's."

"Of course. How is Willow these days?" Amelia asked, unsure about bringing up the topic of his ex-wife.

"Fine, I think. She seems to enjoy running her art gallery back in Guzzle Crossing."

"Hmm, we should check out her gallery the next time we're near Guzzle Crossing," Amelia remarked to her husband, who merely nodded as he glanced at his cards.

"If you ask me, Breakwater University is the premier university in the region," Tyrell proclaimed. "That's where I met Cordelia and where our Cheyenne will attend next year."

"Breakwater is a fine school, but Whitney's had her heart set on Zurbrugg since she was little. Notwithstanding our family ties, she loves the campus."

"A Tissle has attended Breakwater since the 1920s," Tyrell continued. "You know the Vandermeer family has century-old ties to the university. It makes me proud that Cheyenne will continue both family traditions."

"Not everyone has to attend the school their parents' graduated from," Amelia commented, with a little annoyance creeping into her voice. "I might be a Vandermeer, but I chose Zurbrugg over Breakwater and never once regretted the decision. That's where I fell in love with Russ."

"If I recall, your parents weren't thrilled by your choice...of colleges, I mean," Tyrell replied, bringing up old family baggage.

"My choice of a college...and husband is my choice alone," Amelia responded with a sharp glare. "That's why we've encouraged our children to explore all possibilities."

"And they chose schools that fit both their academic and sports goals," Rusty nodded.

"RJ's out east, right?" Harvey asked.

"Yep, he chose a school where he could play football, but where football wasn't more important than his major," Rusty replied proudly.

"Ellie went the opposite direction. She landed a volleyball scholarship at Sandbar College," Amelia started to explain, piquing Harvey's attention.

"Sandbar College? Out near Breezy Bay?"

"Yes, that's the one."

"My Aunt Demi lives in Breezy Bay. Sandbar is the only other school that Whitney applied to because of our family's connection to there," Harvey revealed. "If I had known, I would've contacted my aunt for Ellie."

"Oh, wow. I forgot all about that," Amelia replied, glancing at her husband. "Obviously, Russ is close with Ned Toone, seeing as they were roommates in college. We told Ellie that she should contact them in an emergency. They don't live far from the campus."

"Or if she felt homesick and needed to see a familiar face," Ned picked up the conversation as Amelia focused on her bet. "But she's been **** to bother them. Ned's been dealing with a health scare."

"I heard that," Harvey nodded, surprising Rusty. "Bridget called them this afternoon to wish the twins a happy birthday."

"Their birthday?!" Rusty exclaimed in a panic. "Melly, we forgot the twins' birthday!"

"No, you might have, but I didn't," his wife responded without turning away from the hand. "I sent them their presents, and Tinsley called the other day to let me know that they arrived. And Robin said she talked to them before they drove up this morning."

"Whew," Rusty said in relief, wiping his brow. "I wouldn't want those two pissed at me. They've surpassed Elliot as a prankster. Damn scary too with their daredevil antics."

"Now, Russ, that's not nice to say about your old friend's daughters," Amelia scolded, finally looking back over at him.

"Well, they do. Too much like their mom," Rusty whispered the last part toward Harvey.

"Tinley is a little intense. You should hear some of the stories getting told back at my place about her clique," Harvey recounted, flipping over his cards to win the pot.

"Damn!" Amelia slammed the table at her loss.

"Now, I'm going to call my aunt this week and let her knew about Ellie. Demi loves to act as a tour guide for vacationers from Honey Hollow. I know without a doubt that she'd be thrilled to help Ellie settle in," Harvey stated.

"That's awfully nice of you, but I wouldn't want to bother your aunt," Rusty replied.

"It won't be a bother. I know it," Harvey assured with a smile forming. "Besides, Demi has a grandson the same age as your daughter. I can already picture Demi delegating some tour guide duties to him."

"Oh boy. A Diamond for our Ellington might be interesting," Amelia smirked, although Rusty didn't find it as amusing.

"He's not really a Diamond. Demi's family only occasionally has our side of the family's traits, and they come in phases," Harvey replied, picking up the fatherly concern. "I'm just not sure which of the grandkids take after us."

Watching the conversation, Owen grimaced. The further he discovered about Whitney's family, the less he liked.

---

"It's agreed—a ten-minute break. So refill your drinks, grab some snacks, or hit the bathroom," Giles suggested.

With everyone standing to stretch their legs, Austin sulked on his barstool. So far, he'd been the only person eliminated from the game. Mr. Singer and Mr. Tissle were pretty far down on chips, but not enough to be hopeless. Deciding that he needed to pee, Austin started toward the bathroom attached to the game room. However, Jeff Lockett entered with a warning behind him to Fred that he'd be a while.

"There's another bathroom off the hallway," Mr. Ridge mentioned.

Heading that way, Austin frowned upon exiting the room in time to see Mr. Tissle closing that bathroom door behind him. Mr. Laffont walked over to wait his turn.

"There are more bathrooms downstairs if you care to follow me," Zarita informed the teen after overhearing his quiet curse.

"Uh, thanks," Austin replied. Following the maid's offer, he bit his lip at the sight of her barely covered ass, swinging back and forth before him. Gawddamn! Is she shaking it more on purpose? I've never seen an ass...well, Lacey's is tighter, but damn hers might be second.

"Whoa! Nice view, huh?"

Glancing over his shoulder, Austin felt somewhat creeped out to see Mr. Singer admiring the maid's swaying buttcheeks. Turning his attention forward, Austin caught the last glimpse before Zarita started to descend the stairs.

"Um, I guess."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. You got a girlfriend," Fred remarked, slapping Austin's shoulder. "Still, it doesn't hurt to look, right?"

Descending the circular stairs, Austin followed as Zarita motioned for him to continue following her after she pointed out another bathroom that Fred could use. Happy to get away from the obnoxious man, the teen did just that. Eventually, the sexy maid led him into the kitchen, where the other women sat sipping wine and gossiping.

"Ah, I see it's break time," Mrs. Vandermeer said in her French accent that Austin found hot as fuck. "Come, come, what would you like, Harvey?"

"What are you offering, Viv?" Harvey said from behind Austin, shocking the teen. He'd been entirely focused on the maid's hypnotic ass, that he'd never noticed another person behind Mr. Singer.

"The bathroom is down that hall to the left," Zarita directed softly. "That one is more private." Noticing Austin's puzzled face, she motioned her head downward and added, "To take care of that."

Looking down, Austin's face turned bright red as he saw a large tent in his pants. Swiftly, he threw his hand in front of the bulge and began to stammer an apology.

"Nothing to say sorry for," Zarita assured him with a wink. "A girl will take any compliment that she gets." Spinning around, the maid giggled as she walked over to Mrs. Vandermeer.

Embarrassed, Austin speed-walked down the hall, past the foyer, and took a left down another hallway. Walking into the open room, the teen turned to shut the door, letting out a curse.

"Are you fucking serious?!"

While the glass bathroom door wasn't transparent, the semi-opaque glass allowed a person to make out much of what happened on either side of the door. As the toilet directly faced the door, a person taking care of a problem like his wouldn't have much privacy. Softly pushing the door shut behind him, Austin instead stood in front of the toilet, waiting for his erection to subside enough for him to empty his bladder.

Thinking of all the images that turned him off, Austin was able to pee. Wincing at how loud the noise echoed in the room, he cursed at agreeing to come with. It's not like Lacey's dad even played poker! He's spent most of his time making drinks while looking bored.

With the last droplets hitting the water, Austin froze as he heard the door open. Thinking that he hadn't latched the door, the teen turned to look over his shoulder and nearly screamed. Shocked at the sight of the intruder, Austin partially tripped as his pants slid down to his ankles. Panicking, he reached to grab the traitorous pants.

Before he could do that, a woman's right hand reached out.

"Don't do that," she ordered. Then with her left hand, she pushed the door shut behind her. Smiling at the panicked teenager, she licked her lips as she dropped to her knees.