A Sure Thing

"So do you usually do stuff like this?" Tina asked as she and Andy entered the bookies together "Just walk up to random girls in shops and chat them up?"

"You walked up to me!" Andy pointed out cheekily.

"I walked up to the counter!" she corrected "That guy was pissing me off"

"I know, I was just teasing. And in answer to your question, no I've never done anything like this before. It was a complete one off."

"That's actually nice to hear if it's true. Though if you try it again you might want to pick a more effective method of securing an actual date. The odds of you picking five winners in a row must be thousands to one."

"I'm quietly confident. And whatever happens I get to spend the next couple of hours with you."

"That's sweet" Tina smiled approvingly as they reached the computer "So who do you have in the first race?"

"Natuna"

"What? Fuck that. I'm a struggling student, I'm not here to throw my money away a some total long shot I think I'll play it safe and go with Northman"

The pair placed their bets and walked over to the big screen to watch the race play out. Andy had done this kind of thing with Tina before and knew she got very energetic and tactile with him whenever victory was in sight. So that probably wouldn't be happening this time.

"There, I told you" she turned to Andy and slapped him on the shoulder as her horse took a commanding lead "I may not be a pro at this, but the bookmakers are and your horse is at twenty five to one for a reason."

"Slow and steady wins the race" he assured her, almost cockily.

"Yeah. I'm not sure that applies to sprint events, mate!" Tina retorted with a roll of her eyes.

But, as the race continued, Natuna began making up ground on a quickly tiring Northman.

"No fucking way!" Tina gasped in annoyance as the pair drew neck and neck.

"If it's any consolation, you'll come a close second" Andy told her smugly as he briefly stroked her arm in consolation to further establish body contact between them.

"Shit! Maybe you do know your stuff" Tina had to admit as Andy's horse crossed the line ahead of hers "Who do you have in the next one?"

"White Smoke"

"Really? At twelve to one?"

"Sure, the bookies just go off whichever horse ignorant punters are putting their money on. They don't study the form like I do." Andy told her assuredly. He wanted her to bet on the winner this time - helping Tina take home a big pile of cash would surely endear him to her far more than if his horses beat hers in every race.

"Fine, I'm going to trust your judgement and put a tenner on" she decided "That last prediction better not have been a fluke."

Andy knew the next race was going to be a tight one, which was actually perfect for him. He loved how pumped up and energetic Tina got whenever she was excited. That adrenaline transferred very nicely to the bedroom, he'd already seen evidence of that, and he had little doubt the sports enthusiast would be one of the most enjoyable fucks he could ever have. That thought made him a little horny even while watching her reacting to a nail biting race her horse would eventually win.

"Fuck Andy, we might actually have a shot here!"

He wasn't even completely sure she knew she was doing it, but Tina had put her arm around Andy's waist as three horses, White Smoke among them, raced to a thrilling finish. He reciprocated the gesture and even pulled her in closer to him. She was probably too invested in the race to care, but Tina didn't object to that in any way. In fact, as their horse pulled into a late lead, she held him tighter still. Then, when it crossed the finish line, she jumped into Andy' arms, wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed him on the cheek, while he cupped a pair of lovely firm buttocks that he had spent much time admiring during her football matches in his hands.

"You fucking beauty!" she told him after jumping back down "That's a hundred and twenty quid! Who are we going for next?"

"Arch Enemy at nine to one" he told her "I dare you to bet all of your winnings on it. I'm going to. It's a sure thing."

It really was, but Tina wasn't to know that. Andy was aware by now, though, that she was always up for a challenge, and raising the stakes would also raise her adrenaline, as well as amplifying her positive feelings towards him when she secured her winnings.

"Fuck it, I'm starting to think you might actually know your shit. Let's do it! All or nothing baby!"

That bravado had soon been replaced by a sense of perhaps rashly risking money she shouldn't have as the race began and their horses' eventual triumph looked far from assured. She reached over and held onto Andy's hand like she was his girlfriend and they were watching a horror movie together. He liked that feeling a lot. Then, when the race was won and a hundred and twenty pounds became a thousand it got even better, with Tina squeezing Andy tight and positively smothering his cheeks with kisses before jumping up and down in front of him like an excited child on her birthday who wanted to unwrap her next present NOW!.

"Who do we have next? No way am I betting a grand but I'll go half this time"

"Happy Henry"

"So seven to two, that means.." Tina looked up towards the ceiling as she did the maths for a moment "Something like two grand is riding on this."

She went ahead with the bet, but didn't look so confident in her decision once her money had been placed.

"It seems to be lucky when we cuddle during the race" Andy suggested to Tina as the horses set off once more, not really expecting that to work.

"What? I thought you said luck had nothing to do with it? You'd studied the form!"

Tina nonetheless wrapped her arms around Andy and pressed her body firmly against his own as she stared intensely at the screen and willed her horse on. It was one of the less dramatic races of the afternoon, but not for someone who had two thousand pounds riding on it and didn't already know the result. Tina's grip on Andy was strengthening as the race unfolded, her breathing heavier, her heart thumping against his chest - it couldn't help but put him in mind of fucking her. He had to be careful not to get hard over that notion though - his erection would surely not go unnoticed even with Tina being otherwise distracted, but she leapt away from him the moment Happy Henry crossed the line in first place anyway, jumping joyfully around the room for a bit before rushing back over and giving Andy a short but sweet kiss on the lips.

"TWO FUCKING GRAND!" she exclaimed "You have no idea how happy I am I ran into you this morning!"

"Happy enough to kiss me before our first date" he teased her.

"Hey, don't get ahead of yourself Mister. You don't even have a date locked in unless you pick the winner in the next race" Tina reminded him "Who are we putting our money on now?"

Andy was pretty excited about how the fifth and final race was going to play out. It ought to be a heck of a climax, assuming he could persuade Tina to go against her better judgement and put a decent amount of money on his pick.

"Helen's Blaze"

"What?" Tina's expression quickly turned from something close to adulation to bewilderment "Are you fucking kidding me? At A hundred and fifty to one? I don't care how good you've been so far, that's insanity. I'm not throwing my money away!"

"Fine, but for the record you'll still owe me the date when it wins" he told her confidently "And I'm gonna be putting all my winnings on"

"Is this a wind up?"

"Just watch me!"

Andy walked over to the betting machine with Tina in tow and, to her amazement, put everything he had won that day on the rank outsider.

"Are you mad? she asked, but then began to visibly waver "Maybe I'll put a hundred on, I can spare that. No, five hundred. No, fuck it, a thousand. I had next to fuck all before I came out this morning, I'll still have a grand left even if this one goes tits up."

Andy happily stepped aside and let his future date tap her bet into the machine. A financially strapped student who seemed to get an almost orgasmic kick out of winning anything at the races was about to earn herself a hundred and fifty thousand pound prize thanks to him. He was pretty sure she would appreciate that.

The great thing about the upcoming race was that, despite having significantly more money riding on it that Tina did, Andy knew without doubt what the result would be. He'd been through the loop enough times to realise by now that, apart from where he specifically intervened, everything happened exactly the same way each time. Which made him look cool as ice even during what should have been an immensely stressful situation.

"God, if my parents knew I'd bet a grand on a hundred and fifty to one outsider they'd be fuming at me" Tina acknowledged as she clung onto Andy before the race had even begun "I don't know how you can be so chilled about this!"

"Trust me" he promised as he reached his arm around her waist and rubbed it gently "Everything is going to work out just fine"

As the race began Tina's concentration on what was happening on the screen in front of her was so intense Andy figured he could probably have put his hand up her skirt or starting feeling her boobs and it wouldn't have even registered, but there would be plenty of time for that business later. Although, as he couldn't help but notice the shape of her clearly erect nipples poking into the light white t-shirt she was wearing, he wondered if this kind of adrenaline surge actually did give Tina something almost comparable to a sexual thrill.

As what had become a tightly contested three horse race entered the final stretch, it was all too much for Tina. who was by that point embracing Andy with her head buried into his shoulder almost as if he were her lover. Then, when Helen's Blaze came through in first place, she totally lost her shit. The wild celebration involved a lot more leaping about and squealing before she once again jumped onto Andy so he could hold her up while she wrapped her legs around him. However, this time she also placed her hands on each of his cheeks and kissed him. And this one wasn't just a peck on the lips. It was a proper, full on prolonged and sensual kiss. There was even a bit of tongue action involved.

After they had separated Andy found that he and Tina were facing a man with a camera in jeans and a polo shirt, the pocket of which was branded with the name of the betting company.

"Congratulations guys, that was some result! Would you be kind enough to let me get a picture of you both for our website> A nice young photogenic couple winning big is great publicity and might help us get back some of the money you've cleaned us out of today!"

Andy was about to correct him on the status of their relationship but Tina answered first.

"Sure, just let me have a copy for my socials"

She put one arm around Andy and held her winning slip up with the other while grinning like a Cheshire Cat. As far as anyone who saw the shot would know, Andy had a hot girlfriend.

Once they had stepped outside the establishment Tina placed her hand on Andy's shoulder and gave him yet another kiss on the cheek.

"I still can't believe I just won a hundred and fifty thousand pounds in one morning. Thank you so much! I guess I should go and buy a nice expensive dress for our date. Pick me up at seven?"

"Yeah, sounds good!"

"Great, I'll see you then! But just to be clear, this is only a date. I know I got a bit carried away back there but I don't want you getting the wrong impression. I'm not a sure thing" she turned her head as she began to walk off and shot him a cheeky wink "at least not yet."