"You can seduce a man without taking anything off, without even touching him."
Rae Dawn Chong
⚜️
"What game would that be?" Em asked.
Alexi's smile was almost nonexistent but his eyes were filled with mischief. He pulled something out of his jacket pocket and produced a small box. He opened the flap and out came a pack of cards.
"A card game, Alexi? I believe this is not very original."
"I never it said it was." He then pulled the blinds from the window and found a tiny switch. Em heard something clicked somewhere inside the carriage but couldn't pinpoint where. The next thing she knew, Alexi was pulling down a makeshift slab of wood that served as a table between them. "Can you shuffle?" He asked.
Em smiled. She and the other servants did play cards when they have free time. Alexi handed her the cards and she expertly halved the cards and began stacking them with precision. He watched her for sometime, quite entertained with her little show.
Once satisfied that the cards are now fully stacked randomly, she asked. "Now what?"
"Now you distribute the cards to us. Evenly. Facedown."
Her brows creased but she compiled. They may be playing a game she was not familiar with. The carriage continued its course and for awhile, Em was distracted. She threw the last card onto Alexi's pile. "We are not reading your fortune, are we?"
"Funny, Em. But I had mine read years ago, you may pass." He said and began to take his pile of cards closer to his side of the table. "You may take five cards at a time and leave the rest for now."
Em did and took out five cards from the bottom of the stack, nothing special but she just felt they may give her luck. "You had you fortune read before?"
"Curious are we?" He teased while his eyes focused on his cards. "You may ask me again once you win."
"And how exactly can I win?"
"Simple, we both find the pairs of the cards that we have. You may take one from my hands and put the pair on the side then add a new one from your pile. The last person who holds the cards unpaired, loses."
"Simple enough. But what do I get if I win?"
"You may ask me something and I shall answer truthfully and I shall do the same to you."
"You are merely finding an excuse to dig into my life."
"But wouldn't you want to know more about me?" He asked in that seductive tone of his. "You may also ask me to do something instead of asking a question."
Em sighed. There wasn't anything interesting in her life to share anymore. She assumed that Alexi's servants had found how boring her existence had been. He'd just waste his time but she figured that if she won there was no point in giving in to his wants. And she could make him do silly things, like shut up during the entire trip. At that thought, she smiled. "Shall we start?"
***
They were quite for awhile, both intent on winning. Em had now three pairs of cards on her table but Alexi just laid down his fifth pair. She tried not to panic and pulled another card from his hand and got the King of Hearts. Her eyes quievered because she couldn't seem to find a pair on her deck. With a deep breath, she shuffled her cards and rearranged them. She couldn't pull out a new one unless she got a pair laid down.
"We can talk while doing this you know." Alexi said and chose a card from her outstretched hand.
"As long as it is something interesting, I may reconsider. I do prefer the silence."
YOU ARE READING
His Innocent Rose (Hinley Manor Book 1)
Historical Fiction-Damian Davensport- He was the next Duke of Hinley and all of his Father's responsibilities fell into his shoulders. A bride was provided for him, a beautiful lady of good upbringing with an ancient name and heritage. The wealth and title was at his...
