The Drazen World: The California Limited (Kindle Worlds Novella) Read Free Page B

slaps it first, gets to keep the pile and the play continues like that until all the cards are played out.  Whoever has the most cards at the end wins.”
    “And what do I get if I win?” she asked.
    He smiled widely.  “See, I knew you would get into the spirit of it.  Hmm.”  He thought.  “What would you like?”
    She clasped her hands, resting her forearms on the table and leaning toward him.  “How about,” she whispered seductively, “you go and sit over there if I win.”
    He sat back and chuckled.  “See now.  We would both lose with that.  And besides, something tells me you don’t really want me to go and sit over there.  Do you?”  They stared at each other for a long moment.  “Minnie,” he said, his voice low and earnest, “do you know anyone on this train?”
    “No.”
    “No.  And do you anticipate seeing any of them ever again?”
    “No.”
    “Then what is the harm in this to a chaperone who cannot see?” 
    “You’re being very presumptuous.”
    “Yes.  I am.  We don’t have time for me to be anything but and I can’t be bothered with it besides.”  He looked out the window to the dusty, barren Missouri plains.  “Two days.”  He looked at her.  “Spend them with me and we part in LA, no strings attached.”  He paused.  “No one on this train knows us.  We could be husband and wife.”  She glanced at his bare ring finger.  “Lovers.  Listen, I like spending time with you.  And though you’ll not admit it, you enjoy spending time with me.  If you should happen to win, which isn’t likely because I have a lot of younger brothers and sisters and very fast hands, then we’ll make sure you get something you want.”
    “If you’re so intent on winning, what do you want?”
    “I should think it would be plain enough:  you.”
    Hovering over the table, they played, cards and hands flying fast amidst taunting and laughing. 
    Funny, I do believe you haven’t played cards, kid.
    Your hand is a little too itchy to touch mine. 
    Guilty.  You can decide the next game and what part of me you’d like to touch.
    Sit back.
    You sit back.
    How do you flip your cards so fast?
    How is it possible that you can flip them that slowly?
    How many brothers and sisters did you say you had?
    Tell me you have none.
    Six.  All older.
    Well, that explains it then.
    What?
    You have that shiftless, devil look about you just like Ned.
    Play, O’Drassen.  You’re distracting me.
    Ah.  Finally.  All’s fair in—well, you know.  You’ve been distracting me since you slammed into me on Track 7.  Turn about and all that.
    Now you’re cheating.
    Why would I need to cheat?  I’m winning easily enough in fair play.
    You’re too far forward.
    You’re too far back.
    You can’t slap every card.
    You’re truly terrible at this.
    It’s not my game.
    What is your game?
    We need to play something slower.
    We will.
    As promised, Jack won nearly all the games except for the ones where he deliberately slowed a beat.  He wanted to see her win.  More than that, he wanted to hear what she wanted when she did.
    “I don’t know,” she said after thinking.
    “Something.  Anything.”  She was thinking.  “Be creative.”
    “All right,” she said.  “When we get off in LA, I’d like those cards.”
    “These?”  He held up the deck, flexing them in his strong hands, and she nodded.  “Something more than these, surely.”
    She blinked slowly as she stared at him, a change so subtle occurring on her face that most would have missed it.  “And your hands to shuffle them,” she said with the frankest look anyone had ever given him.
     
    45 hrs. to Los Angeles
    They went to the lounge car for lunch but not before sitting down at the glossy Kelly green, cherry red, and butter yellow bar that shined like gumdrops and smelled like subtle notes of high-shelf booze.
    “I’ll have a gin martini.  Extra dirty,” said Jack, flashing his money and a smile to the