Next One Is a Babe

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Cindy’s tight expression only meant that her mind was focused after losing the past few rounds, and she was neither angry nor anxious as she glanced up at Logan. “No, I’m not half scared to death. I’m just a little slow at picking up on the basics of the game, that’s all.”

Logan blinked at her in surprise. “You mean you’ve never played poker before?”

“Not really, but I’ve seen others play,” she explained flatly.

Hazel played poker all the time, and there had been days when Cindy needed her help, but she always brushed Cindy off by saying she couldn’t leave the table on a whim. As a result, Cindy would wait by the sidelines and catch a glimpse or two of the game, but she never bothered to learn.

Upon hearing this, Logan sighed and pointed out, “You could have told us sooner.”

He stopped and left his seat, after which he walked up to the door to summon an attendant. The attendant was meant to take over Cindy’s spot, for Logan had asked Ian to guide her through the rest of the game.

Ian stood up and took the seat next to Cindy’s without objection, and at that moment, she couldn’t help her frustration. It was as if they were back to playing the game from earlier, only this time she had trouble making sense of her cards.

On the surface, Ian might look like he was guiding her through the poker game, but in reality, he was distracting her. She had already forgotten all that he had taught her about the video game; his explanations now might clear her doubts, but she had a feeling that it would only take a second before confusion seeped in once more.

She was acutely aware of how close he was as they sat next to each other, though this was nothing compared to the intimacy they had shared in front of the gaming machine. That being said, he was probably only sitting next to her so he could see her cards and help her with them, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t too close to her for comfort.

Presently, the attendant took the empty seat to resume the poker game.

This time, Ian was not an active player, and he allowed Cindy to arrange her own cards. It was only when he felt like something might go wrong that he gave her a gentle reminder or two.

This made it easier for Cindy to relax and focus on the game, but Logan was a little miffed as he snapped, “Ian, watch your girlfriend! She’s totally throwing off my momentum—you’re supposed to be guiding her instead of letting her go rogue on the stakes. Oh, for heaven’s sake!”

Cindy had decided to raise the stakes again.

Ian scoffed in amusement and taunted, “Are you going to fold?”

Logan clenched his jaw and rolled up his sleeves. “First of all, I wouldn’t fold even if you were playing on her behalf. I’m a legend at poker games, and I’ve been playing poker for as long as I can remember. Do you really think I’d have a bad hand after all this time?”

If he had to be honest, his hand wasn’t that extraordinary, and he wasn’t sure why he was being haughty all of a sudden. Perhaps he was trying to look good in front of his own wife, but Lola didn’t even spare him a glance as she stared at her own cards.

Cindy was entertained by their interactions, but she swallowed the bubble of laughter that threatened to escape her. Ian, on the other hand, was mute as he drew closer to her.

The game went on, and this time, Ian made sure to rein Cindy in. He patiently explained the types of hand she had and which cards she should trade, but instead of helping her every step of the way, he merely prompted her once in a while. Eventually, she got the hang of poker.