Page 50

Lost Room Lawyer

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It’s all just research , I reminded myself. Look at it objectively. Someday, you can use this experience in your next book.

But no matter how hard I tried to distract myself from the cards in my hands, they were simply out of this world.

Okay! Stay cool!

Maybe you’ll win back your chips.

“Last chance, Rossi,” Mick, my roommate, said beside me.

It was the last chance to get my money back, so I went all in without hesitation. I had no other choice but to win this round because I wasn’t planning on going home. I was here to scoop up the entire pot.

At least, that’s what I kept telling myself because greed wasn’t really my thing, and I’d never been particularly ambitious when it came to competitive games. But the seriousness of the play was contagious, so I wasn’t going to give up easily either, especially since my money was on the table.

Focus! You can do this!

Unfortunately, my photographic memory couldn’t keep up with the constant shuffling of cards. Still, a few players laid their cards face-up when folding, giving me some valuable insight.

At least I knew Mick to my right well. His real name was Dominic, and he’d been my roommate for eight years.

Despite experimenting with countless styles over the years, today he looked downright conservative in his buttoned-up black shirt.

Even his brown hair was carefully slicked back.

Only his nose piercing hinted that he wasn’t as harmless as he appeared.

No matter how much of a show he put on for the others, I could tell from the slightest twitch at the tip of his nose when he had a strong hand.

He couldn’t fool me—no matter how hard he tried.

All the men at the table were old, at least nearing fifty—except for the guy to my left.

I guessed he was in his mid-thirties, maybe thirty-seven at most, no more than ten years older than me.

I didn’t mind that Mick and I lowered the average age.

In fact, I found the older men easier to read compared to the guy next to me.

It was now his turn in this round. He took a sip of cognac and placed the glass back down. As inscrutable as he was, I’d long since given up trying to figure him out and instead just enjoyed looking at him because he was hot.

“I’ll see,” he said in his deep, smooth voice that sent a chill down my spine.

He called himself Corvo, but that wasn’t his real name. None of the people here used their real names. While Dominic called himself Mick because he was a big Mick Jagger fan, I had introduced myself as Rossi. Also at the table were DaVinci, Papageno, Bruce Lee, Yakuza, and Pestalozzi.

“For safety reasons,” as Bruce Lee had communicated upfront. “After all, we’re not exactly playing within the law here.”

To my surprise, everyone else had folded. I turned my head to Corvo, who was staring at me with his light hazel eyes, raising his eyebrows expectantly.

He resembled a lawyer—or at least how I imagined one. I wasn’t trying to make fun of lawyers since soon I’d be walking around in a suit and tie at a law firm myself.

The suit fit him perfectly, enhancing his worldly demeanor. His dark brown hair was lightly gelled and combed back, complementing his slim build and strikingly handsome face. A faint shadow of stubble accentuated his chiseled chin, while a subtle smile played at the corner of his mouth.

I couldn’t quite read him—was he bluffing or holding a great hand? Either way, he was eager to see. So, I laid down my full house.

“No way!” Dominic explained as he leaned forward and blinked in awe at my cards. “How did you manage to stay so cool?”

“Well,” Corvo said, sounding amused as he placed his cards face down on the table to conceal his hand from my view. “You’ve definitely earned this round.”

It was the first time that Corvo had smiled that evening, and I was instantly captivated.

He did it with his lips pressed together as if trying to avoid showing his teeth and revealing too much about himself.

For a moment, our eyes locked, and I couldn’t look away.

There was an undeniable elegance about him.

If I had to guess, we were sitting here with bankers, lawyers, or some other big shots because all the men—except Dominic and me—exuded power and wealth.

But Corvo had something more. It wasn’t just his attractiveness but the air of mystery about him. When he turned away and reached for his cognac with a graceful movement, my breath caught for a moment.

Oh yes, this man was hot and interesting. That made him my biggest opponent at this table. Corvo only needed to wink at me, and I’d be…

Wait, what?

Did he just wink at me?

Is he into me?

Damn, he’s trying to distract me.

So that’s his game!

Focus, Nico!

I quickly shook off the thoughts, leaned over the table, and dragged the winnings toward me with both hands.

While Bruce Lee reshuffled the cards, I organized my chips.

The last round had taken a long time, and the men had all bet big.

It could have cost me dearly, but now I was sitting here with nearly eight hundred francs and was back in the game.

I knew full well that I’d either walk out of here with four thousand francs or with empty pockets. But no matter how it ended, the evening was already worth the five hundred.

With my chips sorted, I grabbed my glass and took a big sip of soda. My eyes sneaked a glance at Corvo. He wasn’t the only one at the table wearing a suit, but in my eyes, he had the most style of all the gentlemen here.

I tried to figure out what set him apart from the others. Maybe I could learn something from him since I’d be wearing a suit myself come Monday.

I didn’t shop for the internship, relying on shirts I already owned.

I had a new pair of pants from my half-sister’s wedding and another from a college friend’s.

My father had been giving me ties since I turned twenty-one, hoping I’d wear them, and I had shoes and jackets ready.

I’d just need to tie back my shoulder-length hair, which I didn’t mind.

“I’m out,” Papageno said before I even had a chance to look at my new cards.

Yakuza tossed his cards onto the table, so DaVinci started the round with a fifty.

Pestalozzi and Bruce Lee folded as well.

Corvo stayed in. I had an Ace and a five, so I decided to stay in too.

Dominic hesitated for a moment. He had barely any chips left, but he took a chance and stayed in as well.

As DaVinci waited and passed the turn to Corvo, I tried to read him, but I had no luck. With an imperturbable poker face, Corvo raised the bet to a hundred, then glanced at me with a satisfied smile and arched an eyebrow.

“Are you in, Rossi?” A smile tugged at his lips.

Is he flirting with me?

I didn’t know the community cards yet, but since I was banking on the Ace and had plenty of chips in front of me, I decided to go along.

Dominic went all in, his quiet sigh barely audible. He was the type to always go all out—if he was going to lose, he’d do it in style.

“Oh no, not now,” he groaned as he reached for his vibrating phone.

“Are you on call?” I asked, surprised.

“Yeah. I didn’t think I’d get called in tonight. Damn.”

Dominic set the phone next to him on the table and turned his attention back to the game. By now, DaVinci had also stayed in, and Bruce Lee revealed the first three community cards.

A Jack, a six, and a three. My heartbeat quickened. With my Ace and five, I had nothing.

Stay cool!

But I had no idea if I was managing that.

DaVinci folded, and Dominic was out too.

“Sorry, gentlemen. It’s been a pleasure.” My roommate got up from his chair and gave a casual salute. “Unfortunately, my night ends here because some old geezer probably fell out of bed—plus, I’m broke.”

“Feel free to come back anytime!” Papageno said, who had a pile of Dominic’s chips in front of him.

Dominic patted my shoulder in farewell. “Make sure to wipe out dear Papageno.”

I laughed but felt slightly uneasy sitting at the table without my roommate, especially with a weak hand.

“You’ll be fine, right? You can find your way home?” he asked, putting on a black cap.

“Of course. No problem at all.”

I’m not a kid anymore.

“Alright then! Have a good evening!”

As Dominic walked out the door, my gaze inevitably drifted to Corvo.

The man radiated confidence. And he just raised the bet by another hundred.

In a split second, I decided to take the risk.

I still had enough money in front of me, so I stayed in and tried not to let Corvo’s calm stare intimidate me.

There was something irresistibly attractive about him. The fire in his eyes and the way he seemed to undress me with its intensity stirred something deep within me. And— damn! —it turned me on.

Bruce Lee revealed the last community cards. A seven and a Queen.

I had nothing! My Ace and five were useless. If there had been a four, I’d have a straight, but as it stood, I had nothing!

Damn! Stay cool, Nico! Just go through with the bluff. Let’s see how you handle it. All in the name of research.

Corvo raised another hundred. I could see from the corners of his mouth that he enjoyed challenging me. That’s when I realized I had to turn the tables. If I was going to pull off this bluff, I had to challenge Corvo, so I raised my bet by two hundred.

Corvo’s gaze drifted to the cards in the middle of the table.

Papageno and Yakuza were chatting quietly, while Pestalozzi poured himself more cognac.

Meanwhile, I studied Corvo’s beautiful lips and noticed the small dimple in his chin.

He was truly a handsome man. Was he really gay?

Maybe he had just seen through me and was pretending to gain an advantage.

When he looked back at me with a playful smile, I couldn’t maintain a poker face any longer and smiled back.