It was just perfect timing when Phillip decided to take a mini-vacation, bringing along Tina and their one-year-old twins to Northwood.
There's something universal about men; for instance, they always seem to have this unspoken agreement about wanting to ditch their kids with someone else to enjoy some couple time. After dinner, Curtis, Phillip, and Austin found themselves sitting around a round table, a fresh deck of cards at the center.
The tension was palpable, like a string pulled taut, making the air thrum with anticipation.
A young club attendant, looking barely out of her teens and obviously nervous, was called over to deal the cards, her eyes darting between the three men's faces.
Curtis, the picture of relaxation with his legs crossed, threw out the challenge, "How about a bet?"
Phillip, never one to indulge in such pastimes, dismissed the idea, "Sounds dull."
"Scared?" Curtis taunted. "You can always back out now, save us some time."
Phillip's response was cool, "I'm just worried you'll throw a fit when you lose."
Curtis smirked, "Brother, your worries are misplaced. I won't lose today."
"Let's not count our chickens before they hatch," Austin chimed in, "unless you're planning to cheat."
"I walk the straight line; I don't need to stoop that low, especially not against you two," Curtis boasted, arrogance oozing from every pore.
Phillip shot back, "We'll see if you're still smiling later."
With a nod from Curtis, the young dealer nervously began dealing the cards, starting with two hole cards for each player.
Curtis peeked at his cards, nonchalantly flipped them back down, and leaned back in his chair.
As the dealer laid out the community cards - a nine of spades, a king of spades, and an ace of diamonds, followed by a fourth card, the ace of clubs, and finally, the ten of spades - the tension ratcheted up notch by notch.
In Texas Hold'em, players combine their two hole cards with the community cards to make the best five-card hand. The stakes were high.
Austin was the first to reveal his hand, a pair of kings.
"Three kings," he announced.
"Sorry about this," Phillip said as he revealed his hand, "borrowed a bit of luck from my wife."
Austin saw the aces and shook his head in disbelief, "All four aces, that's some luck."
Phillip turned to his brother, offering a chance to bow out gracefully, "I won't tell Anne if you fold now." Curtis just smirked.
Somehow, Phillip's newbie luck mixed with a lucky smooch from Tina, really worked out.
Holding four aces in Texas Hold'em was a near unbeatable hand. Curtis' chances were slim to none.
With a casual lift of his hand, Curtis revealed his hole cards - a queen and jack of spades.
"Royal flush," he announced, almost apologetically.
Curtis stood, adopting the posture the undeniable victor, "Our little
Betty's been an angel, so easy neo 22en an angel, so easy t
look after. If you're unsure about
anything, don't call me. Figure it out."
"Let's agree not to see each other for the next 24 hours, you sore losers."
Phillip and Austin could only sit in stunned silence as Curtis walked away, the image of casual victory.
Entering the living room, the sound of laughter greeted him. Tina, Joy, and Leanne were sharing a moment.
Joy seemed relieved, "I haven't had a drink in ages. Tonight, I'm going for it."
Tina looked at Phillip, "Bro, where you wanna go?"
Leanne, caught in Curtis' gaze, quickly looked away, her face a mask of feigned calm but her eyes
darting away told a differen.net
story.
vel?
Curtis, sensing something amiss, caught her before she could escape, "Running? What's got you so spooked, sold our house behind my back?"
Leanne tried to make light of it, saying, "It's really not that big of a deal."
Joy couldn't hide her glee, "Anne lost a game, and now, you're on baby duty for us."
Curtis was trying to process this sudden twist, "Wait, what game?"
"Texas Hold'em," came the reply.
In a twist of fate, Curtis found himself caught in the same trap he had set for others, "...."
Leanne blinked innocently, "I'm not really good at it."
It was clear she had been roped into the game by Joy.
Behind them, Austin broke into laughter, pulling Joy closer, "Looks like it's up to you to carry us."
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