Sunday Snippet: Five by Five

Greetings! Finally got a great day of weather today! *throws confetti*

Tonight's snippet is from Five by Five, a completely fun to write story about Vasha and Deke. They're well on their way to their happy ending. With a roadblock or two to get through first.

Here's the tagline:

Vasha Eick has everything she wants. Deke Vitali would be the cherry on top. An old rival shows up, shifting the dynamic and Vash has to stake a claim or get out of the way.

And here's the sneaky peek…

Vasha Eick grinned. "You're on. I call."

Deke Vitali's hand couldn't be beat…at least not by much. For once, Valkyrie would go down in flames. A red letter day and no one else would witness it. Deke decided he could live with knowing he'd finally beat her. And he'd have bragging rights…couldn't forget that.

He displayed his cards, one by one, on the table. Then leaned back, with confidence, and sent Vasha a smug smile. Her turn. He couldn't wait for her to show hers. And collect a long awaited payoff.

It took everything he had not to rub his hands together with anticipation. A hot kiss, with tongue, from Vasha…in front of the entire crew. He'd put the wager on the table, never dreaming she'd accept and he'd end up the winner.

If the damn fool woman ever laid her cards down, he'd be one step closer to claiming his prize. His brow lifted and she sighed, shuffling the cards in her hand around. Stall tactics. He had her beat.

His first clue should have been the slow smirk her mouth curved into. The second, the way she laid her cards out with a flourish, one by one. But the final straw? Vasha holding the last card between her thumb and forefinger, flipping it back and forth. No reluctance, only a teasing little grin, before she dropped it beside the others.

Oh…no way. His mouth dropped open. She did not…

With a blink Deke sat up. Fuck it all. Her hand topped his.

The word 'No!' echoed through his mind. Several times. He'd been so damn certain he had her beat.

Deke stared at the cards placed on the table. "That's just…wrong! There's no way you could have a hand that good." He couldn't believe he'd have to pay up.

And it would be a doozie of a show, too. He'd have to…shit…

He should have known. Never, ever bet against Valkyrie unless you had five by five, the best hand in the lot. Apparently not even four on the floor would be good enough when playing against her.

Mouth still hanging open, he glanced her way. She sat across from him, a gleeful grin on her face.

It just couldn't be. Now he'd have to…

Looking down at the cards again…something clicked. His eyes shot back up to hers and he stood, rifling through the discard pile until he found it…a duplicate to one she'd played. There shouldn't be one of those.

"You cheated?!" Disbelief shot through him.

Vasha's laugh burst out in full-blown glory. "Hell yes, I cheated…" She caught the incredulous look on his face and quickly added. "Sorry, Deke…couldn't pass that up." Standing up, she snagged the extra card from the table…probably because she might just need it again. "There's not enough entertainment around here…and a chance for the entire crew to watch you give your next briefing naked? Well…" She let the excuse hang and glanced toward the exit.

Oh, no. She didn't get to escape. Vasha Eick, ace pilot and card shark, had some big ass explaining to do. Deke started around the table and Vasha beat a hasty retreat toward the door.

She stopped and shrugged. "Hey, you can't blame a girl for trying." She dashed out into the corridor to haul ass away from him…laughter bouncing off the bulkheads.

Evil wench. Deke shook his head and took off after her. "Oh…yes I can."

Vasha jumped right into the fire by trying to pull a fast one on Deke. Then again…she's sort of known for doing exactly that. LOL

Hope you enjoyed!

That's all for this week. Catch everyone on the flip.

ML Skye