Cheaters Always Prosper

A little later, however, - Jenni had no idea how long it was - another snippet of conversation from the other room caught the stunning blonde's ears.

"...So what would you take for it?" Nate was asking somewhat calmly.

"I'm not sure it's worth it, man. You haven't got enough to cover it and you've got nothing that I want. Why don't you just admit that you're done." Cory replied just as calmly and surely.

"I've got nothing, have I? Well...what about Jenni sitting on your lap again?" Nate asked and Jenni's ears perked up to points.

He was betting her again! That strange mix of annoyance and exhilaration flooded through her once more as she sat and listened. What her boyfriend's friend said however was surprising.

"What? No way. You got me with that before, and I'm not falling for it again. The bet would have to be way more than that for it to be worth the risk." Cory replied firmly and Jenni felt a little shocked that for the first time she actually felt more respect for Cory than she did for her boyfriend right then. He was at least acting like a decent guy! Unlike her boyfriend!

To her surprise, though, Nate wasn't finished.

"Well what would make it worthwhile? And don't say a blowjob, because that's not happening!" Jenni's boyfriend responded and for a second the busty blonde had no idea what her reaction was going to be.

At first she thought she would just sit there stunned. Then she thought she may jump up and slap her boyfriend for what he had just said. Asking his friend what would be worth the bet for him, about his own girlfriend! Oh, he had drawn the line at a blowjob - both of them found those stories where a girl is bet in a poker game for a blowjob funny, as if they would be real! - which was good for him as she may just punch him if he had gone that far! But everything up to that was still on the board! His own girlfriend!

Despite the anger, however, a part of Jenni still felt that odd little fizzle in her stomach at the thought of being bet. This time both Nate and Cory sounded certain of themselves, as if they both thought they were going to win. Well, Nate sounded more confident with his betting than Cory was about the bet, but with twice losing when Jenni was brought up it was no surprise!

"I don't know, man. I'm not sure anything is worth the risk. I've got you if you can't call." Cory said slowly.

"Oh come on, man. Don't be a chicken shit. There's got to be something you'd want from Jenni." Nate said, stoking his girlfriend's fury even more.

She downed what was left in her glass and put it aside before she smashed it.

"Oh, man, I don't know." Cory laughed, "No blowjobs?" He asked as if he hadn't really thought that, but Jenni could bet he had. Nate shook his head and Cory sat thinking as he eyed his cards and Nate, sizing both up.

Jenni's boyfriend just sat there. Eagerly awaiting his answer as if he could barely sit on the chair. The size of the pile in the middle was the largest yet, and with how he normally lost Jenni knew her boyfriend was dying to win a game for the first time. Especially with how lucky he had been tonight already. Even if he was seemingly losing again.

"You don't give up, do you?" Cory asked amusedly and Nate shook his head. Sighing as if put upon, which Jenni could tell even from there that it was false, Cory shrugged, "I tell you what, for a strip lap dance I would do it."

"Done!" Nate replied before Jenni had even had a moment to blink at what her boyfriend's friend had suggested.

The quickness of her boyfriend's agreement, and what he had agreed to, instantly stoked Jenni's anger to a fever pitch and she couldn't hold back any longer. Standing up she stormed into the kitchen and grabbed her hips before she throttled her boyfriend where he sat.

"What?? You're going to bet me...me!, your girlfriend!...to your housemate? What are you thinking Nate!? You're going to bet that I'll give him a strip lap dance? How could you!?" She seethed.

When he could finally get a word in edgewise Nate looked up at her, half defensive and half cowed by her sudden furious entrance.

"Babe, I can't lose, so I'm not really betting you at all!" Nate replied, feeding Jenni's fury even more at the shadow of her own thoughts.

"It's a fucking game of chance, Nate, of course you can lose! And then, what, you'll let your girlfriend give your friend a strip - a STRIP! - lap dance?" She almost bellowed as she shook. That feeling of tingliness only sparked a little wilder inside her at the thought of such a bet. Why she should feel any exhilaration, Jenni had no idea, but right then all she could think of was how angry she was.

"It's a game of skill, babe, and trust me, I wouldn't make this bet if I wasn't absolutely sure!" The confidence in his voice cut at the anger within Jenni as it had earlier. He did sound certain, even more so than Cory did. Taking his advantage he lowered his voice as he added to her alone, "It's just to get Cory to agree so I can win. He won't agree to anything else. Trust me, babe, there is no chance he'll win."

"Famous last words." Jenni replied as her anger still simmered inside her. But the confidence in his eyes and voice did press home his advantage. And he had won the last two times he had bet her. Would he bet her if there was a chance he would lose? For a strip lap dance? Jenni didn't think so, but then Nate's new found luck couldn't hold forever and he never normally won.

"Do you trust me?" He asked, and the longing in his eyes said he would be hurt if she didn't. He seemed so sure of himself.

That look smothered a little more of her anger and Jenni found herself reluctantly nodding.

"You know I do." She said in a more calm tone, "But Nate..."

Not letting his advantage be lost, Nate broke in.

"Trust me, babe. I've got this. I can't lose." He said before smiling his winning smile at her. "Ok?"

For a long moment Jenni just stared at him as her anger boiled up inside her. But at the same time that small spark of exhilaration still tingled inside her stomach and nerves too, and she found herself thinking of how confident her boyfriend was and how he would never make a bet like this if he thought he'd lose. And slowly, ever so slowly, Jenni nodded.

"Great, so we're on?" Cory asked with barely contained excitement, no doubt at getting to see her strip for him. "Beautiful!" Whether he meant that for the bet or her, Jenni had no idea, but she only turned around to look at the table top as both men resumed their game.

"So you accept the call?" Nate asked anticipatorily.

"To get a strip lap dance from Jenni? That's too tempting to pass up!" Cory almost bounced in his chair.

"Alright, three, two, one..." Nate announced and then both of them placed their cards down on the table.

Jenni's heart sank as she looked over at Cory's beaming face. A straight flush. He had been confident for a reason, and by the look on his face he knew it too. Nate couldn't have beaten that unless he had gotten...

...And there it was. A royal flush sitting in front of Nate.

Relief so sudden washed through Jenni that she almost collapsed onto her ass on the floor. Nate had won. He had been sure. Certain, even. But with a straight flush Cory could have easily beaten any other hand he had! A tingle ran down Jenni's spine at the thought and her stomach fluttered. She had come as close as she ever wanted to being a play thing for Cory MacKenzie. And now she felt utterly drained. Yet oddly excited.

That last didn't register however as Jenni's annoyance at her boyfriend for putting her in that situation in the first place resurfaced. Even if he had known he would win, though how he would know she had no idea!, even if he had he had still bet her, and bet a strip lap dance at that! This was all too much for the sexy blonde girlfriend as she turned to her boyfriend.

"You are going to be too cocky one of these days." She said a little breathlessly, "He almost had you. And then what? I'd have had to strip for him. Your girlfriend, Nate."

"But he didn't. And you don't. I knew I had him, babe, or I wouldn't have made that bet." Her boyfriend replied calmly and confidently, "I told you he couldn't beat me."

"And if he had had a royal flush as well?" She asked stubbornly.

"We'd have split the pot with the majority going to him so you wouldn't have to do it." Nate responded almost nonchalantly. "I told you I knew what I was doing."

His calmness, almost arrogance, annoyed Jenni.

"Well that's it for tonight. No more betting me, you hear me?" She told him angrily and after a moment of looking at her Nate finally, and reluctantly at that!, nodded.

With a look at Cory for good measure Jenni stormed off into the lounge and deposited herself on the sofa, feeling grateful for being off her weak legs.

For a while Jenni couldn't settle. Her stomach kept doing flips at the thought of what had almost happened - both from nervous disgust and anger and also from that odd tingling excitement at being the bet - and her head kept spinning. She had been right to be upset. How could Nate have been so confident? Of course he had had the best hand in the game, and even tying he would not have lost her, but still. To bet her. Just to win some money! And this wasn't even the first time that night!

For a while Jenni just sat and stared past the television, lost in her own thoughts and feelings. However even as she couldn't settle she couldn't stop listening in on the guys either. To make sure Nate didn't break his word and bet her again!

Finally she began to settle and finished her wine. She was almost feeling somewhat stable when Nate and Cory came walking in to the lounge. They couldn't have entered more differently from one another. Nate was all proud and grinning, whereas Cory looked confused and bummed out.

Looking over to them Jenni decided against waiting for Nate to speak first. She was annoyed but she wasn't childish.

"So, how was the night?" She asked with only a tinge of how she felt shining through. Nate didn't seem to notice anything.

"I won." Nate announced with a grin and a look for Cory, slapping his friend on the shoulder before making his way over to wrap his arms around her over the back of the sofa and kiss her head.

Both Cory and Jenni shared a confused look. Nate never won at poker, and he had been losing except when he had bet her. How had he won?

"I...guess that practice really paid off?" She half said and half asked, giving Cory another look before leaning back to look up at Nate.

"Yep. Couldn't have gone better. And Cory here is out of pocket to prove it." Her boyfriend answered with a smirk towards his friend.

"So something nice for me then tomorrow?" She asked. It was the least he could do given what he had put her through tonight.

"Something nice for you for the whole week! Cory lost big time!" Nate replied and laughed as he looked over to his friend's dejected face once again. "Don't worry buddy, there's always next time."

"Yeah. I guess." Cory responded, not seeming to know what to say. For once he wasn't ogling Jenni, which showed just how confused he was at having lost to Nate that he was.

Nate only laughed softly to himself at that before he jumped over the back of the sofa and landed next to Jenni, clearly feeling good about himself.

"Alright then, I'm going to crash." Cory finally announced as it was clear he was the third wheel all of a sudden. He still sounded perturbed. "I'll catch you guys tomorrow."

With that Jenni's boyfriend's friend walked off through the lounge door and headed up the stairs, while Jenni and Nate sat watching the television.

Jenni thought that now was the perfect time to bring up how annoyed she was at Nate. However when she looked over at him he was too happy for her to broach the subject. She didn't want to spoil his night, even if he had bet her. How she felt could wait until the morning. Then she would let him have it. But first she would let him know how annoyed she was by not saying anything.

And so she did. Sitting in silence until both of them went to bed, and even there she rolled over after a quick kiss goodnight. If Nate thought he was going to get lucky with her after how he had been tonight he had another thing coming.

The next day rose like a gilded candle as the sun poured through the bedroom window already promising that the rest of the day would be as beautiful as it was the previous day. As peaceful and serene as the weather should have made the day, however, Jenni woke up still as annoyed as she was the day before. Even so the beautiful blonde lay silent in bed, not saying a word how she felt, until Nate stirred and woke up with a kiss on her cheek.

That one kiss on her cheek was all she allowed him to have before she threw her covers off and stood up in just her t-shirt and underwear, looking out of the curtained window. Jenni waited there for a moment, waiting to see if Nate picked up on how irritated she was, but that hope was dashed as she heard the ruffle of him getting out of bed and the sound of him stretching before he padded to the wardrobe.

Turning around Jenni looked at her boyfriend as he pulled a t-shirt over his head, getting dressed so he could go to the bathroom down the hall, and began pulling on his jeans as if he had no idea what she was feeling. A part of her wanted to clear her throat to let him know something was wrong, but if he hadn't noticed already she wasn't going to give him a clue how deep he had dug himself. He should have noticed after getting nothing from her last night or this morning, let alone her stony silence. But he just kept getting dressed as if he had no idea she was upset with him.

Finally the silence, and Nate's obliviousness, wound Jenni up too much and she snapped.

"So you're not going to say anything about last night?" She said finally in a tone as terse as she felt.

"What about last night?" Nate asked innocently. He really had no idea that she was upset! Or why she would be! The bastard!

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe about betting your girlfriend to your housemate!" She replied tartly.

"What..." Nate began and then suddenly realisation seemed to dawn on him. "...Are you mad about that?" He asked, and Jenni's eyes shot open.

"Mad? Why would I, your girlfriend, be mad that you bet me to your friend. Not once, but three fucking times. And to strip for him and give him a lap dance as well!" She said in a dangerously quiet tone, barely keeping herself from shouting the house down.

Nate looked at her for a moment, seeming not to understand the problem, before a look of realisation passed across his face and his cheeks heated.

"You mean the bet I made with Cory?" He asked, and Jenni nodded sharply, her arms folded beneath her heavy breasts. "Babe, that wasn't a bet. There was no way I could lose! I just needed him to have incentive enough to bet against me. There was no way I could lose you to him."

Nate was so sure of himself he laughed and sounded as laid back as ever, as if what she was annoyed about really was nothing to him. That only sparked Jenni's heat even hotter.

"Nate, it's a game of poker. Even when you had the best hand you still can't know what will happen. And more than once you could have been beaten! And you have been so many times in the past. How could you bet me like that!? Your own girlfriend!" She replied, a little more of the anger she felt coming through.

"Babe, I couldn't have lost. Really. I would never have bet you if there was even a slight chance of me losing you. I just needed to reel Cory in so I could take his money." Her boyfriend replied and Jenni stared at him with amazement.

She didn't know what was more offensive, that he had bet her and didn't seem to see why it was a problem or that he had used her as bait when he did know he couldn't lose her!

"Nate, you don't know that! Twice you could have lost me. And even when you had the best hand you still bet your girlfriend to strip for your friend and give him a lap dance!" She replied, her voice rising a little more. She didn't care if anyone heard at that point.

"Jen, I couldn't have lost you. There was no chance. Not even a little bit. I wouldn't have made the bet otherwise." Nate replied sounding confident and calm, almost amused as he straightened his t-shirt and came around to where she stood.

"There's always a chance. But even if there wasn't, you still bet me to your housemate." She said with anger scouring her voice. "Do you know what that looks like? You betting your girlfriend to your friend?"

"But I couldn't lose..." Nate began again, sounding as if he had explained this before. This time Jenni didn't let him finish.

"How do you know? How could you know!? And then what? You would have had me sitting on your friend's lap? Stripping for him?" She snapped, and Nate took her hands.

"I know because I made sure I wouldn't lose." Nate replied comfortingly as he looked into her eyes. As she stared at him confused and still livid he continued, "I didn't just get better at playing last night. I cheated. I had cards hidden away that I could take out whenever I wanted."

He said, and suddenly Jenni felt like she had been punched in the stomach. All the wind left her. "I played to lose to let Cory get a false sense of security and so he wouldn't get suspicious. But I knew I had better hands than him any time I bet you. I just needed you to draw him in to the bet so he would lose his money and feel like he had done it legitimately. I won and lost enough not to make it strange and then had to make a big bet he would go for when he thought he had me."

For a moment Jenni stared at her boyfriend dumbfounded. He had cheated? Against his friend? Wait. He had bet her just so he could get Cory's money? Even if he had known he would win by...cheating...he had still thought it was ok to bet her to his friend? He didn't seem to realise how that looked! What must Cory think of their relationship that Nate would bet her to him?

All of that passed through Jenni's mind as she looked at her boyfriend and took in what he had said. And her anger only grew more.

So he hadn't risked losing her. That was not how it had looked to Cory or to Jenni. And he had still bet her! And to make money too! And even knowing that he could cheat twice he still could have lost to a better hand if Cory had had it! Cory must think that Nate would risk her on the chance he might win, so he might get her at some point too! It was hardly better. And to top it off, he had cheated his friend out of all that money! And he had used her, unknowingly, to do it.

To say that her anger only grew worse was to say that a hurricane was only a more potent storm. She was furious. Even if he hadn't risked her what he had done was worse almost. Or at least as bad. And he had made her a part of it unwittingly.

"Nate...you cheated?" She asked rhetorically, but Nate nodded anyway as if he were completely innocent. "And you used me? You still bet me? And you think anyone other than you would know that you hadn't risked me? You could have lost me twice still, without asking me, and think of what Cory must think of us now. That you'll bet your girlfriend to strip for him on some...some game!"

"Babe..." Nate began but Jenni was too annoyed to let him get more than one word in.

"No, Nate. That is...well shitty! You cheated your friend out of his money and bet your girlfriend, even if you knew you couldn't lose we didn't know that! And you didn't have the best hand every time you bet me, so he could have won! You couldn't have known that. How could you treat your friend and me like that? All for some money!" Jenni replied as she threw his hands down out of hers, her fury and outrage welling up inside of her.