Poker in the Rear

Tara tapped on the manager's door with the rent envelope in her other hand. Her irresponsible roommate had finally written a check for her half on the last day of the grace period. Normally her roomie delivered the payment but she was on a plane to New York to hire an agent. She was moving out at the end of the month and Tara had advanced her half of the deposit to cover her expenses. Tara liked Cheyenne, everyone did, but she was looking forward to having the townhouse to herself.

She could hear male voices and laughter from the open windows as she waited. She smiled pleasantly as the door opened and Mr. Anderson, the manager appeared. . He was a tall man of indeterminate age. She thought he might be an ex-athlete or a veteran. Often they ran at the same time in the morning. He was always polite but reserved. In truth she liked living here very much. The rent was reasonable for the area and the complex orderly and well maintained. The manager was a big reason that was true. He calmed down neighbor disputes, evicted the unruly and enforced the property rules even handedly.

Tara stepped into the foyer and handed over the envelope. Always before he would check the contents and write her a receipt. After a bit of casual small talk she would be on her way.

"Tara, we have a problem."

"Excuse me?" She asked.

"In April, Cheyenne brought a check for the rent and it bounced. OK, no biggie, accidents happen. I sent several notices but no one responded until the next rent was due. She brought a double check plus late fees and swore it was good. It wasn't. I told her no more checks. I can tell from your expression this is news to you but this is the third month. I have to file for an eviction tomorrow unless you can pay me the whole amount tonight."

Tara stared at him in horror. This could crush her credit. She'd just been promoted at work. Her employer was a very image conscious financial company. She could be demoted or fired. Realization hit her that Cheyenne wasn't coming back and she was left holding the bag.

"I always pay in cash." She spoke faintly.

"Then she's been stealing from us both."

A voice shouted from the living.

" Anderson. Who's your friend? Do we all get one? Are you playing or what?"

"Shut up, this is work. Drink another beer. I'll be there in a minute."

"Is that our delinquent? We're partners. Invite her in so we can join the negotiations." Another voice with a slight accent called back.

Tara got her first look at the men as she walked across the room. They were sitting at a felt covered card table eyeing her with interest. She was dressed casually in a simple white shirt with a short vintage denim skirt that emphasized her long legs. The buttons of her shirt were open to the knot she'd tied just below her breasts. She wasn't wearing a bra.

One of the men actually whistled. He was in his thirties and looked like the product of prep to business school education. In other words he looked like an entitled douche. Next to him was a man in his fifties wearing the ghost of a smile. He was neatly dressed and nodded politely at her but her creep-o-meter maxed out in response to his examination. His admiration of her body was undisguised and predatory. The third man sat with his back to her and twisted to see her. His shoulders and back filled his shirt to the point of bursting the seams. He took a long swallow of his beer as he looked her over. His shoulders and back filled his shirt to the point of bursting the seams. He radiated physical presence but he struck her as more of a follower than an instigator.

"OK, gentlemen, this is Tara. Tara, these are Jason, Rene, and Karl. They are minor partners in the complex. Don't turn your back on them."

The last was said with a smile but she could hear the real warning beneath the joke. Anderson explained the situation to the others. Rene stood and walked up to her. She tried her best not to flinch away. Rene was the first to speak.

"But the solution is so simple. She will join our friendly game and win the necessary funds. And she will be amused while doing so as will we."

"She may not know how to play poker and besides, she doesn't have the thousand to buy in."

"How much do you have, mon petit?"

Before she could answer Anderson gripped her arm and moved her back from the table. He leaned into her space and whispered emphatically.

"This is a bad idea. These guys are serious players and completely untrustworthy. Isn't there any other way to get the money?"

Tara was starting to get pissed. First, at Cheyenne for scamming her and now at Mr. Anderson for not letting her know earlier about the rent and trying to tell her what to do. And also at the three dicks at the table for assuming she was some brainless bit of meat. Plus, she'd played the game professionally for a couple of years after college. They might be surprised at that, she thought. A slight smile twitched her lips.

"I think I can decide for myself." She hissed to the man next to her and jerked her arm free.

"Thanks for the invitation, guys. I haven't played for a while but I'll do my best to keep up."

"Then there is only the small problem of the buy-in which I will solve by paying you the needed funds if that suits our punctilious friend, Anderson. So, mon cher, how much do you require?" Rene offered.

"Two hundred, please"

"Oui, so much fuss for such a nothing."

He counted out two bills from a well filled wallet and handed them over. Tara moved to take the open seat but Rene gently stopped her.

"No, no." he said softly "I am not giving or loaning these monies. You are being paid and I require an exchange with you. You must give me something."

Tara was confused at first then worried. She looked around but Karl and Jason were studying her intently. Anderson was ignoring her and sipping his whiskey.

"What do you want?"

"I will have your lingerie, your panties." He clarified. "You may even step from the room to remove them. What could be more fair?"

Her impulse was to throw the cash in his face and bolt but the chance to solve her problem stopped her. She walked on stiff legs to the foyer. Their eyes pressed on her the entire time. Turning the corner she heard Karl speak for the first time.

"Jesus, decadent Frenchman much, Rene?"

"You're not even French. You're Canadian." Jason said.

"I am Quebecois. It is enough."

Tara was careful to keep covered when she slipped her panties down and stepped out of them. Cameras seemed a real worrisome possibility. She folded them in a discrete bundle and returned to the table. She tried to slip the item to Rene nonchalantly but he immediately unfurled them and displayed them dangling between his hands.

"Are they not charming?" he asked the table in mock gallantry. Jason and Karl laughed and Anderson looked grim. Tara blushed to the roots of her hair.

Tara dodged an attempt to grab her hand and slipped into her place. Thankfully, it was not next to Rene. The game started slowly as the players felt each other out. Tara was down a large portion of Rene's money before she started to play seriously.

The loss of her panties created additional strain on Tara's concentration. The naughty feeling of going commando had always been a turn on for her. She could feel herself getting moist. She tried to keep her thighs clamped together to contain the scent of her arousal. The thought of a wet spot on the back of her skirt horrified her yet crinkled her nipples at the same time.

Anderson played a careful game. He won a little then lost some but the trend was up. If no one caught him in a big pot then he'd end up owning them all. Karl played like he'd just memorized the order of hands but was smart enough to stay out of the big plays. She thought he'd last a while but eventually lose.

Rene played the other players not the cards. He seemed to know what the others were going to do and what they held. He was already inside her head with that panty stunt. He'd left them draped across his chips and fingered them when she looked that way. Jason played like Rene but without his insight and with twice his arrogance. Tara wasn't worried about his poker.

For a while the five players concentrated on their game. Rene finally tucked the panties out of sight. Tara was even starting to enjoy herself. She was up a little and feeling confident. Her stack was slightly bigger than Anderson's. Karl was about halfway through his chips but seemed to be enjoying himself. Jason was down and angry about it. Rene was winning. Suddenly he spoke.

"My friend Anderson is a poor host. Let me pour you a glass of wine at the end of the hand. His collection is passable because he followed my advice assembling it."

Anderson slid his freshly refilled whiskey in front of Tara. He had taken a single sip from the tumbler. He locked eyes with Rene.

"Maybe she'd prefer honest whiskey over your wine." He said. Tara heard the slight emphasis on the word "your" and declined Rene's offer politely. The look he threw at Anderson was anything but polite. He shrugged his shoulders and went back to the game. She wondered if Anderson was really trying to warn her that the wine might be tampered with. She started thinking about who knew she was here. She had told no one and hadn't seen anyone on her way across the parking lot. 'Shit', she thought.

A few hands later disaster stuck. Tara was up about a thousand and decided to push her luck. She had a solid hand of a full house of eights and aces. A hunch told her Rene was bluffing and she pushed the betting hard. Anderson, Karl and Jason had all folded and the pot was close to four thousand. If she won then she would be nearly to her goal. It seemed worth the risk. She fanned out her cards. Rene glanced at the exposed cards and stared at her without expression.

"I am curious, petit. You have all the signs of a career woman. What is your career, I wonder?"

"I'm an analyst at Banefield Group. Well, technically, I'm a senior analyst since I was just promoted."

She wanted to bite her tongue for volunteering the extra information. This was not the place for letting down your guard. Rene cocked his head as if considering a thought but his eyes never left hers.

"Your new superior, did he force you to sleep with him as part of your promotion?"

Tara's mouth hung open in surprise then she was furious.

"My boss is a woman." She said somewhat off point.

"My apologies, did she force you to sleep with her?"

"No, I don't fuck my way up the ladder."

Her antagonist dismissed her anger and swearing with an airy wave of his hand.

"You mistake my meaning, Madamoiselle Tara. I can see you are a woman of integrity. I am asking if you have ever been forced. No girl is a woman until this has happened to her. It is odd but it is the way of Nature. Women must be broken to be whole. I do not say this is fair only that it is true.

Without a word Anderson stood and stepped from the room. The others stared in surprise. Tara wondered if she was being abandoned but he was back in less than a minute. He was carrying a well-worn Louisville slugger. He leaned it against the table and resumed his seat. The three men stared at him Karl with surprise, Rene with a considering look and Jason with clear anger.

"This complex is a valuable asset. It provides us with local standing. It is a source of financial stability. Tenants are happy. The rules are enforced even-handedly. I'm the manager because I keep it clean, profitable and low-profile. None of you would do that. If Rene were in charge we'd wake to news stories of FBI raids enslaved coeds and secret dungeons."

"I have my little interests." Rene agreed.

Anderson ignored the interruption.

"Tara is in the game because I won't bend the rules for her. She can agree to whatever she wants but this is a "friendly" game so we're keeping that way. My place, my rules. Be as creepy persuasive as you like Rene but know the limits."

Tara opened her mouth to speak and Rene turned his cards over. She looked at the four kings and felt her heart drop. She had barely had enough chips left to play at all. The stunned woman sat back. She took a gulp of the whisky in front of her. The smoky liquid scorched her throat and exploded in her stomach. It was a pointed reminder she hadn't eaten since lunch.

Play began again and Tara played her limited resources carefully. She could sense Rene waiting to pounce. Not winning was the same as losing for her and she needed to find a way to play more aggressively again. Finally she had her chance in a hand where Rene and Anderson had dropped out. There was a respectable pot that would allow her to play less cautiously.

Karl decided it was his moment to make a move and started betting. Jason followed suit and Tara found herself running out of chips. Finally, Jason called and she found herself a hundred short. She was about to throw in her cards when Rene raised a hand. His wicked smile told her she wasn't going to like what he was going to say.

"Would Madamoiselle be interested in another exchanged? One hundred for your blouse, perhaps?"

"Two hundred" she demanded just to assert some control.

Rene's grin widened. He nodded.

"Two hundred, then. If you remove it at the table and you may not withdraw from play until the game is ended."

Tara gave a tiny nod. Rene passed over the money and her hands went to the knot holding her top together. She wanted to make the strip tease as unprovocative as possible but the knot was tight and her fingers were fumbling. Loosening it was prolonged more than she wanted but eventually the shirt fell open. She shrugged out of the shoulders and her breasts were exposed. She suppressed the impulse to cover them with her hands.

The four men were staring at her. Karl stolidly, Rene and Jason with undisguised lust and Anderson with a question in his eyes. Tara turned her cards and raked in her winnings. Her breasts jiggled and swayed as she moved. She looked at her tormentor.

"Would you be willing to sell my shirt back?"

Rene licked his lip deliberately.

"I fear not, mon petit."

Karl stood and wandered off to the kitchen. Tara realized that he wasn't just big he was huge. The others decided they were ready for a break and pushed their chairs back. Still worried about a stain on her skirt Tara stayed seated. She became very aware of her bare breasts. It didn't help when the men came back with their sandwiches and settled in to stare at her tits. She clenched her fists and forced her hands to stay on her lap. Her stomach growled at the sight of the food.

Anderson looked up from his plate and said, "You're welcome to help yourself to anything in the kitchen."

Tara shook her head and wouldn't meet his eyes.

"Offer stands."

Near the end of the break Jason stood and went to the windows. He closed and locked them then closed the curtains. Tara could feel him eyeing her with each step. She pretended not to notice but the sudden isolation made the hairs on her neck raise. She suppressed a shudder. Just before sitting he flipped on the AC. The sudden rush of cold air hardened her nipples. A surprised "Ah" slipped out before she could catch it.

The game began again. Tara fought for concentration. The lack of food, the gulp of whiskey and the sexual tension were distracting her. Jason and Rene were ganging up on her and she knew she was pushing too hard. It was a kind of tight panic that would land her in trouble. Suddenly, Jason went all in.

Tara considered. Anderson had made it clear that how far things went was up to her. She also remembered he was outnumbered despite his bat. She slid her chips in and Anderson followed. Karl and Rene pushed in their shares. Tara stared at the pile of chips. It was more than enough to pay her rent if she won. If she lost she was screwed. Tara cringed at her choice of words.

Everyone turned their cards and Rene won the hand. Tara stared blankly at the pile of chips.

"Is the game finished?" Rene wondered. "I believe one more hand may be amusing."

Jason started to say something but the older man waved him to silence. Tara could hardly hear what he was saying. Her pulse pounded in her ears and the magnitude of the disaster scattered her thoughts.

Rene began, "I propose we all play one more hand. If Madamoiselle Tara wins then she can pay her debt and keep the remainder. I will even return her stray clothing."

He smiled crookedly.

"If she does not prevail, then the pot will pay her debt and the remainder will go to the winner. However, la fille will entertain all players with a higher hand in whatever way they chose. This will take place in order of the ranking of their hands."

Rene relaxed back into his chair. A nasty grin appeared.

"Tara shall agree to these terms by adding her skirt to the pot. The move is yours, mon enfant."

Tara paled as she heard the terms of her salvation. Her eyes dropped to the pile of cash in front of her. She even admitted to herself the evening had turned her on a bit. She was no blushing virgin but the sense of a hidden trap wouldn't go away. Before she could decide Anderson started to speak.

'Rene..."

"No. This is in accord with your rules, The Rules of the House. The choice is for her. If she agrees then it is none of your affair. If she does not, then she leaves without hindrance."

Rene gave an evil laugh.

"And perhaps you will win a turn with her."

Tara made her choice as the two men argued. The sound of her zipper sliding open was loud in the sudden silence. She turned bright red again as four pairs of eyes surveyed her naked body but she also felt her nipples harden at the attention. Her breasts bounced as she shifted her weight to slip from the skirt without standing. After carefully folding it in quarters she laid it on the pot and hoped no one would examine the back.

Tara's cheeks burned but she composed herself enough to look them in the eye. Rene dealt slowly and was enjoying her humiliation. Jason snatched up each card as it fell. Karl was as stolid as ever. Anderson seemed lost in thought. Rene stopped dealing.

"I shall push our new friend face down in her pile of money. She will be spanked as the bad girl she is while I take her from behind. It is no less than she deserves... or wants."

Jason laughed out loud.

"I'll make her crawl on all fours to give me a blowjob. I'll fuck her face and come on her face and hair. Hey, maybe we can combine our things"

Rene turned to Karl.

"And you, my large friend, how will this lovely naked whore entertain you?"

"Well, I don't want any of that fancy stuff like you and Jason. I just like fucking but I'm a big guy. I mean, I'm tall and stuff but I'm big too. Any lady I'm with is always saying "easy, go slow". I want to fuck as hard as I can for once. So that's what I'd do. Spread her open and nail her hard as I could."

Rene dealt a last card to each of them.

"Anderson?"

Anderson gathered his cards before he replied.

"Nunya"

"This is not a term I am familiar with. Possibly you would explain."

Jason snorted a laugh.

"He's saying it's none of your business. He's being bashful."

"I'd be careful about tossing the word 'bash' around, if I were you." Anderson said in a dangerously level voice.

Jason turned his cards and swore.

"Motherfucker, ten high!"

Tara showed her hand. It held three queens. She found she couldn't look as Anderson flipped over his cards. It was a straight flush. She could feel her heartbeat speeding up. Karl had a pair of twos. Rene hadn't looked at his cards. He exposed them slowly, one at a time. There were three jacks. He looked directly into Tara's eyes.

"It was not meant to be, mon cher. Perhaps another time. I thank you for a most interesting evening."