Jack tried not to break out sweating as he looked again at the matched aces in his hand. Another ace and a pair of deuces in the turn cards gave him the best hand he had ever held. For seven years, he had been losing money at the weekly poker game. Although he never lost more than he could afford to lose, those losses added up. Most of those losses went to his nemesis, Derek. All of the other players had folded one by one. Only Derek remained. The pot had nearly ten thousand dollars in it. That would barely start to make up for the money Jack had lost. Still, it was time to sweeten the pot, and take something from Derek. “I can go all in, and if you called, you would still have quite a bit left,” Jack pointed out. “Let’s go big, or go home,” he said. He tried to give Derek a confident smile, but he knew it only came off half as well as the smiles Derek always had. Derek turned on his confident smile, mostly just to upstage Jack yet again. “I’ve got an awfully good hand,” Derek stated. “You should quit while you can. What do you propose?” ‘I propose to kick your lying teeth out of your skull,’ Jack thought. Derek couldn’t possible know that Jack had learned about the affair Derek was having with Jack’s wife. “Vouchers,” Jack said to the dealer. It was not uncommon for the players in this game to put up cars and motorcycles in side bets. They had taken to writing down the stakes. “I’ll put up a night of sex with my wife against şişli escort all that you’d have left,” Jack said, trying to sound confident. Derek’s shit eating grin grew bigger. “She ain’t worth half of that,” he said, making it sound like Jack was at fault. “Bet or fold,” he demanded. Jack sweated it out for half a heartbeat. No matter what happened with this hand, he had already won. “All in.” Derek didn’t even flinch as he immediately said, “Call.” With everyone watching, Jack turned up his aces. Nothing beats a full house in a game like this. Derek sadly shook his head, and flipped his pair of deuces. Jack stared in shock at the four twos on the table. — “You fucking bastard,” Jack’s wife yelled as she threw her wine glass at his head. “You’re a fucking loser,” she shrieked. “We had plans for that money, and now you’ve all but given it to Derek. You’re a fucking loser at everything!” ‘Huh’, Jack thought. ‘Even when it’s gone, she thinks that money was hers.’ His wife turned an angry look on his mute arguments. “Fine, asshat. I’m gonna go find him, and I’ll do whatever I have to do to get that money back. See if I don’t enjoy myself!” She didn’t even bother to slam the door as she happily ran off to meet her rich lover. — Jack sat on the bed looking at the small handgun that he held. For a moment, he allowed himself to feel sorry for the kids. His wife hated their children. ‘His demon offspring’ she often mecidiyeköy escort said. If he worked it out right, she would be left with nothing. He had gambled everything on a pair of aces. Maybe someday someone would explain it to the kids. He checked the gun to make sure it was ready. The person at the bedroom door arrived much earlier than he expected. It wasn’t who he expected either. Derek’s wife Gillian stood there, looking perfect. Jack had always admired her. Certainly she was beautiful and lustable. But she was also a great mother, a caring friend, and a generous person. There was no reason on earth for her to be at his bedroom door. Gillian seemed to be shocked by what she saw. She dropped the duffel bag that she had been holding and big bundles of cash fell out. Jack barely noticed the money as he tried to understand why this perfect woman was there in his house. “Did you bring enough bullets to share,” she asked with a sad smile. All Jack could do was stare at her and swallow. “Can I tell you a few things before we do it?” she asked. “We?” he asked. She gave him a sad smile, nodded, and then walked as if to sit on the bed next to him. She stopped before she sat. “Before we talk, will you do something else for me?” she asked. When he nodded, she said, “Stand up.” Jack was puzzled, but he set the gun on the bed and stood up. Gillian stepped close and put her hands on his shoulders. She seemed to take his measure as she smoothed his shirt at his shoulders and chest. Stepping even closer, she reached up and pulled him down into a kiss. For a moment, Jack thought he might die. This perfect woman was kissing him. Her lips were soft and warm. They gently demanded that he prove himself to her while offering him endless pleasure in return. Without forcing it, he took her in his arms, and let her lips know what he was made of. Her body melted into his in approval. His body ached for her as she ended the kiss, but she didn’t push away. Her eyes sought his. He knew he would ruin the moment, but he had to ask. “Why would you do that?” She actually smiled. At him. He couldn’t remember the last time his wife had smiled at him. “I came here to set a trap, but I was too late,” she said. “I was going to show her how much money he has won using marked cards, and then twist the words he said about her worth to make her angry. She would have defended him, taken the money, and then they would have run off for a week like they did last August. By the time they got back, I would have finished locking him out of my house and my money.” “You can’t get rid of a spouse that easily,” Jack commented. “Thank god I never married the cheating bastard,” she said bitterly. “I swear he charmed me into getting pregnant the first time. I kept letting him have money and cars and toys, hoping that he would be a good father. It’s time for the bastard to go.” There were very few tears in her eyes as she looked at Jack. “I think that my hatred and despair are nearly equal to yours, but not really enough to put a gun to my head,” she said.