Black Girls and Bad Boys: Stealing Loretta by Neneh J. Gordon Page B

of it down.
    “You okay?”
    “Yeah.”
    He took a kiss from her, but didn’t push it
any further. “I got you a beer too, when you’re ready.”
    “Thanks.”
    He had some of his drink and held out his
hand.
    She accepted the offer and walked with him
into the tall grass that grew alongside the barn.
    “Let me know if you want to go back
inside.”
    “It’s too hot in there.”
    “You were pretty hot out here too.” His
hand tightened around hers and a tingle ran down her spine.
    He was stirring up all kinds of dangerous
feelings. She promised herself she wouldn’t go any further than those delicious
kisses. Not on a first date. “So is it just the disco here?”
    “No. I was going to show you the other
part. Still up for being naughty?”
    She wasn’t so sure, but she went with him
as he led her in the same direction those girls had gone.

CHAPTER 8
    ––––––––
    J ordan finished his second can and brought
a bottle out of his back pocket. He needed to go easy on the drink, but having
Loretta with him was making him nervous. Another one to keep the edge off
wouldn’t hurt.
    He rounded the corner and took her up to
the door. This place had more nooks and crannies than you could keep straight
in your head. Pretty handy in the event of a raid.
    “After you.”
    He followed her inside, admiring the view.
That was the difference between women and girls. Women knew how to show off
their assets. You wouldn’t catch a twenty year-old in a knee-length dress, but
Loretta’s outfit clung to all the right body-parts and she looked hotter than
ninety-nine per cent of the girls out there that night.
    “Cards?”
    He slipped in behind her, putting his hands
round her waist. “Poker.” There were three tables laid out with games going on
at all of them.
    “I take it this isn’t legal,” she
whispered.
    “Not exactly.”
    She shook her head and he felt her laugh.
    “Do you mind if I play?”
    “You don’t need my permission.”
    He wasn’t entirely sure if that meant she
was okay with it or not. He’d soon find out.
    “What rules are they playing?”
    “Five card draw.”
    “I’m more used to Texas Hold’em.”
    “You play?”
    “Not as much as I used to.”
    She was full of surprises. Not a bad
quality in a woman. “I can stake you if you want to play.”
    He felt the tension in her body. When she
looked round at him, she was wearing the same expression she’d had when he
asked her on the date.
    “I’ll just watch.”
    The games were in full swing with the table
nearest the door set aside for the real high stakes. They settled in to watch
the play.
    Loretta moved round to stand next to him.
She tugged on his arm for him to lean down so she could whisper in his ear.
“See the guy with the crazy shirt?”
    “Uh-huh.” He must have been wearing the
paisley to put the other players off. Nobody would put that on as a fashion
statement.
    “He’s got a really obvious tell.”
    Jordan watched him for a few hands. She was
right. Sometimes he would look from player to player before he threw into the
pot. When he did that, he turned out to be bluffing enough times for it to be
more than likely he was bluffing every time.
    “Jesus. This is supposed to be the good
table.”
    “Having big stakes to play with doesn’t
make you a good player.” Reaching up under his jacket, she drew a line down the
back of his shirt with a fingernail and he shivered.
    He’d been hoping to win some money to
impress her, but now he wasn’t so sure. She knew her stuff. He might embarrass
himself. “You should play.” From the look in her eye, she was obviously
tempted.
    “You want to throw your money away?”
    He put an arm around her waist and got
close enough to whisper. Was that sweet smell her shampoo or her perfume? It
didn’t matter. He licked his lips and weighed up his chances of getting her
into bed that night. “Wait here.”
    The cashier was in the far corner of the
room. Jordan put down five