BLACKJACK CLUB - OCTOBER - AUBREY

The suite smelled like salt air and expensive shampoo. Riley stood at the bathroom counter, toothbrush in her mouth, the velvet box sitting on the marble beside the sink. She could see Maya through the open door, sprawled across the king bed on her stomach, naked, her phone held above her face, scrolling through something with the kind of intensity that meant she was either researching or shopping. "Red posted a photo," Maya said.

"Of what?" "Of the table. After we left. There's a handprint on the felt where my forehead was."
Riley spat, rinsed, leaned against the doorframe. "Are you identifiable in the photo?" "It's a felt table, Riley. It's a handprint and a boob print and a smudge that might be sweat or might be something else. Nobody's running forensics." "You don't know that. This ship has a casino. Casinos have cameras." Maya rolled onto her back, holding her phone up. "The Blackjack Club is a private members' space. The cameras are for security, not for selling my naked body to the highest bidder." She paused. "Although that could be profitable."

Riley threw a washcloth at her. Maya caught it without looking and dropped it on the floor. The velvet box caught the bathroom light, the silver clasp gleaming. Riley picked it up again, turned it in her hands. She hadn't opened it since the corridor. She didn't need to. She remembered what was inside. One private night. Any request. Anywhere on the ship. "Stop fondling the box and come to bed," Maya said. "I'm not fondling it." "Your thumb is rubbing the lid. That's fondling."

Riley set the box on the nightstand and climbed into bed beside Maya. The sheets were cool, the kind of high-thread-count cotton that felt like sliding into water. Maya immediately pressed against her, one leg thrown over Riley's thigh, her head on Riley's shoulder. She was still warm from the walk back, her skin slightly tacky, her breath slowing.

"We need to talk about the card," Maya said. "Tomorrow." "Riley." "Maya." The same standoff from the club. They lay there, breathing, the ship's engines a low hum beneath them. Maya's fingers traced idle patterns on Riley's ribs. Riley stared at the ceiling and thought about Aubrey's hand on her hip, the pad of her thumb pressing into the bone. The door to the suite burst open. Both of them sat up. Topanga stood in the doorway, still naked from the club, her emerald dress wadded in one fist, a folded piece of paper in the other. Her brown eyes were sharp, her mouth set in a line that Riley recognized from childhood. It was the look Topanga gave when she'd found something that violated a principle.

"Mom, what the—" "Security report." Topanga crossed the suite in four strides and slapped the paper onto the nightstand next to the velvet box. "I got halfway to my cabin and passed two security officers in the corridor. They were looking for someone. A banned player. Someone who's been running an unauthorized game in the crew quarters." Riley's stomach dropped. Topanga looked at her. Looked at the velvet box. Looked back at her. "Does this unauthorized game happen to involve a woman named Aubrey?" "Mom—" "Does it?"

Riley pulled the sheet up. It was a reflex. Being naked in front of Topanga was normal at this point. Being naked and caught was different. "Aubrey runs a private game. It's not hurting anyone." "Aubrey runs an unlicensed gambling operation in the crew quarters of a cruise ship." Topanga sat on the edge of the bed. She was still holding her dress. She was still completely naked. The absurdity of the conversation was not lost on Riley. "The security report says a banned player was spotted entering the crew corridor. Someone named Voss. Apparently he's been barred from every licensed casino on the ship for card counting and aggressive behavior toward dealers."

"Aubrey wouldn't let someone like that in," Maya said. She'd sat up too, the sheet pooled at her waist, her blond hair tangled. "She's careful." "Is she careful, or is she reckless?" Topanga unfolded the security report. "It says here that this Voss individual has a history of following female dealers off-shift. Two complaints filed. Both dropped because the complainants left the ship before the investigation concluded." The room went quiet. The hum of the engines filled the space.

"Riley," Topanga said, her voice softer now. "I'm not trying to ruin your night. But if Aubrey is smuggling banned players into that lounge, she's not just bending rules. She's putting herself and everyone in that room at risk." Riley thought about the woman across from her at the table. The one who'd accused her of cheating. The one who'd walked out naked and frustrated. She thought about the other players. The ones who'd folded early. She tried to remember if any of them had looked like someone named Voss. "There was no man at the table," Riley said. "All women. Six players. Aubrey dealt."

"Then Voss was somewhere else in the crew corridor. Maybe watching. Maybe waiting." Topanga refolded the report. "The point is, the corridor isn't secure. If security is looking for him there, they're going to find Aubrey's game. And everyone in it." Maya reached for her phone. "I'm texting Red." "It's three in the morning." "Red doesn't sleep. She's basically a tall, sexy vampire." Maya typed rapidly. "I'm telling her to stay out of the crew corridor. And I'm telling her about Voss."

Topanga stood and finally pulled her dress on, the emerald fabric wrinkled and askew. She looked at the velvet box. "What's in there?" Riley hesitated. "A prize. From the game." "What kind of prize?"
"A silver card. One private night. Any request." Topanga's eyebrows rose. "Aubrey gave you that?"
"Aubrey gave the table that. I won it." Topanga picked up the box, opened it, looked at the silver card. She read the engraving. She closed the box and set it back down. "And what are you going to request?" I haven't decided."

"Decide carefully. If Aubrey's operation gets shut down, that card might not be worth anything." Topanga walked to the door. "I'm going to my cabin. I have a spa appointment in six hours. We'll talk about this at breakfast." "Mom—" "Breakfast, Riley. Nine o'clock. Don't be late." The door closed behind her. Maya and Riley sat in the dark, the security report between them on their night stand. "Well," Maya said. "That killed the mood." "Did it?" Maya looked at her. Riley looked back. Maya's hand found Riley's thigh under the sheet. Her fingers walked upward. Riley's breath caught.
"No," Maya admitted. "It didn't."

Maya straddled her. The sheet fell away. Maya's body was warm and solid against hers, her thighs gripping Riley's hips, her hands pressing Riley's wrists into the pillow. She leaned down and kissed Riley's neck, her teeth grazing the tendon. "You're thinking about Aubrey," Maya said against her skin. "I'm thinking about you." "Liar." Maya's mouth moved to Riley's collarbone. She bit down, not gently. Riley arched. "You're thinking about her hand on your hip. About what you'd ask for if you cashed in that card." "Maya—"

"Shut up. I'm not jealous. I'm horny." Maya released Riley's wrists and sat up, her palms flat on Riley's chest. She rolled her hips, grinding against Riley's stomach. She was wet. Riley could feel it, the slick heat of her sliding against Riley's skin. "Tell me what you'd ask for." "I'd ask for you." Maya's hips stuttered. "Nice save." "I mean it. The card says any request. I'd request you. And Aubrey. And this bed." Maya stared down at her. The moonlight through the porthole caught her face, her blue eyes almost silver. She was quiet for a long moment, her body still, her weight settled on Riley's hips. "You'd share me with Aubrey?" "I'd share us with Aubrey. If you wanted."

Maya's hand moved between her own legs. She touched herself while Riley watched, her fingers sliding through the wetness, her eyes never leaving Riley's face. She was slow about it, deliberate, her middle finger circling her clit with a rhythm that made her thighs tighten around Riley's body.
"I'd want to watch first," Maya said. Her voice was thicker now. "I'd want to watch her touch you. I'd want to see what she does that makes you make that face." "What face?" "The one you're making right now."

Riley grabbed Maya's hips and pulled her down, flipping her. Maya landed on her back with a surprised gasp, and Riley was above her, between her legs, her mouth on Maya's breast. She sucked hard, her tongue flat against Maya's nipple, her teeth scraping the edge. Maya's hand was still between her legs, still moving, and Riley could feel her fingers working through the thin space between their bodies.

Riley kissed her way down. Over Maya's ribs. Over the flat of her stomach. She pushed Maya's hand away and replaced it with her mouth. Maya's taste hit her tongue and she moaned, the sound muffled against Maya's skin. Maya's hand came down on Riley's head, fingers tangling in her hair, pulling her closer. Riley licked into her. Slow. Her tongue flat, pressing against Maya's clit, then curling, the tip tracing the hood, then sliding lower, inside. Maya's thighs clamped against her ears. The ship rocked. The engines hummed. Riley fucked Maya with her tongue, her hands gripping Maya's hips, holding her still when she tried to buck.

"Don't stop," Maya said. "Don't you fucking stop." Riley didn't stop. She found the rhythm Maya needed, steady and relentless, her tongue working Maya's clit while two fingers pushed inside her. Maya was tight and hot and soaking wet, her walls clenching around Riley's fingers, her hips grinding against Riley's face. Riley curled her fingers, pressing forward, finding the spot that made Maya's whole body jerk. "Oh fuck. Right there. Right fucking there."

Riley pressed harder. Her tongue moved faster. Maya's breathing went ragged, her fingers pulling Riley's hair hard enough to sting. She came with a sound that was half gasp, half sob, her body arching off the bed, her thighs squeezing Riley's head. Riley held on, her fingers still inside, her tongue still moving, drawing it out until Maya pushed her away, oversensitive, trembling. Riley wiped her mouth on the sheet and crawled back up. Maya pulled her close, her face pressed against Riley's chest, her breathing slowly evening out.

"Breakfast at nine," Maya murmured. "Nine o'clock." "We're going to be late." "We're always late."
Maya's laugh was a vibration against Riley's skin. She kissed Riley's collarbone and closed her eyes. Riley lay awake, staring at the velvet box on the nightstand. The security report sat beside it, folded and ominous. Somewhere on the ship, Aubrey was dealing cards in a secret room. Somewhere else, a man named Voss was being hunted by security. And in this bed, Maya was falling asleep with her hand on Riley's breast, her breath warm and steady.

The next morning, they were late. The Blackjack Club was quiet at nine-thirty in the morning. The felt tables were clean, the chips stacked in racks, the bar stocked but unstaffed. Derek stood behind the main table with a coffee and a tablet, reviewing the previous night's receipts. He looked when they walked in. "We're closed until noon." "We know," Topanga said. She was dressed, finally, in linen pants and a silk blouse, her hair pulled back, her spa appointment apparently rescheduled. She sat at the main table and set the security report down in front of Derek. "Read that."

Derek read it. His expression didn't change. "Voss. Yeah. We flagged him two days ago. He's been banned from the main floor since the first night of the cruise." "He was in the crew corridor last night." Derek looked at Riley. Then at Maya. "You went to the crew corridor?" Riley sat down across from him. "I found a private game." "Aubrey's game." "You know about it?" Derek set his tablet down. "I know Aubrey. She worked my floor for three cruises before she went freelance. She's good. Better than good. But she's got a blind spot for people she thinks she can rehabilitate."
"Rehabilitate?" Maya asked. "She likes projects. Players who've been banned, dealers who've been fired. She gives them a second chance in her private room. Sometimes it works out. Sometimes it doesn't." Derek tapped the security report. "Voss is a doesn't."

Topanga leaned forward. "Is Aubrey in danger?" "Aubrey can handle herself. But if security finds her game, they'll shut it down and she'll be confined to her cabin for the rest of the cruise. No dealing. No tips. No action." Derek picked up his coffee. "If you're her friends, you'll tell her to shut it down herself. Voluntarily. Before security makes the decision for her." Riley looked at Maya. Maya looked at Topanga. Topanga looked at Derek.

"Where's her cabin?" Topanga asked. Derek sighed. "Deck seven. Cabin 714. But I didn't tell you that." "You told us nothing," Topanga agreed. They found cabin 714 without trouble. Riley knocked. The door opened, and Aubrey stood there in a tank top and underwear, her red hair loose, her green eyes tired. She looked at the three of them and smiled. "The whole family." "We need to talk," Riley said. Aubrey stepped aside. The cabin was small but neat. A dealer's table folded against one wall, cards in a rack, chips in a lockbox. The velvet boxes like the one Riley had won were stacked on a shelf. Aubrey sat on the bed and pulled a blanket over her legs.

"Derek called me," she said. "Five minutes ago. About Voss." "Then you know security is looking for him in the crew corridor," Topanga said. "I know. He wasn't at my table. He was lurking. I had two players spot him through the service hatch and I shut the game down early." Aubrey rubbed her face. "I'm not stupid. I know the risks." "Then why do it?" Maya asked. She was standing by the porthole, arms crossed, the morning light catching her blond hair.

Aubrey looked at her. Then at Riley. Then at Topanga. "Because the main floor is boring. Derek runs a clean game. Clean games don't attract the kind of players I like. The ones who bet everything. The ones who play naked and mean it." She gestured at the shelf of velvet boxes. "Those prizes? I fund them myself. The silver card, the jewelry, the keycards. I pay for all of it out of my tips because I want the game to mean something. Not just money. Not just clothes. Something you can't get anywhere else on this ship."

"Admirable," Topanga said. "Also illegal." "So is counting cards. So is playing naked in a licensed casino. So is half the shit you three got up to last night, according to the security footage Derek showed me this morning." Aubrey's smile was sharp. "Maya, you left a bodily fluid stain on his premium felt. That's a cleaning fee." Maya's cheeks went pink. "It was sweat." "It was not sweat."
Riley sat beside Aubrey on the bed. She could smell her, sleep and lotion and something underneath that was just Aubrey. "Shut the game down. For the rest of the cruise. We'll figure out another way to play."

"The card—" "The card is yours. I'll give it back. I don't need a prize to find you." Aubrey looked at her. The sharpness softened. Her hand came up and rested on Riley's knee, the same way it had rested on her hip last night. Warm. Steady. "You're not giving back the card," Aubrey said. "I am."
"You're not. Because I'm not shutting down the game." Topanga stepped forward. "Aubrey—"

"I'm moving it. Tonight. New location. Voss won't find it. Security won't find it. Derek will look the other way because he owes me a favor from the last cruise." Aubrey stood. The blanket fell. She was wearing black underwear, high-cut, her legs long and pale. "You three are invited. Last game of the cruise. Winner takes everything." Maya turned from the porthole. Her blush had faded. The grin was back. The one that preceded bad decisions. "What time?"

"Midnight. I'll send the location to Riley's phone." Aubrey opened the cabin door. "Bring clothes. You'll need them. The new game has a different format." What format?" Topanga asked. Aubrey smiled. "Speed blackjack. One hand. All in. Losers strip. Winner chooses. And this time, I'm playing."
She kissed Riley's cheek. Her lips lingered. Then she kissed Maya's cheek, then Topanga's. Three kisses, three touches, three promises. "Deck seven," she said. "Cabin 714. Midnight. Don't be late."

The door closed. They stood in the corridor. The ship hummed. Maya looked at Riley. Riley looked at Topanga. Topanga looked at the security report in her hand, then folded it and slipped it into her pocket. "She's going to get caught," Topanga said. "Probably," Riley agreed. "She's going to get us all caught." "Probably." Topanga shook her head. Then she smiled. It was the same smile Maya got before bad decisions. The family resemblance was unmistakable.

"I'll reschedule the spa," Topanga said. They walked back to the suite. Riley's phone buzzed. A text from an unknown number. Three words: *Observation deck. Midnight.* She showed it to Maya. Maya showed it to Topanga. "The observation deck," Maya said. "That's open air. Top deck. Full view of the ocean. Full view of the sky." "Full view of anyone who walks by," Topanga added.
"She's playing outside?" Riley said. "She's playing outside." Maya grabbed Riley's hand and squeezed. Her blue eyes were bright. Her grin was enormous. "I love this ship." "You love trouble." "Same thing."

They spent the rest of the day preparing. Maya picked outfits. Topanga canceled the spa. Riley stared at the velvet box and thought about Aubrey's lips on her cheek. The ship sailed on. The ocean was blue. The sun was warm. And somewhere on deck seven, Aubrey shuffled a fresh deck and waited.