The Full Moon Lounge, Ch. 2

[pre-story]It continues! The game draws to its thrilling conclusion! Tensions run high!

Not much more to say- As always, if you like what you see, [redacted] Enjoy![/pre-story]

The Full Moon Lounge: Chapter 2 

Ara’s wicked grin grew a little wider as he looked around the table. He was practically drinking in the tension that hung in the air, that moment of uncertainty before the cards hit the table, committing the faces of the girls across the table to memory so he could better savor they way they twisted and shifted as the hands were played. “Alright, ladies- let’s see what ya’ll got.” Ara drawled, breaking the tension and spurring them to motion.

Theresa’s full, dark lips maintained the gentle smile they had all night, unphased and unworried as she laid her fan of cards on the table for the rest to see, the calm, placid expression a rather stark contrast to the smug smirk on Maria’s lips, the blonde crossing her arms across her modest chest as she leaned against the back of her sister’s chair. Mala’s mask of cool neutrality cracked slightly, the corners of her lips tweaking downward as she shot Jill a rather pointed look before she laid her hand down in front of her. Thu’ri’s sly smirk grew wider and wider as the other two players laid down their cards, only to split into a cocky grin as she practically smacked the cards on the table triumphantly, fanning them out for all to see. “Four of a kind, Queens! Sorry, girls, but it looks like I just won.” she teased as she leaned back in her chair again, letting her hand speak for itself. 

“Well, now, you sure about that?” Ara drawled, teasingly.

Thu’ri blinked in surprise at the large worgen’s comment, her basking in the moment rudely interrupted. She eyed him for a moment, then smirked once more. “Pretty sure there’s no way you can beat a royal four of a kind.” She declared, doubling down on her assertion.

Ara chuckled. “I’m just sayin’, don’t count your chickens before they hatch. Now, I’m not sayin’ I got you beat, but you never know until they’re all on the table.”

Thu’ri shook her head. “What you’ve got isn’t gonna change, might as well play ‘em and lose gracefully.”

Ara’s grin widened wolfishly. “If you’re that sure, would you care to raise the stakes?”

Thu’ri stiffened at the challenge, her eye narrowing at the large worgen for a moment. “...I’m listening.”

“Thu’ri?” Theresa called, a concerned tone in her voice.

Neither Ara nor Thu’ri seemed to hear the draenei, the two locked in a battle of wills, the air between them electric with tension. “...If you win, you get back all the gear and gold you’ve lost tonight. I’ll even pay back what you’ve spent on drinks. You walk out of here just like you came in.” He offered, smirking once more. “And if I win… you’re mine for the night.”

Thu’ri didn’t look away, keeping the one glowing eye that wasn’t hidden behind her hair fixed on the Worgen’s crimson one, matching his intensity as her smirk widened. “Lookin’ to take a walk on the dark side, ey?” She asked, leaning back in her chair once more and giving a well-timed stretch, the motion forcing her grapefruit-sized breasts to strain against the material of her half-corset, threatening to overflow the dark material. “Not keen on bein’ bought, though. You’d think a big fella like you shouldn’t need to win bets to get tail…”

“Thu’ri…” Jill muttered, the blue-haired gnome shaking her head as she watched the scene unfold with a bemused expression.

“Need? Hardly.” Ara smirked back. “I just see an opportunity.” he replied, his eyes never wandering, then chuckled, leaning forward and planting his elbow on the table. “Of course, if you really don’t wanna share my bed, I ain’t gonna force you, I’m sure I can find a use for you washing dishes or the like. But maybe I can sweeten the pot a touch more. Tell you what- you fold right now, you can have all your gear back. I keep the gold, though. But if you call my bet and win, you get it ALL back, and I’ll throw in three nights of the full VIP treatment. Food and drinks on the house, complimentary dances in the velvet section, and the key to the best room we got, other than mine; though you can upgrade to my suite anytime you like…” He added, playfully, arching an eyebrow. 

“Thu’ri.” Mala called, her voice level and clear, trying to get the elf-girl’s attention.

The void elf waved a dusky purple hand in the Draenei’s general direction dismissively, without looking, her full, black-painted lips tightening as she weighed her options. Why would he propose doubling down if he didn’t have her beat? But then, if he had her beat, why would he offer her stuff back if she folded? He was trying to confuse her, to make her doubt her decisions, and it was working… She glanced down at the hands already on the table. The only way he could possibly beat her hand was with four kings, or a straight flush, and she could already see a king in Theresa’s hand, which meant it could only be a straight...

“Thu’ri!” Maria finally snapped, slamming her hand down over her sister’s cards and forcibly grabbing the elf’s attention. “You’re not seriously be considering this?!” She demanded, incredulously, her modesty momentarily forgotten as her hands moved away from her chest. “This is obviously a trap!” she added, gesturing wildly at the worgen.

Thu’ri’s brow furrowed as she drew in a breath to snap back a reply, then suddenly paused, her expression softening as she blinked, eyes wandering off to the side, her mouth hanging half-open for a moment. Then just as quickly, the corner of her mouth curled into a smirk, and she turned to face the worgen again. “If I win, we ALL get the VIP treatment.” She demanded, gesturing to the other girls around the table.

The worgen’s eyebrows rose with surprise at the sudden demand. The other four adventurers looked on in a mix of surprise and confusion as he looked thoughtful. “...Y’all gonna have to decide together if ya gonna take this bet. If you win, y’all get your stuff back and three days of VIP treatment, as promised. Now, If I win… I get all five of y’all for the night.” He countered with a wolfish grin, leaning back in his chair as he elaborated. “In the morning, y’all’ll be free to go, long as you don’t do nothin’ stupid ‘fore then. I’ll even let y’all have some nice robes so you don’t gotta do yer walk of shame stark naked.” He added with a dark chuckle.

“Oh, how GENEROUS of you.” Maria muttered, the word dripping sarcasm as she rolled her eyes.

Thu’ri turned to the rest of the table, a gleam in her eyes. “Look, take the bet, I can WIN this!” She urged. “The only way he could possibly win is a straight flush. He doesn’t have it, he’s trying to scare you, if he did, he wouldn’t have offered me an out if I folded here!” She explained eagerly, but was met with sceptical looks from the rest of the party. With a frustrated noise, she turned to the blue-haired gnome. “Jill, you keep track, how much money do we stand to lose?”

The gnome sighed. “Each share of the dungeon take was 1200, and each of us had about 300 in gear. Replacing it all would be the real cost, though. Can’t buy the soulbound gear on the auction house, we’d have to get that shit from the source, which means buying temporary gear to go grinding in until we can get the good shit back. That’ll be at least 500 each on the auction house, plus a couple solid weeks of grinding… We’ll be down about 10k, total, between us, plus time. Plus whatever other cash you guys brought along.”

Thu’ri gestured at Jill. “See? Look, I’ve got a date next weekend, I am not going to cancel just so I can go wading neck-deep in fuckin’ shambling corpses to replace Mala’s favorite stick.” 

“It is a STAFF, and it was carved and enchanted by the pandaren masters of the golden age!” Mala objected.

Thu’ri groaned, rolling her eyes. “Void take me, it’s a fucking stick with a grip and a gourd on the end! Why do you even NEED it, you just carry it around as you punch shit!” She snapped back.

“Now, girls...” Theresa spoke up, her voice soft and rich, trying to calm everyone down.

“I’d show you EXACTLY what it’s for, if somebody hadn’t made me lose it…” Mala muttered, darkly.

“If you’re looking for a replacement, why don’t you try pulling the stick out of your ass and using THAT?” Thu’ri shot back.

“Ohhhhhh~, burn!” Jill howled, breaking into laugher.

“God, you’re all such fucking CHILDREN!” Maria snapped with a groan.

“GIRLS.” Theresa suddenly shouted, and the table went silent as everyone turned to look, as the normally soft-spoken woman raised her voice. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out with a sigh. “Girls, fighting each other isn’t going to help the situation. I believe we should take the worgen gentleman’s generous offer. Win or lose, we can at least walk out of here with some measure of modesty in the morning, and I don’t believe such a polite gentleman would force himself upon us, unwillingly. What do you say?” She asked, the placid smile once more returning to her lips.

The girls glanced amongst themselves for a moment, then reluctantly muttered their acceptance… Except for Maria, who glared daggers at the worgen for a few extra moments, before relenting and grumbling her agreement. Thu’ri grinned wickedly and turned to the worgen once more, eyes gleaming with excitement and anticipation. “Alright, then, big guy- Lay ‘em out. I’m looking forward to my three days of relaxation.”

The worgen shook his head and let out a resigned sigh. “I guess that’s it... I honestly wasn’t expecting you to be able to get them all on board…” He muttered, slowly lowering his hand, cards still hidden. All eyes followed his hand as it sank down, a mix of emotions on the faces of the girls around the table. Apprehension, anticipation, curiosity, uncertainty… But as he laid the cards on the table, finally revealing his hand, their expressions shifted as one, first to confusion, then surprise. Ara’s lips curled into the wolfish grin he’d been holding back since the girls had started debating the wager. “Straight flush, nine high.” He announced.

The response was immediate. Thu’ri looked shell-shocked, taken completely by surprise, too stunned to respond as Maria turned on her and started shouting. Meanwhile, Theresa pouted slightly, which was the second most intense expression of displeasure seen from her all night, and Jill simply smirked and shook her head. Mala’s expression remained level, but her lips tightened noticeably. 

“Ladies!” Ara interrupted, grabbing the girl’s attention once more, his wolfish grin turning slightly sadistic. “Aren’t y’all forgetting something? There’s still the matter of my winnings…” He reminded, pointedly eyeing the clothes the last vestiges of clothing the girls still wore.

Theresa, Mala, and Thu’ri blinked at the reminder, then shared a wordless look for a moment, before, reluctantly, starting to remove the last of their undergarments. Ara’s chair tipped as he leaned back to take in the view of the five beautiful women before him, bodies stripped bare and exposed, each uniquely lovely, all equally sexy. This was going to be a very interesting night, to be certain.