“I can’t believe you put me up to this.”
You grin as you watch Shanks unbuckle his belt slowly, almost provocatively if you didn’t know better. He raises an eyebrow at you, the beginnings of a blush spreading across his cheeks. Shanks was not an easy man to embarrass by any means—he’d seen it all, heard it all, and, you suspected, done it all—so seeing this warmth in his face that wasn’t just the by-product of too much alcohol felt satisfying beyond compare.
“Tch, you knew I was a gambler, Shanks. You’ve known that since the day you met me.” You lean back in your chair, hands behind your head, biting at your lip as your take in the view from across the table. The bunching muscles of his shoulders, the hardness of his chest, the tightness of his abdomen—he had the build of some ancient god, the kind they dedicated statues to, and here he was standing before you like a mere mortal.
“Well of course, but I didn’t think—”
“What? You didn’t think I was any good?”
“I never doubted you for second, sweetheart.” He unzips his trousers and takes his time sliding them down his lean hips. “I just didn’t expect to be losing my shirt here.”
He glowers at you, the devious smile on his lips betraying his feigned irritation. He rests his hand on his hip, letting you take in the full spectacle of his form, giving you a little turn to allow you the privilege of admiring his thick, muscular thighs and the taut curves of his ass, all scarcely contained by his body-hugging boxer briefs. A heat rises in your cheeks as your eyes are drawn to something else—something decidedly more obscene: the outline of his cock is blatantly visible through the thin fabric. The blood starts to drain from your limbs as you find yourself unabashedly staring at it, and you drag your teeth across your lower lip, wondering how it would look rock-hard and slapping against your tongue.
“Do you like what you see?” he asks, his voice low and smooth like expensive whiskey, the kind you could never afford but always wanted to taste.
You clear your throat and gather yourself, quickly averting your sinful gaze. “Well, I certainly have no complaints.”
“You know, this doesn’t feel very fair,” he chuckles as he sits back down at the table. “You’ve got quite a view all for yourself and I, well”—he eyes you, his gaze settling on your chest—“I’m just sitting here with only your pretty face to look at. Not that I’m complaining.”
“Would it make it better if I take something off, too, handsome?” You wiggle your fingers at him. “Maybe one of these rings? Or my bracelet?”
“You’re hilarious, has anyone ever told you that?”
“Plenty.” You shuffle the deck of cards, twirling them between your fingers with ease. “Oh, I know! How about I let you win one? Least I can do is offer you a little show for all your troubles.”
“Nah, I don’t need your pity, honey.” He raps the tabletop with his knuckles. “I’m gonna earn a glimpse of you fair and square, one way or another.”