Evily had slept until the next afternoon. Later that day, Jamie invited her to a club. She arrived to see Bruce and the others there as well.
She wanted to turn and leave, but Jamie gently pushed her into the lounge.
"Why are you standing there? Go in, take a seat!"
"Well, what a coincidence! We still lack two people for our card game. Jamie, join us." Jeremy said.
"Miss, do you know how to play poker?" Jeremy asked.
As Evily stared at the poker table in front of her, she honestly shook her head. "No."
"It doesn't matter!" Clapping his hand, Jeremy guffawed. "Bruce is good at poker, so he can teach you later."
"Right! Uncle Bruce is very good at poker." Jamie added.
Evily shifted her gaze to Bruce awkwardly. His face was as expressionless as ever, and he wasn't looking at her at this time.
"W-Wait! I need to take this call. You guys start." Jamie excused herself.
Soon, Steven arrived with the others, but the others beat a retreat upon seeing Bruce's presence.
Jeremy couldn't help but tease, "Bruce not only you're a nightmare to children, but now, it seems like even women are afraid of you."
Bruce picked up his hole cards while ignoring Jeremy's teasing.
"Bruce isn't this—Oh, I get it. Hello, you must be Bruce's girlfriend. I'm Steven Smallwood, Bruce's friend."
"I forget to introduce. Hi! I am Jeremy."
Evily waved her hands awkwardly and explained, "You've gotten it wrong. I'm not his girlfriend. I'm Jamie's friend. Uncle Bruce, Jamie's there. I will call her."
All of a sudden, Bruce reached out and pulled Evily over, putting his hands on her shoulders and steering her into his seat.
His hands were warm and dry, seemingly burning Evily's shoulders through the thin layer of clothing. For a moment, regret assailed her.
"She is taking calls." Bruce reminded.
'Why I am here? But it's too late to back out now, so I've got no choice but to bite the bullet! She tried recalling the poker games she'd seen in the past and imitated the moves. She indeed had no idea how to play poker, but fortunately, Bruce guided her at the back.
For some reason—perhaps because he's too close to her—she can smell the faint scent of tobacco on him, but it's not pungent or off-putting.
She was rather lost throughout the entire game. She'd just drawn a card and was a second away from opening it when a massive hand shot out and half-wrapped around the hand in which she held the card. His fingers are tapered, long and slender yet carrying a masculine air, very much alluring. She stared at the hand, her face burning so hotly that it almost combusted.
"You can't open this card because Jeremy had just raised the stakes. If you do so, it'll only reveal your hand." Bruce's voice was deep and sexy, his warm breath brushing against her neck, making her feel as though she was sitting on pins and needles. Very quickly, he flipped open another card before placing the card in her hands into the stack of cards.
Jeremy thumped his hand onto the table in dismay. "I've finally met a novice, yet you're monopolizing the game, Bruce!"
The atmosphere at the poker table was undoubtedly peaceful, but Evily gradually felt perturbed. She doesn't know whether Bruce Hudson is doing this intentionally, but he said he'll let her play by herself and get a feel of things, but every time she wants to flip open a card, he'll suddenly stop her and open another card. This is no big deal, but their hands always brush together inadvertently.
"You've just drawn this card, so don't open it so hastily. Wait and see what card Jeremy opens later." She was just about to flip open the card she'd just drawn earlier, but Bruce stopped her. As he took the card from her, his fingers gently brushed across her hand.
When his hand again half-wrapped around hers, Evily abruptly pushed her chair back and got to her feet. "How about you take over, Uncle Bruce? I don't know how to play," she said to Bruce Her face was as red as an overly ripe tomato and stained with a trace of irritation.
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Jeremy glanced at her retreating figure before turning to Bruce with a cheeky grin playing on his lips.
"Uncle Bruce? Is this your new fetish?"
Tsk, this is interesting.
Staring at herself in the mirror with a complicated look in her eyes, Evily was—at this very moment—overwhelmed with regret following Jamie. Just when she tucked her loose hair behind her ear, she suddenly saw a man's tall figure walking up to her from the corner of her eye.
Freezing instantly, she quickly turned around and was about to open the door to the ladies' restroom and hide inside. However, the man who came over was even faster—when she had just opened the door a crack, he closed the door right away, trapping her between the door, the washstand, and himself.
Then, he turned the key in the lock on the restroom door in a seemingly careless manner, locking the restroom door easily. Putting his hands into his pockets, he turned to stare at the woman before him with a pair of eyes as starry as the vast galaxy.