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When Sophie had asked Benedict to teach her the rules of Poker, she hadn’t expected him to take it so seriously. It had been a gradual thing over the last few weeks where on an evening during the miserable winter rain they were experiencing, he had taught her.
It had come about after Benedict had gone to a “boys” night at Anthony’s to play poker, and it became a monthly thing, all the Bridgerton Men would gather at one of the men’s places to play and gamble against each other.
It had just started with Benedict, Anthony, Colin and Simon but Michael joined, after he’d promised to bring whiskey, and the women had said they’d make their lives hell if they didn’t include Fran’s boyfriend and the last meeting, had been the first with Eloise’s boyfriend Phililp… who had cleaned up. Benedict was almost sure that Eloise had been teaching him all their tells.
Sophie had said she’d never played poker before and Benedict had offered to teach her how to play. He thought it would be cute and a game of strip poker with Sophie was surely worth the effort of teaching her.
He taught her card values and the scoring methods, , Five of a Kind, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House. Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind,Two Pairs, One Pair and Nothing.
He explained that while Poker is played in innumerable forms, a player who understands the values of the Poker hands and the principles of betting can play without difficulty in any type of Poker game. Except in a few versions of the game, a Poker hand consists of five cards. The various combinations of Poker hands rank from five of a kind (the highest) to no pair or nothing (the lowest)
As he had no intention of letting Sophie actually play Poker with the boys, and he was sure Katr didn’t know how, so there was no point in teaching her how to bet, or when to bet properly. He figured if they ever went to a casino, she’d stick to something like roulette or the machines.
Sophie couldn’t keep a straight face for love, nor money and she’d be robbed blind if she played against people…
Or so he thought…
After he’d taught her the basics they’d spent a few evenings playing a few games and she’d lost every single one of them, but what Benedict didn’t seem to realise, is that, after he’d mentioned they could just play “Strip Poker'' and the winner gets to choose an item of clothing as the game progressed… She was playing poorly on purpose.
She could show mirth on her face on purpose, she could show disappointment when her cards were crap and she played the part to perfection.
So the Friday night when he’d sidled up to her, wrapping his arms around her waist, the fire in their living room blazing, and suggested they play strip poker in front of the fire and the winner could chose a way to keep the other person warm at the end of the game, Sophie grinned brightly, it was time to put everything into practise properly.
She’d agreed and they settled in front of the fire, a bottle of red wine beside them as they sat on the rug in front of the fire.
“Would you like to deal?” Sophie said brightly, her tone even and innocent. Benedict, not suspecting a thing, nodded and shuffled the cards.
He split the cards in half and mixed them together by placing the corners of the cards in each half against each other and letting the cards go so they intermixed, they’d decided to play with the wildcards as he did with his brothers...
He passed them each two cards and burned another and the game began.
Sophie lost the first one… on purpose… Benedict smiled and started nicely, taking one sock.
Sophie managed to keep her face even the next round, turning over a straight, she grinned and took one of his socks. “Beginners luck” he teased as he dealt again.
The next round Sophie lost and Benedict took her top… so she sat in front of him in a bra…
What Benedict had not banked on is whilst he got the wine, Sophie had been and changed into the Navy Lace bra that she knew he loved and he found himself a little distracted by Sophie’s lush breasts, the lace only just covering her, and he swallowed uncomfortably.
Sophie knew she was onto a winner… she had him distracted and right where she wanted him. She’d lost two rounds and that was all she intended to lose.
She managed to get him over confident in the next round, thinking that she had nothing, when she in fact had a flush… Benedict gaped as she turned her cards over, he had thought he had her beaten with his straight…
She giggled as she demanded his shirt.
He then lost his belt, then his other sock… his watch… he was left with his jeans and boxers only and Sophie hadn’t lost a single other item.
“Are you cheating somehow?” he asked curiously
Sophie smiled serenely at him “Now why would I need to cheat… you’re barely paying attention to your cards… and I rather think my poker face just got better… ” she teased as she squeezed her breasts together.
“Buggar '', Benedict said, as he realised he was not watching her face at all… maybe he shouldn’t have taken her top at all… those bloody breasts were so distracting he could barely formulate a coherent sentence at the best of times…
“And darling... “ she said almost purring at him, which made him twitch “how can I be cheating when you’re the one dealing” she smirked.
“Fuck” he muttered. He was realising he was being played here… well and truly played.
He gave his head a shake and took a drink of his wine. He had to get his attention back on the game, this was not how he had imagined the night going… yes he planned to have his own clothes off but he really wanted to do all sorts of wicked things to Sophie in front of the fire first before any of that.
Sophie giggled. Actually giggled at him. He felt his cheeks burn and he wasn’t sure if it was the red wine or the giggle but it was doing weird things to him .
“Deal Ben…” she grinned as she leaned back, giving him a full view of her breasts and her flat stomach, he felt that tightening in his stomach. Oh he was so screwed.
Coughing to clear his throat he dragged his eyes away from Sophie, which was probably the hardest thing he had ever had to do in his life, and turned his attention back to the cards. He shuffled again and dealt the cards.
He looked at his cards, desperately trying to keep his eyes off Sophie, of the way her breasts looked so perfect in the firelight, the way they rose with each breath she took.
Damn it, Bridgerton concentrate! He scolded himself.
Sophie watched as he turned more cards over. Benedict managed to drag his eyes to her face, it was crumpled, she had nothing, or a low scoring hand either way, he had to have her… he had three of a kind.. Three hearts… surely…
He turned his cards with a small triumphant smirk at her “i think… we’ll have your trousers my love…” he grinned.
“Ah ah ah…” she smirked, there was a little cocky smirk on her face “too eager there my love…”
And one by one… she placed her cards down… a fucking straight…
He gaped at her as she giggled excitedly, the movement her entire body did at the little happy dance caused his entire body to react. He should have been furious at being played… but she way it made her so bloody happy was too much for him. He groaned “Sophie!”
“Get em off Bridgerton” she giggled as she gestured at his jeans.
“You… your face…” he said still blinking in shock
“What about it darling?” she grinned happily, knowing exactly what he meant, what she had done to throw him off her scent… off his game
“You looked furious… like you had nothing…” he groaned
“Did I?” she asked far too innocently “oh dear… I must have misled you…” she grinned
“You are absolutely wicked and a minx do you know that?” he said grumbling
“I do indeed but I learnt from the best… now pants off Bridgerton” she said in a commanding voice that made him twitch.
He stood, and for some reason felt his entire face burn with embarrassment as when his jeans came down it was very obvious just how his body was feeling at being soundly beaten by his fiancee and how hot it was at being bossed about.
Sophie giggled and the cheeky minx had the bloody audacity to lick her sodding lips whilst maintaining eye contact with him and he groaned.
He was literally one hand away from losing. One had away from being completely bare to her and from the way her eyes glittered in the fire light, the green’s of her eyes almost black with lust and desire… he wasn’t sure he would mind losing.
“Come on then… last hand” she teased at him
“It might not be… you still have many layers on my love” he said as he reshuffled the cards
Sophie giggled “Oh please… you’re getting nothing else off me until much later on Mr Bridgerton” she teased, winking at him causing him to actually visibly twitch which Sophie noticed and giggled.
Trying not to blush too hard he dealt the cards. Surely he had the hand to win this time… he had a bloody straight… Neither of them had scored higher than a straight all night… it was rare when he played with his brothers that he did not win with a straight..
Sophie’s face remained rather magically impassive… and for the first time in nearly a year… Benedict could not read her face.
He pursed his lips, trying to scrutinise her face, trying to work it out. But he was sure with his straight he’d won… he was positive so with a flourish, he put his cards down. His cards giving him a straight flush consisting of 9, 10, Jack, Queen of clubs, King… with a smug look on his face as he looked at the extra Joker that was sat there the odd man out for him.
Sophie smiled at him and fanned herself with her cards, she was savouring the moment, it was killing her not to change her face… not to react.
She let out a breathy sigh and watched Benedict’s eyes as she let her cards trail from her chin, down her chest, across the top of her breasts, she watched his eyes follow her hands to the button of her jeans, as she made to unfasten them and as Benedict’s face changed into a triumphant smirk, she turned over her cards…
The 10 of Spades
Benedict smirked widely but then she turned over…
Queen of Spades…
Queen of Diamonds…
Benedict watched as Sophie’s eyes twinkled in mirth… surely not… surely fucking not…
Queen of Hearts…
And she let out the happiest, giggling squeal he had ever heard from her, even happier than the one she’d let out when he’d proposed…
With the fucking jokes…
“FIVE OF A KIND” she squealed happily, kicking her legs happily as she rolled onto her back and giggled triumphantly.
Benedict swore “Are you fucking kidding me!” he huffed as Sophie continued to giggle happily.
“Get 'em off!” she giggled at him.
“Nope” he said stubbornly. “You’ve cheated some how”
“Get. them. Off” she said, crawling towards him on her hands and knees like a lioness stalking her prey.
Benedict smirked at her “nope. I demand a rematch” as he crawled backwards
“I won fair and square… and I want what is mine…” she said, staring rather unabashedly at him and his little Yoda Boxer shorts.
“Nope!” he grinned standing up.
“Benedict… I won fair and square” she said lurching forward to grab them.
He took off at a run “if you want them you’ll have to catch me…” he said.
Sophie giggled as she got up and chased after him, he didn’t try that hard to run away…
She caught him and pushed him rather roughly against his office door, dragging his boxers off with her teeth and claiming her prize against the door… and then staked her claim a further 3 times over in their bedroom… he had to admit…
Being beaten at Poker by your beautiful girlfriend wasn’t too bad after all… and he did feel like a winner as he passed out completely spent and exhausted.