"Playing for Keeps" by Verai on Ao3

With your hands tied behind your back, you sat straight in the uncomfortable wooden chair, watching four grimey sacks of meat posing as men play poker, with you as the prize. You glanced up at the burly man guarding you, wondering if you could convince him to let you go, but he seemed too intent on making sure you stayed where you were.

“I could probably pay you more,” you said quietly to the man guarding you. He glanced down at you, raised an eyebrow, and shrugged.

“Maybe. But all four of them are paying me to make sure you don’t escape, and I doubt you can beat that.”

“I don’t have that much on me, but if you take me home-”

“I don’t believe you for a second,” he said. “The moment I step near your mansion, guards will shoot me dead. No thanks.”

You sighed. So much for that idea. You wriggled the rope, but it just dug into your wrists more, and you sighed, giving up for now. Better to save your strength for when they cut you free.

If they cut you free.

Your despairing thoughts were cut short when a man entered the saloon, and all eyes looked up for a moment to appraise the newcomer. He wore a worn gambler’s hat, blue shirt, ranch pants, dirty boots, and a black kerchief around his neck. He had two holsters and walked like a man who knew he could take on everyone in the saloon and get away with it. An air of violence emanated from him, and people steered clear as he approached the bar to get a shot of whiskey.

Once he was drinking, everyone else resumed their activities. You turned back to the game, but not before the stranger had looked directly at you with his piercing teal eyes, a color you had never seen before. You caught his look of hunger and shuddered. It was like staring down a wolf, wondering if you could escape. You weren’t too worried, since you knew one of the four men playing poker was going to take you away from here, and even though that was also terrible, at least it wasn’t him.

Until he walked up to the poker table and sat down.

“This is a closed game,” one of the men snarled at the newcomer.

The stranger took a wad of bills from his satchel and slammed it on the table. “Then open it.”

The others looked at the bills, looked at the stranger, looked at his guns, and shrugged. “Fine,” one of them said.

“I can’t accept this!” you said in a panic.

All of them looked at you, and you struggled harder until the guard clapped your shoulder as a warning. You took a deep breath and stayed still, but the stranger’s eyes looked through you, as if he could read all of your secrets. You had hoped for someone to come and save you, but he was not what you had hoped for.

“You don’t got much of a choice,” one of the other men said. “This is a game for you, after all.”

You glared, wishing you had kept a gun on you when you left that morning. It was supposed to be an easy coach ride from home to your vacation estate, but during the night, bandits had come through, taking out your guards and kidnapping you, hoping for a ransom. When you refused to tell them which family you were from, they were about to kill you, but then another gang came by, recognizing your photo from the papers when your mother had passed away. Knowing who you were, they murdered the bandits and now the four highest members of the gang were playing poker to see who would get to deflower you.

You wanted to cry, but you didn’t have any sadness left. You had cried most of the night. Now you were mostly angry, and you were scared of the newcomer. He didn’t seem like any of the other sad excuses for human beings in this town. He was like a spring, all coiled up and ready to let loose, and everyone could feel it. An energy hummed from him, and while everyone at the table tried to play it off, you watched how the guard next to you kept nervously checking his gun.

An hour passed as the pile of chips at the stranger’s side grew larger and larger. One by one, the other men went bust, watching with jealousy, until finally, the last of the original four men who had kidnapped you went all in, and lost it all.

“You idiot! You shoulda folded!”

They started bickering amongst themselves, while the stranger turned towards you. “I hear you’re the final prize, little lady.”

The other four men immediately turned, but the stranger already had his hand on his gun. “Now, I won her fair and square. I believe I’ll be takin’ her with me.”

You looked at the guard, once your bane, now the only one standing between you and certain dishonor. “Please,” you whispered again, “I’ll pay you once I get home, just get me out of here.”

The guard stood back, gesturing towards the stranger. “She’s all yours.”

Anger surged through you. “You ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, you should’ve taken my offer!”

The stranger chuckled, and you turned towards him, your body chilling as you saw the heat in his eyes. “Quite the offer. Let’s talk elsewhere.” He took you by the arm and all but dragged you outside, nodding at the other men as he left. You heard whispers as he walked you out, of the Van der Linde gang, and how no one should mess with their enforcer, but you didn’t know what that meant.

“What’s your name, little lady?” he asked once he had whistled for his horse.

You just glared at him.

“Fine. Don’t matter none to me anyway.” He lifted you onto his horse, his hands warm and big around your waist. You shivered at the contact. As he hopped on behind you and pulled you to his broad, warm chest, he leaned down to trail his lips along your earlobe.

“After all, you’re just my pretty ♥♥♥♥♥.”

You didn’t have time to catch your breath as he pushed his horse into a gallop, going who knew where.

***

You ended up in a bigger town, with a nice hotel. He took you inside, his hand on the small of your back, making chills run up your spine. You weren’t entirely sure it was from fear, as he had teased your body the entire ride here, caressing your side, your arm, your leg. He had breathed on your neck before kissing it softly whenever he had the chance, and whispered in your ear how beautiful you were.

And now, as you were about to enter the hotel, he whispered again, but this time, with a hint of a threat to his voice. “Now, play the part of my lovely new bride, or else.”

You nodded.

Arthur paid for a room with a bath, and took you upstairs. He gently guided you into the room, and locked the door behind him.

He started to take off his clothes, and you stubbornly stood away from him, facing the wall.

“Too late to be shy,” he said, as he grabbed your shoulder and spun you around. You gasped and shut your eyes; he was naked!

He chuckled and walked away from you, getting into the hot bath. He let out a satisfied sigh and you could hear him scrubbing away. You felt annoyed; you wanted to take a hot bath as well; you felt disgusting from all the dust and dirt.

“C’mere. Get in with me.”

You were scandalized. How dare he ask you such a thing!

“I’ll get in when you’re done,” you said through gritted teeth.

“I don’t think you understand. That wasn’t a request.”

“I don’t have to listen to you.”

“Do you wanna go home? Because you can just walk outta here right now and take yer chances. Or I escort you there on my horse, with my guns to protect you. Your choice.”

You paused, carefully weighing your decision. Finally, you replied, “I’ll do as you say.”

“Then come here.”

You opened your eyes to look at him; his intense glare shocked your body into moving forward. You stood before him, and you swallowed hard when he stood up in the tub, the water sluicing off his hard muscles. He reached out and undid your blouse and your skirt. His hands skimmed over your chemise and drawers.

“Take’em off,” he ordered.