Blood in the Water
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		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Bondage, D/s, S&amp;M =&gt; Bondage: Human Solos =&gt; Topic started by: Dirigible on 26-03-2011, 08:56:29</h2>
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				Title: <strong>Blood in the Water</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dirigible</strong> on <strong>26-03-2011, 08:56:29</strong>
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				<div align="center">(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5150/5560632536_acaaa40ed6.jpg)</div><br>The moon reflected like an oversized silver dollar in the starburst-mosaiced waters of the Shark Tank's private pool area, its seren paleness contrasting with the garish neon shades of the casino around it. The Tank was one of the most exclusive clubs in town; you either had to have a wallet as thick as a phonebook or be a personal friend of the owner, Wil Church (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=45831.msg4423136#msg4423136) to gain access to its much-sought-after riotous dancefloors, intriguing private nooks and extravagant VIP rooms.<br><br>Vanessa Blackwater was neither. She was a mark.<br><br>Wil knew her type, rightly enough. For some people it was drugs, alcohol, sports, fast cars, sex... there was always something that made their heart race, their blood pump; some thrill, illicit or not, that filled a gap in their minds or hearts or souls. A vice that made them complete for a moment when they indulged in it. For Vanessa it was gambling. She rode the razor's edge of chance and skill, feeding off the adrenaline that surged like the tide every time a chip was tossed into the pot or another card was laid down. It was strange, he thought, given her profession that something as comparatively mild as high-stakes poker could scratch that itch, but he wasn't about to complain. The rush made her reckless; it blinded her as the stakes rose and rose above what she could afford to pay off if she lost this critical hand. Not if... when. Wil glanced at his cards and not a muscle moved on his face nor a glimmer showed in his eye as he saw the trap he had set; the all but unbeatable hand he had been dealt, her overeagerness to sate her thrill-addiction... her belief that she could win.<br><br>Tan and fit, he looked perfectly at home relaxing beside the private pool as they played. Resting his cards against his sleeve, Wil picked up his martini and took a sip, watching the water ripple silently, waves of silver shimmering across its surface behind the dark fall of Vanessa's hair. Setting down the glass he picked up a heavy, platinum-embossed chip and rolled it dextrously across his knuckles. “I see your 10,000... and raise you 50,000,” he remarked in his dark, suave voice. It was all he could do to keep his pokerface in place... by the time they were done, she'd have to all but sell her soul to make up the debt.<br><br>Wil glanced at her empty glass as the chip rattled into the pot, raising his eyebrows to silently query whether she wanted another.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Blood in the Water [Dirigible &amp; SxyCowgirl]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>SxyCowgirl</strong> on <strong>26-03-2011, 16:55:48</strong>
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				Vanessa had been looking forward to this game. Preparing to get ready, she had picked out her most revealing black dress and the patent leather heels she wore to black tie affairs in the hopes of distracting the other players. She seemed to have succeeded with at least two of the men who had been a part of the game, and now it was just her, Wil Church, and one other man. She had just done a job that paid well enough and she was ready to bet it all. Unfortunately, that was what she was just about to do.<br><br>She wasn't quite sure how she had gotten such an audience with the infamous Wil Church, but she was here, and she was sure she could bluff her way through this game. She may not have had the best hand, but her poker face was excellent. She watched Church carefully, noting the look he shot at her empty glass. She nodded. He had good scotch here, she had to give him that. And he was rather attractive, especially with that aura of mystery that surrounded him, but she wouldn't let that distract her.<br><br>The bar tender who was standing near by had apparently seen the exchange and brought over the bottle of scotch, pouring some in her glass. Turning her cards down, she took a sip and watched him closely. Pushing all the rest of her chips into the center of the table, she didn't take her eyes off of Church.<br><br>"All in."<br><br>It was true, if she lost this hand then she would be in such debt as she could not get out of, and so she began to think where she had put the materials she would need in order to disappear. Just then, she stopped herself and though <em>Get back to now. You can win this thing.</em> and looked up at Church, waiting for his reaction.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Blood in the Water [Dirigible &amp; SxyCowgirl]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dirigible</strong> on <strong>26-03-2011, 20:22:22</strong>
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				<div class="floatright">(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4095/4757079120_346800b80b.jpg)</div>The third and last remaining player shook his head abruptly as the elegantly inconspicuous barman refilled Vanessa's tumbler and began mixing another martini for Wil. Kamahl was the son of an emir or a sultan or something to that effect, his dark face pallid around his shades as he looked at his hand. He fidgeted, and sweat darkened the collar of his starched white suit. Already, the stakes had consumed most of his pocket money for this trip... he hated the thought of going back to beg more play-time cash from his father. Nervously, he played with his customised gold Swiss watch, considering adding it to the pot and trying to outbid the two Westerners, but they both seemed ungodly confident about their hands.<br><br>“I fold, damn you,” he sighed, tossing his cards down to reveal a weak three of a kind. Kamahl sighed, crossing his arms and alternately glowering at the other two and grinning weakly as he realised that at least he wasn't going to lose any more.<br><br>Wil leaned back in his chair, relaxed as a lion. His crisp dark jacket swept back from his broad shoulders, and his silk shirt was open to reveal a short delta of toned torso below his throat. He'd always enjoyed the cool of the desert air. He watched Vanessa across the table as she made one last daring push, throwing everything she had at him. She was quite a sight, her eyes bright with excitement, cheeks flushed from the whiskey, a risqué glimpse of cleavage as she leaned forward to roll her chips into the pot. He would have stopped to enjoy the sight, but he made it a rule not to mix pleasure with winning – which was why he'd been drinking non-alcoholic martinis all evening. It was always a good strategy to make your opponent think you were on the same level as them, when in reality you were seizing the high ground.<br><br>“All in, hmmm?” he drawled, his blue-green eyes reflecting the city lights as he examined her thoughtfully. That took her to approximately $500,000 on the table. “I'll see that.” He placed a matching stack of chips dead in the middle of the table, and gracefully laid his cards in a sweep in front of him. Five of clubs... five of diamonds... five of spades... five of hearts... seven of diamonds. “Four of a kind,” he said calmly, raising his eyebrow at Vanessa again. Kamahl gave a choked groan/sigh of relief. “You weren't bluffing, Church! I knew it!”
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Blood in the Water [Dirigible &amp; SxyCowgirl]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>SxyCowgirl</strong> on <strong>27-03-2011, 17:31:22</strong>
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				Very upset and disappointed, Vanessa put her hand down, revealing nothing but two twos, an ace and a seven. Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, Vanessa tried her best to keep her composure. "Good game Wil." She said, her voice deep and song like. Standing from her place at the table, she picked up her glass and finished the scotch and turned to walk out of the pool area and back into the club.<br><br>Before she took two steps, she turned her head over her shoulder and looked at him. "I will pay you in full with my next job." She said, in reference to the debt she now owed him, just like the debt she owed too many others for gambling and borrowing money. Now she felt many an emotion when she lost like that. Angry at herself for not doing better, sad that she had lost so much AGAIN, and exhausted from trying to hide the other two. Like any human, she had emotions, but she never let them show. It would ruin her reputation as a hitwoman if anyone ever saw her cry over a simple game, and she couldn't afford that.<br><br>She stopped walking and took a deep breath, looking around at all the people sitting at tables or the bar or on the dance floor, happy and having a great time blowing their money. She was once one of them, before her gambling drove her into a ratty apartment where rats run rampant and only canned foods could be kept because they didn't need refrigeration and wouldn't go bad. It was a wonder that she still had the dresses she had, and was able to keep them presentable in such a place, but she managed. Letting out the breath in a deep sigh, she allowed her mind to return to the time when she was care-free and wealthy enough to afford some luxuries such as going to clubs and good drinks.<br><br>When she awoke from her revere, she was shocked to find herself back out by the pool, standing right at the edge. She didn't move, only stared at the water. It reminded her of a hot springs, the steam coming from the top in the cool desert air. It had been a long time since she had gone swimming because she had lost her only suit and could not buy another one. It was a favorite past time of hers when she was younger and she missed it. Again she sighed remembering, though not quite so deep in remembrance that she did not notice Church watching her. She stayed there, and waited for something to happen. She wasn't sure what she was waiting for, or why she had come back out to the pool area, but she had a feeling something interesting would be happening. Just a gut feeling, and her gut was usually right.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Blood in the Water [Dirigible &amp; SxyCowgirl]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dirigible</strong> on <strong>27-03-2011, 21:05:05</strong>
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				Kamahl's eyes goggled as he saw Vanessa table her hand. “A <em>two</em>?! <em>Allah</em>, I thought I was being bold risking so much on a three!” He chortled, shaking his head in disbelief. “You are a fearless woman, Miss Blackwater!” Dusting off his suit he stood and gave Wil a miserable look. “Enjoy my money, Church, you wretched bandit.”<br><br>“I always do,” the casino owner said easily, raising his newly refilled martini glass in salute. Kamahl strode off, muttering to himself, and Wil glanced at the man behind the private bar. Nodding in understanding, the man glided towards the doors to the pool area and departed, closing them behind him just as Vanessa wandered back through them in a daze. Alone now, he studied her, his cool turquoise eyes measuring her legs as she walked to the edge of the pool, admiring their sleek grace and the way they stretched up under the hem of her dress to the delights beyond. Besides her obvious physical appeal, like Kamahl he was impressed and startled by her sheer, reckless daring in chancing half a mil of other people's money on a <em>pair</em>. <br><br>Silently he stood and swept all the chips and cash into the pot with a clatter. Not a bad take for one night's play... and he had a sense the pot was about to get sweeter still. Wil moved to the bar and rested his hand atop the bottle of 12-year-old Laphroaig Vanessa had been drinking <em>gratis</em>. “Another?” he drawled, calling out to break her fugue state.<br><br>“<em>Five</em> hundred thousand dollar. Five <em>hundred</em> thousand dollars. Five hundred <em>thousand</em> dollars,” he mused repetitively, watching the woman's back with a smirk. It was perhaps cruel... he could tell she was brittle and distraught, and looked like she might have been considering a suicidal plunge if that pool was a skyscraper's roof. “That's a lot of money, even for someone in your profession.” Wil had done his due dilligence; as the city's unofficial rumourmonger, he had a pretty shrewd idea of how Vanessa made ends meet – or didn't, in this case. “Ever considered taking out a consolidation loan?”
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				Title: <strong>Re: Blood in the Water [Dirigible &amp; SxyCowgirl]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>SxyCowgirl</strong> on <strong>27-03-2011, 21:21:11</strong>
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				Vanessa glared over her shoulder at Church before turning around to face him. "Why? So I can be in debt to other people? No thanks. I have <em>enough</em> issues with who I already owe." She stood facing him, staring at him coolly, emotionless. Even though she really didn't show her emotions, she had the sense that he could tell more what was going through her mind than even she knew at the moment. She knew he was a calculating man, always looking for a way to make some sort of profit, and knew well all the goings on within a twenty mile radius and most of what went on beyond.<br><br>Now that the game was over, and her money lost, she allowed herself to admire his form. Though the suit hid most of his body, there were some things she could tell about him. He was not only smart, but strong as well with, she imagined, toned muscles. And judging by his confidence and sound of his voice, he was well equipped. Looking up into his eyes, she stepped slowly closer, using her natural grace to her advantage. She could tell he was attracted to her, but she didn't know <em>how</em> attracted, and she wanted to find out.<br><br>"So what happened to the other man? Get bored of losing money? Upset that he lost so much as well?" She asked, stepping up just beside him at the bar.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Blood in the Water [Dirigible &amp; SxyCowgirl]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dirigible</strong> on <strong>27-03-2011, 21:52:10</strong>
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				She hadn't responded to his offer of another drink, but Church decided to provide one any way. The bottle's neck clinking against the rim as he poured a generous two-fingers-width of golden brown whisky into the tumbler, then swaggered around the bar to offer it to her. He rested his hip against the edge, athletic legs and bespoke Italian leather shoes cocked as he let his gaze roam higher, up her waist to the delicate vista of flesh her black dress tantalised him with.<br><br>He knew there were more ways to measure winning than just money.<br><br>Wil met Vanessa's dark eyes with his provocative blue-green ones as she approached, grinning as her question revealed how preoccupied she'd been during her little walk. “Kamahl? Sure. But he'll be back next month with more of daddy's oil money. He can afford to lose big... unlike some people.” He turned his head fractionally to the side, taking a sip of his martini without breaking his intense gaze. <br><br>“Maybe we should try playing for something other than money,” he suggested wryly, stretching out a finger to brush the should strap of her dress. She enticed him with her sultry blend of sex appeal and danger... and there was certainly no harm in seeing how far this debt of hers would make her pliable.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Blood in the Water [Dirigible &amp; SxyCowgirl]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>SxyCowgirl</strong> on <strong>27-03-2011, 22:38:54</strong>
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				Glancing down at the glass he poured for her, she took it gently with a wry smile. "If you insist." She said, taking a sip. "Lucky kid." She said, referring to Kamahl, completely ignoring the slight jab he made at her.<br><br>She turned to look at him when he touched her shoulder, playing with the strap on her dress. It sent an odd shiver down her spine like an icy finger had just run right down it, and made her heart beat just a bit faster to stave away the chill. It wasn't quite unpleasant, not by any means, but simply odd.<br><br>She stared back into his eyes as he spoke and she turned her head slightly to the side, slanting her eyes. "Oh? And what might that be?" She asked, almost sure of what the reply would be.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Blood in the Water [Dirigible &amp; SxyCowgirl]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dirigible</strong> on <strong>02-04-2011, 20:13:51</strong>
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				She didn't pull away. Whether that represented a lack of options or genuine interest... he could work with it. Wil leaned a little closer to her, his jewel-coloured eyes gleaming with sexuality as he inhaled her scent; perfume underlined with a faint, nervous sweat from the card game's tension, the sweet burning of the whiskey. His own cologne, something subtle and leathery, rough and masculine teased her nose as his finger followed the line of her dress's strap down, then traced across her décolletage. <br><br>The shark glanced back deliberately at the closed and curtained doors to the private pool-lounge, then leaned conspiratorially down to murmur in Vanessa's ear. “Yeah. I've been imagining what's under that dress all night.”<br><br>Church's lips grazed her earlobe, warm and firm and tempting against the cartilage for just an instant before he pulled away and moved to the table. He expertly gathered the cards and wove them together, hands moving dexterously. “What do you say? I could ante up, say, five thousand bucks per article of cloth you wager.” He looked her up and down steamily, shuffling the deck. “Might make a dent in your debt. Unless you'd rather we both played for clothes,” he added, brushing one hand down his front, outlining his shirt against the strong chest and taut abdominals beneath.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Blood in the Water [Dirigible &amp; SxyCowgirl]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>SxyCowgirl</strong> on <strong>03-04-2011, 19:22:07</strong>
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				Vanessa noticed the quick glance of his eyes to the closed doors that blocked the pool from the sight of the gamblers within. The scent of his cologne was subtle and deep, an undertone of something like leather, and his finger down her strap to where her skin ceased to show and the dress continued. She smiled as he spoke, her suspicions confirmed. So he <em>was</em> interested in her sexually. She thought she could definitely use this to her advantage. Plus she didn't mind showing off some, especially not to someone so attractive as he was. Another shiver ran through her body as his lips played lightly on her ear, her heart pushing the blood straight through her body, just before he pulled away. This was more than just a simple game, it was a game of temptation and seduction. One thing she was very good at and often used to catch her prey unawares during a job.<br><br>Glancing down at the ground and then back up at Church, she sauntered over to the table and sat down across from him. He offered five thousand dollars per item of clothing, which she thought fair enough. Though she was wearing a dress, there were other articles hidden that even his security guards had missed, but she wouldn't mind showing them off either. It would show him that it was dangerous to mess with her and might prevent him from going back on his word.<br><br>"I'll take that bet." She said, crossing her legs. Resting an elbow on the table, she laid her hand flat for her chin to rest on the back of it, her other hand in her lap. As he brought his hand down his front, she could see a bit of the muscles that lie beneath. It was very clear that he was trying to seduce her, to do what though she did not know, but she decided to play along. By letting a man think they have the power, it is truly the woman who does.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Blood in the Water [Dirigible &amp; SxyCowgirl]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dirigible</strong> on <strong>06-04-2011, 19:49:38</strong>
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				Wil wasn't particularly concerned for power games... outside the bedroom, at least. Vanessa's considerable mountain of debt lay on the table between them, the multi-coloured chips gleaming like a tacky dragon's hoard. That made him confident about who was calling the shots here. He laced his fingers against his chin, half-veiled eyes watching her approach the table with an unmistakeable sensuality in the swing of her hips. Oh yes, she knew how to play this game... and he wasn't thinking of poker.<br><br>“I thought you might,” Church said, his voice like velvet as he shuffled the deck once more, the cards flashing between his fingers. He swept his arm across the table like a conjurer, spreading five cards face-down to each of them. Keeping Vanessa's gaze, he glanced down for five separate moments as he lifted the edge of each of his cards in turn, the look of confident, aggressive desire never leaving his face.<br><br>“Five – or one piece of clothing – to buy in,” he drawled, sliding five bright red $1000 chips from his pile. “And raising five.” He added more to the stake. “What's... your bid?” Wil queried, his gaze running over Vanessa's body from feet to crown, one eyebrow quirking up.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Blood in the Water</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>SxyCowgirl</strong> on <strong>26-04-2011, 05:39:16</strong>
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				Vanessa smirked, wondering how insane she could drive him by halfway through the game. After a few moments of consideration, she decided on her bet. Moving only seemingly slightly in her seat, she produced a small red piece of cloth and tossed it coolly onto the table.<br><br>"I think that should count as a match." She said, the grin not changing one bit. It was bold, but she was known for being so and it often drove her pursuers mad when she made such gestures.
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