The moment we step inside, Lukas loses it. Not a polite little chuckle, not even a restrained laugh, but full on, belly aching, can’t breathe laughter. He doubles over, gripping his stomach, shoulders shaking with uncontrollable amusement. At first, I join in, caught up in the sheer ridiculousness of the situation. The way the bouncer sneezed himself into oblivion was pretty hilarious. But while my laughter fades after a few moments, Lukas is still going. He snickers, wipes at his eyes, tries to stop, only to burst into fresh laughter all over again. I cross my arms, waiting.
“It wasn’t that funny.” I point out. Lukas gasps for air, shaking his head.
“It really was.” He insists. He straightens, still grinning, and gestures vaguely toward the entrance.
“The look on your face when he sneezed the first time, priceless. Might have been the funniest thing I’ve ever seen.” He declares. I roll my eyes.
“Glad my near panic attack was such quality entertainment.” I say sarcastically. He grins wider. “I should let you handle our problems more often. Your solutions are always so funny.” He says with a huge grin. I shrug.
“It’s not like I planned it that way. I had no idea what I was doing.” I admit. Lukas snorts.
“That just makes it better.” He decides. I huff out a breath, shaking my head.
“Alright, alright.” I lower my voice as I glance around, taking in our surroundings.
“We’re inside. Now what?” I ask out loud, then I swap to speaking in my mind.
*Do you actually have a plan, or do you just want us to wander around reading random people’s minds?* I ask silently. Lukas doesn’t answer right away. Instead, he steps in closer, too close, until the warmth of his body presses against mine. Before I can react, his arms slip around my waist, pulling me snugly against his chest. His chin rests lightly on my shoulder as he finally whispers into my ear.
“I want to focus on the staff. Especially anyone who looks like management, or anyone important enough to be considered a VIP.” He explains. Oh. Okay. That actually makes sense.
Lukas doesn’t move. He stays there, holding me a little longer than necessary. Long enough for the heat of his breath to tickle my skin. Then, as if it’s the most natural thing in the world, he presses a slow, deliberate kiss to the side of my neck. A shiver runs down my spine, totally impossible to ignore. Lukas just smiles as he pulls back, only a fraction. He keeps one arm hooked loosely around my waist, still holding me close. I tell myself it’s no big deal. In fact it’s almost comical. Like he’s some nervous kid clinging to his emotional support blanket. Except in this case, I’m the blanket.
This place is loud. Maybe I’M the one who needs a comfort blanket. Or noise canceling headphones. There are a million different sounds clashing all at once, cheering, groaning, the clatter of dice, the shuffle of cards, the relentless ding ding ding of slot machines. And the voices. So many voices. Some are excited, high pitched with victory, while others are laced with frustration, thick with disappointment. It’s not hard to tell who’s winning and who’s losing. We don’t have a specific target yet, so we start to wander. At first, it feels aimless, just moving through the crowd, taking in the layout, getting a feel for the place. But then we start talking to people. We order drinks at the bar. I chat up the bartender, keeping my tone light, friendly, interested, while Lukas discreetly brushes against the staff member, taking the opportunity to skim the surface of his thoughts. He doesn’t seem to find anything useful, but that’s fine. This is just the warm up. We keep moving, blending in. We pretend to watch people play games and even play a couple ourselves. I lose all of the games I try. I chatter, laughing at all the right moments, subtly drawing attention to myself while Lukas listens in on the minds around us. Based on the fact that we’re still here, still wandering, I’m guessing he hasn’t found anything important yet. Then, I see them. A group of very well dressed people sitting around a card table. From here, I can’t tell what game they’re playing, but that doesn’t really matter. What stands out is their attitude. Where most players here are locked in, focused, treating every chip like it carries the weight of their survival, these people don’t seem to care. They’re tossing down their bets like pocket change, barely glancing at the cards in their hands. The game itself is secondary. Their real focus is on their conversation.
*That table over there.* I nudge Lukas’s mind, drawing his attention. I want to know if they know anything useful. He follows my gaze but doesn’t immediately see what I see. Not until I break it down for him, how they stand out, how casual they are compared to the desperate, money hungry crowd surrounding them. Then, he’s completely on board. The problem? This isn’t the kind of game you can just invite yourself into. These people know each other. They aren’t looking for new players. We hover at a safe distance, trying not to make it obvious that we’re staring. We need a way in. Either they invite us over, or we get close enough to eavesdrop and give Lukas a clean shot at reading their thoughts. And then, opportunity strikes. One of the men at the table, mid forties with a sharp suit, slicked back hair, stands up and wanders toward the bar. Looks like he needs a drink. Lukas takes a step forward, clearly planning to use this moment to brush against him and slip into his mind. But I stop him with a hand to his chest. “Give me a second.” I request. Lukas pauses, watching me curiously as I slip away from him and head toward the bar. I move with purpose, closing the distance between me and the man without looking like I’m trying to. When I reach the bar, I make my move, an ‘accidental’ bump against his side as I order my drink. Just enough for him to notice me. He does. The man turns, his gaze sweeping over me from head to toe, a slow, appraising look that makes my skin crawl. But I ignore the discomfort and flash my brightest, most carefree smile.
“Well, hi there.” He says smoothly, voice laced with easy charm. Gross. But I don’t let it show. Instead, I lean into the moment, playing my role perfectly.
“Hi!” I chirp, dialing up the perky tone. He tilts his head slightly, studying me.
“I’ve never seen you around here before.” His voice isn’t suspicious, just curious. Or maybe just flirty. I let out a light laugh.
“Nah, I’m just visiting town. Came here with a friend. I don’t really know what I’m doing, though.” I shrug, feigning helplessness. He raises an eyebrow, clearly intrigued.
“Is that right?” He asks simply. I nod.
“Yeah! Hey, do you know any of these games? It’d be fun to watch someone who actually knows what they’re doing. I tried playing earlier, but honestly? I have no idea what I’m doing. I might as well be throwing money straight into a fire.” I let out another self deprecating laugh, flashing him a sheepish smile. It works. His ego immediately inflates. He can’t resist the desire to show off and ‘teach’ me something.
“Oh, of course.” He says, straightening a little.
“I’m basically an expert.” He brags. Perfect.
“Grab your friend. You can come watch me play for a bit.” He continues. I can tell he’s expecting my ‘friend’ to be another woman, but I’m not about to correct him. The invite is secured, and that’s all that matters.
“Sure! Where are you playing?” I ask, keeping my tone bright and interested. He gestures back toward the same table I’d been eyeing. Exactly where I wanted to be.
“Perfect! I’ll see you in a minute.” I say with a wide smile. And just like that, we’re in.