The next round yielded a Chinese, stocky and robust, a laborer from what she could surmise. His golden muscles glowed, obviously oiled to show their perfection. Lily let her gaze rove over the man whose Manchurian queue of hair hung down the center of his broad back in a thick braid. He turned, giving all players a clear view of his body, rounded, meaty thighs and sloping calves, carved abdomen and chest, arms sculpted strong from obvious physical labor. The bulge in his loincloth hinted at a well-endowed jade stalk. His face, too, was pleasant enough, his features firm and smooth, eyes narrow under arching brows. He was mortal, a regular human, and Lily felt a stirring of desire in her sex.
She looked closer, into the man's eyes. No good. In their brown depths, she saw the capacity for aggression, someone who did not succumb so easily to direction. Although he was a coolie accustomed to working for a boss, the glint in his eye showed her he'd had enough of that submission, and she knew she couldn't risk subjecting herself to such a man. No matter how much pleasure she gave him, he would want to subjugate her and could grow violent at any moment.
She sighed inwardly and settled back. The dealer's gaze passed over hers, and she shook her head again. A servant came by with a tray, offering a choice of rice wine, whiskey, or blood. Again, she gave a brief shake of her head and kept her eyes trained on the platform where the next male offering was led to the platform and ascended the steps.
Her breath caught. She watched him, rapt, as he came to a standstill in front of the players.
She moistened her lips as her gaze traveled over his near-naked form. The soft light from the gas lamps glowed on his smooth, slightly oiled skin, the hue of toasted almonds, chest unmarred by any hair. In contrast to the stocky man before him, this man's build was slim, though his musculature was well developed. Lily's eyes spanned his chiseled torso, admiring the wide shoulders that tapered down to a slender waist. His stomach was board flat, the navel a small indentation. A thin strip of black, silky hair swirled down toward his groin.
Lily narrowed her eyes on the white loincloth, judging the man's most important endowment through the bunched-up cloth. The bulge of his dragon was clearly outlined, as was the apparently heavy sac of his yang pearls. A man of his build often possessed a deceptively small jade stalk and lacked in life force. Not this man.
To her shame, her mouth began to water. This man seemed to overflow with life force. Indeed, the energy that simmered off his muscular form conveyed to Lily his need to have the excess tapped off. With such abundant, ripe qi, he most certainly was not a vampire.
As was custom, the man turned his slow circle of display, giving the audience a clear view of his back. The gleaming expanse of muscles flexed with his movements, and again Lily felt her body's immediate response to him. He turned gracefully, his fluid motion an alluring contrast to his carved physique.
A narrow strip of loincloth ran down the crevice of his backside, exposing most of his hard buttocks. Her gaze traveled eagerly over the smooth globes of muscle and rested there. Although she had already examined the part of him that was relevant to her purpose, she couldn't help admiring him further. Every inch of him seemed beautifully formed.
As if to prove her thought, she finally tore her gaze away from his backside and let it move down to his legs. She'd been right. His thigh and calf muscles, covered with only a light sprinkling of hair, sloped with a sense of coiled power. Even his feet were beautifully shaped, and the callused heels did not appear rough and unsightly, but gave her the sense that he had traveled a long distance to be here.
He turned again and faced the players. Lily's gaze slid back up his body, over his well-endowed groin, carved stomach, and chest to his face. Her breath hitched again in her throat, and she used the last seconds before the game was called to study his face. He had the slightly rugged look of a man from the mountainous interior of China in the north. Was he Chinese? She wasn't certain. Realizing she'd let her perusal of his body break her Tigress's concentration, she forced herself into her previous mind frame--that of a priestess examining a subject to deem his worthiness as a potential Jade Dragon.
He had a very pleasing face, lips full but not pouty, beautifully sculpted, the upper lip arched. The darkness of beard colored his clean-shaven upper lip and chin. His face, oval-shaped but with high cheekbones, brought her gaze to his eyes, the very mirror to his character that would make her decision.
The dealer announced the next round of five-card stud. Only mere seconds left in which to decide. She looked into the man's eyes. Their gazes locked. His expression was even, yet the golden-brown disks of color burned with passion. Passion ... and a desire to...
The man next to Lily raised his hand, and the dealer put a down card at his place.
Lily held her breath, continuing to stare at the man on the platform. His gaze seemed locked on hers, as if he were silently drawing her to the game. She maintained her stare, waiting to see what he would do. In the next heartbeat, he lowered his gaze the tiniest bit and bowed his head. Respect without fear.
Perfect. She nodded to the dealer, who put a down card at her place.
Lily turned up the corner of the card. Ace of clubs. She let the corner down and watched the up cards of each player as they were dealt.
Her heartbeat rose as her hand was laid out before her. Ten ... Jack ... Queen ... and King of clubs. Gods! Her hidden ace had become the ace in the hole she needed to win. With such a hand, she needed to keep her expression even.
Around her, players folded, one after the other. Except for one.
The vampiress Lily had observed earlier. Three nines were showing on the table before her. No doubt she had a nine in the hole. A nearly impossible hand to beat. The creature's ruby-red lips barely concealed a gleeful smile. Her beauty was marred only by the baleful glitter in her eyes. Behind her chair, another vampire stood, one large hand on her shoulder. Both wore beautiful silks and were groomed to perfection. There was something vaguely familiar about her, but Lily was certain she'd never seen her before. Not surprising. Kith and kin sometimes traveled great distances to participate in the floating underground game. Seeing the prize to be won from this round, Lily understood why. He was magnificent, perfect for her Tigress practice, if her judgment was as accurate as usual.
The Chinese she-vampire looked up at Lily, her eyes narrowing, a satisfied grin curving her reddened lips. Lily felt a distinct tightening in her chest.
This was it. Time to call her hand. Lily suppressed a grin. A ripple of murmurs erupted around the table. A face-off like this happened rarely and lent an air of added thrill to the game.
"Ha!" The vampiress turned over her down card, the nine Lily had suspected. Glee shone in her eyes. "Four of a kind."
Excitement skittered through the crowd.
Lily glanced at the man on the platform then back at her opponent. Now it was her turn to smile. "Not so fast, Madame." She picked up her down card, the ace that was, indeed, her ace in the hole, and set it with her four other cards.
Gasps and murmurs rippled through the onlookers.
The smile drained from the she-vampire's red lips, and her eyes narrowed to angry slits.
"Game goes to the royal straight flush," the dealer proclaimed.
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