Poker Face

Chapter 17 - Hold'Em

"Saviors raided all the good stuff," Negan apologized. "This is all the cheap shit." Aven lifted herself with one foot on the foot-rest under the bar, leaning over to look at the small collection of booze.

"This shit isn't exactly cheap," she muttered, internally rolling her eyes at Negan being picky about the quality-level of his scavenges. Negan slipped behind the bar so he was face to face with her, both of them leaning forwards on their forearms. He looked straight at her, but she purposely kept her face tilted up and to the side, pretending to read the bottles on the shelves behind him.

"What'll it be?" Negan asked. At first, Aven was tempted to drink but held herself back.

"I can't drink. We haven't eaten anything," she asserted. "And we haven't had water since this morning."

"I bet you were one of those bitches in bars running around cockblocking to ask friends if they were staying hydrated, right?'

"Hydration is important," she shrugged, not denying the accusation. Negan rolled his eyes and disappeared through a swinging door that Aven assumed led to a kitchen. He returned with a jumbo-sized bag of mini-pretzels and a water cooler-type jug under his arm. "Nutritious," she said sarcastically.

"Well I'm sorry, your fucking highness," he grunted, lifting the jug onto the bar with a thud. "I didn't have time to grow you a fucking vegetable. But there are peanuts in your backpack and you're fucking welcome."

"Peanuts and mini-pretzels? Jesus, did you fucking plan this?" she joked, noting the bar snacks before narrowing her eyes and looking straight at him. As usual, the grin on his face said all she needed to know. "Oh my god," she breathed. "Is this why you brought me all the fucking way out here? For a god damn bar? You have booze at the Sanctuary! The expensive shit!" To Negan's satisfaction, she wasn't quite angry. A little annoyed, maybe, but more amused. His grin stretched out ear to ear, bearing his teeth to her. "Why do you have to be all fucking secretive and mysterious and all this bullshit?"

"Well, first of all," he growled softly, "if I had told you the truth you wouldn't have come. Second, I know for a fucking fact that the reason you let me take you all the way out here is because you're attracted to this 'bullshit.' And third," he spoke steadily as he leaned in closer to her, "you're just as a big a bullshit artist as me." Aven, slightly slack-jawed, kept her face almost neutral, save for a slight curl at the corner of her lip and her tongue poking thoughtfully at her canine tooth. "I knew it," he growled. "You know exactly what the fuck you're doing. Playing hard to get, but we both know I'm getting you." He leaned in, intending to connect his lips with hers, but she let herself fall back onto a bar seat so she was just out of reach.

"I don't know how you intend to pour that without spilling," she nodded to the huge water jug, showing no sign of the fire she was feeling inside. Negan gritted his teeth, his gaze burning into hers. He didn't take his eyes off her as he grabbed a glass from under the bar, removed the cap of the jug, and carefully tilted it over the edge of the bar to fill the glass before putting it upright again. "Impressive," Aven drawled sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Just then, the flashlight, which had been leaning unsteadily on a shelf behind Negan fell to the floor, the room going almost completely dark.

"Gimme the bag," he said, reaching across when Aven put it on the bar to slide it over to him. He flipped open one of the side pockets and pulled out a book of matches, striking one before pulling a bar candle in an orange glass from under the bar and lighting it so that colored light illuminated their faces.

"Oh, fuck you," Aven groaned at his preparation as he lit four more candles and placed them on the bar on either side of them. Relenting, Aven lifted herself slightly to rumage in the bag he'd packed, pulling out a full cannister of salted peanuts. "You pack salted peanuts and then give me shit about hydration?" She opened the container and peeled off the seal before popping a handful of peanuts into her mouth. Negan poured himself a glass of water before turning and snatching a bottle of rum off the shelves and pouring a glass for each of them. Aven threw her water back like a shot before reaching her glass out for more.

Ten minutes later, Negan had downed his drink and Aven was only halfway done. She was careful to eat in between sips, knowing her tolerance level was going to be low. Negan chuckled as he watched her meticulous drinking routine.

"Jesus fuck, you really gotta let loose, doll," he said. "Dancing on the tables is still an option." He raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"I don't think so," she replied, shoving two pretzels into her mouth and chasing them with a sip from her fourth glass of water.

"You're gonna have to piss so fucking badly," he warned.

"Yeah, I uh, actually..." she trailed off and Negan chuckled, turning the flashlight back on and pointing it across the room to the bathroom door. Aven took the flashlight and hurried off out of the room. When she came back, Negan had refilled his glass and topped hers off. "I don't know what you think you're going to accomplish by getting me drunk," she said, hopping back up into the bar chair.

"You know fucking exactly what I think I'm going to accomplish," he growled, earning yet another eye roll before pulling the backpack towards him again and reaching in to pull out a pack of cards.

"Jesus, did you pack me any practical supplies?" she asked.

"Well, I tried to but you left them on my bed," he retorted, referring to the red lace lingerie set he'd picked for her. "You know how to play Texas hold'em?" He slipped the worn deck of cards out of its box and began to shuffle as Aven shoved another handful of pretzels into her mouth and took a generous drink of rum.

"Probably need a refresher but yeah," she replied, watching him shuffle smoothly. "What do we use for chips?" she asked, prompting him to pull a box of toothpicks from under the counter. "That's gonna get confusing. I guess you didn't think of everything, did you?"

"Let's make this interesting," he changed the subject once he was done shuffling. Aven took another sip of rum and waited for his wager. For a silent moment, he only grinned devilishly at her. "If I win, you have to wear the panties I picked out for you. And I get to see." Aven's breath hitched in her throat.

"I left them-" she began, but stopped as Negan pulled the red lace from the back pocket of his jeans. Aven went silent, her mouth set in a hard line, considering her options. She stared down at the bar for a moment before throwing back her drink and holding out her glass for more. Negan smugly complied. "Okay, fine. But if I win," she began, copying his anticipatory moment of silent cockiness before continuing, "you let Sherry go back to Dwight." Negan's grin fell off his face, which only brought a similar grin to hers. He let a distressed whistle, thinking over her offer.

"I don't think that's a very even motherfucking deal," he said in a low, challenging voice. "So let's up the fucking stakes a little." He glanced down at his almost empty glass, swirling the remaining alcohol before throwing it back and refilling his glass. "If you win, Sherry goes back to Dwight but they are no fucking longer welcome in my Sanctuary." Aven nodded, unconcerned with what the couple did as long as Negan wasn't abusing their situation.

"And if you win?"

"If I win, you come back to the Sanctuary." Aven's face fell harder than his did.

"I told you I'm not coming back-"

"Oh, come on," he taunted. "What's wrong? Afraid you're gonna fuckin' lose, little girl?" Aven leaned back in her chair, staring at him for a long, hard moment. She hadn't played poker since grad school and wasn't particularly experienced with it. However, the few times she played she'd earned a decent take, the only one among her friends who could lie and bluff without even a tell. She wasn't bothered by Negan's goading, so it was a surprise to her when the words finally left her mouth.

"You're on. Deal." She picked up her rum and downed half the glass.