The Card Game By Betty Rating: R Because of the subject matter. Disclaimer: I don't own them. Feedback: er.br@sympatico.ca Summary: A response to Jade`s challenge. No sex sorry, maybe next time. Starbuck had finished dressing for the evening in his tight leather pants that showed off the shape of his long thick cock. His leather vest clung to him, the v-neck showing off his muscular chest. He made it a habit each night to shave the small patch of hair that grew there, preferring his chest to stay smooth and bare. He always hated the feeling of a hairy chest. Now he stood at the top of the stairway that led down into the main club area, watching his guests enjoy another night of forbidden passion and fantasy. He had owned club paradise for almost 10 yahrens now, although this one on the Rising Star was not as luxurious as the original on Caprica. But most of his clientele had survived the destruction of the twelve worlds, and his club was one the firstthings the Council of the Twelve wanted reopened when the survivors gathered together for their trek across the universe. The older members who had survived had quickly come to him to renew their memberships, and many new one`s as well. So now he stood here looking down at his guest, watching for a certain member to arrive. This guest had challenged him to a card game, and one thing he never refused was a good card game. The member possessed a certain piece of property he wanted, and this challenge was the perfect way to get it. She was overconfident that she would win this game. Starbuck loved playing against the overconfident. He was very good at raising that overconfidence, allowing the other player to win just enough to make them believe that he was having a bad night. Then when their guard was down, wham, he took them for everything they had. Ah, there she was, with her property crawling behind her. She had placed a lovely diamond studded collar around his pretty neck, and attached the most beautiful gold leash to it. She saw him standing there watching her, and pulled on the leash, ordering her slave to follow. Lieutenant Sheba was a lovely looking girl, he had to admit it, but she had the personality of a rabid daggit. She had no friends, but many enemies. Her greatest enemy was the Commander of the Battlestar Galactica. Many yahrens ago when she was only 16, the great Commander had become seriously ill, and unable to work. The small sick leave pay was not enough to feed, clothe and keep a roof over the heads of his wife and three children and he grew deeper in debt. Unable to pay the mortgage on his home, he feared he was about to lose it, so Sheba`s father, Commander Cain of the Battlestar Pegasus, approached his old friend with a proposition. At first Adama thought the man was mad, and refused to accept the offer he made, but the growing debts forced him to reconsider. And so Sheba received Commander Adama's eldest child, Apollo, as Yule tide gift, and Adama received enough money to pay off his debts and put his other two children through school. Although Sheba missed her father dearly, she loved being on the Galactica. Her favourite past time was parading Apollo around the ship, making him crawl behind her, clad only in his collar and leash. It gave Adama great grief to see his beloved first born treated in this way, he had wanted so much more for the boy. Many times he had approached Sheba, begging her to sell his son back to him, but she refused each time, and Adama hated her. Well if all went the way Starbuck planned, Sheba would have a different fish to fry. Starbuck eyed the pretty slave as he crawled up the stairs behind his mistress. He wanted that slave, and he planned on getting him. "Well Starbuck, do you still want to play that card game with me?" she asked in a sultry voice. "Hey, I never turn down a good card game, hope you brought lots of cubits with you, I plan on winning a lot off you." "And what makes you think I`ll lose, I learned from the best." "Oh you did? And who might that be?" "Security Sargent Reese, he`s is a very good player, and teacher." Starbuck smiled at her words, the girl still had a lot to learn. He led her to a small room at the top of the stairs that was reserved for such games. Her mouth dropped open as she saw who else was sitting around the room. "Oh don`t worry Sheba, they will not be playing, their simply here as witnesses. Security Sargent Reese will make sure neither one of us cheats, Colonel Tigh will make sure neither one of us Welch's on a bet, and Lieutenant Boomer is here as my friend." "All right then they can stay, but I assure you I will not cheat." "Neither will I," Starbuck responded, his sideways glance at the other three men going unnoticed by the girl. As the game is played Sheba wins hand after hand, gaining more and confidence in her ability to beat the club owner. Her pile of winnings growing bigger and bigger as Boomer served her drink after drink. Soon she was just the way Starbuck wanted her. As overconfident as Baltar on each of his failed missions to destroy the fleet. Now was his time to strike. He won small hands at first, then lost a few, he didn`t want her losing her over confidence. Then came time for the big finally. Sheba looked at her cards and saw that she had a 3/4 pyramid, only one hand would better it, and the odds that Starbuck had that one hand were small. He hadn`t had one all night, so she was very confident he wouldn`t have one now. She pushed in two thirds of her winnings, and Starbuck matched it, raising her half of what he had, she matched his raise, and rose him again, leaving a small pile of cubits sitting before her. Starbuck smiled at the girls stupidity. He matched her raise, and rose his bet, added another thousand cubits to the kitty. "But I only have one hundred cubits left." "Well then I guess you will either have to fold, or think of some other prize for the pot." "But I have you beat and you know it." "Then you won`t be afraid to add something else to the pot, like that slave sitting there at your feet." Sheba looked at her slave and back up at her cards. "All right, I`ll do it, but only on one condition." "Name it." With an evil smile she said, "You throw in your club as well, if I lose you get my slave and keep your club, but if you lose, I keep my slave and take your club." Starbuck considered for a moment before answering. "Deal." The other men all smiled, as Reese took the end of the leash and led Apollo over to the corner. "Just making sure he`s out of your reach should you lose, we can`t have you welching on the bet now can we?" the security Sargent said to her. "Put your cards down Sheba," Starbuck demanded. "Read them and weep Bucko, 3/4 of a pyramid." Starbuck leaned forwards inspecting the cards and hung his head. "Ooooohhhhhhhhh you had 3/4 of a pyramid, oh frack all I had was," he placed his cards on the table, "a full pyramid." "You lose Sheba." Colonel Tigh said his first words all evening "Now if you`ll please sign this paper, giving Starbuck here full ownership of the slave." Sheba signed the paper, her anger clearly showing. "You had this planned all along didn`t you?" "Maybe I did. maybe I didn`t" Starbuck grinned. Apollo crawled over to his new master and quickly started licking the black leather boots as he ran his hands up the muscular legs. "Now now Apollo, you can do that later, right now I`m afraid I must finish my transaction, but I promise to show you off to the rest of my guests later." Sheba gets up to leave, but Reese stops her. "You can`t leave yet, Starbuck isn`t finished." "This game was fixed and I plan on telling everyone about it." the girl growled. Colonel Tigh then spoke up again. "You can try my dear, but no one believes the word of a slave." "What are you talking about?" she demanded The Colonel showed her the paper as Starbuck said, "Didn`t your daddy teach you to read before you sign?" Sheba read the paper in Tigh`s hand, not only had she signed over Apollo to this man, but she had agreed to be this man`s slave as well. "Colonel Tigh, would you like the honours of getting this slave ready to be presented to our guests?" "Why thank you Starbuck, I was hoping you would ask, I hope you don`t mind if I take Reese along with me, she may need to be restrained." the Colonel showed his pearly whites as he grabbed Sheba by the arm and led her through the back door to the room. "Oh Boomer, could you see if Commander Adama has arrived for tonight's slave auction, he was very interested in a special female that will be on the block tonight." Sheba heard Starbuck calmly say as Tigh closed the door behind them. Starbuck was then left alone with his new slave, who proceeded to show his new master just how talented his mouth really was, over and over again.