The Cockney Canuck - 56. Chapter 56 Red Pyjamas

After Monday’s disturbing encounter with Jake and Tuesday’s embarrassing episode at Nathan’s house, I was relieved to see the following day pass without incident. As frustrating as it was, the new—no sitting together at lunch—policy that I had agreed with Nathan, was proving to be a good decision. I knew that it wasn’t going to stop the likes of Jake from broadcasting his homophobic hatred about me, but at least if we weren’t seen together, there was very little evidence to support his claims. Jake’s meteoric rise to my public enemy number one; was tempered by the knowledge that his reign as one of the most feared boys in school, was due to end. He would be leaving at the start of the summer, to join the workforce and rumour had it that he had been offered a job at one of the local car dealerships. Cobourg was too small a place for me to expect never to see his ugly mug again, but at least in September, it should be somewhat safer in the school corridors.

Nathan of course, wasn’t aware of Jake’s sudden interest in my personal life, and I wanted to keep it that way. Their paths rarely crossed, and so far, my boyfriend had managed to make it through his first year of high school, with nothing more than a few random insults. It was still unacceptable, but Nathan—armed with copious amounts of self-confidence and the support of a loving family—was well equipped to deal with any of Jake’s verbal slurs. However, the mere thought of anyone deliberately hurting him was enough to make me feel physically sick, and there was absolutely nothing that I wouldn’t have done to prevent it. I would have killed to protect him. I know it.

As if I weren’t already paranoid enough, I was beginning to think that Alex was now spying on me. I noticed him looking over on Wednesday as I stood to chat to David before lunch, and again the following day, when he was acting very suspiciously between classes. I assumed that he wanted to find out who my boyfriend was, although I couldn’t understand why this was suddenly so important to him. He wasn’t the most inconspicuous of boys either, and if he was stalking me, then he wasn’t doing a particularly good job of it, but it provided me with yet another headache. Alex was a constant reminder to me, of a chapter in my recent history that I was keen to forget about and desperate to conceal. It was an episode that I knew that he would never talk about to anyone, even in the face of extreme torture, but his sudden reappearance in my life was worrying. I was keen, for obvious reasons, to keep him away from Nathan, who had been unaware of my connection with Alex, but may have been interested in finding out, should he get the slightest sniff of a story. With my dream boy on the verge of fulfilling all of my fantasies, Alex represented a banana skin with the potential of ruining everything.

* * * * *

On Thursday, with no extra class to attend, I went straight home on the school bus with Daniel and Nicola. It was the senior prom night at school, and the auditorium had been requisitioned for the evening dance. Everything seemed to stop for this much-publicised, annual event, including Nathan’s drama club, which would be moved to Monday evening.

We didn’t communicate at all that day. No phone calls, texts, emails and only the briefest wave of acknowledgement in the cafeteria. It wasn’t planned that way, but I suspected that we both felt the need for a little extra breathing space. As far as I was concerned, now that we were both committed to embarking on a new phase in our relationship, it would have been difficult for me to hold a normal conversation, knowing what we were planning to do the following day.

I was ready, and I was sure that he was too. We had been flirting, teasing and battering each other with sexual innuendos for nearly six months, and now there was nothing left to say. It was time to get naked and dirty. It needed to happen, for us to move forward. The following night I was certain, would change everything.

* * * * *

Friday, June 11. It had a nice ring to it, and the moment I woke, I had a feeling that it was going to be a good day

It started well as I jumped out of bed, startling Daniel who was standing naked in the middle of the room drying his hair. I got an eyeful of willy, which I considered to be a good omen, as I smiled and dropped my own underwear, to change for school.

The sun was shining, with barely a trace of cloud to challenge a deep blue sky. It was already warm outside as we waited for the bus, and expected to get hotter as the day wore on. They could have been reading my mind. For once, it seemed the forecasters had it spot on.

‘Today I’m gonna have sex with Nathan’.

That also had a nice ring to it, nice enough to make me want to say it repeatedly to myself throughout the day, without tiring of it. I even managed to put it to music, a club tune that I sang in my head on the way home, in the shower after dinner, and as I changed later that evening.

I already knew what clothes I was going to wear. I wanted to look amazing for him, even though I wasn’t planning on staying inside them for very long. I decided on a blue and white Hilfiger polo shirt that hugged my chest, and a new pair of Levi’s that would cover the all important Calvin Klein boxer briefs and socks. Paying attention to detail was something that I learnt from Fran, who was the most organized person that I had ever met, and she taught me the importance of simplicity. Adhering to her philosophy, my choice was simple, stylish, and most important of all, easy to remove.

The few hours that I spent indoors after school, had proved a monumental exercise in self-control. The ever-present smile and far-away eyes may have looked a little misplaced on me, but I had managed to fool everyone with the well-rehearsed, but the fundamentally flawed story that I used to get out. Encouraged by my success earlier in the week, I had told them that I was going over to Rory’s house, to watch the first game of the World Cup. At face value, this seemed like a very plausible excuse, as the World Cup did indeed begin that day, and the first game was that evening. However, what they didn’t know was that the tournament was being played in South Africa, which was seven hours ahead of Canadian time, and the match that I was supposed to be watching, had already been played some six hours before I had even left the house. I had gambled everything on their total lack of interest in anything soccer related, and so far, it had worked to perfection, with Sue sending me off with a smile, and a good luck kiss for my team.

‘Make hay while the sun shines’, was another of my mom’s favourite expressions, and with everything falling into place, I was certain that this was my lucky day and the perfect opportunity to make as much hay as possible.

* * * * *

It was a quarter to seven when the taxi left for the short ride to Nathan’s house and the roads were already empty. The Friday afternoon rush to the cottages—a Canadian summer institution—had further depleted the town’s already small population, with the beach claiming the rest. The driver was a regular, who I had used often enough to be on first-name terms, but unsurprisingly, that day, his idle chitchat, had fallen mostly on deaf ears.

I was more concerned about being too early, than hearing his assessment of the Blue Jays, but my luck held out again, and as we pulled up, I was relieved to see that Nathan’s bedroom window was closed. It was his pre-arranged signal, to let me know that his parents had left and the coast was clear. Something, I suspected that he had taken from a movie, and it added a little Hollywood suspense to the moment. I would have been happy with a simple text message, but this was much more fun and a lot more Nathan. I always enjoyed playing ‘Bond’, and that was the role that I assumed, as I paid the driver and casually instructed him to pick me up at the end of the street at eleven-thirty.

“At the end of the street?” he questioned.

“Yeah,” I replied, “outside Mac’s Milk. Oh, and if anyone asks, you didn’t see me tonight, okay?” He nodded as I handed him a five-dollar bill for his trouble, but he was probably wondering how he was supposed to cover up for me when it was Sue who had called the cab in the first place.

“Whatever you’re doing tonight kid, have fun, stay safe, and be careful,” he said, catching the mood perfectly, and driving off into the sunset. I wasn’t sure what he meant, or if it was even possible to have fun while being careful, and staying safe, but at least I had my ride home sorted.

After one final suspicious look around me, to be sure that I wasn’t being followed, I climbed the three steps to the spacious, but cluttered porch, at the front of his house. It didn’t matter, Hillcrest Avenue was dead even at the busiest of times. I could have arrived naked on horseback, and no one would have noticed. Except, that is for Nathan, whom I was certain had been watching me from the moment that I stepped out of the cab. I had seen the curtains moving in the living room, as I crossed the lawn. He must have been looking out for me, which I thought was really cool, but I pretended not to notice.

The big wooden door, which blocked my path was now the only obstacle that stood between me, and what I considered to be my destiny, in the form of the most beautiful boy in the world. I was wondering whether that boy, who had watched my every step, was going to make me knock, but as soon as I got close, it swung open invitingly.

He stood there smiling; filling the doorway with a seductive pose, and dressed in what appeared to be a pair of red flannel pyjamas! I had been expecting something unusual from him, and perhaps a little daring, or sexy even, but not this. Although I had to admit, he looked hot in them, and the bottoms, in particular, were quite a tight fit, hugging his boy package, and leaving little to the imagination. Considering what was on the menu that evening, they may also have been a practical choice, and he probably wasn’t expecting to be wearing them for very long.

“Are you wearing pyjamas?” I asked, even though it was now fairly obvious.

“Do you like them?”

I didn’t have him down as a big fan of pyjamas, but they definitely suited him, and they were growing on me too, as I nodded my appreciation and looked him up and down. He had outdone me for sheer simplicity, while still managing to look incredibly sexy. The only downside for me were his white ankle socks, which looked a little out of place considering he was dressed for bed, and never usually wore socks anyway. I decided that it was probably best that he kept his feet covered up, at least until it was time for action.

“They look comfortable,” I said, but he may have noticed me drooling, as I shamelessly studied every detail of his unusual attire. The focus of my attention was the rather profound bulge at the front, which he did little to hide from my eager eyes. There was no longer any reason to be shy; I knew that very soon, I would become acquainted with every part of him, and be able to please him in ways that I wasn’t physically capable of doing to myself.

“Maybe I’ll let you try them on later,” he said, seductively, “would you like that?” As appealing as that offer sounded, however, I was more interested in what was underneath.

“Only if you’re still wearing them,” I said, still standing in the doorway.

He laughed. “You can come in you know,” he said, breaking my trance and moving to one side. “Unless you want to do it outside?”

‘What did he say’?

“Do what outside?”

He gave me a knowing smile as I walked past him into the hallway, before turning to watch him close and then lock the door behind us. “Have you forgotten what we’re going to be doing tonight, or are you just pretending?” he said, closing the gap between us.

“How could I forget, it’s the only thing that I’ve been thinking about all week.”

“I’m more interested in what happens afterwards,” he said, as he moved forward for our first kiss of the evening. It was something that over the past few weeks, had become completely natural between us. His soft lips had a familiar feel, and I welcomed his roving tongue back into my mouth as if it belonged there.

“We could do it outside if you want,” I said, “but you might get a few complaints from the neighbours.” I wasn’t convinced that anyone else lived in that street, but I was happy to play along with his game, as he put his arms around my waist and pulled us close.

“They’re kinda old, but I doubt if they’ll complain. They’ll probably want to join in.”

It sounded disgusting to me, and I pulled a face to show my discomfort. “Whatever turns you on, but old people aren’t my thing?” I said, as I followed his lead and wrapped my arms around his back. “Besides, I don’t wanna have to share you.” His fleecy pyjamas; soft and warmed by his body heat, provided an inviting layer for my hands to explore, as they searched for a way inside.

‘Is he naked underneath’?

We kissed again, and he moaned softly into my mouth, as his hands darted around my back and through my hair. I had been expecting a much slower build-up, from a boy on his first outing, who was supposed to be nervous and shy, but once again he was proving impossible to predict.

“You look nice,” he said, as he turned his attention on me, moving his hand over the front of my shirt.

“Thanks, but if I had known it was gonna be a pyjama party, I would have worn mine too.”

“That would have been hot,” he said, “we should do that one day.”

“Maybe I can sleep over. Would your parents be okay with that?”

“Would they allow you to sleep over here you mean, with me? Ha, absolutely not. The only way that would happen is if you slept in the basement, handcuffed to the bed.”

“Wow, that would be hot. You can handcuff me to a bed anytime you want,” I said.

“You’re sick.”

“No just very horny.”

“Depraved.”

“And probably desperate.”

He held my head and put his face against mine. “You won’t be after tonight,” he whispered, and I buckled at the knees.

“Wow.”

He giggled and then dropped his hand to my crotch to gently massage my rapidly growing member. It was his boldest move yet, but I got the feeling that it was just the tip of the iceberg. This boy was a long way from the shy image that he liked to portray. “Come with me,” he said, “I’ve got something that you’re gonna like.”

“I know,” I said, following his butt, “I can see it.” Ignoring my reference to a previously hidden gem of his that he was now, being dangled tantalizingly in front of me, he led me out into the kitchen and opened the fridge.

It provided him with another opportunity to bend over in front of me and wiggle his shapely butt in my direction, before turning around with two bottles of beer.

“Tonight is gonna be a big night for me, Robbie. I’m gonna have sex for the first time, and drink alcohol for the first time.” He handed me one of the beers and opened the other.

“Cool,” I said, “is it okay if I watch?”

“You wanna watch me drink a beer?”

“No, I wanna watch you have sex,” I said. “And if you’ve never had a drink before, then I’m gonna limit you to just the one. There’s no way I’m letting you get hammered and pass out on me before the main course.”

He giggled before changing his mood to something much more serious. “Are you ready to go downstairs?”

“Downstairs?”

“Yes,” he said. “You still wanna do this tonight, don’t you?” He gave me a cheeky smile, and then kissed me gently on the nose. He looked excited, but relaxed and maybe less nervous now than I was.

“Yes,” I said, “I wanna do it more than anything else.”

He found that funny as he reached between us to hold my hand. “Well, I wouldn’t go quite that far,” he said, “I could think of a few things that I’d rather be doing, but I don’t mind, it’s cool. If it turns you on.”

“Wait, Nathan, what do you mean, you don’t mind?” It definitely wasn’t what I was expecting to hear and I studied his face hoping to see a trace of humour. “Are you serious, I mean what other things would you prefer to be doing?”

“Dude, I wanna do this okay? Really I do, if I didn’t want to, then I wouldn’t have said yes in the first place.”

“Are you sure…I just wouldn’t feel right about it otherwise?”

“Yes,” he said, “I’m sure. Now are you ready to get started?”

“Oh, err…I don’t mind. But can’t we go to your room?”

He found that funny too. “We can go there afterwards okay? But I’ve set everything up in the basement. It’ll be more fun down there.”

‘What does he mean, he’s got everything set up’?

“If that’s what you want?”

“Yeah,” he said, “it’s better than the kitchen, much cosier.”

I didn’t disagree with him, but I wasn’t really expecting to have sex in his kitchen either. I put his odd behaviour down to last minute nerves and allowed him to lead me to the basement. I followed close behind, watching his cute little ass all the way. His pyjama bottoms were fairly tight and the stretchy fabric hugged his rounded cheeks perfectly, leaving little to the imagination. I was certain that he wasn’t wearing anything underneath, and even though I was so close to finding out, I still had to ask.

“So err, just out of interest Nathan. Your pyjamas…um, can I ask you…I mean, are you wearing anything underneath them?”

He turned to face me by the couch, with another cheeky smile. “Are you supposed to wear anything underneath?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Good, then I’ve got it right.”

‘I knew it; the horny little fucker’.

His naughty confession hit the spot perfectly and I was giddy with excitement as I walked up behind him and put my arms around his slender hips to pull us close. Then, with my hardened crotch pressed between his ample butt cheeks, I filled my lungs with his scent and began kissing the back of his soft and inviting neck.

At last, the wait was over and I felt like a kid on Christmas morning, as I stood holding my present, waiting for permission to open it.

He moaned and closed his eyes as he pushed back against the erection that I no longer needed to conceal.

“This is so cool,” he said as he turned his head sideways to kiss me. “It’s gonna be fun tonight, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” I said, assuring him, “it’s gonna be really, really fun.”

He spun around, sporting a cute red face to match his pyjamas and smiling at the unmistakable bulge at the front of my jeans. Then, he put his arms around my shoulders to launch another wet attack on my lips. His mouth tasted of the cold beer which he was holding behind my back as he pressed his lips hard against mine.

“I love you, Robbie,” he said as he pulled away, “and I want this so badly.”

Hearing him confirm his love for me was like listening to most beautiful melody ever written and I could never tire of it. Those words, however, were becoming more of a necessity to me, than a simple endearment, without which I would start to panic. Maybe it was a lack of confidence or self-esteem, but there was still a big part of me that questioned why somebody as perfect as Nathan, would want to be with a boy as imperfect as me. To counteract this, I found myself becoming increasingly in need of his reassurance. A hug, a kiss, a touch, or a simple ‘I love you’, had been able to provide temporary relief for this insecurity, but I was sure that tonight would totally seal the deal.

“Are you ready to get naked with me?” I asked and he smiled seductively.

“We can start whenever you want,” he said excitedly, before taking a swig of his beer.

“Tonight, I’m gonna make your dreams come true, okay?” I said, whispering into his ear and biting gently on his lobe, making him giggle. He felt fragile in my arms and his body seemed almost limp, as he rested it against me. He put his hand on my shoulder and kissed me on the cheek, before planting another long sensual kiss on my lips.

I let out a slow gasp as he wrapped his arms around me and began rubbing his thigh against my groin. He took another long drink of his beer before shuddering and pulling a face as he swallowed what was for him, an unfamiliar taste.

“Go easy will you,” I said, “it’s stronger than you think.”

“My dad can drink ten of these bottles in one evening and still walk straight,” he said. “I don’t like the taste, but I’m starting to feel a little light-headed, and much more relaxed?” Thoughts of Alex came flooding into my head. I knew that I wouldn’t need anything like that tonight. Nathan on his own was better than any drug or aphrodisiac could ever be; I was already feeling like I wanted to rip off his clothes with my teeth.

He watched me take a drink from my own bottle, before taking it off me and moving in for yet another kiss, this time he worked his way over my chin with his mouth and down my neck. He was breathing hard and sweating. His face was redder than I had ever seen it before, as we exchanged wet beer drenched kisses between quick swigs from our bottles.

“Can we start now?” he said, hardly able to contain himself.

I wanted to slow it down a bit, to savour the experience, but he looked like he was about to burst at the seams. “Don’t you wanna finish your beer first?”

‘Bloody hell he’s gagging for it’.

“We can drink it at the same time,” he said, sounding much more experienced than he was.

“Okay sexy,” I said giggling at him, “If you really can’t wait then I’m ready when you are.”

My plan was simple. I wanted to get us naked and make him comfortable with it, by talking, kissing, touching, and exploring each other. Then, when it was time for his finale, I was going to please him in the best way that I knew. Something that I was certain he would enjoy. I had done it to Tom enough times to be good at it and had used that experience on Alex, beating anything that his girlfriend had tried. I had promised Nathan the best experience ever; a million times better than jerking off, and I was determined to keep to my word. I wanted to give him the best orgasm of his young life, and I knew exactly how to do it. No holds barred; the full nine yards, the whole package. He would remember it for the rest of his life.

“Is it going to be okay to do it down here?” I said. “What if your parents come back early, or your sister? Where is Karen tonight anyway?”

“Don’t panic dude, my parents definitely won’t be coming home early. And Karen’s with her boyfriend, but I don’t really care about my sister, it wouldn’t bother her anyway.”

‘It wouldn’t bother her if she came home and found us having sex on the basement floor’?

I was staring at him, unable to believe what he had just said. Karen was cool, and very laid back, but I definitely didn’t want her to walk in and catch me with her brother’s dick in my gob.

I was starting to expect the unusual from Nathan. It was one of the things that made him so fun to be around. He was always unpredictable, so why would this be any different. I knew that he never did anything in half measures, so I decided to follow his lead and just enjoy the experience; whatever he had in mind was bound to be the best thing ever.

“Is the floor alright with you,” he asked, “we could sit on the couch if you’re more comfortable? I’m not sure how you normally do it.”

“The floor is fine,” I said, “but I guess it depends on what you had in mind.” I leant forward to give him another gentle kiss on the lips, and he melted into me, before pulling away and taking a deep breath.

“It’ll be more comfortable if we use the floor, we can bring the coffee table over if you want?” I didn’t answer but gave him a curious look, followed by a long swig of beer. “No coffee table then?” he asked.

“No.”

“I thought it might help that’s all, but it doesn’t matter. Maybe I’ve been watching too many movies?”

“Maybe,” I said, staring at him again.

‘What kind of porn has he been watching anyway’?

“What about the lights?” he asked.

“They’re fine,” I replied, “but we can switch them off if you want.”

“But we won’t be able to see anything, and I won’t know what I’m doing,” he said.

I laughed. “You’ll know what to do, it’s not that difficult, all you have to do is follow your instincts and enjoy yourself.”

“We have to do it right Robbie,” he said, “I’ve been practicing you know.”

“You what!” I said and laughed, “what do you mean, you’ve been practicing?”

“Well it wouldn’t be fair otherwise would it; you’ve had a lot more experience than me?”

‘Does he mean he’s been practicing by jerking off’?

“Nathan mate, this isn’t something that you can really practice on your own,” I said. “It’s a shared experience, it’s between two people.”

“I do know that,” he said. “I’m not totally stupid; I haven’t been practicing on my own.”

I choked on my beer. “WHAT? Stop winding me up.”

“I’m not joking,” he said indignantly. “I’m allowed to practice surely.”

I was sure that it had to be a joke, but he was pulling it off to perfection, without even a hint of a smile.

“Last night?”

“Yes,” he said looking a bit sheepish. “I thought that it would be okay.”

“Who with?” I said quietly, sounding more than a little concerned.

“With my sister,” he mumbled.

“YOUR SISTER?”

‘This is too weird to be true. He’s winding me up’.

“Yeah, she’s really good, but there’s only so much that she could teach me in one evening. I didn’t realise that it was so complicated.” I must have looked like I was in shock, and he laughed and then playfully slapped my leg. “Don’t look like that,” he said. “We obviously kept our clothes on silly, we didn’t strip off or anything…what’s wrong, are you okay?”

I was trying to conjure up an image of Nathan practicing gay sexual acts with his sister, while both fully dressed. I always thought that I had a good imagination but in this case, I could only draw a blank. I was starting to wonder if this was some kind of set up.

‘Am I being punked, or something’?

Then it hit me.

“Nathan mate; what exactly were you practicing last night with your sister?”

“Poker of course,” he said, looking at me as if I were stupid. “What do you think I meant?”

‘I am such a plonker’.

I had forgotten all about the card game, but suddenly everything made sense and I let out a long sigh of relief. Then I laughed as I remembered what he had said about the coffee table, and his sister walking in on us. At least he wasn’t into incest.

“I thought that you were telling me that you practiced you know, doing it…oh forget it, it doesn't matter.” Nathan looked at me with a quizzical expression and then smiled.

“Well whatever,” he said, “we should get started. I don’t want this to go on all night, or are you scared of losing? He gave me a sexy wink.

“Wait a minute, you mean that you still want to actually play cards?” I said. “I thought that we were only having a laugh.”

He looked at me and I guess the penny finally dropped for him too, because he started to blush more than I had ever seen him do before, his mouth was open and he covered it with his hand in an expression of shock.

“Oh my God, you thought that I brought you in here to have sex.”

“That’s what it sounded like to me,” I said. He seriously had been expecting a card game and he had been practicing with his sister, without taking their clothes off. It was actually really funny, except I wasn’t laughing and neither was he. His eyes suddenly opened wide and he looked as if he had just seen a ghost.

“You thought that I was practicing having sex with my sister, didn’t you,” he said accusingly, as he playfully slapped me on the side of my head.

I nodded to him and started to laugh. “You have to admit, it is funny.”

“I’m not into incest Robbie,” he said. “And I’m not into girls. But I suppose it is funny. I thought you were acting a bit strange.” He playfully pushed me back onto the sofa.

‘Okay, if he wants to play me at cards then that’s what we’ll do’.

“We don’t have to play poker if you don’t want to,” he said, “or we can play something else?”

“No,” I said smirking, “it’s cool, I don’t mind, you’ve been looking forward to it and practicing. So we’re playing strip poker, right? That means if you lose a hand, then you lose an item of clothing.”

“Yep,” he said confidently.

I looked over at him; he had already told me that he wasn’t wearing any underwear. “Your socks only count as one item,” I said, and he nodded in agreement. It meant that he was wearing just three items of clothing, to my four. Everything was stacked in my favour.

‘Three quick games and I’ll have him naked as a baby’.

“You know how to play?” I asked, “five cards…”

“I think so,” he said, but he looked less than certain. I had played enough times with Tom, to be sure of doing well against a total novice, and I smiled as I made myself comfortable on the floor opposite him. I had no idea what was going to happen once I got him naked, but I was running with the idea that he probably wanted this to happen, probably as a way of initiating sex. After all, that was the reason why he had arranged this evening in the first place. I was confused but excited. It was a bizarre situation and something that I was learning to expect of him. No one could ever call Nathan boring.

“Do you want me to deal?” I asked confidently, as he pulled out a deck of cards from nowhere.

“No, it’s cool, I got it,” he said returning my confident smile with one of his own.

“Okay, you know the rules right, and there’s no getting out of it? You have to take something off every time you lose a game and we play until one of us is naked.”

“Yeah, I understand,” he said, looking totally un-phased about the possibility of having to undress in front of me. I thought that was quite daring of him. On the way over, I had imagined myself spending much of the evening trying to coax him out of his clothing, but here he was a more than willing participant in a game, which he could only lose. He was happy to play along with my crafty plan, knowing full well what I was up to. It was almost as if he wanted to parade himself naked in front of me. I didn’t think that we would be playing for long, as I settled with my back against the couch.

I took a swig of beer and then watched with interest as he quickly and skillfully cut the deck two or three times, and then in shock, as he shuffled them with a perfect bridge finish as if he were a croupier in a Las Vegas Casino.

My mouth was hanging open, as he smiled at me and dealt the cards in perfect symmetry, faster than I could count them.

“Did your sister teach you that too?”