"Alright, everyone knows the rules?" Ramon asked, standing behind the blackjack table while thoroughly shuffling a deck of cards, "You want to get as close to 21 without going over. Numbered cards are worth their value, and face cards are worth ten. An ace is either eleven or one; the player gets to choose. If you get two identical cards, you can choose to split, but split aces can only be hit once. Any questions?"
"How much is the minimum bet?" Patty asked while staring at Ramon's hands as he shuffled away.
"Five dollars."
"Can we double down?
Ramon mulled over for a second before nodding, "I don't see why not."
Tricia glanced at Patty, "What's doubling down?"
"After you've dealt your first card, you can choose to double your bet before your second card is dealt. But you can only hit once afterward." Patty explained before Ramon could jump in, drawing looks from around the table.
"Patty, just how much blackjack have you played before?" Megan asked as she stared at her childhood friend.
"I think you're about to find out in a minute," Patty boasted with a broad grin, as she took another sip of her drink. "Now enough talk! I wanna gamble!"
"Well, dealer, you heard the lady!" Summer grinned as she slapped the table, "Sling them cards!"
With a final bridge shuffle, Ramon set the cards to the side, "Very well then, everyone, place your bets."
"Uh, how much did we start with again?" Tricia asked as she looked through the stack of chips.
"Hundred bucks, three twenty-dollar chips, two tens, and four fives," Summer answered as she placed a red five-dollar chip on the table.
"Wait, couldn't we just buy all of our drinks right off the bat?" Tricia pointed out.
Ramon shook his head, "I'm afraid not. You have to finish your current drink and wait at least 15 minutes before ordering your next beverage. I won't have anyone blacking out on me tonight."
"Buzz kill," Summer muttered under her breath, drawing a round of laughter from everyone, "Alright, alright, bets are closed, the game has begun."
Dealing to his left, Ramon flipped over the first card in front of Megan, "Three of clubs."
Next up was Summer, "Nine of Hearts."
Then Patty, "Four of spades."
And finally, Tricia, "Six of spades."
Ramon then dealt his first card face down before looking up at the table, "Would anyone like to double?"
"Yeah, not a fucking chance," Megan muttered as she stared at her card like it had killed her mother,
"If this is a glimpse at what's to come, I'm not liking how it looks," Summer grunted.
Patty and Tricia also wisely held off on doubling down, so Ramon dealt out the second round of cards.
Megan, "Nine of clubs."
Summer, "Two of hearts."
Patty, "Jack of clubs."
Tricia," Ace of hearts."
Ramon, "Six of diamonds."
"Well, it doesn't look like I got a choice," Megan said as she tapped the table, "Hit me."
Ramon flipped over the next card and grinned, "Nine of diamonds, 21!"
"Holy shit!" Megan cackled as the gamblers rush hit her in full effect, "Fuck I should have doubled!"
"Yeah, right, if it had been anything else, you would have been fucked," Summer shook her head before tapping the table, "Hit me."
"Two of diamonds, 13."
"Shit, hit me again!"
"Six of clubs, 19."
Summer grinned and pumped her fist, "Yeah, that's how you do it, I'll stay."
"Damnit I could have had a twenty with that," Patty lamented before tapping the table, "Hit me."
"Queen of spades, 24, bust!"
"Not off to a great start," Patty groaned and consoled herself by taking another sip from her daiquiri.
"I'm taking that as a sign to play it safe, so I'll stick with my seventeen."
"Alright then, let's see what I've got," Ramon said as he flipped over his face-down card, "Seven of hearts, 13. It's under seventeen so I have to hit again. Three of clubs, 16. 8 of spades 24, dealer busts."
A cheer went up from the girls and Ramon quickly dolled out the winnings giving Summer and Tricia a red chip each, while placing two chips in front of Megan.
"Wait, you win more for getting twenty-one?" Megan asked in amazement as she dropped the chips up and down, listening to them clack against each other, "I'm starting to get why people are addicted to gambling."
"That sounds like everyone is ready to play another hand," Ramon said as he started shuffling again. When he got a round of enthusiastic nods, he grinned, "Well then everyone place their bets."
---
"You gotta stay Patty, no way you hit on a sixteen."
"I have to hit, dealer's showing an ace, that means I gotta assume he's got a ten or a face card under there," Patty muttered as she stared down the two cards in front of Ramon.
"It wouldn't be so bad if you hadn't doubled down," Megan criticized with an entertained smile.
"I got an ace first hand it was the mathematically correct thing to do." Patty said defensively.
Summer laughed, "Yeah, but your initial bet was sixty. Lose this hand and you'll be down to like fifteen in chips."
"Well you know what they say," Patty muttered nervously, "Go big or go home, hit me."
Ramon flipped over the card and slid it forward, "Five of clubs, 21."
"And that's why you gamble bitches!" Patty cheered as she stood up with a bang as her chair hit the floor behind her.
"Oh my god, I like this version of Patty," Summer grinned as she watched the normally shy and quiet introvert swear like a sailor and celebrate her degenerate activities with a light flush across her cheeks, "We should get her drunk more often."
"Speaking of drunk, I want my next drink dealer," Patty announced as she stared at Ramon with a look in her eyes that could only be described as lewd. "I'd also like to make a request."
"Of course, right after we see what I got," Ramon answered before flipping over his face down card, "Three of spades, 14, eight of diamonds, 22, dealer busts."
Everyone except Patty let out a cry of anguish, as they had all busted earlier and lost no small number of chips.
"Yeah, hand 'em over," Patty made a come here gesture with her hands as Ramon slid over the small mountain of chips, "Your total payout is 240 dollars."
"Now that's what I'm talking about," Patty cheered as she dragged in the chips before sliding a twenty across the table, "Now I would like my drink, please, and I think you should lose the jacket."
"Very well, and would anyone else like to buy a drink?" Ramon asked as he looked around.
"I'm saving my chips," Megan turned down the offer.
"Same," Summer said with a sigh.
Tricia shrugged, "I'm good, I still haven't finished my drink yet."
Ramon turned back to Patty, "Well then, I guess I'm all yours, now did you want to make a request before or after I make you a drink?"
"Oh, definitely before," Patty replied, her eyes alight, "As for my request, do you have anything sweet and sticky?"
Ramon raised an eyebrow, "I have honey, would that suffice?"
"That's perfect," Patty purred, "Can I see it?"
Ramon gave Patty a look but didn't protest as he walked over to the bar and returned with a squeeze bottle of honey, "Here you are."
"Thank you," Patty plucked the bottle from Ramon's fingers before setting it on the blackjack table and sitting beside it. Then, without a hint of shame, Patty reached up and removed her top, letting her perky chest spring free before slipping out of her shorts as well.
Then, while staring Ramon down, Patty picked up the bottle and started drizzling honey all over her body, from the neck down, making sure to get a good amount across her chest, stomach, and upper thighs. Then, when the bottle was nearly half empty, Patty set it down and leaned back, smiling at Ramon. "Oh no, looks like I've gotten some on me, do you think you could help me clean up?"
Still wondering what was going on, Ramon could only smile as he grabbed a paper towel, only for Patty to shake her head, "No, not with that, I want you to lick it off."