Dice’s POV

She’s been shooting daggers at me for the whole trial, didn’t she understand that if the trial wasn’t started towards Malcolm, than that would’ve been even worse? Could she get that through the thick wall of her fear, anxieties and simply thick skull? Right now I believed Malcolm was threatening her, which was really fucking bad for her emotional state, but really fucking good for the case. She had to understand if nothing had been started against him, he could’ve killed her and got away with it just like he did with his previous girlfriend.

Anyhow, despite the urge of pushing the asshole down a set of stairs or finally purchasing a gun that I wanted oh-so much and putting a bullet between his eyes, I shook it off when Brian pulled me aside and talked me into staying over night at his house. I knew I couldn’t leave MJ at her state of panic and even tho I was not very thrilled about spending the night with them, probably having to hear MJ’s moan’s and someone bumping their head against the headboard, I didn’t really have a choice, did I? She needed me and I was ready to do whatever to see that wonderful smile on her face again, even tho I couldn’t deny her anxieties really got to the best of me. When she was this scared she couldn’t think straight, so obviously I had to think for her. She’d thank me later. I can guarantee it. But what really bummed me out is having to go knee deep and gather every possible evidence against Malcolm. The case was dismissed for now only because the lack of evidence and witnesses. We had to get his dad, who by now should be taken off his duties until the case is closed and he goes through with a disciplinary punishment or being completely taken off the force. We needed Stacy Lovelace’s family to speak for her, I needed to go to LA’s police department’s files and a whole bunch of other ass bender things.

And as if just thinking about it didn’t piss me off majorly, the chaos that happened outside the court house was a fully different level of fuckery. I mean come on, if they wanted to take a picture, they could’ve asked or even let me turn my good side for the camera. But the better question to ask is how did they find out about the trial? I bet that dick Malcolm set this up. He could get to MJ, but he couldn’t get to me, ‘cause I wasn’t even the last bit scared of him. He was big – sure – but he was reckless and I swear if he at least threatened me, not even his daddy dearest could save his ass. He knew I was mental enough to kill him and do it with a smile on my face and when it would come to the court I’d cover it as a manslaughter, throwing on the plate some of his offences and convincing both the jury and the judge that it was self-protection. He preferred not to mess with me, but he forgot one thing. MJ was my best friend and if he messed with her, he could consider himself messing with me. And I won’t allow that.

Somewhere along the road we figured we’re all hungry and MJ’s gonna make me my delicious banana’s and I, in returned, figured she could tease the guys a bit. Not me. I’m out of the game. I’m a tease enough as it is, however I made myself a bit more decent looking and thanked god when MJ passed me the bikini. Finally something was covering my ass. It’s all fun and games with flashing someone unless it’s a judge.

Fine, maybe I did put a bit of make-up on my face, but it was very natural looking, since I knew the make-up will wash off my face in a jiffy, so didn’t even bother with anything more than an eyeliner and a water proof mascara. Fine... Maybe I did color in my cheek bones a little, but that was it.

Tho, when we stepped out in the patio, the chatter came to an abrupt halt and everyone was gaping. A small smirk pulled at my lips as I pushed MJ forward, Jimmy suddenly twirling around and falling to his knee in front of me and MJ.

„My queen...” He adressed MJ, placing his hand on his chest, „My knife mistress...” His eyes connected with mine, before his head bowed.

Johnny let out a low whistle. „Now this is what I call a party...”

Syn slapped him on the back of his head as he stepped forward and pulled MJ in a hungry kiss. I shook my head with a roll of my eyes as I walked over to the patio table and pulled out a smoke from what I supposed to be Syn’s Marlboro’s.

„It seems your knife mistress is giving you the cold shoulder, Jimbo,” Zacky laughed, raising that dark bottle of Budweiser to his lips.

„The knife mistress is expecting for someone to give her a light,” I said, the cigarette lingering from my lips as I scanned the patio table in search of a lighter. Or any kind of fire. God knew I didn’t want to risk with burning my eyebrows off while lighting up the smoke from the grill, but I would if no one would give a helping hand to the damsel in distress.

„Sorry, mine is somewhere inside,” Zacky sent me an apologetic look.

„I gave mine to Syn,” Johnny said, forcing me to look behind my back to see Syn and MJ in a middle of a very heated make out session. Well... I’m not getting in the middle of that.

„Jimmy?” I asked hopefully, seeing him search every possible pocket he had on him and finally letting out a disappointed sigh.

„It looks like you’ll have to poke your head in the grill,” Zack laughed.

I sighed. And that’s exactly what I was gonna do. Like I had any other option besides kicking Gates in the butt and asking for the lighter, but nah. I wasn’t gonna ruin the moment for them. I walked over to stop right next to Matt and bend over, feeling the heat of the fire kissing the skin of my face.

„Holly shit, she’s really doing it!” I heard Johnny exclaim.

„Wh-who’s doing what?” Was that MJ’s husky voice? „Dice what the hell are you doing?!”

I straightened up, puffing the cigarette a couple of times to see the tip of the smoke color in bright amber. My eyes scanned the frowning faces and MJ’s gaping mouth. What? „I’m lighting a smoke...” I said like it was oh-so obvious. And it really was, so what’s the big deal? My face’s still in place and is that Matt holding out a blue lighter for me? I shot him an ‘are you fucking kidding me’ look and yanked the lighter out of his hand, his grin still strongly engraved in his face. „You do that ever again and I’ll be sure to kick your ass, now wipe that smug smirk off your face!”

„Why?” he frowned, but still smirking.

„What do you mean ‘why’?” I squinted my eyes on him, „I could’ve burned my face off!”

„Nobody told you to put your head in the grill,” I swear if he was gonna laugh, I was gonna kick some serious ass.

„Yes they did!” I exclaimed, before pointing a finger at Zack, „Vengeance did!”

„Hey, don’t drag me in this mess,” He held his hands up in a defensive gesture as I took a drag and pushed Matt’s lighter behind the cloth of my bikini top.

„But you did say that!” I exclaimed, remembering his exact words.

„Remember no such thing.” He said a smirk in his voice as he took a mouthful of his beer.

„Oh come on guys, just kiss and make up,” Jimmy walked out on the patio, holding a plate of some kind of pie. How did he get back inside in this short time of span and me not noticing him gone? That was really surprising. Brian smiled down on MJ, who was now leaning against his chest, before he shot a quick look back at Jimmy, who was stuffing his face with the pie and then Haner did a double take. His face dropping.

„Hey! Hands off my tart!”

„Oh this was yours?” Jimmy questioned with his mouth full.

„You’re in my house, Rev...” Brian stated, pointing out to the obvious fact, which Jimmy acted completely clueless to.

„You wanna share that, knife master?” I blew out a cloud of smoke as he gestured with the fork for me to join him.

„Please,” His mouth seemed so full it was a miracle he could stuff any more of that baked goody in there. I saw Brian roll his eyes and scoff as I passed him and MJ to stop in front of Jimmy and him holding out the fork for me.

I shook my head, „Feed me. I’m feeling lazy today.”

„You’re always feeling lazy,” I heard Johnny say somewhere from the pool.

„I think I’ll have to bake more of those,” MJ chuckled as Brian kept shooting daggers at us.

„You shouldn’t give in to their sickening ways, MJ,” Johnny laughed as Jimmy moved the fork to my mouth, accidentally stabbing my cheek as I turned to shoot the dipshit a glare.

„You have a death wish or something, Christ?”

Zacky groaned. „Oh, here we go,”

„Better start running, dipshit,” Brian warned, on the verge of laughing.

„What? It’s the truth. Dice is a lazy piece of shit, the same goes for Jimmy and MJ does everything!”

My mouth fell open. „You—„

„Let me take care of this, knife mistress,” Jimmy cut me off by holding me back by the shoulder so I don’t run and kick the shit out of little Johnny Christ. Jimmy handed me the plate with the tart and just moments later he went running for Johnny, escorted by those loud Indian shouts rolling over his lips, before they crashed in the pool.

„Well... that went well, what do you think guys?” Zacky’s eyes connected with each of us as he stepped off the pool to avoid the splatter.

„I think we have to make a deal,” Matt spoke from beside the grill. He looked odd. What was he plotting in his head? „No insults today. The one who insults anyone out of the people here, takes off a piece of clothing.” He licked his lips, while looking at me.

„Because it’s so fair, Sanders... Me and MJ are only in bikini’s for crying out loud!”

„And I think MJ won’t have any problems holding her part of the deal, as for a certain redhead...”

„And you’ll have no problems with Dice walking around butt naked,” Zacky looked genuinely surprised on which Matt just shrugged. Actually I think he’d have a problem. A hard problem if you know what I mean.

„To add a bit of fun, what do you say about a bit of strip poker?” Matt continued now with a wide grin on his face. Excuse me? It seemed all he wanted to do was get me out of my clothes, since poker was not my game. It was merely based on luck and what cards you get. But knowing my name’s Dice, I won’t say no. Even tho I was always the one to lose all my clothes in the first couple of rounds, basically ‘cause I didn’t wear a lot of clothes. Not even on daily basis.

Brian’s POV

„How the hell are you both winning?” I exclaimed in irritation, seeing most of my band mates sitting in their underwear except for Matt, who still had his shorts on, as for MJ and Dice? They shared a look, before tilting their heads back, exploding with laughter as me and Zack were forced to lose our boxers. These cards had to be jacked, there’s no way they’re still in their bikini’s. They’re cheating and I know it, but I didn’t know how to prove the damn thing.

„Chop, chop Haner,” Dice uttered with a dirty grin on her face as she downed a shot of Patron.

„Come on Bri, it’s not a big deal,” MJ smiled, before a small blush crept up to her cheeks, „I think we all have seen your... uhmm... package.”

„Not until you come clean and say how you do it,” I glared.

„Yea, show your cards,” Zacky added. I didn’t really see the point, ‘cause me and Zack folded when they Dice went all-in. MJ had jumped out of the game not even looking at her hand, it was as if she was willing for Dice to kick our asses. Or get us running around butt naked.

„Fine,” Dice shrugged, revealing absolutely nothing on her hand. At least I had a pair of queens. My jaw nearly dropped to the floor. I had to admit it, she had some great poker face, if she could go all-in with a hand like that. „Happy? Now, strip.”

„No.” I huffed, „Matt deal another round, only this time we go all-in not even looking at our hands.”

„Just you and Dice?” he questioned mixing the cards.

„Just me and her. And if I win, both of you lose those lovely bikini’s,” I stated a dirty grin on my face as I leaned back in the chair. MJ shifted in her seat, seemingly uncomfortable. It was hard to miss the reassuring touch to MJ’s leg. Oh I could watch them touching each other all day, but maybe that was the Patron talking. Nah, you have to admit it... It's fucking hot.

When Matt laid the cards and got to the river, I was the one to shift uncomfortably in my seat. Either one of us could get a royal flush, chances were fifty – fifty, since I didn’t know what I had in my hand. Dice put her hands behind her head, carelessly leaning back in the seat, her bright greens smirking, almost mocking me.

„Reveal your cards,” Matt ordered, putting the last card on the table, it being a queen of spades.

„You really want to play this game, Gates?” Dice cocked her eyebrow, an amused smirk ghosting on her lips.

Without a word I flipped over my cards. Fuck... No royal for me. Just a goddamn straight. But it was better than nothing at all. Chances of me winning were still high.

„Okay, that’s a straight for Gates...” Matt leaned over the table, looking over my cards. „What do you have, babe?”

Dice rested her hand on her cards, not once breaking eye contact with me and flipped them over, not once glancing over her hand, but yet smirking victoriously. Why was she so confident?

„Holy shit!” Johnny exclaimed. I had to break our stare-down just to see... a royal fucking flush... You got to be fucking kidding me...

„How did you know?” MJ questioned silently to Dice. Finally her eyes fell over the cards. She didn’t even look surprised to see her hand and the cards on the table making the perfect combination. Dice jerked her shoulders in a light shrug.

„I’m feeling lucky today.”

„Five rounds in a row is not luck!” I exclaimed, jumping to my feet and hitting my palm against the patio table.

„Gates, chillout,” Matt said in between the laughter. „It’s just a game.”

„As you know previously I didn’t have anything on my hand,” Dice stated matter of factly. „So this is indeed luck, hot shots.”

„I’m not taking my fucking boxers off!”

„If you won’t, someone clearly will,” Dice shot a look to MJ. MJ was smiling till the very moment when it hit her what Dice was expecting from her.

„What? No!” That’s not what she said last night, but anyhow, I was glad MJ objected, since we weren’t shooting porn here. Who ever came up with this stupid game, was a complete moron.

„Come on Gates, just do it.” Johnny urged, „So we can get on with the game and get those lovely ladies out of their clothes.”

I shot him a glare. Somehow I didn’t think that was gonna happen. In the end Matt would be playing against Dice, since MJ would grow tired of the game and at one point they would fuck everything and really go to fuck each other’s brains out. I was surprised they hadn’t sneaked to a quiet corner to have a quick shag.

„Nah, I’m out... I’m not doing this.”

„Pussy!”

Notes