A warm love Bytes welcome to author Scotty Cade joining us today to talk about new release “From a Jack to a King”.
Welcome Scotty 🙂
From a Jack to a King
Scotty Cade
Release Date 07/03/2018
Blurb:
New York Times best-selling mystery writer Bay Whitman leads the life of a celebrity—at least on the surface. In public he’s self-assured and in control. Women hang on his every word, while men envy his confidence and swagger. But in reality, Bay is a loner. He’s shy and introverted, and his life consists of sitting in a dimly lit room writing his famous Jack Robbins mystery novels. His one vice—gambling. Winning an escort in a poker game will change Bay’s life in ways he never imagined.
Matthew “King” Slater is one of the hottest tickets in gay porn. He spends his days in front of the camera and his nights as a highly paid escort to the rich and famous. Deep down, he craves romance and a real connection, but his past makes it hard to separate the needs of his body from those of his heart. For now, it’s easier to think of sex as just a job. But while doing a shoot in Vegas, King is hired for a tryst at a famous hotel and casino, and his handsome client might blur the line between work and play.
Happy Summer!
Firstly, I’d like to thank Dani and everyone over at Love Bytes for allowing me to stop in today. I truly appreciate the support.
So…I’m supposed to be here to bring a little attention to my latest release “From a Jack to a King.” The blurb and excerpt will pretty much give you an overview of the novel, and coupled with the fact that I’ve done five blog spots so far with four or five more to come, instead of talking about the book, I’d thought I’d share something that has always intrigued me. High Stakes Poker! Not that I could ever afford to sit in on a game, but I have observed a couple high stakes games and the composure and dedication with which these people play cards is amazing to me.
Terms like “croupier,” “preflop,” “small blind,” “large blind,” “dealer button,” “raise,” “call,” “fold,” and “burn” are all part of the game. It can be a very tense environment or one more relaxed depending on the players. To me it’s an interesting and well oiled process and watching the professional card players play the game gives me goose bumps every time.
But instead of telling you how the game is played, I’d rather show you in the form of a scene from “From a Jack to a King” where Bay Whitman sits down for the first high stakes card game of the novel. The scene explains the terms and how the game is played in the context of you observing or being at the table.
Okay, so I’ll leave you here and let you read the excerpt. But before I let you go, I’d like to know if you’ve ever been in on or observed a card game in a casino? Or if you just have an occasional game at home with friends or family. And what do you love or hate about it. If you post, you’ll automatically be entered into a drawing for an e-book of “From a Jack to a King.”
Thanks for spending the time with me and I wish you and yours a wonderful and relaxed 4th of July weekend.
Now here’s your excerpt and lot of other stuff about where to find me and my books, especially “From a Jack to a King.”
The croupier spread the deck across the table and each man picked a random card and flipped it over. Rich had the high card, so the croupier slid the dealer button to him. “Mr. Devlin will act as our dealer for the first hand. And Mr. Whitman will have the small blind and Mr. Gilman the large.”
The croupier scooped up the cards, discarded them, and pulled another deck from the dealing shoe. “Gentlemen, we’ve already established that small blind will be twenty-five hundred dollars and large blind five thousand. Good luck.”
The croupier dealt the preflop, which gave each of the players a round of cards and then another. Bay held his hands over his hole cards and lifted his eyes slightly. He glanced around the table as Rich, Zeke, and Paul looked at their cards. None of them showed any detectible emotion, so he lifted the corner of his first card and took a peek. Not too shabby! An ace of spades.
Bay looked at his second card and smiled inwardly. Yes! A ten of spades. He eyed the other players again, and everyone still had the same blank expression. Hence the term poker face. The croupier gazed at Bay but didn’t speak. Since he was sitting to the left of the person with the dealer button, it was up to him to call, raise, or fold for the first bet.
“I’ll raise,” he said, which meant he was in for twice the big blind, or ten thousand dollars. He slid the appropriate number of chips to the center of the table and sat back.
“Damn, Bay,” Rich said. “Right outta the gate?”
Bay simply smiled confidently.
The next move was up to Paul. He looked at his cards again. “I’ll call.” He slid the same number of chips to the croupier and turned to Zeke.
Zeke glanced around the table. “I’ll call,” which meant he, too, was in for ten grand.
“Mr. Devlin?” the croupier asked.
Rich smirked. “I’ll call.”
The pot was now worth forty grand, Bay’s heart was fluttering wildly with excitement, and he could almost feel the hairs on his arms standing at attention.
Bay watched as the croupier started the flop by dealing the burn card, which is the top card in the deck and gets placed facedown on the table. He then dealt three cards faceup in front of him. The first was the nine of spades, then the ace of hearts, and finally the six of spades. It was now up to each of the players to make the best hand they could with the two cards they were already dealt and the three cards in the flop. It was time for the second round of betting.
With practiced ease, Bay kept his expression emotionless. He had a good chance of ending up with a flush, since he was already holding two spades and there were two more spades in the flop.
The croupier looked at Bay. Since all four players were still in the game and he was sitting to the left of the dealer, it was again up to him to raise, check, or fold. “I’ll raise again,” Bay said confidently.
Rich giggled nervously while Zeke and Paul eyed Bay without expression, apparently seeking a chink in his armor. Bay slid the chips to the center of the table and sat back in his chair again.
The croupier turned to Paul. “It’s to you, Mr. Gilman.”
Paul looked at his cards again and studied the flop. “I’ll call.”
Bay smiled as Paul slid his chips to the croupier.
“Mr. Cambridge?” the croupier said.
Zeke pushed a stack of chips across the table. “I’ll call as well.”
Before the croupier could ask, Rich slapped the table. “I’ll fold. I’ve got shit.”
Next was the turn. The croupier dealt a burn card facedown again and one more card faceup next to the other three.
Damn! Deuce of hearts.
But Bay was feeling confident. And he had a good run going, so it was time to apply his bluffing skills. “I’ll raise.”
“Oh man,” Rich said. “I’m glad I got out when I did.”
Paul and Zeke eyed Bay again, but neither said anything.
Bay slid another $10,000 in chips across the table.
“I’ll call,” Paul said, sliding his chips over.
“Me too,” Zeke said, following Paul’s lead.
Bay grinned to himself. Yes. Come on, Lady Luck.
It was time for the last card, or the river as it’s called. The croupier once again dealt the burn facedown and one last card faceup next to the other four.
Seven of spades. Hallelujah!
“I’ll raise,” Bay said, sliding ten grand more in chips over to the croupier.
“I’ll call,” Paul said, pushing over the equivalent in chips.
“Fuck,” Zeke said. “I’m out.”
Bay peeled back the corner of his first card, locked eyes with Paul, and then slowly flipped it over. This was where it always got interesting. As Paul looked back and forth between Bay’s card and the flop, his expression or lack thereof wasn’t what held Bay’s attention. What was happening behind Paul’s eyes told the real story—and tonight Paul did not disappoint. As soon as Paul saw Bay’s card and realized the possibilities of his hand, Bay picked up a little something in Paul’s eyes. And that simple little something caused goose bumps to form on Bay’s arms and made his heart rate steadily increase.
Bay smiled confidently as he flipped over the second card, eyes still locked on to Paul’s. He almost came in his shorts when he recognized exactly when Paul knew his goose was cooked.
“A flush,” Bay said.
Paul smiled weakly. “Nice hand.” He slid his cards to the croupier without even flipping them over.
A player who conceded a game wasn’t required to reveal his cards, but Bay would have liked to have seen the hand he’d beaten. He’d bet his life Paul had three of a kind or even a flush, but Bay’s flush was ace high, so that would have sealed the deal. Either way it didn’t really matter. Bay was up $40,000.
“Damn that was intense,” Zeke said.
“No shit,” Rich agreed.
The croupier stacked the chips, pushed them across the table, and deposited them in front of Bay.
Bay took a five-hundred-dollar chip off the top and tossed it over to the croupier. “Thank you.”
The croupier nodded, smiled, and dealt the next hand.
Scotty Cade left Corporate America and twenty-five years of Marketing and Public Relations behind to buy an Inn & Restaurant on the island of Martha’s Vineyard with his partner of over twenty years. He started writing stories as soon as he could read, but just eight years ago for publication. With the Inn and restaurant now sold, you can find him in Greenville South Carolina where he and his husband are restoring a hundred-year-old house or in Charleston South Carolina on their boat simply hanging out. Being from the south and a lover of commitment and fidelity, all of his characters find their way to long healthy relationships, however long it takes them to get there. He believes that in the end, the boy should always get the boy.
Here’s where you can find me:
Scotty, you look ‘smashing’ in that tux!
Thank you 16forward. I hope you enjoy the story.