Bets, Bulls, & Butts

Benito let out a loud belch as he rubbed his empty belly. Empty that is, except for the alcohol running through his system. He’d just woken up from passing out in his cups.

The brothel smelled of sweat, sex, and stale beer. The owner attempted to cover the smell with cheap incense, which only managed to empower the thick cloying scent. The combination turned his sour stomach.

Benito reached into his pocket, disappointed that he’d spent his last copper. Broke once again and sulking in his chair, his mind wandered. The laughter of a nearby table reached his ears. Benito leaned back and eavesdropped on the conversation...

“I shit you not, walked right up to the thing. Reared back like he was some actor in a play and smacked it right on its arse. Took off like bloody lightning after that, didn’t even get a scratch on ‘em.” The man ended the story with a slap to the table and uproarious laughter from his friends.

“With balls like his, he had his hands full just carrying ‘em around. Of course, he couldn’t pull out coin to pay for his own ale. Lucky bastard didn’t buy a drink the rest of the damn year!”

Benito’s mouth was open, the words coming long before he thought them through, “I would do it for just a night of free drinks.” His outburst silenced the nearby table. Its occupants all turned to look in his direction.

“What did ya say, boy?” one of the men, a scarred, mean-looking curmudgeon asked.

Benito realized his mouth had just bitten off more than it could chew, again, rose from his chair and walked over to their table. “I said, I’d do the same thing for a single night of free drinks. I wouldn’t need a whole year.”

The men traded looks. One even smirked, giving the others a slight nod. Benito missed the byplay, lost in dreams of free beer.

“Is that a fact? Alright lad, how about we up the stakes a bit, eh? How does that sound?” the storyteller said, giving Benito a once-over. This is going to be fun, he thought.

The kid, not much older than a teenager if he had to guess, was a small one. 5’ 4” or 5' 5” max, and skinny. He might be quick, but it was worth a few extra coins to the men at the table to find out.

Interested in getting a bigger payday, Benito gave it no thought, instead asking, “Up the stakes, how? What did you have in mind?”