He lost his girl in a dice game..

The sun beat down mercilessly on the dusty street outside Mama’s Cantina. Inside, away from the blistering heat, a motley crew of men sat around a table, nursing beers and smoking cigarettes. The air was thick with the scent of stale tobacco and spilled alcohol.

In the center of the group sat Antonio, a young man with a rebellious streak and a penchant for trouble. His dark hair was slicked back, a cocky grin plastered across his handsome face. Beside him, his girlfriend Lila simmered, her full lips pursed in disapproval.

“Que pasa, muchachos?” Antonio called out, waving his hands expansively. “Who’s up for a game of craps?”

The other men exchanged glances, a few of them snickering. “I’m in,” one of them said, pushing a rolled up wad of bills into the center of the table. “But you’re playing for high stakes, cabron.”

Antonio’s eyes glittered with excitement. “Bring it on, compadre.”

For the next hour, the dice clattered across the table, fortunes shifting with each roll. Antonio was on a winning streak, chuckling as he raked in bills. Lila watched him, her expression growing darker by the minute.

Finally, when all the money had been won and lost, the final gamble came down to a cup of the bar’s best tequila and one last roll of the dice. Antonio’s eyes flickered to Lila, then back to his opponents. The grin never left his face. They were his lucky dice, after all.

“All in,” he declared, throwing down the dice. “Loser’s prize chooses.”

The men shook their heads, murmuring to each other. But Lila stood up, her chair scraping loudly against the floor. “Antonio! We need to go.”

He waved his hand dismissively. “In a minute, amor. Just one more round.”

The dice tumbled, coming up snake eyes. Antonio roared with laughter, sweeping the winnings towards his side of the table. He clapped his friends on their backs, then turned to Lila and pulled her onto his lap.

“See? Your papi’s a winner,” he crowed, his hands sliding down to squeeze her ample ass. She squirmed, but didn’t pull away, now a captive audience.

His friends hooted and applauded, leaning in eagerly. “What’s the prize, Anton?” one asked. “Theierre’s got to be something good for snake eyes!”

Lila tensed in his arms, but Antonio just laughed. “Anything I want,” he said, his voice low. “Anything at all.”

He turned to accept his winnings, but the other men shook their heads. “Vamos, amigos,” one said, pushing back from the table. “Outside, away from the ladies.”

Antonio hesitated, then followed, his hand dropping from Lila’s waist. He didn’t look back at her as he disappeared out the door.

Lila was left alone, the realization of what had just transpired slowly sinking in. The other men were still there, a few of them watching her impertinently. She felt anger rising, dishonesty bubbling up inside of her. How could he?

Now, outside, the men were laughing, slapping each other on the back. Antonio held up the prize money, toasting himself. Then he turned to his friend Ceasar.

“So, los tiny dick. What’s the deal? What do I have to do to redeem myself?” he inquired, puffing on a cigarette, trying to look cool.

Ceasar grinned, his gold tooth glinting in the sunlight. “You know what, man? You ain’t gotta do nothing. I just wanna get me a little of your girl.” Ceasar explained, his voice low.

The men looked at each other, then burst out laughing. Antonio gaped at him, stunned.

“What the fuck, man?” he sputtered, not sure if the other man was being serious. Ceasar just shrugged, his eyes gleaming.

“Off the top of her head.” Ceasar said casually. “Step into my office,” he said to Antonio, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him towards the alley beside Mama’s Cantina.