The look in Carlos' eyes wasn't quite surprise, though there was an element of that there. There was interest, and heat, though there was more than that as well. And there was a certain challenge in the sharp curve of his lip. Of course he remembered when Gael was a Spade. His sister was friends with Gael's, and there were hardly any Spades sharper than Noelle Prochazka-Shaw. But then the Clubs Carlos had been born into had never really been a soft Suit, no matter what people said, and Carlos himself had grown to be quite sharp. It was unavoidable, really, when you grew up as Ty Kagan's shadow.

"You know," he said as Gael's hands fisted in the black fabric of his shirt. "Actually, cariño, I think I do want to test you." Often this was easy for him. Often when he ventured into a relationship built on power games, it was clear that he would be the one on top - that was part of the contract between him and his lovers. And he didn't dislike that, but he was too much a Club not to sometimes want to go looking for a fight.

"A bet," he murmured, his eyes sharp and light and almost exactly the shade of new blades of grass on Gael's darker eyes. "Mm. Alright. If I win, I get you - on a night of my choosing." Almost like a date. "If you win...well, you already said you want me at your mercy, right?"