Upping the Ante: Tuesday

THE FIRST STEP

Cat stepped off the elevator onto the second floor. Dread increased with each step, and she thought about turning around. Actually, she had thought about turning around all morning. She was so tempted to call in sick. Anything - ANYTHING - to get out of what she had to do today.

Walking down the hall, she let herself into the office. She was usually the first or second one in each morning, but the stalling she'd been doing this morning put her in last. Suzanne looked up from her desk as Cat walked in, but couldn't offer up any more than an awkward "hello."

Despite the fact that she'd be spending the day in her underwear, Cat had dressed well that morning. She was wearing a green skirt and suit jacket, with a white blouse underneath. She let herself into her office, the eyes of everyone on her.

Once into her office, she sat at her desk for a few minutes. She had to catch her breath and work up a little courage before she started getting naked in the middle of her workplace.

After a few minutes of internal monologue, there was a knock at the door. Looking up, Cat saw Joanna, who was smiling with encouragement.

"Well," Joanna said, looking at the other girl like a little sister. "I'd just hurry up, get it over with, and try to get used to it. I bet it's not going to bother you that much by lunchtime. Besides - it's no more than walking around the office in your bathing suit."

Actually, Cat had been tempted to put her bathing suit on under her work clothes this morning. But, being that it was too close to cheating, Cat had opted to wear underwear, just like any other day.

"Now," Joanna began, "why don't you get undressed, calm yourself down for a few minutes, and then come see me in my office. That way everyone out there can be sure you're following the terms of your bet, and you can start getting used to the fact that they're going to see you undressed at one point or another today."

Cat smiled, still silent. "Sure," she said meekly.

With that, Joanna left, and Cat was alone in her office once again. The blinds were open, and she could see across Gaslamp to the building on the other side of the street. It was an old movie theatre - no windows for people to look through and see the half-naked woman traipsing around her office.

Well, Cat thought, it's now or never. She wished the latter were actually an option, though. Still sitting, she pulled off her jacket and draped it on the chair behind her. Slowly, she began unbuttoning the buttons of her blouse, her green bra exposed to no one in particular. She took a deep breath, stood, and slipped the blouse off. Folding it a neat pile, she looked at her reflection in her computer.

There she was, she thought, the office whore. Standing around her office in her lacy green bra. She unclasped her skirt, and let it drop to the floor, revealing a matching pair of lacy green boyshort panties. She wanted something sexy, but not too revealing, and had opted for the boyshorts. Stepping out of her skirt and sandals at the same time, Cat was suddenly a lot more casual than Owen had been the day before.

Gritting herself as she folded the skirt neatly on her desk, Cat prepped herself for the day. It wasn't the state of undress that she was in that bothered her, but the location where she was undressed. In college, she had lost a game of strip ping-pong, and had to forfeit her clothes altogether. There were a few other occasions like that back at Green College, but that had been college - she was at work now. A place where people were supposed to respect her. At the Same time, she thought as she started turning the doorknob, at least I don't have to be stark naked this time.

CASUAL DRESS

All eyes were on her again as she stepped from her office. Cat chose to meet them. She waved sexily at Spencer, who had positioned his chair in just the right spot to see her when she came out.

She even had a little wiggle in her step as she made her way across the main room into Joanna's. She wasn't going to let it seem like today bothered her. Quite the opposite - she wanted Owen to think that she was actually enjoying it.

After a short pep talk from Joanna, Cat decided that she'd tease Owen a little bit more. She picked up a binder from Joanna's desk, and covered her chest. Winking at her boss, Cat pulled the right cup of her bra down past her breast, exposing the whole thing. Clutching the binder to the naked skin, Cat left the office and strolled casually to the conference room.

"Owen," she said, as if she was trying to get his attention (his attention was all hers, though), "We're meeting today at eleven, correct?"

Owen nodded.

"Okay, well, why don't you have you look at the advertising work I did on Final Fury," she said. With that, Cat handed him the binder, exposing the nipple.

Owen had a shocked look on his face, as if he'd just been hit by truck. Obviously, he hadn't been prepared for Cat's boldness.

She turned, snapped the cup back over her nipple, and headed for the door, allowing Owen an appreciative look at her panty-clad ass. As she made the corner, she winked at him, and headed back into her office.

The morning passed without incident. Sure, having Cat walk around the office in her bra and panties was distracting, but it didn't keep Cat from doing anything she had to do. She had lost the bet, fair and square, and was now paying for it. And, as she had told herself before, she wasn't going to make it seem like the entire day was so humiliating she wouldn't be able to come into work the following day.

That being said, Cat wanted to put her clothes back on. Badly. But, she stuck it out, allowing Owen to ogle her chest all throughout the meeting she had with him. She could feel Marcus's eyes following her buttocks wherever she went. The women didn't bother her much, but she still would have felt much more comfortable in her clothes than on display for all of them to see.

Right before lunch, Cat had to go to the bathroom. Slipping into her office, she donned her skirt and blouse, and made her way to the department's door. She was still buttoning her blouse as she walked across the main room, when Owen called out.

"What are you doing?" he asked accusingly.

"I've got to use the bathroom," Cat said. "Or would you prefer that I pee in a cup somewhere in the main room?"

Behind her, Suzanne laughed at suggestion.

"Fine, fine," Owen said. "Whatever..."

Coming back into the department after using the ladies' room down the hall, Cat began undressing before she had even returned to her office. By the time she was at her door, her shirt was completely unbuttoned, her bra-covered chest exposed to anyone who looked over.

Soon, she was back to her underwear. She ate lunch in her office, but not out of fear around the office. While being in her bra and panties certainly wasn’t a trend that Cat looked forward to continuing, it didn’t keep her hidden behind her office door. She went about her daily routine in exactly the same way she always did – just with less clothing on. She had to steel herself up every time she stepped into the main office, but she never let anyone see how embarrassed she really was.

UPPING THE ANTE

At four o'clock that afternoon, Cat walked into the conference room, where Owen was working with Marcus. She put a piece of paper down on the table, having a picture of a man in a thong.

"Getting lonely?" Owen responded, not sure what to make of the picture. “You know, I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to be looking up porn on Wonderstorm equipment.”

"Funny." Cat sat down next to him, and explained, "it's no longer just to your underwear - if I beat you, you have to wear a thong, and nothing else."

Owen looked at the advertising associate, astonished that this woman wanted to take it to the next step.

To emphasize her point, Cat repeated "Nothing else. No shoes, no undershirts, and you even have to take that damn ring out of your eye. Just the thong."

"Are you really sure you want to do this?" Owen asked. "I mean, I could've gone further yesterday, but I stopped."

"Am I sure?" Cat asked, as if she were astonished that Owen would ask her that. "Of course I'm sure. Yesterday was a fluke, and I think we both know that."

"Cat," Marcus began, "I don't know if it was a fluke. He looked pretty skilled - let it go."

Cat ignored him. "In fact, I’m so sure, that I’m willing to carry this thing out all week."

Both Marcus and Owen looked shocked.

"The loser spends the rest of the week in just a thong," Cat said, coming to a firm end of the deal.

"Fine," Owen replied, "I’m in."

"Marcus, you're the witness, right?" Cat said.

Marcus nodded. It was going to be obvious whom he was rooting for, but he'd keep it fair.

Cat had spent the entire day convincing herself that she could do this. And she honestly believed that she could. Obviously, yesterday had been a fluke. Obviously, this guy couldn't have the same luck twice.

And so, work ground to a halt for Cat and Owen that afternoon. Owen was on his own laptop, seated at one end of the table, Cat was at the other, using hers.

Now, Cat played the best game she had ever played that afternoon. There was no doubt about it. She even surpassed her old best score, and the new top score that Owen had set the day before. Owen even died earlier than she did, closing his laptop and waiting for the girl to finish.

Cat wouldn't let anyone tell her how much Owen had scored, though. She was going for a record now. And so, at 715,215, she was sure that she'd see the programmer in the office tomorrow, wearing nothing but a man thong.

The game closed, and up popped the high scores. Cat couldn't believe her eyes. She wasn't the highest scorer. She was the second highest scorer - after one Owen O'Connell with 725,000 exactly.

"What the fuck?!" Cat called out in rage. "How the hell did you get that?"

Owen shrugged. “Skill, maybe? I don’t know, but whatever it is, it’s clear that I have it, and you don’t.”

Cat banged her head against the desk. She couldn’t believe that she had lost again. "Fine, fine," she eventually conceded, hardening up a bit. "But we're going to take it up another notch tomorrow."

Joanna, who had come in before the game ended, shook her head. "Cat, I really think that you've gone way too far with this competitiveness. I’d concede while you at least have some clothing."

Cat blushed. She was being lectured by her boss, and she had just realized what tomorrow meant. Sure, no boyshorts, but that wasn't the big thing.

"Wait," she said. "I can't just walk around here with my tits hanging out. You've got to let me keep my bra..."

Joanna shook her head. "Don't talk to me - you made the bet with Owen."

Owen wasn't going to budge. Cat could tell that just by looking at him.

"I'll tell you what," Owen began, offering Cat a small glimmer of hope. "Follow through tomorrow, and I’ll give you a chance to win your clothes back for Thursday and Friday."

Cat groaned, and stormed out of the conference room. How had it come this far? How was she going to do this tomorrow?

She walked back into her office and donned her skirt. She put her blouse and jacket back on, and stormed out of the office. Tomorrow was going to be even less fun than today.