Pandora's Box Ch. 01a

Acknowledgements: I would like to extend credit to EmeraldCoastGuy, whose 'Roulette' stories on this site strongly inspired this one and some of the concepts within. Please check out his stuff as well.

Author's Note: This story ended up longer than originally anticipated. As such, I have split it into three parts to make it easier to read. However, all three parts should be considered a single chapter in what will become a longer narrative.

The main sexual encounter of this chapter does not occur until 'Pandora's Box: Chapter 1c'. Anyone wishing to skip to it may do so, though I encourage reading this prologue and 'Part 1b' first for context and understanding of the characters.

Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

The College Girl

The lecture hall buzzed with activity as students filed in through the double doors, the sound of a hundred different conversations drifting through the air. Daniella Cruz separated herself from the mass of bodies, making a beeline for the back row where she always sat with her friends. As usual, many heads turned as she walked past, striding delicately up the central staircase; she was 20 years old, 5'8', and easily one of the most attractive girls in the room.

She had a cute heart-shaped face with high cheekbones, large hazel eyes, and a bright, warming smile; long, thick, wavy brown hair cascaded down her back, the lower reaches bobbing ever so gently as she bounded towards her seat.

Dani kept herself in excellent physical shape -- at high school she had been both head cheerleader and captain of the girls' volleyball team and was a regular gym-goer. This resulted in an athletic body with curves in all the right places; she had flat abs, toned legs and a perky bubble butt, all of which she loved to show off as often as possible in crop tops and tight pants. Indeed, she was planning on heading to the gym after the lecture and was dressed accordingly in high-waisted blue gym leggings and a white sports bra, both of which clung tightly to her frame leaving little to the imagination.

To cap everything off, there were her natural assets as well: large round breasts, a slim waist, and wide hips that swayed seductively from side-to-side as she walked. All this was to say that, although Dani had definitely been blessed in the looks department by sheer genetic luck, it would have been unfair to say that she didn't put a lot of her own hard work into her appearance.

Clutching her books close to her chest, Dani smiled as she saw a similarly good-looking girl with wavy blonde hair beckon her over, gesturing at the empty seat to her right.

"Morning beautiful," Dani grinned as she slid into the chair next to Martine Ruiz, her roommate and best friend.

"Morning?" Martine scoffed, "please bitch, it's nearly 2PM!"

"I woke up late, what can I say," Dani smirked, dropping her books on the small desk in front of her.

"Yeah, I know. You were still snoring away when I left for my morning lecture. I could hear you through the walls."

"I don't snore!" Dani laughed. "Besides, I was up late last night."

"Yeah I bet you were. Messaging that guy from Clara's party no doubt." Martine grinned as Dani blushed.

"I told you, I haven't spoken to him since the weekend."

"Oh yeah? And remind me what you two were up to at the weekend? Because I definitely heard that through the walls!"

"It's casual!" Dani spluttered indignantly. "We're not dating!"

"Sure thing princess."

Dani was spared from further potential embarrassment as a girl attempted to take the empty seat to her right. Dani placed an arm protectively across the chair and smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, that's reserved!"

As the girl huffed and moved away, Dani caught Martine looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"How long are you gonna keep this up? I've told you a hundred times, Sofia's not coming."

"She might."

Martine sighed deeply. "She last came to a lecture, what, like three months ago? Why would she turn up now? You can't even get her to reply to your messages."

"She might if you tried as well."

"I know when someone wants to be left alone. Leave it Dani. If Sofia wants to talk to us, she will."

"And if she decides to come back to lectures, she will. And her seat will be here for her."

At this point, the lecturer called for calm and all the noise in the room rapidly quietened. Martine shot Dani a slightly disapproving look but said nothing further. Dani, for her part, looked sadly at the empty seat next to her. Daniella, Martine, and Sofia. The three of them had been inseparable since starting at Riviera City College 18 months prior. Until Sofia had vanished without warning -- she had stopped turning up to lectures and social events and only replied to messages sporadically, if ever. As the lecture got underway, Dani's attention was pulled back to the front of the hall, and away from her friend's empty seat.

An Unexpected Encounter

Several days later, on a bright Friday afternoon, Dani was returning from the gym in a similar outfit to the one she had worn in the lecture. She was in a great mood; riding high on endorphins after her workout, she had decided to treat herself to a milkshake from the mall and was looking forward to the house party she was attending that evening. She had her outfit picked out already: a pair of tight low-rise jeans and a figure-hugging halter crop top, perfect to tease all the boys with.

She glanced down at a text from Martine asking -- as if on cue -- what she was wearing that night. Dani looked up from her phone before replying to ensure she wasn't about to walk into anyone or anything, but what was supposed to be a brief glimpse turned into a drawn-out stare as she instead found herself focusing on a familiar face standing only a few metres away -- a very familiar face.

"Oh my God. Sofia?!"

The familiar face -- oval-shaped and attractive with wide green eyes and long, straight brown hair -- turned at the mention of her name. Her mouth fell open slightly at the sight of Dani, a look of happiness mixed with slight apprehension evident in her features.

"Oh, wow. Uh, hi Dani."

Grinning from ear-to-ear, Dani bounced forward to embrace her friend -- and then stopped dead in her tracks with a gasp when she got close enough to see a large and obvious baby bump protruding from Sofia's formerly slender figure.

"Oh my God!" Dani clasped a hand over her mouth, staring with wide eyes at Sofia's pregnant belly. Her eyes shot up to meet her friend's gaze, and she immediately felt bad when she saw the clear hurt her reaction had prompted.

"I'm sorry Sofia, I wasn't expecting... you to be expecting... uh, I mean... wow, um, congratulations, I guess!" Dani had gone bright red, stumbling over her words, partially out of embarrassment for her own reaction, but also due to being totally flustered at the sight of her friend's swollen belly, which had previously been just as toned and tight as her own.

To Dani's intense relief, Sofia's features softened and she let out a small chuckle. "Thank you, Dani. I know this is probably a bit of a shock."

"Shock is an understatement!" Dani laughed, her mouth still hanging open, relieved that Sofia hadn't taken her reaction too harshly. "When the fuck did this happen!?"

"I'm about six months along. Just entered the third trimester."

Doing some quick maths, Dani realised that Sofia must have been knocked up near the beginning of their second year, last autumn -- weeks that had been filled with partying and hook ups.

"Well, you look real good. I'm deadly serious. You have that pregnant glow," Dani smiled, having regained her composure slightly. Somewhat sub-consciously, she reached out to touch Sofia's belly, then stopped herself just short.

"Thanks Dani. I appreciate that, I really do."

"Can I... can I ask who the father is? I mean, do you know? Or..." Dani trailed off, worried she might upset Sofia.

But her friend shrugged nonchalantly. "There isn't one. Well, of course technically there is, but he isn't in the picture, nor does he want to be. It's just me, prepping for that single mom life."

"Oh my God," Dani said, her heart sinking slightly, "I'm so sorry to hear that."

To her surprise, however, Sofia waved her hand dismissively. "Don't be sorry. I knew what I was getting into at the time. Sure, it was a surprise to see that positive test, but it was all my decision."

"I don't understand. You... knew it was gonna happen?"

"It's hard to explain. But in a sense, yeah kinda." Sofia smiled cryptically at Dani's confused expression.

"Well then... shit, I'm happy for you! Congratulations! Again! I really mean it!" Dani beamed at her friend, who smiled right back. She had a million questions still but figured now was not the time to bombard Sofia with them.

"Thanks Dani. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. It was all a bit weird and difficult at first, you know?"

"No, I totally get it. Don't sweat it. But you have to start responding to my messages now! I mean it!"

Sofia fidgeted slightly. "I'll try Dani, I really will. But single moms don't typically have an abundance of free time, y'know?"

"Oh, yeah. Of course, I get that. I didn't mean to..." Dani trailed off, unsure of what it was she hadn't meant to do. A moment of silence passed between them as she struggled to think of something lighter to talk about.

"So, uh, when are you gonna be attending lectures again?"

Sofia burst out laughing. "Dani, come on. You see me fitting into one of those tiny chairs with this thing?!" She gestured at her bump.

"Sit on the stairs then," Dani smirked, "I'm used to the extra room now anyway."

A more serious expression came over Sofia's face. "In all seriousness though Dani, I won't be. I dropped out."

"No!" Dani's heart sank again. "Sofia, why?"

"Oh, I couldn't possibly juggle a baby and college. I dropped out a week after I got the news, at the beginning of the year."

That did match up with Sofia's disappearance from the lectures. Dani couldn't help but shake her head sadly at her friend, and she felt tears start to well up.

"That sucks babe. I'm gonna miss you so so much."

Sofia smiled reassuringly. "C'mon Dani, don't think of it that way. So I won't be in lectures, big deal. I won't lie, it's gonna be difficult to make time for a little while, but I promise I'll keep in touch. I really mean it."

This perked Dani up, and she wiped away her tears and grinned. "If you ever need help with the baby just gimme a call. I'll be ready whenever you need it. And you have to let us throw you a baby shower!"

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Sofia smiled, genuinely touched by her friend's eagerness. "Look, I really need to go -- errands to run, and my ride will be here soon -- but let's do something next week."

"Ideal!" Dani beamed, "I'll plan something, and get Martine in on it too!"

The two girls said goodbye and hugged, with Dani leaning awkwardly over Sofia's protruding belly. But as soon as Sofia had rounded the corner and disappeared, Dani's mind was racing, with multiple thoughts stumbling and tripping over each other. Sofia was pregnant. Pregnant! And was six months along!

"Oh my God," Dani whispered to herself, as the full force of what she had just seen hit her properly. For three whole months Sofia had been sat next to her in lectures... with a baby growing inside her! And neither of them had even known!

As this singular thought swirled in her mind, Dani felt butterflies begin to flutter in her stomach; her mind wandered back towards Sofia's huge baby bump, the growing result of this secret pregnancy, and the butterflies intensified. She couldn't help but giggle to herself: how could her friend have been such a careless slut to actually get knocked up! But almost as soon as these thoughts had entered her mind, Dani shook her head and pushed them back out.

"Jesus, what's up with you Dani? People get pregnant all the time. It's not that exciting." She sighed and picked her phone back up. She still had to reply to Martine and get ready for the party. Resolving to push Sofia out of her mind as best she could, she turned to head for home, attempting to return to thoughts of the evening ahead.

Wild Rumours

A few hours later, Dani and Martine stood side-by-side in the bathroom, both dressed in comfy cotton bath robes and sharing the mirror as they applied their make-up and did their hair, an armada of beauty products arrayed before them. Despite her decision to forget about Sofia for the rest of the night, Dani had of course wasted no time in telling Martine all about what had happened. However, she was bewildered when her friend elicited only a small amount of surprise at the news that their former classmate was pregnant.

"Did you hear me? She's pregnant. Literally pregnant. Like, she's actually going to have a baby!"

"Yeah, Dani, I know what pregnancy is."

"How are you taking this so well?"

Exasperated, Martine turned to look at Dani. "I just..." She trailed off, as if suddenly reconsidering what she was about to say, and then turned back towards the mirror.

"...What?"

"It's nothing."

"Martine, what the hell aren't you telling me?"

Martine sighed deeply, placed her eyeliner back on the sink edge, and turned to face Dani properly.

"I'm gonna tell you something. But you have to understand, it doesn't necessarily mean anything. It might be complete bullshit. But this is only what I heard, and it's why I'm not super surprised about this."

"Tell me," Dani whispered, her eyes getting huge.

"I heard a rumour last year. Around the time of Fresher's Week. You know Pandora's Box?"

Dani blinked. "You mean, like, the Greek myth thing?"

"No, no, it's a cabaret club. Downtown, near the waterfront?"

"Oh sure! Well, I know of it. I've never been inside. It's supposed to be pretty exclusive, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it's super exclusive. Like, €75 entry and €2500 minimum drink spending. Celebrities go there all the time, there's not even a guestlist. You queue up outside and the bouncers choose who they think should be allowed in."

"Jeez, not exactly for us lowly students then." Dani had heard that it was difficult to enter the club but had no idea of the stringent conditions Martine had outlined.

"Well, there's some exceptions."

"Like?"

"Some students work there as waitresses. You know how Sofia always told us she 'worked at a bar downtown'?"

Dani's mouth dropped open. "Holy shit, she worked there?!"

Martine nodded. "Not often, she was part-time. And I mean super part-time. Like, she worked two or three days a month."

Dani stared. "But she always had so much money to throw around!"

"Exactly. The tips there are supposed to be absolutely insane. She was pulling three, three and a half grand easily every month."

Dani paused to process this, then shook her head. "If that's true, then why don't all the girls at the college -- hell, in the city -- work there?"

"Well obviously they don't let just anyone work there. They have limited slots for staff. You have to be pretty, at least. Like, stunning, beautiful. Remember that A-listers attend this place, they want the most gorgeous girls they can find. Your proportions need to be right, you need the right voice, you can't be too squeamish, you..."

"Ok, I get it!" Dani held up her hands, not entirely sure whether Martine was telling the truth or not. "What does any of this have to do with Sofia getting knocked up?"

Martine looked slightly uncomfortable. "Well, the rumours I heard are that... uh..." She trailed off, looking even more embarrassed.

"What? Girl, don't leave me hanging."

Martine took a deep breath. "I heard a rumour that the waitresses have to be open to..."

She stopped again and, leaning towards Dani, dropped her voice to a whisper. "They have to be open, during their shifts, to serving 'private parties'. If the guests request it. And..."

Martine took another, even deeper, breath.

"And they play sex games at these parties."

Dani stared incredulously at her friend. "Sex games?!"

"Shhh!" Martine, looking flustered, actually clamped her hand over Dani's mouth.

"Watch the lipstick!" Dani replied irritably, batting Martine's hand away. "It's literally just the two of us here."

Martine said nothing, forcing Dani to repeat herself. "They play sex games at private parties in Pandora's Box. Really?"

Martine nodded. "Yes, really. Well supposedly."

"Uh huh." Dani, not taking the bait, folded her arms and looked her friend in the eye. She had heard about some crazy acts occurring at Pandora's Box, some of it pretty risqué -- it was, after all, a cabaret club -- but everything she had heard stopped short of actual sex.

"You don't believe me?"

"I'm still struggling to understand how this relates to Sofia getting preggers."

Martine tutted. "Dani, c'mon, put two-and-two together, will you?"

Dani went quiet for a second. "You think that Sofia was chosen to play one of these sex games?"

"Yes."

"And you think that's how she got knocked up?"

"Yep. I heard about one of the games they play. It's called..." She trailed off again and went bright red, glancing away from Dani.

"What? Tell me!"

Martine took yet another deep breath. "It's called... Pregnancy Craps."

Dani snorted with laughter. "What?! Pregnancy Craps?"

"Yeah. Like Craps, the dice game, except I guess you're wagering on the outcome of risky sex rather than a pair of dice."

"And you're saying Sofia played this game?" Dani asked, watching her friend with disbelief.

"I reckon so. She was working there, and supposedly if you work there you can get picked for the game if someone takes a liking to you. I think she was picked, and she lost. So to speak."

Dani stared momentarily at her friend. Then she started to grin.

"You're pulling my leg."

"I'm not."

"You are!" Dani couldn't help herself and burst out laughing. "You're saying that the waitresses at this club can be randomly selected to be impregnated? That's insane!"

"Look, it's a rumour. I don't know the full story, or how it works really. But you wanted to know why I wasn't more surprised that Sofia is pregnant. That's why."

"You're kidding me. You actually believe it, don't you?" Dani was still giggling at how ridiculous it all was.

Martine shrugged, looking annoyed. "Dani, I really don't care that much. It's a rumour. Besides, what's done is done. However it happened, Sofia is pregnant, and she's gonna be a single mom, and she's probably ruined her life. That's that."

Quiet settled over the small bathroom, with the soft breathing of the two girls alone penetrating the silence. At length, as Martine put her eyeliner away, Dani spoke.

"You... you really think she's ruined her life?"

Martine's eyes glazed over, and she stared at the mirror for a full ten seconds before replying.

"God, I don't know. Maybe. She's our age, can you imagine having a baby now? She's not gonna have time to do anything fun, ever. She'll be taking care of the little brat 24/7. It can change your body in all sorts of gross ways too, you know how precious she is about her looks. She's gonna freak if she gets stretch marks, and that's the least of it."

"That only happens if you're not careful," Dani reasoned. "She keeps herself in good shape."

"Don't underestimate it. It happened to my sister," Martine replied pointedly. "Paloma used to be just like us and Sofia, in great shape, worked out, ate right, all that stuff. Then she got pregnant; she was only a year older than we are now. Don't get me wrong, she worked hard after she gave birth and lost a lot of the baby weight. But now it's been nearly two years and she's still got stretch marks and a little bit of a mommy pooch. It's unavoidable sometimes."