The Game

Tattoo girl nodded slowly, then tilted her head in acceptance.

"Not bad... Fine, I will be your teammate."

"Ok, great. Thanks."

I awkwardly held out my hand, and after a pause she reached out hers and we shook on our new partnership. The phrase making a deal with the devil had never meant more to me than it did in that moment, but I was too relieved to worry about that for now.

"By the way my name is Laura, what's yours?"

"Player 44."

With my new unfriendly partner by my side I turned back to the screen and waited to learn what our next task would be.

"Contestants, now that you have partnered up welcome to the fifth game: 'Double Trouble.' As you can see the guards are now handing you all two pieces of paper and two pens. In a moment you will both have five minutes to think of a challenge to complete, one that enters into the spirit of The Game. When you have both written down your idea you will toss a coin to decide which one of you will be playing the next round."

Uh oh... this didn't sound good.

"Whoever loses the coin toss will have to pick one of your pieces of paper at random, and then they have until 8pm tomorrow to complete the task and provide proof that they have done so. If they are successful then they will proceed to the next round and their partner will be eliminated. However if they fail then the outcomes will be reversed. Your time to create your task starts now. Try your best to think outside the box... but not too far, just in case."

Well... fuck me. The masked man had well and truly tricked us, we all thought that we'd be working with our partners in the next round, but actually it turned out that we'd be battling against each other instead. And I'd inadvertently ended up with the most competitive and shameless chick left in the group, which meant that I was surely the favourite to be kicked out next.

44 and I didn't speak a word or even look at each other as we took our pieces of paper, then everyone spread out and chose a spot to sit and think of their task. The wooden floor felt unnatural against my bare skin as I sank to my knees and tried to relax, but I ignored the discomfort and put my head in my hands as I tried to work out what the best strategy was.

My degree is in economics, so I felt like strategic planning and understanding probabilities should help me out a little. There was a fifty-fifty chance that I'd lose the coin toss, and then another fifty-fifty chance on which task I'd end up having to attempt. So should I think of a really simple task, just in case I had to end up doing my own dare?

Or was that stupid given the fact that there was only a one in four chance that outcome would happen? Would it in fact be better to think of something impossibly hard to do, so that if Player 44 lost the coin the coin toss she'd be screwed? And speaking of my opponent what the hell must she be thinking right now, would she be more tempted to play it safe or go for the kill?

After wrestling with the intricacies of all the possible permutations I decided I shouldn't try to gamble, and instead I'd just try to think of the most insane dare that I could still see myself actually completing, if I had to absolutely had to. I looked up and saw that I had just under three minutes left, so I now had to turn my attention to the actual task idea. After a bit more thinking I finally made up my mind, so I picked up my pen and started to write.

"The loser will have to film a video of them having sex, in public."

Ok, not too crazy for now, but give me a second. I thought for a little longer, bit the tip of the pen lid nervously, then scribbled down a second requirement.

"In a public library."

Chill out, I hadn't gone too insane. Basically there was this infamous quiet part of my university's library where there were no security cameras, and in my first year Sean and I had got a little handsy there a couple of times, just for the thrill of it. I think the furthest we'd ever gone before being interrupted was me giving him a hand job, but I was pretty sure that if I was quiet I could probably get away with a quick fuck in that alcove.

Seeing as 44 wasn't a student I assumed that she wouldn't know about the secret spot, so for her trying to have sex in the bigger public library in the center of town would be insanely difficult. Just in case she somehow still tried it though I figured that I should probably add another rule, just to complicate things further.

"And there must be at least two guys fucking her in the video, which should last at least a minute."

After the way Dwight had acted yesterday I was sure that he wouldn't turn down the opportunity of double teaming me with Sean, and to be honest I'd be lying if I thought that the idea of getting spit roasted by those two wasn't getting me a little excited.

Now I was satisfied that my challenge was hard enough so that it would be nearly impossible for Player 44 to do without getting arrested, even if she was a natural show off. At the same time if I had to do my own task then I was quietly confident that I could just about complete it without being caught, so I set down my pen and waited for the timer to finish. When everyone was finally done it was time to decide who was doing what, and my pair was up first.

The two guards moved over to stand infront of me and 44, and now my heart was really starting to beat out of my chest as I fretted about what on earth she might have written down. The men in red stood there motionless for a moment before one held out their palm, in which was a coin. The still totally naked Player 44 immediately took it, as clearly she was the alpha dog out of the two of us, then she turned to face me.

"Heads or tails?"

I was actually pretty surprised that she offered me the choice as I'd naturally assumed that she'd be the one making the call.

"Tails."

Without any hesitation she flicked her thumb and the coin went spinning into the air, glinting briefly under the hall's harsh lighting, before it arched back down and landed in her upturned hand. We both looked down, and I felt my heart drop to my stomach.

"Unlucky 17."

44 grinned up at me, her eyes glinting with pure malice. She took my folded piece of paper and added it to hers, then turned her back as she decided which hand would hold which task. After she made up her mind she faced me again and held the two out in front of her.

I looked down at them and decided which to choose but this was so pointless, it was pure chance at this point. However, just as I was just about to reach out and choose one 44 suddenly brought her right hand an inch or two forwards, as if tempting me to pick that challenge.

"If I were you, I'd choose this one."

Now what kind of bullshit mind games was she playing? Was this a bluff, was 44 offering me my own piece of paper? Or was it a double bluff, and actually she was trying to get me to choose her dare, which was presumably absolutely impossible to complete?

Or was it a triple bluff, or a quadruple bluff... I had no fucking clue. After another few moments of indecision I decided to just go with my gut, so with a quivering finger I reached out and tapped on the piece of paper in her left hand, the one which she hadn't moved closer to me and was slightly further away.

"That one, I want that one."

The guards nodded and so I plucked the folded note out of 44's hand, and after a deep breath to steady my nerves I opened it up.

"Oh for Christ's sake..."

Yep, sure enough the handwriting staring back up at me wasn't my own, and somehow despite all the odds I had in fact ended up with the worst possible outcome. Just my luck...

"Player 17, you will attempt to play Player 44's game. If by 8pm tomorrow you have succeeded then you will proceed to the next round. Fail, and you will be eliminated. Good luck."

The masked man boomed down from his screen but I wasn't listening anymore, I was just reading 44's scribbled instructions with my mouth hanging open dumbly in shock.

"The loser must win first place at tomorrow's amateur night at the Metropolis Gentleman's Club."

This was bad... really, really bad. The Metropolis was the sleaziest strip joint in the city, a place where grubby sad dudes went to go and leer at a bunch of girls dancing with their tits out. I knew this because I'd actually gone there once for a laugh on one of my nights out in first year.

Me and some friends had decided to try it on a whim and I have a vague memory of buying a guy a lap dance as a joke, but overall it had just been a pretty bleak and off putting place. I also knew about its infamous amateur night, where any woman could turn up and compete in a strip contest for a prize of a few hundred pounds. The winner was normally chosen by who the crowd cheered for the loudest, so normally whichever girl showed the most skin tended to be the victor, and tomorrow I had to make sure that girl was me.

But for now I had to stand there seething quietly as we waited for the other pairs to complete their choices, cursing first the stupid coin toss, and then my own foolish choice. As the final couple began their go I'd finally calmed down enough to quietly whisper across to 44 through gritted teeth.

"Seriously? Win a stripping contest? You risked having to do that yourself?"

Player 44 kept staring straight ahead, but the corner of her lip slightly crept up into a sly smile.

"When I was younger I worked as a pole dancer at the Metropolis, for five years straight. So yes, for me that would be a very easy task to complete."

Finally her total lack of modesty began to make sense, as clearly this girl had quite a bit of experience with taking her clothes off. Still though I couldn't understand how she'd so easily misled me.

"But how did you know I'd pick that one? Why'd you offer me my own piece of paper?"

44 just smirked as she continued to gaze off into the distance, but she did tilt her head slightly over towards mine as she answered in a surprisingly gentle but still quietly menacing tone.

"It's just an old hustler's trick. No one ever goes for the option that's offered forwards, it goes against all of our natural instincts. Everyone always chooses the second option instead, without fail."

I pouted in disgust, annoyingly it seemed that I had been read like a book.

"So you played me."

44 tutted quietly.

"Of course I did. But I also let you call the coin toss, right? You just managed to fuck that one up all by yourself..."

I hated that I could feel my cheeks beginning to burn, and my voice beginning to strain.

"Fuck you. At least I'm the one who's in control now, both of our fates are totally in my hands. You can't stop me getting first place tomorrow, then I'll win this game and you'll be the one who's eliminated, and there's nothing you can do to stop me."

Now Player 44 finally turned to look at me, but I could see from her expression that my impassioned speech had not been particularly intimidating.

"Sure 17, sure. Good luck with that though... those girls at the Metropolis can get pretty freaky..."

Two minutes later we were allowed to get dressed again, and the second I had my leggings back on I stomped my way home to go and throw some plates against the wall.

*****

The next day I headed out to the shopping center in search of an outfit for my evening plans. I went into a fancy lingerie store but hesitated when I saw just how expensive all the underwear sets were, as even with the money I'd earnt so far from The Game I still wasn't comfortable blowing so much cash on just one item of clothing.

In the end though I decided that ultimately it was an investment and I had to do everything I could to give myself the best chance possible of winning the contest, so I pulled myself together and headed over to a young and friendly looking sales assistant.

"Hi..."

The girl turned and smiled when she saw me.

"Hello there madam, what can I help you with today?"

"So I need to buy a bra and panty set, and I was wondering if you could help me choose one?"

"Of course! What sort of thing are you looking for?"

I bit my lip and sighed.

"Well, to be honest something that makes me look like a stripper..."

After half an hour in the store I had my outfit chosen and purchased, which sadly meant that I couldn't delay the inevitable any longer. I reluctantly headed out of the mall and got onto a bus which would take me across the city to the murkier night life part of town, where I had spent much of my first year partying.

I followed the directions on my phone as I weaved my way through a maze of alleyways which I loosely remembered from my one previous visits, then suddenly I had arrived at the entrance of the club. The bouncer on the door didn't even move a muscle as I slipped past his burly frame and headed inside under the glowing neon Metropolis sign, and the moment I stepped into the main room I was hit by the smell of alcohol and cigarette smoke.

A young topless woman, wearing only a thong with thin strips of black tape crossed over her nipples, was passing by carrying a tray of drinks, and after a moment of uncertainty I stepped forwards and caught her attention.

"Hi, sorry there, I'm here for the amateur night?"

The girl gave me a quick glance up and down as I tried to keep my eyes on her face rather than her boobs, then she nodded and pointed over to the corner.

"You want Mikey in the office through there, he'll sort you out."

"Ok great, thank you."

I shamelessly watched the girl's butt jiggle as she strutted away from me in her high heels, then realised what I was doing and tried to remind myself that I was straight. As I shook my head to try and get myself to focus on the task in hand I nervously walked over to the door which was labelled management, then tentatively gave it a knock. After a moment nothing had happened, so I tried again to no avail, then gave up and just invited myself in.

"Sorry, I'm looking for Mikey?"

Hearing my timid voice a tall, thin man appeared from the back of the room. He had a gold cap on his tooth and he was smoking a roll up which he bit into as he walked over to me, with his palm extended and a cheerful grin plastered over his face.

"That's me love, manager of the Metropolis, what can I do for you?"

He looked and smelt just like what you'd expect a guy who hung out all day in a strip club would look and smell like, but I managed not to wrinkle my nose too much.

"Err, hi. I'm here to register for the amateur night, for, well for tonight."

We shook hands and then Mikey sat at his desk, and gestured at me to take the chair opposite him. He blew out a cloud of smoke as he studied my outfit, and I nervously began to rub my fingers together.

"Ah, amateur night... I see. What's your name darling?"

"La..."

I was about to give him my real name but then suddenly realised that maybe I should try and keep tonight as anonymous as possible, just in case.

"La...Leila. My name is Leila."

Mikey gave me an amused, wry smile as he wrote down my pseudonym on a clipboard.

"Leila?"

Ok, it wasn't the most imaginative choice in the world, but to be fair I had been put on the spot. I nodded unconvincingly, and we both silently acknowledged that I was lying.

"Yup."

"Ok, Leila. You done anything like this before?"

"No."

Mikey nodded approvingly.

"I should hope not, given that it's amateur night. And you're happy to sign a waiver form? Just to say that you're ok with people taking pictures or videos, that kind of thing, you won't try and sue if any dodgy images of you appear online?"

I could already feel my skin beginning to crawl, this felt like the beginning of a bad dream. So far I'd managed to avoid any documentation of my crazy exhibitionist acts, and I'd rather hoped that things would stay that way.

"Is that going to happen? You let people do that here?"

Mikey tutted and shook his head disapprovingly.

"Well not really, there is a no photo policy. But you know, things happen, people get cheeky sometimes... I can't guarantee anything, if you understand me."

I didn't really have a choice anyway, I was committed to competing tonight no matter how sketchy the club's rules were, but I still wasn't happy about it.

"Right..."

Mikey took my silence as a sign of agreement, then moved on.

"You got some identification on you?"

"Oh, yeah. Here."

The manager took a look at my driving licence and scribbled down something on his sheet of paper, then puffed out his cheeks.

"Right, that's nearly all sorted then. The show is meant to start at about nine, so you can wait here in the changing room until then if you've got nothing else to do, I think a couple of the other girls are in there already. Each round one of you gets eliminated until we have a winner, first place gets £100, everyone else gets a round of applause and nothing more. That all ok?"

It actually sounded weirdly similar to The Game, which under better circumstances I might have found amusingly ironic.

"Yeah, ok. Umm, thanks then."

I was about to leave but Mikey raised a finger and smiled apologetically.

"One thing though, before we sign everything off. We've only got a limited number of places for tonight, and it's first come first serve. So I need to know that you're not going to freeze or panic when you get up there, otherwise I'll need to give the spot to another girl."

I cocked my head questioningly.

"Ok, so what do you want from me?"

Mikey waved around vaguely with his cigarette.

"Well I don't need a full audition or anything, but you'll have to show me something that proves you'll be able to cope when you're on stage. You know, just-"

I cut him off by sighing loudly and standing up from my chair. I was getting really tired of constantly having to prove myself to everyone, so without any care I unbuttoned my jeans and tugged them down to my knees, along with my underwear. I pulled my jumper up to my bellybutton and looked down at Mikey with a sarcastically raised eyebrow.

"Satisfied?"

To the manager's credit he didn't bat an eyelid when he was unexpectedly presented with my bald pussy, and I guessed that he'd seen so many during his time that mine wasn't anything special to look at. However my bold display did seem to have convinced him that I was suited to life as a novice stripper, so after a pause he signed his signature on the consent form and then offered it out so that I could do the same.

"I think you'll do great tonight Leila. Best of luck to you."

*****

After my successful interview I was let into the club's dressing room, where a bunch of women were constantly coming and going as they prepared to go and perform on stage. I tried to distract myself with my phone as I kept my eyes averted from all the naked flesh on display, and after a while I was joined by a few of the other amateurs who were also taking part in the competition.

I muttered some hellos but no one was being particularly friendly, which I guessed made sense as we were all there to fight for first place. After an absolute age nine o'clock finally arrived and Mikey poked his head through the door to grin at us.

"Alright girls, we'll be getting started in about ten minutes, so make sure you're all ready."

He ducked back out and a few of the women around me got up and started to get changed, taking off their clothes and pulling on more risqué sets of underwear, or swapping out their shoes for some high heels. I'd not bothered to bring a separate outfit and so I was already dressed in the short skirt and tight top I'd picked out from my wardrobe in the morning, albeit it with my new lingerie hiding underneath.

I had gone to the effort of finding an old pair of stilettos though, which I quickly replaced my trainers with, and then I felt like I was ready to go, or as ready as I'd ever be anyway. I hadn't been feeling too nervous about the whole ordeal up until now, I was more just bitterly resigned to my fate, but as everyone got up I was starting to get a few butterflies in my stomach.