The Hotwife Games Ch. 09

The screens updated with another line of text:

2. The Voyeur.

"Now your second Ripcord," the hot co-host continued, "Is the Voyeur. Their location is also surrounded by hidden cameras. And, unbeknownst to your beautiful wife, you can buy yourself access to the live footage of... whatever they're up to."

Jessica grinned mischievously as she snuggled closer to Rakesh. He could smell her sweet, intoxicating musk as her barely clad body caused his cock to stir below her. The cuckold husband gulped.

"But every minute you watch will drop $50,000 of your prize -- for a total of ten minutes."

A line appeared on the screens, below 'The Voyeur': Cost: $500,000.

"So for those of you doing all the sexy, sexy math at home," Chris said, standing some feet down the beach from Rakesh and his wife, "If Rakesh uses both these Ripcords for their full duration, our couple loses half their total prize money."

"But there is a third Ripcord, hubby," Jessica said. Although she addressed Chris, her eyes were trained on Rakesh. She ran a teasing fingernail down the center of his chest.

The final option shone up on the screens:

3. The Participant.

"If you feel like things are getting a little too wild as you listen in on them... Or getting to hot as you watch that video footage... Then you can use your final Ripcord. It's called The Participant..."

Jessica moved very close to Rakesh. He sucked in his breath. Her pouting lips were an inch away from his and he could feel the beautiful co-host's minty breath on his own face.

"... And when you use it, we'll fly you right over to their secret location."

"And once you're there," Chris continued for his seductive wife, "You're free to do whatever you like. Maybe just talk to Diana... Or convince them to stop whatever's happening... Or... Participate however you please."

The two hosts looked at him as this last piece of information landed home -- Chris from several yards away, and Jessica with her face centimeters from the young husband's.

No one said anything. The sound of lapping waves was all that underscored the laden moment on the tropical beach.

"How --" Rakesh asked finally, through dry lips. "How much does that Ripcord cost?"

Jessica grinned. She craned back a few inches to study the young man. There was something just a little evil in her beautiful smile.

"Seven hundred, forty-nine thousand, nine hundred, and ninety-nine dollars," she said.

Rakesh absorbed this. The screen clanked up another row of text: Cost: $749,999.

And across the beach, Chris drove the point home.

"Which will leave you and Diana going home with..."

He paused, dramatically.

"One single bone. Uno buckeroo-no. A solo simoleon. A measly, weasely, lonely lil' Washington..."

"Shut up, Chris," said Jessica.

She looked at Rakesh. "One dollar."

The audience sat in bated silence.

"So," Jessica asked, wriggling on his lap. "What's it gonna be?"

Diana and Rakesh had won a hard, sweaty, unrestrictedly kinky battle to the final spot at the Hotwife Games. The young wife had tested all her husband's limits, putting on an erotic show unlike anything he - or the audience - had ever imagined possible, all to secure their winnings: the coveted million-and-a-half pot at the end of the carnal rainbow.

And now she was on her way to an undisclosed location across the dark ocean, with her movie star ex. Rakesh had three Ripcords at his beckoning to listen to, spy on, participate in, or halt the action, but if he used them all, they'd be walking away from the Games... with a single dollar bill. All their work would be for nought.

Most of all, Diana had asked him to trust her. He had to show his wife the solidity of his trust.

Rakesh took a deep breath.

"I won't be using any Ripcords," he said.

--

The sea-plane touched down a mere ten minutes away from the main island. After the quick flight, the unseen pilot rocketed the jet down a runway on the long sandbar, leading to a small, lush emerald called the Kama'sueh Islet.

Once the sleek craft rolled to a stop, Gael opened the hatch door, and led Diana out. She took in the last, violet streak of sunset in the darkened island sky. She breathed deep, steadying her nerves. The sweet scents of hibiscus and plantains floated in the evening breeze.

In mere minutes, she felt like she had reconnected with Gael on a surprisingly deep level. In the short flight across the archipelago, they had reminisced, shared laughs, and found a rapport that felt warmly comfortable.

Was it merely the pricey champagne wriggling its way through her system? Was it the considerable seductive prowess of Gael, a vaunted movie star who had become just as famous for his blockbuster movies as for his sizable record with the most beautiful women in Hollywood?

Or -- perish the thought -- was it the awakening of actual feelings for her ex, feelings Diana had not realized had been dormant in her for over a decade?

No, Diana shoved the notion away. That was ludicrous. Unthinkable.

A limousine awaited them. Instantly, Diana recognized its young chauffeur holding open the back door, and she squealed.

"Benny!" she exclaimed, rushing down to embrace Gael's old friend in a warm hug. "It's been..."

"A damn century," he finished, laughing. He looked at his handsome buddy over Diana's shoulder, and winked.

"Crazy way to be reunited, huh?" She grinned and slapped his shoulder.

Seconds later, Gael and Diana were seated in the back of the spacious stretch Rolls-Royce. Benny looked back with a smile as he raised the driver's partition, leaving them in privacy. He put the car in gear and they took off across the Islet.

Diana looked over at her ex.

In minutes, they'd be totally alone, together. Unlike any of the Challenges she had weathered in the Hotwife Games, her husband would not be by her side for this final test.

The reality of the moment took hold. Diana felt laden emotions already vibrating in the back of the luxury car. She had to get a hold of herself.

"Gael," she said. He looked back at her. He noticed the serious intention in her eyes.

"So... just to be clear," she said. Her voice faltered slightly as she looked at him. She repeated, "Just to be clear... nothing's going to happen."

He took this in. Brief disappointment flickered across his face, and Diana noted it. But the charming star shook it off instantly.

"Okay," he said. He smiled at Diana, and she knew that he meant it. "I understand that."

"I mean it," she said. "I promised Rakesh. Look, obviously we -- we had a great relationship, years ago..."

"We did, didn't we?"

Diana clocked the hint of contradiction in Gael's voice.

"Look, I know..." she started, then trailed off. "You were probably confused."

"If we were so great together," he said. "Why'd it end like that?"

Diana shifted her eyes, exhaling deep. She watched the tropical night flicker by outside.

"I... I can't explain it."

She knew what he was asking -- Why had she called it off so suddenly? And without any explanation...

Gael's eyes narrowed, but Diana didn't see it. Something hard settled into his statuesque features, and calculations whirred across his gaze.

I think you can explain, he thought. In fact, I'm going to make sure of it...

Diana was lost in her own thoughts as she absorbed the view.

"I've already done so much in this competition to test him," she said, referring to Rakesh. "But -- but this is a matter of trust. Our trust as a couple. Everything we have, and everything we've worked for -- it depends on this. You know?"

She looked back at her ex. Gael's look softened instantly... after all, he was an Oscar-winning actor.

Diana reached over. She put her hand on his.

"Nothing can happen," she repeated.

Gael placed his own palm over her hand. He nodded with deep sincerity.

"Nothing's going to happen," he said back.

The tension in the air-conditioned Rolls dissipated, and a pacified ease spread between the exes. They smiled at each other.

--

"Wow," Jessica said, gently alighting from Rakesh's lap. "No Ripcords at all..."

Rakesh sat stock-still in his seat on the beach. Jessica began to circle around him like an apex predator stalking her prey. Slowly, she unbuttoned her booty shorts.

"Are we sure about that?"

Rakesh breathed out. He nodded. Her shorts dropped to the sand. Underneath, she was wearing a white string bikini bottom.

"It's so very brave," Jessica went on. She grinned as she taunted him on her microphone. "To just trust your wife like that... especially when she's with the hottest movie star in the world."

Rakesh looked right ahead, not even answering. Jessica was now behind him, where she stopped in her circular track.

The show's co-host leaned forward, putting her mouth near Rakesh's ear.

"And she loved him, didn't she?" Jessica said.

Rakesh shivered at the sensation of her breath against the small hairs of his earlobe. But he remained resolute, staring ahead at the dark ocean and saying nothing.

"How do you know she doesn't love him, still?"

The small, VIP audience let out a low "ooh". Jessica was certainly going for the gullet, and pulling no punches.

"Because she loves me," Rakesh breathed softly.

"Don't you want to at least listen in a little... and hear what they're talking about?"

Rakesh had made his mind up. He would give her nothing in return. Like a stubborn child, he dug his ankles into the sand and looked silently away.

"Alright," Jessica said, with a resigned little laugh. "I guess there's only one thing to do, then."

She shrugged at the audience.

"Time to wait."

--

The stretch Rolls-Royce wended from the thick overgrowth of the Kama'sueh jungle. And, almost at once, they were going down a massive, paved driveway.

Diana looked out the tinted window at the shifting landscape. Ornate brass lamps threw wan pools of light over the driveway in regular intervals. The sudden regality of their surroundings wasn't lost on her.

"Is this your place?" she asked Gael.

"Mm-hmm," he said. "My island getaway."

Gael smiled at his beautiful ex. She took in this information, and put two and two together.

Gael owned the island.

Things sure had changed since his days as a struggling young artist when they were in college.

The limousine slowed as it pulled up to a colossal gate. The electronic gate swung open, slow and silent. As they drove by, Diana furrowed her brow at the multi-pronged logo wrought into the large doors.

There it was again. SinStar.

"What's Sin--" Diana began to ask, but just as the words came out her jaw dropped. "Oh my gosh --"

They had entered a tropical paradise.

Gael's beach estate was a breathtaking study in oceanside opulence. A twelve-bedroom, modernist beach mansion loomed over the lush tropical gardens. Tall palms ruffled in the gentle night breeze. The grounds were elegantly lit, with rococo touches of sculpture scattered around. Under a clear, star-filled night sky, the effect was dazzling.

Most of all, despite how palatial and grand it was, the estate felt altogether like Gael. The Gael Diana had once dated: warm, sexy, and welcoming -- with a winking touch of the outlandish. The man Diana had once loved.

Underneath all the flash and the toys, was he still the same person?

The limousine rolled to a stop outside the entryway. Gael got out and came round to open Diana's door.

"This is... something," she said, emerging and taking it in.

"Cute lil' gin joint, huh?" he winked.

"'Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world...'" Diana quoted, laughing. "Yes, indeed. Quite the gin joint."

"Thanks, Benny," Gael said to his buddy, who had rolled down the driver's side window.

"You got it, pal," Benny said with a smile. "Have fun, guys."

Gael's friend put the limousine reverse and pulled away.

The two ex-lovers were left all alone.

"Well," Gael said to Diana. "Come on in, Ilsa Lund..."

--

Minutes later, Diana could barely keep her jaw from hanging open. Gael's island mansion was more outlandish than just a "winking touch". The estate was an expansive swathe of cool, earthy tones. The wide tropical-modernist space was decorated lavishly, filled with several million dollars of art and furniture. And yet, the estate exuded elegance and a welcoming charm. Diana's ex-boyfriend had always been a man of taste -- and now he had the sizable coffers to indulge every one of those tastes that his heart desired.

As Diana looked around, her eyes landed on a large, iridescent blue conch shell. It was a distinctive color, a strange one. She had seen that shell before... but where? The image scratched a blur around the edges of her memory.

"Should we go out back," Gael said. "And ride out the two hours we have together?"

They moved through the French doors that led to a sprawling back patio sitting under a tropical sky carpeted in stars. Tall palms formed lengthy silhouettes in the moonlight, with neighboring guava trees baubled in warm golden lights. A long pool shone cool blue up to one edge of the manicured grounds, where it was fed by a two-story rock waterfall.

Looking around in a slight daze, Diana remembered reading on some gossipy blog about the impressive garden. It was typically host to a gamut of rollicking Hollywood vacations and parties hosted by Gael, the visiting A-list cavorting and making mischief around the beautiful foliage, around the sizable waters, in the natural jacuzzi carved into the stone. But now, it was just the two of them, all alone in his private island paradise...

Gael looked over as his beautiful ex-girlfriend scanned his beach estate. He smiled. A little gland in his brain secreted a potent shot of dopamine.

As he took in Diana's awed gaze, he reflected on what had brought him to this moment. The years of perspiring hard work, the dogpile of rejections, the tightrope risks, and the unapologetic, relentless, unstoppable hustle in the face of stratospheric odds -- if all of it had funneled him towards this single instant, witnessing his ex-girlfriend's awe... It had all been worth it.

For Gael had some wicked plans for the evening ahead...

He looked at Diana's intent stare and wondered, When exactly do I tell her the truth?

And how much of the truth?

But Diana was no longer taking in the breadth of Gael's estate. Her eyes were fixed on one spot in particular -- the marble sculpture of a multi-pointed star looming over the stone waterfall. It had the same design of the Sinstar logo she had seen earlier.

But the scupture's voluminous size brought home a fact Diana hadn't realized before... it wasn't a star all, but a flower. A very rare flower. She identified it quite specifically: the Alsation gerbera.

The notion brought a memory rushing back in vivid definition.

College.

After Gael had transferred to his acting conservatory, during her second year...

And he'd returned to visit.

The very week that they'd broken up...

--

Jessica began to turn the screws.

"So it seems our final, resolute hubby here plans to be very good..." she teased. She paced towards Rakesh's seat with small, lynx-like steps.

"No Ripcords," she told the crowd. "No prize money gone. No spying on naughty little Di. You must really trust her, huh?"

Rakesh tried to steady his breathing.

"Yes," he confirmed.

"Isn't that nice, audience?" Jessica asked. "Isn't our Rakesh just a model husband?"

The audience gave a smattering of applause, impressed but a little disappointed that they wouldn't be able to listen in on Diana and Gael either. Now a foot away, Jessica turned fully towards Rakesh and put her hands on her hips.

She undid the knot on her little crop-top, and worked it up off of her torso.

The young financier gulped as he took in her hourglass body. Her curves looked eye-popping in the tiny white bikini that clutched every sexy swell and valley.

Jessica reached up and slowly pulled down one strap of her bikini top.

"It's especially nice of you, Rakesh," she continued, lowering the other bikini strap, "Because you have sooo many reasons not to trust Diana..."

--

Had Rakesh been able to see his wife at that moment, he would have pushed back against Jessica's claim.

At Gael's sprawling Kama'sueh estate, everything looked peachily innocent between Diana and her handsome ex.

The former lovers strolled across the grounds, enjoying the balmy tropical night as they reconnected. She shrugged off the memories prompted by his SinStar sculpture, shelved her questions for him, and focused on the light banter between them.

"You're telling me you don't miss Srinivasan just a little?" Gael laughed. "Come on, at least the mustache."

"I mean, I miss the naps I took in Srinivasan's lectures," Diana countered.

"Touché," said Gael. "Or as he'd say after literally any answer in class -- 'Good answer, student -- tooshy!'"

Diana laughed at Gael's spot-on impersonation of their old college professor. They rounded the pool. The lit waters cast a hazy, aquatic light over their features, rendering the two beautiful people more attractive still.

"At least you didn't have to worry about his boring class after transferring."

"Oh, we had our share of oddballs at Acting Con," Gael replied, adding ironically, "Believe it or not."

"In an acting studio? Nooo," Diana laughed sarcastically. "I'm sure you didn't miss anything about U of Arc."

Just as quickly as the words came out, Diana regretted making the statement.

Gael looked at her.

Of course he'd missed something about their college.

Diana looked away. Sure, he'd missed her. But it wasn't the innocuous statement by itself, but the brambles path it pointed towards: a byway that led directly to the hornet's nest that sat in the middle of their tenuous relationship.

The mystery of why Diana had broken up with him.

He sensed her unease. He shrugged off his tuxedo jacket and tossed it onto a nearby lounger. Diana followed its arc, then glanced back at Gael. She couldn't help but notice the way his muscled, lean body filled out the crisp white shirt in all the right ways.

She snapped her gaze away. Remember your vow to Rakesh...

"I missed the Edgemont hot tub," Gael finally answered. "That's actually why I put this in."

He pointed his chin at the structure a couple of feet in front of them: The beautiful natural spring jacuzzi, carved into the limestone that fringed the backyard.

Diana looked. Now that Gael mentioned it... the hot tub did bear a strong resemblance to the one behind Diana's old college dorms. No, much more than a strong resemblance... It looked just like it.

The same unique, ovular shape. The small marble steps leading into it, in the identical location. And, Diana realized with a start, a round brass plate on one edge of the tub bore the carved image of a basilisk -- a winged green lizard -- the crest of their old university.

Why did Gael commission that strange, alarmingly accurate re-creation? Diana stared at her ex.

"Remember the Edgemont Hot Tub?" Gael asked.

For a second, his fun, seductively cool persona seemed to drop away. There was something deeper in his eyes. Something like... hurt?

Diana shivered at the question.

She remembered...

--

A cool evening...

Years ago...

Back behind the Edgemont dorms at the University of Arcana.

Diana dipped a toe gingerly into the steaming water of the hot tub.