The Loft Game: Barney

I saw the words get through, the image blossom in his mind, and he relaxed back against the pillows. His hand was still in my hair, but it was loose. I did what I promised I would do. I let him go as deeply as I could without gagging, lips firm, cheeks hollowing with suction, saliva everywhere. I let my tongue roam up and down the underside, right where it was most sensitive. I used one hand to cup his balls, careful not to exert too much pressure.

I felt the tremors start and increased my pace. The first spurt hit the roof of my mouth, startling me. I paused for the briefest second, then redoubled my efforts. A second jet, a third; I felt some of it start to leak from the corner of my mouth.

His free hand came down to join the other on my head ... not to force himself deeper this time, to freeze my head because of sensitivity. I let him make tiny strokes as he milked into me. When he slowed at last and then stilled, his legs losing their rigid clench, I slid my lips off his length. Meeting his eyes, I swallowed.

I let him recover, rocking back on my heels and waiting. "Hey," he said quietly.

"Yeah?"

"I'll return the favor if you let me stay tonight."

I thought about it. I thought about the pleasure of getting eaten out. I could almost feel the warm, wet caress of his tongue sliding along my lower lips, dancing over my clit, the probing of a finger. I thought about how it'd feel when we fucked. He'd just come so he'd probably last long enough for me to have another orgasm, especially if I could talk him into prone so my G-spot got hit. It was an appealing vision. Oh my God, it was appealing.

But it wasn't what this was about.

"This was a wager, not a hookup. I lost. I paid up. Time for you to go."

≪ Can you come early tomorrow? Like 15 mins?

Hannah's text came during my business ethics class on Thursday morning. There was no one else there when she let me into the loft the next day.

"Still interested?"

I nodded.

"Okay. I suggested you to the others and Carter seconded it. Ems, Owen, Mike, and Megan are all okay. Everyone else gave a thumbs-up to go ahead since none of us were on the fence." There were some tidbits of info. True to her word, Emily had been unwilling to say anything during the last few weeks. Now I knew some of the players.

"No one else you've met knows about the other game. You have to agree to keep it that way whether you decide to play or not."

I nodded again.

"So, there's a little ritual you have to go through to be eligible. Get through that and then we'll tell you the deets on the main game."

"Ritual like a welcome-to-the-club drink, or ritual like hazing?"

She grinned. "Call it a mixture of hazing and a tiny acid test to see if you're up for this. It's just a little more than you've already done, no big deal."

"Okaaay."

"Tonight you're playing with a hat."

"Uhh." The implications flew through me. I knew exactly what was coming next.

"And, Chips, ever-so-carefully so you don't tip off the people who don't know, you're gonna throw the game."

I felt a shot of adrenaline. Not fear, just some nervousness. Look, I knew blowjobs were on the table in the new game, and a naked smooch was a hell of lot less. But blowjobs would be then; this was now. And there was something about losing deliberately while people—some, at least—knew what was coming that was more ... I don't know ... vulnerable.

"And there're going to be a lot of guys. Every guy who plays in the main game plus some. It's the last game of the semester and people show up. And we're going to engineer it so that each and every one of them gets a turn."

"But that's too many for one—"

She cut me off. "Don't worry 'bout that part." I fought down thinking about that.

"I guess this little ritual is easier for those who've been there, done that before," I said.

"Well, there might be just one other thing."

Of course there is.

I could see the look of glee in her eyes. Even though I was sure she liked me—Emily had gone on and on about how quickly Hannah had suggested me—that didn't stop Hannah from liking her games.

"Pick a guy at your table, any guy, and offer him ..."

Oh my God! PLEASE don't say I'm offering a blowjob in front of—

She cackled. "Relax! The look on your face ..." She shook her head in amusement. I realized her pause had been deliberate, that she'd known exactly what thought rushed through my mind. Her smile was playful and warm. "I'm just jerking your chain like they jerked mine."

I tried to let the adrenaline leach away.

"Pick a guy, offer him a side bet. It doesn't matter what he has to do if he loses because, of course, you'll make sure he wins. You bet he can waive the 'no hands on naughty bits' rule. That's the initiation for a girl because, as you said, some newbies have already been there, done that losing with a hat. So yeah, a little bit hazing but a little bit acid test. You in?"

Gulp. "Yes."

"You can quit at any time." The words were formulaic by now, but they were sincere.

"Do I seem like a quitter to you?"

"You seem about as far from a quitter as anyone in the game, but I had to remind you."

"I'm in." We shared a grin. "So, what's the initiation for a guy?"

"Kinda the same thing. Remember what Megan did to Mike? I guarantee that every guy who plays in the main game has walked down those steps sporting a serious boner first. No guy tonight, though. We don't bring people up in pairs like in the green game."

I was contemplating my evening when the door opened, and Owen walked in.

"How badly am I going to get felt up?" I asked the pair.

Hannah answered. "Depends on the guy. And don't bother asking who 'cause none of us will tell you. You take potluck like we all did."

Owen ducked into the closet and emerged with a card table in each hand.

Splitting the game. That's why a crowd's okay. "How do you decide who plays where?"

"Random usually. Except tonight there are some new people, so we'll make some small adjustments for them."

"Can I talk you into putting Mike at my table?" It was a joke and both of them knew it.

Owen burst out laughing. "He's bringing the new guy, so sorry, he'll be with them."

"You'll be with random main gamers," Hannah clarified, "in case something gets said that—"

She broke off as the door opened, and Mike and Megan ushered in a pair of people I hadn't met. It was a good bet they were the newbies given their deer-in-headlights expressions.

As I was introduced, I could see Gwen's relief that she wasn't the only freshman here. The guy, Nick, was a junior. A steady stream of footsteps sounded on the outside stairs as others streamed in. The new names went by in a blur: Brey, Kevin, Logan—that name caught my ear, and I studied the blonde whose conversation with Emily started this whole adventure—Carrie, the names went on. Hell, I'd sort it out later.

"Last game of the semester, folks," Owen called. There was some cheering. "Because we've got some new people to get up to speed, I randomly drew names for the other games to save time." I caught Hannah's eye in a shared thought: You mean, semi-randomly drew ...

I ended up squeezed at a card table with Carter, Brey, Luis, Emily, and Zachary. The wooden table with the newcomers was using Kermit. We had a Barney figurine. Everyone, except Gwen and Nick, I'm sure, relaxed back as Owen called for quiet.

"Okay. The first rule of the Loft Game is the same as the first rule of Fight Club ..."

This time I was able to join in the chorus as the preliminaries started. It was thrilling to watch the "gulp" in Gwen and Nick's eyes when the forfeit was described. I was surprised when it was time for the Girl Talk and Hannah gave me a little "come on" nod to join her and Megan with Gwen.

Oh yeah. A hat.

I could see Gwen's nerves while Hannah was talking to her. Megan and I met eyes.

Is she going to go through with it? mine asked.

A faint shrug. I don't know, hers answered.

The silence when Hannah was done stretched. Finally, Gwen looked at me, I guess fellow-frosh and all. "Am I going to regret this?"

I debated telling the truth, which was, How the hell would I know?

"No," I assured her. "Hey, have you ever flashed at Mardi Gras or something?" She was from Texas. That bordered Louisiana so she'd probably been, right?

"I've never been to Mardi Gras."

"Okay, have you ever mooned a guy or coed skinny-dipped?"

"Yes."

"Then you'll be fine. Everyone here is chill about this whole thing."

She smiled, a little tremulously, to be sure, but a smile. She nodded. "Okay."

"Hat?" Hannah asked.

Gwen nodded yes, and we exited to find the room waiting patiently, Hannah giving me a little hip-bump as she passed. I saw Josh's eyes widen in surprise at my hat.

I wonder what it's like to lose on your first night, how unbearably awkward that must be. Nick sort of did. But before that, we watched Gwen wrestle with some final nerves.

Her hat and socks must have gone like a shot. I wasn't watching her table, of course, but we'd all only paused twice for some man-chest from other tables before she was standing up, her face bright red. She surprised the hell out of me as her hands went to her waistband instead of her shirt hem.

Is she sensitive about her chest? I sure as hell wouldn't be. The term Rubenesque was coined for this woman. She fumbled with the snap and zipper, then hesitated. Her hands retreated. The long moment hung in the balance, all of us wondering if she would or wouldn't. She did.

"Oh my God, newbie! Give a spin for the boys. You've gotta show them that ass." Hannah, right on cue. Uncertain whether she was allowed to refuse, Gwen turned in place, letting the guys see those rich, full curves.

"Oh my God, yum!" — Wolf whistles — "Now that's pretty hot and tempting!"

Cheekies ... who'da thunk someone that nervous would have worn those? Maybe it's all she owns. I saw her duck her eyes and bite her lip—Bet the guys find that sexy—but she weathered it with only a deeper flush as she stepped back to the table.

My attention returned to my game. Two deals later, I saw Emily's hand drop casually under the table for a moment. It was the second time this evening. The first time, I'd ignored it.

Before we'd started playing, she'd said, "Boys, go take a leak." They grinned amiably and went to grab coffees from the kitchenette. Emily whispered to me, "If you need some help making it look real, anytime I've got a straight or better, I'll put my hand in my lap."

Brey nodded. "I'll close my cards and set them in front of me."

I must have looked surprised at the plan to cheat. "Oh, the boys do the same thing when they have someone. Otherwise, it becomes too obvious to anyone watching that you're throwing the game."

"So why?" I waved toward the guys hanging by the fridge.

She shook her head. "We change it up every time. If they know what specific thing we're doing, they'll use it against us. They know you're getting naked, Chips, but they don't mind seeing two other sets of tits first."

I was sitting there with three kings. That was good because a girl ... umm, Aisha ... was watching while she waited a turn in the bathroom. But I knew Emily had me beat, so it would look okay. "Three."

Zachary studied me.

"No guys have lost their shirts at this table yet," I teased.

"And you're dying to see mine?" He kind of reminded me of my first boyfriend: short, a little round, irrepressible, smart, a bit nerdy—I like nerdy—and horny as hell. I'd caught his frequent checking-out glances. Me especially, as a new girl, but Brey and Emily too.

"I'm dying to see all you without shirts before"—I saw a look of alarm and a flicker of his eyes toward Aisha, but I finished smoothly—"we get to your pants coming off. Right girls?"

He laughed and dropped in three. I think he'd decided I was on a bluff. We were early in the game, and I'd teased quietly that I planned on seeing some pants come off before it ended.

Emily met my eyes blandly and dropped in three.

"Two," I said. No king, thank God. How could I muck quads? "Three," I said and watched Zachary toss his cards in with a shrug. It was only his socks.

"And three more." Emily's response drew a "Whoa!" from the rest of the table.

I pretended to study her face. "And three more," I echoed. She was my friend, but I have to admit I enjoyed the brief moment of uncertainty in her eyes. This early in the game, was I trying to strip another woman a little to ease the spotlight on me?

"A shirt's coming off," Zachary crowed, drawing attention from the other tables.

He was right. I had lost my hat already, and we each had over ten chips in the pot. Whoever lost, socks and shirt were coming off.

She considered my face, then smiled. I knew she'd dismissed her fears. "You seem pretty sure of yourself," Emily said to me. "How sure?"

I grinned. "Find out."

"I can't. Two-raise cap. Unless ... side bet?"

"Can't side bet chips when you're at the limit, Ems," Hannah called. Everyone was watching. "House rules."

"Oh, I know the rules. How sure?" she repeated to me. "Sure enough to bet a dare?" I looked at her blankly. "I'm not wearing a hat, you did. If I lose, I pay up like I had one. If you lose, it's not just these three idiots"—she waved at the guys at my table—"it's every guy."

I got it now. "Don't worry 'bout that part," Hannah had said. I got it. I was expected to take this bet. More than one eye around the room gleamed when they saw me realize that.

"It's a bet."

"Call." Emily's three chips dropped into the middle.

I laid down my hand.

"Three kings!" Carter called out, letting everyone know. The room held its breath.

Emily peered at my cards. I saw the minute relaxing. "Straight," she announced and showed her hand.

"You lose!" Zachary told me.

"Thanks, Captain Obvious."

Funny how the resulting cheering was mostly deep voices. I happened to meet Gwen's eyes. She bit her lip and raised her eyebrows in an ohmygod expression, her face flushed. I shrugged and gave a rueful smile.

"Ahem." I looked at Carter, saw his gesture toward my shirt. Nodding, I raised my feet and stripped my socks, then I stood. Every eye was on me as I pulled the shirt off and showed the purple bra. It wouldn't be the last time tonight they were looking.

"I've seen that one," Owen yelled from across the room. "Next time I demand something new." I gave him the finger to general laughter.

Once Aisha had moved back to her table, Luis said quietly, "Slow things down a bit." Even though no one had said anything, I understood that our table should end last.

We slow-played. The boys did lose their shirts, as did Brey. Emily had too many from that one hand to be in danger. Eventually, my jeans were nickel-and-dimed off by the ante. A few calls of, "Please, please, please let her lose," from the guys at other tables.

The relative quiet of clinking chips and soft bets was suddenly broken by a loud, "How the fuck does a full boat lose?" from Josh.

"To a better one," was Gwen's soft answer. She was pink in the face, but her eyes were shining as she held up her hand so everyone could see. I cheered along with her and every other woman as Josh pulled off socks, shirt, and pants. He'd bet heavily.

I looked at the rest of the main table. Nick was in his underwear also. What's he anteing? I mouthed to Megan, nodding at Nick.

They're both at three. Her eyes twinkled in merriment. Gonna be at least one boy tonight for sure. Then they turned devilish. And at least one girl.

I mimed an exaggerated cringe.

It wasn't five minutes later that we heard more noise from that table, this time a triple shout of "Shit!" from Nick, "Twofer!" from Hannah, and "Fuck me sideways!" from Josh.

Megan was standing, peering at the two guys' hands. "Pair o' jacks versus pair o' eights. You lucked out on that one, Nick. You're first; let's see what ya got."

Like I said, I wonder what it would be like to lose the first time you played. It seemed Josh was going to make the walk, but we were going to see Nick-dick—I chuckled internally at that—first.

As Nick stood, there was a predictable interruption. "Wait! Hey, newbie." Hannah was looking at Gwen. "I'll make you a bet. Your shirt versus my pants and shirt. Loser's in underwear for the guys here to perv on."

Gwen flushed. "What bet?"

Hannah grinned. "You ever bang this guy, or he ever flash you?" She waved toward Nick.

Gwen flushed more and shook her head no.

"Okay. Circumcised or not circumcised?"

The room burst into laughter. It was hard to tell who was going to end up redder: Gwen, or the guy who suddenly had every woman staring at his crotch speculatively. Short-term it was she; I was betting he'd catch up in a few seconds.

Gwen hesitated. Hannah goaded her. "Come on. The last newbie bet me a look at her bra in her first game." Eyes turned toward me; I gave a half-bow from where I was sitting.

Gwen hesitated then blurted out, "Uncircumcised." The rest of us women cheered, and I was right, Nick caught up in facial color.

Hannah cackled and turned back to him. "Don't tell us. I want to be surprised. But not too fast. I want to enjoy the suspense."

"Yeah. I need something to visualize later when I'm naked under the covers with just my toy." That was Megan, using that same sultry voice she'd used weeks ago when stripping Mike. None of us who'd been there that time bought that comment even for an instant. She didn't need Nick to have a visual feast later. I saw her private visual feast roll his eyes.

But Megan's seductive drawl did it. What came out of Nick's shorts was just the teensiest bit turned on. Average bod, expected amount of facial color, eyes averted: I loved it, of course.

Hannah let the moment ride while all of us got a good look and a few teases in then turned expectantly to Gwen. Gwen stood, and with another long hesitation, a trifle shorter this time, unbuttoned her blouse. "Damn! She gives you a run for your money," Hannah called to Aisha, a woman whom I'd noticed was well-endowed.

All eyes turned to Josh.

"Is that hat rule really fair?" Josh asked. He'd been playing with two women who were wearing them, and none of the women at his table were showing anything beyond a bra while two guys were naked.

"No fuckin' way," Kevin answered, "but it's the rules, and they ain't gonna change. Man up, bro."

It was just Josh's nerves speaking; I knew that. But it was of a piece, and I decided then and there that my bets with him were done.

"No hats in the main game." The super-quiet whisper was from Brey. I turned to look at her. She shrugged. "You're either over showing your boobs or you shouldn't be in that game."

"I don't normally play with one in green," I whispered back.

"I heard."

"Now you, Josh," Hannah said. "You know ... Andrew and Kim are getting three tonight. You don't want to be the weakest link, do you? I think you should make sure. Come on. I'll help." She slid lower in her chair and moved her hand under the table. "Just do what I do."

I had a hard time not laughing. I could see her hand under the table, and nothing was going on. Josh knew it. "Bullshit, Hannah."

He hurriedly stripped his underwear and did his turn. I checked out the two new players: it wasn't hard to see that Nick was relieved it wasn't him; Gwen's eyes were bright. The crowd satisfied, Josh stalked out to give Kim and Andrew their first look of the evening.

"Can we ...?" Nick motioned to his clothes.

"Nope. Not until the end. And I'm so going to sit on the couch where I can look under the tables." Hannah, of course. I was amused that Megan went and joined her.