The Game

[SecretDesires]

OOC: This one is open for anyone who wants to join. It's an idea that has been floating around in my head for a bit and I have finally decided to get it out of my head and onto Lit.

It concerns a woman (Laura) who is middle class and wants to get to know the good life better. She has made friends with twins who travel in higher social circles than she does and has found out that she likes that kind of life. Problem is the only way she can experience it is through her association with her friends or in getting a guy in that circle to pay attention to her. So she has learned to seduce a guy who seems interested in her and play him for all she can get before dumping him.

Now it has turned into a game between the twins and her. A game of seduction. They pick a target and who is going to play the seductress and then bet between each other on the probablility of seducing the target, how long it will take and if she has to bed them before he will give up anything in the monetary fashion.

The story picks up with the twins having invited Laura to a couple of weeks vacation in Vegas. They are having fun picking minor targets for Laura when they stumble on one that gets the betting underway in a serious way.

All parts accept Laura's are open and anyone who can make up a character to fit the story is more than welcome to join.


IC: Laura looked around the casino in awe. In the three days she and the twins had been in Vegas they had been to nice places, seen some shows but this place looked as if you had to pay just to breath the air.

The twins were behind her, talking to each other, their heads together as usual. Coral was taking the lead and picking out interesting prospects while Christy was shaking her head, rejecting everything her sister suggested.

Laura moved further into the casino as the two of them talked. She had paid a fortune (for her) on her simple black dress with it's teasing neckline and her black high heel pumps but in this place she felt shabby and more out of place than usual.

"I don't know," She said a bit hesitant. She was sure anyone who could afford to play in this place would see right through her store bought outfit and into the middle class personna she tried desperately to hide. "This seems a bit out of our league, ladies."

Well, out of mine, at least, the thought crossed her mind.

"Oh don't be such a wet blanket," piped up Coral coming to her side,"The small fry we have been pulling in lately are getting dull. We need something with more of a bite to them."

Christy came up on the other side of Laura and nodded in agreement. "We came here for excitement and fun. It's been three days. Time to get excited!"

With a laugh and if on cue each twin took one of Laura's arms and moved with her between them to the steps leading to the bar which was situated so that those having a drink could look down on the casino floor and enjoy the action there. Sitting down they ordered drinks and began to look around some more.

"That one there," Coral would say and then Christy would pipe in with "Sis! You have got to be kidding? I bet he just put the last of his fortune in that slot machine. Did you see the look on his face when he pulled the arm? He is figuring out how to pay his hotel bill this very minute."

The arguing went back and forth like this for several minutes and Laura began to look around the room herself. Several of the people were attractive and some had the look of the snobbish rich about them but none caught and held her attention for long.

Then she saw him and it was as if she was drawn to that spot where he stood at the tables playing. So drawn in fact that she found herself moving from her bar stool to the railing that overlooked the casino floor.

It took a moment for the twins to notice she wasn't listening and trurned to see where their friend had gone. Moving up beside her they stared out in the direction Laura's gaze was set and both nodded in unision.

"Oh yes!" Said Christy,"Most definately!"

"He's a live one," Added Coral in agreement. "Look at the way he is flashing that wad of cash around. And look at that stack of chips he lost. Not even a flinch!"

"It's decided," Coral said in a definate tone as she stood back from the rail,"And it's Laura's game since she spotted him first. You and I will find other targets and we will meet in the ladies room in an hour to compare notes."

Laura was brought back to her senses as Coral named her to start the game and a look of uncertainty crossed her face. Brushing back the soft brown hair that had escaped it's loose bun she shook her head.

"I don't know, guys," She said doubtfully,"It's a bigger play than I have ever made. This is ground I have never covered before."

"Oh pooh," Christy said giving Laura the once over and reaching up to pull the straps of her gown down a bit on her shoulders so more of her cleavage showed,"You're up to it, girl. And you can't tell me you don't like the looks or the cash he is flashing. Now go on! Ladies room in an hour. Be there!"

With a slight push, her friend steered her toward the stairs that led to the casino floor and Laura went down them a bit hesitantly. Swallowing hard, her gaze went over to where her target was still standing, moving his chips around as if he wasn't even caring where he put them. For all purposes he was just hear to have fun and the money he lost was pocket change for him.

Taking her small compact from her purse, Laura looked at herself. She was a very attractive 23 year old with brown hair, soft brown eyes and a figure that had the curves in all the right places. Taking her lipstick out she reapplied it to her lips, pressed them together and looked up at the bar where her friends were giving her the thumbs up before putting their heads together to decide what the details of the bet were going to be. They never told each other until later because it would put too much pressure on the one playing seductress to know the details before getting into the pursuit. Later on she would be sent a note about the other girl's targets and in an hour she would set up her own bet with the opposite twin.

Well, she couldn't back down now. With a determined set to her lips, she threaded her way through the crowd to the table where Mr Moneybucks was playing. It took a bit to get there and then to decide how to proceed. Well, in this kind of crowd the bump and apologize manauver worked pretty well.

Waiting until he had his drink in his hand and was about to take a sip, Laura stepped forward, bumping him with her hip as if she had been jostled. She was rewarded with a slight yelp of surprise before he turned to see who had bumped into him and then Laura fell into her act.

"Oh! I am sooo sorry," She said taking the opportunity to get up closer to him and move whoever was beside him out of the way,"I apologize. I was walking and...well, I am just so sorry Mr...Um, Mister...?

Turning what seemed to be a very concerned face up to the man, she blinked a few times waiting for him to make introductions. Her big brown eyes soft and inviting him to forgive her for such an unintentional mishap.

 

[dr_mabeuse]

Barret MacLauren

OOC: In his later thirties, dark hair showing premature gray at the temples; strong, regular features. Despite his gray he fears he doesn't look mature enough for his reponsibilities and so he wears glasses to make him look older, though it doesn't do much to disguise a mischivous gleam in his eye. He's a maverick and rule-breaker. He founded several successful biotech firms, sold out for millions, and now serves on the board of directors as he looks for new things to do with his money.
He doesn't much like to gamble because he has too much respect for the odds, but he doesn't mind losing money.
He came here from an awards dinner given by a technical society which just presented him with an award as biotech entrepeneur of the year. He's wearing formal wear: a white dinner jacket and bow tie.

IC: Boring, he thought. He shouldn't be wasting time with roulettee anyhow. Blackjack in the only game where you have a chance.
He watched the ball skitter around the wheel. The croupier closed the betting. 7 red. Too bad. There goes another $600.00
He threw some bills on the table. "Another five thousand"

He picked up his drink and was about to take a sip when he was bumped from behind. The drink spilled down his shirt and he yelled. "Shit!"

OOC<<got to go. Be back in an hour. Will be continued!>>

 

[dr_mabeuse]

Barrett MacLoren

He put the drink down and flung the spilled liquor off his hand.

"Oh! I am sooo sorry, I apologize. I was walking and...well, I am just so sorry Mr...Um, Mister...? "

As a waiter durried over with a stack of napkins Barrett turned at looked at the woman. Nice face. Very nice face. Nice body, although it wouldn't do to stare. But he liked the way the fabric draped off her breasts, liked the fullness of her decolletege, and liked the corniness of her pickup routine.

"Mister Right." he said with a wry grin. "Yes my dear, I am Mr Right."

He liked the way she didn't fluster. She as no dummy either.

"No, sorry. I was teasing. I'm Barry MacLoren. And I'm sure it was my fault Miss...?

He didn't need a woman any more than he needed gambling debts. He had all the women he needed. In fact he'd come with a woman, and, though she was more of an old friend than a current lover, Danny could be counted on to provide sex in the event that he couldn't arrange it on his own. So he wasn't looking for a woman.

What he did like, though, was watching human beings at work. Observing them as they went about their deperate business of trying to satisfy their needs and maintain their self images. he knew that this woman was trying to introduce herself, and he wasn't above feeling flattered. But most of all he was amused. This was a game that migt be a hell of a lot more interesting that Casino War, and with higher stakes.

"Billy, Billy?" he called, gesturing a waitress over with a bill between his fingers. When he stopped waving Laura saw that it was a hundred. She stepped a little closer. "Bring us a couple of drinks. Jamesson's rocks for me and... What did you say your name was again, Miss?"

 

[SecretDesires]

Mr Right he called himself and Laura let her lips curve up into a smile of amusement. Upon the introduction of his real name she let the smile grow wider.

"Chastity," She said in a soft voice that sounded almost embarrassed, "Chastity Hardgrave." It was a name she used in the game when she played it with strangers. She wasn't about to give out her real name and a starting point should her 'target' try to track her down for personal reasons.

"I know, it sounds corny but my parents were really hoping it would take." She gave a soft laugh and watched as he summoned the waiter with a large bill.

"Oh," She said in a flustered voice,"You really don't have to. It was my fault after all." Seeming to hesitate she added,"But a small glass of wine might help the embarrassment of me being such a klutz."

She flashed a smile in his direction, her eyes on his. "It's the heels. I'm not used to wearing them so high. Everyone told me that I ought to try them to show off my legs..." She glanced down to her shapely legs, the comment inviting him to do the same. "But I don't know. Is the effect of the shoes worth it?"

Again she laughed and looked back up to him with a shake of her head. "The curse of being a woman, I suppose. If you want to be fashionable you have to make comfort sacrifices."

 

[dr_mabeuse]

Barret MacLoren

Well, if she was inviting him to look at her legs, he could hardly refuse. And they were very nice legs, he thought as they looked at them together. Nice everything, he thought to himself as he let his eyes float slowly up her body, and didn't she know it. Those pearls were almost certainly fake, but that didn't mean much. The body inside them wasn't.

In fact, her dress didn't allow her to fake much of anything. If she were siliconized he figured she would have been bigger than she was. Most women who had augmentation went overboard, figuring that as long as they were doing it, they'd might as well do it big time. But hers seemed natural, and it was obvious tyhat she either wasn't wearing a bra, or she was wearing one that left her nipples exposed. Either way was okay with him.

And what he really admired was the way her dress showed a little shadowy valley over her naval. That wasn't fake, and neither was her ass, which jutted out in a nice and provacative manner. No wedding ring. Nothing on that finger. No diamonds at all.

"Well, maybe it's fate." he said with a smile. "What's your number?"

She shrugged. "Seventeen." It seemed as good as any.

"And Chastity starts with a C if I recall. C's the third letter. Hardgrave, H is , what? Number 8?" He leaned over the table.
"One hundred on three, one hundred on eight, one hundred on seventeen, and one hundred on eleven. That's eight plus three" he told her. "And to cover it, four hundred on black, for your dress."

She smiled at him and the croupier spun the wheel. Eight hundred dollars. Just like that.

The ball clattered aross the slot, bets were closed, and they both watched the spinning wheel, the blur of numbers. The ball had settled somewhere, Fate had come and gone.

"Fiteen black, ladies and gentlemen. Fifteen black."

She let out her breath and laughed lightly.

"That's the best luck I've had all night." he said.

Their drinks came and he raised his glass to her. "To happy accidents."

He turned back to the table and for a moment she thought that was it. A drink and a spin of the wheel. But then she saw he was picking up his chips and cashing out. As if it were the most natural thiing in the world he took her arm and led her from the table.

"Roulette's not a good game anyhow. Bad odds. I don't like bad odds games."

He had already inspected the crowd at this casino and had decided that there were two kinds of women here: those who were rich and those who wanted to be. For the most part it was the latter who flashed the jewelry and the horse-choker rings. The real money dressed down. They didn't want to advertise.

Chastity was definitely trolling. Women who looked like her didn't 'accidently' bump into men like him, and she was too beautiful to independently wealthy. But she had a certain elegance to her, even if her pickup routine was as old as Methuselah.

And he was curious. Maybe she would be someone different. Someone special. Maybe she would be hungry enough to have that edge, that extra something that most women he knew just didn't have. He wasn't sure what it would be or even how it would look, but it would be something that challenged him, interested him, kept him involved. maybe it would be sexual, maybe it would be intellectual, but it would be something extreme and unique.

"Chastity, huh?" he said to her. "What do your friends call you? Charlie or Chaz I would think. Or do they just say "Hey Gorgeous"? Like they call me "Hey You"."

"And what's you game, Chastity?" he asked

For a moment she thought maybe he'd seen through her.

"I mean for gambling? Blackjack? Craps? Poker? What's your game?"

 

[SecretDesires]

She could feel his eyes on her when she called attention to her legs and knew his eyes were travelling the length of her body as well. It was all in the game. You gave them a look at the merchandise and then waited to see what they were willing to give for the promise of that same merchandise.

He asked her number and she thought quickly giving him the number seventeen. It was the first truthful fact she had given him all evening for it was her birthday. September 17th. Watching with facination, she saw him almost causually lay down the chips on the table as if it were mere coins. And the role of the wheel began and, though knew she should keep her attentions on him she followed the spinning of the ball. So much to gain, so much to lose. The thrill of it ran through her even though it was not her money on the line. Then ball skittered along and her heart raced as she watched it, jumping a bit as they called out black. He had won.

Coming back to the present she realized she had been too intent on the table when she had to release the breath she did not know she had been holding. Laughing at her own easy distraction she turned just in time to recieve her drink which she toasted him with. This was going well. But then he turned back to the table as if he were done with their conversation. Okay, maybe not so good.

She was just running through and discarding ideas to regain his attention when she saw he was picking up his chips to cash out. She felt his hand on her arm, guiding her to the window and she smiled to herself. "Well, what do you know? I'm still in the game," She thought as she hurried to keep up with him, dodging through the crowd.

He was asking her for a nickname and she was in the process of thinking up one when he asked her right out what her game was. At that point her breath caught in her throat and she couldn't have answered if she wanted to. He knew, somehow he had seen right through her. She had the overwhelming urge to just disppear in the crowd but his next question brought her back to earth again.

"I mean for gambling? Blackjack? Craps? Poker? What's your game?"

"Oh," She said trying not to sound flustered,"I like high stake games myself." She said wondering what the look on his face would be if she told him that she was gambling right now with him as the ante. "I play well but I don't like to lose too often so I just came to the casino because its simply a sin to be in Vegas and not see the main attraction. " She wondered if he had any inkling that what constituted a fortune to her would hardly make him raise an eyebrow.

Thinking hard about what to do next to hold his attention she gave a shrug as if she was not concerned about how she spent the evening as long as it was enjoyable.

"So, to turn the question around, what is your favorite type of gambling, Barry? What does it take to thrill a man who spends so much money and time at a game you claim not to even care for? You look like the high stakes kind of person as well."

 

[dr_mabeuse]

"What does it take to thrill a man who spends so much money and time at a game you claim not to even care for? You look like the high stakes kind of person as well."

He liked the way she asked him the question, her wine glass just poised at her mouth, looking at him under her long lashes. He wasn't immune to a woman's charms or a woman's flirtations, and he felt a delicious little jolt of electricity when she said the word "thrill". HGe lauighed at his own reaction.

"High stakes? Well maybe. But not at gambling. I'll come and drop some money for appearances, but really, if I'm playing for high stakes, I want to have a little more control than you have at a roulette wheel. I'm just coming back from the coast where I was talking to some movie people I'm involved with. It's a crazy business, but the returns are very nice, so I'm gambling on that."

He shrugged. "Other than that, I'm looking for some other decent opportunities. Interesting things, though. I don't like being bored."

"The trouble with gambling--the trouble with Vegas--is that money's just not that exciting to gamble for, is it? Not until you get up into amounts that you'd have to be insane to risk. But, you know, a thousand here, a thousand here. It really doesn't mean anything, does it?"

She had a funny, distracted look on her face. She took a sip of her wine. "No." she said. "No, not really."

They were ambling along at the edge of the casino, among the slots. Barret reached into jis pocket and pulled out a coin and dropped it into a machine. he gestured to her with his head and she stepped up, took the lever and pulled it down. The wheels clunked around, lights flashed, three plums came up, and the machine paid out with a noisy avalanche of coins. Maybe ten dollars when all was said and done. She stared at it in amusement and he laughed, then took her arm and led her away. He wasn't even going to take the money!

"So you say you're pretty good, Chastity?" he asked her. "Well what's your game? I'd like to see you play."

 

[SecretDesires]

Laura berated herself for letting Barry see her awe at a winnings that he didn't even consider important. "Don't let down your defensed, girl," She snapped at herself. "Play it cool. Innuendos and half truths. Thats how you play this game."

She blamed her distraction on the comment he made earlier about not caring if he lost a thousand dollars or more. The amount of money that he carelessly threw away at the tables would set her up for life. She could feel a bit of resentment building up. Money that could go to good causes and ease anothers life thrown away like water. What the hell had she gotten herself into?

Mentally she ran down a list of things she could have purchased herself with the money he had shrugged at loosing at the roulette table and she didnt even have time to finish the list before he was taking her hand and leading her away from the slots.

Mentally shrugging her thoughts away another, clearer thought came to her. If he didn't mind losing a few thousand than there was no harm to this game, was there. If that was his attitude than she could take him for everything she could get and not feel a bit guilty.

Turning up a smiling face to him, her eyes soft with a hint of mischief she replied. "My game? Why the Ultimate Game, Mr MacLauren. Life. That in itself is a gamble and that is the game I play. Not interesting enough for you maybe. Well I see it another way."

Stopping to look around at those in the casino, she took a sip of wine before moving her hand in a gesture that accompanied all of the room.

"Look at them out there. Each one gambling their future from the moment they wake up to the time they fall asleep. Each one taking chances on their job...is it secure enough? is there enough money? do I have to leave my family for it? Should I risk leaving it in hopes of a better position?...on their personal relationships...is this the one for me? Should I leave the person I am with and chance never finding love again? Do I risk letting go of my past hurts and open myself to that possiblity?...their every day activities...Do I drive to my destination or do I trust another to be at the wheel? Is the person I leave my child with as trustworthy as I like? If I walk at night will something happen to me?...and the list goes on. And on."

Letting him maneuver her about the casino once again, she continued,"Every day in everything we do. In the very act of meeting new people," Here she paused to give him a coy smile,"We take risks and gambles. Some of us welcome the chance and some of us close ourselves off from it. Some profit from the risk taken, some lose everything. But their lives, no matter if they chose to stand at the table of life and roll or simply stand back and be an onlooker, their very existance is never the same as the day before."

Looking down into her glass, she watched as the red liquid swirled with the movement of her hand. "And that is the game I play, Mr MacLoren. The ultimate gamble itself. And so far I have played it well. I am here, with you, in a place most would envy being and every moment I contiue to be with you I roll the dice and hope for a favorable outcome."

Looking up at him from under her lashes again, she waited for his reply. It would be interesting to see if Mr Barry MacLoren was the type of person to understand the very depths of what she had just told him. For in it lay the very foundation of who she was and what she had come from...and where she saw herself going.

 

[dr_mabeuse]

Barry nodded as she expounded on her philosophy and sipped his drink thoughtfully.

Inside he thought: This 'Life is my game. Life is the greatest gamle of all' crap. This woman obviously doesn't have dollar number one. The only person I know who has money and is philosophical is me. And that's because I was a dumb schmuck who just fell into it. Otherwise I'd be out there serving drinks instead of drinking them.

But that was okay. He didn't mind the fact that he was being hustled. None out of ten people he met were out to hustle him out of something, So the question wasn't "am I being played" but rather "how good is she at playing me? Am I enjoying it enough to make it worth my while?"

So far he was only moderately impressed. She had an intelligent look to her, she had pretensions of class, and she had a beautiful body, but he wondered about her imagination and how hungry she really was. What could she give him that he couldn't buy for $500 a night?

Still, he was bored. He had two days to kill here until he deliveredhis keynote address at the close of the conference, and he was already bored with gambling. As usual, Danielle was out somewhere trying to hustle men on her own, and besides, being with her was something like being with your sister. Cahstity was the most interesting thing that had happened to him so far.

So far he had her pegged as a 'weekend warrior', one of the hordes of young pretties who came to Vegas and tahoe over the weekends to do some part time whoring or try to dig up a sugar daddy. Most of these girls were aspiring actresses or models from LA who were finding the going tougher than they'd imagined and needed the extra money. She fit the bill exactly: good looking, unmarried, dressed just right--tempting, but not whorish--and no money.

But being a weekend warrior wasn't necessarily bad. Everyone came from somewhere, and Barret had come to appreciate that the line between 'girlfriend' and 'prostitute' was anything but sharp. Danielle had taught him that. Danny had several 'boyfriends' on LA, all of whom gave her money. That was how she survived. She didn't even talk about her acting career anymore.

There was another thing about her that Barrett liked, but it connected to something in himself that he wasn't very proud of. Ever since he'd sold Biodyne Inc and become semi-retired he'd been noticing his money starting to do insidious things to him. He now literally had more money than he knew what to do with, and it kept on rolling in. He'd never cared much about money, never developed much respect for it. It had just been a byproduct of what he liked to do. But since he sold his last company he found it taking up too much of his life.

He was filthy rich. There was no running away from it. And he had come to derive a perverse pleasure from seeing what others would do for his money, how far they would go, how far they would debase themselves. It was the moral equivalent of throwing coins at beggars to make them dance for his amusement, and he hated himself for it, but at the same time he derived a cruel enjoyment out of it.

Chastity Hardgrave was class. But she was just the kind of person who would be fun to bring down. How far would she go? To bed? Certainly. He had no doubt. A Three-way? Possibly. What else? He hated himself for thinking it, but it was hard not to.

He had a rule of thumb for Vegas or anyplace where there was gambling: Five thou and that was enough. So far he had two days and $3600 left.

All this thinking took less than an instant, about the time it took him to take a sip of his whiskey. He smiled at her. "Yes, life is a gamble. But it's only interesting when the stakes are high. Otherwise it's just a waste of time isn't it?"

"I like you, Chastity. I like your philosophy. You don't often run into brains and beauty in one package. I'd like to buy you dinner. It is dinner time isn't it?" he asked. looking at his watch. "Well, close enough. There's a great little seafood place right downstairs here. What do you say? Would you do me the honor?"

She knew the place. Or rather, knew of it. Very expensive, very exclusive.

"They were strolling past the Casino War dealers. There were very people playing, and for good reason. Casino War was the gambling version of the kids' game 'war' You paid your money and the dealer dealt you a card and himself a card, High card won. You only had to show your card if you won.

"Wait." he said. "Let's make it more interesting." he gestured at the table. "One round. You win, you get dinner, whatever you want. I win, we go directly to my suite."

She stopped and cocked an eyebrow at him. "And then?"

He smiled. "Then we play the next round in my room. You game?"

 

[dr_mabeuse]

OOC: Last post edited at the end -- dr.M.