by Amy Cross
“That's none of your -” I stop suddenly as I realize that I'm wrong. It is his business, since he's brought me back here so he can take me to bed. I step out onto the balcony as I try to work out whether I really want to go through with this. “Tell me about the challenges.”
“There are three of them.”
“And what are the other two? After sleeping with you, I mean.”
“You'll find out in due course.”
“But -”
“There's no need to rush things,” he continues. “Strip for me, Elly. Show me what I'm going to be getting my hands on. I've got to admit, every time you looked away during dinner, I glanced at the shape of your body beneath your clothes, trying to get an idea of what you might be like naked. Don't be offended by that, it's actually a compliment.”
I hesitate, before realizing that I might as well get this over with. “You'll have to unzip me,” I tell him, turning around. A moment later, I feel him pulling the zip down, and I hesitate again before pulling the dress up and over my head, until finally I'm standing in just my underwear.
“Are you cold?” he asks. “We can go inside.”
“I'm fine,” I reply, reaching around and unhooking my bra. Once I'm topless, I cross my arms over my chest and turn to him, before moving my arms down so he can see my breasts.
“I was right,” he says with a faint smile, “you do have a good body.”
“Maybe we should get this over with,” I tell him.
“You can always leave. You don't have to do this.”
“I want to do it,” I say firmly. “I want to get Mark back.” Turning, I make my way back inside and head toward the bedroom, before stopping in the doorway and slipping my underwear down. My heart is racing and as soon as I see the bed, I'm struck once again by how different everything seems. Taking a step forward, I realize I can hear Luke coming up behind me, and I brace myself for the touch of his hands against my skin. A moment later, however, I hear the sound of him removing his clothes.
“There's no need to be nervous,” he says after a moment. “I'm not like Mr. White. If you could survive him, you can definitely -” He pauses suddenly. “But that's right, I almost forget. You very nearly didn't survive him. Tell me, how's your heart these days?”
I turn to him. “It's fine.”
“It's not going to give up on you again?”
I shake my head.
“How can you be so sure?”
“I'll be fine. Stop worrying.”
Once he's naked, he steps closer and puts his hands on my hips, while glancing down at my body. “I should warn you,” he says quietly, “that this is going to be the easiest of the three challenges. You might not realize it now, but it's true. Lady Red...” He pauses. “Lady Red, you try to relax -”
“I'm doing this for Mark.”
“And for the game.”
“Screw the game.”
He smiles, as he reaches up and runs his hands across my breasts. “That's the spirit.”
***
Later, while he's on top of me and thrusting into my body, I turn my head to one side and look toward the bedroom door. I expected to hate every minute of this, but the truth is, I just feel blank. Blank and empty.
He leans down and kisses the side of my neck.
I feel a brief moment of pleasure between my legs. Luke's certainly a very passionate, attentive and loud lover, and I can tell that he's trying to make me enjoy this. Before entering me, he spent several minutes going down on me, and he did everything right. If I was in a different mood, if I could relax for a moment, I'd probably have reached orgasm. As it is, however, all I can do is wait for him to finish.
From the sounds he's making, I think he's close.
***
“Is this still part of the challenge?” I ask an hour later, as he runs a hand over my bare hip.
“No,” he replies with a faint smile, keeping his eyes fixed on my crotch as he brushes a finger against my skin, “this is just... This is just two lovers being polite after they've finished.”
“So I can go?”
He leans closer and kisses my left breast, letting his lips linger on the nipple.
“Where's Mark?” I ask.
“I told you, when the challenges are over -”
“Can't you tell me one thing about him? Just so I know that he's okay?”
“He's alive.”
“I need more than that.”
He sucks gently on my nipple for a moment, before looking up at me. “His wounds have been treated, and he has been kept in a manner that we deemed to be appropriate. After all, you must remember that he disgraced the role of Mr. Blue, so we didn't exactly have a high opinion of him. Mr. Raven himself -”
“Tell me about him,” I reply, interrupting him.
He shakes his head.
“I need something,” I continue, trying not to sound too desperate. “I don't really understand all of this. If I'm going to finish these challenges, I need help.” I wait for him to reply, and for the first time I feel as if I can feel a hint of humanity in his soul. “Please. After everything we just did, don't you think you can at least give me something? You want me to win the game, don't you?”
“More than anything,” he replies. “Then we can all stop.”
“So help me. I know almost nothing about how it's supposed to work.”
“You used to know. You allowed your memory to be tampered with.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because you understood how the game works,” he replies, sitting up. “When it was all explained to you, you decided you wanted to go forward, and believe it or not you actually accepted that you'd have to endure these challenges. You were totally willing to do it all, and you asked me...” He pauses, as if he's not sure whether to continue. “The last thing you said to me, before you went to Amsterdam, was that I should tell you to trust yourself when this moment arrived.”
“I don't remember any of that.”
“It happened.”
“Then why -” Sighing, I realize that there's no way he can help me. “I feel like I'm in the middle of a trap that I set for myself. I don't understand why I'd let myself get into this.”
“You were very certain.”
“Because I wanted to save Mark?”
“Because you understood the true nature of the game.”
“And what is that?”
Reaching over me, he opens the drawer on one of the bedside cabinets and takes out another white envelope.
“Is that the next challenge?” I ask.
“I told you that they'd get harder.”
I reach out to take the envelope, but he pulls it away.
“Just remember,” he continues, “that you already agreed to all of this before you went to Amsterdam, and that you can still stop at any time. You're already much further along than any Lady Red in history, you're so close to winning the game, but you could still make mistakes. One slip, one wrong move, and we all have to start again. There's a reason why so many people have gone before you and failed.”
“I won't fail,” I say firmly, snatching the envelope from his hand and tearing it open. Pulling out the piece of card, I see that it's another address, but one that I recognize.
“Now do you understand?” Luke asks.
“This is...” I pause, before a shiver passes through my chest. Turning to him, I can already see the concern in his eyes. “This has to be a joke.”
“I told you, there are three challenges and three types of lover. The first was me, a stranger. The second...” He looks at the address on the card. “The second is a friend.”
Mark
2008
Opening my eyes, I suddenly realize that I must have fallen asleep after Alice and I were finished in bed. Rolling over, I fumble for my watch on the nightstand, and finally I see that it's almost 3am. A moment later, I realize I can hear a voice in the penthouse's main room, and I sit up in bed.
“No,” Alice is sa
ying, keeping her voice low as if she doesn't want me to hear, “there's no reason to slow things down. The new Mr. Blue is going to be in place within a few days.”
I wait for someone to reply, but finally I realize that she's on the phone.
“He has a few rough edges,” she continues, “but nothing that can't be overcome. I'm still not sure that he'll work out in the long-term, but he'll do for at least the next year. We discussed this before, remember? Right now, we just need to tread water a little while we wait for the other elements of the plan to fall into place. We certainly can't rush. The question is whether...” Her voice trails off for a moment. “Well, you know how things are progressing in other regards. Mr. White and I were discussing the matter a short while ago, and we feel that the Longdale solution should be ready to implement in 2012 or 2013. All the reports we've received so far have been very positive, and Ms. Carrington seems to be ready to start her phase of the training.”
Realizing that her voice is getting harder to hear, I climb out of bed and make my way naked to the door. Peering through, I see that she's made her way onto the balcony.
“Everything's still on-track,” she continues. She glances back into the room, and I pull back just in time to make sure that she doesn't see me. At least, I don't think she saw me, although I can't be certain and as the silence continues, I can't help worrying that I might have been spotted after all.
After a moment I hear her talking again, but I wait a little longer before daring to get closer to the bedroom door again, at which point I can hear her properly.
“Raven, listen to me,” she says, sounding a little stressed, “we talked about this before and we agreed that we need to be patient. The plan will work, so long as we hold our nerve. I don't want the game to keep going and going. So many people are getting hurt.” She falls silent for a moment, as if she's listening to the person on the other end of the line. “Mr. Blue doesn't really matter, anyway, not in the long-term. We just need someone to keep things ticking over until we're ready to implement the Longdale solution. At that point, the dominoes should start falling and we'll be able to move ahead to the final stage.”
Stepping out from the bedroom, I make my way across the dark penthouse apartment until I reach the door to the balcony. Alice has her back to me as she leans over the railing, and I can tell that her demeanor is different now, as if the mask she wears in front of me has slipped. If I didn't know better, I'd say that she almost sounds worried.
“Don't make this any more difficult than it needs to be,” she adds finally. “You're only here to monitor the rules, the rest of us are free to play the game as we see fit. You do want the game to end, don't you? There's -” Turning suddenly, she makes eye contact with me. “I'll call you back,” she adds, cutting the call and setting the phone down. She eyes me suspiciously for a moment, almost as if she's trying to work out how much I heard. “Didn't anyone ever tell you that it's rude to listen in when other people are talking on the phone?”
“I -”
“How long were you standing there?”
“Not long.”
“But how long?”
“I heard... snatches.”
She narrows her eyes a little. It's clear that I've displeased her, and although I want to know what's going on, I figure I should be a little more circumspect for now.
“It sounded intense,” I tell her. “What's the Longdale solution?”
“I have no idea what you're talking about -”
“Don't lie to me. I heard you say those words. What is it?”
“It's nothing for you to worry about,” she replies, stepping toward me. “Not yet, anyway. If you're still Mr. Blue in a few years' time, then we'll talk about the Longdale solution. For now...” As she reaches me, she looks down at my naked body and then brushes her fingers against my flaccid penis. “You seem to learn very fast, Mr. Blue. At the start of the night, you weren't so good at going down on me, but by the end...” She smiles, and right now she seems genuine enough. “You know what they say. Practice makes perfect, and we have plenty of time to practice.”
“Well,” I reply, “my jaw still kind of aches...”
“All the more reason to keep working on it,” she adds, squeezing my penis hard and then starting to pull me inside. “We need to get that jaw of yours firmed up, although -” Stopping, she turns to me and then drops to her knees. “Where are my manners? You must thing I'm so rude, I should reciprocate first.”
As she takes me in her mouth, I lean back against the window. The glass is cold on my back, but I don't care: Lady Red is so good at this, it's almost as if she's studied sex and learned the very best methods. As I get harder in her mouth, I try to focus on the strange things I overheard in her phone conversation, but finally I realize that I can worry about those things later. Right now, I figure there's no need to worry. This whole 'game' thing probably isn't anything too serious, and I should just focus on enjoying myself.
There'll be time to worry about the game later.
Elly
Today
“Oh my God!” Jess shouts as she stumbles through the door and into her apartment. “Did you see that guy at the bar? He was staring at us the whole night! I mean, what the hell? What kind of freak goes out by himself like that and just stares at complete strangers?”
Bumping through the doorway after her, I push the door shut and then take a moment to look across the room. When she told me her place was a bit of a mess, she wasn't kidding. Jess and I lived together in Bristol for a few years and her room was always messy, but I guess I figured that her own place here in London would be a little more grown-up. Instead, there are clothes and books all over the floor, and DVDs piled up by the walls. I guess she's living the eternal student lifestyle, and I'm not sure whether to be glad that she hasn't changed or sad that she's still the way she was four years ago.
“Vodka?” she calls out as she stumbles toward the bookshelf, where several half-empty bottles have been left waiting for our return.
“No,” I reply, “I'm good.” The truth is, I still don't seem to be able to get drunk. It's as if deep down, I can't shake the doubts and concerns I've been feeling all night. After all, this is the second challenge, and I'm terrified it might go wrong. Hell, even if it goes right, I'm not sure how that's going to feel. I just want to get this night over with.
“Lightweight,” she mutters as she pours herself a shot and then downs it. “I remember when you could drink me under the table, Elly.”
“I don't think my liver could take that kind of lifestyle anymore,” I tell her, watching as she heads to the sofa and flops down.
“Just do what I'm doing,” she replies with a smile. “Get wasted until you hit thirty, and then sober up. It's a bit like the alcoholic version of a religious conversion. Your liver's, like, the most resilient organ in the whole body. You can punish it all you like until you hit thirty, and then you can repent and let it heal. By the time you're thirty-two, thirty-three tops, you'll be back to normal.”
“I'm fine with water,” I tell her, heading through to the cramped kitchen and pouring us each a glass, before going back to rejoin Jess in the front room. Setting the glasses down, I perch on the edge of the sofa.
“What's wrong?” she asks. “You've seemed tense all night.”
“It's nothing,” I reply, taking a sip of water before realizing that this is my chance.
“You can talk to me, Elly. Come on, we're best friends.”
I force a smile, before counting to three and then tipping the contents of the glass all over my shirt.
“Shit!” I gasp, pushing the glass aside.
“Jesus Christ!” Jess says with a laugh. “You're soaking! Quick, get it off!”
“Are you sure?” I ask.
“Off!”
Realizing that my plan is working perfectly so far, I pull my shirt over my head and then toss it onto one of the chairs. In the process, I glance around the room, wondering exactly how Mr. Raven is suppose
d to know whether I'm going through with the latest challenge. I guess there might be cameras somewhere, or microphones, but I don't like the idea that I'm being observed.
“Is your bra wet?” Jess asks.
Turning to her, I pause for a moment before nodding.
“Off,” she continues with a smile. “Off with it!”
“I'm not sure -”
“Off!” she says again, while laughing. “Don't be shy!”
Figuring that I have to keep going, I reach behind my back and unhook my bra, before letting it fall away.
“Woo!” Jess says, staring straight at my chest. “Nice tits, Elly!”
I reach up instinctively to put my arms over my breasts, but at the last moment I force myself to keep them exposed.
“You shouldn't wear such baggy clothes,” she continues, looking down at her own cleavage. “You want to advertise the goods, you know. Not like me.”
“You've got nothing to worry about,” I reply, feeling a crushing, nervous sensation in my chest.
“Nah,” she mutters, taking hold of her chest and pushing her breasts together. “Maybe not. Still, it's been a while.”
“Show me,” I say suddenly, realizing that I need to push this along.
She turns to me and smiles.
“If you want,” I add. I feel as if I might throw up at any moment, but I know I have to keep going. After all, this is the second challenge.
Without saying anything, she sits up and starts unbuttoning her shirt, before pulling it open to reveal her white and pink bra with a little red bow in the center. She stares at her chest for a moment longer, and then she reaches under her back. After fiddling with her strap for a moment, she finally pulls her bra away and bares her breasts, while allowing herself a faint, awkward smile.
“What do you think?” she asks, holding her arms above her head and giving herself a quick jiggle.
I think I should leave right now and end this stupidity, but I know I have to keep going. Glancing at the door, I find myself wondering once again whether we're being watched, and finally I look back at Jess and try to work out how I'm going to push things to the next level. Hell, I'm not even sure how far I have to go in order to satisfy the demands of the challenge, but finally I lean down and settle next to her on the sofa, close enough that our bare arms are touching and my breasts are brushing against her elbow.
