The Escape

by Alice Ward

  After Lance had terminated my lease via thirty days’ notice, I had absolutely no place to go. I could barely afford the eight hundred a month I paid for my half of the room. Anywhere was better than there. So here I was. Sylvia had promised to pile my stuff on her side of the room if Lance made noise about tossing it out. After the competition, I would have enough money to get another place and start my own business.

  If my reputation survived unscathed. Which I didn’t see how that was possible, seeing as parts of the competition would be uploaded to Hedon.com.

  But if anything was true, it was that I was in desperate need of a good roll in the sheets with a man.

  It wasn’t that I had anything against dating or even casual sex. I was just busy, and no man had sparked my attention enough to drag me away from my sewing machine. And that was sad in itself.

  As Mr. Huffman led me into the library, I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.

  Hedon was best known for bondage, leather, whips, chains, implements, and toys, and everything you could do with them. And since some women who appeared on it were such obvious bimbos you could pretty easily suss out their life goals, the normalcy I’d witnessed here so far was comforting. I wasn’t into naughty and hoped I possessed enough of an adventurous spirit to make it through and win the competition.

  The only positive to Hedon in my book was that it had an open forum to discuss relationships on all points on the spectrum, from gay to straight, vanilla to blood sport. I found those articles interesting and helpful. Which helped to convince me to say yes when Mr. Huffman’s secretary called.

  Another thing that’d had me leaning toward a yes was not the money — and I really wanted that money — but a picture of one of the most handsome men I’d ever seen. Followed by a picture of another equally handsome man.

  I needed to expand my world a little after so much time focused on school only. The money, combined with my need to climb out of my safe little box, topped off with those two billion-dollar faces had sealed the deal.

  At the heart of the dot-com and the entire publishing business that ran Hedon was a respect for women. It was a place for women to have an outlet for their sexuality. Therefore, a lot of the videos were actually women’s fantasies of submission, dominance, and romance.

  Standing before me now were two real-life fantasies. The one with dark hair who was the tallest looked intense, his sharp gray-blue eyes taking in every detail of me. The other, barely an inch shorter, looked a lot more friendly, his warm blue eyes meeting mine with a smile.

  The temperature in the room rose as flashes of the videos I’d watched played out in my mind — of women reaching the peaks of their orgasms — before I forced my attention to the older man I’d interviewed with. He was an old perv, but he had tremendous personality.

  Another woman had been escorted in before me. A blonde who was several inches taller than me and looked like she should be strutting down the catwalk in the clothes I had sewn together. Tough competition.

  It made me size up the men again, wanting to get first pick.

  I felt drawn to the taller man, Lucas, as I knew him from a Google search — he had a darkness about him that intrigued and terrified me at the same time. He was very handsome and completely in command of his space. I liked men like him from afar, they were beguiling and a bit intimidating.

  Mason, on the other hand, was the kind of guy who could have talked me away from my schoolbooks. Gorgeous, laid back, well-traveled by the looks of his Italian shoes and Mexican necktie. He was the man who would appreciate art.

  “Welcome, ladies.” Mr. Huffman stepped forward. “Please make my chalet your home for the next month.” He introduced the men then announced that we would go into dinner and he would see us after.

  Mason stepped forward and lingered over the blonde, Isabella. She had such a classic beauty coupled with the perfect measurements, I felt intimidated. But it didn’t matter. He could fawn over her all he wanted. I was here for the money, not the thrill of the chase.

  “Are we it? The four of us?” Isabella looked around as if expecting an endless filing in of knockout women, like on The Bachelor. Her forehead creased into a frown.

  The heat in Lucas’s eyes when he glanced from the blonde to me left no doubt in my mind what he had been hoping was next. His ice-gray eyes searched mine as if looking for agreement and my breathing came faster, my underwear dampened.

  I was now finding it difficult to breathe and wondered how I could possibly eat anything with this intense man’s gaze practically devouring me. Which was what I suddenly wanted, for him to devour me until there was nearly nothing left.

  Lucas strode to me, did a half bow, and took my hand. “Congratulations on being chosen. I’m sure I owe you and Isabella many apologies if you interviewed with my uncle. He doesn’t hold back much.”

  My knees went weak like in the novels when his skin brushed across mine as he took my hand. I chastised myself. I wouldn’t unravel just because I’d been worked up by all those videos.

  This was my chance to spread my wings and move past my fears. I wasn’t a little girl crouched in a corner listening to my parents fight anymore. I was a thriving fashion designer, a caring person.

  Before Lucas could lift my hand to his lips, I twisted mine in his and gave him a firm shake. “I can handle your uncle. Congratulations are in order to you too. You’re bumping shoulders with the next big name in fashion.” Or uglies, whichever came first.

  “Ahh, so I can say I knew you when.” He nodded appreciatively.

  I had been worried I was in over my head. However, Lucas behaved like a gentleman. He escorted me to dinner, which was located in a subdued and scarily impressive dining room that was heavy with old, impossibly expensive furniture. I suppressed my urge to chatter and make small talk to fill the void.

  A server went around and filled our wine glasses. Wine, which at this point, I needed desperately.

  “So, Ava,” Lucas leaned in, “is your outfit an Ava Durant original?” He’d nailed it. I was a walking billboard in my turquoise and black dress that was cut to leave a little to the imagination.

  “Yes, this is a brand-new creation I am trying out tonight. Fashion is like art. And one aspect of the art is making it wearable for the customer.” I wanted Lucas to know right away that I wasn’t some gold digger wanting to lounge for the rest of my days. I was a seriously hard worker.

  “I have an… appreciation for the arts.” This was said in a way that translated into the promise of pure pleasure, punctuated with a dashing smile.

  “Oh, that’s good.” That’s good? That’s all I could come up with? “And you? What are you into?” Besides making panties everywhere go wet? I fumbled with the tongs as a gorgeous cranberry and walnut salad was held out for my benefit.

  “Well, this at the moment. You. I did run an investment business, mostly properties, but it looks like I’m in publishing now.” He unfolded his napkin across his lap, a playful expression on his face.

  Did he just say he was into me? “Do you like publishing?” I was coming off as the most boring person on the planet.

  “I do like it. I think my uncle has built an incredible brand. I have to admit, I like some of his publishing products more than others.” He gave a devilish wink.

  Oh shit.

  I had a pretty good idea of what he was referring to. I had to up my game, or this thing was only going to be about the kink.

  On the plane, I surfed a little and tried to wrap my head around the kind of sex the site catered to. It was a smattering of everything, so vanilla players could get their freak on, but mostly it was kink, fetish, and bondage play that seemed brutal to me that dominated the site.

  Could I do that? Could I be bound or flogged or… have sex so hard I hurt the next day? I vowed on the plane, I could, and this would be my strategy.

  Be tough, cool, and above whatever they threw at me.

  I needed to know right now what fueled this man’s d
rive.

  “What about this competition intrigued you most?” I had to do better than that, but it was a start.

  “I want to run my uncle’s company. And I like sex… hard, intense, and frequently,” he said, his face and deep gray eyes serious as they penetrated mine.

  I choked on my sip of wine.

  Nope… I was never going to be able to do this.

  I nearly got up from the table right then to call it quits.

  But he laughed, and it was a sound so delicious I wanted to sit there until he did it again. “Don’t worry, I could tell from the moment you walked into the room, you wouldn’t have the appetite I do, and that’s okay.”

  For some insane reason, I felt safer.

  Dinner was served, and Mason became quite talkative and filled us in on all the fascinating places he’d been lately. Many of them were places I would love to go one day — Egypt, Peru, Thailand, Kenya. He had such interesting stories to share.

  I didn’t want to regret Mr. Huffman’s choice in a partner for me, as he’d said they were very deliberate choices in our interview, but Lucas was a lot to take on. All during Mason’s storytelling, Lucas eyed me in an I-can’t-wait-to-get-you-undressed sort of way. Innocent and deadly at the same time, like I was a dessert he was memorizing for optimal enjoyment later.

  I tried scolding him with my eyes, but it only earned me more laughter.

  When dinner was over, my heart beat in erratic thumps as Mr. Huffman entered the dining room.

  Puffing out his chest, he took a seat at the table. “Now that you’ve been given an opportunity to get to know each other a little, I don’t want to stand on pretense. We have a lot to accomplish in the weeks to come, and it’s best we get right down to it. I’m sure you’re curious who I’ve chosen for you. I hope by the end of this competition you will discover the reasons I’ve made these choices. But, before I get started, are there any questions?”

  I only had about a million, but I was anxious to move this along, so I bit my lip.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Lucas

  I had no idea who’d be on the receiving end of my passion, could only hope it would be Ava and that she was up for some rough play.

  For some reason, I wanted Ava and not Isabella. I couldn’t wait to see Ava’s bare ass bent over the bed with her arms and legs shackled to the posts. Oh, what I’d do to that tight, round ass.

  She seemed nervous, though, which troubled me. Most subs, if nervous, knew what they were getting into, and more importantly, wanted to get into it. Their nerves were for show, part of their submission, all well-crafted to arouse their dominant partner. Ava seemed genuinely uncomfortable, which was never a good sign

  I wanted to ask if we could refuse the partner Uncle Harvey chose for us but thought better of it. Ava swallowed hard, most likely thinking the same thing, as I’d been ogling her like I was the wolf and she was Little Red Riding Hood. Mason was literally sitting on the edge of his chair, and Isabella looked relaxed and centered.

  “Okay, looks like no one has questions so, first I want to say, I’m happy you’re here and that all of you have agreed to do this crazy thing. I’m aware of how unconventional I am, but I have my reasons.” Uncle waggled his eyebrows suggestively and laughed, his belly shaking a little. “So, I want to reiterate. From the moment we all leave this room, the game has begun. There’ll be no turning back unless it’s to forfeit your position in the game and therefore accept losing this competition. I’m sure you are all very interested to know who I have selected as your partner, and so I’ll no longer drag this out.”

  He looked around the room as everyone held their breath, visions of ball gags and whips dancing in my head. “Lucas, I’ll go with you first since you’re the oldest.”

  My heart raced. Both women were excellent choices, and I could easily serial fuck either of them. But some irrational stubbornness had suddenly surfaced, and I felt like no one but Ava would do.

  I rolled my neck to release the tension and tried to silently talk my nerves into going back to their usual calm state.

  “Lucas, I’ve chosen Ava for you. Mason, Isabella will be your match.” My uncle paused as there was a quiet moment of acknowledgment.

  The couples had been formed. I was almost giddy.

  I locked eyes with Ava and flashed a smile, my physical sign of approval, as the tension unwound in my chest.

  A small smiled curled her lips, and I hoped she wasn’t disappointed. I hated to think I wasn’t the one she wanted to be with, but Mason was the one women always seemed to want between the two of us.

  My first priority would be to woo her, then tame her. I could tell by her handshake she wasn’t a submissive. I’d need to have her compliance too, so drawing the desire out of her until she was ready to beg for my touch was my first order of business.

  In the corner, Mason was making his acquaintance with Isabella.

  My attention snapped to my uncle at his next words. “Now, we’ll start with a few rules. Each day a set of instructions will be given to you. They will define the day’s activities and the challenge you’ll need to accomplish. Tonight, however, I’ll give you the task verbally, since I have you all here. This evening, you’ll be escorted to your shared living quarters, which have been specifically designed for this competition. This first unofficial and a pre-challenge of sorts is simple: you may not, under any circumstances whatsoever, fornicate with one another this evening. You’ll be sleeping in the same bed, but are forbidden to have sex, touch, kiss, fondle, caress, or have any physical contact in any way with one another. If any of you violate this first challenge, it’ll be a very very short competition.” His face was stern and serious.

  I’d never been forbidden to fuck. Wasn’t having sex the point of this whole thing? A series of fucking challenges. Literally. I realized my mouth was hanging open and snapped it shut. It was just like Uncle and his sick sense of humor to jack up the sexual tension then forbid us to fuck. Old bastard.

  “There is no wiggle room or tolerance for any kind of violation of the rules or the challenges. I’ll never budge on a challenge unless I have a very good reason to do so. This first challenge is simple, you’ll sleep together, you’ll share each other’s rooms, you’ll be in the presence of one another, but you may not do anything that our cameras or our judges, namely Lucy, would consider sex, sexual exchange, foreplay or any other kind of predecessor to fucking. No touching whatsoever. Is this understood?” He gave a hard glance to each of us.

  This must have been Uncle’s task. Even Mason wouldn’t come up with sleeping with a woman and not touching her.

  “Got it,” I chimed in first.

  “Yes, sir,” Mason added.

  Isabella was next with a question. “I’ve no problem with this first challenge, but are we going to receive anything else to wear? I was told to leave all clothing.”

  “Yes, we have a competition specific wardrobe provided for you in the closet of your rooms,” my uncle answered with a devilish glint in his eye.

  Oooh. I can’t wait to see what Ava will be wearing.

  “Is Lucy one of the judges?” Ava asked quietly, twirling the edge of her shirt in her fingers.

  I’d have to work hard tonight to loosen her up.

  “Lucy is my personal secretary and is the head judge in this competition. If there is a decision to be made, the responsibility will fall to her. I’ll be judging parts of this, but certainly not all. I might be into kink, but I stop at family. Lucy will be watching the footage shot from the cameras, which will run at all times in the house and living quarters. Everywhere except the bedrooms.” Uncle Harvey got up and went to the door, sticking his head out in the hall and motioning to someone.

  He was really playing game show host now. He must’ve been getting off on all of this, crazy ol’ coot.

  Lucy entered, and as usual, was dressed in bright colors that clashed with her red hair and looked twenty years younger than she actually was. Uncle’s eyes followed her, and
for a moment, I wondered if he was boinging his secretary.

  After Lucy’s introduction, Uncle closed the meeting down with, “Alright, enjoy your first night. I need to get back to work, but I hope you have fun and I look forward to seeing you all again soon. Take advantage of the celibacy to get to know each other.” Uncle Harvey quickly had a private word with Lucy, then they exited the room together.

  I beelined for Ava and took her hand.

  “I’m extremely pleased to have you as my match,” I said with a kiss on her soft knuckles.

  This gesture was met with a slight frown. Not a good start.

  “And I’m pleased also to be matched with you,” she said as she pulled her hand delicately away from mine.

  We were met at the dining room door by a woman who was wearing an elegant navy-blue pantsuit, her hair pulled back in a knot. She looked as if she belonged in an office building, not an exclusive ski chalet.

  “Good evening, Lucas and Ava. I’m here to escort you to your room.” Her voice was singsong like a tour guide should be, soft and melodic, her face a pleasant neutral.

  The packet had explained that the attendants and people monitoring us during the game weren’t meant to have names or personalities. This was to keep us focused on each other and the challenges.

  “Shall we?” I motioned toward the door and offered my elbow to Ava, which she could hardly refuse. She nodded and placed her hand on my arm lightly, but I could feel the heat of her hand through my suit.

  She would learn how civil I could be, and by the time I was done with her, my affable approach would excite her because she would know what came after.

  The attendant took us to a bank of elevators at the end of the hall. “On the fourth floor are two penthouses. Each can be reached by a different set of elevators opposite one another so you won’t be meeting the other team in the halls. Each also has a different entrance.”