The Matchup

by Alice Ward

  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 drive.

  “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.”

  Perfect. I would only have to see Mason during challenges.

  Our elevator led straight into the living area of our suite.

  The ceiling was made to look rustic with heavy wooden hewn logs angling to a peak above us. The rest of the room was composed of windows looking out onto magnificent mountains and an expanse of snowy white.

  My libido did a leap as I realized people might be able to see in those windows, especially at night when we’d be doing god knew what. A shiver sliced from my stomach up to my spine at the thought of what Ava and I would be doing in this room the next few days, the next month. I swallowed hard as the images dancing around in my head turned tantalizingly erotic.

  The attendant waved her arm in an arc. “This suite has been designed with a lot of unique elements. The first you might notice are the floor-to-ceiling picture windows. These windows were created as an eco-friendly mountain experience. They are reflective glass on the outside that mirrors the beauty of the natural environment surrounding the chalet while giving penthouse guests a sense of living in the trees. This provides privacy during daylight and nighttime hours and is a perfect complement to the majesty that is all around us.”

  “The glass is warm during cold winter nights and cool in the heat of summer,” I added, remembering now from a stay with the family when I was in college. That means your ass will be warm when I fuck you against them.

  Ava gave me a smile but still looked a little worried.

  Our guide moved on, and we followed her. I wanted to speed this up and tried to be patient as she showed us the kitchen. Next, she led us back into the living room and opened a nearly hidden door to a bathroom, which had an unexpected four-person Jacuzzi tub. “This is the master bath which is accessible from both here and the bedroom.”

  Ava gasped.

  “Hmmm, very nice,” I agreed with her reaction, thinking of the sore muscles we could soak in there… and other things. “It’s a good place for…” I eyed Ava with a purposely sinister expression to gauge where she stood, “getting wet.”

  Her face froze, and her jaw gaped before she shut it quickly. Fuck, her mouth was sexy.

  She took a deep breath. “Yeah and maybe add some bubbles or aromatherapy oils.”

  I looked at her for a moment, silent, my face a stoic mask. “I was thinking more along the lines of bath paint and body oil.”

  “Oh…” Her face froze, and she looked like she might bolt for the door.

  I tried laughing, but it came out more of a guttural groan.
“Kidding.” Not really.

  “Ha-ha. You had me worried for a second there.” She laughed nervously, then stared at the tub.

  “Have you ever even looked at my uncle’s BDSM pleasure site?” I asked, unable to keep the disbelief from my expression.

  “Yes… um, on the plane, a few hours ago,” she confessed as her cheeks turned an attractive shade of pink.

  “Why did you enter this competition then? Do you really need the money that badly?” I tried to keep my voice from coming out as patronizing, but I could tell by the timid glimmer in her eyes that I wasn’t doing a very good job at keeping the man I really was hidden.

  Our guide shifted on her heels uncomfortably but said nothing.

  “I didn’t apply to the competition, my roommate did it for me. She’s an avid fan. Your uncle convinced me to accept his offer, even after he discovered that she’d entered me in the competition without my consent. Honestly, I’m terrified of what I’ve gotten myself into.” Tears welled in her eyes, but she didn’t let them fall.

  Dammit. I was a jerk.

  “You have the option to leave anytime you want to. It’s barely started.” I held my breath. I’d love to teach Ava the finer points of my desires, but I didn’t want her unwilling.

  “No.” Ava blinked a few times and lifted her chin. “I want to stay. I’m open to… whatever.”

  Thank god.

  It wasn’t like me to show or even feel compassion, so I shocked myself when I walked over to her and gathered her into an embrace, then held her tightly. The guide tensed but didn’t separate us, and I inhaled the sweet, fruity scent of her.

  “It’s okay. Don’t be scared. I get where you’re coming from. Your fears are justified. You don’t know me, you don’t know the website hosting this craziness, and you’re smart to keep on your guard. A gorgeous woman like you needs to keep up her first line of defense.” I smoothed her hair away from her face, then let her go and held her at arm’s length. “I promise, I won’t hurt you. Anything I do… we do, will be strictly for pleasure. Okay?”

  Shit, this was too Fifty Shades…