Rules For Spanking: MMF Bisexual Romance

by A. Anders

  I was finally falling asleep when my door rattled. I reacted instantly. Unsure of where I was in my half-asleep state, I threw myself on the ground.

  “Ford?”

  The voice was familiar. Clearing the cobwebs from my mind, I replied. “Brad?”

  “You gotta come with me, man. It’s life or death.”

  This was it. He had discovered what I had. I stood up, feeling my legs wobble beneath me. I had to wake up, and I had to do it fast.

  I stood in the middle of my empty room trying to get my bearings. Was it morning? How long had I been asleep?

  “Ford, let me in.”

  That’s right, I had to let him in. I focused on one thing at a time. First the door, and then the knob. He entered, bright-eyed and bounding with energy.

  “You have to come with me. It’s all going down now.”

  “Yeah,” I replied unquestioningly.

  I threw on a pair of pants and shoes and followed him out. Marching past the other cabins, he described our battle and “inevitable victory.” He said it was “nigh.”

  As my mind cleared, I realized that Brad’s mind was not. Looking at him again, I considered that he might be high, and what confirmed it for me was his plan.

  “Grab the other end of the bed,” he said standing over the sleeping Gray.

  I wasn’t the only one he had recruited. Fitness Freddy, Victor Vodka, and Bernard the Banker were there as well.

  “What are we doing?” I mouthed, trying not to wake Gray, Bob, or Billy as they slept.

  “Don’t worry. They’re out. I gave them a little something,” Brad said with a smile. “We all have our marketable trades, right?”

  “You told me it was life and death. What are we doing here?”

  “It’s a Viking funeral. We’re gonna set these guys off to sea.”

  Brad laughed. Freddy, Bernard, and Victor found it equally amusing. What had Bernard said about Brad being a drug dealer?

  I grabbed one of the legs of the bed and lifted. Now was not the time to take a stand. I needed allies even if it was with the show’s villain. After all, didn’t the villain usually make it to the end?

  One by one, we carried Gray, Bob, Billy, Sam, and Carl to the dock. Even with the bouncing, they all remained asleep. Hell, we dropped Billy, and not even that woke him.

  “I can get you high using the contents of any kitchen. Give me all of the flowers and plants on this island… Ha, I can do things to your body that you didn’t even know were possible.”

  A marketable trade indeed.

  “We can’t have these guys rested for tomorrow. We don’t want them making a good impression on Rose.”

  I was getting it now. Brad wanted to keep them edgy. As strategies went, it was a pretty good one.

  One by one we floated the bamboo beds and set them adrift. The others were laughing hysterically.

  “Are they gonna wake up in China or something?” I asked hoping I was wrong.

  “No, it’s a Viking funeral,” Brad said as if it were obvious.

  Things became a little clearer when Freddy handed Brad a makeshift bow and arrow. Bernard then stepped in and used the torch he carried as a lighter. Brad was a surprisingly good shot. It took him only one arrow to ignite each bed. He really was recreating a Viking funeral.

  With all but one bed lit, Freddy spoke up. “Let me try.”

  Freddy wasn’t quite as good of a shot. The result was that Sam took a flaming arrow to the foot. But not even that woke him. That made everyone laugh hysterically. You would have thought that they had just watched someone get hit in the crotch. Were they too high to realize that they had just set another human being on fire?

  “So, you’re just gonna let them burn?” I asked, starting to feel as I did as I watched Victor being mauled by the bear.

  “No!” Brad turned to me disgusted. “What are you sick? I gave them a special blend. They’ll wake up as soon as they hear a certain frequency.” With that, Brad puckered his lips and blew.

  Each of the floating men awoke and released two screams. One was when they realized that they were sleeping in water. The second was when they realized that their floatation device was on fire.

  Sam released a few extra screams, of course. He did have an arrow through his foot. And he was on fire.

  Sam grabbed the arrow and ripped it out of him. Wrenching, he lost balance and fell into the water. Some of the guys behind me fell onto the ground in laughter.

  “Wait for it,” Brad said silencing his mates.

  I looked back at the guys and then at Sam.

  “Wait for it.”

  What was he talking about?

  “There,” Brad said pointing at Sam.

  I looked again. A shark fin. Sam didn’t see it.

  “Shark!” Gray yelled.

  It was too late. Sam got yanked under like the bobble on a fishing line. The guys behind me roared with laughter. It seemed redundant, but I asked myself anyway: Is everyone here insane?

  “We gotta do something,” I yelled back, trying to sober them up. “What are you all? Fucking nuts?”

  “Relax!” Brad chided. “Watch.”

  I turned back toward the screaming men. Sam surfaced with his arms flailing in panic.

  “The last thing sharks want to eat are people. They’ll take one bite then spit him back up. He’ll get away scot-free. You know, as long as it doesn’t cost him an arm and a leg.” Brad again burst out in laughter. Unable to stand up straight, he joined the others in wiping tears from his eyes.

  I watched helplessly as Sam was again dragged under, but just like before, he resurfaced. Each shark was taking a bite and then spitting him out. Surfacing for the third time, he came up next to Billy. Billy reached down and retrieved him.

  If Brad was right, the most dangerous part of the scenario was right now, when a leg was exposed. Great whites, bull sharks, they were all native to these waters, but I had never heard of them swarming so close to shore before.

  “Hey. Let’s go,” Brad said pulling on my arm.

  Apparently, the amusing part was over. Sam was safely on Billy’s bed, and all of the fires were out. All that was left now was for them to swim ashore without losing an arm. I guessed that Brad didn’t want to be there if they did.

  Arriving back to camp, Brad followed me to my cabin. He wanted to make sure that I was cool with everything. I wasn’t sure that I was.

  Entering my cabin, I planted my ass on my bed and pushed my fingers through my hair. What did I just do? I didn’t know, but I was still alive and in the game. Right now, that had to be my focus.

  “You’re not freaked out about that, are you?” Brad asked.

  What should I do? Play along? Tell him the truth?

  “I haven’t gotten a lot of sleep,” I told him.

  “Nah, it’s more than that,” he said taking a seat next to me. “Relax, man. You can tell me?”

  I looked into Brad’s eyes. He looked happy. I’m sure that I looked like a mess.

  “None of this bothers you?” I asked him.

  “None of what? It’s all a game. You think the show is gonna let them get hurt?”

  Did he live in some sort of alternate universe? In my world, people got eaten by sharks. People burned alive. Magic dust could only do so much.

  “Come on, relax. It’s all good. You gotta loosen up. You gotta have a little fun.”

  And that was when Brad leaned in and kissed me. Wait, what?

  “Woah!” I said, pushing him away.

  “Oh! My bad,” he said offering me a playful smile in concession. Already halfway to the door, he turned back. “You are full of surprises, aren’t you?”

  I couldn’t come up with a reply before he was out the door and gone. It was official. I didn’t know what the hell was going on.

  Needless to say, I didn’t sleep that night. Morning came, and I was exhausted. I didn’t know if I should go to breakfast or stay tucked in bed.

  Was I now in some type of war with M
ustache Gray and his group? Would a brawl breakout at breakfast? Would Brad even show up for the fight he started? More importantly, what the hell was with the kiss? Was he that high?

  It took a few hours of sunlight before I gave up on sleep. Sitting on the edge of my bed, I counted. I had gotten about seven hours of sleep in three nights. That wasn’t good.

  Gathering my toiletries, I headed to the bathroom. In the shower room, I ran into Billy. Neither of us said a word.

  The first thing I did when I entered the commissary was look for the five daters. They were seated together. Brad’s plan had worked. They looked awful.

  Not surprisingly, Sam, the one who had been shot in the foot and attached by sharks, looked the best. So he would have been the only one to get the feel-good juice. You had to love magic dust.

  I walked through the food line, filling my plate with eggs and pancakes. I was starved, and a little pancake therapy never hurt anyone.

  Finding a table at the far end of the commons, I sat, keeping an eye on the five daters. They had to be planning to retaliate. The only question was whether it would be now or later.

  I didn’t stare long before Brad stepped into view.

  “Hey, can I sit?” Brad asked.

  “Sure,” I replied, wondering what awkward situation he was going to put me in next.

  “Sorry about kissing you last night,” he said with a sincerity that I had never seen from him.

  “Yeah, no problem,” I said, trying to be cool without being encouraging, but immediately regretting my nonchalance.

  “Are you freaked out about it?”

  “No, why would I be?”

  “Exactly. You put 15 hot guys together and deprive them of sex for days and things happen, right?”

  Brad turned, looking around. His eyes rested on Fitness Freddy who sat at a nearby table, staring at us. Brad gave him a knowing smile and a nod. Freddy’s jaw dropped. Panicked, he lowered his eyes and shoveled pancakes into his mouth.

  “He knows what I mean,” Brad added coyly.

  I thought for a second. He was implying that he and young Freddy had “been together.” Was this what people did on these shows? Was everyone doing it? Hadn’t Freddy professed his love for Rose after our first group date? What… the… hell?

  “But it was fun last night, right?” Brad continued.

  “Listen, you’re cool and all. I’m just not into that,” I said as casually as I could.

  “Not that! The Viking funeral.”

  How could I tell him that I wasn’t that type of guy either?

  “Aren’t they gonna be pissed about what we did to them?”

  “Royally. But it’s us against them. And we’re smarter, right?”

  “Brad, people really are dying here. I watched Kurt and Ian both die.”

  “Ian, too, now?” he asked dismissively.

  “I told you that I saw him die,” I insisted.

  “And, you know what? I saw a guy get attacked by sharks. He’s over there,” Brad said pointing at Sam. “And, two others get mauled by a bear. They’re over there. Ford, what do you think would have happened if you didn’t heroically jump into that cage? Do you really think that they would have let the bear eat Victor or Freddy?”

  “I’ve seen the show kill people.”

  “So now you think that the show is killing these people?”

  “I’ve watched two people get eliminated and then die.”

  Brad looked at me, unpersuaded. He took a deep breath and calmed himself before continuing. “Then maybe you should get to know your allies so you’re not the next one gone.”

  Brad didn’t believe me. That was his mistake, but he was right about one thing. To stay in the game, I needed to know my allies.

  Brad walked me over to Freddy’s table. Victor and Bernard were with him. Freddy was having a problem looking me in the eyes, but the others were friendly.

  As much as I wanted to explore the tower and the island’s highland, I spent the day with my new allies. It wasn’t bad once everyone warmed up to me. It reminded me of a platoon.

  When Gray, Bob, Carl, and Sam returned from their group date, it was without Buck-Naked Billy. The four of them looked as beaten up as we had been. Brad was the one to ask them for details.

  “Wouldn’t you like to know,” Gray responded gruffly.

  The group dynamic was getting weirder. Brad had expected Gray to tell him in spite of what had gone on the night before and was surprised when Gray didn’t.

  I didn’t know the etiquette surrounding setting someone on fire. However, my guess was that afterward, you didn’t ask them for a favor. Of course, what did I know? I was on my first game show.

  Brad’s unwavering confidence seemed to dip a bit after that. He didn’t smile quite as much as the cocktail party began that night. However, as he was the first to get alone time with Rose, he returned to the group with his confidence fully intact.

  It was amazing to watch him interact with everyone after that. It was like the night before had never happened. As he had during the previous cocktail parties, Brad took on the mantle of Rose’s social secretary. Everyone wanted to schedule their time with her, so they flocked to him agreeably.

  Watching Brad do his thing, I considered my place in this drama. I hadn’t been alone with Rose since meeting her at the dock. After that, I was one of only three men to not ask for alone time with her during the first cocktail party. I was now the only one of those three still alive.

  Deciding that I needed to get time with Rose, I considered talking to Brad. He would have to let me jump his line. I was one of his allies. He said it was us against them.

  I was taking a step toward him when I noticed something: the casual way Brad interacted with Gray. I stopped when it dawned on me that he liked playing this nonpartisan roll. Wouldn’t bumping someone to give me a spot ruin that for him? Would he be willing to give up this position of power for me?

  I couldn’t risk it. If he put me at the end of his line, the party could end before I got my time. I wasn’t about to be the one dying on the dock because Brad was looking out for himself. Besides, I had never been one to ask permission. Why would I start now?

  Waiting a few minutes after Victor had left and Bernard had returned, I intervened. Finding the two at the far end of the pool, I looked only at her.

  “Rose, do you think I can steal you away for a few minutes?”

  “Sure,” she said with a beaming smile. “Where did you wanna go?”

  She turned her back on her unhappy waiter, not giving him a chance to object. I had to admit, I loved her assertiveness. Some things about her definitely turned me on.

  Taking her hand and leading her away, I knew that I would pay for the interruption later. I couldn’t think about that now, though. Rose had to get my full attention.

  So, walking her to a nearby waterfall, I took both of her hands and looked into her eyes. I thought the spot would be romantic. Also, if cameras were around, the crashing water was our best chance for privacy.

  “We haven’t spoken since that first night,” I began, feeling my heart race as I looked at her.

  “I know. But I thought it was brave how you jumped into the ring like that. I think you saved their lives. That was… heroic.”

  I was stunned silent. After everyone else had ignored or criticized me for it, that was the last thing that I had expected her to say. It took my breath away.

  I fought to gather myself. I was sure there was something that I was supposed to say in reply, but for the life of me, I couldn’t think of what it was.

  I did know what I wanted to say. I wanted to ask her how she could think of me as heroic and then choose Brad for the one-on-one date, but now wasn’t the time. So instead, I brought up something worse.

  “Have you ever been on one of these shows before?” I asked.

  “You mean a dating show?” she clarified. “No.”

  “But you’ve been on others?”

  Rose tilted her head with
a smile as if waiting for me to make the obvious connection. I didn’t.

  “Does anything about this show seem strange to you?” I asked.

  Rose’s smile quickly faded. Was that a sign that she knew something? It had to be.

  My focus immediately shifted. I needed to know what she knew, and I didn’t have much time to find out. Victor was going to tell the others that I had taken her, and someone would pull her away at any moment.

  I considered the situation. Knowing I was running out of time, something came to me. I had one thing that I could tell her that would either protect me from elimination or guarantee it. I could tell her about Kurt and Ian’s deaths. But should I do it? I didn’t know.

  “I think…” I began. “…I think the people being eliminated are dying.”

  The second I said it, I realized that I had made a mistake. I had basically told her that she was killing people when she eliminated them. Now, the woman whose eyes had shined seconds before looked at me deflated and confused.

  Brad was right. I was the paranoid one. I had to figure out a way to fix this situation, or I was going to be the next one gone. I could see it in her eyes.

  “Rose, can I steal you away?” Gray asked with a forced smile.

  “Yes,” she agreed quickly.

  Like that, my chances went from fair to none. I had screwed up with Rose like I had with many other women before her.

  My only chance now was to figure out what mistake Kurt and Ian had made after the rose ceremony and not repeat it. Maybe their pawns had given them a pill or an injection. It could have been anything. Unlike them, I would be ready for it.

  Shortly after I had rejoined the others, our pawns found us and arranged us into two rows. Gray had gotten less time with her than I had. Thorin hadn’t gotten any at all.

  Neither of them had to worry, though. I had already eliminated myself with my poor game strategy. How many times did I have to learn that when it came to women, the worst thing I could do was talk?

  I watched from the second row as Rose took her position in front of us. Once she was settled, her pawn followed, carrying the rose tray. It was beginning.

  I would like to say that I awaited my fate with a steady hand and a strong jaw. Picture a roguish outlaw or maybe even a roguish wizard. Yes, I would like to say that’s what happened, but it wasn’t.