Playing For Keeps (Romancing The Games Book 1)

by Brittani Rose

  Of course, I know who I am going for right away. William. I take the machete from Chris and walk to the contraption with Williams name on it and slice through his first knot. I take the machete back to Chris and he smiles at me. Next is Rachel to take a whack at someone. She goes for Zach. She has been having issues with Zach. I don’t know if its flirting or just over all personality clashing but she took out his first knot. Ryder takes his chance and takes out William’s second knot. I hear William make a noise, but I don’t look to see what his face looks like.

  “Second question. Who talks the most?” Chris asks.

  Who talks the most? I write down Rachel because she is always talking. But I don’t know if everyone else thinks the same. But because I don’t know what else to put down. I write down Rachels name.

  “Reveal your answers.” Chris says. “Again, we have three votes for Rachel, two votes for William, and one vote for Ari.”

  Who keeps writing my name down? I bet its Caleb. He is probably the one to say that about me. That was his biggest complaint growing up, was that I talked too much. My parents were driven crazy because we were two years apart and drove each other crazy at times. But now as adults, it’s still the same.

  “The correct answer is... Rachel. Ryder, Ari, and William have the correct answer. Ryder come take your shot.”

  Ryder winks at me and walks forward. He takes the machete, straight to William’s contraption and cuts through his last knot. The spiked log swings down and smashes into the doll William made. The head falls off and rolls to the side. It looks pretty bad.

  “Because William is now out of the challenge, you get to take your shot before sitting down.” Chris tells him.

  William takes the machete, and heads straight for my contraption. He slices through my first knot without a second thought. I wince as he smirks at me as he walks past. He hands Chris the machete and takes a seat on the bench that was set up for us. Then it’s my turn. I take the Machete and cut through Zach’s second knot.

  “Third question. Who does the most around camp?” Chris asks.

  This one is easy. I write down my answer and wait. I hope no one else thinks it’s someone else. Because that would surely cause issues back at camp.

  “Reveal.” Chris calls.

  We flip over our answers and I wait. I watch as Chris looks over each of the answers.

  “We have two votes for Ryder, one for Caleb, one for Rachel, and one for Zach.” Chris says. “What a wide array of answers. The correct answer is Ryder. Though, only because literally everyone put down themselves except two people. Ryder and Ari have the correct answers.”

  Ryder takes his shot and gets Zach out of the game. I take my shot and take out Rachels first knot. I don’t want to go after Caleb, because I know that he would be the first to go after mine if I did that.

  “Fourth question. Who most likely doesn’t know how to start a fire?”

  I frown. I don’t like this question. I hated it when I filled out the questionnaire because it wasn’t a fair question. I haven’t seen every single person make a fire. I haven’t seen who doesn’t know how to make a fire. But I write down a name and pray I have the answer correct.

  “We have two answers Ari, one Rachel, and one Caleb.” Chris says.

  I frown, Caleb knows how to make a fire. He was a boy scout after all.

  “The correct answer is Ari.” Chris calls. “Rachel and Caleb have the correct answers.”

  I watch as Rachel gives my second knot a slice. I wince, I only have one shot left and then I will be out of this game. Caleb thankfully doesn’t choose me. He gives Ryder his first slice. The questions go on. Caleb taking a second shot, Rachel taking her second. Ryder takes two shots, back to back. Ryder is eliminated. Each of us has one shot left before we are eliminated.

  “Which player do you think has the idol?” Chris asks.

  I was shocked to see that we actually got down to this question. Of the four of us who are left, three of us know the real answer. So, I hope that everyone plays stupid. I write down an answer. The wrong answer and pray for the best.

  “Reveal.” Chris demands.

  You can tell he is getting tired of this challenge. It’s taking a while, because we have to stop for each correct player to cut someone’s rope, we have to write down our answers and then we have to wait for Chris to reveal the correct answer. It is taking a lot longer than our normal challenges, but I like this one. This is all equal playing field.

  “Two votes, Rachel, one vote Ari.” Chris reads. “The correct answer is Ari. Caleb you get to take your next shot.”

  I am shocked. I thought he would have lied about me having the idol. Will this put suspicion on me for having the idol? I don’t want people to know I have it. Even if it’s only good until next elimination.

  I watch as Caleb walks forward and takes Rachel out of the game. I can hear her growl at him. I think it’s cute that she is angry at him. I like that he took her out because I didn’t want to do it

  “Last question.” Chris says. “Who out of anyone in the tribe, is the laziest?”

  I smile at this question, were these chosen at random or did he drop the cards and mix them up on accident. I write down my answer and smile at him. We reveal our answers and I cross my fingers that Caleb has a different question than I do.

  “We have one for William and one for Ari.” Chris says. “The correct answer is… Ari. Ari, you are correct. Take your shot, taking out Caleb. Effectively making you our winner of this challenge.”

  Why did I write down my name? Well because, since the merge, I was injured and told to stay off my foot as much as possible. People, normal people, would think that I wasn’t lazy, but on a game show for a million dollars? They would think I was lazy. It was a complete shot in the dark, because I know that I am not lazy, but it won me this challenge.

  I cut Caleb’s knot and then walk back to Chris. He positions me next to him as we turn our attention to the others waiting on the bench.

  “You won a one-night stay in a private villa with a hot shower, clean clothes and a hot dinner, and breakfast. As I told you earlier, this reward is sharable, but with one person only. Who are you going to share your reward with?” He asks me.

  I am conflicted. I wanted to win this one so bad. I wanted to win the one night in a villa, but I didn’t think about who I was going to share it with. It wouldn’t be fun to have it all to myself. But both Caleb and Ryder are in front of me and I have to hurt one of their feelings. I look to Caleb for guidance and to hopefully see what he thinks I should do.

  Just as I thought Caleb would do, he pointed to Ryder and mouthed the words “choose love.” At least I thought he said love, but I don’t have time to think about it. I nod and turn my attention back to Chris.

  “Ryder.” I say.

  Caleb gives me a thumbs up and smiles at me. Ryder stands and comes to my side, with both of our bags with him.

  “You will be escorted from here to your private villa you will spend the night. In the morning, you will rejoin the others at the challenge. Head out.” Chris tells us.

  We follow the lead of a production assistant, out onto a larger trail. Waiting for us is a golf cart, that looks like it’s been lifted and has mean looking tires on it. I smile as Ryder helps me in and we are whisked off to our private villa for the night.

  TWENTY-ONE

  Ari

  “We get a private villa. All to ourselves. I can’t wait to have her alone with me.”

  Ryder Holt

  The last twenty days have been so stressful. But knowing that I have won a night away from the camp, away from the strategizing, away from the others, it feels amazing. Knowing that I am here with Ryder and sharing my reward with him, that feels right. Part of me didn’t expect Caleb would want me to take Ryder, part of me thought Caleb would want to come along with me on this reward.

  Don’t get me wrong, Caleb has helped since the merge, just having him there has helped. But before the merge, when I was
stressed, or sad or upset, Ryder was there to help me through it. Ryder was there after I hurt myself and couldn’t use my hands, He helped me around camp, got me food and water and carried me around, when he said I didn’t need to walk.

  Where was Caleb? Off doing something with everyone else. He would stop and ask if I was alright and if I needed anything. But not once did he do anything to help me out. He didn’t even stay awake to see me back at camp.

  That right there is why I don’t think I would have chosen Caleb. I don’t think I would have passed up the opportunity to be alone with Ryder, without the others, almost like we are back at our own camp. I don’t know what this villa will be like, or where it will be, but I know that I will enjoy it because Ryder will be with me.

  “We are here.” Ryder’s voice breaks through my thoughts.

  I look to my right and spot a small cabin in a small clearing. The windows are all lit with the lights from inside. There is a small deck on the front that houses a table and two chairs. It looks inviting and I can’t wait to see what the inside looks like.

  The car comes to a stop and the door is opened. We are ushered out and camera men run around us, getting all the shots and angles of us getting out of the car for the first time. A production assistant keeps us at the car for a few seconds.

  “Inside you will find a shower, a change of clothes, and a robe. A menu is on the coffee table inside as well. I suggest you order your dinner before you shower, so that it will be here when you are done.” She says. “There is a hot tub out back if you wish to use it. There is also an outside shower as well. There is only one bed, but I am sure you two will be fine sharing.” She winks at us. “In the morning, you will have breakfast delivered before we take you back to the challenge area to join the others for the challenge.”

  We nod and she releases us to go inside. Its small yet warm. A fireplace sits against one wall, unlit, as it is warm here right now. A small love seat sits in front of it. A coffee table housing the menu she told us about sits on top. Past the living room is a doorway, inside is the full-sized bed. Covered in white linens. I groan at the sight. Off to the left is the bathroom. Large shower stall, toilet and sink is all it holds. Outside the bathroom, is the kitchen. A small kitchen with a small sink, stove, and no oven. Its cozy and perfect for the two of us for one night. We walk back through the bathroom and to the bedroom and spot the door leading out to the back deck where the hot tub is turned on and waiting.

  Just looking at that hot tub makes me want to get in. But I know I should shower first. I don’t want to make the water dirty by jumping in now. I follow Ryder back through the bedroom and to the living room where we look over the menu. We tell the assistant what we want to eat, and I head straight for the shower.

  I strip off my dirty clothes in the bedroom, not wanting to look at them any longer. I walk into the bathroom and start the shower. I let the water warm before getting in. When I do step in, I struggle not to groan aloud. The warm water feels amazing. I let it wash over me as I wet my hair. I shampoo it twice because I want it to be extra clean. Just as I am finished with my hair, I hear the shower stall door open.

  I open my eyes and there in front of me is a very naked Ryder. His torso is muscled, but not overly so. I can clearly see each muscle of his abs, and chest. His arms are just as muscled. My eyes, of their own accord, move down past his abs. My eyes grow big at the sheer size of his penis. Its bigger than any I have seen before.

  I try to look up to his face, but my eyes keep going back to his penis. Its standing long and hard, jutting out from his body. Begging for attention. Without thinking, I reach out and run my fingers over it. Its velvety soft and jerks at the first contact. I stroke my fingers up and down the length of it, all while not taking my eyes off of what I am doing.

  Growing bolder, I wrap my fingers around the shaft and start to stroke up and down. Not really sure if I am doing it right, I look up at him to see if he likes what I am doing. His eyes are closed, and his head is dropped back. His breathing is labored. I slow down, not wanting to hurt him. But as I go to move my hand away, his hand encases mine. I look back up at him and his eyes are on mine. Lust burning in their depths as he stares at me.

  “Don’t stop.” He growls.

  “I don’t know how,” I pause, “To please you.”

  I can feel my cheeks flushing with heat. I try to lower my eyes, but he reaches forward and holds my cheek gently in his palm. He lowers his head, and his lips meet mine. I feel myself being pulled into his chest. His penis hard against my stomach. I wrap my arms around his neck.

  I kiss him back. My tongue dancing with his. My body moving on its own, grinding against his. My fingers tangling in the hair at the back of his neck. I cling to him, like my life depends on it. He deepens the kiss as his hands travel up and down my back, my arms, toward the front of my body. He pulls back and looks me right in the eye. I can see lust pooled there.

  “What did you mean you don’t know how to please me?” He asks. “Haven’t you done this before?”

  “Yes, I have. With just one man.” I admit, not going any further into detail.

  “Ah, I see.” He whispers as he grabs my hand.

  He places it on his penis, wraps my fingers around it, and moves my hand for me. Showing me just how to move my hand to please him. After a few moments, he takes his hand away and when I look up at him, he is watching my hand work him. I continue to stroke him. Growing bolder and bolder with each stroke. I squeeze once in a while. I go slow, then fast. Then super slow. All the while he is groaning and mumbling my name. Telling me how good it feels.

  Hearing his reactions spur me on. I drop to my knees and am eye level with his penis. I lick my lips, look up at him and his eyes are closed. I am still working him with my hand. I open my mouth and take him in. The shout I hear from him, just spurs me on. I look up at him and see his eyes are glued to me. I cup his balls in one hand, stroke the part of him I can’t fit into my mouth, and start to work him with both my hand and my mouth.

  I don’t know why I chose to do this, but something came over me and it felt right So, I did it. His moans and grunts of pleasure just spur me on. Stroking him with my hand, playing with his balls, and sucking him with my mouth. His groans and mumbled words come at a faster rate than I ever thought possible. Before long, I can taste a salty taste coating my tongue. I like the taste, but before I can get more of that taste, he pushes me off of him and pulls me to my feet. He spins me around and pins me against the shower wall. His lips crash into mine, my arms go around his neck. I cling to him as he lifts my legs to his waist. I can feel him positioning himself at my opening.

  For a quick instant, my mind panics. Will he fit inside me? Will it hurt? He is just so big. I don’t see how he could fit inside me without hurting me.

  But all that stops when he slowly pushes inside me. Agonizingly slow. Inch by inch, I can feel him filling me. Stretching me. Making room for him inside my body. Once he is fully inside, he pauses. His forehead resting against mine. His eyes closed, his jaw clenched, and his breathing labored. I stroke his cheek with one of my fingers. His eyes open and he lifts his head.

  “This alright?” He asks.

  I can only nod. He kisses me again as he starts to move in and out of me. The sensations coursing through my body after a few moments, are indescribable. I don’t know what they are, but the more he moves, the more he thrusts inside me, the higher the feelings seem to go. He reaches between our bodies and starts to rub against my clit. I drop my head back against the wall on a moan. He doesn’t let up his thrusting. In fact, he keeps up the pace, and matches his strokes against my clit.

  Before long, I am crying out as pleasure erupts inside me. Wave after wave of pleasure courses through my body. Moan after moan falls from my lips. I feel Ryder still inside me with a groan, as he releases inside me.

  For a few moments, neither one of us moves or says anything. We just remain there, letting the cold water of the shower wash over us. Finally, I
am able to unhook my legs from his waist and lower them to the floor. The movement pulls him out of me. He kisses me as he switches off the shower and reaches out and hands me a robe.

  “Let’s go eat, we will have time for a hot shower later.” He says with a wink.

  “Not to burst your bubble, but we didn’t use a condom.” I tell him.

  He stills, then looks me in the eyes. “Shit. I got caught up. I am sorry.”

  “I got caught up too.” I tell him.

  TWENTY-TWO

  Ryder

  “I don’t know what to tell you. What ever happened at the villa stays between Ryder and I.”

  Ari Harper

  Day twenty-one interview

  Day Twenty-One

  I never expected Ari to be innocent. Last night in the shower, I thought she was playing the shy, innocent woman. But in reality, she really was shy and innocent.

  After the shower, we ate the dinner and talked. I learned that she had only been with one man. If you could call him that. She told me he only cared about his finish. He didn’t care about hers at all. I mean, what kind of man does that? Who doesn’t care about his partners pleasure? A jerk is who that is.

  Until last night, she had never given a blow job. Never. I mean from what she was doing, I would have guessed that she had. That was a shock to my system. She was so good at it. Seemed to know what to do with her hands and mouth. Seemed to know just how to please me in that moment. I totally enjoyed it. But of course, I stopped her before I finished too soon. I didn’t want to finish in her mouth, though I did do that later in the evening.

  After dinner, we had sex twice more. Which I hadn’t expected, but she initiated both times and I am a gentleman and I aim to please.

  Ari is amazing. For an innocent, she sure knew how to tell me how she was feeling, what she liked and how she liked it. It was all experimental, because of her ex, but it was so fun learning what made her moan in pleasure, what made her scream, and just how to fuck her. That was my highlight of last night.