The Game Read online

With a sigh she asked. “When do I leave?”

  “You’re booked on a flight out of Heathrow at 9 pm tonight. Your tickets and hotel information will be delivered by courier later today. Good girl.” He said as she heard the phone click on the other end.

  She couldn’t get too angry with him. He’d been quite good to her, really, and she’d probably been better off with him than her own mother. At least with him she hadn’t been passed around to different men on a daily basis. It had been just him. She had been clothed and well looked after and he hadn’t beaten her. Even when she had become unexpectedly pregnant at 14, he hadn’t been angry. And when the baby later died, he had been surprisingly supportive through what had undoubtedly been the worst time of her life. She hadn’t known if she’d wanted to make it through, but she’d somehow come out the other side. After that, what little hope she’d had disappeared forever.

  Resigning herself to another month away, she made herself some breakfast and started packing. The shopping trip would just have to wait.

  Chapter Four

  There had been a contact number on the invitation, and when Kyle had called to confirm Luccio’s acceptance, he had been given details of when and where the Game would take place. Determined he was going to win, Luccio had enlisted Kyle's help for the next couple of days. He'd lost count of how many hands of poker he'd played, but if that’s what his boss wanted to pay him to do, then that was fine by him.

  Pulling into the lot, Kyle was nervous. He didn’t like carrying 100k in a briefcase, especially when he didn’t know anything about the people they were going to meet. There were nine other invitees aside from Luccio, but they would not know who they were until they arrived. That would be a million bucks all in cash in one place. That made him nervous.

  Luccio didn’t seem at all concerned about it. He had apparently heard of these games from friends, whereas Kyle, moving in a completely different social circle, had never come across them. By all accounts the “prizes” were incredibly beautiful. They should be for the money involved he thought to himself and felt a moment of shame for being a part of it. Lori would be devastated if she could see what he was doing now. But she couldn’t and he needed to do what was necessary.

  Opening the car door, he gripped the handle of the briefcase tightly and followed Luccio. The address they had been given was an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town. To Kyle, it looked like the perfect place for an ambush, but as they’d pulled up they’d seen several other expensive cars in the parking lot. This had reassured him slightly.

  As they entered the building he could see a large poker table had been set up in the middle of the ground floor which was completely empty except for a light hanging down from the ceiling above the table. The room was the complete length of the warehouse, and the light did not reach into the corners. At the table, seven of the ten players were already seated. Kyle was surprised as he recognized a couple of the men. One of them, he knew, was a high profile sports star and the other a popular politician.

  As they approached the table, one of the six very large men standing around the perimeter of the table stepped in front of them and put out his hand.

  “Well, give him the money,” Luccio said.

  Kyle did as he was told and handed the case over. The hired muscle then stepped out of the way and allowed them to approach the table. Nodding acknowledgements to the others around the table, Luccio took his seat. Kyle took up a position a few steps back.

  ***

  Except for a couple of short bathroom breaks, they had been at it for hours and Kyle’s back was starting to ache from standing in the same position for so long. They were down to the last three players now, so it wouldn’t be much longer. His boss was one of the three.

  He had to admit he was curious about the girl. He could see why girls on the street turned to prostitution. Quite often there was a tragic story behind it and, with sickening regularity, it usually involved drugs. But if these girls were as beautiful as Luccio said they were, then they were clearly not in the same situation. There weren’t many beautiful drug users. So what would drive a girl to do this? Whatever the reason, he knew that if his boss won she would have to earn her money.

  Chapter Five

  Tara had flown into L.A. the night before. One of Sergei’s local men had collected her and driven her to her hotel. She’d travelled all over the world but L.A. was one of the few places she had never visited and she was quite excited. She had the whole day to herself tomorrow before the Game and she fully intended to make use of the time and pretend, just for a few hours, that she was a normal tourist.

  After spending the day visiting the sights, even going to the Griffith Park Observatory to get a photo of the Hollywood sign, she had returned to her hotel to get ready for the evening ahead. She bathed and did her hair and make-up, wrapped in the robe the hotel provided. Satisfied with her efforts, she indulged herself in some American TV and waited for the call.

  ***

  It was several hours later when she was picked up from her hotel when it appeared the Game was nearing its conclusion. Now, she sat in the back of a limousine for watching the final hands on a monitor. As the last player folded she took a deep breath, put a smile on her face and stepped out of the car to meet the man she was to entertain for the next month. As she walked toward him, she took in the wolfish look in his eye and knew that she was going to earn her money this time.

  “Hi, I’m Tara,” she said, with the best smile she could manage.

  He actually licked his lips.

  “Well, hello, gorgeous. We’re going to have us some fun.”

  She turned to the man standing slightly behind him and put out her hand.

  “Hi.”

  Kyle was trying not to stare. She was beautiful. The emerald green wrap around dress she was wearing brought out the jewel like green of her eyes and did very little to disguise her fabulous figure. He waist was tiny which made her breasts appear even more voluptuous. Her black hair hung to her waist and shimmered as she moved.

  It was her eyes, though, that held his attention. As she looked at him, he knew, without a shadow of a doubt, there was more to this woman than the exterior she was showing to the world. Surprised by his own reaction, he put his hands in his pocket, ignoring her hand, and gruffly replied. “Hey.” Taken aback she lowered her hand to her side.

  Laughing, Luccio said “This is my head of security, Kyle. Don’t mind him. He’s not good in social situations.” Tara’s smile seemed forced as she turned her attention back to him. "Shall we go?" Nodding, she took his arm and followed him to the waiting car.

  On the drive back to the house, Kyle couldn’t stop looking at her in the rear-view mirror. She was stunning, yes, but there was something about her that had made him react like a teenager at a school dance. All that standing around had obviously affected his brain and not just his back he thought to himself. This woman was a paid professional who was going to spend the next month screwing his boss. Turning his attention back to the road he consciously avoided looking in the rear-view mirror again for the rest of the drive.

  Chapter Six

  Kyle carried her bags into the house and disappeared upstairs while Luccio led her into the living room. “You have a lovely home,” she said to him, looking around and taking in her surroundings.

  “Thank you. Why don’t you take a seat? Would you like a drink?” he offered.

  Tara nodded. “So, what is it that you do?”

  Luccio waved his hand in the air. “Oh, you know, this and that. Mostly import and export.”

  She watched Luccio as he poured her a glass of wine. He seemed nice enough. If not handsome, he wasn’t bad looking. It looked like he kept himself quite fit judging by this trim figure which was well proportioned on his 5’ 10” frame. Handing her a glass of white wine, he sat down next to her. As she sipped her wine, he put one arm along the back of the sofa behind her and rested his other hand on her knee. She wasn’t surprised. They didn’t usually wa
ste much time. “So, you’re mine for a month. What am I going to do with you?”

  She smiled, playing the game. “That’s entirely up to you."

  Taking his hand from her knee, he reached up and pushed the front of her dress open, displaying her left breast. Taking it in his hand he squeezed, gently at first and then harder. "Nice tits,” he said, taking her left breast in his other hand. "Does that feel good?" he asked, as he rubbed her nipples with his thumbs.

  "Oh yes,” she heard herself say

  "Now stand up and show me the rest of what I’m paying for."

  Standing up, Tara undid the ties that held her dress together and let it fall to the floor, naked but for her stockings, garter belt and panties. She watched as Luccio unzipped his pants and took his cock in his hand.

  "Take off your panties and come here." Doing as she was told, she removed them before coming to stand in front of him. "Let’s see what a 100k pussy tastes like." He leaned forward and, taking her by the hips, buried his face between her legs, licking furiously.

  "Kneel up on the sofa" he said harshly, standing up. Turning her back to him Tara did as she was told. Not taking his eyes of that perfect ass, Luccio reached into a drawer in the end table and grabbed a condom, ripping it out of its packet with his teeth. Taking his cock in his hand he knelt up on the sofa behind her. Reaching around, he grabbed one of her tits in one hand while the other guided his cock into her pussy.

  "You like that don’t you bitch?" He said as he thrust himself deep into her. Lowering his head he sank his teeth into her shoulder as he slammed into her harder and harder. Tara couldn’t help but let out a cry in pain and this seemed to excite him even more and with a cry she felt him come inside her. Spent, he whispered in her ear, breathing heavily. "Oh yeah, we’re gonna have a lot of fun."

  Chapter Seven

  The next morning Luccio left early, telling her he had some business to take care of in town. As soon as she heard the car drive off, she got out of bed and went in search of something to put on the bite wound. It had been a while,, but it wasn’t the first time a winner had gotten too rough. She didn’t suppose it would be the last.

  Checking all the cupboards in the bathroom, she couldn’t find anything that would do the trick so, quickly getting dressed in blue jeans and a plain white t-shirt, she made her way downstairs.

  She hadn’t had time to explore the house when she’d arrived last night, so it was by trial and error that she made it to the kitchen. It was an enormous room with windows on two sides and sliding doors out to a deck. The kitchen itself looked like something straight out of a magazine. The cabinets were a glossy white and the appliances brushed steel. The effect was very stark and cold.

  She was looking through the cupboards when a voice made her jump. "Can I help you?" Feeling like she had been caught doing something wrong, she turned to face the source of the voice. It was the man she’d met last night. "Hi. Sorry, I was looking for some antiseptic. There wasn’t any in the bathroom."

  Kyle looked at her. Strangely, she looked better now than she had last night despite having no make-up on and being dressed casually. She seemed more approachable, less perfect. "Well you won’t find any in there. I’ve got a first aid kit at my place. I think it has some in it." He turned and headed out through the sliding doors.

  Standing there, Tara was not sure what to do. Was she supposed to follow him or was he going to get it? Jeez, trust her to get stuck in a house with Mr. Personality. She decided to follow him. It would be good to get an idea of the layout of the place anyway. She struggled to keep up as he strode across the lawns toward what looked like a guesthouse.

  "Is this your place?" she asked him as they drew nearer.

  "Yeah."

  "Looks nice."

  "Mmmm."

  Opening the door he told her to take a seat. "I’ll go and get the kit."

  Sitting alone in the living room, Tara looked around and took it all in. It was sparsely furnished with just a couch, coffee table and a small television in the corner. There was nothing that gave away anything about the man who lived there, nothing personal except a solitary framed photo on the coffee table. Picking it up, she saw that it was a photo of Kyle with his arm around a petite blonde woman. They were standing outdoors somewhere with the ocean behind them, and were looking at each other, smiling broadly. They looked happy. Feeling guilty for prying she put the frame back on the table and folded her hands in her lap.

  Kyle returned with the first aid kit from his bathroom and laid it on his bed to open it. Kyle had no idea what was wrong with him. Why was he behaving like such an ass? He had wanted to ask her if she was ok, what she needed it for, but it was none of his business. He had been checking the grounds last night when he’d walked past the living room. He had seen what was happening. Not wanting to intrude he had quickly walked on but he had seen enough to know that Luccio was being his usual charming self. It didn’t require a lot of imagination to know what the cream was for but, he told himself, it was her job, she knew what she was doing. That thought provided little comfort though. For some reason it bothered him a lot more than usual and he had no idea why.

  Finding what he was looking for he took it to Tara. “Here, this should help,” he said, handing her the tube. Unintentionally, her fingers brushed against his as she reached for it and, as they touched she felt something pass through her. Raising her eyes to his, she saw her shock reflected in his eyes. Momentarily at a loss for words, she quickly pulled herself together. I’ve got to get out of here. "Thank you. I’d better get back."

  Taking the cream, Tara quickly left without another word and, almost at a run, went back to the main house. Going straight up to Luccio’s room, she didn’t stop until she closed the bedroom door behind her and leaned against it. Her head was spinning. What was that? She had never felt anything like it. That small touch had left her feeling as if every nerve in her body was electrified. And when he had looked at her, oh, God, she’d felt as if every defense, every wall that she had spent the last twenty years building up were nothing. It was as if he could see straight through her and she had been exposed.

  Shaken, she removed her t-shirt and applied the cream to the bite on her shoulder, wincing as it stung. Pull yourself together girl. She told herself. She was here for a month and it was going to be a very long one if she let Kyle get under her skin. What would be the point anyway? At the end of this assignment she would go back to London and on to the next job. There were strict instructions on what you could and couldn’t do when staying with a client, and seducing the help was a definite no-no. Nothing good would come of it and she knew better than to cross Sergei. She would stick to the rules. She knew the consequences if she didn’t.

  Chapter Eight

  He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her. It had been several days since she had come to the guest house, and since then, though he had seen her around the house, she had studiously avoided him. That was fine with him. He didn’t need any complications and it just reinforced his view that she was a professional. What he thought he had felt between them was obviously in his imagination. Maybe it had been so long since he had had any kind of emotional intimacy that he was seeing it in places where it simply did not exist. No problem. He had a rare night off tonight and he was going into town. What he needed was some uncomplicated female company.

  The bar was a typical sports bar with TV’s mounted on the walls showing the various sports games that were currently being played. Sitting at the bar, he ordered a beer. The cold liquid trickling down his throat tasted like liquid nectar. He really needed this. It took several beers to achieve the desired effect, but soon he was feeling a lot more relaxed. He looked around the bar that he hadn’t paid attention to when he first walked in and noticed that it had gotten a lot busier since he first arrived. Underlying the noise from the TV screens, he could hear a thumping and following the sound, he found himself in another room which had music playing and a dance floor. Kyle didn’t dance, unle
ss the funky chicken was considered dancing. But he had no aversion to watching. Especially if the people were half-naked women in their early twenties which seemed to be the case here.

  Settling himself down in a booth, he watched with appreciation as two women joined those already gyrating to the music. One in particular caught his eye. She was very slim and wearing a skirt so short it seemed that her legs went on forever. She was wearing a tight crop top, obviously not wearing any underwear as her breasts and nipples were clearly visible and bouncing rather pleasingly with the beat. Her hair was blonde from a bottle judging by the roots, and hung down past her shoulders. She seemed to sense his scrutiny as she turned towards him and made eye contact. Smiling knowingly, she started dancing, it seemed, purely for his benefit. Signaling the waitress for another beer, he decided to order two and try his luck. Lifting a bottle he signaled toward her and, with a quick word to her friend, she made her way over.

  "Hey,” she said, as she slid in the booth next to him and picked up a bottle. "Thanks for the beer."

  "No problem. Looks like thirsty work."

  "You’re not wrong,” she laughed. As she tilted her head back to drink from the bottle, a bead of sweat trickled down from the hollow in her neck and wound its way down between her breasts.

  "Do you want to get some air?" he asked on impulse. What’s the worst that could happen? She could only say no. She surprised him, though, by nodding her head in agreement.

  Following him out to the parking lot, they both got into his car. He’d parked it in the lot in the back of the bar so now there was no one else around. The strap of her top had fallen off her shoulder, and he fought an overwhelming urge to pull it down further. Forcing himself to at least attempt polite conversation, he dragged his eyes away from her breasts and up to her face. "We can get to know each other out here, it’s much quieter,” he offered.