This is my third story for Literotica. The first two were light-hearted romps (Naked Dare on the Mountain and Caught Hanging Around), but not all of my stories are so breezy. This one has darker elements, along with plenty of nudity but no sex. It is being provided in two parts. All of the characters are over 18 years old.
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Though I was technically a sophomore, having transferred from another college, it was my first year at Midville Valley. That sometimes made me a target, for it was a close-knit bunch where most students seemed to know every other student. Mild hazing was not unusual.
I lived in Blue Dorm, not having enough money for an apartment. Even tuition was a little steep despite my partial scholarship. Fortunately, my previous job had paid well. A job I'd rather my classmates didn't know about. Glenn Chen was my roommate and new best friend. We were both on the track team, he throwing javelins, me running anchor for the relay team. The school had gone out of their way to recruit me for raw speed, despite my low brain power. My grades were okay but not going to shake the world.
The dorms and clubs held an annual spring charity event that everyone was looking forward to. Glenn approached me.
"Russ, are you going to play poker at the Shake-Up?" he asked.
"I don't have that kind of money," I replied, for most of the kids were from wealthy families.
"We don't play for money. It's strip poker, and the rules go back fifty years," he explained. "We want you to represent Blue Dorm."
"Why me?" I asked.
"We always enlist the new guys for this game. They aren't so jaded as the old-timers."
"What's involved?" I cluelessly inquired.
"We rent a barn out in the countryside. It's also used for weddings and anniversaries. Stuff like that. There's a barbeque, beer, music, and then seven players sit cross-legged in the middle of the room representing different dorms and clubs. They play until it's over or 10 o'clock, whichever comes first. The clothes they bet are really lost, the players don't automatically get them back. From 10 to 10:30, there is a buy-back session where the contestants trade the clothes they won for clothes they lost. Players without much to trade are allowed to bring $50, but it has to be their own money. No borrowing from spectators."
"Glenn, $50 is a lot of money for me right now," I had to say.
"The dorm will reimburse you later if you lose it. The buy-back is often the highlight of the evening, especially if girls are trying to get their panties returned before it's time to go home. The rules state that no one in the crowd is allowed to give them anything to wear. Sue Wanamaker was forced to stay completely naked until midnight fifteen years ago before being driven home by her friends. People still talk about it."
"It sounds interesting. Guys and girls?"
"Yes, this year four guys and three girls, if you agree to play."
"Okay, count me in. I'm generally good at cards. Any more rules I need to know?"
"Yeah, a few, but we can talk about those before the game starts," he answered.
Several days before the event, excitement was building for the Shake-Up. Members of my dorm were wishing me luck, sometimes with sly smiles. Members of other dorms and clubs were hoping I'd lose. My dormmates Alice, Maryann, and Tucker warned me which players were the trickiest, and said not to wear my best clothes.
The big night arrived. About a hundred and fifty guests appeared, some in cars and some in buses borrowed from the athletic department. The large old barn was decked out like a Viking feast, with colorful banners, long tables of rich food, sawdust on the floor, and a full bar. Players would get drinks for free, which I found an added attraction. It was scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. and run until midnight. Guests could leave early if they wanted. Being the stars of the show, the card players were required to stay until closing, visiting with guests and donors.
I wore my old jeans, a polo shirt, and tennis shoes that had developed holes in the bottoms. There was electricity in the air just before the game started. From what I understood, admissions, donations, and legacies would raise as much as $50,000 for child cancer research. Having lost a little brother to leukemia, it was a good cause for me.
"Russ, here are those other rules," Glenn said, taking me aside. "The players who lose stay naked until the buy-back, where someone is expected to sell them a shirt. Girls rarely get their panties back, being souvenirs. Players are allowed to loan each other clothes during the match, so sometimes one girl will take mercy on another girl and loan her something. There is no loaning clothes after a player leaves the game."
"That's a little complicated," I suggested.
"It's been this way forever, and it's a lot of fun. The crowd stays very engaged, cheering the players on and making side bets on each hand. Even the music gets turned down if there seems to be a dramatic moment, and of course, just about everyone is taking pictures with their phones."
My roommate paused, seeking my reaction to being photographed if I lost my clothes. At first, I had no reaction at all, but I needed to remember this was a new school. One that didn't need to know about my previous ... experience.
"Photos? Of me? If I lose?" I said, sounding alarmed.
"Don't worry, you won't lose," Glenn said. "And it's all in good fun."
A gong sounded. I don't think I'd heard a gong in years. The players sat on the floor around a low oak table, agreeing on the rules, and decided on five card stud. A hundred and fifty people, both scruffy and well-dressed, watched from bleachers and the loft. I knew two of my opponents from math and biology classes, but being new to Midville, I didn't know the others.
"Russ, you better give me your wallet," Glenn said. "If you lose your pants, the wallet and your $50 goes with them." I saw other players taking the same precaution.
Raleigh Sanders, the eminent president of the Literary Society, was the official dealer, just so no questions were asked later. We each started with eight items. I put up a shoe. Joe from Red Dorm won with two pairs, jacks over nines. Then Mary Marvel, as she was called, won the second hand with a pair of aces. She was very pretty, with long flowing brown hair just like the comic book character. I needed to keep my focus.
No one had strong enough hands to raise yet, everyone being cautious. Sam Willoby from Green Dorm won another hand with three 3s. Then Cindy, who I knew from math, raised her bid. I had three jacks and called her. Leticia Gonzales, the third girl in the game, saw her, too. Cindy turned over a full house. She was the prettiest woman in the game, with deep blue eyes and long blonde hair. I had a bit of a crush on her, though we'd hardly spoken outside of class. The thought of seeing her naked made it hard to concentrate.
The game had only been going forty minutes and I had lost five items. So had Leticia. Jack Spaulding was still at four items, as he had not seen Cindy's raise. It occurred to me that I could only ante up three more times. Leticia and I exchanged worried glances. My shirt went into the pot, leaving me with a T-shirt and boxer shorts.
Jack finally won a hand with two pairs, queens over 3s, and scooped up six items. Five of the players were looking good now. Two of us weren't. My T-shirt went into the pot. Leticia took off her bra and put it on the table as the crowd hooted. She kept her cards in one hand and an arm over her breasts with the other. I won with three 9s, winning my T-shirt back and a bunch of socks.
Leticia had to remove her panties to ante up as the crowd cheered. The music stopped. If she didn't win this hand, she'd be walking around the barn stark naked for the next two hours. A barn filled with clothed people. Friends and classmates. She was quite attractive, which everyone could see, with large bouncy breasts and a trimmed patch that amply showed her box. She would draw a crowd. The players were respectful, but anxious to win. The cards were dealt. And mine were good, two pairs, aces over kings. Sitting on the floor nude, Leticia studied her cards.
"I would like to raise. Will someone make me a loan?" she asked. The table was quiet. It seemed there were no takers. There were giggles as Leticia's face flushed red with embarrassment. If Leticia couldn't get a loan, it would only take one raise to knock her out of the game. Mary Marvel had mercy on her, throwing her three socks. Leticia put one down.
"Raise," she said.
I threw in one of my hard-won socks. So did Joe and Sam. The ladies chose not to compete against their fellow female. I took one card. It was another ace. A full house. But Leticia and Joe didn't seem unhappy with their cards, either.
"I raise my other two socks," Leticia said.
"I call," I said, trying not to let on my hand was strong.
"Call and raise one," Joe said. Leticia had nothing left to bet. She turned to her friends again. A ripple of laughter rolled through the barn. If Leticia couldn't meet the raise, she was out. In a mean sort of way, it was fun seeing her sitting there naked and squirming. The crowd crept closer to see what would happen. Cindy threw her two more socks.
"Call and raise one," Leticia declared. This was now the biggest hand of the evening. The barn was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Everyone was watching. I heard side bets being made.
"Call," I said, throwing in the last of my pillaged socks and my T-shirt. We looked to Joe for his bet.
"It's gotten too rich for me," he said throwing his cards in. Leticia and I looked at each other. One of us was going to be very disappointed.
"Full house, aces high," I said with a grin.
"Four 4s," Leticia responded with a relieved smile.
The audience exploded with shouts, chatter, and backslapping. Leticia gathered in the spoils, getting her panties back, a big pile of socks, and a man's shirt. She quickly put the shirt on. And then everyone was looking at me, smirking and chuckling. There was a drum roll as I took off my boxer shorts to ante up, trying to be a good sport. I looked toward my friends Glenn, Alice, Maryann, and Tucker with a shrug. They were standing together only fifteen feet away with smirking grins.
My underwear lay on the table as the cards were dealt. It was do or die for me. I had three 10s, a 3, and a 2. If I won, I'd be taking seven items back. Enough to stay in the game.
"Pass," I said, having nothing to raise with.
Four players threw in their cards. Everyone looked to Cindy and Sam.
"I raise one," Sam said, leering at me with a devilish grin.
"I call," Cindy chimed in, both throwing socks on the table. Her scrunching eyes were looking me over. Like a cat playing with a mouse.
"I'm out of clothes. Can someone loan me something?" I asked. "Anyone? Please?"
After all, Leticia had received two loans that kept her in the game, playing a hand that I would have won. But none of the players said anything. The women were looking down, not making eye contact. Two of the men were grinning with amusement at my predicament. The room was shuffling with snickering and bad jokes.
It was very awkward sitting there naked with a good hand and no way to play it. I heard a drum roll. I'd been holding my breath, and finally let it out, feeling defeated.
