The Skin Ball Part One: The Bet
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THE AURORA CAFĂ
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If there was one party at Green College that defined Jessa Westâs four years, it was the Skin Ball. That one night, more than any other, was the one that she remembered years later, the one that shaped her more than any professor, the one that taught her more about herself than any class. It was a night when she bonded with her sorority sisters, flirted with dozens of guys, and opened herself to new ideas and experiences that she had previously written off as too brazen, too risquĂ©.
But the foundation for Jessaâs eye-opening evening was laid months beforehand, at the opening of her senior fall, at a coffee shop in downtown Hancock. Early on that Sunday morning, the Aurora CafĂ© was practically devoid of life, Green College students hesitant to get out of better after what had been the first night, and the first real parties, of the term. Jessa herself was feeling a little hung-over, but it was Alexandra Poe, who was sitting alongside her, that had been popping aspirin all morning. Kristin Douglas, too, looked somewhat out of it, her eyes half-open as she took deep sips from her cup of coffee.
A Sunday morning meeting had not been the idea of the three sorority girls. Isaac Lingle, who sat across the table from the bedraggled sisters, appeared to be wide-awake, despite the fact that Jessa was sure sheâd seen him at DZO the night before.
Isaac was obviously excited about the prospect of Ep Chi helping raise money for Homes for the Homeless, and he was throwing out fundraising ideas that the sorority could possibly help him with, but at the same time assuring the girls that theyâd have complete control over the fundraisers themselves. Isaac didnât necessarily care how the money was raised; he just wanted to get a pledge of support from Epsilon Chi.
Ep Chi, as it was known around campus, was easily the richest, quite correctly the snootiest, and arguably the most attractive sorority at Green College. The three girls seated across from Isaac were no exception to those stereotypes.
Jessa West has been born and raised in Tallahassee as a Southern belle, the daughter of a conservative Florida senator. She was every bit a debutante, from the way she carried herself to the gentle country accent that so many Green men found so alluring. She was short, only a couple of inches taller than five feet, and had shoulder-length baby-blonde hair that framed her high cheekbones, bright blue eyes, and a set of extremely sexy red lips.
Kristin Douglas looked less the part of a traditional Ep Chi, but her personality made up for it in strides. She had been more and raised on Long Island, and educated at all of the best and most expensive private schools, before coming to rural Hancock in New England to attend Green College. Kristin was heavily involved in the Green College Riding Club, a bastion of daddyâs little girls. Her straight black hair was cut extremely short, a look that Kristin loved and hated at the same time; on one hand, she looked more grown up and little bit sexier, but on the other, she missed having long hair to arrange and play with.
Completing the trio of early-risers was Alex Poe, ever the troublemaker. When she was a little more awake, and a little less hung-over, there tended to be a mischievous look in her sparkling green eyes that Jessa at once looked forward to and feared. Her hair, hanging down past her shoulders, was a chestnut-brown. She, unlike her sisters, had been raised in a low-income town outside of Burlington, but had found her niche at Ep Chi, becoming every bit the social elite that Kristin and Jessa had both been since birth.
Isaac himself found the girls a little too high-maintenance for his own tastes, but all three were gorgeous nonetheless, despite being dressed in sweats and suffering from bags under their red eyes. But his happiness rose not from the beautiful women across the table from him, but from their pledge to raise money for his organization.
Each fall, Student Volunteer Projects (SVP) held its annual fundraising drives for the programs that were housed within its guidelines, from Homes for the Homeless to Student Mentors to the environmental club (the Green Green Club). And each fall, the Greek houses that lined Calhoun Avenue all offered their support for particular programs.
Ep Chi was one of the strongest houses when it came to fundraising. Last year, it had raised a small fortune for the Prison Tutor Project, and Isaac was ecstatic to have them for his particular group. Jessa was the houseâs Fundraising Chair, Kristin the Treasurer, and Alex the current House President, so the three girls were able to speak for Ep Chi as a whole and promise to raised money for Homes for the Homelessâs expanded programs in nearby Swansea.
Jessa made a joke about how much money theyâd be able to raise, bragging about Ep Chiâs performance in the past. The other two girls laughed, but it was clear that the jest struck the nerve of another customer at the Aurora CafĂ© that morning.
Instead of ignoring the comment, Mason MacNeill saddled down at the table, taking a seat alongside Isaac, with whom he was actually fairly good friends.
âSo we were actually looking for a charity, too,â Mason said to Isaac, not paying any attention to the girls across from him. âTriGam, that is. Do you think that we could possibly give to Homes for the Homeless, too?â A smile crept across Masonâs face â he knew that this was going to set Jessa off.
As Isaacâs jaw dropped at the prospect of having TWO houses donate to his group, Jessa butted in. âMason! Homes for the Homeless is Ep Chiâs charity! Find your own!â
Tall, easy-going, and good-looking, Mason was the dream guy for more than one Green College student of the female persuasion. He had close-cropped brown hair that Jessa herself had dreamed of running her hands through on more than one occasion, though she had held back. Sophomore year, there had been an undeniable electricity between the two, but Jessa had stepped back when sheâd found out that her friend Cat was interested in him. After all, most of Jessaâs attraction to Mason was purely physical, and it was clear that there was a little more emotional involvement on Catâs end of things. Though Cat and Mason had dated for nearly a year, theyâd broken up that summer, and the TriGam brother â make that the TriGam PRESIDENT - was suddenly on the market again. Unfortunately, he was currently trying to cause trouble.
âAre you saying that two houses canât raise money for the same charity, Jessa?â Mason asked the blonde girl, feigning indignance. âIsnât it about the homeless people, and not Ep Chi?â
Isaac was nodding along, dollar signs in his eyes. âHeâs right,â he said to the girls. âI mean, two houses raising money for us would do a lot of good around the community, both in Hancock and in Swansea.â
Jessa was annoyed, though. âHeâs not doing this raise money for the homeless. Heâs doing it to irritate us.â
âMaybe,â Mason smiled coyly, âmaybe Iâm doing both at once.â
Jessa wrinkled up her nose at him, but Alex jumped in with a challenge. âSo what if we make this a competition?â
âA competition?â Mason asked.
âA competition?â Isaac repeated, the sounds of cash registers ringing in his ears.
âYeah,â Alex replied. âWe see who can raise the most the money. If I remember correctly, Ep Chi has out raised all the other houses for something like five or six years in a row. TriGamâŠhmmmâŠTriGam has one of the worst records, donât you? Didnât even Mu Tau out raise you guys last year?â
âWell, we had nothing to fight for,â Mason explained casually.
âActually, the Hunger Awareness program collapsed because they didnât have enough funding last year,â Isaac interrupted.
Mason gave him a look. âDo you want TriGamâs help?â
âSorry.â
Mason turned back to Alex. âSo what exactly are you proposing?â
Alex had woken up. Her eyes were dancing with a sense of daring, a hint of mischief. âWell, I was at your house last night, before DZO. You guys were having nude tails?â
A rite of passage within TriGam was a brotherâs night of nude tails. Each year, TriGam pledges played bartender for an open party in nothing more than a pair of shoes. Most of the brothers stayed behind the bar most of the night, but there were definitely more daring pledges who walked through the party, serving beer to anyone who wanted it.
Masonâs eyebrows were raised at where he figured Alex was heading. âSo?â
âSo, what if we bet a night of nudity? A naked party?â the brunette suggested, licking her lips.
âA Skin Ball,â Jessa added, not entirely sure that she was sold on the idea. Sure, sheâd been naked in front of Mason before. Sheâd done her fair share of streaking, strip poker, and other things, as those things were practically required of college students. But a whole party, completely naked for anyone and everyone to come in and see her, was a little different. It didnât seem as safe, it didnât seem as controlled.
Isaac was hushed. Mason was mulling it over in his head.
Alex continued, âWhichever house raises the most money by Thanksgiving break hosts a party for the other house at the end of the term. The winning house pays for the DJ, the alcohol, the party favors, whatever. The losing house comes over and strips.â
Mason was definitely interested. Just the thought of an entire house of naked Ep Chis was turning him on. But Mason was grounded in reality â he knew that TriGam had a dismal fundraising record, and that if he entered into this bet with Alex, Jessa, and Kristin, it would undoubtedly be the TriGam brothers dancing around with their dicks hanging out at the end of the day. âI donât knowâŠâ
âOkay, what if we sweetened the deal?â Alex asked. She wanted this bet.
âHow?â
âTwelve hours,â Jessa added, Alexâs excitement catching hold of her. Out-fundraising TriGam wouldnât be much of a challenge. âTwelve hours naked. Losers come over, have a party, spend the night, and clean up the next day. You guys can even make us breakfast.â
âSpend the night?â Isaac asked. He wasnât in either house. He wouldnât be stripping naked either way. But the thought of an entire naked sorority, cuddling up in bed together at TriGam, was definitely getting him excited.
âNo impropriety involved,â Jessa added. âIn fact, itâs probably best if we stipulate this now â this is about stripping. Weâre not all going to descend into an orgy. Girls will sleep separate from boys, no matter who wins.â
âAnd no one else,â Kristin added, much to Isaacâs disappointment. âJust Ep Chi and TriGam, and thatâs it.â
Mason was definitely interested, despite his doubts. He tried to hedge a little bit more, saying, âHonestly, I canât make this bet, no matter how much I want to. President or not, I still have to talk to the rest of the guys, run this by them. And even though youâve got your little Cabinet here, I think itâs probably a good idea for you three to the same with your house.â
âIs that a yes?â Jessa asked devilishly. âAre you making the bet?â