It was a typical summer evening at the pub.
I was sitting at the table with my new girlfriend, Yvette, a twenty-four-year-old who had moved here to the United Kingdom to study, whom I had met a few months earlier at the gym. We had started dating right away and there had been a certain chemistry from the very beginning, I couldn't be more satisfied.
There were many things about Yvette that had won me over. She had a sweet face and an adorable smile. She was nice, witty, and enthusiastically laughed at my jokes. She had a delightful French accent. She was also a bit clumsy, which, I admit, was somewhat of a fetish for me. She had a not-too-big breast, but just the right fullness and firmness. And finally, a round butt that approached perfection. A butt that I would have loved to fuck, but she had confessed to me that she didn't particularly enjoy anal sex and that, maybe, one day she would grant me that.
But I was fine with it that way. Our relationship was solid, even from the sexual point of view. In fact, that evening I expected to end on a high note by taking her home and having sex until exhaustion. In my heart, I hoped she would also be inclined enough to let me have anal sex if I played my cards right.
However, fate wanted to play a cruel trick on me.
"Hey, Nick!"
I couldn't be mistaken, it was Alan's voice. I turned towards the table on my right and saw that it was indeed Alan, who was just sitting down. With him was Luke.
Shit! Although we were friends, those two had a rather exuberant personality that I couldn't stand much. Let's just say they were two complete morons, that's it. The classic big guys who do nothing but joke around and feel the need to get familiar with everyone. Especially with girls. Even if they are already engaged to another man.
"Who are they?" Yvette asked me.
I sighed and was about to respond, but Luke interrupted me, "We are two dear friends of the present Nick. Nice to meet you, Luke!" and he extended his hand to my girlfriend.
Yvette seemed amused by that bravado and shook the jerk's hand while smiling. Then Alan introduced himself as well. And immediately he let slip the first sleazy comment, "Damn, I didn't think Nick could actually get with a girl like you!"
Yvette chuckled coyly.
The damage was already done. Unfortunately, those two morons had sat right at the table next to ours, and it would have been impossible to ignore them for the rest of the evening. I couldn't even leave, because I would have looked like the jealous fool in front of Yvette. I could only hope that they wouldn't go too hard on my girlfriend, out of respect for our friendship.
I was so fooled...
They were broadcasting the UEFA Euro 2024 semifinal between Spain and France on TV, even though most of the patrons seemed to not care. Including me. Nick and Alan, on the other hand, were two die-hard football fans and it didn't take them long to behave as if they were at home, stuffing themselves with chicken, fries, and beer, and burping loudly while cheering for Spain. I felt like dying from embarrassment and noticed that Yvette was also clearly uncomfortable, but that didn't stop her from occasionally speaking to them when they asked her something.
But it wasn't just the game that caught Alan and Luke's attention. Several times I noticed them glancing with interest at my girlfriend's legs--Yvette was wearing a miniskirt that evening. And more than once, they cast looks at the limits of indecency at her neckline, which highlighted her firm breasts.
As if that weren't enough, they had offered one of their beers to Yvette, and she, who gets tipsy even after just a sip of alcohol, had accepted! The consequences are quite obvious: after one drink, she was already half tipsy, and not only had the discomfort from my friends' behavior disappeared, but it seemed she enjoyed being watched.
"Could you put your blouse back on, sweetheart?" I asked Yvette at one point, while she was talking with Alan and Luke about her desire to take a vacation in Australia.
She sighed and said nothing, but looked at me as if to say, 'Don't be jealous,' and I gave up insisting.
I tried another approach. When a waiter passed by, I asked him, "Could we change tables?"
"I'm sorry, sir," he replied mortified. "They're all already occupied."
Alan, who had heard, asked me, "Hey, buddy, did we do something wrong?"
I would have liked to respond, 'Yes, you are fucking my girlfriend with your eyes!' but being a rather submissive type, I didn't want to argue, so I hesitated in search of the right words.
"Are we embarrassing you with Yvette, right?" asked Luke. "Isn't that right, girl?"
My girlfriend, already a bit tipsy, responded with a silly laugh.
"Then let's calm down, promise!" Luke assured again.
I couldn't believe it, but I didn't comment, unaware that the worst was yet to come.
At the end of the first half, the score was 2 to 1 in favor of Spain. Kolo Muani had scored for France, Yamal and Olmo for the Iberians. Luke commented, "Of course, France, despite being the world champion, is not playing well at all."
"We're warming up," replied Yvette. "You saw that we scored the first goal, right In the second half, there will be a bunch!"
I noticed that the two jerks exchanged a knowing glance, and then Luke suggested, "Let's make a bet--"
"No!" I interrupted him immediately. "No bets!"
"But at least let me speak first!" replied Luke. "What do you say, Yvette?"
I prayed that she would refuse, but that drunken floozy replied, "Okay!" without even thinking for a second.
Luke let the cat out of the bag. "Earlier you said you wanted to go to Australia. Let's say that if France wins the match, we'll pay for your vacation in Australia."
"Actually, if we want to ruin ourselves, we'll pay for both!" Alan intervened.
Yvette seemed intrigued. "And what if Spain wins? Will I pay you?"
Alan and Luke exchanged another knowing glance and snickered, and the latter Luke replied, "If Spain wins, you'll be ours for a night."
I must have misunderstood. And Yvette thought the same, judging by her expression.
"Sorry, I didn't understand."
"If Spain wins, your girlfriend is ours for a night," Luke repeated. "We'll have sex with her in tandem."
"Bastards!" I shouted, not caring that I was in a pub. "But how dare you? Apologize to Yvette right now, come on!"
The two jerks didn't budge or apologize.
"Not a chance, assholes!" I kept shouting. "Yvette, you tell him too that--"
With horror, I saw that Yvette was biting her lower lip. I knew her well. It meant that she was really considering that idea. The vacation in Australia paid for by those two bastards tempted her, but... what if she lost? They would have fucked her! And I'm sure they wouldn't have held back!
"We should think about it, darling," she said to me.
"Think about it, my ass!" I shout again. "What the hell are you talking about? There's nothing to think about! Come on, get up, let's go!"
Alan and Luke were snickering at my loss of control--and they should thank God I wasn't punching them in front of the entire pub, even though I would definitely have come off worse.
At one point, Luke called me out, "Pussy!" but I ignored him and grabbed Yvette by the arm.
"Let's go!" I repeated, annoyed. I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.
Yvette let herself be grabbed, but she didn't get up. On the contrary, I saw a spark of defiance shining in her eyes.
I heard her say "We accept," and the whole world came crashing down on me.
The two idiots whom I would never again call 'friends' for the rest of my days high-fived each other triumphantly, but Yvette clarified, "If it goes badly and I lose, no anal sex. Understood?"
She extended her hand to Luke, who shook it vigorously. He did the same with Alan.
"Understood, chick!"
I felt sick. A sense of nausea rose up my throat, and I stared at Yvette with a mix of astonishment, anger, fear, and resignation.
She told me, "Don't worry, France will win."
I shrugged and prayed it was true.
45 minutes later, the final whistle from the referee marked the end of the semifinal and, more importantly, the victory of Alan and Luke. The latter celebrated the event with a loud burp, then the two morons started to cheer.
I felt the nausea rising again. I didn't look Yvette in the face and with my gaze down, I dashed to the counter. I ordered the strongest alcoholic drink they had and downed it in one gulp, indifferent to the fire that coursed down my throat.
When I returned to the table, Yvette spoke to me with a regretful voice, "Sorry, love--"
"Sorry, my ass!" I shouted, but before I could say anything else, Luke pointed out to me, "A bet is a bet, buddy. With Yvette, we decided to go to a hotel nearby and collect our winnings."
He talked about it as if it were nothing, and Yvette didn't bat an eye.
I tried to reason with everyone, "Come on, you can't really expect Yvette to honor the bet. It doesn't make sense!"