All characters are over the age of 18.
The whiskey burned with every sip. "Want another Lex?" Carl asked, lifting the bottle.
"Sure, might as well," I said, sliding my empty friend to him. Carl was one of the few friends that I had left. He asked how my day was since this was my fourth drink of the night. "Yeah, I got fired today, and since this is the second month of missing my lease payment, I'll probably have to live in my car for a while."
"I got a friend who might be able to help you. I can give him a call if you want."
I took my drink and slid it back to him for another. "Sure, give him a call. What do I have to lose?"
Carl smiled and placed the bottle on the bar, "No charge, honey. I'll be right back." He walked to the back of the bar and called his friend.
Once my new friend was empty, I started to leave, but Carl told me to wait with a slight chuckle. His friend was on the way. "He knows I'm not going to fuck him for money, right? It's not illegal, is it?" I questioned, eyebrows raised.
"Oh no, he's got an offer for you that won't take up too much of your time. How about I make you something to eat? You want your usual?"
I nodded and watched as the other patrons laughed and talked like their lives were perfect. At twenty years old, jobless, and soon-to-be homeless, I wanted to barf. Well, that may have been the alcohol trying to leave me too. Minutes felt like hours waiting for this mysterious friend Carl never mentioned before. Maybe it was a sugar daddy who would take me from all this and give me anything I wanted. A girl can dream, can't she?
Checking myself in the bar mirror, I fixed my blonde hair and pushed my breasts up, trying to make them seem more perky. With only a tank top and jean shorts, I hoped he liked what he saw. Then, a Well-groomed man with short dark hair came behind me. He was handsome with a chiseled jaw and bright hazel eyes. "Excuse me, Ms. Glass, is it?" His voice was smooth yet professional.
I turned on my stool, placing my elbows on the bar and pushing my chest out. "Yeah, that's me. How can I help you?"
He sat beside me and raised his hand for a drink. "My name is Julian, and I would like to make you an offer." God, here it comes, my future sugar daddy. "How would you like the chance to make fifty thousand dollars?"
I nearly spat my drink on the bar. "Excuse me?"
Julian smiled, "This week, I am hosting a game. The winner has the chance to win a minimum of fifty thousand dollars. It would only take a week or so of your time."
"What kind of game?"
"It's a hunt of sorts. Until you sign some documents and we are in a more private setting, that's all I can say." Julian didn't touch his drink. He only twirled his fingers around the glass.
That was a lot of money, especially for me. I had never in my life seen that much money. That's more than I had ever made in a year, and it would only take about a week. "Okay, where do we need to go?"
He placed a one hundred dollar bill on the bar and held out his hand. I took it and followed him from the bar. A black SUV was parked outside with a man standing by the door. He opened the door and helped me inside. Julian followed me and sat across from me. "Ms. Glass."
"Please call me Lex," I interjected.
"Lex, pretty name for a beautiful woman." I couldn't help but smile. "Before we continue and I tell you the terms of the hunt, I need you to sign this." He handed me a document that appeared to be a standard NDA, basically stating I wasn't allowed to close anything about him or what he was about to tell me. Hell, I was in this far. What did it matter? I signed the document and handed it back to him.
"Lex, the hunt is a biannual event I host for some wealthy clients. Don't worry, you won't be killed or anything. It's like a big game of capture the flag, but you're the flag." He paused, waiting for my response, but I just nodded. "You and a few others will have to evade my clients, trying not to be captured. The last person left will win the fifty thousand. If the hunt progresses to the next day, an extra ten thousand will be added to the total, and so on until a winner is announced."
"What's the catch?" I asked, crossing my arms.
Julian smiled and interlocked his fingers. "The catch is if you're captured, you will become the hunter's property for the duration of the hunt. You will receive five thousand per day you're captured."
"What do you mean by property?"
"My clients have certain tastes and will do whatever they like physically to you and your body within reason. No one will permanently maim you or anything like that. Mainly, it's lots of sex or other proclivities of that nature."
I wrinkled my nose, "So basically, I'd be their whore for the week?"
"For lack of a better term, yes. If you win, you will be greatly rewarded, and based on my cursory research, you might enjoy it."
"What the hell does that mean?" Julian pulled up a video of me in college. It was of me being gangbanged by a sorority during a party. "How the fuck did you get that?" I was nearly screaming.
"Lex, I have the resources to find out anything about everyone. If you do this, I promise you won't be the same afterward." The way he spoke so smoothly made me tingle all over. I couldn't help but fidget in my seat. "You will never know the identities of my clients, and no one will know your name. There will be another document you have to sign before the hunt. Also, should you stop at any point before the hunt is concluded, you will receive nothing." His voice turned very stern at that last statement. I hated how turned on it was making me.
I nodded, and Julian waited, not blinking or moving. "I'll d-do it," I meekly stated. With that, he motioned to his driver, and we left the bar in the rearview.
Hours passed with neither of us speaking. I would try to ask him questions, but he would blow them off. The city lights turned to open farmland until nothing but forest surrounded us. We pulled into a cabin by the edge of the woods. The cabin was more like a mansion with a small lake in front. Large wooden beams made up its exterior with enormous bay windows overlooking the lake. "Welcome, Lex, to Starlight Sanctuary. A room will be provided for you tonight. There will be a change of clothes provided for you shortly."
The mansion was enormous, with modern amenities. There was a pool table, bar, sitting area, and a large dining table to one side. I had only seen things like this in movies or TV shows for the super-rich. Four men stood around the pool table. Two appeared average. One was heavy set, like he spent most of his time at a desk or a buffet, and the fourth one was fit and lean, wearing a fitted suit. He locked eyes with me and smiled.
I turned as a woman approached me, "Ms. Glass, if you follow me, I'll show you to your room and your attire for the evening." She wore dark slacks with a tight white blouse. Around her neck was a leather collar with a dog tag that read Jenny on the front.
"Oh, uh, okay. Thanks, Jenny." She bowed slightly and led into the mansion. We walked up the stairs to a long hallway with doors on either side. At the end of the hallway was one final room. The walls were a neutral gray with six beds, with three along each wall. One window was at the end, overlooking the forest.
Seven other women were milling about and chatting. Each of their bodies was slightly different, with some bustier than others while some had other assets that I'm sure paid for themselves. Jenny led me inside and showed me which bed was mine for the night. The other women stood and stared at her. "Now that we are all here." she rang a bell, and a man walked in carrying a silver tray. "Each of you will wear these when I return to escort you downstairs. These will be the only garments you're allowed to wear from now until the hunt is over. That is unless you are captured and your hunter decides otherwise. Please stay in this room till I return."
Jenny and the man left the room as we circled the tray. Three women grabbed the garments without looking. I took mine and realized they were thin camouflage bikinis with tiestrings on each side. "What the fuck is this!"
"Oh, you must be new. I'm Joan," the tall brunette woman next to me said. She was already stripping out of her clothes, as was everyone else.
I started to follow suit before I spoke, "Yeah, I'm Lex."
"They want us to wear these so we don't try to hide anything that could be used against the hunters. Don't worry, though. It's not uncommon to lose them the first day."
"Great, let's just run through the woods naked," I mumbled, "How many of these have you done?"
"Oh, this is my third. I came close last year, but that bitch Roxanne was just a bit faster than me. I would hurry before Jenny gets back. She hates tardiness."
I've never been shy, and apparently, neither was anyone else. Two of the other women were staring at me head to toe. While Joan just gasped, "My dear, what happened to you?"
She was looking at the scar and the crisscrosses across my side. "Hunting accident when I was a teenager. No biggie." The other two women narrowed their eyes on me. I realized telling them that may have been a mistake. Jenny arrived before I could ask Joan more. I tried to look as meek and embarrassed as possible, hiding beside Joan.