Gabby
The Game
“Sally Hanson,” said the tall blonde to the manager, “I should have reservations.”
The short man, not much over twenty, looked at the glowing computer screen and his eyes narrowed then awareness came to them. He said, “You are expected in the penthouse.”
The desk clerk became overly friendly to the woman and offered everything except carrying her and her bags to the room. The penthouse was for very special guests. He didn’t know why so many people went there, but the floor was never rented out except on this week of every year.
Sally lifted her small travel bag and went to the elevator to which the clerk had pointed. She took a gold key out of her handbag and pushed it into the slot. With a turn of the key the elevator door slid open. She set down the bag, straightened her white ruffled blouse, and smoothed the blue-jean skirt that stopped a few inches above the knee.
The numbers above the elevator door counted steadily upward. Sally reflected on how she had come to be standing in the elevator. She thought back to when she had been five years old sitting on her father’s lap as he played cards with his buddies. He taught her the game, and taught her well. She had won the championship in Vegas three times. It had been after the last win that she got an invitation to this game.
Sally's dad had told her of the high stakes games about which the public never hears. He had said how only the best were invited. It had taken all of her thirty-five years, but she had made the list. This was the most exclusive game in the world. The prized was $100,000,000, but it wasn’t the money that brought her to the game, it was the challenge. She knew she could make a good living playing poker, but she wasn’t at this game for the money.
The elevator dinged and the door slid quietly open. Taking a deep breath, she picked up her bag and walked confidently into the room. The room was elegant, but sparse. There was a single aging poker table in the center of the room. Around it were five padded chairs. The chairs looked new, while the table looked fifty years old and displayed its use like a badge of honor.
A man wearing an expensive suit stepped from one of the back rooms, smiled brightly, and said, “Good morning, Ms. Hanson.”
She smiled and said, “It looks like I'm early.”
The corner of his mouth went up and he said, “Actually, you are on time. The gentlemen are in the kitchen are about ready to sit down. You may put your bag anywhere.”
Sally had hoped to have a room to put her bag in and a chance to change clothes. At that moment four men entered the room. One she knew from his legendary status, “One Arm Jake”. The rest of the men she didn’t know. One was tall and skinny, while the other was short and fat. She thought of them as “Mutt and Jeff”
The third man was average height, well built, and had a nice smile. She couldn’t help herself as she flashed him her flirtatious smile. He ignored it and said, “Gentlemen,” paused, looked at Sally, “and lady, if you are ready, I am.”
The man in the suit that appeared to be the host said, “You may begin. I must warn you. No one leaves this penthouse until they are out of the game, and swear to never reveal anything that happened during the game. You are not out of the game until you no longer have anything to wage.” He pulled open his jacket to reveal a 44-magnum pistol that emphasized his point.
None wanted to argue with a man carrying a gun. They were there for poker, nothing else. The host approached the table with a deck of cards and said, “Jake knows the rules. He was last year’s winner. There are no limits. You can cheat steal and, lie, all is fair. You can wager anything you brought with you. Each of you was told to bring $50,000. When that money is gone, you leave or wager anything you brought with you that the others might consider of value. Jewelry, coins, etc… do not count. In fact, if you brought any valuables, you violated the rules of the game.”
The five people sat down at the table. Sally’s skirt rode high on her thighs as she wished she had been allowed the to chance clothes. Yet she knew when the game stated she would forget everything else. The host dropped a sealed pack of cards on the table and said unceremoniously, “You may begin.”
Everyone stared at the pack of cards on the table as if wondering what to do with them. It was Jake that grabbed them, ripped open the pack, and said, “No rules, remember. Never wait to be told anything.”
Three hours they had played and Sally had managed to remain even. Jake was easily the top winner. The tall man with the sandy hair was one hand away from going out. He had a pair of Jacks showing in the game of five-card stud. The woman knew that he had a possible three of a kind. She had three kings, one showing and two down.
Sally raised one thousand, she wanted to push the man out of the game, or see what he might be willing to wager. Everyone except the tall man folded. She watched her opponent and waited patiently for him to see the bid or to fold. The man pushed all he had into the pot and said, “This is all I have.” He then took off his watch and dropped it on the table. “This is the best I can do.”
Sally needed the watch like she needed a hole in her head, but she nodded and accepted the bid. He smiled brightly as he turned over his down cards to reveal three Jacks. Sally didn’t smile or show any emotion as she turned over to reveal three Kings. The tall man cursed, “Damn.”
The host seemed to appear from nowhere and said, “If you have nothing to offer up for bid, then you must leave.” The tall man reluctantly did just that.
An hour later the short, fat, man had followed suit. Those two were obviously not in the same class as the three remaining players. The man she has thought handsome said, “Now that the rookies are gone, let's play some serious cards.”
They did just that. The ante went up to five thousand dollars. It was obvious this wasn't going to be a marathon game. The handsome guy was soon down to his last thousand and by the cards Jake has showing, that might not be enough for the man to stay in the game. Even if he folded, he wouldn’t have enough money to ante for the next hand.
Jake had a two, a five, and a seven of spades showing. He could have the straight flush, or it could be a bluff. Either way, Sally decided to sit this hand out so she could see what happens with the man at her left. Sally folded her two pair.
Bill, the handsome guy played with his cards nervously as he waited for Jake to bid. The one armed man slid in five thousand dollars. Bill knew it was do or die time. He said to the one armed man, “You know I don’t have that kind of money left. What will you take in payment?”
His one hand rubbed his day old beard and asked, “Are you straight?”
Bill looked at him in surprise and asked, “Of course, why do you ask?”
“You see,” Jake smiled brightly and said, “I have this thing for getting my cock sucked by big handsome straight men.”
The larger man leapt to his feet and said, “You're out of your mind.”
“Quite assuredly I am,” said Jake, “so are you in or out?”
He knew this was his only chance to stay in the game. The rules were strict, pay the wager or leave. Bill knew he would hate himself the next day, but relented and said, “I accept your terms.”
Bill sat down to finish the hand when Jake said, “The rules are you pay up and then we play.”
The man reluctantly stood as Jake slid his chair away from the table. Bill looked at the host as to confirm the rule Jake had just quoted. He nodded affirmation.
The one armed man unzipped his pants and pulled out his semi flaccid cock. Sally had to look under the table to see it and her jaw went slack. She looked up at Jake and he was smiling at her. She winked at him and blushed. Sally thought, if it came down to her losing, she might throw the last hand just so she could suck his nine inches of meat.
Broke and desperate to play one more hand, bill knelt in the floor and then hesitantly licked the cock. It looked as if the man might vomit as he licked a second time. Jake said, “Get on with it or the deal is off.”
Reluctantly, the man took the cock into his mouth and it began to grow instantly. Bill began sucking it as he choked back tears. He, now, knew what it felt like to be a woman and raped. He couldn’t believe he was doing something like this, especially for money. Still, he knew that it wasn’t only for the money. Winning this game carried a lot of prestige in the poker community. No one played in this game for the money. Everyone wanted to beat Jake, at almost any price.
Jake began to hunch the man’s mouth, nearly choking him with his hard throbbing cock. He said, “You suck like you’ve done this before.”
Bill hadn’t lied, he was straight, but he had sucked a cock before. He and his best friend were camping out at the age of ten. They began to experiment. That was the only time, but he remembered it as if it had been yesterday.
That memory triggered something and the big man began to suck hungrily, taking in as much of the massive cock as possible. At one point Sally saw the entire length disappear into the man’s mouth. Even though Jake was near coming, his eyes were locked on Sally’s. It was as if what he really wanted was Sally. She could only think that he wanted her on his cock instead of Bill.
Jake exploded into the man’s mouth. Without thinking, Bill swallowed and wasn’t repulsed by the taste. Jake said, as he pushed the man away, “I love a straight man that is a queer at heart.”
Bill wanted to hit the one armed man, but stood, wiped the cum that hung on the corner of his mouth, and sat down. The incident was forgotten and all minds were back on the game. Jake turned over his cards to reveal the straight flush he had threatened. Bill slammed his chair back and ran into the elevator.
Jake ginned as he pulled in the money and said, “Its only you and me, now. Wanna raise the stakes?”
“Your pleasure is mine,” she replied confidently. Even though Jake was well ahead of her, she had doubled her money.
“Fifty grand ante… fifty grand bets, and then fifty grand raises,” said the man as he looked intently into her eyes.
Sally knew she had an advantage in what he suggested. She would gladly suck his cock and have sex with him if need be. She laughed and said, “Agreed… let’s play.”
It took nearly all her money to ante and to place the first bet. When all the cards were dealt, she smiled inwardly as she saw the jack, king and ace in her up cards. She new she had this hand won. Sally looked at her down cards and saw that she had missed the straight, but thought it was good enough for a bluff. She pushed in the remaining two thousand dollars she had.
Jake smiled, called it and raised it fifty thousand. Sally laughed and said, “You want that blowjob badly.”
The one armed man only smiled. He asked, “Are you in?”
She smiled as she rose from the table, knelt in front of Jake, and said, “You bet I am.”
Jake snapped his fingers for the host and said, “I want her left arm.”
Sally leapt to her feet and shouted, “You want what?”
Calmly, Jake replied, “As a wager I want your left arm.”
“You're insane,” she cried.
Jake reached out to rake in the pot and said, “I expected better players this year. I thought I might actually lose a leg.”
Sally asked in amazement, “You lost the arm in a card game?”
“That’s how I won last year. Won that hand, pardon the pun, and never looked back,“ he said smiling.
Just as Jake’s hand pulled at the pot, Sally shouted, “Hold on. I came here to win. Your payment is accepted on one condition. My arm is worth more than fifty thousand. I raise you another ten thousand.”
One arm Jake laughed and said, “Deal.”
The host said, “The game is suspended for one hour, if you will come with me, ma’am.”
She was led into a room that could have doubled for an operating room. A doctor and three nurses had began readying supplies. Sally asked the host, “Is this the usual price?”
He nodded as she removed her blouse and laid down on the table. The doctor said, “This has to be done with local anesthetic since you have to be fully alert right after the surgery. To reduce trauma and pain, as well as to follow the rules of the game, your arm will be removed at the shoulder joint. That way no bone has to be cut.”
Sally nodded and said, “Let's get on with it, I have a card game to finish.”
She knew she was insane for going through with this, but she had never been one to back away from a challenge. Sally wanted to win. She had never liked losing and wasn’t about to walk away without putting up her best fight.
The man in the white coat injected her shoulder in several places. Just as the man touched her flesh with the scalpel, she shouted, “Stop.”
The doctor lifted the scalpel and handed it back to the nurse and turned to walk way. Sally said, “Don’t put that away just yet. I wanted to remove my ring first.”
She slipped the diamond, which had been her grandmothers, onto the ring finger of the right hand. She had always worn it on the left to keep strange horny men at bay… the plan had worked well. With the ring in place on her other hand, she said, “Let's get on with it before I change my mind.”
Sally knew she might have to do some strange things to win this game, but she had never expected to literally have to give up an arm. Tomorrow she would hate herself, but today she was playing poker.
The normally brave Sally turned her head as the scalpel cut into her flesh. She could feel the pressure, but no pain. She laid there feeling her arm being tugged on. It felt sometimes as if he was twisting it. For most of the procedure she felt the doctor’s latex covered hand on her wrist.
She wasn’t sure when she noticed the hand was no longer on her wrist. She looked up at the doctor and saw the nurse walk away with her arm. For some reason she noticed the broken nail, the one she had broken getting out of the car that morning. Sally thought that she would have to cancel that trip to the manicurist.
The woman looked over to see that her arm had been replaced with a couple dozen sutures. The reality of the moment caught her and a tear formed in her eye. Crying was one of the few luxuries she never allowed herself. Growing up with three brothers didn't allow a lot of time for crying. If she cried they only laughed at her.
“Ma’am, you can sit up and put on your blouse, now.” The host said coldly. “The gentleman is waiting for you at the table.”
Sally found putting on her blouse an awkward task. Something that had been so mundane, now, took effort and concentration. Somehow, she managed to get her blouse on and buttoned. The short sleeve hung limply where her arm had been.
Jake sat drinking a beer as she returned. He said, “You look lovely.”
She gave him an icy stare and said, “Let's get on with the game.”
Sally reached for the cards with her left hand and cursed. She looked over at Jake and he was grinning cruelly. “Fuck you,” she said as she snatched up the cards in her right hand.
She sat staring at the man, daring him to call her raise of ten thousand. It took all her will to keep her hand from shaking. Sally realized how dumb it had been to give up an arm on a bluff. All he needed was any pair to beat her. That pair would beat her mentally as well.
A finger thumped his down cards and he stared unflinching into her eyes. Jake smiled suddenly, lifted a hand as if to flip the cards. The definitive moment of Sally’s life had arrived. For the first time in her life she broke before an opponent and closed her eyes. That was a sure sign that the woman had given up hope. Then the words came, the words she didn’t expect. Jake said, “I fold.”
Sally slumped visibly with relief at hearing his words. The poker player in her quickly returned and smiled as she raked in the pot. Her hand was steady once more as she did so. Deep inside the woman, in a place where we hide the truth from ourselves, she knew he had given her the game. The man was toying with her. She was beaten, but wouldn’t admit it to herself.
She played even for the next hour. They swapped hands back and forth. Sally had regained her confidence when she got the current hand. The fourth king seemed to wink at her as a finger curled up the edge of the last card. The player in her showed no emotions. She saw that Jake had two aces showing so he would be the one to bet first. She would raise with all she had. That was sure to force him to fold.
With all her money sitting in the middle of the table, her heart sank when Jake said as he tossed fifty thousand in to the pot, “I call.”
That was not what she had expected, but the odds were in her favor. There was no way the man could have two more aces in the hole. Sally flipped her cards and smiled. Jake did the same and her heart stopped as he revealed four aces.
Jake said, “Are you out of the game?”
Sally frowned and said, “I see no other choice.”
“I’ll give you $100,000 for your right leg,” said the man.
Sally stood, reached for her bag, and walked toward the elevator. The demon in her screamed angrily at her as she put her key into the slot. He raged and tormented her, shouting, “Quitter… quitter.”
The woman stopped, took a deep breath and swore silently under her breath and turned around. Sally stared at the man and hated him at that moment. Without saying a word she walked silently to the operating room and unbuttoned her skirt, letting it slide down her long lean legs and said, “Let's get it over with.”
The operation went much like the one with her shoulder. She was kept awake and the leg was removed at the hip joint. That meant that there would be no stub, no nothing. This time she did cry, she hated herself for mutilating herself like this.
When the doctor was through, she watched as he carried her leg away and dropped it into a container. She had noticed the corn on her big toe and remembered how painful it had been at times. Sally could see the indentation the strap of her sandal had left. There were a million reminders that the leg belonged to her, or at least it had used to.
A nurse handed the woman her skirt and she slid it up her one leg and then worked it over her hips. Sally sat up and looked how her short skirt hung limply where her leg had been. She had seen amputees before, but they always had a stub. She had nothing… her leg was gone all the way to her pelvis.
She sat there watching the clock… she had only minutes before her hour was up. Sally had to pull herself together so that she could finish the game. After taking a deep breath she said, “Doc, I’m ready to go back.”
He and the nurse helped her off the table and into a wheelchair that she hadn’t noticed until now. It was motorized so all she had to do was work the joystick with her one arm. Sitting in the chair, she realized this would be her future. Never again would she walk.
It took some time to get the feel of the wheelchair controls, but she managed. As soon as she stopped at the table, Jake entered the room, stopped and stared at her. He then walk rapidly to Sally and kissed her passionately. At first she pushed at him with the one arm that had no chance against him, and then gave into the kiss.
Jake wasn't the type of man she normally dated, but he was far from repulsive. Even though her shoulder and hip ached, Sally kissed him with more passion than she had expected. Something was happening to Sally… something that scared her.
Sally saw the sleeve dangle from the shoulder with the missing arm and felt her pussy getting wet. As soon as her hand touched him, to pull the man to her, he pulled away and went back to his chair. He grinned and pushed the $100,000 over to the woman.
With effort, she pushed all her feelings to the spot where she hides them while playing poker and said, “Deal.”
Jake dealt, but his eyes were never away from Sally for long. She was distracted as well, not by Jake, but the way her skirt hung loosely where her leg had been. Something was happening with her that she didn’t understand.
Sally played the game and won as many as she lost, even though her mind wasn't on the game. The woman thought of losing her money so she could leave before she was mutilated any farther. Never before had she done something so stupid as to gamble away her limbs
When reality settled in on Sally, once more she was staring at the table. All of her money, as well as Jake’s, was on the table. One of them was going to lose. Wanting to pay back the man that had cost her an arm and a leg, she said, “I’ll raise you a leg.”
Her hand played over the royal flush that she had been dealt. It was impossible to lose. Not flinching, Jake said, , “I call your one leg and raise you a leg.”
“I don’t have a leg to call the bet,” she said perplexed.
The man smiled and said, “The arm will do.”
Instead of answering, she asked, “Jake, could you love me?”
He smiled brightly and said, “I fell in love with you the moment you walked into the room. Now that you have no leg and arm, I love you that much more.”
“If I were to lose this game, my other leg and arm, would you take care of me… and love me?” she asked.
He nodded, his eyes said more then his words. Her hand toyed with the cards on the table, the winning hand. Jake said, “There is something I need to tell you before we go any farther.”
Her eyes went from the cards to his eyes and said, “Yes there is.”
His laughter was soft as he asked, “How long?”
“I saw the card you palmed the first time you dealt. My dear Jake, you have been cheating the entire game,” she replied confidently.
“Why didn’t you say something,” asked Jake.
Her smile was soft as she replied, “I wanted the others out of the game. I knew I could beat you even with your cheating.”
He nodded and said admirably, “Are you in?”
Something took control of her. Sally looked at her missing arm and leg and scooped up the cards and said, “I fold.”
She had sealed her fate. She had given away her other leg. Jake stared at her, but said nothing for nearly five minutes. He then said, “I love you.”
Sally reached out with her hand and took his. She said, “For taking care of me for the rest of my life, this is yours.”
Minutes later she was laying on the table once more. This time when the doctor walked way, he took her last leg and arm. Sally was helpless as Jake lifted her lightened body in his arm and said, “Let's go home.”
The end.