Vivian

Vivian was sixty feet away from the pair, but it felt like a mile. When Michael had mentioned needing a pitcher, Vivian had volunteered herself without thinking. The hotel had taken her natural competitive drive and driven it to insane levels. She’d been able to fight it for a long time, but losing so many challenges and falling so far behind in the standings was making her lose her grip. So given the chance to show her fastball, she’d accepted without hesitation.

So, sixty feet away Vivian was **** to watch helplessly as her crush Janet rubbed herself on Michael. Her new Boss whispered in her ear and ran his hands over hers as he taught her the proper swing.

Vivian’s brain jumped to those words - crush, boss - but the words no longer fit. Crush implied something transitory, ephemeral and girlish. Not only was she breathtaking but Janet was crushing this competition. Only having dropped to second place because Michael spared Mallory at the poker table and then presumably tossed her a pity fuck in his suite. In a kind of reversal special to Harem Hotel, the young Janet was taking Vivian under her wing. With Vivian sitting on a strike and only 6 points, Janet bringing her along was her only chance to keep her head above water.

She’s not a crush. She’s a life vest.

And Michael? He insisted on being called Boss. But he was something more now too. “Master” felt… right. A Boss gave direction, but a Master gave commands. Anyone could make Vivian a toy, but Michael could do without the leash. His order to pitch reverberated inside her skull. She took another ball and whipped it across the plate, making sure to go through the exaggerated motion each time. In his suite, Michael had told her she was coming on too strong.

But in the end I sucked his cock, so it worked. And the fans gave me my points back, so that worked too.

Janet was getting better, this time she made contact, punting it short over the foul line. She jumped up and down in excitement - which both Michael and Vivian appreciated in her current state of dress.

"Nice hit!" With Janet jumping around home plate, his hands were suddenly free to clap supportively. Vivian felt her jealousy and competitiveness flare up again, both at Janet receiving his praise and his touch. "Come on, let's give it another swing."

Janet stepped back into the plate, and into the arms of her - their - lover.

I've been going easy on her. Vivian’s cheeks burned. Janet was once again more focused on the teacher than the lesson. Vivian ripped another pitch low and away. Perfect bait for a newbie. Janet leaned way over as she swung, losing her balance and falling to a knee. Michael leaned away as her bat came around and nearly caught him in the shoulder.

Michael helped Janet out of the dirt and brushed her off. But Vivian had succeeded in gaining Janet's attention. Janet's smirked and shook her head.

When Michael moved up behind her again, Janet turned back to gently push him away.

"I want to try it by myself this time." She gave him a quick peck on the lips and a soft grope of his penis to soften the blow. He took it well, moving to stand behind the backstop with a silly grin.

"You ready?"

"Bring it, Viv." Janet said with a defiant air. So Vivian roared back and sent another pitch hurling in Janet's direction. But this time the redhead managed to hit it back. Not hard, just a slow roller to third base that would have been an easy out. Even that small failure dug deep into Vivian. Janet popped her chin, reveling in her small victory.

So Vivian threw harder. She managed to get one past Janet, then two. Three. Four. But Janet was improving with each swing. Figuring the timing and position.

On the fifth toss, she rocketed it back into the pitcher's L screen. The confidence that Vivian had been building evaporated. After that, it was closer to an even split. And then Janet was hitting more than she missed, and Vivian's shoulder was starting to get sore.

"Vivian, she's catching everything low, you have to aim higher." Michael called from his spot. Vivian beamed for a second at finally catching his attention again, and even more so when she noticed that he was leaning against the backstop with one hand, rubbing himself through his shorts with the other.

"Hey Boss, why are you helping her now?" Janet put on a pouty face that got to Michael immediately.

"You're picking up steam, Janet. She needs some guidance too. Can't play favorites." Michael said. Janet rolled her head over to smirk at Vivian, while the latter's ego deflated like a balloon.

Once again Vivian's mouth outran her brain.

"Let's make this more interesting then." Vivian said. Michael's immediate excitement showed her it was the right instinct. "If you hit the ball fair, I take off a piece of clothing. If you miss it entirely, you do. Once the loser's in her birthday suit, we'll see about Michael's situation." Vivian nodded to Michael stroking his erection, but Janet didn’t even need to look back. She already knew it was working on him.

“You’re on.”

It started well. The first two pitches sailed right by, and Janet kicked off her sneakers. Vivian protested, but Umpire Michael ruled that the bet was for “a piece” of clothing, so Janet was within the rules to take them one at a time.

Vivian saw blood and attacked. She tossed five more pitches, two of which hit the backstop to cost Janet her socks, and the other three were sad little foul rollers that didn’t count for either of them.

However, success comes with its own challenges. Janet whiffed on Vivian’s next throw so badly that it looked intentional.

“Oh darn.” Janet said, pulling off her t-shirt and exposing her bra. It was once a sports bra, a fine bit of engineering meant to keep a lady good and supported during vigorous activity. Janet’s touch had worked its magic there too. The bra had shrunk so that its magic was clearly the only thing keeping those lovely breasts in place, because it surely wasn’t the tiny strip of fabric across her chest or over her shoulders. When she raised her hands back up into a batting stance, it pulled up and exposed the underboob. Vivian could not tear her eyes away.

“Struggling out there?” Michael teased, shaking Vivian back to reality just enough to get a ball over home plate. Janet removed all doubt with this one, she swung so widely that it could not have been anything but a tank job. Janet didn’t even look at the ball as it passed, she just kept watching Vivian. Knowing both of them hung on every move, Janet pretended it was difficult to slip out of her baseball shorts and tossed them aside. Michael wasn’t feeling any need to conceal his feelings on the situation. As Janet wiggled her way into another batting stance, Michael pulled his cock free from his pants and openly masturbated it while he watched.

“Need any pointers, Janet? You’re losing pretty badly out there.” Michael joked.

“Am I?” Janet slapped her own backside as a clear tease to Vivian, though Michael was impressed all the same. Then Janet set up for Vivian’s next pitch.

She’s throwing this on purpose. Just like I did. Vivian realized, re-orienting her entire strategy and therefore her magical compulsions on the fly. Vivian pulled her eyes away from Janet with great effort and towards Michael. Remember the big picture.

Vivian’s next pitch was a total meatball right across the plate. It would have been criminal negligence not to hit it. Janet couldn’t resist, smashing it well into the outfield.

“Nice cut!” Michael clapped. Impressive enough that he took his hand off his dick for it. Vivian giggled to herself.

Janet gave Vivian a knowing look.

“What are friends for?” Vivian winked as she saw Janet’s eager reaction to hearing that. Vivian kicked off both of her socks even though she’d only “lost” one, and steadied herself in the grass. Vivian baited Janet again, and Janet took it again, sending another ball over Vivian’s head.

“Drat.” Vivian said unconvincingly. Though when she chose to slip her panties out from under her skirt and set them aside, no one chose to call her on it. When she took her next high-kick, Janet and Michael both took the invited peek under her skirt. Janet took such a peek that she didn’t even swing as the ball carried right past her.

“Drat.” Janet returned, slipping that tiny sports bra off and freeing her breasts.

“Didn’t swing for that one, huh?” Michael smirked. “Too easy?”

“I was distracted!” Janet protested, and not without some cause, drawing a belly laugh from Michael. Vivian just shrugged.

“I can’t fault you there.” He said as he regained his composure slightly. But not totally, his self-restraint was running out. “Alright, finish it here.” He said. “Bottom of the 9th, full count, next pitch wins it. Go!”

Vivian took another ball from the basket and rolled it in her fingers for a second. Her brain was being dragged in all directions again, and she couldn't tell how many of those were natural. And even if she could, Vivian couldn't tell if it mattered.

I need to win, but I also need to lose… But losing is winning here… Between Michael and Janet, she decided that if she had to lose, she could stand to lose to those two. If I'm gonna be led by anyone…

Vivian threw her last pitch straight down the middle, as naked a surrender as anyone ever offered. Janet whiffed by a mile. So obviously that even Michael scoffed and shook his head.

"What?" Janet said, in reaction to an accusation no one made. "It was a tough throw." She winked at Vivian, and even though she knew with every fiber of her being it was a false victory, she still felt a surge of pride.

Now that's fake, she thought as she felt the hotel's magic tickling her brain again. But I don't care. Janet was wiggling out of her short shorts and kicking them aside, leaving her bare and glorious in the afternoon sun.

"So that's why every boy is trying to get to home plate." Michael said, drawing a pained groan from both of the women.

As soon as she'd thrown the final pitch, Michael's command had run out, and Vivian felt her legs buckle underneath her, dropping her to the grass.

"Are you ok?!" Janet rushed over and grabbed Vivian's leash so that she could stand. Michael looked worried, but Vivian noted that he hadn't sprinted over.

He knew I'd be ok. Vivian told herself, and in the heady rush of "winning" the little game and being in the presence of a nude Janet, she let herself believe it.

Janet held the leash, and even though she'd "lost" she still felt in charge of the situation. She led Vivian to home plate, where Michael was waiting. In the brief interlude while Vivian fell, he'd discarded the rest of his clothes and stood there, eager and erect and ready for his women.

"Vivian won." Janet said.

"That she did." Michael said, with a knowing smirk at their little fiction.

"Lie down." Janet said. Vivian couldn't believe she'd tell the Master what to do, but, he did it. He lay on his back with his bare ass on the plate and his penis pointed at the sky. "Why don't you reward her, boss?" Michael's ravenous eyes shone with his agreement.

"Sit, doggy." Vivian felt the power of the command course through the leash, and she felt Janet's intention even more powerfully. Vivian flared her skirt and straddled Michael's face, facing his legs, lowering herself onto his **** mouth.

"Ohhhhhhhh fuckkkkkkk!" Vivian moaned as Michael attacked her sex from below. She pulled up from the sensations to draw them out, but his hands snapped up to grab her ass cheeks and pull her back down. "Ohhhh ohhhhh OHHHHH!"

"Feeling like a winner?" Janet asked.

"Y-y-yes." Vivian gasp. He is good. He is good. Vivian had caught herself wondering how Michael could land Ronnie, Danica, and Janet, but feeling his passion directed at her, Vivian's doubts evaporated. If I had known about this, I could have snuck into his office too.

Janet watched with desire of her own burning on her face. No waiting for permission that would clearly be granted, Janet straddled Michael's hips and guided his cock into her. Janet slid down, burying his length inside her, closing her eyes and rolling her head back at the sensations. Vivian felt Michael moan into her own pussy and step up his pleasuring.

Janet and Vivian gasped together as they rode the lucky Master. Vivian briefly had enough coherence to wonder what she'd say if one of the others came walking by just then, and she settled on "You've got to try this." But none of the girls did, it was just Michael, Janet, her, and the millions of Harem Hotel viewers watching.

"Feeling like a loser?" Vivian managed to pant out, drawing a large smile from Janet.

"Not at allllll." Janet slowly opened her eyes. With a thought and Vivian's leash, she commanded Vivian to close her legs slightly, covering Michael's ears. He didn't mind, he was in heaven down there. "You helped me at the start of the game." Janet said. "Let me help you back."

"H-how?" Vivian was struggling to concentrate with Michael doing his best to eat her out, but it was becoming increasingly difficult. How Janet could focus enough for a conversation while riding his cock, Vivian had no idea.

"Stick with me, and we'll get all the points we need to get ourselves to the top of this." Janet said, taking Vivian's face and stroking it gently. The roles had well and thoroughly flipped now, Vivian the student and Janet the teacher.

"If it feels like this…" Vivian trailed off, needing feeling so lightheaded from his ministrations that she thought she might pass out.

"You and me then." Janet leaned in and planted a kiss on Vivian's lips. Combined with Michael working on her other lips, it was enough to push her to the edge, and she shuddered and clamped her thighs down on Michael's head. He took one hand and began to spank her X as she came. Spanking the X helped her focus on her goal, which at the moment was climaxing. And each swat made it more intense. And more intense. Until Vivian did nearly pass out, rolling forward into Janet's arms as the climax roiled her body.

Janet paused on the fucking enough to gently lay Vivian on her side next to the pair.

"Is she alright?" Michael asked, wiping her juices from his face as Janet climbed back on top of him.

"Look at her face." It was a smile showing deep contentment, the kind of total relaxation that comes from pure pleasure and pure surrender. Janet grabbed Michael's hand and put it to her own breast, enjoying the feel of Vivian on her skin. "Now make me look like that."

Michael grinned, grabbing her ass with his other hand to help her bounce on his dick.

"Yes, Ma'am."

Double Play +12

Luciana

Ronnie knelt there in the blasted dirt for a long time. Long enough that Sarah eventually wandered back from her scavenging with a canvas bag slung over her shoulder. Long enough that she and Danica were starting to look worriedly at the sun making its way to the horizon. Whatever was eating Ronnie was taking its time chewing. She continued to crush the hat between her hands but growled as it continued to rebound back to its proper shape no matter what she tried.

No one spoke, not even Sarah. Luciana hadn’t known her long, but she could tell that was not typical of her. She was still the first to speak, because she was still Sarah, but she kept her voice low.

“What’s gotten into her?”

“I think that’s the old host.” Danica whispered back. “I vaguely remember that hat from the first night here. I saw some pictures hanging up behind the stage.”

“Whoever it was,” Luciana interjected, with a gesture to the damage done to the front of the hotel, “someone wanted them fuckin’ gone.”

“It looks like they succeeded,” Sarah noted.

“Maybe she’s mad she didn’t get to do it?” Luciana could see some of the same impotent rage she’d for the woman who’d beaten her. A lot had changed for her since then, but those first few weeks…? Her imagination got dark.

“That’s not Ronnie.” Danica said.

“No offense, but how do you know that?” Sarah pressed. “We only just found out she existed a few weeks ago.”

“Because I’m getting to know her, and that’s not her.”

“Y’all suck at whispering.” Ronnie suddenly said over her shoulder. “It’s a ghost town, sound carries.” Sarah looked busted, but to Luciana’s mind she hadn’t said anything that Luciana wasn’t thinking too. Ronnie looked down, realized with disgust that she was still holding the completely untarnished hat, and whipped it away from her as hard as she could. “There’s something I have to tell you.”

Ronnie made no move to rise, so Danica came to her, sitting in front of the kneeling woman in the dirt and placing a calming hand on her knee. Overcome by curiosity, Sarah and Luciana joined the impromptu powwow.

Ronnie’s voice assumed a flat monotone as she told her story. Luciana recognized that defense mechanism from her dad, from the few times when he would tell her about his losses. His wins? Those were backslapping, full-throated warrior epics with the flair and dramatic weight of a Viking legend. His defeats were given like a public access news report. This was clearly the latter for her.

Still, they hung on every word until she was finished.

“So you broke it? You broke the whole season?” Sarah asked.

“Sarah!” Danica hissed at her in full Mom mode.

“Hey, I was saying that with the utmost respect. If I could have smashed this thing, I would have taken the chance too.”

“That’s one of the reasons I took the option off the table.” Ronnie said. “I don’t know all the ways a season can fail, I just know mine did because the Master wouldn’t put out. So I handled that first chance I got, I made love to him on our first night.”

“What were the other reasons?”

“Because he’s still my husband and I wanted to fuck him.” Ronnie glared at Sarah, not noticing or reacting to Danica’s furious blush.

Sarah waved it off. “Well, maybe there’s still something to that. Sounds like none of your cast are working at this hotel? Maybe we can find a way to get the stories from some of the others? I got a truth serum in my bag, could be strong enough to break through whatever the Hotel’s done to them, write them all down, look for commonalities and weaknesses-“

“Write them down…?” Ronnie’s harsh expression softened immediately to deep thought. “Like in a notebook…”

Sarah’s confusion was contagious. “I kinda thought you might have a stronger reaction to the other parts? Like the truth serum?”

“Oh none of the hotel stuff ever works how you want it to.” Ronnie said. “Just ask Luciana about her easel.” Ronnie jumped to her feet. “But the notebook…? I remembered something we might be able to use… Could be big, could be nothing, or it could be a disaster.”

“I’m in.” Luciana jumped to her feet too. Sarah and Danica shared a look, then got up as well.

“I haven’t even told you what it is.”

“Didn’t need to hear it.” Luciana said. “Sounds like fun, I’m in.”

Danica raised her hand like a schoolkid, “Um, yeah, I’d like to hear a little more. What did you remember and how is it relevant?”

“Colt died here. Or… whatever happens to hosts when they fuck up so bad there’s no coming back from it.” Ronnie looked around at the blast area they were all standing in. “But Al didn’t get his powers right away, he said something about that when I asked him at the time. When he undid Colt’s work, he needed to use a notebook to do it. I think it was originally Colt’s.”

“I’m out.” Luciana said. When the others gave her a confused look, she shrugged. “I was in when it sounded fun and dangerous, not looking for a notebook.”

“It’s a magic notebook, Luc.” Ronnie repeated incredulously.

“I’m back in.”

“That’s great, but I still haven’t finished.” Ronnie said, “Think about when they jam us in the tiny rooms to write transformations for each other - we write it in a notebook, right? I think that’s their way to let us Muggles do magic.”

“There’s no way they’d leave those lying around, Ronnie.” Danica said.

“Maybe they don’t need them any more?” Ronnie insisted. “You haven’t seen them pull one out at all this time, right? Al used it before he became a host, we use it when the hosts are not around, so maybe one of Colt’s is still sitting in there untouched since he got vaporized. Besides, they seem so focused on each other that they’re letting stuff slip, remember how scared they looked when Yuki got into your daughter’s head.”

“Don’t remind me.” Danica shuddered. “I don’t know about this idea, this could be what gets you eliminated.”

Ronnie grabbed Danica’s shoulders firmly, now she was the one consoling. “Or it could tip the balance of power here. Maybe even send us home.”

“I want those things too, I’m at zero points with an X on my ass and my daughter banging my husband.” Danica’s eyes started to roll back in her head and a dopey grin spread on her face at the last comment, but Ronnie shook her by the shoulders until she came back to them. “Right, sorry. I need a shake up more than most, but we’ve got to start heading back if we’re gonna make it by nightfall.” Danica pointed to the descending sun. “Maybe we can ride back tomorrow?”

“We don’t know if this will be here tomorrow.” Ronnie said. “They clearly didn’t want anyone to come here. I’ll bet Al either forgot about it or was too fuckin’ lazy to clean it up, but if they figure it out before we’ve had a chance to look the place over then it’s gone.”

“More importantly, we spent all our money renting the saddles.” Sarah added. “I don’t know if you remember the size of those monster dicks they put on the free ones, but I don’t know if I’m up for that kind of pounding.”

“Ok, you make a good point.” Danica said, and Luciana noticed her uncomfortably shifting her weight.

“So do you, Danica.” Ronnie said, releasing her grip on the woman’s arms. “If you want to head back, you should. That way, if this goes wrong then you can still follow through on what we talked about, for Michael. I’m going to see this through.”

Sarah shot Luciana a look of confusion and received a shrug in response. No, I don’t know what they talked about either. Danica saw that the other three were set on this, mumbled something to herself, then grinned.

“Maybe I should take a hint from Mallory this time and just go for it. Let ‘em nuke us all.”

“Atta girl.” Ronnie smacked her on the backside. The foursome entered the Ol’ Harem Hotel through the main door. It opened into a large lobby dominated by a staircase that led upstairs to a door marked “Contestants.” While the Casino had an air of being decorated by someone trying too hard, this hotel seemed surprisingly understated. Gold trim instead of gold paint. Real wood instead of crappy fake wood paneling. Gorgeous painted landscapes rather than faded smoke-stained wallpaper. Based on how Ronnie described him, it sounds like Colt may not have built this place either. Or maybe Al was working on him for a damn long time. Many other doors off the lobby led to their own equivalents of the restaurant, casino, something called “Assignations”, a hat shop -Man loved his fucking hats apparently- and others that were unmarked or had their signs worn away.

“Where should we even look?” Luciana asked. “Where did he keep them?”

“I don’t know,” Ronnie stepped behind the reception desk and pulled open a few drawers, but her search seemed a little frustrated and aimless. “I guess maybe an office or a host quarters or something. I’ve never seen where the hosts go to sleep.”

“Or if they sleep.” Sarah added. “I’m not convinced they are human beings.”

“We should split up if we have to search this whole place.” Sarah said. “We still have to get the horses back.”

“Good point,” Ronnie nodded. “I guess Danica and I’ll take the ground floor. You two upstairs?”

“What if it’s in a safe or something?” Luciana asked.

“Then we’re fucked.” Ronnie shook her head. “So let’s hope it’s not.”

While Luciana and Sarah headed up the stairs. Sarah checked back over her shoulder as they ascended, watching until the other two headed deeper into the Hotel.

“Oh come on, this is nicer than our own rooms!” Sarah complained upon seeing the original contestant’s floor, and Luciana couldn’t disagree. It was not unlike their own, with a common area that would have been shared among all the girls, but that’s about where the similarities ended. Each of the girls had private bedrooms, compared to piling into a shared team room. There were no names on the doors, so Luciana and Sarah each picked a side and began opening all of them in turn. Each room had a private bath and a balcony to themselves, no sharing that either. Luciana experimentally hopped into one of the beds and found it like lying on a cloud.

“You aren’t kidding about the rooms, Sarah. Try the bed!” Luciana yelled.

“I’ll have to take your word for it. That’s a four-poster bed, and Gropy and Pervy went nuts as soon as I opened the door. I go within five feet of that thing and I’ll end up splayed out and tied to it.”

Luciana briefly wondered if she could use those ropes to drag one of the mattresses back to the hotel, if Sarah was strapped to it, but had to sadly let that dream die and get back to searching.

“Why’d they make the new hotel so trashy?” Luciana wondered aloud once they had re-convened.

“Ronnie overheard that Al was the one pushing for it. That place does feel more like his domain.”

“So how does Ruby fit into this? Ronnie didn’t mention her.”

“I’ve been wondering that.” Sarah said. “The team thing, the hostility between them? Now we find out Colt gets blasted but Al walks away clean? There’s some kind of power struggle going on.”

“Machiavellian.” Luciana said. Sarah raised an eyebrow, and Luciana continued defensively. “Hey, I read things.”

“No judgment. Of all the writers though, why that one?”

“2Pac called himself Makaveli, so I got curious.” The pair headed towards the back of the contestant’s floor, where the staircase continued up to the 3rd floor. Luciana paused at the bottom. “Do we have enough time to search up there?”

In response, Sarah silently glanced over and then her gaze lingered. And explored. Luciana could tell what Sarah was doing, her body was starting to change gradually as the sun set. Growing softer and more curvaceous as it did every night now. Luciana had been eyed up like this thousands of times, by men and women, but always as … herself. And it used to intensely annoy her, she worked so hard to be a fighter that to be viewed like a lover felt cheaper.

But that was then, this was a chance to see a different side of herself.

Or, it would be, if they didn’t miss their deadline and get turned into drooling sex zombies.

“Sarah! Should we head up there or not?” Luciana snapped her fingers at the distracted woman, but pulled her hand back just in time to avoid the ropes grabbing at her. Luciana slid a half-step back.

Sarah looked out the window at the settling sun and shook her head.

“We took kind of a winding route to get here, but even if we went straight back I don’t know how we’d make it in time. And galloping all that distance on the horses might make us insane.” Sarah rubbed her crotch through her panties, which Luciana noticed were still wet. They’d been walking around long enough that Sarah couldn’t blame it on the horses any more.

“Fuck it, on and up then.” Luciana started up the stairs. Well, my luck runs hot and cold, so I’ve gotta take the chance with this. Either I’ll find it in the nick of time, or cause a disaster, but no telling which.

The top of the stairs led to a small landing with two doors on it. One was large and ornate, a set of double-doors dominating the wall opposite the top of the stairs. “That’s got to be the Master’s Suite,” Sarah said. “Which means the other one could be Colt’s office.” She pointed to a smaller door, with a frosted glass window pane in it. There may have been letters on it at one point, but they were long since fallen off and lost.

Luciana reached for the knob and turned it, locked. “Wait!” called Sarah, “Maybe its booby-trapped or something.”

“You couldn't tell me that before I touched it?” Luciana yanked her hand back from the door like it was hot, but nothing seemed to be happening. She double-checked her chest, just be sure. It was, of course, still changing but she’d come in with that particular problem.

“I dunno, I just thought of it. You feel ok?”

“I feel as weird as every other day here."

“Come on, this has to be at least slightly weirder than your average day in a harem.” Sarah laughed. "What about the transom?"

"The fuck's a transom?"

"That," Sarah pointed to the small window over the door. It was cracked open. Emphasis on the small, it couldn't have been more than six inches tall and two feet across.

"Are you nuts? How do you intend to fit through that?" Luciana asked.

"I'm flexible as hell now, don't worry about that. But I need you to boost me up."

"Hell no." Luciana said, eyeing the ropes, who had become extremely interested in the turn of this conversation.

"It'll only take a second." Sarah tapped her wrist. "Besides, 'on and up then'? That's what you said."

"You always know the most annoying way to get your way."

"The hell I do. I never get my way, look at me!" Sarah laughed. "If you've got a better idea, I'm all ears."

Luciana did not. She got down on one knee and interlaced her fingers on top of her thigh for Sarah to step up.

"Make it quick."

"You got it." Sarah stepped up into Luciana's hand and grabbed the transom with one hand. It brought Sarah's waist right to Luciana's eyeline… and then Luciana felt the stomach-dropping feeling of bad luck coming on.

"Goddam-" Luciana said, as the rope shot out from Sarah's waist and wrapped around Luciana's neck. With her hands on her thigh and Sarah's weight on her fingers, she couldn't pull them off as it dragged Luciana's face directly into Sarah's crotch.

"Fuck! Pervy! Not now!" Sarah tried to pull it away, but not as effectually as Luciana would have preferred.

"Mhhmmhph!" Luciana grunted and pulled against the ropes, winding themselves further around her back and Sarah's thighs. Luciana was very thankful that Sarah had managed to find some panties over the last day, or this could have gotten really messy. But even the small lingerie was very damp from Sarah's horsie ride, and her scent was getting rubbed all over Luciana's nose.

"Gropy! Pervy! Stop already, we're busy!"

"MPMHPMHPH!" Luciana added to this. The ropes didn't budge, refusing to let this humiliating fiasco end.

"Luciana…" Sarah said, wobbling slightly under the twin strains of being awkwardly tied and awkwardly having one of her crushes' faces jammed into her groin. "They're not gonna let up… unless we give them something they want…"

"Unh unh! Unh unh!" Luciana shook her head no. Even if I was interested… Ok I'm fucking interested but not like this!

"They're a lot more patient than us… I should call the others."

"UNH UNH! UNH UNH!" This was embarassing enough but if the others saw. Fuck. This is on TV, she remembered. If anyone could have seen her cheeks, buried as they were in Sarah's legs, they would have watched them go deep crimson.

"Well then we've gotta promise them something later?"

"Liii whaa!" Luciana pulled herself out far enough to be heard.

"I dunno, stay in my bed when we get back?" Luciana saw the rope heads nod in agreement to this perverted pact. Luciana nodded, which unfortunately dragged more of her face across Sarah's nethers, but the deal was made.

When they finally released her, Luciana sputtered. "Get. Through. The. Window."

"Don't have to tell me twice." Sarah slipped her arm through and through, sliding her shoulders and head through in one simple move. Luciana thought she'd get stuck there, but Sarah managed to pull her opposite shoulder down enough to slip her upper torso in.

Which worked all the way until she got to her butt, which had no easy way to bend, leaving Sarah stuck halfway through the window.

"Little help?

"Are you kidding me right now?"

"You wanna do this or not?"

"I wanna leave your fat ass hanging there," Luciana scoffed. The ropes, coiled around Sarah's legs, gave an offended look on her behalf. They looked like they were gonna launch at her again, so Luc put her hands up defensively.

"Alright, alright." Luciana had to reach up and grab the meat of Sarah's buttocks and **** them through one at a time. In any other context… Luciana thought that getting her hands on a woman like this could be fun. I gotta snuggle up with her later, better make the best of it.

After a minute of this ungraceful kneading, Sarah's backside slid through the window and she collapsed to the floor with a loud thud and a screamed "Fuck!"

"Is it the place? If we went through that just to break into a broom closet, I'm sticking a handle up your butt." Luciana said.

"Don't threaten me with a good time." Sarah groaned. "This is definitely Colt's office." Luciana heard the woman get up, still cursing, and unlock the door from the other side. When Sarah pulled it open, Luciana moved to enter, but Sarah blocked her way and refused to move.

"We gotta talk." Sarah said, holding out a palm to stop Luciana. "About what to do with it if we find it. Luciana, whatever this thing does, if it has host powers, it's the strongest thing we'll get our hands on in this game. Maybe ever. So we need a plan."

"What did you want to do with it?" Luciana realized she been charging ahead fast enough that she hadn't given it much thought, so she punted to Sarah to buy a moment.

"Michael has a plan to save us, he asked me to help. We need to use the notebook to help all of us."

"Why would we do that?" Luciana snapped. "You think they would give up a chance like that for us?"

"Michael wouldn't let them."

"Michael's not here." Luciana said. "You saw what it's like when my luck goes bad. We bring all the others up to match me, and I could drop all the way to last with one wrong move. I'd be a walking catastrophe." Luciana shook her head. "No way, you and I can boost ourselves, but I'm not giving up my chance to get an edge."

"I can't let you do that."

"Let me?" Luciana said, pushing forward into Sarah's hand. "You're cute, in many ways" Luciana said, eyeing Sarah's nearly nude body. "Maybe even cute enough that I’d make some rash decisions, but I'm not so head over heels that I'd fall for that."

"Well yeah, but you fell for this." All too late, Luciana realized why she was eyeing Sarah's nude body. When Sarah shoved her backwards, her heels hit the ropes that had squirmed their way behind her legs, causing Luciana to drop on her own full ass. Sarah leapt forward, knocking Luciana's shoulders to the floor and pinning her there.

"You little shit!" Luciana tried to plant her feet and buck Sarah off of her, but the sun was down now. Luciana was no longer the coiled spring of muscle, she was all soft feminine curves. And even Sarah was just too goddamned squirmy. "Cut that out!" Luciana said, as Sarah easily pulled out of her attempt at a wrist lock.

"8…9…" Sarah casually counted off. When she hit 10, Luciana felt like a door opened in her brain, just to let Sarah walk right in and make herself at home. Luciana stopped fighting the woman and relaxed completely, waiting patiently to know what she had to do.

"Luciana," Sarah's voice sounded like it was coming from inside her own brain. "Help me find the notebook, but do not write any words in it." She ordered, and Luciana knew she would help do just that. Why not? Sarah had asked so nicely.

"Sure, just get me up." Luciana said. Sarah climbed off of her, and offered and hand to pull Luciana to her feet. Once she was standing again, Luciana realized what had happened.

"You used my own damn power against me?" Luciana said, impressed. "Tricky little ho."

"You're not going to **** me out, are you?"

"No, but we'll see how it goes the next time I get you alone in my real body." Luciana said, then started to feel the pull of Sarah's command in her brain. "Let's find this notebook then."

Sarah let Luciana lead into the office, notably making sure she stayed well out of arm's reach. Luciana didn't think she could turn it around on Sarah and pin her right back, but she was content to let Sarah think she could.

Luciana found the light switch in the dim moonlight coming through the window and flipped it on. Colt's office showed none of the restraint or taste of the rest of the hotel, which was saying something. At first instance, it appeared much larger on the inside than it had on the outside. The ceilings were quite high and glass to show the stars and moon shining down, which gave the whole room a feeling as if they were suddenly outside. Luciana and Sarah shivered from a sudden breeze, even though the door behind them and all the windows appeared to be closed. They heard the sound of a record spinning up from somewhere, but even though it wasn't real it couldn't quite get up to speed. Marty Robbins started to play, his voice slurred and echoing, sounding like the guy was coming off a bender on quaaludes:

"Ouuuut in the wessst Texas town of Elllll Paso… I felll in loooove with a Mexxxxican girrrrrl…"

"Turn that off, I'd rather search in the dark." Sarah covered her ears.

"You wanna be in the dark with those?"

To Luciana's left, there was a wall of taxidermied animal heads, but the choices belied a lack of understanding why anyone would put them up in the first place. In addition to the usual buck, lion, and bear, Colt had added a cow, a dolphin, and what looked like a miniature Schnauzer dog.

"That's fucking gross." Luciana said.

"I'm hoping they are just magical and were never real." Sarah said, rubbing her shoulders, but not from the fake desert breeze. The whole place had an air of walking into someone's crypt.

They both hoped the animals weren't real, but the women in the pictures on the opposite wall definitely were. The pictures were like the ones in the green room that Luciana had been told about, having been **** for her first pass. The framed portraits stretched across the wall and up towards the high ceiling, as if the room continued to grow each time he added one.

"They have been on this shit for a long, long time." Luciana said. "Damn."

"Damn." Sarah repeated. It seemed like no other reaction would suffice.

In the center of the room was a large wooden desk, big enough that Luciana and Sarah could have laid on it side by side without even touching.

"Compensating." Sarah said, following Luciana's eye line.

"Oh that was your first clue?" Luciana and Sarah had to laugh, which finally broke the tension in the room. "Fuck this guy anyway, let's get this thing and get out."

"Damn right." Sarah said. She pointed to a large safe in the corner. "I'll try cracking that thing."

"You thought the doorknob might be booby trapped but you wanna fuck with his safe?"

“Isn’t that where you think it would be?” Sarah asked.

“Maybe? How should I know?” Luciana shrugged. And after a beat added: “Your funeral.”

Sarah turned her back and knelt down to press her ear against the steel and begin tinkering with the dial. Compelled by Sarah’s command to help, she stopped to think about where to start looking. Luciana’s eyes swept the room again, and it gave her some inspiration.

This guy was not subtle, in the slightest. She thought, looking at the wall of heads. And he was certainly confident as hell. Overconfident if Ronnie’s story is true. Didn’t think anyone could get to him.

And if that’s the case… Luciana looked straight at the desk. Maybe it’s that easy?

Luciana pulled open the pencil drawer. Lo and behold, the notebook was right there. It was small and simple, the match of the ones she’d written in for the transformation votes. Of course it wouldn’t be in the safe, he felt totally secure in his power. Why would he need to lock it up? Fuck knows why he’d even want a safe, it was probably just for show. Once again her eyes flitted to the wall of heads. For show, definitely. He might have been secure in his power, but not his image. Damn that guy went all in on the cowboy crap.

Luciana pulled the notebook from the drawer.

Help Sarah find the notebook. Her command pushed her. But “help” didn’t mean she had to give it over immediately, Luciana laid it on the desk.

It’s not hidden any more. That ‘helps’ Sarah find it. All she has to do is turn around. Having satisfied the condition of Sarah’s order, Luciana felt the grip in her brain start to loosen. Do not write any words in it. Sarah’s voice still rang in her ears, the second rule was still binding her.

Any words… Luciana peeked over at Sarah, who was still engrossed with her task. Sarah trusted Michael, and to some extent, Luciana did too. He seemed like a good guy, and one who was doing his best given a tough situation.

If it was my ass in a sling, would he save me? Luciana wondered, and the fact that she still had to wonder was evidence enough that she needed to do this.

Especially since I went full idiot and fell for the most ridiculous trick in the book. Luciana ran her hand over the leather cover, which felt warm and inviting.

I can see how the hosts get so addicted to this. She thought. I can’t be like that, like them. But, I also can’t let a chance like this pass untouched. Luciana picked up a pencil from the open drawer. Just give myself a tiny edge, then we’ll let Sarah do what she wants with it. None of them even have to know.

Luciana opened the notebook, randomly falling on a list of possible challenges that Colt had been kicking around. They were written in surprisingly delicate handwriting for a guy who fancied himself a hardass, but the content…

Fuuuuuuck me… This guy was gross. Each one seemed to be… rather lewd even by the Hotel’s standards. Luciana was not ready to match the others in a depraved blow for blow, but maybe there was one that would be something more befitting her strengths. And despite all Luciana’s desires to broaden, when she had her back to the wall, there was still only one thing about herself she really believed in.

I was doing well with those damn wands until I let my guard down, if I don’t let that happen again I can beat these girls. Find something like that. Luciana kept scanning the pages, but nothing seemed to be fitting that description. Finally, one caught her eye. It was half-written, and weird as hell, but it was the best one she could find.

“Damn this thing is tougher than I thought? Any luck?” Sarah said, standing up and slapping the door with her palm. “I guess you can’t trust what you see on the internet.” Luciana, with only a heartbeat before Sarah turned around, decided to take her chances. She circled the half-finished challenge with the pencil, then quickly slapped the notebook closed.

“Oh awesome, you found it!” Sarah said.

“Nothing!” Luciana immediately whipped the pencil behind her back, using her other hand to slide the notebook towards Sarah. But as she did so, the notebook left a scorch trail along the wood of the desk like a trail of burned rubber. It began to vibrate and hiss out smoke like a tea kettle, as if it was shaking to contain pressure that could break free at any moment.

“What the hell?! Did you write in it?!” Sarah yelled over the now deafening whine.

Luciana wasn’t great with excuses or lies, she never had been. But before she could even attempt it, the notebook burst open and the room went all white.