Picks and Power Plays...

Rhett steps forward again as the last card settles, the screen glowing with four waiting faces. Claire lets a soft, rising arpeggio shimmer under the charged quiet.

“Alright, players,” Rhett says, voice slipping back into that velvet authority. “You’ve met the ladies. You know what’s at stake. Now it’s time to decide who you think you can handle—and who you think can carry you through Week Twelve.”

He gestures toward the lineup of cards, letting the anticipation stretch just long enough.

“Selection order this week is oldest to youngest,” he reminds them with a half-smile. “So it’s over to you, Graham. Make your selection.”

Milo’s eyes flick between his rivals and the two clubs available. If he can grab just one of them, he’ll be able to finish his flush before the end of the third cycle.

Graham doesn’t even pretend to hesitate. He sits back in his seat, one ankle resting casually over his knee, tablet balanced on his thigh. His eyes skim the four women on the screen once—cold, evaluative, efficient. Then he taps his selection with the same easy certainty he probably uses to sign six-figure cheques.

“I’ll take the Jennie of Clubs,” he says aloud.

The effect is immediate. The screen flashes gold as Aiko Tanaka’s card glides from the lineup and locks into Graham’s column with a clean, ringing chime. Claire punctuates it with a sharp, ascending figure—bright, almost mocking in its precision.

Rhett’s smile widens. “Well now,” he drawls, “Mr. West wastes no time. A fifteen-point card, and he takes one of the clubs Milo needs right off the board. Someone came to play.”

A low ripple passes through the audience—half approval, half delighted shock.

Across the row, Milo stiffens. He tries to hide it, but it’s obvious: his jaw tightens, his fingers flex once against the edge of his own tablet, and his gaze snaps to the remaining cards as if willing the surviving club to stay right where it is.

“Well then,” Rhett says, letting the words hang lightly over the tension building across the row, “that brings us to Cassie Li.”

He lifts a hand, inviting the camera to sweep toward her seat. “Top of the leaderboard, mistress of multipliers, collector of Aces… let’s see which lady you’re treating to your company this week.”

Cassie doesn’t rush. She smooths a small crease on her skirt, crosses one leg over the other, and studies the three remaining cards with an expression that borders on serene amusement. Her tablet rests lightly in one hand. She taps once.

“I’ll take Kiara Martinez,” she announces.

The Ten of Hearts ignites on the main screen, sliding into Cassie’s column with a rich, warm flare. Claire answers with a bright, theatrical glissando—the kind of flourish Kiara herself would approve of.

Rhett grins. “Excellent choice. A ten-point powerhouse and a woman who never disappoints in a challenge. Cassie Li stays consistent, collected… and competitive as ever.”

Across the row, Milo exhales long and slow. His eyes flick upward at the board, calculating. The Hearts didn’t matter to his strategy; the remaining club card does. And Cassie just gifted it to him.

Rhett shifts his stance, turning toward the artistic **** of a cruel Domme. “Milo Gutierrez,” he announces. Then, with a faintly wicked smile, “—and Dr. Ravensmoor, as always.”

A soft ripple of amusement passes through the audience. Everyone knows who’s really making this choice.

Selene sits upright, elegant in black, one hand resting lightly on Milo’s shoulder. She doesn’t look at Rhett. She doesn’t look at the other players. Her eyes are fixed on the board—sharp, analytical, predatory. Milo, by contrast, sits taut as a bowstring. He’s not afraid—more like braced, waiting for the decision he won’t make.

Rhett gestures with a flourish. “Two ladies left on the board. Only one of them matters to our young Mister Gutierrez. Let’s see whether he gets her… or whether Fate is a cruel mistress as his cruel Mistress decides his fate.”

Selene lifts Milo’s tablet from his hands as though taking a toy from a child. Her thumb moves once across the screen. Tap.

She doesn’t announce the choice. Selene does not need to.

The card does it for her.

The massive display flares gold around Amina Okoye — Ten of Clubs — as she snaps into Milo’s column with a clean, triumphantly sharp chime. Claire answers with a bright, rising ribbon of notes, equal parts mischief and victory.

Rhett’s brows rise in appreciation. “Dr. Ravensmoor wastes absolutely no time. A powerful choice—and a vital one.” He turns to the audience, voice rich with implication. “That Ten of Clubs keeps Milo’s hopes of completing a flush alive. A very Selene move.”

Milo lets out a breath he didn’t seem to realize he was holding. His shoulders drop a fraction. Relief floods his posture—mixed with the distinct knowledge that this was not his victory. It was hers.

Selene returns the tablet to his hands with a slow, proprietary stroke across his knuckles. Milo shivers.

Rhett turns toward you with a grin that somehow manages to be both welcoming and predatory. “And finally,” he says, “our Fresher, Mr. Impossible… THE PHANTOM! You’re closing out the Week Twelve draw, and there’s only one lady left… but she’s hardly a consolation prize.”

The camera swings to the last card still glowing on the board — Camila Reyes, the Eight of Hearts, framed in warm stage lights and theatrical poise. You feel every eye in the room shift toward you, expectant.

You state your acceptance happily. You made your big play last week; you’re holding the three sixes until after the new cycle begins in the firm knowledge that you’ll be there and Rebekah, the Six of Clubs, will have been returned to the deck. For you, Camila’s just a few extra points.

On the screen, Camila flares to life in a wash of gold as she locks into your column. Claire plays a bright, fluttering trill on the glass organ—pure stage energy, pure Camila.

Rhett spreads his arms as if presenting a rare jewel. “And there she goes! The Eight of Hearts joins our Fresher for the week. A dramatic soul for a dramatic challenge. I expect fireworks.”

You also see two other cards appear on your tablet. The first is two new challenge cards, replacing the BDSM and Naked Kiss ones you played last week. You get Blow Job ×4 and Anal Sex ×6. Neither are particularly high value, but you can work with them. It might even be worth using the Blow Job this week to get rid of it on a card that won’t form part of a hand.

The other is Camila’s bio card. You take a moment to pore over it carefully, assessing what this means for the week coming up.

Name: Camila Reyes

Age: 21

Major: Drama

Bio:

Camila is the Drama Department’s favorite wildfire — bright, demanding, impossible to ignore. She has a talent for filling space, even when she isn’t speaking, and she chooses her moments with the precision of someone who knows the whole room is watching. Directors love her commitment; classmates fear her honesty. Camila isn’t cruel, but she is exacting. She thrives when her partner brings energy, eye contact, and courage. If you match her pace, she’ll light the scene on fire. If you falter, she’ll leave you standing in the dark.

Stats:

Availability: 49

Fertility: 63

Kinkiness: 66

Sexual Rumor: “Call it a scene, and she’ll meet you at your mark.”

You groan loudly. “Not again!”

The audience laughs, and for a moment it looks like Rhett is going to ask what’s got you bothered. But the truth is, after the hell that was arranging and performing a Phantom of the Opera sex scene with Kaori Tanaka, you feel too burned out to repeat the process with another exhibitionist theatre major. Especially not for a single, throwaway card that won’t score much. You don’t even have any challenge cards that inspire you to do such a thing this time.

And with that, Rhett moves into the power play section. You remain quiet. You need your power play to block anyone who tries to disrupt your three sixes before you can add Rebekah to your hand. Milo will probably be holding off too. That way he can secure his flush before the cycle ends this week.

That leaves Cassie and Graham. You wait. Claire plays a melody that decreases in tone and volume like a countdown to extinction. This power play round is going to be different and everyone can feel it. Rhett details the situation for the crowd.

“At the top of the hill, it’s the return of the Queen, Cassie Li. After that phenomenal play, even the Phantom has gone from first place to a distant second. He remains safe though, and sitting pretty compared to Milo, or perhaps we should say Selene, down in third place. Then at the bottom, and with no hope of building a hand that can close the gap, is a fish who is not just dead in the water, but flipped, fried and flat on the plate - Graham West…”

“Mentioning Fish,” says Graham quietly, swirling his whiskey in its glass. “Have you heard of the puffer fish? The creature that seems small right until it inflates to several times its perceived size?”

There’s a murmur of questioning. Rhett responds. “I have…”

“I’ll buy quadruple or nothing, Rhett.”

There’s a gasp. His score flashes large on screen, dropping by 40 as the “Quadruple or Nothing” card appears by its side. A single six-sided die rolls across the screen, coming up 3. It’s a success and rockets Graham’s score to 21,040. The crowd cheers what is possibly the ballsiest move in the game so far as the scoreboard readjusts to put Graham in third place.

“I believe,” he croons, drawing his moment out as he takes a sip of the whiskey. “No matter what you do with your final card, you cannot beat that score.”

Dr Ravensmoor gives him a look so cold it could freeze time. Then her lips quirk into a slight smile. “A puffer fish, you say, Graham? Then perhaps it’s time to fillet the fish. Score Slasher against Graham West!”

Milo’s score drops by a mere 10 points. 2 digits roll to select the percentage Graham’s score is dropped by. The audience holds its breath as the numbers roll and come up… a 1.

“That’s a 1% reduction to Graham’s score,” says Rhett “Bad luck there, Selene.”

Graham’s score of 21040 drops by 1%, rounded off to the nearest number, reducing it by a total of 210. It stands now at 20,830.

“I just heard from one of the math nerds working on the set that Milo’s maximum score, even if he plays his joker against Amina Okoye, is 20,818. Which means, even if Graham does not lock a score from Aiko, he still wins by a measly 12 p—”

“Score slasher, Graham West.”

The voice is quiet. The interruption is definite. Cassie Li smiles as she raises her glass in salute. Her score drops by 10. And the numbers roll again. Rhett just stares at her in shock for a moment.

“Cassie,” he says. “Why? You had nothing to gain from this and yet you’re choosing to sabotage Graham further?”

“Oh there’s always something to gain,” she says, watching as the numbers come up on the screen. It comes up 47%, dropping Graham’s score all the way back to 11,040, far below Milo’s current score. “What I gained is… FUN!”

The audience roars with laughter. Claire can’t even play as she collapses on her organ at the sight of Graham’s shocked expression.

“Even playing your joker on Aiko won’t save you now, Graham,” says Rhett “By the end of this week, you will be eliminated unless one of the other contestants literally decides to drop out of the race. The question is, are you willing to stay with us and provide a little entertainment with the Jenny of Clubs, or do you consider this business meeting adjourned?”

Graham seems unfazed. “Rhett, I’ve made several investments, gained at least 2 very interesting employees for my businesses, gained an entirely new business line with the cam studio we’ll be building… even AFTER Cassie sabotaged me… and gained two huge tax write offs that will save my companies a lot of money. I would be an OAF not to stay one more week and see what me and the lovely Miss Tanaka can provide something better than the Phantom show that our fresher did with her cousin last week.”

Cheers and cries of Graham’s name resound loudly in the room. Throughout the game, his monetary twists have gained Graham nothing but enemies, but this final move has turned his reputation around. Not only has he agreed to stay despite definitely losing, but he’s going to try to beat the theater performance? It’s clear people are looking forward to whatever he pulls - you are for one.

“Score slasher, Cassie Li.”

The voice cuts through the noise like a knife. Your head spins to focus on Rebekah, smiling from her seat. She’s your manager, and that gave her the right to make decisions for you, but this… it paints a target on your back.

“I thought, since we’re all trying to help each other… why not level the playing field a little.”

Your score reduces by 10. In the dead silence that follows the numbers roll on the screen. 38… Cassie’s score drops 38% to 41,480. She’s still in first place, but her lead no longer looks quite so unassailable. Cassie looks coldly at Rebekah. There are a mixture of boos and oohs in the audience. Some see it as a dirty trick, some as a sneak, smart stealth attack. It also reduces the points she’s gained this cycle to 19230, leaving you in the driver’s seat for the cycle champion and the chance of a leader perk for the next four week cycle.

“Cold!” says Rhett. “And I think we better end the show here before there’s blood on the floor because the sharks are definitely swimming tonight. Ladies and Gentlemen, I welcome you to week 12 of College Spread!”