The most intense game of strip poker ever! (Celestia Ludenberg)

Re-engaging the elevator, the couple soon found themselves on the third floor. “This is the highest any of the normal elevators go. To reach the penthouse, we will cross the third floor hall. It is reserved for esteemed guests and personal friends only, and since you are not currently among their number, I ask that you please refrain from bothering them.” With a quick backwards glance to ensure he was following, she stepped out into the bright lights of the invite-only floor.

They both strode out into the main area, and Shuichi was immediately struck by how few people were on this floor. Sure, the second floor was pleasantly uncrowded compared to the jam-packed bottom floor, but when Celeste said this floor was exclusive, she clearly meant it. In addition to the typical gambling fare, there was a large pool and spa area, a massage parlor, a full bar and grill, and a long hallway connecting directly to the hotel portion of the building, albeit with a keycard reader and security guards ensuring no riff-raff got through. Overall, this was clearly where Versailles got off calling itself a “resort”, but since it was largely invite-only, the casino was definitely the biggest draw.

Their walk was interrupted near the hallway to the hotel, where a light gray cat with dark spots crossed their path and, upon seeing the gothic lolita, immediately bolted off down the hallway. “Oh! Is that Romantica?” Celeste chased after the cat frantically, until she finally cornered it where it met the security wall of the hotel area. “Ohhhh Romantica, you beautiful girl! Where are you going? Come here, let Celeste look at youuuu~” She gently picked up the cat, which angrily began squirming in her arms.

“I don’t think it enjoys being held…” Shuichi mentioned, cringing at the cat’s apparent displeasure.

“Oh, nonsense. Romantica belongs to a good friend of mine, and she always LOVES when I come to pet her! Don’t you? Yes you do!” She spoke in an uncharacteristically sing-songy voice, as the cat began to squirm harder and growl. After a few moments of petting and scratching behind its ears, Celeste put the poor cat down, which scampered off back down the way they came. “Ahhh, I do love cats so…” She spoke to herself, before returning to a slightly more composed manner. “Well, if Romantica is here, then I simply must greet Jurika if she’s around… pardon my digression for a few moments, would you dear?”

She beckoned him to turn around and head back towards the gambling area, where they found the gray cat from earlier in the arms of an interestingly-dressed woman whom Shuichi recognized. She had olive-green hair and sported a red plaid scarf, paired with a green and white jacket and short form-fitting black pants that followed her curves. She smiled as she saw the gambler approach, and waved at Shuichi.

“Hey there, Celeste! Pretty unusual to see you out and about. How have you been? Whoa, calm down, Romantica! It’s just our friend, riiiiiight?” The Amami clutched her cat as it hissed, trying to calm it down. “And Shuichi is here too! I have to say, I never thought I’d find you in a place like this, and especially not being escorted by the gambling queen of Japan!”

“Yeah, well… it’s a long story…” Shuichi wasn’t exactly sure how much he should reveal, but Celeste did the talking for him.

“He has been on quite the remarkable lucky streak, unbroken thus far. I have been personally escorting him and inspecting and… verifying his abilities.” Celeste shot Shuichi a knowing glance. “It would have been interesting to see you test your luck against his, but for the time being we have something important to do. So while I do enjoy our conversations, we must be off.”

“Oh, hold on a second! Celeste, since you’re here I have to ask: would you be able to attend our big house party this weekend? It’s at noon on Sunday.” Jurika called out before the pair could turn away. “You know, for our sister’s big day.”

“Ahh, of course! Thank you for the invitation; I would be delighted to attend. I shall mark my calendar for Sunday. Have a pleasant stay, Jurika!” Celestia shook her hand before turning on her high heels and returning to the hotel hallway.

“Now then, where did I put my… ah, there it is!” She pulled out a different keycard, a golden one, and flashed it at a small sensor next to an inconspicuous door on the hallway wall. Silently, the door clicked open, and a small personal elevator was revealed. “Pardon the cramped fit, this is generally only used by myself.”

They both squeezed into the box, Celestia’s large dress taking up more room than anything else. This time she opted not to cling to him or have any impromptu monologue in the middle of the ride. Instead, she simply inspected his body up and down, undressing him with her eyes. The cramped box quickly became filled with her floral perfume, though Shuichi certainly didn’t mind - it helped take his mind on how tense he was slowly becoming.

The elevator moved quite quickly, likely because it was a private one intended only for her. With another silent click, the door slid open, revealing a spacious hallway with an elaborate red carpet, and dim mood lighting from oil lanterns. The same perfume smell that surrounded his host could also be noticed here, though likely wafting in from one of the various rooms that branched from the hallway. Celeste quickly guided him to the very end of the hall, which featured an extremely large set of mahogany double-doors. Pulling one open with a bit of effort due to their sheer size, the two stepped into a well-furnished room with couches, a darts stand, billiard table, and the centerpiece of it all: an ornate wooden poker table, with a deck of cards sitting on it in preparation.

“I present to you: my glorious game room, the setting for our Ultimate Gamble!” she announced proudly as she walked to the far side of the poker table. “Here, you and I shall battle to see how long your impressive luck can stand up to my years of skill and sharp wits which, I assure you, have most certainly not dulled over time.” She cackled jovially, finding some immense joy in the prospect.

“Allow me to explain the rules. We shall be playing a game of poker showdowns, but this will not be quite an ordinary game. In the interest of leveling the playing field, I will be playing with a handicap: no discarding. You, on the other hand, will be permitted to discard and redraw up to three cards per round if you so desire. The bets will start small, and multiply by ten with each successive round of cards, up to a grand total of 50 million yen. Furthermore…” She sat down in the chair on the far end, and crossed her legs. “To make things more enjoyable for the so-called ‘Ultimate John’, for every round that I lose, I will remove an article of my clothing. Think of it as one-sided strip poker, if you will. However! ” She raised her voice, leaning forward with a gleeful smile. “Before you go thinking that you’re the only one who has something to gain from this, know that if you lose a round, then the game will end immediately, you will lose however much you had bet up to that point, and you’ll also be required to… service me in some fashion. You may even consider that aspect to be a… consolation prize, of sorts. Now tell me, Shuichi Saihara,” she leaned back in her chair, a confident but excited expression on her face.

“Are you in?”

Her guest thought about the proposition for a while. This was the moment of truth. How far could his newfound luck carry him? Did he even want to find out? He knew that if he lost, the worst that could happen was that he’d lose all his winnings. He’d have to put more money on his card and start all over to get cash for the bus fare, but that wouldn’t be too hard. He mustered his courage and nodded. “Yes, I’m in.”

Celeste clapped her hands. “Wonderful! Now, for this first round, if you lose, you will have to kiss my feet. I realize that may not sound very enticing, but think of it as a penalty for coming this far and **** right away. If you do a good job though, I might even allow you the privilege of being stepped on by me…”

“Ah, umm…” Shuichi wasn’t super keen on the idea, but after his night with Korekiyo he wasn’t going to say ‘no’.

“Well, regardless, let the game begin!” She grabbed two decks of cards, and after prepping and shuffling them both thoroughly in front of him, started dealing. Shuichi took a look at his hand. Three of a kind with sevens. Just to be safe, he discarded his remaining cards and ended up with a fourth seven.

“Showdown time.” Celeste called out, displaying her hand: “Two pair, aces and sixes.”

Shuichi flashed his own hand, “Four of a kind, sevens.”

“You win. I am glad that you did not **** right out of the gate.” She reached up to her head, and began untying the white bonnet that she wore. Pulling the straps undone, she tossed it aside. Her hair was shiny and healthy-looking, most likely recently-washed as well. “For this next round, you will kiss me. It can be on my lips or anywhere on my face.” She puckered her lips into a kissing expression, showing off her deep red lipstick, and then began dealing the next hands.

This time, Shuichi didn’t even need to substitute any cards: he had a three of a kind with fours.

“Showdown time. Three of a kind, twos.” She announced. Upon seeing Shuichi’s hand, she laughed. “Ahh, a bit of a tie. Since I am in a generous mood, I will defer any tied rounds to you. Let us see how long you can keep this up, hmm?” She nodded, reaching down and removing her high heel shoes and socks, kicking them off into the corner. Her feet were still wrapped in her stockings, and she wiggled her toes for show.

“Onto the next consolation prize: a french kiss. You may spend as long as you like, exploring my mouth, tangoing with my tongue, however you say it. Well, as long as you keep within reason, of course.” For emphasis, she gave Shuichi a lewd grin and ran her tongue sensually along her lips. While Shuichi was busy focusing on her tongue, she silently took a look at the next set of cards in her deck. “You may also explore my body with your hands as well but, as a fellow gambler, I caution you against pressing your luck too far in that regard.”

Content that she’d teased her guest enough, she dealt the next round, though keeping a strong poker face to hide the fact she knew exactly what would be in her next hand. “Showdown time: three of a kind, fives.” Shuichi revealed his cards. “Two pair, queens and tens.”

Behind her perfect poker face, Celeste was beginning to grow concerned about her opponent’s constant good hands. She began pondering in her head, “Relax, you have seven more rounds to go. Either his good luck runs out, or my luck becomes better…”

The woman began loosening her bright red necktie. She wiggled it off gently, unlooping it from her collar and unbuttoning it a bit, revealing more of her neck. At the same time, she announced the next prize.

“As your reward for making it this far, I will grant you permission to service my loins if you lose this round. I am sure it is something we will both enjoy.” She stood up, making a show of reaching under her large dress and rubbing her hand out of sight. “This is something that only a dozen or so people have ever been allowed to do, so I suggest you feel honored that you might bring me release.” She chuckled, wiping the dampness off her fingers, and began fantasizing slightly about his potential performance. “For someone called the Ultimate John, I am sure he is very well-versed in pleasure. I would be surprised if his tongue is not the best one I have ever experienced.” She thought to herself, before setting up the next round.

Shuichi, who didn’t particularly care about keeping a poker face, felt his face grow hot as he heard Celeste’s description of what he’d be able to do to her. Nevertheless, he felt confident he’d be able to make it further, and so he looked forward to what would come in the following rounds. He laid out his cards: a 4-8 straight. He could have sworn he saw a grimace cross his opponent’s visage, but it was so brief he couldn’t be sure. Her hand was a three of a kind, threes.

“Impressive, but we’re not quite halfway yet. But, as promised…” Celeste raised her arms and began removing her black long-sleeve jacket. Placing it on the back of her chair, her incredibly pale arms were now exposed. She seemed as though she was not very accustomed to having short sleeves in her air-conditioned room, and Shuichi could easily make out goosebumps running down the lengths of her arms. He, of course, said nothing.

“For the remaining rounds, the consolation prize if you lose will be much more geared toward your own pleasure rather than mine. If you lose here, for instance, I shall bring you to orgasm with my thighs. You may ask me to sit on your lap and do all the work, or you may take control, whichever you prefer. I will also consider my buttocks as a valid place to relieve your tension, in case you simply wish to grind against me. As a bonus, you will not be billed for any dry cleaning necessitated by semen stains on my dress, so feel free to run wild if you wish.”

She stood up yet again, stealthily sliding two kings into her deck at the top without Shuichi noticing. Hiking her dress up, she revealed the thighs in question. Much like the rest of her skin, they were incredibly pale, but her legs were certainly not to be called “skinny.” This upskirt view also gave Shuichi the tiniest glimpse of Celestia’s underwear: something red. She squeezed her leg, and held them in view for a good while, smiling as she imagined the tent Shuichi was likely pitching in his pants. “This is the farthest anyone has ever made it during the Ultimate Gamble. After this, you will be in uncharted territory…”

He nodded, preparing for the next round while feeling his pants get gradually tighter. He had to discard three cards in his hand this time around, but ending up with a full house, trouncing Celeste’s two pair.

“M-my my, I congratulate you on surpassing anyone else who has partaken in the Ultimate Gamble.” Externally she remained courteous and composed, but she was truly beginning to sweat as she began unbuttoning her white blouse, though certainly not due to the temperature. She **** a smile as she discarded the garment, and did her best not to shiver as the cool penthouse air touched her skin. She could feel her guest’s eyes ogling her torso, in particular around her bra and corset.

“A… corset. Wow, I never thought I’d see one of those.” Shuichi remarked, intrigued by the gambler’s choice of fashion.

“Yes, well, it was the pinnacle of fashion in pre-industrial Europe, though due to their significant lack of medical knowledge, many corsets would squeeze the wearer’s body so tightly that they pushed organs out of place, leading to many complications and premature deaths. The pursuit of fashion is a noble cause, but certainly not at the expense of one’s well-being. Thus, my own corset has been painstakingly designed to accentuate my curves safely.” She cleared her throat, realizing she’d gone on a tangent.

“Anyway, the next consolation prize will be perhaps the best handjob you’ve ever experienced. I know you will find it incredible, hm-hmm…” Stepping away from her chair, she slid up to the young man, and began rubbing her palm across his groin. She smirked as Shuichi began squirming in his chair slightly. “That was just a preview of what will be. I will not elaborate on how I perfected my technique, but trust me when I say that it will blow your mind.” Returning to her place at the poker table, she pulled four tens out of a secret compartment under the table, slipping them into the deck.

She nearly scowled as her opponent played a straight flush and she raged internally. “H-how is that possible? He’s had such good luck he should be nearly out of decent card combinations! I’ll need to have us shuffle our decks after this round, or else my own scheme may be caught out.”

She sighed deeply, then reached up behind her torso and began untying the black lace bra that she wore. She hesitated for a few moments before removing it, and Shuichi soon realized why: her breasts were a cup size smaller than her bra, which was padded to give her chest a bit of extra volume. “M-my apologies, I am afraid that my bosom is not quite what most people expect from–”

“It’s still beautiful, though…” Shuichi blurted out, before hurriedly covering his mouth.

“I– it’s… beautiful?” Her heart skipped a beat from the unexpected compliment, a blush lightly spreading across her pale cheeks. “Surely you flatter me, Mr. Saihara. Please, I have lost this round. There is no need for your false words.” She looked up at him, expecting a face of disappointment or pity, but instead seeing only sincerity and a generous blush on his cheeks. Realizing he was truthful in his remarks, she quietly murmured, “Well… thank you, I suppose.”

Still reeling from her opponent’s flattery, and feeling a slight heat in her loins, she began collecting the discarded cards from both of their decks, and reshuffled them in plain sight, to reassure her partner that all was well.

“Now then, by this point you have earned yourself a treat: I believe you call it ‘fellatio’. However, given the nature of this act, I will be keeping control of what you do; nothing rough or too deep. If you wish for something more involved, you will need to advance to the next round. With our decks reshuffled anything can happen, so I encourage you not to underestimate me.” She placed a bit too much emphasis on the final few words, so she simply giggled and smiled to compensate. She was confident in her next round, however, as she’d prepared herself a flush while she was shuffling, unbeknownst to her partner.

Shuichi was unfazed, however, as he was brimming with confidence in his luck. After discarding two cards, he managed to play a full house, narrowly defeating Celeste’s hand.

“Ah! You– have still managed to best me again, I see…” She tripped over her own words, still incapable of understanding the sheer luck Shuichi was having. The woman sighed and began peeling off her stockings. This took a while, and she made sure to show off plenty of her skin, even bending over and flashing the black-haired boy with her modest cleavage.

Celeste didn’t have any time to alter her hand before the next round, so she was fully prepared to be beaten. Indeed, Shuichi had a three of a kind, while she had absolutely nothing.

“Agh, that was embarrassing. I cannot believe that I am being trounced so utterly!” She grumbled in her mind. Nevertheless, she abided by the rules, and slowly, sensually, began pulling off her multi-layered skirt. It was by far her largest article of clothing, and she made absolutely sure to give the “Ultimate John” a good show, stripping away each layer like an onion before finally revealing her hips and thighs in all their glory. There was a small gap between the top of her underwear and the bottom of her corset, leaving a tiny patch of skin showing. She turned away from him and bent down as she stepped out of the garment, presenting the office worker with a good look at her pale butt, and the deep scarlet frilly panties that just barely covered them.

She was thankful for the velvet padding of the poker chairs as she placed her nearly-naked posterior in hers. Keeping her face calm, she spoke: “That was, perhaps, not a strong round on my part, but for the next round, should you lose, I will grant you the control you desire over my oral treatment. I will let you ravage my mouth and throat to your heart’s desire, and even swallow your load if you wish. Of course, you are always welcome to finish on my face if that is your preference.”

Frustrated, Celeste decided to step up her game. She hastily managed to cram a full house into her next hand while Shuichi seemed lost in thought about the prospect of cramming his dick down her throat. “I can only wonder at the uncouth acts he is fantasizing about,” she thought to herself.

However, Shuichi trumped her once more, with a four of a kind. She sucked in her breath through her teeth, and leered at him as pleasantly as possible. She despised his smug grin, and vowed to wipe it off his face if she could. Similarly to her bra, she reached back and untied the various cords connecting the halves of her corset. She slowly slipped it off, revealing the remainder of her chest, shining slightly in the dim light of the rec room.

“This is the penultimate round, I am absolutely astounded that you have managed to make it so far. Should your luck end on this round, you earn yourself the privilege of anal sex with moi . It is not exactly the most refined act by some people’s standards, but it is one that I personally fancy quite a bit. Not to mention, so few people have had the privilege of exploring that place, so you should feel deeply honored that I would even allow you to do this with me. I just hope you don’t mind a nice… tight… fit.” She emphasized these final words by once again bending over, squeezing one of her glutes, and letting it spring back to shape. Hearing a satisfied grunt from the stud sitting on the other side of the table, she took a moment to steady her breathing as she grabbed four queens from her hidden stash, and prepared to hopefully bring the game to a close.

“E-eh?” She exclaimed. Shuichi had again presented a straight flush, narrowly beating her. “Th-this cannot… be…” She stammered, unable to hide her shock. She turned around and did her best to regain her calm persona, as she began sensually tugging her panty straps down her legs, inches at a time, slowly exposing more of her rear, before at last she whipped around, let her panties drop to her ankles, and casually stepped out of them, her calm face restored. She lifted one leg, balancing delicately while flashing him with glimpses of her labia, before she kicked the rosy garment into the pile.

“This… is the final round. Your prize for losing will be the ultimate pleasure that I can provide: coitus. I am sure that a man of your reputation is no stranger to this age-old act, so I expect you to give me the best night of my life. Be advised, as well, that you will be required to wear protection if you wish to ejaculate inside me. Failure to do so will end… quite poorly for you. Also, I do not believe you have any chance of winning, but if, by some miracle, you do… then I am prepared to make special arrangements. The grand prize total is 50 million yen, dear boy, so all your winnings are on the line! I hope you are prepared…”

She sat back down in her chair, stark naked, and reshuffled the cards once more. As her last resort, she used her dexterous fingers to give herself the best possible hand: a royal flush.