The Game

MADDIE

It’s been a couple of months since I applied to the dating app For Love or Money. At this point in my life, I’m ready to pack all my shit and move to Fort Collins, Colorado.

I have some friends who went there for vacation and said it’s the place to be. There’s always something to do no matter what time of year it is. Skiing, hiking, bike riding, paddle boarding on the Cache la Poudre river.

On top of that, there are so many breweries up there. You could have a different beer every day and never have the same one twice.

I pick up my phone and notice I have a missed call with a voicemail from around four in the morning. I look at the number and it’s a New York area code.

I hit the voicemail button on my phone and listen to the message.

“Hi, I’m looking for Mattie—no wait, Maddie. I’m sorry I read that wrong, I just realized I’m calling a California number while I’m in New York. That puts you four hours behind me. Sorry again.”

“I’ll just give you the news. This is Craig with For Love or Money, and you have been chosen to participate in our couples challenges.”

“We have chosen your partner for these events with the information you have left for us. Please give me a call at this number to confirm you will be playing. You must call within the next 24 hours.”

“Once you have made the call, we will send you an email with instructions for your flight to New York. Congratulations and we look forward to seeing you in New York for the first annual For Love or Money.”

My heart is beating so fast when I finish listening to the voicemail. I want to be sure I’m not dreaming, so I listen to it again—twice.

Once I get my heart rate down, I call the number. I speak to Cassie, who I think is Craig’s secretary. I tell her I will indeed be playing The Game. She’s more excited than me that I’m playing.

She tells me that her and a couple other people put together the teams. “I just want you to know, I personally picked out your teammate for you. I really hope you like him,” Cassie says.

All I can think is, And if he’s not? Do I get my money back?

Instead, I just laugh with her and keep my mouth shut.

Later that day I get an email containing all the information I need. Like, the fact that I’m leaving for New York in two days.

“Holy shit, I’m leaving in two days!” I say out loud, but nobody can hear me.

I need to get to the restaurant and tell Krissy that I was picked for The Game. The only problem is telling her I’m leaving. I hope she takes it well.

I decide to walk to the restaurant, but before I do, I want to change into something more comfortable. I slip into a pair of running shorts with a black tank top that hugs my tits.

When I get there, I push the door open and the air conditioning hits my tits, making my nipples stand at attention right away.

Krissy sees me walking in and notices my erect nipples. She places her thumbs on both nipples and pushes them down.

“We got a weird crowd of men today. I don’t need to get them all excited,” she says, laughing. “What are you doing here? You don’t work until tomorrow.”

“I wanted to come see you and thank you for what you did for me here.”

“Why does it sound like you’re quitting on me?”

“I’m not quitting. Just a leave of absence for a little bit.”

“Why?” she asks with a raised eyebrow.

“I’m leaving for New York in two days.”

“What’s in New York?”

“For Love or Money! I got picked for The Game,” I say, my voice raising with excitement.

“No shit?” she says as she lets go of my tits and gives me a big hug. “I don’t fucking believe it! Who’s going to be your partner?”

“I don’t know yet, not until I get to New York. Cassie—she’s the secretary for Craig who runs The Game—she told me on the phone that I’ll like what I see in my partner. She picked him out personally, she said.”

“What if you don’t like him? What if he sucks at The Game or just a total loser?” Krissy says.

“I asked Cassie, and she said play The Game and take the money.”

Krissy puts me at the end of the bar and feeds me. She takes off work early and joins me at the bar. All the girls working that day congratulate me and buy me drinks.

I have a few drinks, but I’m not really in the mood to get plastered. So Krissy drinks most of the drinks until it’s time to go home.

I watch her as she falls off the bar stool, and that’s when I notice she’s too drunk to drive home. One of the bartenders texts her husband and tells him she’ll be staying at my place. He’s okay with that.

I’m just glad I only live a couple of blocks from the restaurant. Watching her stumble and hold herself up against the building is comical.

When we finally get to my apartment, she falls head-first onto my sofa. I put a blanket over her and go into the kitchen to grab a bottled water.

I return and watch her sleep as I take two aspirin and a drink from the water. I hover over her to make sure she’s out before walking into my bathroom and turning on the water to the shower.

I peel off my tank top and shorts, then jump in. I stand under the water for a couple of minutes to let myself relax while the water flows down my body. I start to wash up when I hear a noise.

All of a sudden, the shower curtain is ripped open and there’s Krissy standing in front of me, naked. I don’t even cover up. She looks at me while I stare at her. Then she starts crying.

“What’s wrong, Krissy?”

“I wish I had a body like that,” she says as she points at me. “So perfect, so smooth, and your tits are bigger than I thought. Ahhh, damn, and they’re perfect too.

“Don’t ever have kids. Kids will fuck everything up. Your vagina will get stretched out, your boobs will sag. The little shits give you stretch marks for life. Your husband won’t have anything to do with you.

“I work at Hooters to make myself feel young again,” she says, crying.

I’m only four years younger than her. Looking at her naked body, I see that she’s got a good-looking figure on her too. She does have small stretch marks, but you can barely tell.

I also know she’s drunk and won’t remember anything.

Krissy sits on the toilet drying her eyes with toilet paper as I finish my shower. I get out and dry off, slipping on a thong and oversized t-shirt.

I grab another blanket out of my room and wrap her in it. I take her to my room and she flops on my bed. I cover her back up. As soon as her head hits the pillow, she’s out again.

***

The next morning, I’m woken by a finger touching my face. I open my eyes to see Krissy hovering over me with the blanket wrapped around herself.

“What the hell did I drink last night and why am I naked?”

“You had a lot to drink last night. When I brought you here, you passed out on my sofa. I went to bed, then thirty minutes later you came in my room naked and crawled into bed with me.

“Except you came in at my feet licking my legs, then moved right to my pussy and started eating me out. You kept saying, ‘I’ve always wanted to know what a fish taco tasted like.’”

“Oh my god. Are you kidding me? My husband can’t find out about this. He will kill me if he finds out I didn’t invite him for a threesome,” she says as she looks around the bedroom for her clothes.

“How was I?”

“How was what?”

“How was I eating you out? Did you come?”

“I didn’t come at all,” I say, laughing.

“Are you kidding me?” she says, all frantic.

“Yes, it never happened.”

“You shit—then why am I naked?”

“Because you wanted to take a shower with me. You took your clothes off in the living room,” I say as I get out of bed to help her look for her clothes.

She stares at my chest. “Wow, you’ve got great looking tits.”

“You said that already last night.”

“How do you...? They don’t look that big at work,” she says as she picks up her clothes and puts them on. “My husband is going to kill me.”

“Keri called your husband last night. He was okay with you staying with me,” I say to her as I hand her a couple of aspirin and water.

An hour later, her husband is waiting downstairs to pick her up. We start to walk down. As we get closer, I can see the smile on her husband’s face.

“Not a word about last night.”

“Got it,” I say.

Krissy gets in the passenger seat and clicks the seat belt.

“So what did you ladies do last night?” he asks.

“Nothing. Fell asleep on the sofa,” Krissy says really fast. He looks at her as she gives him a fake smile.

“Really?” he says.

“Don’t lie, Krissy.” I look at her husband. “She didn’t tell me you taught her how to eat pussy.” Krissy's eyes get big and she tries to mouth the word ‘no.’

“She made me come six times in ten minutes last night,” I say as her husband whips his head to look at her.

“You told me nothing happened,” Krissy says with a sad face. Her husband looks back at me.

“It never happened. I just wanted to fuck with her and see her reaction.”

As I lean in the window, I add, “She told me she had to invite you if anything was to happen.”

Her husband nods really fast.

Krissy and her husband drive away as I make it back to my apartment so I can start packing for my trip to New York.