I Dare You (3 page)

I Dare You

completely humiliating. And sometimes in life, she thought, you just had to take a chance.

Cock Robin:
All right. Here’s what we’ll do. There’s a Hot Java coffee shop in the Medallion strip mall. Know where it is?

Misty:
Yes.

Cock Robin:
Go there tomorrow night at seven. There’ll be a package for Misty. If you pick up the package, the game is on. Just follow the instructions and move on to the next stop.

Misty:
I don’t know you. I’d be stupid to put myself in the hands of a stranger with everything going on out there.

Cock Robin:
You don’t have to worry. And you can back out any time along the way.

Misty:
I’ll think about it, okay?

Cock Robin:
I want you to do this, Misty. For me. For us. Meanwhile, tonight is just beginning. Spread your legs and tell me how wet your little cunt is right now. Touch your clit and tell me if it’s already swollen and hot.

As she draped her legs over the arms of the chair and began sliding her fingers along the slick flesh, Shannon wondered if she was losing her mind.

* * * * *

Shannon was glad the next day was Saturday because she was positive she wouldn’t have been able to concentrate for a minute at work. She hardly slept after signing off from Cock Robin, her mind a witch’s brew of erotic photos, erotic language, Cock Robin’s erotic orders and the knowledge that if she agreed to play this game her whole life could change.

At seven a.m. she was standing at her friend Marti’s door, holding two steaming cups of mocha latte and a bag with two cinnamon rolls.

“Trick or treat!” she said brightly when Marti dragged the door open, hair hanging in her eyes, sleep shirt rumpled. “Only you get the treat first.”

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Desiree Holt

Marti peered at her with bleary eyes. “Do you have any idea what friggin’ time it is?”

She started to close the door but Shannon pushed hard against it, forcing it open.

“Wake up, girlfriend. We have to talk.”

“You’d better be bringing me a winning lottery number after waking me up this early.” Marti stumbled toward the kitchen. “And that coffee in your hand better be damn strong.”

Shannon was wise enough to keep her mouth shut until her friend had consumed half her cup of coffee and taken two bites of the warm cinnamon roll. Finally the woman leaned back in her chair, brushed her hair away from her eyes and stared at Shannon.

“Okay, give. What the hell brought you out to my door like Little Mary Sunshine at this unholy hour?”

Shannon ran her fingertip around the edge of her cup, wondering how to explain what she wanted. After debating with herself all night, she realized she regret it forever if she didn’t accept Cock Robin’s invitation. Challenge. Dare. Whatever the hell it was.

But she was still not so dumb or besotted as to leave herself without a failsafe plan. And Marti Aldrich was it. She hoped.

The whole thing sounded stupid even to her, so she wasn’t surprised when Marti leaned across the table, bug-eyed, and said, “You’re kidding me, right?”

Shannon shook her head. “Not even a little.” She licked a crumb from her fingers.

“Listen, I’ve really thought about this a lot—”

“A lot?” Marti interrupted. “You mean, like five minutes? Shannon, are you totally nuts, even considering doing this? Playing a game with a man you met on the internet?

Have you heard about what happens to people who do this? Don’t you read the newspapers?”

“He sounds…okay,” Shannon protested. “And we’ve been IMing for weeks. Gotten to know each other.”

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I Dare You

“Like what? You just said you know nothing about him, not even his name. And who the fuck calls himself Cock Robin?”

Shannon burst out laughing. “Someone who’s bragging?”

“You can’t do this. I won’t let you.”

“Marti.” Shannon leaned across the table and took her friend’s hand. “I have a feeling about this. It’s going to be all right. Something very special.”

“And you want me to help you do this off-the-wall thing?” Marti drained the last of her coffee.

“Never mind.” Shannon leaned back in the chair and sighed. “I should have known you’d react this way. Go back to sleep. I’ll talk to you later. Maybe.”

She started for the front door but Marti leaped from her chair and grabbed her arm.

“Not so fast. Are you really going to do this?”

“Yes, mother, I’ve gone over every bit of it. I can’t explain why but I trust this guy.

And god only knows, Marti, my sex life wouldn’t even be too spicy for family viewing.”

She sat back down at the table. “If Michael hadn’t withdrawn himself, had been willing to discuss our problems, maybe I’d be playing this game with
him
. So. Are you gonna do it?”

Marti raked her fingers through her hair and finished what was left of her coffee.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. All right. But let’s figure out a real plan, okay? If I have to retrieve a body, I want it to be in one piece.”

By the time Shannon left, she was satisfied she’d covered all bases. She would call Marti at every stop, wherever Cock Robin sent her and keep her cell phone on when she got to the end of the line. If things didn’t look good, she would leave at once.

But at least she’d have her chance.

* * * * *

Her watch showed one minute shy of seven when Shannon walked into the Hot Java. It was crowded, as she expected it to be on a Saturday night. The first stop for 21

Desiree Holt

people on the hunt before they hit the bars. She took a seat at the end of the bar, prepared to order a coffee until she could figure how who to ask about her package.

She’d taken great pains to prepare for the evening, shaving every bit of excess hair from her body, soaking in the tub for hours then massaging her special lavender cream into every inch of skin. Even her insides were squeaky clean. And she’d taken great pains with her makeup—not too much, not too little.

She was indulging in one of her favorite pastimes, imagining what Cock Robin looked like, when the perky server behind the counter approached her.

“Are you Misty?” she asked.

Shannon nodded. “Why? Do I look like a Misty?”

The girl laughed. “No, but you look the only person in here about to jump out of her skin. You came for this, right?” She reached under the counter and brought up a square white box, fairly large with a note taped to it. “Would you like a coffee? It’s on the house.” She winked. “Already paid for.”

“Um no, thanks anyway.”

“Suit yourself.” She left to wait on another customer and Shannon opened the note.

Go into the ladies’ room, take off every stitch of clothing and put this on. Only this.

Shannon was afraid to open the box in front of strangers. Who knew what the hell was inside? She hitched herself down from the stool and headed for the restroom, which fortunately at the moment was empty. She locked it, set the box on the counter and opened it. A thin red silk coat nestled in the tissue paper. She touched it with her fingers and found the fabric the softest she’d ever felt.

Take off your clothes.

She jumped as if she’d actually heard the words spoken aloud. With trembling hands she took off everything she was wearing, folding it into a neat pile, and pulled on the coat. It had no buttons, only a very wide belt. She’d have to be very careful when she walked.

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I Dare You

Beneath it, in the box, lay another note.

I wish I could see you in that coat, the silk clinging to your body. But soon enough, Misty.

Soon enough. Pack up your clothes and get moving. Your next stop is Hampton Jewelers. I’m
sure you know where it is. Hurry. They close soon.

Hampton Jewelers? She knew the store. It was a half-hour’s drive away. What the hell could he have waiting for her there? Surely he wasn’t already buying her jewelry.

“I’m on my way to Hampton’s,” she told Marti.

“Maybe he’s buying you a diamond,” her friend said with heavy sarcasm.

“How harmful can a jewelry store be?”

“Just give me a call when you leave.”

She waved to the server as she pushed through the front door, tossed the box on the backseat of her car and headed for the jewelry store.

Six or seven people milled around, looking at the magnificent items displayed in locked cases, pointing and whispering to each other. Hampton’s, by reputation, was expensive.

“I’m Misty,” she told the woman standing behind the counter. “I think you have something for me?”

The woman smiled at her, a warm smile, not a distant, polite one. As if they shared a secret.

“Yes. I have it right here.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a white box, much smaller than the first one and a square white envelope. “Here you are. I believe this note goes with it.” She smiled again. “Enjoy your evening.”

Shannon waited until she was in her car before opening the note.

I know how curious you are, but please don’t open this box until your next stop. Go to
Harry’s Bar at the Regency. Get your package from the bartender then go into the ladies’ room.

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Desiree Holt

Harry’s was so high-priced Shannon had never even stuck her nose in the door and sniffed the air. She knew Mike and his partners entertained clients there, but the closest she’d gotten was a souvenir pack of matches.

“Off to Harry’s,” she told Marti.

“Ooh, big money tonight. At least you picked a high roller.”

“We’ll see.”

The bartender handed her another small box and she found her way to the ladies’

room. Again it was empty and she locked the door, happy that she did when she read the notes.

The first box contained gold and pearl jewelry.

Nipple clamps. I can’t wait to see them on you. Drop the coat. Now take one nipple, pinch it
hard between your fingers, pull on it until it really plumps. Good girl. Now slip it between the
bars and tighten the screws at the sides. Just enough to give you pleasant pain. Got it? Fine.

Now the other one.

She had to look around to make sure he wasn’t actually in the room with her. It took her a few minutes to get the first one on and she was perspiring a little when she finished but the streaks of pain shot straight to her cunt and liquid seeped onto her thighs. For a moment she was tempted to loosen it but she could almost hear a voice whispering, “Don’t you dare.”

The second one was easier to apply. Then she opened the next box, looked at the jeweled butterfly resting on the cotton wool and nearly fell over when she read the note.

She had to lean against the wall and read it again.

This is for your plump little clit. Spread its wings and put it in the proper place. When you
close the wings, it will suck greedily on the throbbing little tip.

Throbbing was right. By the time she finished she was not only perspiring but her juices were running down the insides of her thighs. Impulsively she slid two of her fingers inside her vagina, moving them in and out in short strokes, but instead of relieving the building tension it only increased it. She pulled them out and licked them, 24

I Dare You

the way Cock Robin always ordered her to. Slipping back into her coat and belting it, she read the rest of the note.

Almost there, my little sub. Directions to the next stop are in the butterfly box. I’ll be
waiting.

Shannon gathered up all her things and walked out the side door of the bar, shaking with both anxiety and anticipation. This was it. This was really it. She was going to meet her mystery man and have the most erotic night of her life. She called Marti as soon as she pulled out of the parking lot and read her the directions.

“I don’t like it,” Marti snapped. “Too isolated. Anything could happen.”

“I know where this is. There’s a park near there where Mike and I picnicked when we were still having fun. I’ll be fine.”

“You leave this damn phone on,” Marti ordered. “And be careful.”

“I’m fine,” she insisted then laughed. “Everyone deserves an adventure, right?”

As she turned the corner to another street, the littler butterfly on her clit began to buzz and it was all she could do to hang on to the wheel and steer.

By the time she reached her destination Shannon was a bundle of nerves. The butterfly had gone off at irregular intervals, sending spikes of heat through her clit into her cunt. She was sure both her coat and the seat of the car showed evidence of her copious cream. She wanted to come so badly, but the butterfly only took her so far before it stopped. Her nipples were aching, begging for a hot tongue to ease their pain, her clit and her cunt throbbed and she was hanging on to her nerves with her last shred of control.

The cabin was beautiful, a rustic masterpiece set in a grove of trees. An unfamiliar black SUV was parked to one side and lights shone invitingly through the cracks in the curtains. Shannon parked her car next to the other vehicle and climbed out just as the butterfly vibrated again. She leaned against her car, waiting for the ripples to stop racing through her body. The breeze caught the flap of her coat, lifting it and kissing the skin of her bare cunt. She shivered but not from the wind.

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Desiree Holt

Pulling the slip of paper from her pocket, she read it once more.

When you get to the cabin knock on the door. You will be pleasantly surprised when it
opens. I hope.

He hoped? What the hell did that mean?

“I’m here,” she said into her cell phone then stuck it in the pocket of her coat, leaving it on. She wished whatever happened to the coat it wouldn’t be too far away to catch what she said and Marti could hear her. Picking her way carefully along the dirt path, she climbed the two steps to the porch, drew in a deep breath, let it out and rapped twice on the thick wood.

The porch light came on and the door opened. She looked up at the face of the man standing in front of her and thought for sure her heart would stop beating. Her eyes took in the tall, muscular body, the thick dark hair worn just a little long, the silver eyes reflecting the light from the porch. The square jaw and the sensuous mouth with a dimple that winked when he smiled. He was smiling now.