Chapter 7

The anxious game players reassembled back in the penthouse living room after having changed clothes. All were given similar, yet not exactly the same, outfits to wear, compliments of the casino. Men wore brightly colored floral print shirts and bright white pants; women wore a variety of slinky one-piece dresses, also floral, ranging from a rather tight mini-dress for Ingrid to a flowing floor-length dress for Beverly.

A stunning island beauty with long, luscious black hair, milk chocolate skin and pencil-thin legs presented herself to the four nervous couples. She was dressed in a similar floral gown cut fabulously low in front and slit up the side to dizzying heights. JJ ogled every inch of her slim body. The woman smiled in response with bright, white teeth that seemed entirely too large for her mouth. Her nose wrinkled cutely with each smile, a Polynesian Julia Roberts.

"I'm feeling a little bit like a waiter at a seafood restaurant in this outfit," Alex whispered to Ian.

"I hear ya, ' mate," replied Ian. "Like a bus boy on a cruise ship."

Julie Adams gave both a cold stare as she tugged up on her slightly too revealing scooped neckline. The top of her dress clung desperately to her firm breasts and the low neckline exposed more of Julie than she would have liked. Julie quickly gave the other women a once over to see if they were suffering the same indignity. One glance confirmed that all three of the other women were similarly revealed and, to Julie's dismay, that each had larger breasts than did Julie. Julie sighed secretly and swallowed hard.

The stunning island beauty raised her hand to get everyone's attention.

"Hello, my name is Bianca. Mr. Cord asked that I get you started with the games. First, I'll come around to each of you and write a number or set of numbers on your forearm. Those numbers will help the game progress smoothly. Mr. Adams, you first, please... if you will just hold out your arm."

Alex extended his arm to her and, with a felt pen, Bianca inscribed the numbers, "3 - 4 - 2." Alex's forehead wrinkled as he contemplated the meaningless inscription.

"Mrs. Adams?" said Bianca.

On Julie's arm, she wrote "#1."

"Thanks," said Bianca, "Mrs. Townsend?"

On Mona's arm, she wrote "#4" followed by Ian's on which she marked "1 - 2 - 3." The woman continued until everyone was marked and thoroughly confused. When she finished, Bianca again raised her hand.

"In a moment, each couple will go into a separate room. Each room is equipped with a comfy couch, a bar with lots of refreshments, a large television screen, the usual cameras, and a table on which you will find a stack of large envelopes. With each round of the game, you will simply open the envelope and follow the instructions therein. It's as simple as that."

"Somehow I don't think it will be quite that simple," muttered Beverly.

Bianca laughed and flashed her dazzling teeth. "Perhaps that's true, Mrs. Morgan. There will be several portions of the game. For the first portion, each couple will go to their respective rooms as indicated on the wife's arm. Instructions to begin will come over a loudspeaker in each room. After a prescribed time, a buzzer will sound. At that time, the men will move to another room in the order listed on their arms. It is all pretty simple."

There was a suddenly buzz of whispers among spouses.

Finally, JJ said what everyone was thinking. "When the buzzer sounds we... ah... swap wives!"

Over the murmurs, Bianca responded again laughing, "We prefer to call it 'exchanging playing partners.' But yes, the men move to different rooms and open a new envelope when instructed to do so. Of course, at any time you can choose to leave the game by giving the casino back all your clothing. In that case, you would lose your chance at winning the half-million dollars, however."

"What are in the envelopes?" asked Mona.

"Your game playing instructions. That's all I can say for now, but remember Mr. Cord told you that the game is, shall we say, somewhat sexual in nature, and with each portion, that is, with each envelope, the game will get a bit more difficult and demanding."

"I'll bet," growled Julie. She glared at Alex as if to say, "this is all your fault, buster."

"As for strategy," continued the instructor, "the way to win is to get another couple to drop out. Understand?" Heads nodded, but faces looked confused. "When playing, your goal is to get the other person to quit. If all the other couples leave and you remain, you win the $500,000."

"And the million?" asked JJ. "How do we get that?"

"If more than one couple remain in the game after the men change rooms three times, as marked on your forearms, then the remaining couples will play for bigger money. By the way, if a couple drops out, we'll make whatever adjustments are needed in the room numbers for the game to continue. Anyone want out now?"

"Yes," said Julie.

"Ah, she's kidding," Alex quickly added. "A joke."

"Remember," warned the instructor, "if one of you drops out, both spouses are eliminated and both must depart without clothes. Oh... and there are a ton of people in the casino tonight... all looking for some of our famous naked skin. Questions? No? Then, let's begin. Please follow me to your rooms."

Bianca opened another door and gestured toward it.

"Please find the women's rooms down this corridor." Bianca laughed aloud at her own little joke. "I don't mean the women's rest rooms. I mean the room in which the women will remain, first with husbands. There are rest rooms too, by the way."

Deathly silence hung over the group. Most were contemplating a winning strategy. Beverly was contemplating JJ's tight ass as he left the room in front of her.

This could be very interesting, she thought.

In La Domaine Riche, John Cord had the party going in full swing. In addition to the usual wait staff and betting stewards, a steel drum band had begun to play rollicking music from Trinidad on a small stage to the rear. Male and female dancers in festive costumes had begun to move sensuously to the music on platform perches around the edges of the room. John Cord was directing the betting from his own stage near the array of television monitors.

"Pay the winners, please," John shouted. "It seems that Mrs. Adams has decided to play."

A few squeals and applause came from the winners.

"Now ladies and gentlemen, our contestant couples will each retire to a separate room and will open the first envelope. This is your chance to get to know them better, if you will, in order to make your betting decisions. You will be able to watch them for a while and even listen to their intimate conversations. Your task is to guess if and when they will drop out of the game.

While we are watching them, they will be watching a short movie designed to help loosen them up a bit. You can watch the same movie on monitor 5. Please feel free to ask our wait staff for any sort of food or refreshment. I recommend the conch salad or the grouper fingers. Yum, yum! Folks, it's party time!"

Beverly and George made their way to Room 2 down the nondescript hallway. Rooms 1 and 2 were on one side of the hall; Rooms 3 and 4 were on the other side. Scenic photos from around the island each featuring a topless woman decorated the otherwise bland white walls. "Honey, are you sure you are up for this?" asked George eyeing one of the photos.

"Are you?" whispered Beverly. "We can get naked and hit the road right now, if you want, George."

"Let's give the money a try first, honey," answered George. "But, if you ever want to bail out, I love you and I'm with you all the way."

"The same applies to you, lover."

Beverly winked and opened the door to Room 2.

Further up the hallway, Alex and Julie strolled into Room 1. A large, overstuffed leather couch dominated the center of the lavishly carpeted room and faced a huge wall-sized, plasma screen television hanging on the far wall. To the right, was a very large, fully stocked bar; to the left, a cabinet with a sink and fluffy towels. Between the couch and the television was a coffee table on which rested a stack of large envelopes, the top one of which was ominously emblazoned with a huge #1. Motorized video cameras hung in each corner and over the television screen.

Suddenly a loudspeaker in the ceiling crackled to life.

"Ladies and gentlemen," said a voice obviously belonging to John Cord. "We will begin our game by opening envelope number one. Please do so now. When the buzzer sounds, men will move to the first room number written on your arm. Good luck to all."

In four different rooms, hands reached for the first envelopes and anxiously tore them open. The contents read:

First, it is time for both of you to relax. Make yourselves drinks at the bar. Discuss your goals for the game. Determine your strategies. Check out the television screen on which you will find some interesting entertainment. Make yourselves comfortable. Do what comes naturally. At the sound of the buzzer, men move to the room the number of which matches the first number on your arm. Have fun.