“We couldn’t let you spend Christmas on your own now, could we?” Ellie said.

“Yeah, but thanks all the same,” Louise replied over her glass of red wine, “I would have managed alone. But it’s been nice to be with friends.”

“You’re better off without him anyway,” Kay added, “Although, now we’ve all had enough wine, are you going to tell us what actually happened?”

Louise shrugged.

“Not much to tell really. Things weren’t quite right, and then he thought what we needed rather than, like, talking it through or anything sensible, was a threesome.”

Ellie raised an eyebrow.

“With?”

“Another woman, of course. A girl from his office.”

Kay looked at Ellie.

“And you didn’t fancy her?”

Louise gave her friend a playful slap on the arm.

“I think I’ve met her. But it turns out he’d been doing some advance scouting already.”

“Oh”? Ellie asked, very interested now, “You mean she was already up for it?”

“No.” Louise took a sip of wine, “I mean he’d already slept with her. I don’t know how many times.”

“Oh, Lou. I’m so sorry,” Kay said, putting a hand on her friend’s arm.

“It’s okay. We were going nowhere together. It just left me feeling so unattractive at the end of it.”

“Don’t you even dare think that, Lou,” Ellie said, “You’re one of the most attractive women I know.”

“‘One of’?” Louise asked teasingly.

“Okay. The most attractive. I’ll say that since it’s Christmas and I’m feeling generous.”

It was Ellie’s turn to receive a slap on the arm.

“We’ve had so many friends ask if you’re single,” Kay added, “And being friends with us they just assume you’re into women.”

“Not that I know of,” Louise said with a smile, “Into women, I mean. I’m most definitely single. As of two weeks ago.”

“There’s always time to come to your senses,” Ellie said with a wink.

“It certainly seems less complicated sometimes,” Louise admitted, “You pair have been together for as long as I can remember.”

“That’s because we only suggest threesomes with women we both fancy.”

“I can’t tell if you’re serious.”

Ellie smiled mischievously.

“It’s probably best if you can’t.” She paused for a second. “Anyway, I see you’ve brought one single present to open?”

Louise laughed.

“I nearly threw it out. It’s from him. I thought I’d bring it so we can laugh at how lame it is.”

“Do you know what it is?” Ellie asked.

“No. But it’ll be lame.”

“As long as it’s not a framed picture of his you-know-what or something like that,” Kay said.

“You know, I wouldn’t put it past him.” She picked up the wrapped parcel and shook it. “But it rattles. So unless it’s broken, I’d say it’s not that.”

“Then I guess we have to see what it is before you throw it out.”

Louise carefully peeled the tape from the parcel. It was instinctive, to try to preserve the wrapping paper for future re-use, although she would probably just throw this piece away in a quest to eradicate all traces of her former boyfriend.

“Oh,” she said, reading the label on the box. Ellie leant over her to see what it was.

“‘Risqué: The Sexy Game For 4 Adults’.” She laughed.

“Well,” Louise said, turning the game box over and reading the back, “I guess he had plans for more than just a threesome. ‘Get to know your friends intimately in this fun and daring game’. Age range: eighteen to ninety-nine.’ Sounds like ‘the game for geriatric swingers’.”

“I wonder who the other couple were that he was hoping to get to play with?” Kay asked.

“As long as it wasn’t us,” Ellie said.

“I’m pretty sure it wasn’t you,” Louise assured her, tossing the game on the table, “Anyway, as predicated, as lame a present as you can imagine.”

“I think we should play it,” Kay said, picking the box up. Louise laughed again.

“Do you have a fourth player stashed around here somewhere?” Louise asked, “Hopefully a hot single guy who makes poor decisions?”

“No, but do you think it’s really going to make a difference how many people play it? Unless it’s like twenty people, because then the police might have something to say about it.”

Ellie took the box from her and looked at the text.

“I guess we fit the eighteen to ninety-nine age range at least. I’m up for giving it a try. And if it’s terrible we can bin it.”

“Of course it’ll be terrible. But if you want to give it a try then who am I to argue?” Louise said.

“Let’s sit over on the comfy chairs,” Ellie suggested, taking the game box with her. “This’ll do.” She sat on an armchair in front of a low, square coffee table and began to unpack the game.

Louse shrugged and went to sit on the sofa in front of the table. Kay joined her. Ellie read the instructions quickly.

“So, it says here, we start with the cards in envelope one, and then when any player has done a lap of the board we get the cards out from envelope two, and then on the third lap envelope three.”

“But what do we actually do?” Louise asked.

“Roll a dice. Do what it says on the square you land on by drawing a card. It says that during the game you may need a pair of scissors.”

“I’ll fetch the scissors,” Kay said.

“And it also says: ‘Things you won’t need: inhibitions!’ It’s oh-so edgy, isn’t it?”

“I’m over-excited just at the thought of it,” Louise said, as dryly as she could. Inside, though, she had butterflies in her stomach. This wasn’t the kind of relationship she had with Ellie and Kay, not for all the years that she’d known them. It wasn’t the kind of relationship she’d had with anyone for that matter.

Kay returned with scissors.

“And look what else is in the box?” Ellie said, “Two pairs of oversized flimsy plastic handcuffs.” She held them up and then pulled out a piece of cord a few feet long. “This, and, oh, and an egg timer. Maybe for boiling eggs, but in a sexy way?”

“Boiled eggs are never sexy, Ellie,” Kay told her partner.

“So how do we win?” Louise asked.

“It says ‘The winner will be revealed by opening the secret envelope when any player completes a fourth circuit of the board.’”

“Fine. So we don’t even know how to win. Then who starts?”

“‘The player who most recently had an orgasm starts.’”

The pair looked at Louise.

“Well don’t look at me. I’ve been single for two weeks.”

“All the more reason to have one every day,” Kay joked.

“Okay, I’ll start,” Ellie said, then looking at Louise, “We had a bit of a lie-in this morning.”

“I’m not sure I want to know.”

“It sounds like someone’s brought their inhibitions to an adult game…” Ellie joked.

The three laughed; amusement with a hint of nerves.

Ellie picked up the dice and rolled, moving her marker three spaces.

“The current player must:’ it says on the square. What must I do? That’s all it says.”

“You have to draw a card as well, don’t you?” Louise prompted.

“You’re right!” She opened the envelope for the first set of cards, shuffled them, and drew one. “Oh. It kind of makes sense. So I must ‘Blow a kiss to the player to my right’.” She looked at Kay, sitting beside Louise on the sofa. “I guess that’s you, my love.” She mimed a kiss and blew it at Kay.

“Not exactly the height of raunchiness, is it?” Kay said, “But thank you all the same.”

“Maybe it picks up. Your turn, Louise.”

Louise took the dice and rolled.

“The same,” she said, joining Louise on the third square. She drew a card. “I must ‘tell the player to my left I fantasise about them naked’.” Her cheeks began to burn. “That’s a bit more than an air kiss, isn’t it?”

Ellie put her elbow on her knee and her chin in her hand and said: “Well? I’m waiting.”

Louise closed her eyes and swallowed, then looked at Ellie.

“I fantasise about you naked,” she said with a shaking voice.

“I always knew you did.”

Louise’s face turned a bright red and she let out a laugh.

“Your turn, Kay.”

She rolled the dice.

“Oooh – a different square. The player to my right…,” she picked up a card and read, “Must stroke the thigh of the player to their right for the length of the hourglass.” She looked up from the card and picked up the egg timer. “Then I guess we know what that’s for.” She paused. “So, the player to my left… that’s you, Lou, you have to stroke Ellie’s thigh for…,” she held up the egg timer, “For this long.”

“What! I have to do something embarrassing again!” Louise protested. Kay nodded. Ellie turned to her and grinned.

“Just carry on fantasising about me naked while you do it,” she said. Louise’s cheeks reddened again.

“Ready?” Kay asked.

“I guess,” Louise agreed reluctantly. She put her hand on Ellie’s thigh. It was firm beneath her dress skirt. She moved her hand slowly up and down as Kay turned the egg timer over. Ellie’s face began to redden slightly as well.

“I hope you’re not enjoying this too much,” Kay said to her partner.

“Define ‘too much’,” Ellie replied. Louise laughed, then glanced nervously at the egg timer.

It seemed an age and she felt as if she were about to giggle. But, she had to admit, it made her feel quite sexy too. Sexy in a way that she’d not felt for some time. She looked up at Ellie who smiled at her, and then looked away embarrassed.

“Okay, you two, knock it off,” Kay said as the last grain of sand slipped through the hourglass. “Your turn again, Ellie.”

Ellie rolled and moved as Louise removed her hand from her thigh.

“‘The player to your right…’ that’s you, Kay,” she drew a card, “‘Unfastens two buttons on clothing of the player to your left’. Ooh, that’s you Louise.”

“Oooh! It’s getting a bit steamier,” Kay said, looking at Louise.

“Lucky I’ve got plenty of buttons,” she said, looking down at her blouse.

“No buttons on your skirt, then?” Kay asked, “That could put you in a pickle.”

“Um. One,” Louise said. Kay turned to Louise and carefully unfastened the top two buttons of her blouse.

“I guess starting at the top makes sense,” Kay said.

Louise felt her face redden again. She picked up the dice and rolled.

“A six! I’m halfway around the board.” She moved her piece. “The player to your right must…’,” she picked up a card, “Tell the player to your left they want to kiss every inch of their body.” Louise blushed just reading it.

“That’s easy,” Ellie said, turning to Kay, “I want to kiss every inch of your beautiful body.” Pause. “Just like I did this morning.”

Even Kay began to blush now.

“Definitely too easy for you both,” Louise said, waving air at her cheeks to cool them, “But very hot all the same.”

Kay took the dice and rolled.

“‘The current player must… give the player to your right a foot massage.’ For the time on the hourglass, of course.”

“That’s me,” Louise said, then feeling suddenly awkward, “But if you want to do it to Ellie instead-”

“Rules are rules,” Ellie said with a mischievous grin.

“To be honest, I could do with a footrub.” Louise turned and put her feet on the sofa in front of Kay and hugged her knees to her chest.

“Are your socks clean?” Kay asked.

“Clean as they’ll ever be.”

“Hmm. That’ll have to do.”

“Ready?” Ellie asked, picking up the hourglass. Kay put her hands on Louise’s feet and squeezed.

“Oh my god that’s good.” Her head fell back and she nearly lost her balance on the sofa. Kay squeezed again, massaging Louise’s feet through her pop-socks.

“You have nice feet,” Kay said, “From what I can feel of them.”

“You have nice hands. From what I can feel of them.”

“Hey, you two! It didn’t say anything about flirting while you did it! Halfway through.”

Kay’s hands squeezed and Louise groaned. Oh, how she wished she’d just once met a man that would do this.

“Stop!” Ellie said.

“Do you have to?” Louise pleaded. Ellie gave her an over-exaggerated scowl and Kay removed her hands.

Ellie took her turn.

“The current player must… kiss the player to your left on the neck.’” She turned to look at Louise.

“Are you sure? You don’t have to,” Louise said. She glanced between Ellie and Kay. Neither said anything.

Ellie leant towards Louise, brushed her blonde hair away from her neck and touched her lips to Louise’s skin, her partially unbuttoned blouse making it easy to reach her skin. Louise gasped then took a long, deep breath.

“Oh, well, I guess that’s one inhibition gone.” The other pair laughed. She took another deep breath and picked up the dice.

“Six again. I’ve done a lap. What does that mean?”

Ellie picked up the rules and scanned them.

“We swap in the second set of cards and carry on.” She put the first set of cards in the box and opened the second envelope and shuffled. Louise looked at the spot she had landed on.

“The current player must…’ oh, my, the second set of cards are definitely more… risqué, shall we say? Since that’s what the game’s called.”

“What does it say?” Kay prompted.

“The current player must remove an item of underwear without removing any other clothing. Use scissors if necessary.”

“Ah. So that’s what the scissors are for.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not ruining this underwear. Are we carrying on playing, though?”

“Of course!” Ellie said, “I want to see how silly this game can get.”

Louise shrugged and reached behind her back, feeling for her bra clasp beneath her blouse. She found it easily and unfastened it, then put one hand inside her loose blouse and tugged the strap down her arm, out through the cuff and over her hand. Then she did the other, and with a half-embarrassed flourish she pulled the bra out from inside her top.

“Ta-da!” she said.

“Very impressive,” Kay commented, and then took the dice and rolled.

“‘The player to your right must…’,” she took a card, “Oh my. ‘Must remove an item of clothing’”

“What!” Louise said “Me again!”

She looked down at herself.

“Socks count, right? Or one sock will count, won’t it?”

Ellie looked at the rules.

“Frequently asked questions: jewellery does not count as clothing and items in a pair, e.g. socks or shoes, are a pair and are not removed individually.” She shrugged. “So socks count, but both together, not one at a time.”

“Well this one’s easy, then,” Louise said, bending down and pulling her pop socks from her feet.

“There might be another massage card in there,” Kay said, noticing that, yes, her friend did have nice feet.

“If I’m lucky,” Louise said, meaning it.

Ellie took the dice and rolled.

“Let’s see if you’re lucky,” she said with a wink.

“The current player must…” She looked down at herself. “Oh my.”

“What does it say?” Kay asked.

“The current player, which is me, must remove…’,” she put her hand over her mouth and giggled, “The current player must remove one item of outer clothing.’”

Kay looked Ellie up and down, admiring her partner’s beautiful short, green dress. “Ha! Look who regrets taking her cardigan off during dinner now!”

“I mean… I’m only wearing one item of outer clothing.”

“If you want to give up now…” Louise began.

“In for a penny…” Ellie said, reaching to her side and finding the zip. She wriggled the figure-hugging green dress down her body until it pooled around her feet and then stood, posing for a second with her hands on her hips.

“Stockings?” Louise questioned. Ellie blushed a little. She had put on black stockings and sexy black underwear as a treat for Kay later. She’d never in a million years expected Louise would have seen them.

“Christmas stockings,” Ellie said.

“I get to look inside them later,” Kay confided. Ellie took her seat on the armchair and tucked her stockinged legs up beneath her.

“Well,” Louise said, “At least it’s not just me that’s had to take something off.”

“You just took your socks off!” Ellie protested.

“And my bra.”

“Still,” Ellie said, looking down at her bra, nipples showing through the black lace. Louise found herself staring for a second and looked away as she felt her cheeks warm. She picked up the dice and rolled then picked up a card.

“The current player must….’ Oh my. The current player must kiss the player to their right, on the lips, for the length of the hourglass.’”

She looked at Ellie and they both blushed. Ellie feigned confidence and beckoned her friend towards her with her finger, leaning towards her across the arm of the chair.

Louise moved towards Ellie as if in a dream and Kay picked up the hourglass. Their lips touched and Louise discovered, for the first time in her life, just how soft the lips of another woman were. Her eyes closed, then she felt embarrassed and opened them again. Ellie’s were closed, so she closed hers again.

“Halfway, but don’t get carried away,” Kay said. Ellie’s lips moved a little, caressing hers, and there was just the thing of the tip of a tongue and Louise felt her breath taken away. “Very hot,” Kay said, “A few seconds left. And…. stop!”

They slowly parted, eyes still closed, and both took a deep breath. Ellie’s chest rose, pushing her bra out and drawing her stomach in.

“That was… quite nice,” Ellie said. Kay gave her a playful slap on a bare thigh.

“Shush,” Kay said, “My turn.” She picked up the dice and rolled. “‘The player to your right must… oh, remove an item of clothing.”

Louise looked at her.

“That’s me.”

“It is.”

“Haven’t we had that card, though?”

“There must be more than one.”

“So I have to take something off again?” Louise asked. Kay nodded and Louise looked down at herself. She only had two choices: blouse, and sit there totally topless, or trousers, and sit there bare-legged, as Ellie was. It was an obvious choice. She unbuttoned her trousers, stood and slid them down her legs and dropped them beside the sofa.

“Nice legs,” Ellie said teasingly.

“You too,” Louise said, then felt suddenly embarrassed.

“And look at Kay sitting over there fully clothed,” Ellie noted.

“Some of us are just good at games,” Kay replied.

“Some of us are having more fun,” Ellie said with a wink. She picked up the dice and rolled.

“The current player must…’ oh lord, not me again. I’ve not got much left.” She picked up a card. “Oh, phew. The current player must undo the buttons of one item of clothing of the player to your left.” She turned and looked at Louise. “‘If the player has no buttons…’ I don’t need to read the rest, you’ve got your blouse.”

“My half-unbuttoned blouse.”

“Your about-to-be-fully-unbuttoned blouse,” Ellie said, reaching over and working at the buttons.

Louise took a deep breath as Ellie’s fingers gripped and twisted her blouse to unfasten the last buttons. She was conscious that she had no bra beneath it and held it over her body when her friend was finished. She was surprised how arousing it was to be sat there in underwear and unbuttoned blouse, with Kay fully clothed in trousers and top on one side and Ellie on the other in stockings and lace underwear.

“My turn,” she said, controlling her breathing as she picked up the dice and rolled. “I’ve nearly done another lap of the board already.”

“We’ll be through these cards in no time,” Ellie said.

Louise moved her piece.

“Ha,” she said to Kay, “Now we’ll see how much you like it. ‘The player on your left…’ Which is you!” She picked up a card. “Oh. The player to your left, Kay, removes an item of clothing from the player to their left.” She turned to Ellie. “Which is you.”

Ellie looked down at herself.

“What’ll it be?” Kay wondered, “Stockings, underwear or bra? Hmmm. Such choices.”

“This is so not fair,” Ellie said.

“She wouldn’t, would she?” Louise said, “Leave you with the stockings and embarrass you by taking something else?”

“She would. Just to see me sitting around her flashing at you both.”

“I’m feeling generous,” Kay said, “Give us your legs.”

Ellie unfolded her legs and Kay reached over for the stocking tops.

“Good job you’re wearing stockings, though, eh? Otherwise you’d be down to one thing only.”

“Oh lucky me,” Ellie said as Kay rolled a stocking down her leg, unfurled it over her toe and draped it over the arm of the sofa. It was very sexy to watch, Louise thought.

“Should we…. Stop? Soon?” Louise suggested.

“Up to you,” Ellie said, “But I say we’ve gone this far so we do what it says. No matter what.”

“Fine by me,” Kay said.

“Of course it’s fine by you,” Louise told her, “Miss Still Fully Clothed. I’m down to two items of clothing.”

“Me too!” Ellie said as Kay removed her other stocking, “But I say we go with it anyway.”

“Okay. We go with it,” Louise agreed, somewhat reluctantly.

Ellie tucked her bare legs back under herself on the armchair as Kaye picked up the dice.

“‘The player to your right must…’” She picked up the card theatrically and looked at Louise. “‘Remove an item of clothing from…’”

“From?” Louise asked.

“From… it doesn’t actually say ‘from’,” Kay said, “It just says remove an item of clothing. So c’mon, take something else off.”

Louise took a deep breath.

“You are very mean,” she said. Kay grinned.

Another two choices faced Louise: get rid of her underwear and tuck herself up tightly. That would work. Or remove her blouse and… cover her breasts, somehow. Underwear seemed the right choice, but wouldn’t they think her weird if she actively chose to remove her knickers first? But at least with a blouse on it was kind of like a nightshirt, albeit one that was open at the front.

“Fine,” she said, lifting her buttocks from the sofa and slipping her hand inside her waistband. She twisted in her seat, holding her blouse closed with one hand as the other pulled her underwear down her legs before tossing the item to one side and tucking her legs beneath her.

Kay looked at her and grinned, and then over at Ellie.

“Interesting choice,” Kay noted, “And you’re down to your last item of clothing too. Better hope there’s not another card like that, huh?”

“I better,” Louise said dryly.

“I’m not wearing much more than you so I’m not going to gloat,” Ellie said to her, picking up the dice and rolling. “Ooh, a new one. ‘The player with the most clothes…’ that’ll be Kay then.” She picked up a card. “Oh my. ‘The player with the most clothes kisses the player with the least clothes on the lips for the time on the hourglass…’” She paused again. “‘…whilst caressing each other’s bodies.’”

Louise’s heart raced and even Kay looked a little taken aback.

“Well?” Ellie prompted, picking up the hourglass. “Kay has the most. I’ve got two things, Louise has one, so she has the least.”

Kay turned towards Louise on the sofa and Louise twisted herself around to mirror her. They leant towards each other and Kay’s arm reached for Louise’s waist.

“I’m not going to start the timer until your lips touch,” Ellie said, feigning impatience, although Louise wondered what she must feel, to see her partner about to kiss a woman wearing nothing more than an unbuttoned blouse.

Kay’s hand touched Louise’s waist through the white cotton and their lips met. Louise found her hand on Kay’s side, then around her back, and she felt herself pulled towards her friend. Her top was soft against bare skin. Kay’s hand ran over her hip and onto bare thigh.

Then, as they kissed, the hand slid upwards, beneath Louise’s blouse, onto her waist, caressing her. Louise pulled Kay closer, because that was the only way to keep herself covered, and Kay’s hand slid around her back, stroking her spine.

Louise’s tongue flicked at Kay’s lips and her friend gasped, then Kay’s right hand found Louise’s waist side, then her thigh, slipping beneath her blouse, up her side… onto her breast.

Louise tried to take a breath, conscious of how barely clothed she was as she kissed this woman in trousers and a silky smooth long-sleeved top. She couldn’t deny her arousal, and even her hand on Kay’s body seemed to have a mind of its own, running up her side, over her thigh, squeezing her through her clothing.

Kay’s hand found Louise’s buttock and she stroked. Louise let out a quiet whimper, quiet enough that only Kay heard, and their tongues touched.

Her friend’s hand was deep inside her blouse, on her shoulder, stroking her neck, her hard nipple pressed against Kay’s body, feeling every fibre of her top as they moved against each other.

Louise broke the kiss for a second and looked at Ellie.

“Surely that’s time up,” she said.

“Oh, yes,” Ellie said, “Ages ago. But you looked like you were having fun.”

Louise pulled back and took her arm from around Kay and, seeing Ellie staring at her bare breast, she quickly pulled her blouse around herself.

“I don’t know who I’m most jealous of right now,” Ellie said with a grin.

“And I don’t know who enjoyed that the most,” Kay said, looking down at Louise’s nipple silhouetted through white cotton. Louise’s face turned a bright shade of red, the aftermath of the kiss somehow much more embarrassing than the act.

“It’s your turn,” Louise said, changing the subject by sliding the dice towards Kay and pulling her blouse even more tightly around her body.

“For some reason I’m having trouble concentrating,” Kay said with a mischievous smile as she picked up the dice and rolled. “‘The player to your right…’,” she read, looking at Louise before picking up a card, “…Oh, this is a good one. ‘Must remove two items of clothing…’” Louise’s face turned to shock and she clutched her blouse. “… from the player to your left.” They both turned to stare at Ellie and Louise put her hand over her mouth and giggled, more in relief than amusement.

“Oh that is so not fair,” Ellie said, looking down at her lace underwear and bra. “How come you haven’t taken a single thing off yet?”

“As I said: I must just be good at this game.”

“Well, I’ve had the most kisses so far,” Louise said, not wanting to be left out, despite her nerves. “From both of you.”

“And now you have the high point of the game so far,” Kay said, “To get my lovely partner well and truly naked.”

“You know how you sometimes regret starting something?” Ellie said, actually looking a little nervous.

“I mean… we could call it a day,” Louise said. She was down to one item of clothing after all. But on the other hand, it had been a pretty exhilarating experience so far. And Ellie was about to have to get naked.

“No… I said we follow it where it goes. No backing out now.” Ellie stood up from the armchair. “Let’s get on with it.”

Louise gave a tilt of her head and, holding her blouse closed around her front with one hand, she stood and reached around Ellie’s back.

“You can do a bra one handed?” Ellie asked.

“Um, it seems not,” Louise said, releasing her blouse and putting her other hand around Ellie’s back and unfastening her bra. Ellie looked down as Louise’s blouse fell open, admiring her friend’s body, as good as naked from neck to toe. She smiled, and then put her arm over her chest as Louise pulled the bra from her arms and dropped it on the floor.

Louise took a deep breath and put her hands into Ellie’s waistband and, dropping to her knees, she pulled the underwear down her friend’s legs. Ellie put her other hand over herself and stepped out of her last item of clothing and dropped back into the chair, tucking her legs under herself and keeping her arm over her breasts. Louise pulled her blouse closed again and returned to her seat.

“I was actually looking forward to undressing you later,” Kay said to her partner, “But to be honest, I’m even happier just having you sit her naked now.”

“Don’t rub it in,” Ellie said, “There’s still time to get you out of those clothes yet. Louise hasn’t even finished the third lap of the board yet.”

“Ain’t gonna happen,” Kay said, “So you just sit there and think about how nude you are and I’ll sit here and admire the view.”

Ellie blushed a little and reached for the dice, one arm still over her breasts.

“Lord knows what it can do to me now…” she said as she rolled. “Oh. It looks like I’m on the third lap. New cards time.”

She put the second pack of cards back in the box and opened the envelope and shuffled the cards.

“‘The player with the least clothes’,” she read from her position on the board, “Which will be me.” She picked up a card. “Oh my word. ‘Receives oral sex from the player with the most clothes.’” She looked at Kay. “‘For the duration of the hourglass.’”

Louise gulped, wondering what would have happened if she had been one of the two parties involved in this. Would they have halted the game? It was one thing to kiss her friend’s partner, but another to have them… well, it would be quite another thing indeed.

“Oh, at least it’s nothing embarrassing,” Kay said, attempting to defuse the situation. She slid to her knees from her seat on the sofa and shuffled over to Ellie. “You’re going to have to get your legs off the armchair.” Ellie swung her legs to the floor and Kay put her hands on her partner’s knees and pushed them apart, her eyes locked on Ellie’s all the time.

Louise couldn’t take her eyes off them as Kay lifted herself forward, ran her hands up Ellie’s thighs, and moved her head towards her girlfriend’s pelvis. She pushed out her tongue and flicked it at Ellie, eliciting a moan, and the naked woman slipped a few inches down the armchair and closer towards Kay. It was the prompt she needed and she pressed her lips against Ellie’s clitoris. Ellie’s feet lifted from the ground and wrapped around Kay’s back, holding her there. Louise remembered she was supposed to start the hourglass and reached for the table and flipped it over, but she could not take her eyes off the pair, Kay’s lips locked to Ellie’s body, writhing and pushing and straining for every ounce of pleasure.

Louise suddenly felt very jealous. Few men that she had been with had done the same for her, but it had been amazing each time, even if it hadn’t always lasted. Ellie was lost in ecstasy, her back arched and her arms raised above her head. Kay’s hands slid along Ellie’s body, up her stomach and onto her breasts, pressing and massaging as her tongue did the same.

Ellie moaned and then began to pant. That was fast, Louise thought. Ellie must have been really turned on at the start. As am I, she thought to herself.

Ellie moaned again, her body rocking back and forth. Louise glanced down at the hourglass. It was completely empty. How long had it been like that? She hadn’t been paying attention.

“Um, time’s up,” she said quietly, and then coughed and said more loudly: “Time’s up.”

Kay pressed Ellie’s breasts with her hands and stroked her hands down to her partner’s thighs as she sat back.

“I heard you the first time,” she said, “But just wanted to give her a moment more.”

Ellie groaned.

“Ohhhh… why did you have to stop then. I was so close.”

“I know you were. But we can’t let you have all the fun when we’ve got a guest, can we?”

Ellie turned to Louise, having almost forgotten she was there, and they both blushed. Louise pulled her blouse around herself.

“I wouldn’t have minded,” she managed to say.

“I’ll bear that in mind next time,” Kay said, rocking back onto her heels and taking her seat on the sofa beside Louise.

Ellie took a deep breath, tucked her feet back beneath herself and, face still flushed, slid the dice towards Louise.

“Your turn, Lou.”

“Um. I’m not sure I can follow that,” she said.

“Now we know what kind of things are in the third deck of cards, I wouldn’t be so sure.”

Louise swallowed and rolled the dice.

“‘The player to your right…’” She turned to Ellie and picked up a card. “‘… must remove one item of clothing…’”

“But you haven’t got any clothes left, Ell,” Kay noted. Louise took a deep breath continued

“‘…must remove one item of clothing from the player to their left.’”

Ellie turned to look at Louise.

“Oh,” Louise mouthed.

“Yes: oh,” Ellie said with a grin.

“This game just keeps on getting better,” Kay said. Ellie stood, not even bothering to cover herself, and beckoned Louise to stand.

Louise shrugged and stood in front of Ellie, letting her arms hang by her side, her blouse parting down the middle of her body.

“I guess it’s only fair,” Louise said as Ellie’s hands slipped beneath the collar of her blouse, “I did take your clothes off you. I’m just glad I’m not the only one naked though.”

“Yeah. Me too,” Ellie said as she pushed Louise’s sleeves down her arms. Being naked was totally worth it for this moment and this moment alone, she thought to herself. “So at least we’re both naked.” She looked at Kay. “And little miss fully-clothed is the odd one out.”

“I’m fine with being the odd one out,” Kay said.

Louise watched her blouse drop to the floor and remained standing in front of her friend, both naked and breathing deeply. Louise knew her nipples were hard without looking. She glanced, just briefly, at Ellie’s and saw the same and blushed.

Simultaneously the pair sat down and tucked their legs beneath them, although neither bothered covering their breasts now. There seemed little point.

“I guess it can’t get any worse,” Louise said, as Kay picked up the dice and rolled. She looked at the space and picked up a card and read.

“This is an odd one,” Kay said.

“You mean it’s another ‘Kay gets to keep her dignity while we all lose ours’ card?”

“Not quite.”

“You know, this is really not fair,” Louise said

“What does it say?” Ellie asked. “Is Louise screwed, or am I?”

“Neither, really. ‘The player to your left,’ which is you, Ellie, ‘May put one item of clothing back on’.”

“What!” Louise said suddenly, “Just when you’ve got me naked, you get to put something back on?”

“Seems like it… good timing, huh?” Ellie said, reaching to the floor for her dress.

“Oh, put your stockings back on, hun?” Kay teased.

“Not on your life,” Ellie said, although she did appear to think about it for a second. She slipped her feet into her dress, stood from the armchair, pulled it up over her hips, looped the straps over her shoulders and zipped up the side. “There,” she said, sitting down with a satisfied look on her face, and then glancing at Louise. “I’m still only wearing one thing so don’t look at me like that!”

“Yeah, but you’re basically fully dressed! I’ve got nothing!” She felt suddenly self-conscious and covered her breasts with her arms, folding them tightly over her chest.

“And we’ve still got a lap of the board to go!” Ellie noted, looking at Louise’s game piece, which was the furthest around the board once more. “Although I might get there first.” She picked up the dice and rolled.

“‘The current player…’ Oh, no, not me again,” Ellie said, picking up a card, “I don’t believe this. ‘The current player takes one pair of cuffs from the box and locks the nearest ankle of the player wearing the least clothes to the nearest leg of the table.’ That’s you then, Louise.”

Kay reached for the box and pulled out one pair of cuffs and handed them to Ellie.

“I thought they were too big for wrists,” she said as she passed them.

“I don’t believe this,” Louise said, “If that had come out earlier it would have been you, Ellie. This is so unfair.”

“Unfair or not, it’s happening,” Ellie said, “So slide that pretty little foot over here and let me cuff you.”

Louise took a deep breath, twisted herself in her seat, arm still clutched to her chest, and put both feet on the carpet and crossed her left leg over her right. She slid her feet together towards Ellie, thighs pressed together. Ellie grinned and clipped the cuff around Louise’s right ankle, tugged it towards her a little, and clamped it around the wooden leg of the coffee table.

“I guess you’re not going anywhere any time soon,” Kay said with a smile. Louise looked down at herself and, despite the slightly naff looking cuffs, feeling them against her skin was more arousing than she would admit to them. Her nipples hardened against her forearm and she was glad she had her legs crossed.

“Well, at least it’s your turn,” Ellie said, sliding the dice to Louise.

“It doesn’t seem to matter whose turn it is,” she said, “Something seems to happen to me no matter what.”

“That wasn’t true a minute ago. I had Kay’s tongue between my legs.”

“Yeah, well, I didn’t hear you complaining about it.”

“And nor would you,” Ellie said without thinking and turned a bright shade of red. “Still, at least I’ve got some of my dignity back now.” She smoothed the fabric of her dress as if to emphasise the point.

“Oh, thanks. I’ll just sit here with no dignity whatsoever,” Louise said, rolling the dice from her twisted seating position, moving her piece and noting the square. “‘The player to your left’,” she looked at Kay and picked up a card, “Oh, why me again? ‘The player to your left takes the cord from the game box and ties the hands of the player with the fewest clothes behind their back.’”

Kay clapped her hands together and laughed, and in an instant she had the soft rope cord out of the box.

“Hands behind your back,” she said with a grin, climbing behind Louise on the sofa. Louise reluctantly put one arm behind her back and reluctantly took the other from her breasts to join it. She felt the soft cord loop around her wrists, then Kay tied a knot, then another knot, then looped around her wrists and tied it once more.

“That’ll do,” Kay said, returning to her seat beside Louise.

Louise looked down at herself, breasts rising and falling, nipples pointing straight out, left leg crossed over the right, the ankle of which was cuffed to a table leg.

“This was not how I’d expected to spend Christmas day,” she said with a sigh.

“This is better than I’d expected,” Kay said. She looked at Ellie who nodded agreement. “Although I don’t know how you’re expected to roll the dice.”

“The card said another player had to do it for me,” Louise said, “But it can’t last much longer anyway. I’m nearly halfway round the last lap.”

“And then we get to find out who the winner is!” Ellie said.

“It’s not me, I can tell you that,” Louise said.

“I feel like I’ve won already,” Kay noted.

“And I feel like I’ve had a lucky escape,” Ellie said, looking Louise up and down. If it hadn’t been for the card that let her put her dress back on she could be the one naked with her hands tied behind her back.

“Let’s get on with it,” Louise said to Kay who took the dice and rolled, moved her piece and took a card.

“‘The current player,’” Kay read from the board.

“At last you’re going to have something happen to you. It has to be time!” Louise said. Kay shook her head and read.

“‘The current player takes one pair of cuffs from the box and locks the nearest ankle of the player wearing the least clothes to the nearest leg of the table.’”

“What! We’ve just had that!” Louise protested.

“It looks like there’s two of them,” Kay said, “Hence two pairs of cuffs.”

“But I’m already cuffed to the table.”

“One ankle is. You’ve got two, you know.”

“But…” Louise began. Kay beckoned with her hand and Louise groaned.

She uncrossed her leg and, trying to keep her knees together, she slid her foot towards Kay.

“Gonna need more than that,” Kay said, wrapping her hand around Louise’s ankle and tugging it towards the table leg. Louise’s knees parted and Ellie couldn’t help but glance between her friend’s legs before looking up and reddening for a second.

Kay clipped the plastic cuffs around Louise’s ankle, then pulled again, parting Louise’s legs further. She tried to twist her knees together but there was no way she could get them to meet. Kay fastened the cuffs to the table leg and looked up with a smile.

“Well aren’t you in a little pickle,” she said, putting her hand on Louise’s knee for a second. It sent a jolt of stimulation through her body and she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“This is humiliating. You’re still fully clothed, and even Ellie’s got her dress back on and I’m… naked! And look, I can’t even… do anything! I can barely move!”

She twisted around, her wrists tied behind her back and her legs splayed allowing only the smallest of wiggle room.

“You look great, Lou,” Ellie said, putting her hand on her friend’s right knee for a second. She knew exactly the effect it would have and she just couldn’t help herself. A naked, helpless, bound woman, on her sofa, and she was expected to resist? It was tough, especially when she could see just how aroused Louise was, despite her protestations.

“C’mon,” Louise said, “Roll the dice for me so I can get out of this.”

Ellie picked up the dice, rolled and moved Louise’s piece then picked up a card and held it for Louise to read.

“‘The player to your left…’,” she look at Kay, “‘… kisses the player to your right…’ – Ellie – ‘…on the lips whilst caressing each other’s bodies, for the length of the hourglass.’” She looked between them both. “Well that’s easy, isn’t it? You do that all the time anyway!”

“How do you know what we do all the time?” Ellie asked, feigning indignation. “Anyway, at least this one doesn’t involve you.”

“No, I just sit here like a naked gooseberry and watch with my ankle cuffs and tied wrists.”

Kay and Ellie were already standing and moved around the table to face each other. They put their hands around each other’s waists, leant forwards and their lips touched. It was a turn-on for Louise too, sitting there naked while these two clothed women shared a passionate kiss. She took deep, long breaths, and then remembered something.

“It’s supposed to be for the length of the hourglass,” she reminded them.

“We’ll make sure it’s long enough,” Kay said, turning to Louise and stroking Ellie’s back with her hand. “I just wish you were still out of this dress,” she said to her partner.

“And I just wish the game would get you out of… anything…” Ellie said as their lips met again.

Louise watched, unable to do anything else as her two friends kissed and caressed each other’s bodies. It certainly lasted longer than the hourglass would have done, and she wondered if they might get carried away and start making love right there in front of her. She couldn’t do anything about it if they did, although she could probably break free of the plastic cuffs if she really had to.

Finally they broke off, eyes closed for a few seconds as the moment lingered. Kay returned to her seat just before Ellie did.

“I like this game,” Kay said, putting her hand on Louise’s knee and leaving it there as she reached for the dice.

“Hmm,” Louise said, feeling awkward, embarrassed, but very much turned on at the same time.

“Ooh, look another one for you,” Kay said to Louise as she rolled the dice and moves, “‘The player with the least clothes begs…’,” she paused and looked at Louise for effect, “‘… begs the other players to kiss their body Both must be for the duration of the hourglass.’”

“‘Begs’?” Louise queried, “It actually says ‘begs’?” Kay nodded. “I can’t do that!”

“Yes you can,” Ellie said, putting her hand on Louise’s knee.

Louise turned to her. She had never felt so exposed, and she had never felt so aroused. She cleared her throat.

“Ellie,” she said with a shaking voice, “Will you please kiss my body.”

“Of course, dearest Lou,” Ellie said, stroking her friend’s bare thigh gently, “Where would you like me to kiss?” Louise’s face flushed.

“Well, I don’t know,” she said.

“Then I’ll pick. But you have to ask Kay too.”

Louise turned to Kay and took a deep breath.

“Kay?”

“Yes, Lou?”

“Will you please kiss my body? Wherever you like?”

“Of course, Lou,” she said, stroking her thigh as Ellie had done.

Kay glanced down between Louise’s legs, wondering if she should go there but thinking better of it. She bent her head towards her friend’s chest, pouted her lips and placed a kiss on her left breast. Louise gasped.

Ellie slid from the chair to kneel beside Louise, leant forwards with her hand on her friend’s thigh and placed a kiss on her right breast. She looked up at Louise.

“Well?” she asked her friend.

“Well what?” Louise asked.

“You have to keep begging for the duration of the hourglass. I’ll turn it over when you start.”

“But we did start!”

“That was just a practice one,” Ellie said with a wicked smile, her hand running up and down Louise’s thigh.

“Okay… please, Ellie, please Kay, will you kiss me some more?”

Simultaneously, as Ellie turned the timer over, they bent their heads towards Louise and, with a look between them, their lips pressed against Louise’s nipples.

Louise groaned and they pulled back. She took a deep breath. “Please don’t stop,” she said, meaning it.

Their lips closed on her nipples again, and as they kissed their hands stroked her thighs, gently, squeezing the soft flesh, teasing her.

“Please, more,” she said, her breath quickening, “Please don’t stop.”

Ellie put her left hand behind Louise’s back, stroking her skin as she continued to kiss her breast, her right hand caressing her thigh.

“More, please more,” Louise said, eyes closed.

Kay put her hand on Louise’s shoulder as she kissed lower on her breast, then down, over her stomach, feeling her friend twitch each time her lips touched, then she paused for a second.

“Please don’t stop,” Louise said on cue. Kay smiled to herself and her lips touched again. She slipped from the sofa to kneel beside her friend, her lips touching Louise’s thigh. It was so tempting to slip between her legs. Instead she slid her hand inwards, just a little, and Louise strained at the cuffs, unable to close her knees together. She pulled Louise’s leg towards her, opening her thighs wider, just to see what resistance she would meet. Very little was the answer, and she ran her fingers down the inside of Louise’s leg, down to her ankles and back up again, while her lips continued to kiss her thigh.

Kay glanced at the hourglass, long since expired, and then up at Ellie. Her partner caught her eye with a glint in her own, and continued kissing around Louise’s breast, caressing her thigh and her back.

“Please more,” Louise said, a little breathlessly, eyes still closed. Kay smiled again and continued to stroke and kiss, closer, ever closer. Louise’s body tensed, and then Kay’s fingers moved out again.

Suddenly she leant back but her hand remained on Louise’s knee.

“Time’s up,” she said. Ellie released Louise’s nipple from her lips and knelt upright.

“Already?” Louise said, opening her eyes with a dazed, dreamy expression on her face.

“Yes. You can stop begging now,” Kay said with a smirk.

“But I-” Louise was about to say, and then blushed before she begged them to continue again. She wanted them so much. Dammit why didn’t Kay reach between her legs when she was so close!

Louise looked down at herself and rocked her knees inwards a little, to try to close her thighs. It had little effect because of the ankle cuffs and she felt more exposed because of it.

Kay pushed herself back onto the sofa beside Louise and Ellie took her seat on the armchair again.

“You were very convincing,” Kay said, winking at Ellie.

“Very,” Ellie agreed, “I really believed you wanted us to carry on.”

“Yes. You were acting very much in the spirit of the game.” Kay’s hand continued to stroke Louise’s thigh. “Anyway, I think it’s my turn?” Louise nodded, still dazed. Kay rolled the dice.

“Oh,” Ellie said, “We had something similar to this already. ‘The player to your right…’ – which is Kay – ‘…Gives oral sex to the player with the least clothes.’”

She turned to look at Louise. “And we know who’s got the least clothes.” Louise took another deep breath.

“For as long as the hourglass, I guess?” Kay asked.

“Huh. Not this time. ‘Until they are about to orgasm. Then stop,” Ellie told her.

Louise groaned. Kay shrugged, then stood from the sofa, stepped over Louise’s left leg and dropped to kneel before her. She put her hands on Louise’s knees and looked up at her. Louise’s heart was racing, her bare skin pressed against Kay’s top once more. Kay’s hands slid up Louise’s legs, long sleeves rubbing on skin, heightening her sense of nudity.

Kay brushed her dark hair to one side, bent her head towards Louise, pushed out her tongue, and suddenly Louise’s world became nothing but pleasure.

She had never felt anything like it, not from any man, not from any device, and certainly not from a woman. What had she been missing out on? She fell back against the sofa, her bound hands pinned beneath her, and moaned as Kay’s tongue probed between her legs.

She tried to lift her feet, to wrap them around Kay’s body, as Ellie had done, but the ankle cuffs fixed to the table stopped her. The restraints just aroused her further.

She pushed her pelvis towards Kay’s mouth, but the clothed woman pressed down on her thighs, holding her in place, and her arousal grew again. She moaned once more.

Kay’s tongue flicked, her hands squeezed, and her shoulders pushed Louise’s thighs ever wider. She was helpless, at the mercy of this woman who had all the power over her, and she loved it. She never wanted it to end.

She was breathing hard, trying to push up and down, barely able to move against Kay’s strong grip. She heard whimpering and panting, and realised it must be her own. It became higher pitched, almost sing-song, almost a single note, and Kay’s tongue pushed and her hands stroked, and Louise knew any second it would happen.

Kay sat back and Louise moaned a long “noooo-oooooh” and almost cried. Kay stood, stepped back over Louise’s thigh and sat beside her on the sofa once more.

“Why did you stop?” Louise asked.

“It’s just the rules, Lou,” Kay said, giving her thigh a last squeeze.

Louise was almost lying down on the sofa, knees spread far apart, hands stuck beneath her back. Ellie looked at Kay and smirked.

“That was, um, fun to watch,” Ellie said.

“Perhaps, but I think I was having more fun.”

“I know who was having the most,” Ellie said with a laugh, looking down at her naked friend who was trying to compose herself. “Anyway, I guess it’s my turn.”

“I hate you both,” Louise said from her semi-reclined position, “Why did you have to stop then? Why?”

Kay laughed as Ellie moved her piece.

“Oh, look. You’ve crossed the finish line. That’s the end, isn’t it?” Kay nodded. “Do you think I’ve won?”

“You have to open the envelope, don’t you?”

“Ah, yes. That was it.”

Ellie picked up the fourth envelope, opened it and read the single card inside.

“‘Congratulations on completing the game of Risqué. You are all winners…’ – now that’s a cop-out – ‘except the player with the least clothes left, who has lost.’” Ellie looked down at Louise. “That seems a little unfair, but hey.” She continued to read: “‘The loser must bring every other player to orgasm, each in turn, by whatever means that player wishes, and as many times as they desire. The loser may not re-dress for the rest of the day and they may not deny any other player’s request.’”

Kay looked at Louise who was only half-listening, and certainly hadn’t had time to absorb the implications of what she had barely heard.

“So… we have Louise as a sex toy for the rest of the day, is that it?” Kay asked Eliie.

“It seems so. Although Lou doesn’t look like she’s in a fit state to give anyone an orgasm.”

“Do you think we should untie her hands? And get rid of those ankle cuffs?”

“Woah,” Ellie said, “Not so fast. You had some fun, but I think it’s my turn.”

“She’s not meant to orgasm, remember.”

“She won’t,” Ellie said with a wink as she climbed between Louise’s knees. Her friend looked down at her. “Did you get all that?” Louise nodded.

“Just about. Apparently I lost.”

“Losing can have its upsides, you know,” Ellie said, pushing between Louise’s thighs. Her tongue flicked out and Louise moaned while Ellie contemplated just what she was going to get Louise to do to her in return.

It was going to be a long, fun evening.