Part I

The Circle

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to The Circle!" booms a voice over the electrical speakers. The orator, visible through the huge window wall, is a charismatic man in his fifties, dressed in a tuxedo and beaming with excitement.

"This will be an evening you won't forget!" he continues, flashing a huge grin. "But perhaps not tell your grandchildren about!"

Olivia squeezes her husband’s hand and, with a nervous smile, asks, “Where have you brought me?”

Lucas, her life partner of twelve years, shrugs his shoulders in response to the question, as if to both express his shared confusion and simultaneously shake off any responsibility. “You know as much as I do, babes. The invitation didn’t share a whole lot of details.”

The married couple had received an enigmatic postcard two weeks ago, inviting them to join an exclusive evening of “erotic excitement”. All that it contained was a time and place, along with a bill of one hundred dollars and a note saying “the first of your winnings”. Olivia and Lucas loved playing games together and experimenting in their marital bedroom, so it didn’t take long before curiosity made them decide to at least go and check it out.

“You have all been personally invited here by previous contestants,“ resumes the MC. “Someone who knows you and thought that you would enjoy this game. I’m certain that you will.”

“My name’s Evan and I’m your host for the night. I will officiate the rules of this game. But don’t worry! We don’t care too much about trivial matters like cheating around here,” he says with a wink. “Our purpose is to help you explore and experience new heights of pleasure.”

Standing in the middle of a round courtyard, at the center of the donut-shaped building, Evan looks around and peers into the many identical rooms surrounding him. It’s obvious that this looping property is where the name – “The Circle” – comes from; a long, circular series of rooms, where one door leads into the next until it winds back to the first room.

“I can’t wait to help you ‘experience new heights of pleasure’ myself,” snickers Lucas while squeezing his wife’s butt.

A pale, petite woman with long, dark hair that frames her delicate face. Her soft, brown-green eyes are warm and inviting, and her shy smile only adds to her charm. Despite her bashful demeanor, she exudes youthful energy. Her hourglass figure is accentuated by her choice of dress, which hugs her curves in all the right places, a little too revealing dress than she’d otherwise feel comfortable with. Her perky breasts and gravity-defying butt are a testament to her dedication to Pilates, and her overall appearance is that of a confident, yet demure woman. Olivia's shyness only added to her allure, making her a mystery that one couldn't help but want to unravel.

With a sheepish smile, Olivia swats Lucas’s hand away.

“I’m looking forward to some action, too. But that guy can look right inside our room! Let’s wait till we get some privacy.”

Switching subject, she continues, “Speaking of our room, check out this building and all the other rooms. It looks huuuge.”

Lucas grins in response, refraining from telling a too-obvious, bad joke.

“Yeah, babes, it’s massive. I wonder how many rooms there are? And how many other couples are playing this game at the same time? It’s impossible to tell from here.”

With the courtyard bushes blocking their sight and the blinding glare from the center stage lighting, reflecting in their huge window, the couple can hardly discern anything outside of their room, except the center of the courtyard and its occupant, Evan.

Turning their eyes inside, instead, Olivia and Lucas examine the room they find themselves in.

It’s a luxurious place, with walls and ceilings draped in scarlet plush and decorated with numerous mirrors. The fluffy carpet floor completes the warm and welcoming atmosphere, cushioning guests’ feet with every step. At the center of the room stands a sturdy king-size bed, dressed in black silk bedding, and with a headboard full of curious-looking handles and attachments.

There’s no question about the singular purpose of this room: uninhibited sexual pleasure.

At either side of the bed is an almost invisible door. One of them reads NEXT but the other has been left unmarked, with no handle to open it from this side. Behind the bed is a third, red door, through which the couple entered the room. On the opposite side of the room, covering most of the wall in front of the bed and facing the courtyard, is the huge window, through which the couple has been watching their host.

However, it’s hard to tell how much they’re looking out from their room, versus the world looking into their panopticon-esque space.

Speakers buzzing, Evan continues, “The rules of tonight’s game are simple. You will be presented with a series of tasks and, as you complete them, your winnings increase. Your invitation contained a hundred bucks and just by showing up tonight, you’ve already bumped that up to a total of two hundred fifty dollars. Congratulations!”

“Not bad for a half-hour drive”, Lucas says with a grin.

Olivia’s more focused on the upcoming tasks they’ll face. Considering the room they’re in, she’s both curious and a little nervous to learn what those tasks will be.

Room five

Evan sets their hearts jumping, “Your first task starts … now!”

“Strip down to your underwear and then kiss your partner for a full minute. Upon completion, we’ll double your earnings to a total of five hundred dollars. We start in ten seconds. Have fun!”

The courtyard lights shut down and with the complete darkness outside, the room’s massive window becomes a huge mirror, on which a countdown appears, ticking down.

“Easy”, Lucas says, before immediately pulling off his T-shirt, and removing his pants. Within seconds, he’s standing before Olivia wearing nothing but his boxers and a big smile.

Of course, always eager to win whatever competition he’s in, she thinks to herself.

Not that she’s complaining. His obsession with running and relentless training has paid off for them both. Stripped down, he reveals a smooth, athletic build, with slender muscles, defined and well-proportioned. Broad shoulders, perfectly aligned with his narrow waist, create an aesthetically pleasing V-shape, which guides her eyes downward. Traveling over his toned but not overly muscular chest, and flat, defined abs, her gaze stops to rest on the generous bulge inside his boxers, sparking a warm, familiar feeling within her.

His piercing blue eyes sparkle with intelligence and humor, framed between a rugged, blonde beard and hair. Always with a huge grin on his face, and a messy head of hair, there’s a touch of boyish charm to his appearance.

He extends his arms toward his wife and beckons her into his embrace.

With that, she wastes no time and lets her summer dress fall to the floor. Bought just for the occasion, her new silk panties and push-up bra cover just enough to be called clothing, their lace inviting his eyes to caress her every curve. A whispering, “Wow”, escapes his lips, as he takes in the sight.

He cups her beautiful features and lowers his lips to hers. Pulling her in, their bodies merge and they feel each other’s warmth against their bodies, every inch of skin yearning for touch.

His tongue slides into her mouth and hers slips inside his. Lips tasting each other, hands slowly exploring, a hunger brews between them. The chemistry between Olivia and Lucas is palpable, as if they are the only two people in the world right now. Their eager kiss is filled with both tenderness and raw desire.

As Lucas’s right hand makes its way inside Olivia’s panties, to grab her butt, Evan speaks up, “Mr. Five, the task was only to kiss. Please temper yourself.”

He gives her cheek a last squeeze, before removing his hand and she can feel him smiling as their tongues continue to explore each other’s mouths. There’s still a task to complete, and they continue their kissing.

Seconds later, a finishing beep sounds and the timer tells them the minute has passed. Breathing heavily, they release each other, reluctantly, still holding hands.

The courtyard lights up again and the couple peers over to Evan to see what’s coming next. He continues, “Well done! You now have a total of five hundred dollars. All very easy money. However, with each following task, the difficulty will increase along with the reward.”

Her heart skips a beat at the thought of taking this to the next step. She recognizes a familiar, tingling sensation spreading through her body, and she hopes her husband won’t be told off during their next task. She wouldn’t say no to some more of his wandering hands right now.

“The next task will double your money again. There’s a twist, however.” At this, he breaks out into a huge grin and you’re not sure you like where this is going. “You’ll have to do this one separately.”

Oh, no! She had already started thinking about what she wished for the next task and it most definitely didn’t involve being alone. She wanted more skin, more tongue, and just more of her husband in general.

“What the hell?” he mutters, clearly equally upset at not being able to take things further right now.

“I know. That was hot. I want more, too.”

“Okay, so let’s get this next one out of the way quickly and then get back to business,” he decides. Goal-oriented and solution-focused, he’s a man on a mission.

Evan continues, “Ladies, make your way through the NEXT door, and await further instructions. Gentlemen, stay where you are.”

They look at each other, disappointment clear on their faces. But a game is a game and they play to win. Just as they reach in for one more quick kiss, they remember the strict rules, and thus stop themselves.

Their last goodbye kiss hangs in the air as she walks over to open the NEXT door. Before stepping through, she turns and says, “See you soon, babes!”. He smiles back and blows her a kiss, mouthing “I love you” in reply.

She enters and closes the door behind her.

Waiting room

Stepping through the door, Olivia’s taken to a sparsely decorated, but luxurious, room. Tranquil music is playing in the background, water ripples from a small fountain, and she feels like she’s been teleported to an expensive, Japanese spa.

“Ladies, welcome to your waiting room. Here you can catch your breath, freshen up, and take a minute to gather yourself before the next task.”

“Behind you is your previous game room, where you left your partner. Apologies, gentlemen, but we’ll make it up to you.” With emphasis, he adds, “Trust me.”

In front of Olivia is another door marked NEXT and behind her remains the door she came in through. From this side, however, it’s unmarked and with no handle, just like the other one in their room. There’s no way for her to open it and go back.

A pit opens in her stomach. Is this “Circle” actually a long, one-way series of rooms? And is my only hope of getting back to Lucas to keep walking through these NEXT doors until I loop back around?

A pit opens in her stomach and it suddenly feels like an eternally long way back to his embrace, both literally and figuratively.

“To your left is another red door, which you’ll find in all rooms. This takes you out of the building and out of the game. You can quit whenever you want; no one will force you to do anything you don’t want to.”

Well, that’s reassuring to hear.

“However, leaving before completing The Circle, will forfeit all your winnings. If either you or your partner quits, you will then have to leave with nothing but the memories of tonight.” A nervous excitement washes over Olivia, as Evan adds, “Although those might turn out to be no small prize in themselves!”

So if I “complete the circle”, she thinks to herself, I’ll be back with Lucas and we might have won a lot of money. But what does “completing” mean, though? And what will I have to do, exactly? And him, what will he have to do?

Evan did say that each task will be more difficult than the previous one. But the previous one, kissing my husband, wasn’t difficult at all. So that doesn’t tell me anything. The next task could be pretty much anything!

Though, if they give us a task I don’t like, I can just leave, no worse off than I came here. I really have nothing to lose.

“You have all separated from your partner to continue this next task without them. Well, without them – but not alone! No participant will have to face these coming tasks on their own.”

What the hell?! What does he mean?

Butterflies flail around as if having a mosh pit in Olivia’s stomach, while her mind races, thinking about all possibilities, realistic and otherwise.

The next task is supposed to be more difficult but does that simply mean “more difficult than kissing my husband”? Or “more difficult than kissing” but with someone who’s not my husband? And what will Lucas have to do meanwhile? With whom?!

She has so many questions.

“Gentlemen, you also have a red door in your room. The same one you came in through. Walking out through that will take you out of the game and the same rules apply to you – leave before the circle is complete and you lose all your joint winnings.”

“However”, Evan continues, sounding pleased with himself. “Your partner won’t learn of your choice until after the next task.”

Wait, so if I quit, Lucas will think I’m still in the game, completing the next task. Will he allow himself to tap out and leave then, even if he doesn’t want to complete the challenge? God damn him and his stubbornness!

“Get ready for your next task”, calls Evan and a timer starts again. Olivia has ten seconds to get her head right.

Nothing to lose at this stage. I’ll just go in and see what the task is. Then I can simply leave if I want and we’ll only lose a few hundred bucks. No big deal. And maybe I do want to play, maybe it’s just some harmless fun, then we’ll have doubled that money.

Let’s do this!

The countdown finishes and the NEXT door opens, welcoming Olivia into her new game room, her new task, and her new companion.

Completing the Circle

Part I

The Circle

Room five

Waiting room

It's heating up!