Daring Dice

All of Bethany's friends and family told her what a lucky girl she was, getting a position up at the manor. Personal maid to the young mistress, even! What a plum position that was! Bethany only wished she could tell them the truth.

Take tonight, for instance. Lady Anne was desperately curious about a game called "Daring Dice." All she knew about it was that her brother, Lord Matthias, played with some of the servants, and none of them would tell her a thing about it.

Of course, the Lady herself would never be allowed to do anything so common as gambling with servants. Her solution? Bethany would play, and promise to tell her all about it.

And so, here she was, about to play a daring game with Lord Matthias. Tall, dark and drop-dead gorgeous Lord Matthias. Bethany would never admit it, but a tiny, tiny fraction of her nervousness might really have been anticipation.

She recognized most of the other girls. There was short, red-headed Claire, one of the upstairs maids, Rebecca, a long-legged blonde girl who worked in the kitchen, Stephanie, the quiet, brown-haired girl who tended the vegetable garden, and Lucy, a vivacious blonde who delivered milk and eggs from the village. The only one she didn't recognize was a tall, dark-haired girl who stood apart from the others.

"Bethany!" Lucy shrieked joyfully, grabbing her arm. "You've come to play with us?" The other girls nodded their hellos, with the exception of the dark-haired girl. "Oh, don't mind Stacia," said Lucy. "She's kinda shy till she gets to know you."

"I can't believe you're going to play with us," said Rebecca. "I never would have thought you the type." Bethany wasn't sure whether that was meant as a compliment or an insult.

"Let me explain the rules," said Lucy.

"Lord Matthias is the king, of course, and we are the royal court. Each of us is given a number, one through six, just like the numbers on the die. We line up in front of the king, and he rolls the die. Whichever number comes up, that girl takes off a piece of clothing."

"That's it?" said Bethany. "That seems really. . . um. . . simple, I guess."

"Well," Lucy smiled. "The girl who loses all her clothes first gets to play a special game with the king. But that's for later."

Lord Matthias entered the room. The other girls flocked around him, laughing and giggling.

He smiled at Bethany. "So, you're the new player." He took her hand and held it to his lips. "Glad to have you."

Bethany's heart skipped a beat.

"All right, let's start the game. " He looked around the room. "Lucy, you're one. Stephanie, two. Stacia, three. Bethany, you can be four. Rebecca five, and Claire six."

The girls began to line up. "Shoes off!" called Claire, glancing over at Bethany.

Rebecca nodded. "Everyone starts with their dress and their top and bottom underthings. Three pieces each. That way it's fair."

Bethany slipped off her shoes and kicked them away from the line. The stone floor was cold and rough. She shivered.

"Uh-oh," teased Claire, "Bethy's already a scaredy-cat, and all she took off were her shoes!"

The other girls giggled. Bethany laughed too, but it was a nervous laugh. What was she going to do if she had to take off her underthings in front of His Lordship? Silently, she swore never to tell Lady Anne what had happened here.

Lord Matthias rolled the dice. "Two."

Bethany breathed a sigh of relief. At least she hadn't been first.

Stephanie was already unbuttoning her dress. The thin green fabric fell to the floor around her ankles, revealing her perfectly matched white corset top and panties. She stood straight and proud, hands clasped behind her back.

"Good girl, Steph!" said Lord Matthias. "Way to show the new girl how it's done!" He rolled the die again. "Four!"

Bethany gasped. Already?! It was her turn already? As all eyes turned to her, she just stood there, numb.

"Come on already," snapped Rebecca. "Just take off your dress and let us get on with the game!"

Bethany nodded. She wriggled her arms out of the sleeves, finally pulling the dress over her head. Too late, she remembered what she was wearing underneath. As Lord Matthias and the girls scrutinized her intently, she was sure they were passing judgement on her mismatched under-attire, a beige-colored brassiere and a rather worn pair of blue panties.

"I, I didn't know you'd all be seeing them," she tried to explain. A weak excuse, even to her ears. She felt her cheeks flush as Lord Matthias met her eyes.

But then, wonder of wonders, he smiled at her. "It's all right, Bethany," he said. "It's not the clothes that count, it's what's inside them."

He winked at her, before rolling the dice again. "Six!"

Claire didn't even hesitate before shucking off her short skirted dress. Claire's undergarments were shiny black satin. Bethany felt even more plain in contrast.

His Lordship rolled again, and the number was two again. Stephanie gave Lord Matthias an enigmatic glance, before stepping out of her panties and kicking them in his direction.

Bethany couldn't help looking. The other girl's bush was short, dark and neat. Bethany was sure her own would be messy and unkept in comparison. (If it came to that, of course.)

Stephanie stepped forward and turned in a circle for His Lordship. Her bottom was firm and her hips were slender. Bethany hoped she wouldn't have to show off like that.

The die rolled again. "Four!"

Bethany couldn't believe it. Four again?

To her right, Rebecca rolled her eyes. "Am I gonna have to prompt you every time?"

Bethany felt herself blushing again. "No!" she snapped, louder than she had intended. To her left, she heard someone giggle softly.

Willing herself to ignore the other girls, Bethany slid her panties down and off, revealing her hips and bottom. Truth be told, she was only a bit above average, but compared to the willowy Stephanie, she felt like an elephant.

"Step forward," Lord Matthias instructed her. "Turn around so I can see you."

Still blushing furiously, she did so.

"Nice, very nice," he nodded approvingly.

"Really?" she blurted before she could stop herself.

Behind her, she could hear the other girls snickering.

Lord Matthias was smirking a bit as well. "Really," he said. "Now get back in line."

Bethany returned to her place and folded her hands in front of her. She drew in a long, deep breath and held it for a moment, trying to calm her furiously beating heart.

"Jesus, Beth!" Rebecca said. "Are you even paying attention?"

Bethany looked at Rebecca in confusion. "I-I'm sorry?" she stammered.

"Well you should be!" The blond girl tossed her hair in annoyance. "We're waiting!"

Bethany turned her head back and forth, trying to figure out why everyone was looking at her again. Then she saw the white die against the dark stone floor. Four.

"Really?!" she blurted. What were the odds of two fours in a row?

"Yes, really," said Rebecca. "Again."

Bethany was sure her face was completely red by now. "Sorry! I -- "

Lucy came over and put her hand on Bethany's shoulder. "It's okay, Bethy," she said. "All of us were shy the first time. Even Rebecca."

She gave Bethany a reassuring little pat on the back and returned to her place in line. "Now come on, you can do it!"

Claire nodded. "Go for it, Bethany. It's always hardest the first time."

Bethany stepped forward. Her hands fumbled with the straps of her brassiere. She realized she was shaking a little. Finally, the hook came unfastened.

Slowly, she lowered her arms. The chill of the room and the friction of removing her top were making her nipples almost uncomfortably hard. She paused, still half-covered, then turned her back to Lord Matthias.

"What are you doing?" said Rebecca. "You're supposed to --"

"It's okay," said Lord Matthias. "Let her do it her way."

Bethany felt his breath against the back of her neck, and realized he was standing directly behind her. She felt his hand brush past her shoulder and she shuddered.

"Shh. . . it's all right," he whispered, gently sliding the brassiere out of her hands. Now, she was completely naked. For a moment, she almost thought he might be about to embrace her. Instead, he lightly grasped her shoulders and spun her about to face him.

She lowered her hands to her sides. Then, remembering Stephanie's pose, she clasped them behind her back. She fixed her eyes on the floor in front of her, too embarrassed to look at him.

Lord Matthias said nothing. Chancing an upward glance, she saw that his gaze was firmly fixed on her chest. He was smiling, slightly.

Bethany felt her heart sink into her stomach. His Lordship was no doubt used to the noble ladies of the court, elegant and slender-- neither of which described Bethany at all. He was probably preparing to mock her enormous breasts.

After a seeming eternity, he spoke.

"Bethany," he said. "I had no idea you were so. . . well-endowed."

Well-endowed? That didn't sound like an insult. Bethany felt light-headed.

"Well, girls, it looks like we have a winner," said Lord Matthias. And without another word, he turned and left the room.

"Is that it then?" Bethany said cautiously. 'The game is over?"

"Did you forget?" Lucy grinned. "The first girl to lose all her clothes plays a special game!"

-to be continued-