Luck of the Draw: A Halloween Tale

"I can't believe how early the party ended." Lauren moaned as they walked along the path, swaying a little as she did so. The clear bottle of vodka in her hand was still mostly full, but Adam could attest that it wasn't the first bottle of the night.

Zach scoffed beside him. "Was that the best you lot can do for a good time? When did people forget how to have fun?"

"Well, the night is young." Adam replied, doing his best to ignore the snide comment. "We could head down to the lake, chill out a bit longer."

"I'm down." Anne said from his other side. Her dark hair and mostly black costume almost made her vanish into the night, with only her naturally pale skin and the red fabric on her chest making her stand out at all. "The lake's lovely this time of night. My university group always used to go down there after a night out."

"Alright then, lead the way." Lauren made a grand gesture of beckoning Adam and Anne to take the lead.

The movement made her curly blonde hair fall down across her face, but also nearly caused the front of her pale blue dress to drop a bit too low. She pulled it promptly up and then fiddled with the little dragon necklace above it that had become a little twisted, drawing Adam's eyes to the tanned skin of her chest.

She'd been one of four Daenerys Targaryeans at the party, but Adam thought her costume had easily been the best. She'd even gone as far as to put in purple contacts, so as to mimic the character from the book. That combined with the alcohol definitely explained the swaying.

Anne had gone a little more obscure and dressed up as one of the alien crewmembers off of Seth MacFarlane's new Star Trek-homage, The Orville. Most of the people at the party had assumed she'd just gone as a generic sci-fi alien, but Adam recognized that she'd actually done a remarkable job with recreating the Trek-inspired uniform, but even better with the pointed ears and little ridges on her forehead and on the bridge of her nose.

"They both look pretty hot, don't they?" Zach said and Adam just responded with silence, the best way to deal with him at the moment.

Adam liked to think his costume looked pretty good as well. He'd gone as Thor as was pleased to see he'd been the only God of Thunder at the party. His bared arms had been a little chilly when they first stepped outside, but he'd gotten used to it, just as Lauren had with her own bared arms and cleavage exposing dress.

"How far is it?" Lauren asked. "Not to complain, I'm just sick of walking in this dress."

"Just down here." Anne replied, leading them down a path just off the main one. "It's a little more awkward to get to, but we're way less likely to get some randos walking by."

Soon enough, Anne led them through a patch of trees and the lake came into view before them, with a nice patch of grass between it and the trees. It was as pretty a sight as she'd promised them and as private as well, with the trees more or less shielding them from the path they'd come from.

"Ugh, seriously?" Zach sneered. "I thought lake was going to be a code name for a brothel or something actually fun."

Adam did his best not to snap back in reply and instead walked over to a group of small rocks clustered together and took a seat on one of them. Lauren sat opposite him, pulling her dress up and folding her legs, drawing his eyes to the knee-high leather boots and the black leggings that led up into the dress itself. She handed him the bottle and he took it gladly.

"Drink up, drink up." Zach urged at Adam's side. "Maybe we'll finally have some fun if you stop being such a-"

"Anyone bring any mixer as well?" Adam cut him off and asked the group.

"Left it at the party." Lauren replied. "We'll just have to drink it straight."

Adam shrugged, took another swig and passed it on to Anne while Zach rolled his eyes. "You can't even drink vodka right."

Finally Adam glanced over at the man sitting beside him. Any party-goer would have thought his outfit was pretty great for a Halloween party, looking as though he'd stepped right out of a black and white photograph. Even his eyes were completely devoid of colour. But unlike Lauren, he wasn't wearing contacts.

"How about a quick game of something?" Anne suggested. "Bit of Never Have I Ever?"

"Sure!" Lauren nodded eagerly. "Never have I ever... kissed someone of the same sex."

"How long are you going to make me stay here?" Zach leaned in to ask Adam, while the others continued to talk. "This is so boring I could die. And I've already died once."

It was a good job only Adam could hear the black and white man. He was the only one who could see him too.

It had all started a week ago, when Adam had been doing some online shopping to get ready for Halloween. But instead of what he'd ordered, a very old-looking, stone-carved medallion had arrived in his mailbox, with a single string looped through a hole in its surface. Adam had checked his UPS tracking number and confirmed that his actual package had ended up on the other side of the country.

He'd been re-packing the medallion when he'd noticed a little inscription written on its back and so, without thinking, he read it aloud. From that moment on, Zachariah had been standing beside him, even after the medallion had been sent away again. After getting over the initial panic and disbelief, having Zach around had been pretty beneficial at first.

The strange apparition didn't exist by the same rules that Adam and everyone else did. His mere presence acted like a strange good luck charm but within hours, Adam discovered the downside: Zach was annoying as hell. He could barely stand having him around and every request was met with frustration and snide comments.

"Come on, let me out of here." Zach said again, making it difficult for Adam to concentrate on the game in front of him. "You're just so... boring. I thought at least being cursed would lead to some interesting stuff, but this? What a waste."

Adam pretended to cough so that he could whisper to his side. "Shut up. I'm having fun."

"You could be having more fun." Zach leaned in conspiratorially, smiling for the first time all night. "I can see how much you're staring at your two friends over here. What if you could see an actual girl naked. Right here, right now?"

Maybe it was the alcohol or just the fact that Zach was driving him mad. But Adam looked over and didn't tell him to shut up again.

"Neither of us are enjoying this little partnership, let's be honest here." Zach said. "I'm annoying, you're boring. I can do this for you, I promise. And in return, you set me free."

Truth be told, Adam wasn't sure how much longer he could put up with the apparition-thing. He was there all the time, all day and every day. For every coffee on the house, Zach made up for it in some way. He kept him awake when he slept, made lewd comments while he showered.

And Anne and Lauren did look so hot tonight...

Adam whispered just quiet enough that the girls wouldn't notice. "Deal."

Zach clapped his hands and whooped. "Now we're talking!"

Lauren looked over at Adam, handing the bottle to him and completely unaware of his little conversation with Zach. "Your turn."

Zach took a deep, almost excited breath. "Now, repeat after me: Never have I ever..."

Adam did as he was told. "Never have I ever..."

"Played strip poker."

"Played strip poker."

There was a moment of silence as the three drunk friends looked around at each other expectantly and Zach struggled to contain his eagerness.

"Not me." Lauren said and Anne nodded in agreement.

"Me neither."

"Now check your backpocket." Zach said.

Adam did as told and found a pack of cards just sitting there. How in the hell...? "Well as luck would have it..." He pulled the cards out for the two girls to see.

Lauren laughed and clapped her hands together. "Perfect timing. Where did you get those?"

"They were just... laying on the table at the party. Thought we might get bored later."

"Well screw it, I'm down." Anne said with a smile.

"If she's in, I'm in." Lauren said, taking the bottle back and having another swig. "My poker face is excellent."

The three of them gathered around one of the flatter rocks so that Adam could deal out the cards, his heart pumping. Was Zach really going to do this? Should he even let him? But he wasn't forcing them to do anything, right? It was just that with Zach standing next to him, he literally had luck on his side.

"I was actually in the poker society at university." Anne said as the cards were dealt out.

"So?" Lauren waved a hand in mock dismissiveness. "It's all about luck."

Zach laughed out loud and Adam nearly joined him, but managed to keep it in check. Lauren had no idea how right she really was.

"Experience will only get you so far." Adam said instead, causing Anne to shake her head and sigh

"Amateurs. Wait till I show you."

Indeed, Adam thought to himself, show all you want. Just not how good at poker she was. And so, they began to play.

Adam never considered himself much good at a poker face, but he didn't need it. Every single hand was exactly what he needed to be. He had winners when he needed them and losers to stop the girls getting suspicious and keep them on their toes. Zach talked him through his moves, telling him when to bet or when to fold. The strange man was a natural, but Adam had ceased to be surprised by that sort of thing.

Lauren was the first to start losing clothes, but fortunately, she was a champ about it and just laughed every time. First came the boots, then the black leggings beneath them, revealing bare, bronzed legs. She quickly crossed and uncrossed them, unsure how to react.

Anne was a little less gung-ho about removing her clothes. She lost the third round and so came off the shoes and even those she seemed reluctant to get rid of. It seemed as much about the pride as it was about the idea of being stripped, Adam realized quickly. This was a game she was good at, supposedly, and losing didn't make sense, especially not to the drunk idiots she called friends.

"What's the matter?" Adam teased, causing Lauren to laugh. "Surprised we actually know how to play?"

Anne sighed and waved at the make-shift table. "Just deal the next hand."

Zach's manipulations turned back to Lauren and suddenly the game got real. This wasn't just some bare feet and a bit of leg. Lauren hesitated for the first time, and then suddenly she was undoing the lace at the front of her dress. Adam's heart began to beat just a little faster and he tried not to stare as the fabric slid from her shoulders.

"I knew a real mother of dragons once..." Zach mused thoughtfully. "But this one has some mighty fine dragons herself."

Adam simply couldn't believe he was actually seeing Lauren sat there in just the shadow of her black panties. It took him a moment to realize she actually was wearing a bra, just that it was an adhesive one designed not to show up and ruin her wonderful costume. But what a sight she made, perched on the edge of that rock, with curves in all the right places and so nearly naked she might as well have been.

To her credit, Lauren simply folded her legs and crossed her arms over chest, and smiled nervously. "Is it just me or did it just get cold?"

Zachariah laughed. "I didn't think people that hot could feel the cold."

"This may not have been the right time of year for this game." Adam said.

Seeing Lauren stripped a little seemed to relax Anne a bit and she chuckled. "No shit."

They pressed on and despite Zach's advice, somehow Adam lost.

"That's better." Anne said, regaining even more of her confidence. "Take it off, boy."

Adam threw a quick glance at Zach, who just smiled. "Don't you think they'd get a bit suspicious if you didn't lose a single hand? I had to throw one, don't worry."

"Fine." Adam said, to both Zach and Anne and then grinned at his opponents. "So much for a flawless run." He unclipped the cape from his shoulders and let it drop down behind him. "I feel so... so naked."

Both girls laughed, even the half-naked Lauren. "Next hand?" She asked.

"Bring it." Anne said, her confidence returned in full force. She had the face of a master poker player, absolutely unreadable except for what she wanted you to see.

But as the next cards appeared, Anne's confidence disappeared in a puff of smoke. She'd lost.

"As you said... take it off." Adam said, causing a few chuckles around the group.

Anne's face turned bright red and she started looking anywhere but at them. "Wait, wait, wait... double or nothing."

"Double or nothing?" Lauren asked. "You chickening out?"

"Double or nothing." Anne repeated, looking so very nervous.

Zach leaned in, interested. Then something sparked in his eyes and he grinned. "Take the deal."

Not one to question his mysterious guide, Adam did as told. "Alright then. Double or nothing."

Anne blew out her breath and smiled anxiously. "Thanks. I'm just... I'm just shy, okay?"

Clearly, Adam thought, but there was more to it than that. They'd seen her in swimsuits before, so what was the difference now in seeing her in her underwear? Especially when Lauren was so nearly naked beside them.

They dealt out the next round and played with bated breaths. Fro the first time since Lauren removed her dress, the tension was palpable and two of the players didn't even know why. Anne was hiding something, Adam could see it. He had to know what.

Then they saw the results and Anne's face turned red again. Her mouth dropped open and her eyes stared wide down at the cards, unwilling to believe what she was seeing.

"Take it off, take it off." Lauren mock-chanted, causing the 'dragons' to bounce just a little as she pumped her arms up. The thin, grey fabric of her adhesive bra did nothing to hide the firm dents caused by her steadily hardening nipples, which Adam imagined was due to the cool air. That little wobble and the little dots on the bra were so captivating that Adam nearly forgot about what Anne was about to do.

"Double or nothing. We had a deal." Adam said.

Anne sat in still silence for a long moment until finally she stared down at the floor and sighed. She stood slowly, still looking downwards, and then pulled her shirt up and over her head. Suddenly they discovered why she had so insisted on double or nothing.

"Damn, girl." Lauren said.

Adam couldn't help but stare at just how pink Anne's nipples were compared to the ghost-white flesh surrounding them. They disappeared briefly as she momentarily held the removed shirt to cover herself with, but then she remembered her forfeit was not over and she let it drop to the floor before sticking her thumbs in her waistband. A moment's hesitation, which Adam spent staring up at those bright, pink nipples, and then she pushed the pants down.

She was so pale, especially in the night air like this. As the darkness of her pants travelled further down, more and more pale skin appeared in its place, inch by inch, before separating into two white legs that just kept going and going. Only a tiny patch of shadow remained, just between her legs, surrounded by exposed, milky skin. That little shadow was the most tantalizingly thing Adam had ever seen, begging to be exposed to the light.

"You went full commando! Bad-ass!" Lauren said and Anne instantly covered up with her hands, crouching down into the classic pose.

"Shut up." She replied, her cheeks so red and her eyes so wide. "Not like I expected to lose the uniform."

Zachariah was clapping, slowly and the sound seemed to echo all around them, without either of the girls reacting. "That is something special." He said, as if approving a delightful wine. "Ever seen skin so pale? Like a ghost in the night. Just wish she'd open up those legs."

Trust Zach to go from poetic to vulgar. But Adam didn't care, so entranced as he was by the sight of Anne like this. No wonder she'd been so nervous once she'd started losing.

"That's one, how about two?" Zach asked him, sounding so very eager. "Hey, hey? Offer them an all-or-nothing round, to... shorten Anne's torment, you could say."

"Well I didn't expect that to go so naked so soon." Adam said, trying not to stare at Anne and instead look between them both. "How about we do one last round: an all or nothing or something." Anne threw him a thankful look, just as Zach had predicted.

"I don't know." Lauren replied and then winked. "I could still win this."

"Make it more interesting." Zach urged. "Loser walks home naked."

"Getting a little cocky?" Adam threw back, getting into the spirit of it. "How about loser walks the rest of the way home naked?"

Lauren mulled it over, tapping her fingers on her chin. "Hmm... fine! Challenge accepted."

"Perfect!" Zach said, a little too enthusiastically.

They dealt the next hand, Adam's heart pounding even faster. It was hard to concentrate, as Anne's breasts kept slipping into view whenever she moved her hands to look at her cards. But Zach was with him. He didn't need to pay attention, he just had to do what Zach said.

Who was going to walk home? It had to be Lauren, Zach had said both of them, right? Maybe they'd both lose somehow? Adam could hardly contain his imagination, the idea of both girls walking completely nude down the street, their bodies illuminated by the street lights.

They showed their hands and Zachariah cackled with the glee of a madman.

There was a definite chill in the air and Adam felt the goosebumps pop up along his bared arms as they walked down the street, beneath the all-too bright street lights. They popped up along his legs too and his chest and his... well, everywhere. The cool, hard concrete against his feet was a constant reminder of their bareness, as was the clacking of Anne and Lauren's shoes against the same road on either side of him.

His hands were clasped behind his head, as the girls had insisted for maximum entertainment. He'd only looked down once and it had made him so embarrassed that he'd thought his cheeks would catch fire. With every step, he felt the little slap against his leg that reminded him of just how naked he was.

He could still hear Zachariah's voice in his ears. "All I promised was one naked girl in exchange for my freedom. You shouldn't have gotten greedy. This is what you get for wasting a gem like me."

And then the strange man, this aggravatingly annoying good luck charm, had vanished as if he'd never been there and Adam had been left with the losing hand. Fair was fair, as far as the girls were concerned, and he hadn't argued his case. How could he have explained what happened anyway? Lauren and Anne had laughed and cheered and put their clothes back on, just as Adam's had come off.

His heart pounding and cheeks burning, Adam kept his eyes fixed straight ahead and wondered just how much further it was until home.