Louise had bright red hair, and freckles seemingly everywhere, her fair skin in bold contrast to both the ginger mop, and the dark lingerie, and I had been making the most of it.

The gauntlet (well the bra really, I guess) was thrown down as Louise whipped the flimsy item from her firm pale chest, spun it indelicately above her intoxicated head, and, laughing at the rest of us, tossed it on top of the pile in the corner.

I sheepishly stared at the sight. I'd seen these breasts many times before, both in my dreams, and alone in my bed still awake, but the bouncing mounds, much whiter than the rest of her body, lightly freckled and welcoming, were decidedly better than even my most fevered imaginings.

"See," she boasted, "I'm not afraid. Look all you want. Chickens."

An initially silly game of spin-the-bottle had suddenly become a major event.

The four of us were sitting on the floor of Martin's new flat, having shifted him in that day, and had been relaxing over a bottle of tequila, arms and legs sore from the day of lifting and moving his impossibly heavy belongings.

Martin's partner Lee had dragged Louise along to help, and Martin had asked me to bring my trailer. I'd been happy to help, even happier once I found out Louise was there. We'd met a few times before, but she had been dating someone who had since left town. I didn't think I stood much chance, but it was a battle worth fighting.

The bottle of tequila had been emptied in very short order, and Martin had managed to find some bourbon in his belongings, and we were now making inroads on this as well.

The bottle game idea had been Lee's idea. She hadn't played for years, and was giggling before we even started. We brought in a sizable square board and placed it in the middle of the room, and sat around it, taking an edge of the square each, and Lee did the honours of an initial spin.

The game progressed fairly evenly through a number of layers of clothing, the idea being that whoever sat the closest to the direction the bottle finished up pointing would have to quickly swallow some more bourbon, and then remove an item of clothing.

The game became a little more interesting when Lee was presented with a choice between removing her white tee-shirt or her tight blue jeans. You need to picture this tall thin blonde, waving around under the influence, unbuttoning first the waistband and then the fly buttons of her jeans, trying just a little to hide her white panties from at least my view. Lee is very pretty. Unfortunately, that's her only redeeming feature as far as I can tell, and Martin is most welcome to her. Anyway, after the seductive trouser removal, she plopped back down on the carpet, and quickly forgot that her underwear was in view.

By this time, I was just wearing a pair of denim shorts and my boxers, and Martin was similarly attired, except I think he was wearing briefs. Louise was unfortunate enough to experience a string of direct hits with the clumsily spun bottle, and had lost her blouse, opening it shyly, button by button, and then her cargo pants, and had been sitting there in skimpy matching bra and panties, her hands crossed over her privates as best they could be, when the third of the whammies struck, and that was when she stood and removed the bra so spectacularly.

I have to admit to needing to be nudged by Lee to take my turn at spinning, as I had been admiring this vision in some sort of trance. Louise had bright red hair, and freckles seemingly everywhere, her fair skin in bold contrast to both the ginger mop, and the dark lingerie, and I had been making the most of it.

My spin caught Martin out. He had been sitting quietly, but was now required to remove his denim shorts. In the finish, he just undid the shorts without standing, presumably as his interest in the proceedings would have become a little too obvious had he stood up. Lee was trapped next, with her own spin, and removed her tee-shirt without fuss, leaving her in a pale blue bra, and the white panties.

Martin took the bottle and gave it a really serious spin, and it resisted friction for quite some time before settling down facing yours truly. I was in the same predicament as Martin. I wasn't prepared to have my interest so publicly noted, so I hunched down where I sat, slid the shorts down my legs, and sat there in my boxers, hoping the loose material might disguise my erection for a little longer. No such luck. Lee commented without delay.

"You got a gun in those boxers John? Oh no, I see what it is."

I'm sure my face turned bright red, but I said nothing. I didn't look back at Louise though. I didn't dare. Lee reached over and hugged Martin, and then made another comment. For this, I forgave all past transgressions.

"Martin honey, you needn't think you're getting away with it either. We can see you've got a boner too."

It was Mart's turn to change colour now, but at least he was brave enough to smile. Martin and I sat there with our hands over our thighs as Louise reached forward, her breasts thrust out in front, and grabbed the bottle.

"Listen guys," she whispered, the bottle suspended from her hand, ready to spin once more. "Now that we are this far, I don't want anyone chickening out. I'm willing to take what little I have left off, but you two have to promise as well. Deal?"

We both grunted, as the blonde giggled at our embarrassment. Lee was promising Martin something about making it up to him if he had to get naked, and I was suddenly jealous.

Louise spun the bottle in her slender hand, and dropped it to the board. We were all silent as it whipped around in quick circles, making a peculiar though familiar whirring noise. Around and around it went, the phallic mouth of the bottle pointing to each of us in rapid succession, and gradually slowing, finally turning gracefully around to stop. Pointing at me. Shit.

As Martin rocked back and forth with laughter, and the tipsy Lee giggled beside him, I looked across to see that Louise was sitting quietly, watching me avidly. Aware that there was no way out, I stood with as much dignity as I could muster, turned my butt to the group, wiggled the waistband of my boxers down off my rear, and amidst the clapping and laughter, removed them altogether, and turned around to face the music.

The embarrassment level had overcome the arousal level at least for the short term, and my penis was more or less hanging in front of me, surrounded by the normal mess of curly hair, out in public for the first time, shy and confused.

At least for a moment. As I sat down, I realised that I was in a great position. I had already undergone the full treatment, and now they could do nothing to me. Taking the bottle that was rightfully mine, I knelt and delivered a brisk spin, dropped the bottle to the board, and sat down with a smile on my face.

As it happened, luck smiled upon Martin, but not the way you might think. No, Lee was not required to remove the blue bra, or the white panties from her thin frame. What happened was that the bottle pointed directly at Martin. He stared at Lee in horror for a moment, and then did a most shameful thing. He stood with his hands across his obviously strained briefs, and ran for the bedroom.

So why was he lucky? Well, the giggling blonde followed, dropping her remaining clothing items as she went, finally disappearing through the bedroom doorway with her untanned bottom bouncing in time with her movements.

So, here I was, starkers, with a near-naked beautiful woman I had desired for a long time, and what did I do? No, I didn't leap on her. I offered to retrieve her clothes. He response was not what I expected.

"Hold on there buddy. The game's not over. I'm not having anyone call me a quitter."

And we sat there and spun the bottle about a dozen times, my eyes glued to her every time she knelt to spin, her breasts bouncing, and her panties stretched across her butt. Eventually the laws of probability took over, and the bottle came to a halt, pointing directly between Louise's legs, and she watched it for a moment, and then stood up.

Not a word was said as she sauntered over to the stereo, selected a slow ballad from the mess on the table, put it in the player, and pushed the button. Turning to face me as the music began, she started to sway, more or less in time with the tune, and her fingers gripped the thin sides of her panties, and wiggled them down a little more on her hips. As the music continued, her movements became more pronounced, and she turned away from me and slowly slid the panties down off her freckled butt. She stepped out of the inconvenient cloth, and turned to face me, smiling but a little shy now, her hands in front of her thighs, her eyes beckoning to me.

I stood up unsteadily, unconcerned now with the erection before me, and stumbled over to where she was dancing, placed my hands on her shoulders, and started to sway in time with her. Her hands soon found their way to my waist, and she pulled me closer, until my penis was pressing against her, my wishes apparent without speech. Our movements became slower, and then the music stopped, leaving us standing there alone, suddenly naked in the middle of the room.

Louise seemed not to have any intention of sitting down however, and I began to kiss her gently. First her soft mouth, and then the rest of her freckled face, her silence broken by a quiet moan as I nibbled her ear delicately, my other hand caressing her spine. My mouth slowly travelled down to her neck and then shoulder as we swayed quietly, and then I bent to take her nipple into my mouth, tickling it with my tongue and sucking gently. More moaning as I alternated with the other nipple, and she stood there with her hands on either side of my head, pulling me toward her approvingly.

After an eternity of this, my hands caressing where my lips could not reach, I slowly knelt on the floor, and buried my face into her navel, feeling rather than hearing the moans now, my hands scratching her taut bottom, feeling the muscles tense against my attentions, not rejecting but increasing the tactility of my fingernails. Slowly my hands moved down between her buttocks, and to the soft area of her inner thighs. Her approving movements made me brave, and I took my face from her belly-button and looked at the tidy red bush in front of me. Sitting on the floor now, I looked up at the vacant look in Louise's face, her eyes closed and her mouth open, and I moved my lips toward the ginger triangle, half expecting her to push me away. Unexpectedly, I felt the pressure of her hands on the back of my head, pulling me toward her, and thrusting her hips forward to receive my attentions.

Suddenly I found my mouth between her thighs, my tongue within reach of the wrinkled labia, peeking out from between the red thatch, damp and hot with her excitement. Reaching out with my tongue, I flicked the vaginal lips, sliding effortlessly up and down, leaving a wet trail and feeling a shudder from her body. Slowly I increased the pace and pressure of the caresses, her movements confirming my actions, and then I slowly slid my tongue into the chasm within, wiggling my way as deep as I could, licking and sliding everywhere I could touch, claiming this territory as my own, pulling her willingly closer until I couldn't breathe.

As Louise continued to groan above me, I slid my tongue upward, away from her soft depths, and towards her pleasure centre. My tongue slowly lapped around her clitoris a few times before taking the nubbin between my lips and squeezing gently as I tickled the tip with my tongue, back and forth, and just as I settled into a steady rhythm her thighs clamped my head, her clitoris seemed to grow, and she screamed as her whole body shook with orgasm, her vaginal muscles pumping as she lost control, the happy chaos spreading from the tip of my tongue throughout her shuddering body.

She fell to the floor then, still groaning with pleasure, and as she calmed down slowly, she pulled me on top of her, and whispered into my ears.

"No time for any niceties now John. I need you in me. Now."

"You don't have to tell me twice Louise," and I positioned myself above her now familiar tunnel of love, and gently inserted myself inside her, struggling not to come immediately.

Her vagina was wet and hot, and in a seemingly contradictory way was both frictionless and tight, and I could still feel some weak contractions as I sank my full length inside, the feeling wonderful beyond belief.

Begging Louise to remain still a moment, I tried my best to calm down, in order to delay the end of the feeling. Slowly I began to lift myself off her pretty freckled body, and looked down on her breasts and smiling face, her hands holding my butt, trying to hurry me back inside. I resisted as much as I could, and continued the slow movement, completely removing myself from her, and then lowered myself again, still at the same slow pace. This continued for a while, my thrusts slow and deep, her grunts in time with the bottom of my swing.

Somehow we found the perfect rhythm then, my thrusts met by hers, my withdrawal match by a flexing of her muscles, the human pump frictionless and perfect. Slowly though, the pace increased. The heat was tremendous, and the sound of Louise groaning was not assisting my self-control.

As the speed increased further, I could feel her tightening more around me, and I knew she was ready to come again. One more thrust deep inside, and she started to shudder again, her whole body flexing beneath me, clamping me hard, her fingers clutching frantically to my butt as she spasmed helplessly. That was all I could take, and I released myself deep inside her, pumping a seemingly endless stream as my penis muscles convulsed again and again, and I collapsed on top of her, both of us covered in sweat, hearts beating too fast, and hot, damn hot.

After a few minutes lying there, Louise spoke quietly.

"Just so you know Johnnie boy, that was part of the game. No catches, promises, or commitments. But tell me, would you like to play again tomorrow?"

What could I say?

Jul 2006
You are right. It's just smut. But very good smut. What else can anyone say??
      GBF: :-)

Jul 2006
Fab-u-lust! Another one of your short masterpieces.... I was right there....and love red-heads!
      GBF: Good for you!

Jun 2006
I wanna play! That doesn't make me smutty, does it?
      GBF: Depends on the game...

May 2006
Great ending. It's difficult to go read someone else's stuff after having read yours. . . you do such a good job with it. Thanks for writing!
      GBF: Awww, thanks.

May 2006
sigh..mmmmmmm THAT felt good!! Such quality erotica.. smut?? what smut?? NO smut here.. only playful passion.. skillfully written. More please.
      GBF: WHAT felt good, exactly? :-)

Apr 2006
I think itīs nice to see, that in your stories the characters will see each other again. This story is gentle and hot at the same time. Thank you. And greetings to new zeeland.
      GBF: Many thanks.

Feb 2006
Great story! So did they play again the next day?
      GBF: I'd expect so! :-)

Feb 2006
Why is it that only you and Heinlen have a thing for us redheads? Wishing there were more men like that in the world. ;)
      GBF: Why do all the lovely redheads in the world never leave their email addresses? :-) Oh, and you should read... The Road to Hell - Day 1 and tell me what you think!

Feb 2006
Good Stuff. I liked the lack of pointless profanity and the fact that it had a plot. Keep it up
      GBF: Oh, you better not read 'Splat!' then!

Jan 2006
I just love your stories. You are now officially my all-time favourite erotic author. Thank you for the pleasure you give.
      GBF: Ooh, a fan! Thanks.

Dec 2005
I Loved it. Thanks
      GBF: That makes it worth it. Thank YOU.

Nov 2005
I like smut! And you have such a way with it too. :)
      GBF: You hitting on me? :-)

Nov 2005
Very erotic. Want to make the pleasure last.
      GBF: Good plan

Nov 2005
Cock-twitchingly funny Gentle, I rather enjoyed that. :)
      GBF: I'm pleased.

Nov 2005
She got what she wanted. So did he. But she was in control.
      GBF: I'm not sure about your point, but thanks.

Nov 2005
I loved it. I'm something of a consent-freak, and the mood and tone of this story really did it for me. Fine work, wish I'd been there, etc ad nauseum.
      GBF: Where HAVE you been?

Nov 2005
fantastic i came twice just reading it i'm 67
      GBF: I'll put a tick next to this story.

Nov 2005
very erotic
      GBF: Very happy. :-)

Nov 2005
excellent buildup - nice and safe but oh-so-sexy as well - great!
      GBF: Safe and sexy. That's me! :-)

Oct 2005
Damn, that was hot. I don't have a gun in my panties, but you could find some evidence there, Sherlock. I laughed, I moaned {internally}, I anticipated...I appreciated. Perfect. ;D
      GBF: Long way from perfect, but I'm pleased you enjoyed it,.

Aug 2005
Gee, if I'd known that "Spin The Bottle" could be THIS much fun I would have played it more!! Definitely one of your best Gentle!
      GBF: You want a game? :-)

Apr 2005
Gentle You really out did yourself here. Nothing but a 10. This is by fay the hotest story of yours that I have read. Need more stories about these two lovers or more real hot sex stories like this.
      GBF: Thanks. These two? I don't think so... :-)

Feb 2005
That was sexy and then some.

Jan 2005
Your writing is wonderful. It makes me feel like I am the man sucking Lee. You seem to have all the words to arouse a person. Thank You Thank You.
      GBF: Oh, thanks.

Dec 2004
Fabulous, real ... one of those lucky moments.
      GBF: Lucky? What about planning?

Dec 2004
Having just read "The Gauntlet", I have to say that once again you demonstrate a profound gift of eroticism. I didn't find it too smutty...well, maybe a wee bit, but that's okay. A little smut is good. Anyway, I'd give it a 9. It reminds me of one of
      GBF: Thanks.

Nov 2004
A lovely story. Wish it had happened to me.
      GBF: And me!

Oct 2004
It's a great story as always. I've never been disappointed with anything you've written.
      GBF: Oh, thanks. I guess this sets me up for failure though, huh? :-)

Oct 2004
Delightful tail (oops, tale). Thanks for sharing. Bob
      GBF: Hey, whatever works!

Oct 2004
I loved this story. It's the best you've ever written. It is has such beautiful descriptions and you didn't have the protagonists swear once, which I never understood. Your Stories are so nice and they would be even better (for me of course)if you didn't
      GBF: Wow, thanks. Sorry if it offends.

Oct 2004
What I like about the stories is they actually have a plot . I also like that coarseness is not necessary to bring about the same results.

Oct 2004
a fun little tale.

Oct 2004
The title threw me off. The first line had me laughing out loud. I giggled throughout the story. Very humourous. Your sexual descriptions are unmatched. I loved it. You dirty bugger.
      GBF: It was supposed to throw you off. I AM a dirty bugger, but how did you know?

Oct 2004
that was great - can you do another as good?
      GBF: You mean I haven't? 8-(

Jul 2004
YOU WERE RIGHT IT WAS A LITTLE SMUTTY, JUST KIDDING I LIKED IT A LOT
      GBF: Hmmm...

Jun 2004
I loved The Gauntlet. Very romantic, very respectful, very well written, very emotional, and very arousing in the best sense... in the mind. It's a pleasure to read a well crafted, well expressed story like this one

Jun 2004
Sweet and tender. I can't believe the other guy ran for it.

Jun 2004
Great story

Jun 2004
it's their way. Her hands soon found *there* way to my waist.
      GBF: Damn, I posted that story three years ago, and you are the first person to say anything! Thanks.

Aug 2003
Definitely a 9+ in my opinion...again, good stuff...simple, but effective characterization, likable leading man...and woman...good sex but well above the stroke level...sweet, but believable ending. Much thanks, again. Becoming an even bigger fan.

Aug 2003
Nice story, with some fun word play and imagery. Thanks!
      GBF: Not only did he say nice things, but he corrected some appalling errors. Thanks.

Aug 2003
Sexy, very sexy and cute at the same time. Reminds me of something I did long ago. The first time naked in a group, with one particular person that I've wanted for a while. For me it took more than that one time, but it worked in the end. thanks

Jan 2001
Ditto on what Phil said (though I wouldn't have put it into words so nicely).

Jan 2001
No, you're wrong. Smut is dirty, vulgar and puerile. This was pure erotica, clean and healthy and joyful.