"A gamble?"

"Yes, just a gamble. Simple really. Just bet on a positive outcome. Surely you have faith in yourself? Nothing to it."

Nothing to it, perhaps, but the stakes could scarcely be higher. My hands were clammy, my throat dry. Nervous energy throbbed through my brain. I wanted to back away, retreat to safety: common sense told me to. It wasn't worth it, nothing could be worth this.

Oh temptation, what a cruel mistress you are 3;

"So if I win?"

"If you win, you become a Member of our group, with all the benefit that entails. And it brings a lot, believe me. You'll never look back."

"And if I lose 3;"

"Ah well, that's a different matter, of course." She smiled again, a false smile, cruel and forced. Her dark eyes seemed even darker, more forbidding, beneath the sweep of black hair which encircled her face. I didn't know whether I wanted to kiss her or punch her. "Losers pay the price, I'm afraid." She dropped her hand to my knee, playing her finger across it, dragging her nail over my bare skin, deliberately provoking me. It was designed as a demonstration of her command of the situation. She continued, her voice husky and slow. "Losers relinquish all rights and devote themselves to the pleasure of Members."

"All rights?"

"Correct. There are Members and there are servants. Considerably more servants than Members, of course. Members are free to enjoy the delights of our club. It's open twenty-four hours per day, and there will always be servants on hand to meet their every need. It's a beautiful life, being a Member here. The servants are people who failed the initiation. They're always on call, and are expected to attend whenever summoned. Failure to do so results in punishment. Public punishment, of course. Painful and humiliating."

"And how long do they have to serve?"

"What? Servants? Forever, my dear, forever." She spoke as though it were the most natural thing in the world. Fear must have registered on my face: she smiled again and slid her hand up my thigh, resting it with her fingers spread dangerously close to my pussy. "Servants will generally be expected to serve here one day a week. That may be any time, day or night. We usually give two days notice. The rest of the time they are free to live perfectly normal lives. Some very surprising people are servants here, you know."

"And what do they get out of it?"

"Nothing, absolutely nothing. It's their debt, for losing the gamble. Member or servant, take the gamble."

As I said, the stakes were high. I tried to comprehend what it meant. If I were to lose I would relinquish control of my own life. It was only one day per week, but it might as well be full time. I would be at the mercy of God knows who - I had no idea who or even how many were Members of the club. They would be able to use me in any way they wanted - I would be a sex toy, effectively a prostitute, except I would be paid nothing for the privilege of satisfying some anonymous, middle-class bitch who would no doubt treat me like shit.

But, on the other hand, if I won 3;

She was pressed close to me now, her breasts flattened against my arm, hand stroking my thigh through my skirt. I could feel her breath on my neck, cool and seductive. I looked into her eyes and felt the unstoppable power of her personality. She was going to persuade me to do the most foolish thing I could ever do. She knew it and I knew it.

"Just think," she said, "if you win the challenge - unlimited power. A range of servants at your beck and call. You can ask them to do anything you want - they're not allowed to refuse. You can fall asleep every night with a servant between your thighs, kissing your cunt. And if you're not satisfied you can punish them. All our servants respond well to a good spanking. Whatever you want, you can have it - you're only limited by your imagination."

Her face hovered next to me, her lips whispering across mine, waiting for me to respond. I knew if I did I would commit myself to this folly. Fear tore at me. She painted a wonderful picture of the joys of Membership, but I couldn't shut the ignominy of failure from my mind.

Or the price.

"And what is the challenge?"

"Ah," she said, pulling away from me slightly, but pressing her hand to my mons, "that's the question. You're not allowed to know the challenge. Not until you agree."

This was madness. I shook my head. "I can't," I replied. "I can't bet my future on a challenge when I don't even know what it is. How do I know it's even achievable?" I tried to pull away but she held me tight, as much through the strength of her personality as through her grip on my thigh and shoulder.

"Where's your sense of adventure, Harriet?" she crooned. Her fingers were pressing against me, seeking my slit. She slid closer towards me, her cheek against mine. I could smell her skin, peachy and fresh. Desire was washing through my body, a reckless, stupid lust I was powerless to contain. I was losing control of my faculties, senses given over to passion. My brain screamed at me to say no, but my body would not be denied. What I was about to do was foolish, incredibly foolish, but I couldn't prevent myself.

I kissed her, savouring the sweet taste of her mouth, feeling her tongue press towards me in confirmation. "Okay," I whispered.

The gamble was agreed.

What had I done?