THE DARE

“I know we haven’t been the best of friends,” my fraternity brother said, “but I need you to do a favor for me.  I would really appreciate it.”

“What favor?” I asked, for I had no wish to make our cool relations worse.

“Last Friday, I made a bet with the Alphas on the Bears game.  And the Bears lost.  I owe them a dare,” Harris explained.  “It’s due tonight, but I have the flu.  Can you do my dare for me?”

He sniffled.  Though I lived in Blue Dorm at Midvale Valley College, a small school in western Indiana, Harris and many of the senior fraternity brothers lived in the two-story chapter house om Greek Row.  He was wrapped up in blankets surrounded by used tissues.  Vicki Saunders, his black-haired girlfriend, was heating water for him on a hot plate.  She glanced up with a devilish grin.

I am James Donovan, called Jimmy.  19 years old at the time, 5’10 and 160 pounds, with reddish brown hair and dark brown eyes.  I kept in good shape swimming and running track, but I wasn’t on any of the school’s teams.  Most of my time was in the library studying ancient history.

Harris and I were about the same build, both interested in running and soccer.  He stayed clean-shaven and crew cut.  Vicki was a beauty, a backup cheerleader and a member of the drama club.  I couldn’t say I knew either real well, but we attended the same fraternity parties and fundraisers together.

“What is this dare?” I dared to ask.

“Matt Sprawling and Dan Markman will tell you.  Over at the Alpha House,” Harris said.  “It was only a football bet.  No big deal.”

I needed to think for a moment.  As a sophomore, it was best to be on good terms with the seniors, for they tended to stick together.  Midvale Valley was famous for its pranks and I didn’t want to end up on the wrong end of one.

“Okay, I’ll go over and see what they want,” I foolishly agreed.

“I mentioned you might,” Harris said, sneezing with satisfaction.

Fraternity life at Midvale followed patterns.  Each fraternity had a sister sorority, and on the first Friday of each month, private parties were at their respective houses.  The second weekends generally involved big affairs by all the Greeks, combined with charity fundraisers, for the fraternal organizations prided themselves on their civic pride.  Third weekends might involve bus trips to museums or ball games, most of them in the Chicago area two hours to the north, or trips to Lake Michigan beaches once the weather improved.  On the fourth weekend of each month, the sorority women would mix with different fraternities at barbecues and dances.

I had met a pretty red-haired Kappa named Annie, who I shared a class with.  By coincidence, the Kappas were the sister sorority to the Alphas, so I wondered if I might meet her during my visit there.  She wouldn’t be at the Sigma party that night but I might see her at a crossover gathering.  At least, that’s what I was hoping.

Just after lunch, I wandered over to the Alpha house at the end of fraternity row.  It was an old, three-story Victorian boarding house with a large meeting hall, offices, and a kitchen in the back with twelve bedrooms upstairs.  The Alphas were one of the bigger fraternities, with 50 actives, half of them living at the house.  They were good at intramural sports.  Sigma K only had 28 members but better academic achievements.  Our house was a lot smaller.

“Jimmy, glad you could make it,” Dan said, shaking my hand at the door.

“Yes, this is a surprise,” Matt added, also greeting me with a handshake.  They were all smiles.  Both were good athletes.  I had watched them play my fraternity in flag football and the Alphas always won.

“Harris asked me to do him a favor,” I mentioned, entering their house for the first time.  It was decorated with concert posters, trophies, and shelves of beer mugs with nicknames on them.  My fraternity nickname, Goat, was too embarrassing to share.

“We just heard.  Quite frankly, we were looking forward to working with Harris on this,” Matt said.  “Unless his girlfriend wanted to substitute for him, which is permitted.”

“Harris has the flu.  I guess Vicki is too busy taking care of him,” I replied, though I hadn’t heard of that before.

“Let’s go to the office and get this started,” Dan suggested, leading me toward the back.

The office was fairly ordinary.  Computers.  A filing cabinet.  Audio-visual and sound equipment.  A desk and several chairs.

“Before we start, our chapter has a new procedure,” Matt announced.  He set me in a chair before a blue backdrop and aimed a video cam at me.

“What’s this?” I asked.

“As you know, some parties have gotten their hosts in trouble lately,” Dan said.  “The girls drink too much, have sex, and later claim they had no idea what would happen.  So now, when new girls come here, we tell them the rules and record everything so there are no questions later.”

“What does that have to do with me?  I’m no girl,” I objected.

“The dare is at our party tonight,” Dan replied.  “We want to make sure you’re taking Harris’ place voluntarily.”

He started the camera.  “James Donovan of the Sigma K fraternity, you are taking the place of Harris Newbury for the dare he lost betting on the Bears game.  Are you doing this of your own accord?”

Of course, I was a bit mystified, but the question was straightforward. 

“Yes, I have agreed to fulfil the dare for my fraternity brother, Harris Newbury,” I confirmed.  Dan turned off the camera and put it on a shelf.

“That covers it,” he concluded.  “See you back here at 8 o’clock.  Dress casually.”

And with that, I was escorted from the house.  A young, skinny freshman was waiting for me on the porch.

“I am Kenji Takana, an Alpha pledge,” he introduced.  “Mr. Markman and Mr. Sprawling have asked me to accompany you this afternoon.”

“What for?” I inquired.

“They didn’t say, but they said it would be bad for me if I failed,” he replied.

I didn’t want to get the kid in trouble, so I let him tag along.  It wasn’t as if I had any big plans.

We went to the campus bookstore where I had a part-time job in shipping and receiving.  Kenji visited with my co-workers while I boxed books for returns and opened new boxes for the sales floor.

At six o’clock, after a quick meal at the cafeteria, I sat down with my study group in the library.  Professor Latimer wanted a paper on ‘decimatio’, the Latin term for decimation.  It was a brutal practice of the Roman army where, if a unit failed or became insubordinate, every 10th man was selected by drawing lots, tortured by his own comrades, and then executed.  Our professor wanted to know if humiliation was an important part of the ritual.  We weren’t finding much evidence for that.  Kenji seemed particularly enthralled by the conversation.

As 8 o’clock approached, I changed into casual clothes at my dorm and walked back to fraternity row.  As Kenji and I passed the Kappa house, I noticed Annie on the sidewalk.

“Hi, Jimmy.  Hey, Kenji.  I didn’t know you guys knew each other,” she said.  As always, the petite redhead’s big green eyes were vivid.  Her trim body posture sparky.  Her ample breasts were nice and round in a tight red sweater.  We had an art class together, mostly figure drawing.  I often wished I was drawing her.  Without clothes.

“Matt and Dan have me filling a dare for Harris,” I replied.

“A dare?” she questioned.

“At the Alpha house tonight,” I elaborated.  Her eyebrows shot up.  It looked like she wanted to say something.  Kenji frowned and shook his head.

“Guess I’ll see you there,” Annie said, abruptly running off.

“She’s a looker,” Kenji mentioned.

“I’ve always thought so,” I concurred.

We went through the back door where I said hello to their 60-year-old, gray-haired cook, Mrs. Hemmings.  She was preparing finger food for the party.  She answered me with a smug smile, quickly turning away.  Kenji led me to the office where I waited alone for about fifteen minutes.  Matt and Dan finally showed up.

“Everything is almost ready,” Matt said.  “Did Harris explain the dare to you?”

“No.  Come to think of it, no one has,” I realized.

“Now is the time,” Dan said, getting a cardboard box off the shelf.  “The first thing you need to do is put your clothes in here.”

“My clothes?” I stuttered.

“You’ll be given a costume for the party,” Matt assured me.

Clearly I was uncomfortable with this, but I’d given my word to fulfil the dare without bothering to ask what it was.  That was no one’s fault but mine.  I took off my loafers and socks, dropping them in the box, followed by my sweater, powder-blue polo shirt, and slacks.  Even my keys, wallet, and phone.  I paused at my underwear.

“Everything,” Dan insisted with a determined glint in his eye.

This was so embarrassing.  I peeled off my underwear, tossing it in.  Matt closed the box and put it high up on a shelf.  This left me standing before them completely nude, which was not a common occurrence.  Yes, showering in the gym and dressing in the locker room was routine, but not a back office with a party just down the hall.  At least they had promised me a costume.  Matt returned with a smaller box, setting it on the desk.

“Before this goes further, we want to explain a few things,” Matt mentioned.  “When we made the bet with Harris at the Red Horse Tavern, we signed guarantees before witnesses.  If Dan and I lost, we would go to the Sigma K house on a Friday morning, strip off our clothes, and spend the entire day cleaning.  The meeting room.  Kitchen.  Bathrooms.  Mow the lawn.  Trim the trees.  Completely naked.  And we would need to stay naked even if there were outside visitors, which we assumed Harris would invite.  We put a lot on the line.”

“Harris never mentioned any of that,” I responded.

“We’re sure he didn’t.  Harris is an asshole, which is why we risked so much to have him here tonight,” Dan said.  “Obviously having you here isn’t what we wanted, but we need to send a message.  No one fucks with the Alphas.”

Matt opened the box.  I saw leather handcuffs.  Ankle cuffs.  A thick collar with a leash.  A ball gag.  Merchandise from a BDSM shop.  I looked down to see if there was anything more.  A shirt or vest.  Shorts.  Even flaps like seen in jungle movies.  There was nothing.

“This is your costume,” Dan announced.

“Oh, god,” I muttered.

Matt went behind me to apply the handcuffs.  Dan knelt to put on the ankle cuffs.  I was too stunned to resist, or even protest.  This couldn’t be happening!

It only took a minute to have me trussed up, Matt placing the collar around my neck and adjusting the fit.  I felt tears welling up in my eyes.

“Are you going to take me out there like this?” I whimpered.

“That’s what Harris agreed to,” Dan said, showing me the contract they had signed at the tavern.  It was clearly spelled out.  If Harris lost the bet, he would be a naked slave at their party to be mocked and humiliated.  Which, of course, Harris had neglected to mention when he tricked me into taking his dare.  Some brother he was.  In retrospect, I realized Vicki had known, too, which is why she didn’t take Harris’ dare for him.

“You’re looking good,” Matt admired.  “You’re not too hairy, and you have a decent size dick.  Nothing to be ashamed of.  The girls will have fun playing with you.”

“Playing with me?  In front of everyone?” I whined.

“Look at the bright side,” Matt consoled.  “Our party isn’t open to the general public.  Only Alphas and Kappas here tonight.  And a few of your friends.”

“My friends?  What do you mean?” I questioned, hunching over.

“Kenji spoke with your co-workers at the bookstore today.  And members of your study group,” he answered.  “They’ve been offered special invitations.”

“Why?  Why would you do that?” I moaned.

“We can’t humiliate Harris, so we’re humiliating you,” Matt clarified.  “By the way, Annie had a talk with Vicki after meeting you on the sidewalk.  It turns out Harris doesn’t have the flu.  He’s perfectly healthy.”

“I am such an idiot,” I concluded.

“Hopefully an idiot who’s learned a lesson,” Dan lectured.

“I’m guessing photos of this are going to be all over school?” I asked, dreading how embarrassing it was going to be.

“We have several rules about that,” Dan explained.  “The brothers and sisters don’t talk about what goes on in the house.  What happens here stays here.  Guests are sworn to secrecy.  We can’t say there won’t be rumors.  There will be.  In order to control the narrative, only Jake Barnes is allowed to take videos.  No private phones.”

“May I ask why so generous?” I inquired.

“Before anything goes out on the internet, we want to make sure our faces and the fraternity house are obscured,” Dan explained.  “No pirate videos.  Jake is a digital arts major.  He knows how to manipulate the images.”

“One last thing.  We want you to agree to everything in advance,” Matt added.

“Agree?  Why the fuck would I agree to this?” I demanded, stark naked and handcuffed in the middle of their office.

“First of all, we don’t specifically need your agreement,” Dan responded.  “You already agreed to the dare on camera.  It’s recorded.  Though admittedly, you didn’t know then what you know now, so we want everything above board.  In case there are questions later.”

“But one way or another, you are still going out there,” Matt made clear.

I needed to think about that.  They were nervous about something going wrong.  No one wants their fraternity shown in a bad light.  It provided me with a limited window of opportunity.  Not a perfect solution by any means, but something.

“I won’t pretend to like this.  Not for a minute,” I reluctantly answered.  “And you wouldn’t expect me to.  But I will agree on one condition.”

“Why should we agree to any conditions?” Matt asked.

“It’s only one condition.  What are you afraid of?” I dared.

The guys looked at each other and shrugged.

“Okay,” Matt said.  “You’ve got a deal.  What’s your condition?”

THE PARTY 

I knew this was going to be bad.  Really, really bad.  And kind of exciting.  I couldn’t let anyone suspect what I was really thinking.  I’d always had fantasies about this.  Nude in public.  On display.  Helpless.  The only one naked in a room full of clothed people.  Hopefully, I could contain my arousal to limit the shame.  At least I was looking good, having been working out and running in the mornings.  After Matt and Dan left to get things organized, I lingered near the door, listening.  How many guests were they expecting?  Thirty?  Fifty?  A hundred?  The door opened, scaring me.  It was Annie.

“Hi, Jimmy,” she sheepishly said, looking down.  Before looking closer.

“Hi, Annie.  This is awfully awkward,” I replied.  She came in and closed the door.  With my hands handcuffed behind me, there was nothing I could do to cover myself.  I was on display.

“I wanted to warn you earlier, but needed to stay loyal to my sorority sisters,” she explained.  “What I knew about the bet was confidential.”

“I understand.  I don’t blame you for this.  It was my own stupidity.”

“You look really good without your clothes,” she remarked with a charming smile.  “In our art class, I’ve wondered what you’d look like posing nude.”

“I’ve thought the same about you,” I replied.

“Really?”

“You’re the hottest girl on campus,” I exaggerated, but not by much.

“Is there anything I can do for you?”

“There is one thing, but I’m afraid to ask.”

“Give me a try,” she offered.

“Being in front of all those people might cause me to … might cause …”

“Might cause you to get excited?” she guessed.

“Yes.  I’m told Jake is going to be filming everything.  If you see me … reacting, maybe you can stand in front of me a little until I’m back under control.  Letting everyone see me naked will be bad enough.  Having an erection preserved forever on the internet would be so much worse.”

To my surprise, Annie came close.  Very close.  She gave me a gentle kiss and then wrapped her hand around my dick.

“I’ll protect you,” she whispered, giving a squeeze.  It made me hard.  Two ice cubes from the refrigerator cooled me down.

A few minutes later, Dan led me into the hall on the leash.  I guessed there were forty Alphas and about twenty-five Kappas.  They cheered as I entered, bound and collared like a pathetic sex slave.  Naked but for the leather restraints.  It wasn’t personal.  They wanted Harris, not me.  Yet I was the sacrificial lamb and they needed their pint of blood.  I kept my head up, knees quivering while trying to keep some dignity.

“Here is our entertainment for the evening,” Dan announced.  “A Sigma K who thought their loser frat could challenge the Alphas.  What is our answer?”

“Loser!  Loser!  Loser!” the mob chanted, waving their beer mugs. 

They walked into the middle of the cavernous room where Matt put me up on a coffee table for all to see.  Jake moved around with his camera, getting shots from all angles.  The guys were smirking.  The girls were grinning.  Every eye was upon my naked body, and there was nothing I could do about it.  I began breathing heavier, the stress taking a toll.

“Harris Newbury, a lowly Sig thinking too high of himself, made us a bet at the Red Horse Tavern,” Matt announced.  “And then tricked his own fraternity brother into getting naked to get out of it.  Would any Alpha ever do that to a brother?”

“No!  No!  No!” they gleefully shouted.

“Surely it proves what slime they are,” Matt continued.  “Alphas rule, now and always!”

“Alpha!  Alpha forever!” they exclaimed with another cheer.

“Okay, now that we’ve got that settled, what should we do with our slave?” Dan asked.  “He’s...