The Gambler: Chapter 9

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Perhaps Blake waited a moment too long or perhaps it was the near pitch-black darkness he was in, but as he lay down on the ground, he realized just how exhausted he really was. This whole ordeal had been one nightmare after the next. And as bad as it was to be stuck in such a ludicrous outfit, he wasn’t exactly in a hurry to fight his way out. One of his greatest skills as a gambler was his ability to know when to hold back and wait for his opportunity to strike. If he timed his exit right, he could escape when almost no one beyond security was active, giving him far more cover than if he tried to leave when the Auction House was in full swing.

Curling up and resting his head on the crux of his arm, Blake allowed himself to relax. He wasn’t going anywhere in the immediate future. So long as he kept an ear out for a new subject receiving their “education” in the padded chamber, he was golden. Closing his eyes, he decided to rest for a little bit, soon dozing off into an uncomfortably, but much-needed nap.

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“Damn it, Blake. I shouldn’t have let you out of my sight,” scoffed Clara as she splashed some water on her face at the restroom sink. After searching for almost two hours, she and the security crew at the Auction House had failed to locate the missing bab. At first, she assumed that he might be stuck in that chamber until someone let him out, but when she snuck back into that viewing room, he was nowhere to be found.

Looking at her phone, Clara was appalled that it was already nearly 3 am. If she kept this up, she’d be here all night. “Maybe I should just call it and come back tomorrow,” she thought to herself. It’d probably mean incurring extra charges for keeping her “Little” at the facility overnight, but she’d make sure Blake paid her back for every penny when all was said and done.

Wiping off her hands, Clara exited the restroom and headed out back onto the casino floor. It was a tad annoying that the only bathrooms to speak of in this whole place were located on one floor, but she assumed it was to prevent any sneaky baby slaves from trying to get away with using a toilet. Regardless, she was relieved that her bladder had managed to hold out until she had a chance to make it up here. If she had an accident in a place like this, who knows how bad things could get?

“Ooof!”

The moment Clara stepped out of the restroom, she was greeted by Darla, who had stuck by her side throughout the entire search. “Oh, sorry,” she said, straightening herself up, “Did you find him yet?”

“Still nothing, but after reviewing the security footage, we know for certain that he didn’t escape. So long as he’s still down there, he can’t hide forever,” said Darla, shrugging off her once cheerful caregiver tone for a much more serious one, “That being said, there will be a hefty price to pay if Blake does manage to find his way out.”

Sighing, Clara assumed it would come to this eventually. “I get it, I get it. I’ll pay whatever fees are associated with-”

“Oh no, you misunderstand,” said Darla, flashing a sinister smirk in Clara’s direction, “We here at the Auction House refuse to let our numbers reflect a failure, not if we can help it. Since you were responsible for letting him run off, you will be the one to take his place should we come up empty-handed.”

Clara’s tired smile started to falter as she realized what Darla was talking about. She quickly whipped her head toward the exit, seeing two buff security guys standing in front of the doors, staring directly at her. Sweat formed on her brow, a telling sign of a terrible hand. “D-Don’t worry. I know Blake like the back of my hand. I’ll find him,” she said, attempting to sound as confident as she could.

Without saying another word, Darla made her way toward the exit and left the facility. It wasn’t her adulthood that was on the line, after all. As Clara stood frozen in place watching her leave freely, she knew that the same luxury would not be afforded to her. At this point, she was as stuck in the Auction House as he was, and if she didn’t want to want up his baby slave buddy, she needed to find him and fast!

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Blake had no way of telling how much time had passed since he’d fallen asleep when he finally returned to consciousness. He struggled to sit up due to both the tight confines of the space he was in as well as the bulky padding beneath him. His once warm soggy diaper was now cold and clammy, causing him to cringe as he shifted atop it.

Deciding he had waited long enough, Blake began to move toward the slope of the tunnel he was in. As he continued to crawl, the tunnel he was in grew brighter, signaling that he was reaching the tunnel’s end. Regardless of where he ended up at the end of the tunnel, he was prepared for the worst.

Unfortunately, Blake was so caught up thinking about what might be waiting for him that he failed to notice how steep the slope he was on was getting. He reached forward, only to find that the floor of the tunnel was far lower than he had realized. He tried to restabilize himself, but his legs slipped out from under him and he began to slide forward at an ever-increasing speed. So much for staying covert.

Tumbling out of the mouth of the slide, Blake’s face was greeted by a large, plushy cushion that almost felt as though he were on a giant pillow. He tried to stand up, only for the squishy surface to send him back down to his butt. He let out a muffled groan as he was once again forced to crawl until he finally reached the edge of the landing cushion.

Climbing off the cushion and taking his first true steps on the insanely tall high heels that were locked onto his feet, Blake looked around the area, discovering he was in what looked to be some sort of nursery playroom. Mercifully, the room was empty with all of the lights dimmed down. He still wasn’t sure how long he had slept, but he had certainly woken up at the perfect time.

Stumbling across the foam-matted floor in his heels, Blake concluded that if he was truly going to attempt to escape, he would need to remove the high heels. He parked himself down on one of the nearby kiddie chairs and got to work. He couldn’t use his hands thanks to the mittens, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t hiding a couple aces up his sleeve, mainly his ingenuity. He raised both of his legs and slammed them down on the edge of the chair next to him, snapping off the wedge on each of them. This gave him great leverage as he used one of the shoes to kick the other one off. It wasn’t easy thanks to the tight strap that held his foot in but eventually, he was able to kick the first shoe off. His reddened, scratched-up ankle was feeling the burn, but he took his battle scars as a small price to pay for victory.

The second shoe would require a bit more creativity. He no longer had the flat sole of a shoe to help kick the other off, so his leverage was severely impacted. Twisting his right foot toward his head, he tried to bite at the ankle strap that kept him confined to the broken heel but the thickness of the diaper had limited his flexibility significantly. He looked around the room, trying to see if there was anything he could use to aid him.

*CLICK!*

All of a sudden, Blake heard someone opening the door. He quickly jumped up from his seat and hopped on one foot over to the nearby changing table, tucking himself into the corner and hoping whoever was here wasn’t going to search the room too thoroughly. He cursed himself for not having a better hiding strategy, with the best he could do to add cover being the swinging lower door of the changing table, which he quickly opened and crouched himself behind.

“Psssst! Blake! It’s Clara! Are you in here?”

Blake’s heart rate shot through the roof upon hearing Clara’s voice. She was absolutely the last person he wanted to find him. He closed his eyes and kept his head down, praying that he was better at hiding than she was at seeking.

Entering the room and flipping the main lights on, Clara looked around the area. According to the map of this place that she bribed off of a security guard, the chamber that Blake was in was connected to this room, making it the perfect place to restart her search. “Listen, Blake, if you come out now, I promise I’ll cut the bet short after tonight. I’m getting really tired of looking for you,” she said, knowing that she wasn’t exactly being truthful. Yes, she wasn’t planning on keeping him at the Auction House anymore, mostly out of fear she might wind up his playmate if she did. But she did fully plan on keeping him locked and padded until the week’s end.

Hearing no response, Clara listened closely, hoping to hear some small movement or idle breath that would give him away. Sadly, if Blake was in this room, he wasn’t going to come out of hiding so easily. She was about to start giving the room a brief sweep when her gaze fell upon the broken high heel that Blake had left behind. “Looks like Cinderella lost a slipper,” she said under her breath as her confidence began to perk up. Regardless of if he were in this room now, he clearly was at one point, meaning that she was at the very least on his trail.

“Blake, c’mon, I wanna go home and I know you do too,” said Clara, putting effort behind sounding as over this bet as she possibly could. Still, she got no response. Perhaps it was time to employ her greatest skill as a professional gambler. No one could bluff like she could. “Fine, but keep in mind that this is your last chance. I’m going home and I’m not coming back until next weekend. Do you want to come with me or do you want to sit in a diaper for a week? Your choice.” She knew well and good that she couldn’t leave until she found Blake, but she also knew that he didn’t know that.

Maintaining his hiding spot, Blake began to wonder if staying hidden was really his best option. If what Clara was saying was true, then this could all be over if he gave himself up right now. However, after years of being taken to task by her bluffing abilities, he wasn’t 100% certain she was being wholly honest. Thinking logistically, though, could he really escape on his own as he was now? He bit his lip, knowing he didn’t have very long to make a decision.

TO BE CONTINUED…

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