Last Thanksgiving my husband, Carlos, and I traveled cross country from San Diego to El Paso to visit his parents. At that time we had been married for just over two years and had spent very little time with Carlos’s family. For this reason we had each taken a week off work in order to spend more time with them.
Carlos was looking forward to the trip more than I was. I struggled with his parents — mostly his mom. Carlos was an only child and grew up very close to his parents. His father owned an electrical contracting business and did very well. This left his mom with the freedom to dote over her son on a daily basis.
They had a beautiful house. His mom was always buying furniture and always took Carlos along on the shopping trips. When I first met her, she told me that she had always wanted a daughter and ever since has bought me clothes and all sorts of trinkets. The problem is that we don’t share the same tastes in anything. So I’m not the daughter that she wanted.
As we traveled on Interstate 8 along the border between California and Mexico, these things were the topics of our conversation. I had made my opinion known that a week was too long to visit Carlos, Sr. and Maria, but Carlos had insisted. I know that he had received a lot of pressure from his mom.
I think his mom also resented me a little because we lived so far away in San Diego. Since San Diego was my hometown, it might have seemed that I had taken her beloved son away from her. I think there was also a little jealousy toward my parents because they lived 15 minutes away from us and saw us nearly every day.
It was an hour before sundown when we crossed into Arizona and sometime after sundown when we reached Interstate 10 at Casa Grande, Arizona. From this point on it was a single freeway all the way to El Paso.
As we cruised along I-10, Carlos and I hadn’t talked for a while. We had the radio cranked up listening to a Nirvana CD. When the CD finished, Carlos spoke up, “Hey I’ve got an idea for a place to stay tonight.”
“What is it?” I responded.
“Well you know we’ve seen all these billboards advertising an Indian Casino up ahead?”
“Yeh.”
“Well they say they also have a hotel, so let’s stay there and we can hit the slots.”
“Sure.” I think Carlos knew this would be my response. He knew I loved to gamble. We went to Las Vegas for our honeymoon and he was clearly surprised at how much I did love it. I got a real rush from putting a wad of money on the line.
We were in agreement and sometime after eight we pulled into what was the biggest Indian Casino I had ever seen. I waited in the car while Carlos went in and got us a room. It was a great deal-- $69 for the room with $5 each in chips and coupons for a breakfast brunch the following morning. We quickly loaded our stuff up to the room and headed down to the casino floor.
The casino was beautiful. It had a domed ceiling painted like the desert sky. No one would ever know what time of day it was. Once there I went to a cash machine just outside a large gift shop and got out $80. With $40 each, we agreed to meet at the bar at eleven thirty.
Carlos was a very conservative gambler. He usually picked one slot machine and sat there the entire evening. I liked to bounce around between games. I started with a slot machine that had a fishing theme and put in $20. Things went south fairly quickly and I lost $10, so I changed machines. I got a $30 jackpot at the new machine as was back to even. I quit while I was ahead and decided to try Blackjack.
I started at a $2 table and spent the next hour trying to get above even, but ended up down $30. I was depressed. I had hoped to get ahead and show Carlos that I really could win something.
It was just after nine thirty and I was debating whether I should go to the cash machine and get some more money. I knew Carlos wouldn’t approve. We were on a tight budget. But I had a lot of time to kill before eleven thirty.
I saw the Wheel of Fortune. You placed a bet on a number and if that number came up you won your bet times that number. All I had was $10 and I put it on the 20. As the wheel was spinning I was convincing myself to head to the cash machine and then join Carlos on the slots. But then it stopped on the 20!! I made 200 bucks in a flash!!
I took my chips and started to the cashier when a man tapped me on the shoulder. The man was a tall, distinguished Native American man wearing a nice business suit with a turquoise belt buckle. He was very nice looking. His hair was braded into a long ponytail that went part way down his back.
“Excuse me Mam. My name is Richard Two Feathers and I run this place.” He showed me his business card. His title was CEO.
“Oh,” I said, looking a little startled.
He sensed my uneasiness and smiled. “Nothing is wrong Mam. I just wanted to talk with you a minute. I’ve noticed that you enjoy gambling and I would like to preview a new game with you. Will you come with me?”
“Ah . . . sure . . . I guess.”
We walked through the casino to a door just to the right of the gift shop.
“Mam, have you shopped in our new gift shop yet?”
“No, we just got here tonight.”
“Well you should try it before you leave. We just opened and we got some really nice stuff. The prices are good too. We’ve got a little work to do on our displays though.”
Once we got to the door Richard used a key to open it and we walked into a really nice room that was like a lounge with furniture and a bar.
“Please be seated, Miss . . .” Richard looked a little embarrassed. “Mam, I don’t think you’ve told me your name.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. My name is Lindsey. Lindsey Ybarra.”
“Nice to meet you Ms. Ybarra. Is that spelled Y-B-A-R-R-A?”
“Yes it is. Thank you. Most people crucify my name. It’s my married name.”
“I figured as much, you don’t look Latino. Is your husband here with you?”
“No he’s not,” I responded. I don’t know why I lied. I guess I was feeling guilty from contemplating going to the cash machine and I didn’t want Carlos to know what I was doing. After I said it I wished I hadn’t, but there was no going back.
He was right. My blonde hair and light complexion didn’t fit well with a Spanish last name.
“Well he’s a lucky man. You are very beautiful.”
“Thank you.” I always enjoyed a compliment.
Once I was seated Richard offered me a glass of wine. I accepted. There was one unusually aspect of the room. The wall opposite the casino had dark glass from floor to ceiling. I work in the field of marketing research and it reminded me of the one-way windows in our focus group room.
“Well Mrs. Lindsey Ybarra. Let me ask you a few questions and then make you a proposition.”
“Okay.” I was getting a little nervous. This seemed like a time share presentation.
“Are you on vacation?”
“Yes.”
“For how long?”
“A week. We’re . . . I mean I’m going to El Paso. I’m just starting.”
“If a better opportunity came along would you be willing to not go to El Paso?”
“Sure . . . I guess.” In reality I would do anything not to go to El Paso.
“Excellent.” Richard then walked over to a closet and pulled out a table containing something that looked like the machine that they use for randomly selecting balls in the lottery or bingo. All the balls were white.
“Miss Lindsey. This container holds fifty balls. All of the balls but one is white. The odd ball is red.
“If you choose to participate I will give you $100 for every white ball that comes up. That means the white balls in this container are worth $4,900. Are you interested in winning $4,900?”
“Yes.”
“Let me tell you more Miss Lindsey. Once the game starts you can stop at anytime and take the money you’ve won. So if you played once and got a white ball you could walk out of the room with $100. Does that sound good?”
“Yes.”
“One more thing. For every fifth white ball that comes up I will give you an extra $500. That means that if you made it to 45 white balls I would have given you an extra $4,500. But you can stop at any time. Are you interested?”
“Yes, of course. But what’s the catch? What do I have to pay to play or what happens if the red ball comes up?” My college degree is in statistics and I know the ultimate odds are always in the casino’s favor.
“You are perceptive Miss Lindsey. You pay nothing to play. It’s free.”
I interrupted, “if it’s free then how do you afford this and what about the red ball?”
“Again very perceptive. You undoubtedly have noticed the windows behind me. They are one-way windows. Behind them are eleven high-roller gamblers how are laying bets on what you will do. The money I make is from them not you.”
I didn’t know what to say. This was weird. “But what happens if I hit the red ball?”
“Ah, the red ball. If the red ball comes up then you lose all your winnings. It’s kind of like the bankrupt spin on the Wheel of Fortune on TV. But there’s also a negative consequence.”
Now I was skeptical. “So what’s the negative consequence?” Knowing that the people behind the window were all men I wondered if the consequence had to do with me taking off my clothes or something.
“Well Miss Lindsey, the negative consequence has to do with this pill.” Richard held up an aspirin-sized pill that looked metallic. “If you agree to play the game then I will ask you to swallow this pill. Once the pill is in your body then I can use this remote control device to freeze you in position. You are not harmed, but you cannot move. You can be kept in this state for up to three weeks with no harm whatsoever.”
“So you want to freeze me for three weeks? Why?”
“Not three weeks Miss Lindsey. Just one week. If the red ball comes up then you will become a mannequin in our new gift shop for one week. Once the week is up you would be returned to normal and would be free to go. If you never draw the red ball then you are free to leave when you are done playing and I will never use the remote. The pill will simply pass through you in a day or two.”
“So let me get this straight. If I choose to play there’s a 1 in 50 chance that I will get the red ball and I get $100 for every white ball plus an extra $500 after each fifth ball. Plus I can stop anytime I want?”
My mind worked overtime. Obviously the odds were in my favor to a point. I just had to be able to stop and I could really get some cash. Carlos would never know about it. I could probably go up to 10 and be relatively safe. That would be $2,000. Wow. I should do this, but what if I’m not lucky. Well I’d be a mannequin in the gift shop and I would be in the doghouse with Carlos. But then I wouldn’t have to see his mother. Carlos could say I got sick. I’ve got to do this for just a bit. I’ll stop at 10.
My mind was so consumed with the odds of the bet that the details of how this pill worked just didn’t occur to me.
“Okay Richard. I’ll do it.”
Richard smiled and handed me a tray with the pill, a glass of water and a document to sign. I swallowed the pill before I looked at the agreement. It had a metallic taste. I quickly glanced over the agreement and signed it. I didn’t read the details but it looked like it represented my understanding of the bet. A part of my mind said that I might have an addictive personality for gambling but I quickly dismissed it.
At that point a young Native American woman came into the room and asked me to follow her. I gave Richard a confused look.
“Miss Lindsay. This is Rose. She will get you ready to be a mannequin in case that’s what happens.”
“Okay.” I followed Rose. To me this seemed unnecessary. There was no way I was going to be a mannequin. Rose said nothing but looked me over carefully putting her hands on my shoulders and waist. I was uncomfortable. It seemed like she was measuring me up.
She then gestured to a spot in the middle of the front window. “This is where you will stand.” She seemed sure I would be there. I wanted to disagree with her, but I knew that would be useless. She then walked over to a rack and pulled out a beautiful robe with a Native American print. “This is what you will wear in the window. Come let’s get you ready.”
With that said she put her hand on my arm and gently pushed me into a dressing room. “Take off all your clothes,” she commanded.
“Why now, I haven’t gotten the red ball yet?”
“This is the way the way we do it. Then there’s less hassle when it happens. Plus this is what you agreed to do when you signed the paper.”
Oh, signed the paper. I guess I missed that part. I started taking off my clothes. As I took off my clothes Rose neatly folded them and put them in a box.
“Now what?” I asked Rose once I stood naked in the dressing room.
“One more thing,” she said. “We need to make sure that you don’t look too real.”
“Huh?” I quickly found out what she meant. She pulled out a small electric razor and had me stand with my legs apart as she shaved my crotch. How am I going to explain this to Carlos? She had a thin flesh-colored sticker about the size of a maxi-pad that she stuck to my crotch. She then pulled out two round flesh-colored sticker-type things that she put over my nipples. I looked at myself in the mirror and was surprised at the mannequin-like appearance.
“Now you can put on your bra and panties. Then you can put on the robe. We’ll take the underwear off when you become a mannequin.”
“IF I become a mannequin.”
“Whatever, just come with me your game is about to begin.” Even though she was much younger, Rose’s no-nonsense approach reminded me of Rosario from the Will and Grace TV show.
Richard welcomed me back into the room. “Are you ready Miss Lindsey?”
“I guess. I hope you don’t mind if I don’t stay too long. I’m not greedy, I just want to win a little money and then move on.”
“That’s perfectly all right Miss Lindsey.” Richard had a somewhat arrogant smile on his face. He turned to the window. “Gamblers are we ready to start the game?”
A green light went on above the window.
“You see Miss Lindsey, the first round has already been played. Three of the eleven gambled that you would not participate at all.”
Richard flipped a switch that turned on the machine bouncing the fifty balls around in the chamber. For the first time I actually saw the red ball. I shivered. He then brought up the first ball. It was white! Whew!!
“Miss Lindsey you have just won $100. Do you wish to continue?”
“Yes.” I couldn’t stop now.
The white ball came up the next four times and I won the $500 bonus at the end of the fifth ball.
“Miss Lindsey, you have won $1,000. Do you wish to continue?”
A thousand dollars would’ve been huge, but I couldn’t stop now. “Yes, I want to continue.”
Over the next five balls I became more confident that the red ball wouldn’t come up. I was a statistician. I knew the odds were in my favor. I also knew that with each of the fifty balls that were no longer in the container, my odds went down a little bit. At the tenth ball, Richard announced, “Miss Lindsey, you have now won $2,000. Do you wish to continue?”
This was the point I had said I would stop . . . hold my winnings and leave. Two grand was a lot of money. I could leave and be happy. Well maybe another five balls. I would have a 1 in 8 chance of getting the red ball in one of these balls. Those are still good odds. “Yes I’ll go on.”
Balls 11 and 12 were white and I started to relax again. I would make it to 15 and then stop. That would be $3,000. We could use that to take a real vacation. Maybe a ski trip in January. Balls 13 and 14 were white too. One more ball and I go out and celebrate at the bar with Carlos. He’ll be happy with me. He’ll understand the shaved crotch. Who knows he might even like it. For $3,000 he might shave his crotch!
Before ball 15, Richard did his obligatory question of whether I wanted to proceed. I agreed to move on, thinking that I would be out of here in five minutes.
Life seemed to move in slow motion as I watched the red ball move up the tube and into Richard’s hand. He paused with it in his hand for a few moments and then turned to me. “Miss Lindsey, it appears you’ll be joining us in the gift shop this next week.”
It seemed like the blood drained from my body. I knew what I had agreed to, but my mind raced looking for some loophole. Nothing came to mind.
The door opened and Rose came in pushing a round blue disc that was about three feet across and four inches high. There was a post sticking up from the middle of the disc. I immediately knew this was the display pedestal that I would be standing on for the next week. I figured the post was to keep me stable so I wouldn’t fall over.
An option came to mind, “What if we did double or nothing, if you let me keep going I could do two weeks as a mannequin?”
Richard looked at me with an empathic smile. “Miss Lindsey, you signed an agreement. There are no more negotiations.”
“What about my husband? What will he do?”
Richard now looked stern, “Your husband? I thought you said you were going to El Paso alone. Did you not tell us that he is here tonight?”
Now I was panicked and embarrassed. “Yes, he’s here.”
“Well I’m sorry Miss Lindsey. We will tell him what happened and he will have to move on without you. There are no changes at this point.”
I started crying. “Are the men still behind the window?”
“Yes they are. They have wagered on many aspects of your experience. They have paid a price to be here and you are giving them a show. When you decided to wager, you knew the consequences.
“Now we need to proceed. You do have a choice at this point. You can cooperate and stand up on your pedestal and give us a good pose or I can freeze you now and Rose and I will lift you on the pedestal and she will pose you herself. What will it be?”
The situation was hopeless. “I think I can pose myself.”
“Very good Miss Lindsey. Please step up on the pedestal.”
I slowly walked up to the pedestal and stepped up onto it. Rose told me that it was now time to take off my panties. I did, but I turned my back to the windows. Rose helped me turn back toward the window and part the bottom of the robe and align myself over the post. She then adjusted the post so that it fit into my butt. It was a little painful and I winced. The post up my ass forced me to stand straight. With that in place Rose straightened the bottom of the robe.
Richard smiled and looked at me. “What kind of pose would you like to have?”
“I don’t know.” I didn’t know how to pose and I was in no mood for trying. Rose came over and offered to help. With her assistance I stood straight and confident with my shoulders back. I started with my arms to my sides but Rose convinced me to put my arms behind my back. This felt good.
“Are you ready Miss Lindsey? You do look beautiful.”
“Yes I guess I am. Tell Carlos I’m sorry.”
“I will.” With that I watched Richard’s reflection in the window as he picked up the remote and pressed the button. I felt a jolt go through my body like a mild shock. I tried to move, but movement had become impossible. I was a mannequin.
Richard opened a door into the room behind the mirrors and invited the men to come in. I expected them to be sleaze balls, but they were pretty normal guys. Most of them were older. A couple of them were smoking cigars and I was pleased to notice that despite my condition I could smell. I could hear and feel as well.
Most of them congratulated Richard on the great show. A couple came to me and patted me on the shoulder. One indicated that the red ball at 15 cost him $10,000.
A few minutes past and Richard was left chatting with three of the men. Through the discussion I found out that they were the top three winners and as a bonus they got to stay for the next part of the process. Rose came in and asked it she could start getting me ready. Richard agreed. I thought I was already ready.
Rose then came over to me and untied the belt around the robe and then pulled the robe down over my arms. I was startled and embarrassed. She was undressing me. I could see my form in the reflection. All I had on was my bra. Then I felt Rose behind me. I remembered that she said my underwear would be coming off and I remembered that mannequins don’t wear underwear.
As I stood there naked, the four men and Richard came and looked me over. I tried to imagine I was a classic nude statue or something that wouldn’t be as embarrassing as standing naked in front of a group of horny guys. Rose worked over my body with a jar of makeup and a pad. Evidently she was covering up any freckles or blemishes.
When she was finished she put my robe back on and applied a heavy layer of makeup to my face. Every now and then I tried to move, it was futile.
She then asked Richard if he could hold open the door to the gift shop so she could roll me into place. He did. I felt the wind across my body as I was moved to the front window. Once in place I could look out on the casino. I saw a woman about my age playing a slot on the front row. Just an hour ago that could’ve been me. My tears were frozen.
I was so worried about Carlos I could hardly contain myself. How could I have done such a stupid thing? I was obviously addicted to gambling more than I ever thought. I had let my addiction come between my husband and his family. Would he forgive me?
After a while I saw Carlos walk by the window in front of me. He was obviously looking for me. There was concern on his face. Hadn’t Richard found him yet? If he did, would he ever believe such a story?
A few minutes later Carlos came by again. This time he glanced through the window at me. I tried to shout with all my worth — IT’S ME! IT’S ME!! It was to no avail. I saw a furrow in his brow that made me think that momentarily he saw the resemblance of this mannequin to his wife. But he walked on. Would he ever find Richard? What if Richard chose not to tell him? What if Richard lied to me and this was forever?
I was at the brink of total despair when I spotted Richard and Carlos talking way across the casino. I could see by the look on Carlos’s face and his glances toward me that Richard was telling him what had happened. They walked across the casino toward me and then into the store.
They both stood behind me and Richard spoke. “Lindsey, I told Carlos everything. He’s a little upset at you but he understands that a contract is a contract. He’ll stop by in the morning before he drives on to El Paso alone.”
When Carlos started speaking I felt awful. But he was so nice and so understanding that I fell in love with him all over again. “Honey, I’m not sure how I’m going to deal with Mom, but I understand that you made a mistake. I know you were trying to make us some money and I appreciate the effort. You look wonderful and I think they’ll take good care of you. Richard says that you’re the third woman they’ve done this with and the others weren’t able to stop either. I’ll stop by tomorrow before I head out.”
With that said he came up on the pedestal and gave me a hug while Richard took a photo of us both. He kissed me on the cheek and then went off to bed, alone.
During the course of the night I faded in and out of some form of sleep, or at least as sleepy as you can get with your eyes open. At one point the casino floor seemed nearly empty. I assumed it was around 3 or 4 a.m. I couldn’t see a clock from where I was standing and with the lights in the casino I had no way of telling what time of day it was.
I was startled at one point by a noise outside the window. It was a worker vacuuming the floor. I assumed it must be around 5 or 6 a.m.
At some point I saw Carlos come into the store. He had a mischievous grin on his face. He whispered in my ear, “Honey, I’ve decided to tell Mom that you got mono and had to stay home. I’ll pretend to call you a couple of times during the week. Happy Thanksgiving, I see you next Sunday. Until then I’ve decided to buy Mom a new robe here at this store. Guess which one I like the best! Bye. Bye.”
Maybe it was my current state of mind, but I was a little slow. I didn’t get what he was talking about until the saleslady came in front of me and undid the belt around the robe. In a matter of seconds I was standing nude for the entire casino to see.
I heard the cash register behind me and I heard the salesperson putting the robe in the bag. I minute later Carlos walked in front of me outside the store. He smiled and waved at me. He then took out his camera and took a photo. I could’ve kicked his butt right then and there. I watched him weave through the machines to the main entrance. I was alone, naked and sad.
It seemed like it took forever for the salesperson to dress me again. It was a similar robe, only a brighter print. It felt good to be dressed again.
As I stood there over the next few days, the thing that frustrated me the most was that I didn’t know whether time was going by fast or slow. People came and people went. I tried to chart the passing of the days by the times when the casino was nearly empty. I figured that must be the middle of the night or early morning. If I was right I counted four days. I started on Saturday night so four days would mean it’s now Wednesday morning.
I knew I was wrong when I saw workers setting up a sign saying “Happy Thanksgiving Day”. This was a tough day for me. All I could think of was Carlos and his family in El Paso having Thanksgiving turkey and pumpkin pie. I had a change of heart. I wanted to be there. I wanted to be with Carlos.
After Thanksgiving the casino got very busy. There were a lot of people coming and going. The casino floor looked to be very full. I was guessing that a lot of travelers were coming by on the Interstate and that other people were coming from Phoenix and Tucson.
I think it was late Friday evening when someone bought the robe that I was wearing. Instead of another robe, I was dressed in a western style shirt with a denim skirt. They put a cowboy hat on my head, which is something I would’ve never chosen to wear on my own, but the reflection in the window didn’t look half bad. The salesperson dressing me was a young girl and it was great when she touched me. I guess a week of no human touch left me starved. It was almost erotic.
When Saturday came I started to look for Carlos. When I was going with him the plan was for us to head home on Saturday. I had wondered if he might even leave a little early.
Sure enough at some point that day I spotted Carlos winding through the slot machines toward my window. I have never been happier to see him. He came to the window and waved at me then he went away. I figured it out later that he was going to find Richard Two Feathers.
Once he found Richard they came into the store and rolled me into the room where this had all begun. Richard closed the curtains to the one-way mirrors and left Carlos and me alone. He gave Carlos the remote.
Before Carlos used the remote he planted a deep kiss on my hard lips. He than began undressing me and didn’t use the remote until I was naked. He was better than the young sales clerk. I was so turned on I could hardly contain myself. My movement was stiff at first, but I was back to normal in a matter of minutes. Carlos and I made the best love of our marriage. It was fantastic.
My skin still tingled as I slipped into my bra and panties. Carlos played with the remote and had fun stopping and starting my motion. Finally I got dressed and we headed to our hotel room. More great sex. I finally had to hide the remote.
The next morning we had a surprise as we headed out to the car. Richard found us and gave me a check for $1,150. “The men were so pleased with your game a week ago that they left this as a tip. Best wishes.”
He also asked us not to tell anyone about our experience. “All that does is have the government trying to regulate us more.”
Epilogue:
Since this event last Thanksgiving, Carlos has taken a real interest in mannequins. He’s found a number of websites and stories that he loves on the Legacy of Timeless Beauty Archives. I continue to shave my crotch and have learned body makeup techniques to make me look like a mannequin. I’m assuming the capsule that allowed the remote to work on me has passed sometime ago, but I wouldn’t know until someone tried that remote on me again. Richard wouldn’t let Carlos take it with him as much as Carlos tried.
As for Richard Two Feathers. . . He called me a couple of days ago. He has left the casino in Arizona to handle special gambling promotions for one of the big casinos in Las Vegas. Some of the guys from his place in Arizona have requested me to come back so he’s offered me $2,000 win or lose if I risk it again in Las Vegas. Carlos gave the idea instant thumbs up.
We’ve not arranged a date yet, but there might be another installment on this story in a couple of months.
Continued, but Raising The Stakes took a little longer...