Bluff Called on stripping game
Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2025 8:40 pm
This happened during the school summer holidays when I was house sitting for a relative who had two daughters. I had just turned 15 and they were 10 and 8 respectively. My duties ran from when the mother left for her part time job in the morning, until her return in mid afternoon.
The girls had wanted to rope me into a childish card game with them and wouldn't take no for an answer, while I wanted them to leave me alone so I could listen to the England Cricket commentary on the radio. Close to losing my patience, I said "OK, let's play strip jack naked. It's like strip jack except we're playing for our clothes and it goes on until someone's got nothing on." expecting that they'd be grossed out and leave me alone. To my horror, they went for it. I resolved that when one of them lost their last but one item, they'd get cold feet and I could call the game off. However there was no such concession for me when things went wrong and I lost my last but one item while they still had 3 each. "KNICKERS OFF!!" they called. It actually seemed a better offer than being left in my cheap tighty whities that they'd see my pubes through. My last item was an elasticated football shirt that I could stretch to cover my modesty but I'm sure the end of my penis showed briefly, though they never said if it did. (This shirt would let me down, big league, the following summer but that's another story.)
So the dilemma, was it more humiliating to get naked in front of them or lose credibility by stopping the game? I carried on and 10 went down to singlet and panties, then lost the next game too. 8 shouted "KNICKERS OFF! and 10 refused. Was this the off ramp for me? I told 10 "Just get your vest off then, you might not need to get your knickers off anyway if I lose the next game! " 10 was spooked now so I called the game off. 8 tried to call me a scaredy cat but I said "Look! I've GOT my knickers off! You could've had me walking round with nothing on until your Mom comes home but you won't play fair! Let's just forget this ever happened!" So with that fit of pretend annoyance, I folded my cards, got dressed and breathed a huge sigh of relief.
I thought nothing of the incident again until 8 years later when the girl's parents went on a long trip abroad, leaving them in the care of my parents. The night before they left, their Mom cornered me with a serious look on her face and said. "DON'T touch my daughters while I'm away! PLEASE!" I stammered back "Of course not! What are you talking about? Why would I?" "Just.Promise.Me." came the reply. Of course I did promise but she never said why she was doing this to me.
Some days later, I wondered if she'd heard tales of the strip game, my peeping penis and me being annoyed when 10 wouldn't take off her underwear all those years ago. I wish to God I'd just kept my cool and never suggested the stupid game in the first place, but with hindsight I can't help wondering if having got into that predicament, I should have just thrown the game when I got down to my shirt and greeted the Mom naked on her return, explaining it away as a childish prank to get it sorted then, swapping short term embarrassment for the reputational damage I suspect I have suffered within the family.
The girls had wanted to rope me into a childish card game with them and wouldn't take no for an answer, while I wanted them to leave me alone so I could listen to the England Cricket commentary on the radio. Close to losing my patience, I said "OK, let's play strip jack naked. It's like strip jack except we're playing for our clothes and it goes on until someone's got nothing on." expecting that they'd be grossed out and leave me alone. To my horror, they went for it. I resolved that when one of them lost their last but one item, they'd get cold feet and I could call the game off. However there was no such concession for me when things went wrong and I lost my last but one item while they still had 3 each. "KNICKERS OFF!!" they called. It actually seemed a better offer than being left in my cheap tighty whities that they'd see my pubes through. My last item was an elasticated football shirt that I could stretch to cover my modesty but I'm sure the end of my penis showed briefly, though they never said if it did. (This shirt would let me down, big league, the following summer but that's another story.)
So the dilemma, was it more humiliating to get naked in front of them or lose credibility by stopping the game? I carried on and 10 went down to singlet and panties, then lost the next game too. 8 shouted "KNICKERS OFF! and 10 refused. Was this the off ramp for me? I told 10 "Just get your vest off then, you might not need to get your knickers off anyway if I lose the next game! " 10 was spooked now so I called the game off. 8 tried to call me a scaredy cat but I said "Look! I've GOT my knickers off! You could've had me walking round with nothing on until your Mom comes home but you won't play fair! Let's just forget this ever happened!" So with that fit of pretend annoyance, I folded my cards, got dressed and breathed a huge sigh of relief.
I thought nothing of the incident again until 8 years later when the girl's parents went on a long trip abroad, leaving them in the care of my parents. The night before they left, their Mom cornered me with a serious look on her face and said. "DON'T touch my daughters while I'm away! PLEASE!" I stammered back "Of course not! What are you talking about? Why would I?" "Just.Promise.Me." came the reply. Of course I did promise but she never said why she was doing this to me.
Some days later, I wondered if she'd heard tales of the strip game, my peeping penis and me being annoyed when 10 wouldn't take off her underwear all those years ago. I wish to God I'd just kept my cool and never suggested the stupid game in the first place, but with hindsight I can't help wondering if having got into that predicament, I should have just thrown the game when I got down to my shirt and greeted the Mom naked on her return, explaining it away as a childish prank to get it sorted then, swapping short term embarrassment for the reputational damage I suspect I have suffered within the family.