Mr Cromwell,

You have come to trade time. To give me your time in exchange for mine. And whatever time you give me this evening, I will give you the same in return tomorrow. As you correctly surmised, I have a concern with risk, and you may have a solution. But for the chance to try and sell me it tomorrow, I require you to take a risk this evening. I require you to relinquish the thing you hold most dear. Open the box and do what you must. Otherwise leave having bought no time, leaving everything to chance, and thereby taking a different type of risk.

Aksel Larsen

Now that was interesting! And it meant there was definitely some sort of game afoot, and that Larsen was certainly queer - closeted perhaps, which could be used to advantage. Something to think about later, though - right now Max had a decision to make. So he read the note again and zoomed in on the key part - I require you to relinquish the thing you hold most dear.

Did the randy big brute mean his ass - something that Max rarely gave up? If he did, then surely Larsen was expecting too much, and flattering himself in the process. A couple of hours of his time was the minimum Max wanted, three or four being the preferred amount. Could Larsen actually keep at it for that long? Was he some sort of freak with an insatiable appetite and the libido of a man half his age? It was possible. Max had performed a few sexual marathons in his time, with some coke up his nose and a Viagra down his throat, so he knew for a fact that it was possible. Yet he instinctively sensed that something else was up. There was more to this game than a basic fuck, or one that was dragged out for an eternity.

So what do I hold most dear?

Max knew the answer. He might never have admitted it, or expressed it as such, but deep down he knew what was being referred to. But how could Larsen possibly know such a thing about his character? Could he tell having seen him for a few brief moments? Is that what he detected when he so rudely sniffed? Or was it written between the lines of Max's business proposal? But then perhaps Larsen didn't know, and was referring incorrectly to something else. Perhaps Max was reading it all wrong again.

There was only one way to find out.

With a racing heart, and an element of admiration for capturing his interest to such a degree, Max put down his briefcase, sat on the wooden chair, then reached forward and raised the lid of the box. And oddly enough, Mr Cromwell wasn't shocked when he saw what was inside. Pure as the driven snow, it was a white silk scarf.

Do what you must.

Max took one more look around the room then picked up the silk scarf. He held it in his hand, fingering its softness, grudgingly congratulating a player of games - a man like himself in that regard, and a worthy adversary who was holding the stronger hand at present. Either that or he was one hell of a good bluffer.

Dare I?

Doubts flashed through Max's mind, and questions raged as to what might occur if he went down this route - what he would be letting himself in for if he accepted the challenge and took the game to the next level. It was all an unknown, although it had a very clear theme, and the theme was one that Max was reluctant to embrace. It was alien to his persona to play the passive role. In so many aspects of his very busy life, Max was accustomed to being the one in charge. He was the one who normally called the shots and asserted his dominance in a variety of ways. Men like Larsen were therefore avoided, especially if sex might feature in the equation, viewed as incompatible to the nature Max had cultivated over the course of many years.

But what's the alternative?

Leave everything to chance! Take a different type of risk. That was equally alien, and infinitely less interesting.

So resigned to what was needed for this particular high stakes game, knowing fine well what had to be done, Max wrapped the scarf carefully around his head, tied it at the back and blindfolded himself completely.

He knew what Larsen wanted him to relinquish. For the first time in as long as he cared to remember, Max would hand over complete control. He would cede authority to a brute of a man who was the epitome of the Alpha male. He wasn't sure how far he would allow things to go, but he certainly wanted to take the game further and see what Larsen would throw at him. It was a massive step into the unknown - the scariest and most exciting thing he had done in years, perhaps in all of his life.