Brewster's Brood - Pt. 39 (Patreon)

(Author's Note: This one's going to seem a little short, because it is, but it also includes the current cast list, which includes two whole groups waiting to have a turn at Max, so enjoy getting a peek at people coming soon.) 

Part Thirty-Nine

Max Brewster – 3/12/2017 – Monday –12:33 pm

            God, had he needed the rest. His whole body felt like it was running on overload, despite the fact that he’d just spent the last ten hours sleeping. He wanted to take ten more, hoping that might get him past the hump and exhaustion from the overwhelming amount of sex he’d been having, but somehow wasn’t sure that was an option. Kelly and Jenny seemed to enjoy running him ragged, making sure he was experiencing so much life so fast that it would blast around him and just carry him with the currents, but today he was going to put his foot down. Today he didn’t want to leave his apartment, and he was just going to order food delivery in. If that meant he had to fight and argue with the two girls, so be it, but the very thought of setting foot outside of his apartment sounded debilitating.

            Jenny had gotten up and was surfing the web on her phone, lounging around on the couch in just her panties, not having even bothered to put a bra or shirt on, while Kelly was snuggled against him, her eyes opening when his did. “Are we gonna have to get up now?” Kelly asked him.

            “I’m not ready to move out of this bed yet,” Max chuckled.

            “Where do we want to go to get lunch?”

            “I’m thinking a lazy day in bed,” Max said. “The whole day. I don’t want to go anywhere, I don’t want to see anyone, I don’t want to do anything. I just want to stay in bed. Does that sound okay with you two? If not, you’re welcome to head out or wherever you need to go, but I just have to have a day off to recover, to get head back in the game, such as it is.”

            “You sure, Max?” Jenny said, glancing over her shoulder at him. “I mean, a whole day in bed sounds awfully lazy.” Her voice had a teasing tone, making fun of his relaxy attitude.

            “I don’t rightly give a fuck how it sounds, Jenny,” Max laughed. “I’m doing it one way or the other. I need to not fuck for a while, and I’m terrified if I set foot outside this house, I’m going to have to fuck again.”

            “Even if you just stay inside this house, Mr. Brewster, you’re gonna have to fuck again,” Kelly giggled. “Because Jenny and I can give you most of the day off, but come late tonight, well, we make no promises. Unless you’re going to send us away.”

            “As long as you’ll let me get through the Late Show with Stephen Colbert without having to put out, I could probably rally for one or two goes after that, assuming you ladies are willing to do most of the work,” Max said with a still mostly exhausted chuckle. “I still feel like I’ve been running marathons for the last month nonstop and my body’s begging me to stop moving, like, at all.”

            “Oh, I’m sure the two of us can work something out,” Jenny said. “But only if you’re serious about remaining in the house for the whole day. No phone calls, no internet, no checking emails, nothing.”

            “Weren’t you just surfing the web on your phone?”

            “Sure, but if I stop, you gotta promise to stop as well,” she shot back. “Kelly won’t use her phone either, will you Kel?”

            “As long as I can send one text message to my friend, so she knows not to panic,” Kelly said. “Yeah, I can get behind that. My phone desperately needs to charge anyway.”

            “See?” Jenny said, folding her arms beneath her breasts, making them push up and towards Max’s eyes. “We both need to charge our phones, and we’ll happily stay in all day with you, just lazing around your apartment, watching Netflix in our skivvies.”

            “You’re not going to put on more clothes?” Max asked.

            “Do you want us to?” Jenny asked with a smirk.

            “Well, now that you mention it… no, maybe I don’t…”

            “Good,” Kelly said. “Because the only shirt I intend to put on today is one of yours, Max,” Kelly said.

            “And I like the idea of flashing the delivery guy my tits, so he can get really fucking jealous of you,” Jenny added.

            “You must be thinking of San Francisco, Jenny,” Max said with a laugh. “This is Oakland. A delivery driver around here sees great tits three or four times a day, at least, between the nudist houses and the maker shops and the ultra hippy girls.”

            “Well, since they legalized marijuana a few months ago out here, it’s been like a field day for everybody who’d ever wanted to get stoned but didn’t want to risk jail time,” Jenny said.

            “I’m amazed it took us as long as it did to make it legal,” Max said. “Shit, we weren’t even the first state to do it.”

            “Sometimes you gotta let someone else be the first one through the door, Max,” Jenny said. “I’ve got a brother working in law enforcement down in L.A. and he said it’s been a boon, since the cops down there can focus on more important things.”

             “Still have all the people rotting in prison for pot convictions to worry about, though,” Kelly said. “I feel like number one priority ought to be getting those people’s sentences vacated or dismissed.”

            “There aren’t that many of them, are there?”

            “Thousands,” Jenny said. “Probably tens of thousands. The war on pot was big business for the prison industry.”

            “Industry? You make it sound like they’re running profits and losses,” Max scoffed.

            “Most of them are,” Jenny replied. “It’s a big business, buying up prisoners and then keeping them jailed up for the cities, counties and states. They keep people locked up and then find ways to extend their prison sentences using bullshit paperwork, weird extenuating circumstances and other crazy shit. My brother says it’s the thing he hates most about being a cop – knowing that a lot of people who commit minor offenses get railroaded into that shit. We need cops now more than ever, but everyone’s got this whole ‘All Cops Are Bastards’ mentality going right now.”

            “Yeah, well, if cops weren’t casually shooting black kids left and right, maybe the people in local communities would feel more comfortable trusting them,” Kelly shot back.

            “Hey hey hey,” Max said. “The last thing I need on my day off is for you two fighting about political ideologies while I’m trying to referee. Can we agree to not have any political conversations today? Seriously. I just want to relax around the apartment without any stress going on. Is that so much to ask?”

            Both women looked a little ashamed of themselves, as if they’d gotten so caught up in the heat of the moment that they’d forgotten where they were. “Sorry Max,” Kelly said.

            “Sorry Max,” Jenny echoed. “Can we buy lunch to make it up to you?”

            “Sure,” Max said. “There’s a flier to a good local pizza joint on the fridge. Just use the landline and caller ID will give them the apartment location. I order from them often enough that I’m in their system. Just make sure you order some soda with the pizza, though, because my fridge is running a little light on things that don’t say ‘beer’ on them.”

            “How’d you get this place, Max?”

            “Frankie rented it to me after my restaurant burned down, and I threw nearly everything I had into the truck,” Max sighed. “I used to have my own house. Nice place. Up in Berkeley Hills, not too far from the Club, actually. But when the fire hit, well, it cost me everything not to go under, and I don’t know that I’ve ever completely gotten back on my feet since then. I feel like I’m paddling and paddling, just to keep my head above water.”

            “What would you do if money suddenly wasn’t a problem?” Kelly asked him, as Jenny seemed to shoot her friend a dirty look. “Move out of this place, I assume.”

            “Well, buy a house, a real house, that’s for sure,” Max said with a chuckle. “Nothing too extravagant or ostentatious, but enough that I could live comfortably. And have a kitchen with a walk-in pantry, so I can experiment around. Maybe even host a cooking show on the internet or something, so I’m still making new dishes. I mean, I cook for the joy of cooking, not just to make money. And I’d have a restaurant and not a truck, but I’m sure you guessed that. I’d probably keep the food truck going with the brothers and or Frankie, and I’d definitely pay back all the money I owe Frankie, who’s been undercharging me rent for years now. Maybe set up some kind of fund to help struggling restaurants get started here in the Bay. Like a tech incubator but for chefs.”

            “You wouldn’t want to go on Food Network for any of their shows?”

            “Do I strike you as the kind of person who’s big into using Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup to make a sandwich out of?” Max laughed. “I mean, if they let me design, organize and run the show myself, maybe, but I wouldn’t do one of those insane competition shows that seem to draw in the big ratings. You know Frankie’s tried like a dozen times to convince me to try out for one of those shows? ‘He’s like, it would be amazing promotion for the truck, Max!’ ‘Think of the money you’d make, Max!’ ‘Think of the publicity it would make for the truck, Max!’ I keep telling him, the truck’s already got more people coming by than we can handle! We’re almost too big for truck business anymore. Half the time when we show up, we’ve already got a line around the block, and I’ve tried really hard to close off the line early enough so that I’m not completely out of food by the time anyone arrives at the window. But all that’s only been the last year or so.”

            “Was it the newspaper article?”

            “That and word of mouth, I think,” Max said. “I dunno. The article may have just been whatever pushed things over the edge and started them up, but the interest didn’t happen all at once. It was a slow and steady organic growth from there on out. We had to set up the Instagram page, the Facebook page, the Twitter account… all that social media shit that I hate to do, so I let Frankie handle it for me. Maybe he just found an easy way to start getting that shit noticed, because we certainly weren’t paying into it.”

            “Maybe things just decided to go in your favor for once,” Kelly said.

            “Before this past week, I’d have said you were full of shit. Sure, we were starting to really rake it in, but that was by keeping profit margins razor thin. The one time I tried to raise the prices a bit, we saw a pretty steep drop off of people backing away, but maybe it was just a bad week. I gotta figure out a way to get people to pay more without driving them to other trucks.”

            “Raising the prices sounds like it’s the right call,” Kelly said. “You probably just have to take a week or two of a traffic hit before people realize it’s because you need the money.”

            Jenny stood up and made her way across the room. “What kind of pizza am I getting?”

            “I want a meat lovers,” Max said, “but you two don’t have to eat the same as me.”

            Kelly giggled. “I think at this point Max, we’ve proven that we love the meat.”

Danny Garney – 3/12/2017 – Monday –8:18 pm

            It had been nice for Max to not leave the sanctity of his apartment all day, because one of the very few rules of the tournament was that Max’s home was essentially ‘home base.’ While he could invite women in, no woman could set foot on or near the property without Max’s specific invitation. It was designed so that Max wouldn’t get overwhelmed, that he always had a safe place to hide, even if he wasn’t aware of it. He could invite people over, and they could call him while he was in there, but other than that, it was a safe sanctuary for Max to get away from the game.

            And all the women of the game had respected it. Until now. Sophie MacDougal, one of the members of the Hotel Group, had just joined the game a little bit ago and now she was stomping up the street towards Max’s apartment, anger flaring in her eyes. Danny could see it on one of the cameras and he had Jacinda’s voice howling in his ear for him to stop her.

            “Danny, don’t let her get to the door!”

            “She’s not even close to the apartment yet,” Danny said with a sigh, pulling on his boots. “Hold your horses. I’ll get’er.”

            He zipped up and velcroed his boots closed, then hopped out of the back of the surveillance van and started walking towards her. She was a good-looking young woman to his eyes, sort of a sexed-up librarian vibe coming off of her. Her auburn hair was up in a bun atop of her head, a pleated skirt ending just above her knees, leather boots starting just below them. She had a dark emerald-green shirt on, and it was clear she’d put together her look with the express intent of showing it off to Max, and he seemed hellbent on not coming out today. “C’mon, Sophie, don’t do this,” Danny said to her. “You know the rules. You can’t just go knocking on his door like this.”

            “He’s been in there all day, Danny,” Sophie said, her voice thick tinged with a Scottish accent. “It’s not fair, those two having the whole day with’im while twenty plus of us haven’t even had a first go at the man yet. You’ve got to get him out of there.”

            “The doctor said he needed a day of rest, and this was the time he wanted to take it on his own, so we’re letting him,” Danny said, placing a hand on her shoulder, turning her to walk with him away from Max’s place, wanting to make sure the man didn’t see nor hear them. “I know it’s hard to wait, but there are still months left in this game. He can’t know anything otherwise the game’s blown, and if that happens, you, me, everybody gets nothing, and he’ll still get his inheritance like nothing’s happened. Stay strong, be patient, and keep your head up, and follow the rules, and you’ll get a turn.”

            “But when Danny?”

            “That’s the thing, Sophie,” he said to her. “It’s got to be natural and organic, and he was already starting to get suspicious. The thing at the concert last night was crazy enough that it got him worried and paranoid. We had to nip that in the bud, so when Jenny and Kelly got him home, they let him have some time off, took it easy with him. Hell, you saw it on the camera. They could’ve gone crazy and tried to get three or four loads a piece off of him, and instead they’ve been incredibly calm and restrained, mostly just letting him get his strength back.”

            “It’s no fair they got in there first!”

            “Luck of the draw there, I’m afraid. Now, are you going to head back to your place sensibly, or am I going to be forced to bounce you from the whole game for trying to circumvent the rules?” Danny said, trying to keep his tone as calm and parent-like as he could.

            “But—”

            “Those are your only two options, Sophie,” he interrupted. “Don’t choose the wrong one.”

            Sophie sighed and nodded her head. “Okay. Okay, Danny. But if he isn’t out of that house tomorrow, there’s going to be a whole mob of us going to talk to Mrs. Churchill, and we’re going to have a long talk about what the rules are and how much they’re going to have to start bending.”

            “I wouldn’t start trying to set terms with the boss lady, Sophie. She’ll eat you up.”

            “She’s not the only one who can be a hardass, Danny. Don’t you forget that!”

MRS. CHURCHILL'S NOTES (Cast of Characters):

The Mark (& Company)

•        Max Brewster – The Mark – 42, Caucasian, doughy, with mostly black (although with some gray) hair pulled back into a ponytail, sleeved with tats, tanned skin, brown eyes (near sighted), owner of the Constant Rotation food truck, and long lost grandson and only living relative of the late billionaire Max Brand. Seems like a nice enough guy, but a bit shy and a touch socially awkward. The more women I can get him to knock up, the more me and my team get paid. He had a restaurant go up in a fire and through a loophole, didn't get any recompense from either the building owner or the insurance company, and started the food truck as a way to get a fresh start.

•        Monty Brand (deceased) – The Bank – Died at 102 about three months ago. Established the Brand game before his death, whereas his only living relative (Max), gets his inheritance after he's spread their genetic lineage to at least 10 women, although he can't know about the game until after it's over. I feel a little sorry for Max, but he's going to be having so much casual sex that I can't muster up too much sympathy for him. Monty wanted to make sure that both Max sowed his wild oats and also punished him for waiting so long to do so. Monty was a tough old bastard, but he's leaving Max over a hundred billion dollars, so I guess he's entitled to be.

•        Frankie Yen – The Inside Man – 38, Asian American, Max's best friend, and his coworker at the Constant Rotation truck. Frankie also owns the house where Max lives in an apartment above the garage. Frankie's been a wonderful resource for us to use, and is in on the game, although he's also a little bit flaky, and doesn't always have the information we want. Doing our homework on the people Max had dated was exceptionally difficult, and I still feel like we're missing some key details that will make the whole puzzle make sense.

•        Carlos & Joey Hernandez – The B-Team – The two Hispanic brothers who man the Constant Rotation food truck on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, so that Max and Frankie get two days off but the truck is still earning. We're going to have to find some way to convince Max to let these two take more shifts on the truck so that we get more time with him, but Jacinda's got a few thoughts on that, and some of the girls in the game have already coopted one day of the truck's schedule, so maybe it won't be as big a problem as anticipated.

Mrs. Churchill's Team

•        Mrs. Helen Churchill – The HBIC (Head Bitch In Charge) – Me. 59, short cut white hair, no nonsense business-like attitude. I've been told I resemble Dame Judi Dench, which I take as a compliment. I'm the woman in charge of the Max Brewster Project, contracted by Monty Brand.

•        Jacinda Acosta – The Heir To My Throne – My right hand woman. 29, from Madrid. Black hair, brown eyes, brown skin, could stand to eat a sandwich. Only has about seven months with the team. Stresses out easily. 

•        Maia Brown – PR – 44, former Kentucky television station manager, in charge of social smokescreens and making sure we don't draw any attention to our operations.

•        Lynne Jefferson – Tech – 28, heavy set, African American. Our technical manager, who handles all our cameras and internet connectivity. The newest member to the team, brought on about six months before the start of this project.

•        Carmen Vasquez – Graveyard Shift – 37, our late night set of eyes, the one I trust to watch the camera feed when the rest of us are getting our good night's worth of sleep in.

•        Doctor (Rachel) Williamson – 44, our staff doctor whose entire job it is to keep an eye on Max's health, to make sure he's not being overtaxed or exhausted beyond his capabilities.

•        Danny Garney – The Muscle – 34, ex-Delta Force, chiseled and ridiculously good looking, head of security and Max's personal bodyguard, even if Max doesn't know about it. If there's anyone I'm going to lean on if shit gets out of hand, it's Danny, who's been part of my operations for about three years now, after an injury cut his military career short.

•        Liane Jing – Muscle Adjacent – Danny's girlfriend, 26, 6'6” Asian American, gorgeous and playful, knows what Danny's up to, but doesn't mind being used as cover considering it gives her a front row seat to the madness. Liane's been with Danny long enough that I have her under NDA, and if he does the right thing and puts a ring on it, I may even consider bringing her into the team, since she seems to have good instincts at crisis management.

•        Heather Bickers – Midnight Muscle – 31, ex-Army Ranger. Danny can't be awake all the time, so Heather's doing nightwatch duty for him, as she has on and off for gags we've been running. Heather's smart, capable and an excellent person to serve as Danny's second.

•        Abigal ‘Abby’ Tench – Foe Turned Friend – 27, ex-military, ex-Yancy’s Nancies. Abby used to work for the other side, but Yancy’s a pain in the ass, the money’s better and we’re nicer people, so she ditched working for him to come work for me.

Alfa Group

•        Zoe Hitchens – The Planner – 36, business analyst, light blonde, Nordic, 5'7”, glasses, blue eyes, expensive tastes, the smartest in A group, wants to organize for success, from DC. So far, Zoe's been instrumental in making the group time spent with Max feel natural and organic. I don't think she's after Max for the long haul, but she's definitely invested in making sure the game is a huge success. Might even be a candidate for my team at a later date, post kid or if she doesn't get knocked up. Attempts: 1, Success: Unknown.

•        Dana Weismann – The Socialite – 32, heiress/investor, brunette, 5'9”, had nose job/boob job, brown eyes, doesn't care about the money only wants good DNA for her kid. Is presenting herself as the owner of the Berkeley chapter of the Ironwood Estates sex club, something the girls made up to try and sell Max on the story. She's whip smart and seems to enjoy the challenge the game presents. Definitely not wifey candidate. Attempts: 0.

•        Michelle Stenson – The Joker – 24, pharmaceutical rep, 5'4”, dark blonde, ex college cheerleader, the ultra flirt, mostly just here to get in, have a good time, get knocked up and get out, from Texas. Seems to enjoying the girls' company more than Max's, but definitely wants to get her cut. No chance of going for wifey. Attempts:1, Success: Unknown.

•        Rachel Munroe – The Intellectual – 27, redhead, psychiatrist, 5'2”, wants to keep everyone on the rails, protective of the girls' feelings. Haven't decided if she's going to try and go wifey or not, but is another smart put early in the game, as she's helping sell the story well. Attempts: 0.

•        Kelly Coleman – The Damaged Student Athlete – 21, brunette, native Californian, 5'7”, 120, in phenomenal shape except walks with a slight limp, was a rising up and coming tennis star until an accident injured her too much to ever play again, has a chip on her shoulder and something to prove. Definitely not wifey material, but will be a good touchstone for the younger girls in the game. Took one in the mouth and one in the ass to sell the story, so definitely willing to play the game as needed. Has potential to run long in the game. Possesses a photographic memory. Attempts: 2, Success: Unknown.

•        Mai Liang – The Banker – 30, investment banker, 5'6”, slender, 2nd gen Chinese American, tired of feeling like a walk on in someone else's story, does NOT intend to keep Max around. She's got a bit of a chip on her shoulder, but I think she's going to be another get in, get knocked up, get out candidate, and won't care about upping the pool after she's gone. Attempts: 1, Success: Unknown.

•        Jenny Westinghouse – The Undercover Cop – 33, strawberry blonde, 5'10”, Oakland detective, keeps strange hours which makes it hard to have a relationship, on 3 months administrative leave following difficult UC assignment, dependable & accomplished liar. I knew Jenny was going to be a key player in our game, but she's taken to it like a fish to water. Might be wifey candidate. Certainly seems like she wants to go for the long game. One to watch closely. Her and Zoe are my current odds on favorites, although it's early. Attempts: 3, Success: Unknown.

•        Cara Bianchi – The Tourist – 25, brunette, 5'11”, business owner, visiting from Rome, wants a non-Italian father, in need of money, doesn't want to ever talk to Max. I was pretty impressed with how Dana and Esme handled Cara's incredibly specific demands, and I'm hoping it took so we can just get her out of here, as she's a massive pain the ass. Attempts: 1, Success: Unknown.

•        Blake Brown – The Party Girl – 19, 6'2”, blonde, Berkeley student, sees this as an opportunity to have a kid early in life, have the day care and her tuition paid for, studying to get into IP law. She's nowhere near mature enough to stick with Max long term, but she'll be a fun dalliance for him to dip his dick into, assuming she doesn't put him off with her flippant attitude or her incessant textspeak. Attempts: 1, Success: Unknown.

•        Esme Santiago – The Team Player – 24, 5'4”, Latina, up from Texas, wants to have a child but dislikes everyone in her small town, intends to go back home after the competition and help her parents run the family business. Doesn't seem like wifey potential, but is working well with Dana to sell the Ironwood Estates story, acting as “manager” of the club. Attempts: 1, Success: Unknown.

Bravo Group

•        Zelda Fujikawa – Doctor Wifey – 34, 2nd gen Japanese immigrant, oncologist on sabbatical from a Miami hospital, wants to stay with Max past the game. Extremely pragmatic and determined. Could be a contender. Attempts: 0.

•        Anya Petrov – The Eye Candy – 25, Russian model, blonde, fit, definitely in it just for the money, literal zero chance of being wifey material. Am a little worried about her being too passive for the game, but I suspect we'll see the competitor come out in her after a few weeks of Max's head not being turned. Attempts: 1, Success: Unknown.

•        LaTonya Jefferson – The Investor – 27, African American, restaurateur from Chicago, not looking to stick around but wants to amp the game to get as many girls pregnant as possible. I like how this girl thinks, in that she's in it to make sure the prize pool gets as big as possible, and doesn't give a fuck about anyone's feelings along the way. Attempts: 0.

•        Diane Wilson – The Deadender – 26, brunette, diner owner from small Kentucky town, needs the money, wants the kid. She seems nice enough, too passive to be wifey material, but is definitely going to make sure she gets her oven filled with a bun, as she's up to her eyeballs in debt, and the money to take care of the kid stretches a whole lot further in the Rust Belt than it does in the Bay. Could get cutthroat if the rest of the girls don't give her her shot. Attempts: 0.

•        Janet Flowers – The Unrealistic Clockwatcher – 33, nurse from Oklahoma, convinced her clock is ticking despite the fact that she's still got the better part of a decade. Strikes me as overly excitable, and not wifey material, but is definitely not going to throw away her shot. Attempts: 0.

•        Olivia Castle – The Realistic Clockwatcher – 41, TV exec from LA, knows her time is running out and that a viable pregnancy is going to be difficult for her if she waits too much longer. Can't tell if she wants to be wifey contender or not, but she's in TV, and that means she will cut a bitch for getting in her way. Attempts: 0.

•        Song Min-a – The Foreign Starlet – 25, actress from South Korea, wants a baby completely removed from the press of her home country. Nobody knows who she is here, but she's a massive star in her home country. She had to duck the press leaving, but the longer she's in the game, the more attention her presence might bring. We're hoping to keep her presence in the Bay quiet, but it's not something that we can completely control. Doesn't want to be wifey, so won't be, but wants the father of her child to be a non-issue. Attempts: 1, Success: Unknown.

•        Lisseth Rodriguez – The Fugitive – 23, Latina from Arizona, wants a father for her child that her bad ex can't track down. I feel for Lisseth, I really do, and I decided if she gets pregnant, we're going to give her a “signing bonus” to help her relocate after the game, to get away from a  particularly vindictive ex-husband. We'll get her settled somewhere in the Northeast with a new name and a new life, away from that asshole. Attempts: 1, Success: Unknown.

•        Yael Getschmann – The Bohemian – 31, Jewish, artist/sculptor, split between just wanting the kid and wanting to go for the brass ring. Could be wifey material, but also may not be motivated enough for our boy, who seems a bit of a hustler when it comes to work life, whereas Yael's pretty much had everything handed to her on a silver platter. One to watch. Attempts: 0.

•        Charity Morrison – The Kind Soul – 38, blonde, professional caregiver, just doesn't have time to date but wants a kid. I don't know that I've ever met a more aptly named woman. Charity wants a kid, but hasn't got a great social support system for dating, and her work makes meeting new people a giant challenge. No chance at wifey status, but one of the ones I'm personally rooting for to get her fill. Attempts: 0.

Charlie Group

•        Marta Youngquist – The Nutritionist – 33, personal trainer, yogi, cook and dietitian. Blonde, slender, pretty in a kind of naturist way. She's been offering advice on what kinds of food to give to Max to keep his sexual appetite and energy up, as well as to increase his virility, although I don't know how much of that is actual science and how much of it is pseudo mumbo jumbo. No way in hell she makes wifey. Attempts: 0.

•        Brooklynn Travers – The Fallen Older Sister – 36, actress, heiress to nothing, from a somewhat shattered family. Redhead, sporty, talented, a little conniving maybe. She and her sister were the heirs to the Travers fortune. You know, the one that disappeared just a few years ago, when the patriarch died and it was revealed that the family “fortune” was purely paper fiction. She and her sister are earning decent money acting, but they're used to living large, and I suspect the game is just as much about the money as it is the kid. Attempts: 1, Success: Unknown.

•        Guinevere “Gwen” Travers – The Fallen Younger Sister – 33, actress, also an heiress to nothing. Brunette, thin, very pale. If Brooklynn is the populist actress, Gwen's the arthouse rebel. She's also had a long list of disastrous relationships. The two sisters are both interested in having kids out of the spotlight, and so they're doing this for themselves, although I think both have aspirations of turning wifey. Their chances? Not entirely sure. Attempts: 1, Success: Unknown.

•        Keisha Jefferson – The Attorney – 37, lawyer from NYC. African-American, highly accomplished. If there's anyone who read every single line of our NDA, it was Keisha, who's here just to get herself a child without the hassle of having a father who wants to be involved in the child's life. She's going to get in, then get out, but she's also going to make sure the game does well and her paycheck is solid. Attempts: 0.

•        Erika Lu – The Songwriter – 31, professional songwriter from LA. Asian-American, ex-choir girl, ex-cheerleader, cheery and positive as all hell. Erika's been working with lots of very well known performers, and has probably co-written a number of songs you know and love. She's hard to get a read on, so maybe she's going for wifey, maybe not. Attempts: 1. Success: Unknown.

•        Felicita Rodriguez – The Architect – 35, one of the architects from Rodriguez & Sons construction company from Mexico City. Latina, should've been a model. She's got a bit of a chip on her shoulder that her father didn't rename the company to include her when she joined the company. Just wants the anonymity and the money. Not going for the brass ring, I think. Attempts: 0.

•        Nina Hanson – The Stylist – 24, a beautician and hair stylist from Cleveland. Blonde, BBW, charming and personable. Needs the money, wants the kid. Feels mostly like a seatfiller, but might surprise us, considering she's remarkably easy to talk to. Attempts: 0.

•        Angel MacDonald – The Hard Sell – 27, looks much younger. Blonde, slender, dresses to play into her extremely youthful appearance. I think Angel's going to have the hardest time with Max because she just doesn't appear old enough, so she's going to have to very much play into the “no one takes me seriously” angle, rather than the “I'm a cute little Lolita” shtick she's been using with boys her entire life. Attempts: 0.

•        Danielle Fox –  The InstaPersonality – 24, brunette from Dublin. She's a fashion Instagrammer TikTok model, and we had a personal talk with her about how much shit she'd be in for blogging or getting any of this on social media. She's gorgeous and savvy, and is used to looking pretty, but her boyfriend is impotent, and they want a child, so he's given her permission to do this crazy thing while he's uploading prerecorded stuff for the three months while she's away. Attempts: 0.

•        Hana Tanaka – The Shut-In – 28, from Nikko, Japan, two hours north of Tokyo up the mountains. Hana is painfully shy, so I'm hoping she's going to pair up with someone else who can get her into Max's bed. She wants a child, but doesn't want to have to find a husband to do it. Attempts: 0.

Delta Group

•        Sunshine White – The Hippie – 29, “maker” and metalsmith. You know, I've heard about people like Sunshine for years, how they would spend time at Burning Man in tutus and fairy costumes while welding steel onto the side of an old schoolbus, but I always believed that was sort of a myth, until I met Sunshine, who is so that person. Is local, but way too out there to be wifey material. Attempts: 1, Success: Unknown.

•        Aisha Janson – The Comedian – 34, professional stand up comedian from Oakland. She's been a writer and a stand up for the better part of twenty years, and while she's made a great career out of it, she's had some bad run ins with male comics that soured her on long term relationships. She knows not to make material out of this. Attempts: 0.

•        Kayla Denver – The World Traveler – 28, a travel writer/blogger who graduated from college and went on a world tour that she's never really come down from. Is best known for her article on how to travel nonstop on frequent flyer miles for basically nothing. Seems like she's mostly in it for the experience. Attempts: 1.

•        Tisha Brady – The War Photographer – 33, a photojournalist from Jordan who has spent the last decade in every war zone she can find, which has already won her a Pulitzer. She's a little embittered by life, so she's hoping bringing a life into the world will shock her out of her ennui. Will be a little heavy for Max, but will be a good contrast. Attempts: 0.

•        Aiko Cabrera – The Small Town Peruvian – 26, works at a roadside motel in Huaraz, Peru as both desk clerk and maid. She's never been out of Peru before now, although her English is excellent. She's mostly here to see the world, and get outside of her little comfort zone. She's not in it for the long haul, but definitely wants a kid. Attempts: 0.

•        Delphine Trudeau – The Fashionista – 25, an up and coming fashion designer from Paris, she's so heavily immersed in the fashion world that she doesn't see many other ways to meet a man outside of that world. I'm mostly intrigued to see how high fashion runs into... Max. But she's French, so I'm sure she'll make it work. Attempts: 0.

•        Daisy May Price – The Deep Fried Southerner – 22, works on her parents' farm in rural Georgia, and wants to have a child but knows her parents would never approve without meeting the man, and they have hated all her boyfriends. Daisy May is loud and boisterous and is going to bring volume to the competition. Let's see if Max knows what hit him. Attempts: 1.

•        Eliza Sims – The War Widow – 25, still trying to recover from the loss of her husband, Nick, who was KIA in Afghanistan last year. Her whole world fell apart, and she's still sort of grasping at straws, but feels like being a mother will be the first step on her road to recovery. Attempts: 0.

•        Rose Whitcombe – The Athlete's Daughter – 20, from England, daughter of professional soccer legend Max Whitcombe. Rose has been trying to find a place for herself, competing in international dressage competitions, but right now, she's mostly just eager to do something to rile her father up. Something of a firecracker. Attempts: 0.

•        Ali O'Halloran – The Mountie – 29, from far northern Canada, Ali's been working for Canadian law enforcement since she was old enough to be admitted, but the job hasn't left her room for starting a family. Very friendly and approachable, and hopefully won't get shoved out of space for Max's attention. Attempts: 1.

Echo Group

·         Annabeth Winslow – The Nuclear Physicist/Comedian – 33, Annabeth got her doctorate in nuclear physics, but after a couple of years in research, she gave it up to become a stand-up comedian. She’s witty and observant, but at this point, her money’s running tight. Attempts: 0.

·         Svetlana Miersk – The Gangster – 28, the daughter of now-dead Russian crime boss Oli Miersk, Svetlana has taken over the family business. Despite being told repeatedly that if she’s arrested the payments would stop and that having a child would be a liability in her line of work, she’s adamant that she wants to take part in the game. So I figure, either way, Max makes out for the best. Attempts: 1.

·         Deepika Bashir – The Researcher – 36, Deepika immigrated from India at the age of 16 and has been struggling to find her place to fit in since she arrived in the States. She’s a researcher focusing on human behavior, and specializes in both the flaws and working aspects of neurolinguistic programming, namely how words can get the brain to take certain pathways on its own. She’s whipsmart, although she can be a bit shy at first, so we’ll see how she mingles with the crowd of players. Attempts: 0.

·         Bianca Browne – The Mogul’s Daughter – 22, Bianca’s father is Blake Browne, who owns the Browne Bread Brewery, one of the most popular upstart beer companies of the last fifty years. She’s been living in a very insulated world, and is using all of this to get herself a degree of freedom from dear old dad. She’s drop-dead stunning, but isn’t used to having to work for anything, so I expect her to have some learning to do before she gets her head deep into the running for the game. Attempts: 0.

·         Tanya Blue – The Retired Porn Star – 38. You would think a former porn star would have no trouble finding somebody to knock her up, but if you believe Tanya, most of the men in the industry are either complete assholes or had vasectomies before they even shot their first scene. Tanya retired about four years ago, and has since gone on to become a writer and a C-list actress, but she wants a kid and she wants it with somebody nobody knows. Attempts: 0.

·         Madison Belledin – The Touring Musician – 31, I think Madison has spent most of her life in motion and without a home. Her parents were musicians who drifted from band to band, from tour to tour, and so Madison’s never really stayed in one place for long, or had much of a home. When she was old enough, she followed in their footsteps and began playing whatever was needed for whatever band was hiring. Doesn’t leave a whole lot of time for love. Attempts: 2.

·         Evelyn Staples – The Mortician – 25, Evelyn doesn’t spend a lot of time around the living, so she’s not exactly the best at conversation, but she wants a baby and likes the idea of the kid being funded by someone who’s just going to keep his nose out of her business. Attempts: 0.

·         Jaybird Nielsen – The Flight Attendant – 38, Jay travels about a million and a half miles every year and has done so for the last couple of decades as a flight attendant traveling internationally constantly. The pay is good and she enjoys being loads of places, but wants to take a couple of years off to have a child. That’s why she’s here. Unlikely to stick around, but her interpersonal skills make her an easy check in the win column. Attempts: 0.

·         Gail Hopeless – The Farmer – 24, Gail’s from the middle of nowhere, somewhere in central Australia, and is completely away from her home and comfort zone, but wants to have an adventure while she’s still young, and all this is meant to be that. Attempts: 0.

·         Jordan Tanbar – The ‘Influencer’ – 19, It’s funny how utterly confident this girl is despite not having any real basis for her confidence. She claims to be an ‘influencer,’ but she hasn’t got a lot of followers and doesn’t really influence anything. But I think she’s hoping that having a child will help her break into finding an audience. I have my doubts she’s going to be able to lure Max in, but she’s got such faith in herself that it’s going to be fun to watch if nothing else. Attempts: 0.   

Foxtrot Group

·         Nina Legetti – The Repeat Widow – 29, What a rough beat this lady’s had. She married her childhood sweetheart at 19 and lost him to cancer at 22. She thought she was done for but at 25 she started her second act only for him to be taken from her by a drunk driver. Both times, they’d been just starting to think about trying for a child, and she was heartbroken. Now, she’s approaching 30 and she doesn’t want to have a third husband, but she wants a child to fill that void in her life. She’s a veterinarian from Kentucky, and I’m certain she doesn’t want our boy for the long run. Attempts: 0.

·         Harper Ryan – The Former Soldier – 26, From one extreme to the other. Harper is an ex-Marine who lost one of her legs in the Afghan conflict and although she recovered and learned to walk on her artificial leg very easily, I don’t know that she’s ever really regained her footing. Since she’s gotten back, she’s been bouncing around a lot, trying to find her way. But I like the idea of a woman who specialized in demolitions and demolitions disposal showing our boy a bit of attention that he won’t see coming. Attempts: 0.

·         Amber Nguyen – The Retired Movie Star – 38, After leaving the spotlight a few years ago, Amber decided she was retiring from acting to move into directing. She complained about how the casting directors had stopped looking at her now that she wasn’t as young and pretty as she was during her glory days, but having a child has always been on her agenda, and having the money to soften that made it even more appealing. The woman still oozes sex appeal, though, and that should carry her far. Attempts: 0.

·         Dani McFadden – The Precious Stones Magnate – 26, She doesn’t want a man, just an heir. She’s the last in a line herself, her father having died in a mining accident about a year and a half ago. The man’s trophy wife was left a stipend, but Dani, his only child, inherited basically everything, so she doesn’t care about the money in any sense other than she doesn’t want her money to figure into it. Max doesn’t know she’s made of money, and even if he did, he wouldn’t care. So I think they’ll both walk away happy from this one. Attempts: 1.

·         Stephanie Walker – The Bounty Hunter – 31, I love this for the game. Stephanie Walker comes from a long family line of bounty hunters and bail skip tracers. She’s used to getting what she wants when she wants it, and she does not take no for an answer. She’s ripped, she’s forceful and she’s used to putting the moves on her target. She’s not just a ripple in the pond, she’s a giant boulder. Attempts: 1.

·         Megan Hitch – The Haughty Heiress – 24, This is a woman who knows what she wants and what she doesn’t want. She and the magnate will get along like houses on fire, but everyone else? Talk about culture clash. She’s used to having to navigate the cutthroat world of upper society, and she’s used to getting deferential treatment from everyone, so this is going to be rough. She’s going to have to find a way to take what she wants from someone unlikely to be interested in giving it to her. Her attitude’s going to be a challenge. Attempts: 0.

·         Ashley Mansell – The Underwear Model – 21, It’s amazing how poor social skills a woman this beautiful has. She’s been part of pageants and beauty contests since she was a child, so she’s great at putting on a false front and convincing people that she’s capable of anything. But, shockingly, she’s basically a virgin, having had sex twice in her whole life. She wants to have a child as a sort of chance to do something for herself, to fulfill a personal goal. But she may have trouble talking her way into Max’s bed, if her looks can’t carry her all the way there. Attempts: 0.

·         Abi Winters – The Dental Assistant – 29, This girl is absolutely tired of the social situation in her small town, but she doesn’t want to leave and she does want a child. I think it’s something about staring down 30 that makes us women all go a little stir crazy, and while she loves her home, she still wants to be a mother. Attempts: 0.

·         Kristen Cruz – The Sex Ed Teacher – 26, I can’t deny the irony and hilarity of this. She’s a Midwestern sex ed teacher (although she also teaches French and history – small town high schools, it’s the sort of thing where a person wears a lot of hats), lovely girl, but like so many people in our little game, she’s sampled most of the people in her local pool, and none of them are up to snuff. Attempts: 1.

·         Fang Miralles – The Spy – 28, She likes to tell people she’s an administrative assistant, but the woman is clearly an intelligence officer. But her cover is solid and she very much wants a child. We’ve pointed out that he isn’t going to be someone they can get any real advantage from, and she’s stuck to her guns – she just wants a child, but the money’s certainly a nice thing to get as well. She’s from China, but was educated in London, and she’s going to be a force to be reckoned with in this game. And how could I turn down a genuine spy? Attempts: 0.

Golf Group

•        Shu Yeoh – The Legacy – 32, Daughter of Gemma Yeoh, one of the Oversight Trio. She’s a smart, talented businesswoman here in the Bay Area, working for one of the better known investment companies, eager to be part of the Game because she wants to be able to brag that she was part of it, considering it the ultimate FOMO. Attempts: 0.

•        Emma Wagner – The Rancher – 27, a young woman from Montana who’s inherited her family’s ranch, but doesn’t have much in the way of romantic prospects, but wants the ability to have a legacy that outlives her, and having a child will go a long way towards that. Attempts: 0.

•        Steph McMayer – The Van Girl – 29, the girl has been a musician playing coffee houses up and down the West Coast, trying to get ‘discovered,’ but so far, can’t even earn enough to make first/last month’s rent to cover renting out a place. But she sees this as an opportunity to get her life back on track. Attempts: 0.

•        Sally Golden – The Ex-Escort – 33, from the Las Vegas area, Sally was a legal sex worker in the state of Nevada from the age of 18 until she turned 30. From then on, she’s tried to have relationships, but her past keeps catching up with her. She’ll fit in fine with this crowd. Attempts: 1.

•        Bea Flavio – The Smuggler – 39, I’ve actually worked with Bea before. She’s good at what she does, but she’s also lived a very lonely life, and so when all is said and done, she’s just after the same thing as every other girl, the baby and the money. Attempts: 0.

•        Joan Serge – The Art Appraiser – 34, It’s surprising how bad the rich and powerful are about getting knocked up. Several years being one of the most well-known art dealers in Manhattan and she can’t find some pretentious artist to plug her good. Oh well, her loss is our gain. Attempts: 0.

•        Gina Beltzer – The Chef – 26, It’s obvious that she and Max will get along in terms of discussing food, but once you get past that, the two couldn’t be more different. Gina’s classically trained; Max isn’t. Gina grew up with a silver spoon in her mouth; Max didn’t. It’ll be fun watching her trying to push against her own nature with him. Attempts: 0.

•        Noa Rafelli – The F1 Racer – 24, The Israeli born superstar of the racing scene doesn’t want anyone to know her husband is incapable of giving her children, so he’s given her permission to use Max as a surrogate, and possibly win them enough money to ensure the child’s permanently taken care of. She’s a stunner. She’ll get what she wants. Attempts: 0.

•        Kaila Spender – The DJ – 22, From Ibiza to the hottest dance clubs in London, Kaila’s been getting around and making a name for herself, but it’s lonely constantly travelling, and she hasn’t been able to hold down much of a relationship because of that. Attempts: 0.

•        Reiko Mitsosuke – The Salarywoman – 26, She’s had a mostly fulfilling life in Tokyo, but now she wants a child, and she doesn’t want the hassle of having to date and find someone suitable, so she’s looking at us, and Max, to fill that need. Attempts: 0.

Hotel Group

·         Renee Peters – The True Crime Podcaster – 37, Renee is an ex-NPR radio host who released her first true crime podcast about three years ago and has since turned it into a full-time business, leaving her very little time to date. Attempts: 0.

·         Sophie MacDougal – The Botanist – 31, Sophie is a classic bookworm, having spent her entire college career heads down studying. She feels like her time to be a mother is running out and so she’s doing everything she can to have that baby now. Attempts: 0.

·         Diana Mercer – The Stuntwoman – 37, Diana’s one of the best stuntwomen in the business, but she’s also getting too old to keep it going too much longer, and so she wants to have a child to help focus her mind away from the job she’s going to have to give up. Attempts: 0.

·         Gemma Ashton-Scythe – The Cottage Queen – 24, Gemma lives in a small village in upper Scotland, and wants to have a child, specifically because it will ‘give her content.’ Not exactly swinging for the stars, but she has a large YouTube following for her cooking videos. Attempts: 0.

·         Faye Anavelli – The Vineyard Keeper – 36, Faye lives in northern Italy, and keeps mostly to herself. Another one of the rurals come out to play, in search of a child without consequences. Attempts: 0.

·         Cecelia Alvarado – The Programmer – 27, Cecelia is one of the best upcoming programmers in Mexico, but unfortunately, that’s drawn the attention of the cartels. She’ll use the money and the relocation to somewhere safe to start a new life with her new child. Attempts: 0.

·         Natalie Bartlett – The State Senator – 28, Natalie’s a state senator from Kentucky, and wants to get pregnant outside of a relationship in order to push that towards normalization in the southern state. Attempts: 0.

·         Raji Anapoole – The Aeronautics Engineer – 36, Raji’s another workaholic who just got lost in her job and when she looked up, her youth had disappeared. She never found a husband or even a community to become a part of. Attempts: 0.

·         Louisa Maresca – The ‘Tracer’ – 36, Louisa is a woman working in a predominantly men’s oriented field – comic books. She’s an inker, commonly jokingly referred to as a tracer, and just wants to have something of her own. Attempts: 0.

·         Natalia Zeferelli – The Filmmaker – 41, Natalia’s been making successful arthouse films for twenty years now, never costing a lot, always making more than she spends, but her dating life is one long tragedy. She sees this as as her last chance to be a mom. Attempts: 0.

India Group

•        Grace Grimaldi – Sixth in line to the monarchy of Monaco.

Juliett Group

•        Isabella – The Apocalypse – God help us when she arrives... Perhaps the most unpredictable and dangerous player in the game.

•        Adette Schwartz – The Late Addition – Deiter's granddaughter, an entry to the game after it's already started, something I wouldn't normally do, but saying no to Dieter would make things a whole hell of a lot more complicated. Dieter's not to be trusted so who the hell knows what this girl's real agenda is. 

Other figures of note

•        Christine DeSilva – The Reporter – Hopefully tamed. For now.

•        Aldus Finley – The Opportunist – One of the people looking to make a little side money from any opportunity he could find with the Brand Game.