Babe or Billionaire - Chapter 2

“And the votes are in!” Jacob called happily, turning towards the giant screen again. “The winner, by a considerable margin is… Pigtails! Congratulations, Kimmy! You’re swapping that long, sophisticated hairdo for something a little more age appropriate. You’re still a student, after all! Although unless you win tonight’s game, you’re going to be stuck with your new look long after you graduate… But I’m sure you’re going to look absolutely adorable. Now let’s get those nanites to work!”

Kimberly squealed as she felt a sudden tingling all over her scalp. She reached up to clutch at her hair, only to feel it moving by itself, twisting out of her grip and rearranging itself into two pigtails high on either side of her head. The nanites were real! She shrieked and grabbed at the neon-pink hair bobbles that had suddenly materialised around her hair, holding it in its new shape, and tried to tug them off. But they wouldn’t budge. All she managed to do was yank painfully on her hair, although not a strand left her head.

“What have you done to me?!” Kimberly cried.

“Bring the mirror out!” Jacob called happily, and a couple of stage hands immediately rushed forwards holding a floor-length mirror, which they stood directly in front of Kimberly.

She stared at her reflection, aghast. She looked absurd. Her beautiful brown hair was tied up in a pair of scruffy pigtails that gave her the look of an oversized toddler. They weren’t even symmetrical! She looked like a little girl who’d had her hair hastily done up for her by her Mummy!

“But… But…” she stammered, unable to take her eyes of her new hairstyle. “But this can’t be permanent! It can’t!”

The audience tittered, and Jacob chuckled along with them. “You did read the contract, didn’t you Kimmy?” he smirked. “I wasn’t joking earlier. This is what your hair will be like from now on, unless you win the game and choose it as one of your three penalties to remove.”

Kimberly’s lower lip trembled, and she felt her tears welling up in her eyes. She didn’t want to look like a stupid child for the rest of her life! She couldn’t practise law like this! And what would her boyfriend say if she showed up back at their apartment looking like a giant six-year-old? He already teased her for being dependent on him! If she looked like a child, he’d never take her seriously again!

Isabelle was looking very nervous too, and even Eily’s cold demeanour had slipped at a little at the sight of Kimberly’s penalty. Both of them knew it could just have easily been them standing in front of their podiums with ludicrous toddler hairstyles.

The giant screen displayed the current scores:

Isabelle – 1

Kimberly – 0

Eily – 1

“What do you think of Kimmy’s new hairstyle, Isabelle? Jacob asked, and the swimsuit model looked frightened at having been addressed so suddenly. She quickly rearranged her features into an easy smile, however. She knew this was the kind of game where it paid to have the audience on side. She had to convince them to pick on the other girls and give her the penalties that weren’t so bad.

“I love it!” she said, smirking nastily at the tearful Kimberly. “I think silly little pigtails suit her very well. Of course, nobody’s ever going to think of her as an adult when she’s got the same hairstyle as my two-year-old niece, but she sure is cute! Even if she does hate it!”

Many in the audience murmured and clapped in agreement. Kimberly only whimpered.

“And what do you think, Eily?”

Eily raised an eyebrow. “Don’t be fooled by her little teary-eyed act, Jacob. She’s a twenty-three-year-old student. She’s probably used to having her hair up in a pair of little slut handlebars. This is just going to make her more popular with all the boys.”

The audience chuckled appreciatively, and Kimberly stared at Eily in shock. How dare she!

“Of course, a change in hairstyle is hardly the worst thing that can happen to you,” Jacob said, turning back to the crowd. “But don’t worry, there’s going to be an awful lot more excitement for these ladies this evening – which brings us onto our next round! The theme for the penalties this time will be… Clothing!”

The crowd erupted into cheers and applause, and all three girls on stage felt their stomachs drop. What had they gotten themselves into? The screens on their podiums lit up once again with the images of rock, paper, or scissors.

Isabelle looked up and tried to catch one of the other women’s eyes. Was there some way they could signal some sort of agreement? Would that even help, when it was just rock, paper, scissors? Was this really just a stupid game of chance when it had so much on the line?! Neither Kimberly nor Eily noticed her, however. They were already making their decisions. Isabelle looked down at her screen, a knot of anxiety in her stomach, and made hers.

The fronts of their podiums lit up, revealing their choices. Isabelle had chosen rock again, Kimberly had chosen paper, and Eily had chosen scissors.

The audience roared with pleasure, and Jacob laughed. “Oh dear! A three-way tie! Sorry girls, but I’m afraid that means you all lose this round. All three of you will be getting a brand-new theme for your outfits, and you’re going to find it utterly impossible to wear anything else. If you try to wear something that doesn’t conform to your new clothing style, it will automatically morph on your body into something more suitable! Isn’t that wonderful?”

Isabelle, Kimberly, and Eily all stared at him in horror.

“Let’s look at what the audience’s options are shall we? Starting with Isabelle, the penalties are… Bibs And Bonnets! Or Adorable Slogans!

Isabelle’s felt sick. Bibs And Bonnets sounded like she’d be dressed up like a baby! And Adorable Slogans… She thought of the clothes her niece used to wear, the ridiculous onesies with phrases like Mummy’s Little Stinker written on the front. Was that what that meant?! Either one of those penalties would ruin her modelling career! They’d ruin her whole life!

“For Kimberly,” Jacob continued, “the options are… Princess Obsessed! Or Toddler Style!”

Kimberly whimpered. It looked like either way she was getting something to match her new hairstyle, whether it was Disney princesses or dungarees. She was only two rounds in and she’d already lost both. At this rate even if she won, she’d still be stuck with a load of penalties! Who cares how much money she had if she couldn’t even dress like an adult?!

“And for Eily,” Jacob went on, “it’s a choice between… Sexy Schoolgirl! Or Slutty Secretary!”

Eily’s mouth fell open. Sexy Schoolgirl? Slutty Secretary? She was a CEO! She was a respectable adult woman! She didn’t play dress-up like some kind of fetish pornstar! The idea of either of the options was enough to turn her stomach.

“Well there you have it, ladies and gentlemen,” Jacob said. “Those are your options! Now it’s time to vote on a new clothing style for all three of our lucky contestants!”