The Great Reno Treasure Hunt

A wife surrenders her clothes during treasure hunt.

By sharedare. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories.

One of my hubby’s closest buddies had flown in from Phoenix to spend the weekend with us. Jay and Hubby had grown up together and, up until a few years ago, the two had always lived in the same neighborhood. Moving up the corporate ladder eventually required Jay to relocate to Arizona, but he and hubby had remained as close as ever.

It was Friday night, and the three of us were enjoying a casual evening of wine and conversation. As the night wore on, we somehow ended up talking about jewelry, and my desire to upgrade the diamond in my wedding ring. Hubby and I had often discussed the idea of upgrading to a full karat. Unfortunately, the price had always been more than we could reasonably afford. And so went the discussion that night, only this time it included Jay.

I had consumed just enough wine to make me a little goofy, so I wasn’t too surprised by myself when I remarked to hubby and Jay that I should work the streets for a day or two to raise money for my diamond. Both Jay and hubby were all for the idea, urging me to hop into a mini-skirt and get to work. Jay said I definitely had the body for it. We all laughed and soon the conversation turned to other topics.

The following day, hubby and Jay were up and out of the house early, heading downtown on what they described as a “secret mission”. Although they returned home about six hours later, they refused to divulge the purpose of their trip.

It seemed as though we were going to spend our Saturday night, as we had the previous night, sampling a new collection of California wines, feasting on barbecue, and otherwise enjoying the warm night air. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary to me, except that hubby wasn’t partaking in any wine, claiming that he had a slight upset stomach. I should have been more suspicious, especially since his upset stomach didn’t seem to affect his appetite for steak.

At about 10pm, having already consumed quite a few glasses of wine, Jay and hubby finally sprung their surprise on me. They said they had decided to split the cost of a one-karat diamond for me, but that I had to agree to play a little game in order to “win” my jewel. I didn’t know exactly what to expect, but I decided to hear them out on their plan.

Jay explained that he and hubby had purchased a gift card with which I could purchase my diamond. He went on to say that all I had to do was go on a treasure hunt to find four purple marbles.

Hubby chimed in and said that he and Jay had hidden the marbles in four separate locations, and that they would drive me to each location and tell me where to retrieve each marble.

Before I could ask what the catch was, Jay, an impish grin on his face, explained that I would be required to leave one article of clothing behind in exchange for each marble. He also said that, to play the game, I had to limit myself to only four pieces of clothing, not including my shoes. And my shoes, he explained, had to be the highest-heeled footwear I owned.

I continued sipping my wine as I considered the offer made by these two screwballs. I really didn’t mind Jay seeing me in my birthday suit, but I wasn’t sure just how adventurous this game was going to be. Neither hubby nor Jay would give me any clues on the locations of the marbles, but they did emphasize that if I didn’t retrieve all the marbles, or if I failed to leave an article of clothing at each discovery site, they would cash in the card and get their money back. In the end, the wine gave me the courage I needed to take them up on their dare.

After donning a t-shirt, gym shorts, and a pair of four-inch high-heeled black boots, we headed off to town (town, by the way, is Reno, Nevada). I demanded that no photos or video be taken. Reno is a small city and believe me, word gets around. I locked up their phones and mine in a small lock box and slid it under my front passenger seat. Jay sat in the back while hubby drove.

Our first destination was a Bartley Ranch Park on the south outskirts of town. It was fairly close to our neighborhood. As I peered out the window from my seat, I could see that the park was fairly well lighted, and only a few people seemed to be in the area. From the back seat, Jay handed me a 3X5 card that told me that I could find my first marble taped underneath the picnic table located under a gazebo, close to the river.

Looking across the park, I could see the river running along the opposite side of the park from the parking lot. Mustering up some courage, I opened the door and headed out across the grass. The pi...