“That’s the stupidest game I’ve ever heard,” I sighed.
“You can either play with us or have fun playing football over there with those wankers,” Bria said, pointing back to the kids kicking the ball around.
I let out a moan. “Fine.”
We walked through the sparsely scattered wooded forest until we reached the end of the lot, and sat in a sloppy circle near the tall brick wall. I sandwiched myself between Jake and Isaac while Ollie sat across from me with Bria to his left and Alicia to his right. He pulled his knees up and rested his long arms across them.
Tall trees hovered over us, and I looked up to see the sun above, coming through the branches. The brisk wind blew the weakest leaves off the branches as they fell around us.
I focused on one leaf, watching it wobble back and forth against the force of the wind until it dropped between Ollie and Alicia in its final resting place.
Alicia ripped a paper into six parts before passing a piece around. “No screwing around this time. I can’t lose because I refused sex with Jake,” Alicia said.
“Yeah, that was harsh,” Jake whined.
“You guys have sex in this game?”
“Not today, apparently,” Bria muttered.
“Actions have to be specific. If another person is needed, make sure to write their name,” Isaac explained. “What’s the level of nudity?”
“Knickers,” Ollie insisted.
“Full nudity,” I countered.
Bria put her hands together and agreed, “Full nudity it is,” then snatched Ollie’s Beanie off his head, and his thick brown mess bounced free.
Ollie ran his hand up his forehead and through his hair, but refused to look in my direction. When the pen was passed down to me, I wrote out an action, folded up my paper, and placed it in Ollie’s beanie in the center. “Who’s keeping score?”
Alicia held up a paper and pen. “I got it.”
Jake went first and withdrew an action from the hat. He giggled as his eyes scanned the words across the paper while his face flushed. “Alright, alright.” Jake stood and took in a deep breath as I watched him from below. He brought his hands over his face and shook his head, and when he dropped them to his side, a broad smile appeared. He giggled as his body moved to a beat only he could hear in his head.
And then he sang as his torso rolled in what I could only describe as Jake’s attempt at sexy dancing. The first verse of Ginuwine’s “Pony” came from his lips as he stripped his shirt and dropped it over my face. His fingers landed on his pants, and Alicia stifled a laugh with her hand over her mouth. Isaac covered his eyes and turned his head away from the view of Jake’s strip number.
“Someone help me out here,” Jake interjected between lyrics.
My fingers snapped, and I belted out the second verse with him.
Ollie shot his head in my direction, and Alicia squealed, “Ah, she’s brilliant!”
Alicia and Bria joined in on the chorus as Jake tried lifting Alicia off the ground. Alicia waved him away through uncontrollable laughter, and Jake turned to me with his palms and shoulders in the air.
After gathering to my feet, I danced and sang the chorus while Jake continued to strip.
Ollie sat amused with a bona fide smile and nirvana in his eyes. He wet his lips while flashes of our moments together sent a rush of heat through me. Everyone else around us laughed or sang, but Ollie mouthed“I want you”as he leaned back on his hands.
I shook my head. He made me feel so right—it was so wrong.
“Okay, okay … striptease. Now let’s score,” Alicia said as Jake and I sat back down, “Mia?”
“Three,” I said before everyone else rambled off their scores.
It was my turn, and I reached for an action in the hat. It read,‘Give the person to your left goosebumps whichever way you wish.’ Grinning, I crouched behind Isaac, and Ollie shifted in place and narrowed his eyes.
My hair fell over Isaac’s shoulder as I leaned over him. Keeping my eyes on Ollie’s, I traced my tongue up the length of Isaac’s neck until my lips fell over the tender spot behind his ear—the spot I knew drove Ollie insane. Ollie clenched his jaw as my lips touched Isaac’s skin with delicacy. My fingertips traced the length of his arm, and I whispered sweet nothings in Isaac’s ear.
“Shit, Mia,” Isaac breathed. I looked from Ollie down to Isaacs’ arm as goosebumps and the hairs on his arm raised.
