Allie tapped her phone then grinned. Several people around the circle “oohed” in anticipation of whatever she was about to say. “What’s your biggest turn-on and biggest turn-off?”
“A woman who’s into hockey,” one of the guys, Hayden, called out, cupping his hand around his mouth.
“Someone who knows their way around your stick,” said another, and everyone laughed.
Finally, everyone quieted down, their attention on Frasier. When he answered, he looked me square in the eye and said, “Bryn.” I swallowed hard, everyone else fading into the background. “Everything about Bryn is my biggest turn-on.” My breath caught, and it no longer felt as if he was playing the game.
Or at least, I was left wondering which game we were playing. The fake relationship or the truth. My heart was pounding so loud it was a wonder everyone else couldn’t hear it.
“Aw.” Allie clasped her hands together beneath her chin. “That’s so freaking sweet.”
“Butboooring!” shouted Elise next to her. Around the circle, people nodded. My skin was hot and tight, but I waited to see how Frasier wanted to handle it.
“Give us more,” someone started chanting, and the others joined in. I covered my mouth with my hand, trying not to laugh. This was so ridiculous.
Frasier met my eyes again when he opened his mouth to speak, and everyone quieted down. “Biggest turn-on,” Frasier said, “is a woman who’s confident.”
A few of the guys nodded.
“Really?” the maid of honor asked, shaking her head as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “It’s that simple?”
Frasier nodded, and one of the groomsmen said, “One hundred percent, man.” And he gave Frasier a fist bump.
“Biggest turn-off,” Allie said, and I was grateful that everyone seemed to accept Frasier’s answer.
Frasier dragged a hand through his hair. “When someone I’ve just met tries to call me by my nickname.”
I laughed. “Oh. That’s true.” I could remember a few times when people, especially women, had tried to call Frasier or one of the guys by their nicknames. They always bristled at it.
Next, it was the best man’s turn, and he had to tell us about the best sexual experience of his life so far. And thenone of the bridesmaids had to choose her fantasy orgy guests from her boyfriend’s contact list. That garnered some interesting reactions from said boyfriend and a few of the other guests.
Eventually, it was my turn again. “Okay,” Allie said. “We’ve made it through one—relatively tame—round. So…” She glanced around the circle, and everyone seemed to lean forward as if in anticipation. “We’re going to turn up the heat.”
I was a little scared about what Allie meant by that, but I also wasn’t going to back down. Not yet anyway. This time, I chose dare.
My sister smirked at whatever prompt was displayed on the screen, and I braced myself. Was I going to have to strip down and swim naked in the ocean? Pretend to have a loud, dramatic orgasm in front of the group or do something equally mortifying? Because the longer the game went on, and the more we drank, the more risqué it became.
“I dare you…” Allie frowned. “Bleh. That’s too easy.” She swiped again.
“Hey! You can’t cherry-pick the dares,” I protested. “You’ve never skipped to a harder one for anyone else.”
“It was a dare to kiss someone for a minute. I mean, come on. Basic, especially since you’re already in a relationship.”
Everyone else booed in agreement, but the joke was on them because Frasier and I had never kissed. It wasn’t as if I could fight her on it. And besides, the rest of the group seemed to be aligned with my sister.
Allie slowly lifted her gaze from her phone to me, and my stomach churned. “I dare you to show us your best audition for a burlesque act.”
A few of the guys whistled, some whoops definitely rang out, and I was scared to look at Frasier.
“Good thing you took all those dance lessons when we were younger.”
“What kind of dance lessons do you think Mom and Dad sent me to?” I teased. “It was ballet, not burlesque.” Ballet, jazz, hip-hop, any type of dance, really—I’d loved it all. The creativity, the movement, the freedom.
“With burlesque, it’s all about the tease.” Allie giggled, sinking back down into her chair. “You have ninety seconds to prepare.”
Ninety seconds was far from enough time. My dance training gave me an advantage, but I was out of practice and entirely outside of my area of expertise. That said, I’d attended a burlesque show once in college as extra credit for my theater elective.
It had all seemed so glamorous. The performers were so confident and in control of their bodies. Sometimes, their acts were about making a statement, but they were always body positive and empowering.
