Chapter 21: Truth or Dare

"What's the dirtiest thing you've ever done?" read Marie from the website. Her voice was slightly tentative.

"Uh..." I said.

"That question's too vague," protested Lissa quickly, perhaps sensing that an honest answer to this question, at the very start of the game, might be a bit overwhelming for our guests. Such excellent social instincts she seemed to have, I thought, and found myself exchanging a weirdly felt "admiring parent" gaze with Denise, as Marie pulled up the next question.

So then Marie read, " What are the sexiest clothes that you own? Describe them to the group."

The question was equally awkward to answer, but much less incriminating, I suppose. Finally, to the rapt attention of all four of them, I said, somewhat flippantly, "nothing. If I want to be sexy, I don't wear clothes."

Everyone laughed and agreed this was a good answer. "Especially for a guy," pointed out Marie, blushing slightly.

It had been determined that play would proceed clockwise, so it was Lissa's turn. She requested a "truth" also, and we all agreed that likely the first couple of rounds, at least, would be no more than questions.

"Have you ever performed a blow job? Who was your most recent?"

Both girls seemed embarrassed by this question, and Denise became incensed, though I was pretty sure she was faking it, mostly for the benefit of Frank. "For crissakes," she burst out.

"Don't worry, mom," Lissa reassured. "Since I haven't, like, actually done that. Ever."

"Still..." my sister protested.

"Well, we did okay R-rated questions," I pointed out. Denise calmed down (or, pretended to, since I doubted she was in the least bothered by it in actuality).

I studied Frank's reaction, to see how he was reacting to this first fragment of smut from a fourteen-year-old. He seemed to be taking it with equanimity, and I laughed to myself, "the old guy must think he just won the lottery." I began to expect Frank would be no problem -- he was just smiled mildly and looked expectant as the turn passed to Marie.

The next question was, "If a lover or fiance is present, tell the group who you have had sex with BEFORE this person. Describe it in truthful, vivid terms."

"Not relevant," Marie immediately commented.

"For a number of reasons," joked Lissa, and got an elbow jab from her friend. "Pick a new question," she then insisted.

"No, that was my question," Marie complained. "It's just not relevant." There was a glare exchanged between them, but good-natured. Finally Marie relented, and pulled up the next question.

"To the best of your knowledge, has anyone ever cheated on you? How did you find out and what did you do?" she read, and quickly answered, "well, no, since I never even had a boyfriend."

"Still not relevant," complained Lissa.

"But not QUITE as not relevant," I said, trying to defend the mild-mannered girl from the forceful personality of her best friend. Marie looked at me with thanks, and so Lissa relented quickly.

It was Frank's turn. "Have you ever blamed a pet, or someone else, for one of your farts? Did anyone believe you?" Marie read.

We all laughed at that. And Frank said, quite mildly, "Of course" -- which caused another chorus of giggles from the girls.

Denise also requested a question, and Marie pulled up, "What's the weirdest place you have ever had sex? How did it go?"

Denise was clearly self-conscious, though I suspected, again, it was primarily a show for Frank's benefit. But after some hums and haws she managed to say, softly, "it was on the roof of physics building at the university."

"Momm!" protested Lissa. "Too much information!"

"Now darling, if you were worried about 'too much information' you shouldn't have asked to play truth or dare."

Frank and I both chuckled, and Lissa recovered almost instantaneously. "Eh, yep. Good point, mom. Never mind."

"I suppose another truth question for Jason?" asked Marie. I nodded. She began giggling with embarrassment as she read the question. "Have you ever masturbated at a friend's house? What rooms?"

"Heh, well," I began, awkwardly. But finally plunged in, "yes, a long time ago. The bathroom, bedroom, even the living room once, when no one was home."

"Oh my," muttered Lissa. And Denise quickly looked between me, with a sly grin, and Frank, to test his reaction.

Frank just chuckled softly and shook his head. "Such is youth, young ladies. Beware," he then directed at the girls, causing another fit of giggling from both of them.

"Lissa's turn," said Marie, recovering, and read a question, safely assuming her friend would choose truth over dare. "Have you ever fantasized about having sex with a teacher? Which one, and describe them."

"I don't even want to hear this," muttered Denise.

But Lissa, amazingly, answered quite forthrightly, "Well, there's Mr Campisi, the gym teacher."

"Yah, he's hot," agreed Marie, to everyone's surprise.

Then, sincerely shocking her mother, I think, Lissa added, almost gratuitously, "And there's Mr Zimmermann, in English."

"Oh my GOD, really?" exclaimed Marie. "But he's, like, OLD." Then, immediately realizing her faux pas, she put her hand to her mouth and stared at Frank.

But Frank, rather than get offended, just laughed and said, "I don't mind, Marie -- I AM old, after all. And we all are guilty of thinking about odd things sometimes, eh?" He winked at Lissa, who was looking self conscious.

Nobody pressed her to give descriptions of the teachers she'd named, as the question required -- I certainly wasn't going to ask her to, and it was apparent that Denise and Marie both already knew what the two men in question looked like.

Denise was just shaking her head, slowly, and finally said, with humor, "my turn for 'too much information.'"

We all laughed.

Marie opted for a truth and read, for our benefit, "When was the last time you 'called in sick' to work when you weren't really sick? Why did you?"

"Heh, kinda boring after those other questions, huh? Well, I guess about a month ago I convinced my mom to call in sick for me to school. No particular reason, I was just fed up with school maybe."

The answer passed with out much comment, and so it was Frank's turn. "Truth," he requested simply.

"Who was someone that you could have had sex with, but chose not to. Why?"

Frank meditated for a minute, and then began, "a few years back I had a coworker, named Ellen, that definitely seemed interested. One day she came straight out and propositioned me -- I was quite surprised, but flattered. But after thinking it over I decided it would mess up the work relationship if something went bad in a relationship with her, so I said no. She was a little upset but I think eventually she understood."

"Aw, that's sad," said Lissa, pouting her lip almost coquettishly. Both girls were clearly already adjusted to the fact that Frank was involved in the game -- he was such an easygoing personality and so genuinely warm -- I think that helped. I could see that Denise was relaxing too.

"It was for the best, I think," Frank said.

"Mom's turn," said Lissa.

"If you had to stick your hand down some other player's pants, whose pants would your choose?" was what Marie read.

Denise hardly thought about it. "Well, obviously, if I HAD to, it would have to be Frank. Jason would be a bad idea, since he's my brother," and with that she leered at me, "and the girls might be a bit young for that kind of thing."

"So by process of elimination, and sheer luck, I win!" exclaimed Frank, energetically. Denise sat back, mildly surprised at the outburst, but then we all started laughing. Definitely things were going just fine, I thought.

"So now it's the third round," said Marie. "Someone should take a dare."