Rules of the Road

by K. Aten

  “Come on, trouble. I saved you and James some seats.” Once Kelsey was seated, Burke took the seat to her left side, leaving the right hand chair open for Jamie. Burke then looked into the eyes of the woman that Jamie had finally admitted to having a major crush on. “How much wine have you had, Kels?”

  The tipsy woman pulled her hair up off her sweaty neck. “Ugh, probably too many. It’s hot in here!” She started French braiding her hair to get it off her neck and unbuttoned another button on her shirt.

  Burke smiled to think about what James was going to do when faced with such a dangerous amount of cleavage. Perhaps it would be the impetus to finally push the two just friends into deeper water. He knew why Jamie was so freaked out about dating because he knew Jamie’s ex, Gayle. He first met them when they were a couple. The woman had emotionally scarred his best friend; there was just no other way to put it. But it was time for Jamie to move on, to be happy. And he considered it his sacred duty to help things along. Jamie sat back down with a plastic container full of quarters and Burke called out to start. “All right everyone, if you want to play you will need four quarters to start. If all you have is cash, James here will be glad to sell you some from the bank.”

  “What’s the interest?” Stella called out from the end of the table as she leered at Jamie. She had been wanting in the blonde’s pants for a long time but Jamie had never been interested, preferring not to sleep with anyone in her immediate circle of friends.

  Her words had double meaning and everyone around the table laughed. “No interest at all, Stel! Just pass your dollars down and I’ll give you the correct amount of change.”

  Someone else called down the table. “Blah, blah, blah, let’s get it going already!”

  Jenn was seated right across the table from Kelsey and watched the way Kelsey stared at the side of Jamie’s face. Jenn thought it best if she interrupted her friend’s not so discreet ogling session. “So you’ve never played this before, Kels?”

  Kelsey pulled her gaze away reluctantly and took another sip of wine before answering Jenn. She smirked at the black woman across the table. “Nuh uh, I guess I’m a virgin. Is it a gambling game?”

  Before Jenn could answer Jamie threw her arm around the shoulders of their Left Right Center virgin. “Don’t worry, Kels, we’ll work you in slow then it’ll only hurt for a second when you lose both your virginity and your quarters at the end!” Other people laughed at her words, including Kelsey.

  “All right then, nerd, give me the rules to your little game so I can pop this cherry!”

  Jamie’s ears turned pink, as the bowl of quarters and dollar bills came back around the table. They were on the honor system to only take the amount of quarters they paid for. “Rules are simple. You start with four quarters in front of you. You have four dice. You get one roll every time the dice come around to you, one die for each quarter.”

  Burke took over the explanation when Jamie paused to hiccup. He reached around Kelsey and punched his friend in the arm. “Dude, grab some water and I’ll finish explaining.” He grabbed the dice and rolled the four to demonstrate game play. “If you roll a one, two, or three, it doesn’t mean anything. But for every six you roll, you pass a quarter to the person on your right. For every five you roll, you pass a quarter to the person on your left. And for every four you roll, you put a quarter in the center. Whoever is holding the last quarter at the end is the winner of the pot in the center. Got it?” Kelsey gave her a thumbs up as Jamie re-took her seat, sans hiccups.

  “It’s Burke’s birthday so he should go first!” Burke just shrugged and rolled the dice. They ended up playing the game for over an hour. Kelsey actually won twice and bragged that she had laundry money for a month. About quarter to ten Jenn stood and said her goodbyes. Jamie pouted that her friend was leaving. “No, stay!”

  Jenn just laughed. “I’ve only got a sitter until ten so I have to take off or pay double if I’m late.” She turned to Burke and gave him a big hug. “I’m glad I was able to make it though, happy birthday, buddy!” She also gave Jamie a big hug, then turned and did the same to Kelsey. Except she raised up a little and whispered in Kelsey’s ear. “She really likes you, I can tell. Tread lightly, okay?” Kelsey blushed and gave her that grin that Jenn knew would be Jamie’s downfall.

  Quietly, Kelsey whispered back into Jenn’s ear. “We’re just friends!”

  Jenn shook her head. “Honey, y’all have been eye fucking each other all night. Just be careful with her, okay?” Despite her own history with the blonde, she wasn’t jealous that Jamie seemed so taken by Kelsey Ramirez. She just hoped that Kelsey fully understood the gift that Jamie was offering before either one got hurt. As if Jenn’s leaving was a signal, many others decided to go at the same time. Some headed out to the bar, others just headed home. Once the dust cleared there were only five of them left, Jamie, Burke, Kelsey, Gonzo, and Heather. Over the next hour the five of them played more games and continued to drink the wine. The food had been put away earlier, and Jamie figured she’d do the remaining cleanup the next day. She was much too drunk to do anything so productive that night.

  Heather was the one who suggested the move to the living room and play Truth or Dare. Jamie groaned. “Please, no!”

  Kelsey looked at her curiously. “What’s the matter, James, are you tired already? If your stamina isn’t up for such a late night you can always toddle off to bed and let the big girls continue to play.”

  The blonde flipped her off and took a seat on the couch. “I’ll have you know, my stamina is legendary!”

  “In your head maybe—” Burke was sitting to her immediate left and she punched him in the arm. “Ow, don’t hit me, it’s my birthday!” Kelsey sat down on the loveseat with Heather and Gonzo took the recliner.

  Kelsey called out to them both. “Come on children, try to get along.”

  Heather snickered and took a drink of her wine and Gonzo clapped twice. “All right, since Burke just whined that it’s his birthday, he can go first!”

  The birthday boy’s face lit up with an evil grin as he turned his gaze to Jamie. She sunk down in her seat and took another healthy gulp of her wine. But luckily his gaze slid past her and moved around to the loveseat. “So, Kelsey, truth or dare?”

  Her eyes widened and she looked like a deer caught in the headlights. “Well shit. Um, truth?”

  “When’s the last time you had sex?”

  Kelsey blushed. “You’re seriously going to lead with that?” He nodded and she flipped him the bird. “You’re such an asshole. Let’s see.” She counted out on her fingers. “It’s been about four and a half months. Next!”

  Everyone laughed but Gonzo laughed hardest and pointed at Jamie. “Good thing he didn’t ask James. She’d probably have to count in hours instead of months!” All five of them laughed at that though it was a bit forced for both Jamie and Kelsey. Jamie was busy wondering if Kelsey’s last lover was the pierced crazy chick or someone else when Heather took her turn.

  “Why don’t we ask her to confirm. Jamie, truth or dare?”

  Jamie took a sip of her wine then looked up at Kelsey as she answered. “Truth.”

  Heather smirked. “How long has it been since you’ve had sex? You can break it down into hours if that’s easier for you.”

  Burke and Gonzo snickered but Kelsey unconsciously leaned forward to hear the answer. Jamie’s voice was quiet when she spoke. “Exactly three months today.”

  “Bullshit!” Heather’s voice barked out and Jamie shrugged.

  “It’s true. Nicole Onwualu, April ninth, Indiana. That was the last time I had sex.” She smiled at the other four and called out. “Next!”

  Kelsey had sensed a shift with her friend months before and for the first time she was starting to believe Jenn when the black woman said that Jamie was legitimately trying to change. She could see the blonde was a little uncomfortable that Heather and Gonzo were making such a big deal about her admission, so she decided to go ahead with her ow
n turn. Kelsey turned to the woman sitting in the recliner. “Gonzo, truth or dare?”

  The stocky woman with long blonde hair answered right away. “Truth! No way am I doing a dare with this group.”

  They all laughed and Kelsey asked her question. “How did you get the name Gonzo?” Gonzo launched into an epic story about a white elephant Christmas party eight years previous. It involved three women named Sarah, a lot of shots, and a large sex toy that was shaped like a certain Muppet’s nose. Kelsey cocked her head at the teller of the strange yet funny story. “But why did you keep the name Gonzo?”

  “Because we already have two women named Sarah in my group of friends and acquaintances so it was just easier to go by Gonzo.”

  Heather chimed in. “That’s right, stripper Sara and Sarah Small!” She turned to Kelsey. “There were pictures of the event that Michelle put up for the next year’s party. I wonder what happened to those pictures.”

  “She deleted them.” Gonzo made a face. “I had to let her use my downtown parking pass for a month but she finally showed me that she deleted them all.” The game continued around and around until eventually someone got brave enough to choose dare. Brave probably wasn’t the correct word, Kelsey was definitely past tipsy when she answered Gonzo’s question. “Dare!”

  “Holy shit!” While not quite as drunk as the others, Burke was still feeling no pain. “Nobody ever dares Gonzo!”

  Kelsey glanced at Jamie and she had a worried look on her face, then she glanced over at the woman seated in the recliner. Sure enough, Gonzo had a particularly evil gleam in her eye. “Hey, I’ll be nice. I’ll give you a choice. You can either do a full shot of tequila and a full shot of hot sauce in whatever order you want, or you can show us a tattoo or piercing that wouldn’t be visible while wearing a bikini.”

  Heather spoke up. “But what if she doesn’t have any tattoos or piercings, besides her ears?”

  Gonzo shrugged. “Then she can just say that and she gets off lucky.”

  All eyes swung to Kelsey and she smirked back at them. “Who wants to set up my shots?”

  “Oh my God!” Jamie’s mind had gone off in a decidedly dirty direction and she suddenly and most desperately wanted to know what Kelsey was hiding.

  Burke shook his head. “I’ll do it since I’m libel to hold up the best if she punches me in the arm afterwards.” He looked around to see if anyone would argue. No one did. Burke spent a lot of time working out and had the arms to prove it.

  Everyone got up and walked into the kitchen to watch Kelsey perform the dare. “What’s the tequila? Is it any good?”

  Heather shook her head violently. “Hell no! You’re going to lose time if you drink that shit, and Gonzo knows it.”

  Kelsey gave Jamie a scowl. “Thanks for the warning, James!”

  Jamie came over to her and wrapped an arm around her waist. “Aww, I’m sorry Kels! I promise to make it up to you later. Cross my heart.” She nodded solemnly, stumbled slightly even though she wasn’t walking anywhere, and grabbed onto Kelsey even tighter.

  “You’re drunk!”

  Jamie looked back at her and nodded. “You’re drunk too!”

  Kelsey just shrugged her shoulders and smiled without contesting her statement. The other three just watched the two with much interest. Kelsey continued staring at her friend until Burke set two shot glasses in front of her. He apologized. “Despite the fact that the hot sauce is going to burn your balls off, you might want to drink that second.”

  “Is the tequila that bad?” Burke shuddered and nodded. “And what’s the hot sauce?”

  Jamie answered. “It’s Tabasco.”

  Kelsey rolled her eyes. “Weak! All right, let’s do this.”

  “Hey, Kels, it’s your last chance to change your mind and show us the goods instead.”

  She looked at where James was busy leering down her shirt and whistled loudly to get her attention. “Hey, eyes on your own paper, Schultz!” Jamie abruptly jerked her eyes upward and blushed, then stepped back to let Kelsey do her shots. But she did grab onto the counter just in case. Then without any sort of preamble, Kelsey picked up the tequila and downed it in one swallow, then picked up the hot sauce and did the same. She licked her lips as she set down the second glass. “Not bad. Not bad at all!”

  Burke looked at her with wariness. “How do you feel? That can’t all go well with the wine you’ve been drinking all night.”

  Kelsey shrugged. “Eh, it’s fine. You should have seen my college years with my friend Tam. I’ve done a whole lot worse!”

  After refilling their wine glasses, they all went back to the living room to keep playing. Jamie’s turn was next. “Kelsey, truth or dare?”

  “Hey, not fair! I just went.”

  Jamie laughed wickedly. “Now you’re gonna go again. What’s it gonna be, hot stuff?”

  Kelsey smiled at how adorable the blonde was while drunk. “Fine, truth then.”

  “How many people in this room are you attracted to?”

  Heather made a face and Gonzo started laughing. “Ooh!”

  Kelsey looked across to her good friend and gave her a dimpled smile. “Just one.” Then she gave Jamie a challenging look and called out for the next person. “Next!”

  “Kelsey, truth or dare?” Burke rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

  “Oh, come on! Pick on someone else, Jesus Jenny!”

  Heather yelled out while laughing. “Nope, rules is rules!”

  Kelsey sighed but she trusted Burke a lot more than she trusted Gonzo. “Fine, dare then.”

  Burke looked at her then looked around the room. When his gaze stopped on Jamie she got a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. She started to subtly shake her head and Burke grinned as he turned to look back at Kelsey. “I dare you to make out with the one person you are attracted to in this room, for exactly sixty seconds.” She shouldn’t have trusted Burke.

  “Hot damn!” Gonzo sat forward in her chair and chugged a few swallows of wine then looked over at Kelsey.

  The Irish-Latina woman lifted her chin at Burke in response to the challenge. “Oh, is that all?” Jamie swallowed as butterflies flitted around in her stomach. She flashed back to the picture her friend had sent a few days prior and felt her ears heat up. Kelsey stood and slowly walked over to where Jamie was slouched down on the couch. Everyone watched the sway of her hips as she came closer and closer.

  Jamie swallowed and wiped her hands on her jeans to get rid of the sweat. Then before she could register what the other woman was doing, Kelsey straddled her lap on the couch and gave a little wiggle. “Oh God.”

  “Relax, James. I promise to be gentle.” Snickering sounded behind her but all either woman could focus on was the lips that came ever nearer to each other. Before they could make contact, Kelsey called out to the other occupant of the couch. “Get that timer ready, Burke, because you dared for a minute and a minute is all she’s going to get.”

  With the first touch of lips to her own, Jamie moaned and grabbed onto Kelsey’s hips. The woman above her tasted sweet and spicy, and had a lingering flavor of tequila. When Kelsey’s tongue requested entrance into her mouth she willingly allowed her in.

  Kelsey’s heart started to race as Jamie grabbed onto her hips and she ground down ever so slightly into the blonde beneath her. Nothing had prepared her for the amount of heat she felt flare between them. Nothing. All too soon they were interrupted by Burke’s voice. “Time!” Rather than wrench abruptly away, Kelsey slowly eased back out of the kiss, leaving the gift of a slight lick to Jamie’s bottom lip as she pulled away. Jamie whimpered. Then Kelsey stood on lightly shaking legs and walked back over to the loveseat.

  Heather playfully fanned herself. “And I thought the Tabasco trick was hot! Whew!” Kelsey just smirked and Jamie looked gob-smacked.

  Not long after that the alcohol started to catch up with them all and the mini-party of five wound down. Heather and Gonzo had rode together to the party and decided to just c
ab back to Heather’s house. Burke saw them out and gave them both hugs for coming to his party. After he shut the door and locked it he looked around to see if anything else needed to be taken care of before bed. Most had already been picked up earlier. “All right ladies, I’m going to head up. Have a good night!” Jamie and Kelsey watched him walk up the stairs. Then they listened as Burke brushed his teeth and retired back into the guest room. The distinctive click as the pocket door locked was loud in the quiet condo.

  Chapter Fourteen

  JAMIE TURNED TO her friend that was just a friend. The very woman whose kiss would have driven her to her knees had Jamie been standing. “I’m going to finish my glass of wine before I go up.” She looked at the table next to where Kelsey had been sitting throughout the game and saw that she still had more than half a glass as well. “Want to sit with me?”

  “Sure.” Even though she said the word, she was anything but. While she tried to play it cool, Kelsey still felt the aftereffects of the panty-melting kiss she shared with Jamie. Instead of saying all that, she walked over and grabbed her wine glass off the table then came back to sit next to her on the couch. They were so close their thighs touched and Jamie squirmed a little.

  “So, Kels.”

  Green eyes turned her way and they held more than what she’d seen before from her good friend. “Where was that tattoo or piercing that you refused to show in your dare?” She froze with the sound of Kelsey’s laughter.

  “You know curiosity killed the cat, right?”

  Jamie grinned at her, feeling playful and still more than a little turned on. “But satisfaction brought him back. So what’s it going to be? Are you going to satisfy me?”

  Kelsey poked her in the ribs, nearly making the blonde spill her wine. “Incorrigible! But fine, which do you want to see? Tattoo or piercing?” Kelsey was dying to know what the blonde would pick, especially since learning that Jamie had an extreme love of piercings. The blush washed over Jamie’s face fast as every possible tattoo and piercing location flashed through her head at once. She downed her wine in three swallows and Kelsey did the same, then raised her eyebrow at Jamie’s stall tactic. “Well?”