“What’s up?” I asked once we were far enough away from the group that we could talk freely.
“So which one?”
“Huh?”
She rolled her eyes. “Which one do you want?”
I blinked at her. “I don’t know.”
“One of those two, though?”
“I guess so. One’s as good as the other.”
She scrunched up her face. “They’re not tennis shoes; you can’t just swap out one for the other.”
I looked through the trees where I could just make out the boys sitting there. Well, boy—it looked like Hunter had left the log, leaving Miles behind, who was now chatting with Abe.
I shrugged. “No, when you say it like that it sounds bad. But I don’t like one better than the other. Why?”
She got that look in her eye, the scheming one. The one I loved. “I was thinking a game of truth or dare might be fun, don’t you?”
I smiled. “So fun. Too bad Celia’s chef isn’t here.”
“And Coach Fleming.”
“Truth,” I said and looked over where Brooklyn had sat down beside Abe, which was a bit weird, but she had said they were friends. I hope he knew it was just that. Not that it was my concern.
“So, which one?” Emmie asked, bringing me back to look at her.
“Which do you think?” I asked her, trusting her judgment.
We both looked over at the boys. “Hunter’s definitely hot, but he’s a bit slick. There’s something about him I don’t quite like. Miles is cute, kind of like an eager puppy, though. Not a smart puppy, either. But eager all the same.”
I laughed at that, mostly because it was true. “Jenks?”
She arched an eyebrow. “Definitely cute. And a swimmer’s body? Hello.”
I gave him a once over, but he was sitting close with Celia and I wondered if maybe those two had more in common, both being so into sports. Not that Celia had ever expressed an interest in him. Still, with his training, who knew if he had time for a girlfriend?
And then as I swept my eyes over the group, I thought about what she’d said before about sharing her secrets. All of her secrets.
“Miles,” I said decisively.
“There’s always Abe. He’s probably the nicest guy of all of them. And have you seen his arms?” She blew out a breath, making me grin because yes I had seen those arms.
My eyes were drawn toward him. I couldn’t tell what they were talking about, but he and Brooklyn were both smiling and laughing. He was a nice guy. I knew that about him. But he’d never once looked at me that way, the way the other guys did. He never flirted with me or showed any interest, had never asked me to dance or made any effort to be in my company at all. And now that I thought about it, when I’d caught him looking at me earlier when I undid my jacket, he’d been frowning.
So no, he definitely wasn’t interested. And even if he had been, the way he looked at me, like he could see right through me and knew I was a huge fake, made me really uncomfortable.
I snorted loudly. “Please. When have I ever wanted a nice guy?”
Emmie put her arm around my shoulders. “Miles it is then,” she said.
I put my arm around her waist as we headed back to the group.
“This should be fun,” I said. “Just don’t start with me or it will look obvious.”
She fake glared at me, the corner of her mouth twitching up into a smile. “You think this is my first time?”
I gave her a squeeze. “Of course not, sorry, it just fell out. Who you going to start with?”
A wicked grin spread over her face and I knew her answer before she even said it.
“You are evil.”
She feigned shock and then chuckled. “Maybe a little. Just make sure it comes back to me so I can make it happen with you and Miles.”
“Absolutely,” I said as I unzipped my jacket to prepare for my return to the boys.
Epic Truth or Dare
I returned to the log and took my place beside Miles, noticing that as I did, Hunter wandered over and sat on my other side, trying to be all nonchalant about it. Right. I had to school my face so I wouldn’t smirk about that. Instead, I gave him a friendly smile and leaned toward Miles.
This was definitely going to be fun.
A few minutes later, Emmie spoke up, getting everyone’s attention. She announced we’d be playing truth or dare and while everyone groaned about it, no one protested.
Interesting.
Everyone watched her intently, waiting for her to pick her first victim and in looking around, I realized I was the only one who wasn’t afraid. Kaylee, in particular, looked completely terrified.
Her face relaxed when Emmie called on Declan, but then she got all clenched when she realized Emmie was going to make her boyfriend say or do something potentially embarrassing. She muttered an “Oh God,” which I could hardly blame her for. But she had to know Emmie only had her best interests in mind and would never do anything to humiliate her.
Faced with his choice, Declan looked at Kaylee for direction, but she just shrugged. I wondered what I’d do in her situation and wasn’t sure. He did have secrets, like the one about his real identity, but Emmie would never betray that. I wasn’t sure if he knew that one-hundred percent, though. So dare was probably the obvious choice. He and Kaylee had pretty much been climbing each other since we’d arrived, so what more could Emmie make them do?
But as I looked at Kaylee and her very strangled expression, I realized that while I would do pretty much anything for attention, it was definitely not her style to be in the spotlight.
“Dare,” Declan said clearly, arousing hoots and jeers from his friends. “But I’ll not do anything to embarrass Kaylee,” he added in a warning tone.
Kaylee’s face relaxed and I think we all fell in love with Declan just then. Her more so, of course.
Emmie nodded once in acknowledgment, though she would never make him do anything really humiliating and then opened her mouth, causing everyone to silence as we waited on baited breath. “I dare you to tell Kaylee exactly how you feel about her.”
Poor Kaylee’s eyes went wider than I thought possible as she stared at Emmie. I swear I could practically hear her mentally asking Emmie what on earth she was doing. But Emmie always knew what she was doing.
Declan smiled and without another moment’s hesitation leaned down so his mouth was at Kaylee’s ear. Her head dropped, so I couldn’t see her eyes, but I did see her frown get replaced by a shy smile as he whispered whatever it was into her ear.
“Out loud!” Hunter heckled from beside me.
“That wasn’t what she said,” I countered. “Emmie said he had to tell her, not everyone.”
I looked at Emmie who nodded, confirming. Then we looked at our friend as Declan finished telling her, but they only had eyes for each other. I thought she would tell him something, but instead, she put her hands on his face and drew him in for a kiss that lasted just long enough for Jenks to tell them to get a room.
We all laughed, but it did work to get Declan and Kaylee to return their attentions to the group.
“Your turn,” Emmie said to Declan.
“Right,” he said, sweeping his gaze around the group. “Mr. Jenkins, truth or dare?”
Jenks looked at Celia next to him, who just shook her head before he took a breath and said, very uncertainly, “Dare?”
“Right,” Declan said again, his mouth spreading into an evil grin. “For the rest of the night, everything you say has to rhyme.”
“I mean truth. Truth!” Jenks corrected.
“Too late!” I yelled, causing everyone to shush me. Oops. I followed up, more quietly, with, “Too late. You’re committed. You have to rhyme with truth, now.”
Jenks scowled at me for several long moments before he said, “Declan’s an a-hole and I’d like to punch him in the tooth.”
“That was horrible,” I said, “But I guess it fulfills the requirement. Who’s next?”
> He looked around the circle and then said, “For the next truth or dare, Abe’s who I pick. Though I should pick Declan, who I think is a dick.”
We all—including Declan—laughed at that and then looked at Abe to see what he’d choose.
“Dare,” he said right away. Not surprising. Growing up in Hollywood definitely meant secrets aplenty.
Jenks had to think for a moment, but then finally said, “To fulfill the requirement of your dare, you must spend ten minutes naked save underwear.”
“It’s freezing!” Abe protested.
Jenks just shrugged, looking absolutely unapologetic.
Now we’re talking, I thought as Abe sighed and stood up. As we all watched (probably the girls were paying much more attention than the guys) he began taking off his clothes, seeming to not be insecure at all, which, I guess with a body like that he had no reason to be. He started with his coat and then his flannel shirt, button by agonizing button. As he pushed the shirt off his shoulders to reveal a white t-shirt below, I tried to recall if he wore boxers or briefs, but couldn’t remember back to the gotchie raid and what Emmie and Brooklyn had stolen from him.
Then the t-shirt came off and I was unable to wonder anything after that as I beheld the masculine magnificence in front of me. I knew Abe worked out; it was obvious from the sheer size of him and how he filled out his clothes, but without them: Wow.
I pretended to wipe my chin, making Miles chuckle nervously beside me. Right. I was looking to make him my boyfriend. Maybe keeping my ogling to a minimum is a good idea, I told myself. I leaned into Miles and bumped him playfully with my shoulder. “Just looking,” I assured him.
He smiled. “I work out, too, you know. I’m not as big, but just as defined. I can bench...blah...blah...squats...blah...kettlebells...blah...blah...WOD...” (he went on and on with the details of his workouts, but it sort of got drowned out by the sound of hormones rushing around my head as I took in Abe’s chest, which really was amazing).
“Oh, I can totally tell,” I said, throwing Miles a bone and gripping his right biceps, which he flexed under my fingers. “You’re huge.” Which is, of course, what every guy wants to hear.
His smile broadened, his ego stroked. Bingo.
But my eyes were still drawn as Abe’s hands went to his jeans. I mean, come on, he may not be interested in me and I sure wasn’t interested in him for my boyfriend experiment, but I wasn’t made of stone; I still needed to see.
Boxer-briefs.
Black ones clinging to his slim hips and muscular thighs as he dragged his pants down. I swear in that moment, I transcended into some sort of alternate dimension and felt all my girlfriends sigh in appreciation of those thighs. Sadly, we only had a few seconds to admire them before he sat on the log (on his shirt) to take off his shoes and pull off his jeans.
As he did, the skin over his six-pack (eight-pack? Whatever, it was glorious) wrinkled up as he was bending over and I wanted to go over there and press my face into it. I bet he had goosebumps, but I was sure I could heat him up adequately; I myself was feeling very warm.
Okay, maybe I was being a bit over the top, but yum.
“Your turn,” Hunter said impatiently, maybe a little insecure about all the estrogen arrows being fired at Abe.
“Hold on, jeez, let me get my clothes off,” Abe said with a grunt as he tugged off his boot. “When are you timing from?” he asked Jenks.
“When you take off every stitch, down to your gitch,” Jenks answered. This was totally fun and in ways I never would have imagined. Everyone laughed.
I turned toward Hunter while Abe finished undressing, giving him a little attention. “So, are you doing anything for the talent show?” I asked, curious about any hidden talents. We saw these guys at least every month at the dances and some of them more frequently (like Miles, Declan and the other actors and crew at rehearsal) but it was hard to get to know the rest of the guys on more than a small-talk level.
He shrugged, his eyes dropping to my cleavage as I absently fingered my necklace.
“Not sure yet. Maybe some of the guys will do a skit or air band.”
“That sounds awesome,” I said beaming a smile at him. Awesomely lame. So much for hidden talents. Unless his talent was curing insomnia.
“How about you?” I asked Miles.
He grinned, a twinkle in his eye. “I’m going to do something, but it’ll be a surprise. I think you’ll like it, though.”
“Right, because everyone wants to see you throw a football,” Hunter said drily.
“Be nice,” I said, scowling at Hunter.
Who shrugged, unapologetic. “What else is he good at?”
I stared at him, but he just stared back until he blurted out, “What? It’s true.”
“You’re an ass,” I said before turning my back on him, glad I picked the right guy.
“Sorry,” I said to Miles, mostly apologizing for considering Hunter over him for the role of boyfriend.
Miles just shook it off, “He’s right. I am really good at football.”
I blinked at him several times, not sure he understood he’d just been insulted. Whatever, I wasn’t about to point it out. “Right. Anyway,” I began, eager to change the subject, but before I could go on, he asked Abe if he was ready to choose his victim.
I glanced at Brooklyn, sure he was going to pick her because of their history. Not that I thought he’d embarrass her, just he was a really playful guy, so it made sense he might want to tease her a little. She could take it, too, I was fairly certain. If any of the guys were going to pick her, he was probably the safest. Except maybe Declan.
“Come on,” I said, suddenly impatient as I forced myself to not look at Abe’s mostly naked body (though there wasn’t too much to see now, since he was huddled up with his knees pulled into his chest because day-um, it was coooooold). “Who’s your victim?”
He looked right at me. “You.”
~ ♥ ~
Okay, cool, I thought. I can get my stupid dare over with and then pick Emmie. Then she’d, in turn, pick me and get me to do something good with Miles. Like a ten minute kiss in the woods or something that would cement our new relationship. I took a quick moment to strategize my options but really, it was a no-brainer. It had to be dare; Abe was way too smart and there was that whole seeing right through me feeling I got every time he looked at me, so there was never any actual doubt which option I would pick. But taking some time to make it look like I was undecided was definitely something everyone would expect so...
“Uhhhmmmm. Dare?” I said, which really shouldn’t have been a surprise to anyone. I was the queen of dares and truth be told, I would never turn one down no matter how stupid or embarrassing it might be. It was sort of my kryptonite.
I just hoped Abe wouldn’t decide he didn’t want to be the only almost naked person in the circle because as much as I didn’t mind showing some cleavage, there was no way I would ever get naked or even near naked in front of a bunch of guys. I had enough trouble changing for gym in front of my friends and probably Naomi hadn’t even seen me completely naked. Not that I was out there advertising my fear of being naked and on display, but in that second, I realized that my worst fear might be coming true.
I really had no idea what Abe thought of me, other than he wasn’t like the other guys and had never once made me feel like he was interested. Maybe he hated my guts. Maybe he knew I was a faker and thought me obnoxious and had just figured out the best way to completely humiliate me.
Oh God, I thought, and was reminded about the huge serving of mashed potatoes I’d had at dinner. The one that was suddenly forming itself into a six pound ball of dread in my belly. Still, I pasted a challenging smile on my face because Seychelles Spencer never showed fear. In fact, Seychelles Spencer—at least the facade of her which I had carefully cultivated—didn’t have any fear.
The guys around the circle were looking at Abe and it sort of felt like they were all holding their breath. It was flatterin
g and terrifying at the same time that everyone was so invested. And whatever came of this, there was no refusing.
Yeah, I was totally screwed.
“I dare you,” Abe began and then paused, making everyone lean forward in anticipation.
“Come on!” I yelled, the suspense KILLING ME.
Everyone shushed me. Again.
“Sorry,” I muttered, but gestured at Abe with my right hand to bring it.
He lifted his left eyebrow like a supervillain and I almost yelled again, but before I could, he issued his challenge: “I dare you to dress modestly for the next thirty days.”
A sigh to my right (Hunter) and a “What?” to my left (Miles) told me I wasn’t the only one confused by this.
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“Just what I said,” Abe said his eyes unwavering on mine. “The only skin you can show is from neck up and elbows down: hands and face.”
“Are you drunk?” I asked, having to quickly resist the urge to cringe because I’d blurted it out before considering his past. Still, I wasn’t going down that road now.
“Not at all,” he said, unaffected. “Dares are supposed to be something difficult for the daree. You’re always putting your...er...self on display, so thirty days of covering up. And no super-tight stuff, either. Modest.”
“Oh right,” I said, my voice louder and angrier than I’d intended, but who did he think he was? “And a month’s worth of wardrobe choices can compare to ten minutes of partial nudity?” I waved my hand at his partially nude person.
That evil eyebrow went up again. “Hey, I’m freezing here and my man parts have crawled up so far inside, I’m not sure when they’ll ever come down. But I didn’t choose my dare. I’m just playing the game. Thirty days. Are you refusing?”
For the briefest of moments, I almost said yes. I mean, how was I supposed to catch a guy without my best assets on display? What was I supposed to do, dazzle them with my intelligence? My personality? Right.
I glanced at Miles who was (not so subtly) looking at my chest. Better get your fill, I thought.
Acting Out Page 3
