The four of them were snowed in for the evening, which was ok by Alex. Three beautiful women, and one man. Every guy's dream, right? Alex and Andrea had been happily married for twelve years, and Andrea's two best friends, were at present, single. Melissa had just gone through a nasty divorce, which had ended Alex's friendship with her husband. Any man who beats up on women, is no man at all; and thus, Alex had tossed out their friendship with the evening's garbage.
Sheila, Andrea's voluptous next-door neighbor, had an open, and unashamed crush on Alex for as long as she had known him. This little fact did not bother Andrea in the least; she trusted her husband totally, satisfied him completely, and she knew Sheila well enough to know that she would never do anything to ruin their mariage.
Melissa, on the other hand, was already drunk, depressed, and lonely as hell. Andrea had spent the last several weeks helping her through the final stages of her divorce, and was on edge that Melissa had already consumed four and a half glasses of brandy in the two hours since they had arrived.
It was the onset of nightfall, on a late November evening, when the four of them had gotten together to celebrate Andrea's promotion to Vice President of Advertising. Their dinner was eloquent, yet simple; baked salmon, marinated in Andrea's own lemon/butter and light rum sauce. The side dishes, Melissa and Sheila had brought along to help cut time in the kitchen. The conversation flowed as freely as the liquor, and the evening was progressing well. With their dinner over, Andrea suggested that they all move into the den, with the warm glow of firelight to set the mood.
Alex sat in his favorite king-sofa recliner that he picked out purposefully to clash with Andrea's refined taste in decor. She allowed him that luxury because he had seduced her in that very chair, while the store manager was off busily attending to other "serious" customers. She had scolded him for taking such a chance in public, but she was quite turned on by his inventiveness and brazen lust of the moment.
The girls plopped onto the thick pile carpet in front of the warm roaring fire, each with a fresh drink in hand. Alex had his usual thin-lipped mug of premium beer. Sheila scooted closer to Alex, "Hey Alex, want to play strip-poker?" She giggled."You'd have to ask Andrea that question Sheila," Alex cooly replied. "It's her party.""How about 'Truth or Dare?" Andrea changed tactics, catching the gleam of her husbands eye.
"I'm not- " Melissa protested, "Well, I don't think that's such a good idea Andrea. Do you remember the last time we did that, you got mad as hell at me because I told you that I hooked up with What's His Face, in our Culinary Arts Class?""Well sweetheart, you were still married at the time, and it was risky as hell. I had to think fast when Asshole called over here, looking for you. I didn't know what the fuck you were doing. Besides; two wrongs, don't make a right."
"I don't think it's a good idea either," Alex added. "Women always play the truth part, and never the dare. Where's the excitement?""Oh, I don't know about that Alex," Sheila said. "You never know, you might be witness to a 'Cat Fight', Rrrreeer!" Sheila teased, showing her claws."Or maybe, Sheila will take off her clothes and make x-rated snow angels outside!" Melissa laughed and spilled her drink on the stone hearth. "Oops! Alcohol abuse!" She looked at Alex with her best bedroom eyes- "Al, be a darling, and get me another one.
""It would be my pleasure, Mel." Alex caught just a glance of Andrea's disapproving eyes, as he got up and padded over to the bar to get Melissa another brandy. He poured himself another beer, taking pleasure in the mechanics of opening an ice cold bottle of Michelob, and pouping it into his favorite mug, frost forming on it as it reached mid-pour in the glass. "Oh yeah!" He handed Melissa her glass, and listened in on the game, already in progress.
"Truth!" The two girls said at the same time as they ganged up on eachother."Ok now, something secret," Mel said to Shelia. "Something that you've never told anyone else before.""Ok! Alex, I'm madly in love with you!" She confessed. "Have been since the day I met you.""Bullshit! That's no secret!" Andrea attacked her with a fluffy pillow. "Now, you have to take our dare!""Ok! Ok. Ok.- Go ahead, make my day!" Sheila surrendered.
Wait a minute, come over here Andrea," Mel pulled her just out of earshot, whispering , then giggling. "Let's see if she'll do it...Shelia," Andrea said, licking her lips. "You have to give Alex here, a big kiss on the lips!"
"Oh come on girlfriend, you can do better than that!" Sheila stood up, and leaned over towards Alex, then looked back over her shoulder at Andrea, smiling. "How about one of my 'specials?"
"Wha- Whadaya mean, specials?" Alex ask her, uncomfortable that the attention was now on him, his reaction. Sheila turned to Alex. "That's right, you never had one of my 'melts in your mouth... long, hard, wet kisses that last three days!" Alex's eyes were as big as quarters. With just a hint of hesitation, she planted a light kiss upon his lips. "There," Sheila said, smiling back at Andrea, "Is that what you wanted to see?""Well done!" Andrea nodded back in approval. "You passed the test with flying colors!"
"Next!" Sheila said, turning her focus on Melissa. "Truth or Dare?""Truth, I guess," Melissa said sheepishly. "Ok now," Andrea said, "Something you've never told anyone." Melissa nervously ran her finger around and around the edge of her glass, looking into the fire when she finally spoke.
"The last time he hit me..." She swallowed hard before continuing. "I- I never told anyone, but I was- I was pregnant!""Mel!" Andrea put down her drink, and held Melissa's hand tightly in her own."Why? Oh honey, what happened?" Melissa took a deep breath, then began. "I had known for a while I guess, before I finally took a test to confirm it. But, I wanted him to be the first to know. I guess I thouhgt it might make a difference, that maybe it might change things."
She stopped to take a slug of her drink. She almost put it down; but then, picked it up again to finish it off before she continued. "Of course, I was dead wrong. It sent him into a blind rage. He started screaming at me, saying that I'd planned it all just to try and change him. Anyway, he started hitting my like he always ends up doing; and I did my best to fight back, but I was trying to protect the baby. He noticed. He stopped. Then he got this look in his eye, and I knew what he was going to do."
Andrea and Sheila were both at her side, trying to help her through this. Melissa wiped the tears from her eyes, and half smiled at Alex to get her another drink; which he immediately retrieved for her, his eyes wide and waterly."Go on sweetheart," Andrea said to her. "Tell us about the baby."
"Well, after he was finished, I locked myself in the bathroom. I just knew I had lost the baby, and I just sat there, on the toilet and cried. I couldn't stop, couldn't hold back the pain and the loss. I sat there for the longest time, exhausted and spent. Then, when I finally got the strength, I got up, flushed, and went into the bedroom to get dressed. When I came out, the bastard was watching cartoons. Do you believe that? He was watching fucking cartoons."
"So that's the day you called me to come and get you? The day when you finally listened to me and left the son-of-a-bitch!" Andrea was visably shaken."I told him that if ever touched me again, I'd kill him where he stood!" Melissa replied."So, what did he do when you told him that?" Shelia asked unbelieving."Well, he laughed in my face, until I shoved the Lady Smith up his nose!"
Sheila glanced over at Andrea, avoiding Alex's glare. Alex's eyes gave away his thoughts even before they escaped his lips. "Andrea!" Alex started after her. "Now wait a minute Alex!" Andrea got up to calm her husband. "If I hadn't given her my gun, he would've killed her too, eventually.""Next!" Alex said, as he sat back down in his chair, looking directly into his wif'e's eyes. "Truth or Dare?" Melissa said to Andrea as she blew her nose and wiped her eyes with a tissue that Sheila had gotten her."Dare!" Andrea said with a mocking look of confidence. "I'll take the dare.."
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