"Truth or dare," Wilson pipes up. "We each get one turn."
Tom takes a moment to consider it, but the rest begin nodding, looking at each other and deciding this is a suitable alternative.
"I'll go first," says Tom.
"Oh, okay then, definitely truth," I say. If he's half as devilish as he looks, he's one to be careful of.
"Dammit," Tom says. "You sure you don't want to reconsider and choose dare? I'm an amazing kisser."
Laughing, I assure him, "Yep, I'm good with truth, thanks."
"Alright then," he says, "What's your favorite sexual position, and be explicit."
"Tom," Ian warns.
"What? She agreed to the game!" Tom defends himself.
"Kelli, you do not not need to answer his question. In fact, I think you'd be wiser not to," Ian says sincerely. "You never know when this will come back to bite you in the ass."
"Hmmm, biting her in the ass, nice visual, thanks Ian!" Tom says.
"I swear to God, I'm going to throw you out of this pub, and kick your ass on the way out, if you don't behave yourself," Ian threatens menacingly.
I know he is trying to protect me, and he is probably spot-on in his warning, but I really want to succeed here, and I feel that having these five like me will be an important part of that equation.
Giving him an appreciative smile I say, "I'm good, thanks Ian. To answer your question Tom," I say, turning my attention back to him, "well, it really depends, now doesn't it? What am I working with? Both length and girth have different implications. And what about his technique? Is he a push and pull only guy, or does he have some finesse? There are a lot of variables that go into this decision."
I say all of this brazenly, but inside I'm dying. I'm certainly not a prude, but neither am I particularly experienced. I can still count the number of lovers I've had on my fingers, and while I will go into extreme detail with Rachel, there are few others I speak so frankly with about sex. Yet I know if these guys smell blood in the water, they'll eat me alive, so I don a sex kitten persona and give the crowd what it wants.
"That's no answer," Tom complains.
"Well, it's the truth, so it happens to be the answer you'll be getting," I say matter of factly. "Next?"
Jaye says, "I got this man," hitting Tom on the arm. "Kelli, what position were you in when you had your last orgasm?"
Abby exclaims, "Seriously guys!?" at the same time Ian erupts with, "Shut the fuck up, Jaye! Kelli, don't answer that!"
Laughing, and rolling my eyes, I mouth the word "wow" to the ceiling before pinning Jaye with a disbelieving look and saying, "You guys really are perverted. Do you ever get laid?"
"No, no they don't," Abby responds for them. "Alright, my turn. Truth or dare?"
"Dare," I say. She's the only one I'd trust with a dare, well maybe Wilson too, he seems very sweet, and I hate it when people only pick truth, that's so boring.
"Show us your tats," Abby says.
"How do you know she has tattoos?" Wilson asks.
"Everyone has tattoos, Wilson," Abby says.
"I don't," Wilson responds.
Shaking her head, Abby says, "Everyone who doesn't have a stick up their ass does."
The rest laugh and I give Wilson a sympathetic smile.
"Do you have tattoos?" he asks me.
I nod and Abby stands to take a triumphant bow. "Thank you," she says. "Thank you very much. Now let's see ‘em."
"Oh, please lord, let her have an inner thigh tat!" Tom says.
"Or one around her nipple," Jaye adds.
"Who the hell has a tattoo around her nipple?" Abby asks. "God, that'd be painful as hell!"
"I don't know," Jaye says. "I'm making wishes over here, who says they have to be realistic?"
Wow, these guys certainly are … entertaining?
"I have two," I say. "One here, on my left shoulder. It's a Celtic love knot. I got it as a nod to my Irish heritage," I say, looking over at Ian who inclines his head, acknowledging my not so subtle attempt at sucking up. Luckily, I'm wearing a black tank top so all I have to do is turn my shoulder to them to show it off. "The other, well, this was my first tat, and I got it in college, so yeah, it's embarrassing. Please don't judge me." I pull down the right side of my jeans, revealing a small green heart with a peace sign in it, on the back of my hip.
"Awwww," Wilson says, "how cute."
I smile over at Wilson, while the others shake their heads.
"Kinda wimpy, Kelli, I ain't gonna lie," Jaye says. Ben nods his head in clear agreement and even Abby looks a little disappointed. I look over at Ian and he's smiling warmly at me; he thinks it's cute too. Butterflies take flight in my stomach and warmth spreads out from my belly. The look in his eyes is so captivating that I don't look away and am surprised when Ben barks, "Truth or dare? I'm next."
"Truth," I say plainly. With all the others there was an air of teasing; Ben looks downright belligerent.
"What is the best whiskey you've ever tasted?"
All eyes swing towards me and I can't help but think, oh shit, oh shit. I don't drink whiskey, but I know there are right, and very wrong, answers to this question.
I cast about, trying to find a whiskey bottle behind the bar. "Well," I start, stalling for time and trying to not look too obvious in my search, "as I pointed out earlier, I'm not that big of a drinker. I did most of my drinking when I was a poor college student, so I didn't really have the opportunity to taste much fine whiskey."
Ben glowers at me, clearly not buying what I'm trying to sell, and I'm about to give up and admit defeat when Ian moves slowly, stretching his arms and then resting his hand on a bottle.
"But if memory serves me … Bushmills was one hell of a whiskey."
Jaye, Tom and Abby all nod in agreement, and Ian quickly changes positions, smiling down at the bar he has begun to wipe. Lord help me, I'm going to be in love with him before my first week is even over.
Ben shrugs and taps the rim of his glass. Ian moves to refill it.
"Wilson, you're up," Jaye says.
"Alright Kelli, truth or dare?" Wilson says.
"Let's go with dare," I say. My attempts at truth with these guys have been hit or miss, and I really don't think Wilson will have me do anything too crazy.
"Make her give you a lap dance," Tom offers. Ian growls and makes a move toward him, and Tom holds up his hands saying, "Joking! Just joking! Loosen up, man."
"I'm not particularly interested in getting sued for sexual harassment her first week on the job, asshole!" Ian says.
"She couldn't sue you for Tom's behavior," Abby says. "Could she?"
"I don't think so," Jaye says. "Unless Ian is complicit in creating a hostile work environment, maybe?"
"Beside the point, shitheads," Ian growls.
"Damn, way to talk to your customers," Ben complains into his Guinness.
"I dare you to give me a kiss … on the cheek," Wilson says.
"Ah, come on man!" Tom says, clearly frustrated.
"Way to blow a dare, Wilson," Jaye says.
I smile over at Wilson, who instantly became my favorite.
******
I've been working since Tuesday, so Ian tells me to take Sunday and Monday off. I don't want to; I'm having way too much fun. Plus, I really need the money. But I decide pissing off the boss after five days isn't a great idea, and so I stay home and try to look for permanent work.
It is only a half-hearted attempt, however. Working at McGregors is a blast, and while I'm not bettering the human condition through my labor, it really is a dream come true. Plus, the old Kelli, Ms. Practicality, would never work at a job with no retirement or clear career path. However, the new Kelli is all about trying different things, breaking old ways, and living life to the fullest. As long as I can afford to eat and pay rent, what's the harm in having some fun? I'll get around to saving the world, I'm just going to have a good time along the way.
After about an hour, I call it quits and hit the gym. It's quiet in the weight room, so I take advantage of it by spending an hour on my upper body. I decide to tack on a spin class for my legs, and by the time I'm done, I'm sweaty and starving.
I hit the shower and decide to walk around my neighborhood and find a place to eat. A part of me (a huge part) wants to head to McGregors and have some stew. It really is fantastic, and at least there I'd know people; I hate eating alone. I force myself to try something else, though. I need to get out and explore this great city, and since I don't have a car, and mass transit takes forever, that means I need to do it on foot.