Branch and Poppy play a game of strip scrabble.
“The person who scores the lowest number of points on each turn has to take something off.”
“Branch, you know I’m not good at this game. I’ll be naked before we even get halfway through the game,” The Pop Queen complained to her husband.
Wiggling his eyebrows, Branch grins with a sparkle in his blue eyes. “I know. I’ll go easy on you, Pops.”
“You mean, you’ll cheat less ?”
“I don’t cheat—”
“Muzjks is not a word!”
“It is, it’s of Russian origin.”
“Bear—”
“It means peasant—”
“You think you’re so smart.”
The teal blue troll continues, unfazed by Poppy's interruption, “Or country person. It’s an insult.”
“Branchieboo, you’re going down.”
Branch sees the gears shifting in Poppy's head. Her face changes from playful to that familiar look of ruthless determination. He’s a dead man. Her using his embarrassing nickname that she originally had for him was never a good sign. But he agrees he will go down, just not in the way she thinks.
Branch shakes the red bag with the tiles. “Ladies first.”
Poppy draws a B and Branch draws an N.
“You go first,” Branch says.
They each place their letters back in the bag and Branch mixes it up. Poppy picks her seven letters first, then Branch does the same. He doesn’t like the way Poppy looks at her set of letters once she has them arranged the way she wants. Poppy's no good at poker faces.
“No way, you use all the tiles without exchanging one letter? I call bull Poppy.”
The Pop Queen grins like the cat that ate the catnip for the first time ever.
Branch plays his word. Twelve points to Poppy's thirty-eight words.
“Take it off, badboy.”
The teal troll grumbled as he reaches for his foot, taking off one sock.
“You’re cheating.”
“Takes one to know one.”
He puts down the tiles slowly, E-A-T.
Poppy plays her word, and she gets another triple word score. Branch takes off his other sock. He stacks his tiles on top of his previous words Y-O-U and makes an O-U-T. Poppy couldn’t help but laugh, reading the board.
“Branch, are you even trying? Or do you just want to play suggestive words all game?”
“Both."
Branch unclasps his hugtime watch and places it on the table near the board.
“Uh-uh. That doesn’t count as clothes.”
“ Please, like you’re not going to take off your earrings first before you get to the good stuff.”
“Fair enough.”
T-O-N-G-U-E is Branch's next word, he gets a double word score. Twenty-two points to Poppy's seventeen.
Poppy takes off one earring and huffs, “Branch!”
“ What ?” The male troll drawls the word out on the board, feigning innocence.
“You’re cheating .”
“Am not.”
The pop queen gets a double word score with Z-A. Branch immediately exchanges a letter and misses his turn.
“Come on, Mama wants to see some skin.”
“I bet you do.”
Excruciatingly slow, B6 drags it out, placing his fingers around the ends of his vest digit by digit and lifts. He may have applied some baby oil over his abs to make them pop after a round of 600 crunches and sit ups. He could already see that Poppy is licking her lips.
“Mmm.”
“Like what you see?”
“You know I do.”
“Come over here.”
“Branch.” Poppy rolls her eyes.
“What?”
“This is serious. You need to be taught a lesson.”
“ Oh , why don’t you come over here and teach me then.”
Poppy plays Q-I for eleven points. Branch plays P-H-P-H-T for a triple word score.
“No way that’s a word.”
“It means mild irritation or reluctance. It’s an interjection.”
“You’re a mild irritation.”
“You still love me though.”
“Mmhmm.”
Poppy takes off her tank top, revealing blue lace, Branch's favorite of her brassieres.
“How do you expect me to finish the game now? I can’t concentrate.”
“Sounds like a personal problem to me.”
He plays S-W-E-A-T for eight points. Poppy gets twenty-four points.
Now in only his boxers. Branch makes a half-hearted attempt to conceal the very noticeable tent, but he gives up after Poppy's eyes glue to it.
That's when Branch decides that he’s had enough when Poppy goes to unfasten her bra after he wins his next turn. Branch clears the board of tiles with a swoop of his hand and then he’s reaching for Poppy, pulling her over the top of the table before The Pop Queen can open her mouth to protest at the discarded letters.
“Let’s just say you won. Let me give you your reward.”
"Sounds like a good idea." Poppy replied as Branch leaned over to kiss her as they immediately get down to business.
