Aubrey (Axis Rising)

014:

         

*****014:

A rousing game of charades, then another rousing game of Murder. Then the kids went to bed and Aubrey, bless her pea picking little heart, decided to introduce us to adult Truth or Dare.

"In my family, there is a game we play called Truth or Dare." She began.

"Played it." Mutt called out, nuzzling his beer and his girl at the same time. Aubrey ignored him.

"The rules are these: You pick a truth or a dare, the last person to have done one successfully gets to issue it. You either do it or you face the consequences."

"What are the consequences?" Bertie Langdon slurred, she was sitting by Ben, and Ben was comfortably caressing her bikini clad back. I could see where this might be going, and was disappointed I had invited her. Wasn't trying to corrupt the kid. Just get him some female attention, maybe they'd hit it off better than I thought.

"You tell me. In my family we play this on top of our houseboats and if you don't comply you have to jump off."

"Whoa! Well, there's always cliff jumping." Someone said. The firelight flickered and the smoke blew in some faces.

"Not everyone can do that." I indicated my pregnant wife.

"Okay. How about if you wig out you have to strip and do a naughty pole dance for the rest of us."

I thought Aubrey would amend that suggestion, but she simply looked around the group. "Is that your choice?" Ben asked her, eyes narrowed as he continued to caress Bertie.

"It doesn't matter to me. I've never failed at either a truth or a dare."

"How dirty are the dirty dares allowed to be?" Anna called, as Levi sat with her between his legs, also caressing her familiarly. I was surprised, because he wasn't planning to marry her, but they had shared a tent last night. Whatever. I'm not his judge.

"It's up to you. I say nothing carnal or lewd." Aubrey announced. "Vote?"

I raised my hand high. "Nothing carnal or lewd."

"I don't even know what those words mean." Jeff laughed. Justine slapped his shoulder playfully.

"All in favor?" Aubrey called out and they all raised their hands. "Okay then. The vote also determines what is too lewd or too carnal, meaning raunchy. Right?"

We all raised our hands again, laughing.

"Since Rafe invited us here, and Rafe paid for it. I say Rafe gets to go first." Aubrey suggested with a wicked gleam in her eye. I took that very seriously and leaned forward looking around the assembled while rubbing my hands together. I was sitting on the ground on my jacket, it wasn't a cold night, and Aubrey sat in her canvas folding chair behind me. I finally looked upside down at her and said, "Truth or dare?"

"Dare!" She said instantly.

I pretended to think hard, while our group sat forward awaiting my dare. I was bad at this. My mind went blank. "Okay, stand up and pound your chest like a gorilla for one minute."

Aubrey's brows lowered. "That's all you got?" She pushed herself up heavily and then shook out her hands, cracked her neck to the left and then the right and then scaring us all, she hunched over, started jumping and bouncing and scratching her armpits yelling "hoo hoo ha ha!" as she circled the group, getting in everybody's faces, really hamming it up. I am glad I picked her and such an easy dare right off, it set the tone. Ben was using his stopwatch to count down her time, and she really bounced and hollered and scratched her pits.