I want to be as thrilled as he is for tonight but my stomach is tied in knots. All I can think about is someone asking him a really important question and him getting it wrong. I had thought about canceling tonight a bunch of times, but I don’t want to ruin everyone’s night. They are all looking forward to this. I should be too, really. The kids are both spending the night with Drew’s parents, and everyone else has managed to get sitters as well. We don’t have to worry about bedtimes or cranky kids or anything being lit on fire. We are free to do whatever we want, for however long we wanted to.
The doorbell rings just as I hear Drew and Jackson coming back down the stairs. I run to the door and fling it open to see all four of our friends standing there, each with a bottle of liquor in their hands.
“We come baring gifts,” Carter says with a laugh as I hold the door open for them.
“I just want to let everyone know that Liz and I are so totally going to win this thing. We have to win this thing. It’s a matter of life and death,” Jim says seriously as he sets his bottle of whiskey down on the coffee table in the living room where I’ve set out some snacks and a bunch of glasses.
“There’s no way you’re winning this. Claire and I have been quizzing each other since this morning. We’ve got this in the bag,” Carter argues with Jim, setting his bottle of vodka next to the whiskey.
Jim turns and puts his hands on Carter’s shoulders and looks him in the eye.
“For the love of God, man, you have to let us win this,” Jim pleads.
“Why the hell is he being so dramatic,” Claire asks Liz softly.
Liz lets out a huge sigh as she hands me her bottle of wine.
“I made the mistake of telling him that if we win, I’ll give him anal. I was kind of joking at the time because he doesn’t want to play the game, and I was trying to get him in the mood for it. I may have gone a little overboard,” she explains as we watch Jim run over to Drew and get down on his knees in front of him.
“Drew, please, listen to reason. I’m begging you, don’t let us lose. Oh God, I can’t lose!” he wails.
“Hey, asshole, while you’re down there…” Drew says with a laugh.
Jim clenches his fist and punches him right in the nuts and Drew goes down on his knees, holding his crotch.
“Alright, ladies and gentlemen, my name is Jackson and I will be your host for this evening,” Jackson says with a grin while I grab Drew’s arm and help him stand up.
“Um, Jackson, everyone already knows who you are. Remember?” I whisper to him.
“Pay no attention to the woman behind the curtain,” Claire says with a laugh as she takes a sip of the wine she's poured for herself.
“I’m not behind a curtain. Is this part of the game?” I ask in confusion.
“Anyway, I’m going to start by taking the ladies into another room and asking them a series of questions. They will write their answers on these pieces of poster board,” Jackson explains, holding up a stack of white, heavy duty cardboard and a couple of black markers. “Then I’ll do the same with the guys. Everyone will keep their answers in a stack, face down on their laps. We’ll do ladies first, so the women will be answering the questions for the first round. Each couple will get five points for each correct answer. The couple with the most points at the end of the game will be crowned The Best Couple in all the Land.”
This seems complicated and Jim is so excited he’s bouncing up and down in his chair. He wants to win this as bad as I do. I can’t even bribe Drew with anal like Liz did. That ship sailed a long time ago.
“Okay, ladies. Grab your glasses and follow me. Boys, start getting liquored up so you have a fighting chance,” Jackson says as he turns and heads into the kitchen.
“Hey, sweetie, do you want a nipple for that drink?” Liz asks Jim with a secret smile.
“You were never to speak of that again!” he complains, throwing his hands up in the air.
“What is he talking about?” Claire asks Liz as they make their way to the kitchen.
“If he pisses me off tonight, I’ll let you know,” she tells Liz, throwing Jim a warning look over his shoulder.
“Fuck, even if we win I’m not getting anal. This sucks,” Jim complains, pouring himself a healthy glass of whiskey.
I let go of Drew’s arm and start to follow when he suddenly wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me back against his chest. He leans his head over my shoulder from behind, and with his free hand, swipes my hair off of my shoulder.
“Let’s kick some ass, baby,” he whispers against the side of my neck before pressing his lips to my collarbone. He holds them there for several seconds, letting his tongue snake out to taste my skin before pulling his mouth away from me.