"Oh shit," I said, jumping off Bea's bed, "Get up."
Steve rolled off after me, put his newly limp biscuit back in his boxers, and began to suit up, while I rearranged the bedding.
"Stay here," I directed, and made my way down the stairs where Bea was waiting for me.
Her arms were crossed.
"Well? Did you complete the jigsaw puzzle?" she asked, putting her purse on the stairs and her keys on the banister.
"Missed it by that much," I said, pinching my thumb and finger together, "thanks to you! What the hell are you doing back here?"
She avoided my question and headed to the kitchen. I followed.
"You were spying on us and you got turned on," I guessed, "And when we went upstairs out of range of the camera, you just couldn't stand it. Admit it!"
"Don't flatter yourself," she said, "But yeah, I watched; how could I not?" She shrugged. "Work was boring so I took the rest of the day off - thought we could have some fun with 'ol Mr. Smith before you two head out."
"One game?" She winked.
I hesitated.
"Come on friend," she said, elbowing me, "You two getting naked with me watching? He'll be out-of-breath desperate to get you under him. It'll magnify the main event - I promise."
"Alright Bea, one game," I said, jabbing my finger at her, "but at the end of the day, I better get laid."
I've never been able to say no to her.
I fumbled around in my purse and held out my open hand.
She raised her eyebrows.
"So, you're going to dose him with the Dixafailin after all."
"This is the fast acting soluble stuff," I said, "Mycoxafloppin."
And we burst into a muted teeheehee.
We walked back to the foyer and Bea yelled up the stairs.
"Come on down Steve!"
And after a pregnant pause, he appeared, then labored down the very narrow steps, clinging to the rail.
"We were just getting ready to leave," he said, "weren't we Shannon?"
"What's your hurry big fella?" Bea said, looping her arm through his and guiding him into the living room.
I guessed she was taking him the long way round to the kitchen to give me a chance to mortar-and-pestle the Cialis.
"Hey Shannon, grab us a cold one, eh?" she ordered, confirming my suspicion, then she began to introduce Steve to her very large family, frame by frame by frame.
"This is my grandfather and his seven brothers," I heard her say, "They were shoemakers in Germany, but back then, Canada was giving away free farmland in Ontario, so they-"
"I don't want anything to drink, Shannon!" Steve hollered from the living room, interrupting Bea's genealogy lesson, "We need to get going!"
But Bea still had him by the arm and was leading him into the kitchen.
"Have a seat," she said, pressing on his shoulders to coax him onto a barstool, and before he could protest any further, I placed the tainted brew in front of him. I poured two fresh ones and Bea and I clinked glasses.
"Cheers mate," she said, with a stealthy wink.
"Cheers," I replied.
Steve took a small sip of his corrupted craft beer, and Bea began to shuffle a deck of cards.
"So tell us Steve," she said, as she dealt us two face down, "what exactly did you have planned for the day?" She peeked at her cards and I did the same. Steve looked confused but followed our lead.
"Well," he said, "I've asked Lawrence to drive us around Niagara-on-the Lake and stop at some of the nicer wineries for a tasting and... you know... do some special stuff... some romantic stuff... along the way."
Steve blushed and averted his eyes, once again reviewing his cards.
"Been there done that, and recently too," Bea said, as she dealt the flop: 3 cards face up in the middle of the island. "We love Gretzky's place, don't we Shan?" she added and I nodded. "But when's the next time you're going to get a chance to play strip poker with two sexy sexagenarians?"
"Strip poker?!" Steve exclaimed, standing, "We need to go, Shannon. Lawrence has waited long enough."
"Lawrence isn't here," Bea said, her eyes bouncing between the hold in her hand and the flop on the island counter. "I told him to come back in an hour. Relax man, drink up; it's just one game."
Steve lowered onto the stool and stared blankly at me. I gave him an empathetic smile and patted his forearm. He was a sweetheart and simply no match for bossy Bea.
"Shouldn't we ante up?" he asked, unhappily yielding to the changed itinerary.
"We play Bea's rules," I said, "There's no betting; it's strip-or-dare," I hoisted my beer in his direction, encouraging him to ingest the bonerceutical.
"How do you win?" he asked.
"Winning is a subjective term," Bea said, wiping some foam from her chin. "The game's over when all the cards in the deck have been played, and whatever happens after that, well, happens."
Steve drew in his chin and furrowed his brow.
"It doesn't sound like there's any skill involved at all," he said.
"Not much," she said, "But look at it this way: the only thing standing between you and your naked mistress is that flimsy teddy. All you need to do is win one hand, and you can ogle those grand tetons while you and I play out."
I elbowed Steve and giggled, then ran my hand up his thigh and squeezed next to his package. He squirmed.
"Your go, Shannon," she said.
"I fold," I replied, placing my two cards face down and leaning back against the barstool.
"You can fold?" Steve asked, surprised. He turned to Bea. "So, why don't I just fold every hand and watch you two strip?"
"That would make you an asshole," Bea said, "Are you an asshole, Steve?"
And right then I witnessed a slow sweep of determination darkening Steve's eyes and his demeanor. Those eyes now laser focused on the two cards in his hand and the three in front of him.
"I'm in," he said, quietly, raising his gaze to Bea's.
"I'm in as well," she said, and dealt the final two cards. "Three cowboys," she added, displaying her hold.
Steve stared at the cards, perplexed.
"Oh shit," Bea said, "Did I forget to mention that deuces are wild?"
She snuck a wink my way.
"Is there anything else I should know about Bea's rules?" Steve asked, slapping down his cards face up. "Pair of Aces."
Bea cleared the played cards from the island then steepled her fingers as she considered her demand. I knew she wouldn't go after me; she wanted to mess with my mister.
"I'll go easy on ya, Steve, since I didn't tell you about that wild card thing," she said, "Take off your shirt."
Steve was expressionless as he unbuttoned his shirt for the second time that afternoon. He got up and draped it over the back of the barstool.
"Holy shit," Bea said, smirking, as she shuffled the remaining deck, "Just how drunk were you?"
"It's his spirit animal," I said, smiling and rubbing his chest, pretending to pet the beaver's head.
She laughed.
"Just when you think you know someone, eh Shan?"
Steve frowned at Bea and took his seat, raised his glass to his lips, and drank it down to half. I was happy to see no trace of the Cialis in the form of sediment in the bottom, and clearly it had not affected the taste. He was deep in concentration as he considered his two new cards and the three Bea was flipping up in front of us.
"I'm in," I said, looking at the pair of Queens in my hand.
"I'm in too," Steve said.
"Me three," Bea said, then she played the final two cards - another Queen among them.
"Three of a kind," I said, rubbing my hands together gleefully.
Steve frowned and threw his cards face up.
"Two pair," he said.
"Pair of 9s," said Bea, clearing the counter, "What's your pleasure Shannon?"
I raised and lowered my eyebrows at Steve.
"Get naked, lover," I said, and Bea smiled wide and turned her attention to her beer and to my mister.
"What? No," Steve said, "It's just socks this time, then pants next time, and then boxers."
"We play Bea's rules, remember? I can demand whatever I want," I said. "You can take the dare, though, if you feel like beating off in front of us."
Bea attempted, unsuccessfully, to stifle a snort.
Steve stood up in a huff and unzipped, and his pants eased to the floor. He turned and worked his boxers down, then made his way back onto the barstool, his palms providing privacy for his peter and pauls.
I bent over and looked under the island counter at his feet.
"I'm sure you won't mind if I leave my socks on," he said, curtly, "It's cold in here." Then he reached for a nearby tea towel and placed it over his lap.