"I can't believe you're suggesting we play Truth or Dare! Are you joking? That's a kids' game. said Melissa.
She was always the most vociferous of the group. They were friends, seniors in college, who were spending the week at one of the parents' vacation house. After a lazy day by the pool, they had gathered at night in the family room of the house.
"Why not? We're all sitting around drinking ourselves blind because we're bored. Jill is falling asleep over there. Let's liven things up a little."
That was Harry talking. The male equivalent of Melissa. Making things happen.
"The only purpose of Truth or Dare is to get people naked," replied Melissa. "Aren't we beyond that? Can't you think of something more creative?"
"You've got it all wrong," Harry argued. "Truth or Dare is a sophisticated exploration of people's inner truths. It's a way of getting to know them, with defenses down. You learn things even one's partner might not know. When in everyday life do we ask the hard questions - or challenge someone to do a hard thing?"
"Yeah, hard things, like strip to the waist and shake your breasts," Melissa retorted, perhaps remembering some particularly impolite prior T or D game.
"We're not like that," David said, although in truth he tucked that idea away for a later time. 'Yeah, there may be some skin involved, but it's all in good fun, among friends."
"Tell you what," Harry mediated. "Everyone gets one free pass. If you're uncomfortable with either a Truth or a Dare, you have an escape. And of course, nobody's in handcuffs; you can always flat-out quit the game, although you'll be forever known as a quitter, a yellow-belly, and a wimp. But after your free pass, if you won't answer a question, or don't complete a dare, you lose an article of clothes."
Melissa mumbled, "Well, what do you guys think?" to the other three women. "I guess I'll do it if you will."
"I like naked people," said Margaret, a smile on her lips.
"So long as the guys have to shake their parts too, I'm in" said Jill, with a yawn. (Harry was right -- without something to liven up the night, she was about to drift off to sleep. She never could handle alcohol.)
Robin, the fourth girl, was not at all comfortable with this game. She was the shy one, and she had small breasts, unlike her friends. Her breasts never properly filled a bra. She wanted to keep her clothes on, not out of fear of being ogled, but the opposite. Robin was one of the group, but always hung in the back, so to speak, lacking in self-confidence. She was too timid to say 'no' to the game, if the others were willing.
The guys of course were good with it, so that's how it happened. Eight friends, four guys, four girls, were about to embark on a game of discovery.
"Great," said Harry. "We'll start to my left. Jill, Truth or Dare?"
Jill, in accord with the unwritten law of Truth or Dare, started with "Truth."
"What's your very best sexual experience, and we want names, please." Harry asked.
Jill smiled. It was a pleasant memory.
"It was that time my boyfriend Joe and I went canoeing on the Shawnee River. Heading back, we took a wrong bend in the river and ended up far from the camp ground. It was getting dark, so we pulled ashore to wait for dawn. We had nothing but a blanket with us. The night was cold, there was nothing to do, so we clung to each other for warmth under the blanket. We made love over and over under the stars until morning. We were so tired I'm not sure how we paddled. But it sure was worth it."
"A nice story, Jill, thank you," said Harry. "Billy's turn. T or D? Jill, you ask."
Billy chose Truth. It's always a wait for someone to find the courage to be the first to choose Dare.
"Billy," Jill asked. "What was your worst sexual experience?"
"Whoops, that's a nasty question," said Billy, but without rancor. "Melissa, is it ok if I tell that story about us from freshman year?"
Melissa replied, "Well, now that you've outed me, I guess there will be no peace until they hear it."
Billy smiled. Not everyone knew he and Melissa had once hooked up.
"It was after a football game. My roommate was on the team, and the team always stayed late after a game for the coach to berate them - or as he'd put it, provide guidance. Melissa and I had just started dating. We decided to use that time to get to know each other better. We were butt naked in my dorm room, with me inside her, about to achieve some needed release, when my roommate came in. The coach's son was sick so he had cut the post-game review short. Melissa screamed, threw me off her, grabbed her clothes and ran into the bathroom. Then she fled. I was left there with a raging erection that wouldn't go away for 15 minutes after. Melissa and I never hooked up again. I'm still annoyed."
"You poor soul," commiserated Melissa. "You probably never had sex with anyone after that. Missed your one chance."
There was laughter over the story. As Harry predicted, interesting facts about people were coming out. A sweet game, this Truth or Dare, right?
"OK, it's Margaret's turn."
She turned to Harry. "Truth or Dare, Harry?"
Harry, whose idea this game was, felt obligated to move things along.
"Dare."
Margaret thought for a while.
"Harry, I dare you to grope Billy."
Silence. "You're forcing me to use my free pass, aren't you? You know I won't do guy on guy stuff," said Harry.
"Yup. Your choice."
"OK, I use my pass. No guy stuff please."
It's was Harry's turn, and he was already plotting payback for Margaret. He asked her to choose. She foolishly chose Dare.
"Margaret, I dare you to find out who among the guys is uncircumcised. And you'll be blindfolded, so you have to do it by touch."
"I can do that," said Margaret with a smile.
But Johnny's mouth dropped open. "Hey, is this her dare or ours?"
"Don't get modest on me," Harry retorted. "You'd normally be paying to have this done."
Harry had a point.
A dish towel was tied around Margaret's eye. The guys lined up. Margaret grabbed the first guy and thrust her hand down his trousers. She felt around the tip of the penis, moving her fingers back and forth to detect loose skin. The penis conveniently began to grow with the attention. That made the examination easier.
"Definitely circumcised," she said.
Dave was next; he was hard before she touched him, in anticipation. Margaret massaged the penis, then for good measure, fondled the testicles. "Nope, this one is cut, too." She completed her rounds and accurately identified who was and who wasn't. (The guys confirmed.)
"That was the best dare ever," Margaret smiled. "I'm beginning to like this game."
The risquΓ© nature of the dare, even though no skin had been shown, ignited the group. The "Dare" dam had broken. It was clear where this game was headed.
Dave chose Dare.
"Dave, your dare is to figure out who belongs to which bra. Each lady will place her bra on the table. You will need to assess who is the owner of each garment. If you get it wrong, you lose some clothes."
With Dave's back turned, the women reached under their clothes and removed their bras.
Dave grabbed the first one. It was a heavily padded bra, but still the smallest. That was easy. "This belongs to Robin."
Robin took the bra back in silence. She did not like to acknowledge what didn't require acknowledgment - that she had the smallest chest in the group.
Dave handled the second one, a light blue, medium sized bra, with lace. He couldn't tell from the size which of the remaining three ladies was the owner, but Margaret was wearing a blue blouse. "This is Margaret's," he said, accurately.
The remaining two bras were a dilemma. They seemed comparable. He studied the chests of the two ladies but couldn't tell.
"I need to do some research," he said, as he walked to Melissa and placed his hands on her chest. He made a great show of trying to gauge the size, the heft on each breast, comparing it to the bra in his hand.
Then he went to Jill, and did the same thing.
It was not-very-well-concealed groping, but the ladies were good sports and let him.
"OK, this one belongs to Melissa, and this one to Jill," he declared.
But he got them backwards. And had to relinquish his shirt.
Harry was pleased that his game was going well. Any initial reticence about its sexual nature has slipped away. He refilled everyone's glass with the rum cocktail they were drinking. Alcohol is always an important part of truth or dare.
Next up was Robin.
"I choose Truth," she said.
"Chicken"
"Boo"
She was greeted with derision for choosing the safety of Truth. Or what she thought was safety.
"Robin, how many sex partners have you had?"
Robin hadn't anticipated that, and was stunned. She cast her eyes down. This was not the reaction the group had expected.
"I use my free pass," she said quietly.
There was silence among the group. Clearly Robin was still a virgin. No one had realized it, until then. She was not a beauty, but had a pleasant face. It had to be her lack of self-confidence, and her fixation on the small size of her breasts, that kept her from finding a partner.
Melissa went over to her and gave her a hug. "You're beautiful, Robin," she said. A tear formed in Robin's eye. Then she began to cry.
"I'm not pretty like you girls," she whimpered. "I'm flat chested when all that guys want are big boobs."