Dean’s very soft lips. Kate’s standing in front of the fire looking adorable in a little red dress with her curly red hair wild around her shoulders. She clutches several envelopes in her hand and asks, “Who’s ready for game night?”
Everyone groans, and she scowls at us before continuing. “Okay, so, as some of you know, I’m launching this new swingers book series, and it’s all going to be based on the swinger lifestyle. I’m still learning a lot, but I have this idea to open a club in my series that’s based around a Swinger Scavenger Hunt where couples have to participate in the game before they get busy. This is why I needed you all to bring a date this weekend.”
Everyone looks around nervously, clearly worried that this trip is turning into something none of us prepared for.
“Relax, you freaks. No one here is swinging.”
“Fucking right, we’re not,” Miles states seriously and hits Kate with a possessive look that leaves no room for interpretation.
Kate winks at him, clearly not the least bit put off by his alpha male moment. “This is just a fun scavenger hunt that you’ll do with your partner…it’s a little sexy…so you could call it foreplay maybe, but hey, what you all do after the game is completely up to you.” She hits Max with a guilty look. “You have a cleaning crew, right Max?”
Max’s jaw drops. “Yes…why?”
“No reason!” Kate chimes brightly and then continues. “Okay, so…rumor is, in the 70s, swingers used to display gnomes on their front lawns to indicate they were open for swinging to their neighbors. Fun, right? What we all thought of as Grandma’s innocent little lawn decoration can actually be a sign of fluid sexers! Ha! Okay…so, every couple will get a custom scavenger hunt sheet. You need to read the clues, collect your gnomes, complete each gnome challenge, and report back here. I’ve staggered and altered all the clues so none of you can follow each other and cheat. And since Norah and Dean didn’t complete the trail today, we decided to shift that big prize Lynsey teased earlier for this challenge. Which means, the first couple to find their five gnomes, wins.”
“It’s a couples’ massage back in Boulder,” Lynsey blurts out excitedly and turns to look at her husband, Josh. “I shouldn’t win because I organized the prize, but screw it, we have a one-year-old, and we need this, right babe?”
Josh laughs. “Whatever you say, Jones.”
Everyone breaks, and I turn serious eyes to Dean. “I don’t have a one-year-old, but I have an ass that feels like it was Mike Tyson’s punching bag, so I need that massage, Dean.”
“Okay,” he says, pinching his lips together to fight back a smile, but it’s completely ineffectual. “Now who’s the competitive one?”
“Look, I’m sorry for sucking on that mountain, but I’m going to make it up to you because this is way more my style.”
“Swinging is your style?”
I reach over and poke him in the ribs. “Scavenger hunts, Dean. Focus here. I was the master of scavenger hunts at the Methodist church camp I attended when I was a kid. I don’t know what Kate’s challenges are going to be exactly, but I think we have a real shot at this.”
Dean nods. “Then let’s do it.”
Kate passes out the envelopes, and everyone retreats to their prospective corners to begin. With shaky hands, I pull out the paper and begin to read. “Find the gnome that gets wet like clockwork. Complete the challenge hidden under the gnome and receive a bonus point.”
I look at Dean, and his brow is furrowed in concentration. “Gets wet once in a while? Like from a shower? Or the pool?”
“Those don’t run on a clock,” I reply, chewing my lip nervously, and then my eyes widen. “A sprinkler!” I look around nervously to see if anyone overheard me.
Everyone seems to be deep in thought on their own questions, so I waffle my fingers through Dean’s and pull him through the living room. “Let’s go read this in our bedroom so we can think,” I state a bit obnoxiously for all to hear.
Dean laughs behind me, and I shoot him a glare. Fucking amateur. Half the battle with scavenger hunts is maintaining a good poker face, so you don’t inspire the pack to speed up.
We bypass our bedroom door and dart out the side entrance onto the veranda. Cool autumn air whips around my exposed thighs, and I shake away the chill. “There’s got to be