Quentin suggested ying a game to pass the time.

Naomi promptly pulled out a deck of cards and suggested, "Let''s y spin the

bottle, card edition. I call it the King''s Game."

It was a fairly simple game.

A Joker card and several other numbered cards were to be drawn at the start of

the game. The person who drew the Joker was the King and could give a single

order to anyone with a numbered card to do anything.

It just so happened that most of the people ying were couples.

Stephen and Tessa, Quentin and Naomi, and finally Henry and Samantha.

Sienna, Lester, Marissa, and Torin were the only single folk of the group.

That made things interesting.

Everyone could tell that Lester had feelings for Tessa.

Meanwhile, even a blind man could see that Marissa was in love with Stephen.

Torin and Sienna were scandal-free, at least that was the case for everyone else.

However, Tessa was aware that Torin only decided to attend because of Sienna.

Thus, the game might be a simple one, but it definitely did notck excitement.

The thrill came from the fact that the King could make anyone with a numbered

card do whatever they wanted.

Naomi pulled the Joker card in the first round.

She swept her gaze across the room as a mischievous smile appeared on her

lips. Then, she said gleefully, "Ten of Spades, do 100 push-ups."

"Damn it! How are you so damn lucky?" Quentin eximed in dismay.

Naomi beamed from ear to ear. "Well, I can''t help it. I''m just tuned to you like

that."

Quentin rose to his feet with a resigned sigh. "Wonderful. Fantastic, really. I''d

rather you not be so in tune with me in the future."

Once he was doneining, he dropped to the floor and started working on

his push-ups.

He did 50 in a row without so much as breaking a sweat.

Henry teased with a chuckle, "That''s some nice stamina you got there."

Quentin even had the energy toe up with a witty retort. "Well, my ears would

be filled withints if I didn''t."

Naomi immediately flushed crimson and snapped, "What are you saying? Can it!"

"Yes, ma''am," Quentin replied with a grin.

Sienna couldn''t help but snicker at their interaction.

"Why are youughing?" Naomi

turned to scrutinize Sienna before

saying, "Don''t tell me you

understood what he was implying.

Oh, no. Sienna''s been tainted!"

Sienna giggled and looked away. "Understood what? I have no idea what you''re

on about."

Quentin finished all 100 pushups and straightened himself, only slightly out of

breath.

Then, he opened a bottle of water and said, "Please. This is nothing. I''ve got an

eight-pack. What''s 100 push-ups going to do to me?"

Naomi shot him a re.

Quentin noticed that and said, "Why are you ring at me? Shouldn''t you be the

one who knows best whether I''m bragging about my eight-pack?"

"Why are you still talking?" Naomi cried, her cheeks turning redder at his

Tessa''s mood brightened considerably in the face of their silly antics. She was

content to watch the show while sitting on the sidelines.

Henry drew the Joker card in the second round.

He arched a brow before finally saying with a smile, "Six of Hearts, please kiss

someone in this circle. Naturally, they must be of the opposite sex."

"Woah there!" Quentin eximed in shock. "You''re really going all out, huh? I

really have to hand it to you for doing that."

Henry had a roguish grin on his face. "Isn''t this the whole point of games like

these?"

Quentin guffawed and said, "I wonder just who the Six of Hearts is."

Tessa nced at the card in her hands and let out a sigh of relief. She had gotten

Four of Spades.

Thank God, she wasn''t the chosen one.

Everyone else rxed when they realized they weren''t the unlucky fellow this time

around.

Stephen chuckled softly and calmly disyed his card to the group.

He had gotten the Six of Hearts.

Quentin wriggled his brows suggestively and teased, "My, my. We''ve got a winner!

Shall I guess who''s going to be your pick? Could it be... Tessa?"

The answer was obvious.

The sky was blue, the grass was green, and Stephen was going to kiss Tessa.

Tessa didn''t know if it was because

she had indulged in one too many

sses of alcohol or whether she

was reacting in a fit of bashfulness,

but her cheeks turned a faint tint of

red.

Stephen looked at her and murmured, "Tess, may I kiss you?"

Quentin immediately used the

opportunity to make fun of Stephen

once more, saying, "Why, how

gentlemanly of you, Stephen You''re

even asking for her permission."