âPick a Dare, Flora, itâs your turn.â Tash thrust the shiny, silver gift bag across the bar towards Flora.
Flora had assumed Tash brought the bag along from Chalet Repos because it contained an early wedding present for Holly, or more likely silly âLâ plates or even worseâ¦sheâd heard talk about inflatable costumes.
No such luck.
Even dressing up as an inflatable penis might be preferable to carrying out a dare Tash had made up.
âUm, I donât know ⦠â Flora licked her lips nervously. Looking around at the group she could tell everyone was glad it wasnât their turn. Tashâs wilder streak was enough to make anyone uneasy. She shouldâve known Tash offering to take a hand in organising Hollyâs Hen night was a bad omen.
Really? They were playing some kind of Truth or Dare game? Sheâd played spin the bottle as a teenager. It never ended well.
It might have been better if Hollyâs best friend Pippa had been in charge of the plans. But sheâd only arrived in Verbier this morning. Plus she had lively one-year old Lexie to keep her busy, so she was hardly in a party planning frame of mind.
Take a bunch of emotional girls, add in copious amounts of cocktails and play Truth or Dare⦠What could go wrong?
Thereâd be tears before bedtime. Hopefully not hers.
Her skin prickled with the awareness she was being watched by the other bar customers. It was the third Verbier bar in their bar crawl this evening. The fact they were wearing dresses in a resort town where everyone wore salopettes by day and jeans, albeit designer ones, by night, had already attracted them a fair amount of attention. Holly insisted they dress up, saying she never got a chance to be âgirlyâ nowadays.
âCome on Flora, get on with it.â Sophie giggled, signalling to the barman that they needed more drinks. Her shiny mane of blonde hair and baby blue eyes, coupled with a dress that revealed an impressive cleavage meant theyâd had no trouble getting served.
Feeling self-conscious in her silky blue evening dress, Flora shifted uncomfortably on her barstool and hoped she wasnât going to humiliate herself in public.
Ha! Dream onâ¦
âYou should just be glad you donât have to do the chalet girl initiation thing I went through.â Holly grimaced sympathetically.
âMe too, sheâs right, you should count yourself lucky.â Sophie laughed. âThe initiation was you had to go to Wonderbar, take your bra off and flash the crowd. Although some we could mention fudged it.â
Sophie winked at Holly, smirking but Flora couldnât join in the laughter, panic now rising about what she might have to do. Her face flamed with heat. She hated blushing, always had ever since sheâd been teased at school for her ability to turn scarlet so easily.
âHow do you know I havenât put that Dare in the bag?â Tash winked and practically thrust the shiny silver bag under Floraâs nose.
I am so not taking my bra off and flashing the crowd. No. Not. Not!
âIâd really, rather not. I mean I couldnâtâ¦â She faltered.
Bloody Tash.
Flora caught Hollyâs eye, pleading silently âHelp me.â
âWe wonât make you strip, I promise,â Holly interrupted, placing a hand on Floraâs elbow.
Flora exhaled slowly with relief and smiled gratefully at her boss.
Rescued!
Holly was lovely like that. Not to mention great to work for given sheâd actually been doing the job herself last season and wasnât afraid to muck in when they needed help.
Maybe she was paranoid but it felt like everyone in the packed bar was staring at them. A quick glance confirmed most of them were. Now Flora wished she hadnât worn her high heeled boots and been persuaded into wearing her silky midnight blue dress. Right now she might as well be wearing a sign over her neck saying she was on the pull.
Do I want to be on the pull? It might be a good distraction and I certainly need one of those.
That would probably be the Dare, knowing Tash. Ever since sheâd found out Flora hadnât had sex since coming out of a long-term relationship sheâd been on at her to get back in the game. Or had it been âonâ the game? With Tash you never really knew. She liked to shock people.