"Dare," Tony said, staring Abby down.

"Oooh," Abby said, grinning. She leaned over the table. "Are you trying to hide something from me?"

"Something like what?" Tony said. He plucked a maraschino cherry from her fruity drink and popped it in his mouth, ostentatiously pulling the stem off as he held the cherry between his teeth. Then he leaned forward. "I said dare. Dare away. I dare you to dare me."

"I dare you--to bring me the entire container of marachino cherries, over there on the bar." Abby pointed. "And you don't get any of them. Not one."

"That'll teach me," Tony said. "You got it. I'll be right back. With cherries." He pointed at Kate. "And I choose...you. You're up next, little girl, and don't think you can get out of it."

Kate watched Tony head for the bar. "And--yes--he's caught the bartender's eye. I will bet you that he'll get the cherries, her phone number, and a free drink."

"No bet," Abby said, twirling her straw in her drink. "You know, it was a fun dare, but I think I'm done with drinks that require little umbrellas." She plucked it out of the drink and tossed it onto the table. "Back to Coke for me. Do you want this?"

Kate took the proffered drink. "Pina coladas are classic," she said. "They're like the little black dress of drinks--always appropriate."

"Too sweet," Abby opined. "Notice Tony always goes for dare. Never once, when I ask him, does he go for truth."

"Cop out," Kate said.

Abby nodded vigorously. "Exactly." She turned to Tim, who had turned around and was watching Tony's negotiation for the cherries. "McGee, could you pretty please get me a Coke? I will give you five dollars, and you will bring me change." She fumbled in her purse. They'd met at, of all places, a TGI Friday's, where they'd gone for a bite to eat when they'd gotten off work. They were still at Friday's, six hours later.

"Nah, I've got it," Tim said. He folded Abby's hand around the five-dollar bill she extended to him. "You can owe me one," he said, and slid out of the booth. They'd given up trying to get the server to bring them drinks. The one who had served them dinner had gone off shift, and their replacement didn't seem to be in the mood to actually do any work.

"Nice," Abby said, propping her head on a hand and gazing after him. "He's so nice."

"What's he like in bed?" Kate asked, hoping to trick Abby into revealing something. Something was definitely going on between them, but Abby wouldn't give.

"Ah, you'll have to do better than that," Abby said. "You'll have to say 'truth' first. Here. Let me put this in your hair."

"Truth or dare, double dare, promise to repeat," Kate chanted. She held still as Abby slid her drink's umbrella, which she'd been idly twirling, behind Kate's ear. "God, it's like being in junior high again. Say 'truth,' and then tell me what Tim is like in bed."

"Truth," Abby said obediently. "And I have never fucked him in a bed, so I cannot truthfully answer your question."

Kate set the virgin pina colada down and wiped the ice from her top lip. "You are so bad," she said, ridiculously pleased at Abby's answer. She could just imagine. Did Abby fuck Tim on the floor? In the bathroom? On the dining room table? In a coffin? In a room especially equipped with odd sex toys? Or was it her way of saying she and Tim had never slept together?

Abby sighed. "Not really," she said. "But thank you for saying so."

"So where have you--"

"No no no no," Abby interrupted. "You had your truth question, and I answered it. It's not my fault it isn't the answer you wanted." She pointed at Kate. "The little umbrella looks good on you. Your hair is such a pretty color--so dark."

"Your hair is pretty and dark too," Kate said as Abby smoothed it. It felt good, being petted.

Abby settled her arm around Kate. "But I dye mine. It's just kind of boring blah light brown. Although I was platinum in high school. Very Madonna vogue. Sometimes I did the marcelle thing."

"Wow," Kate said. She could actually picture it. She narrowed her eyes at Abby. "Are you flirting with me to make Tony hot?"

"Yes," Abby admitted. "He's watching us. And he was playing footsie with me before."

Kate cleared her throat. "Actually, that was me," she lied.

"Really?"

Kate gave her a direct stare. Abby was convinced. "Really."

"Huh." Abby leaned in. "My turn. Truth or dare, double dare, promise to repeat?"

"I'm up already," Kate protested. "Tony's got me next."

"Aw, Kate, come on." Abby hopped in her seat.

"Okay. Because you gave me a drink. Promise to repeat."

Abby sat tall as she pondered. "I think you need to tell Tony that you've always wanted him," she decided. "That his eyes are like--like limpid pools in the moonlight. That his manly physique makes you want to jump him. Something along those lines. Riff on that. But you have to promise to repeat the limpid pools."

Kate looked at Abby with dismay. Tony would have a field day. The hell of it was, he did have great eyes, and she had pondered his manly physique more than once. But no matter how easy he was on the eyes, she couldn't put up with his incredibly irritating personality--his chauvinism, his juvenile sense of humor, his inability to settle down, his lack of focus in his personal life. Every time her mind drifted to thoughts of her in a clinch with Tony, his innate hotness warred with his innate annoyingness and destroyed all her pleasure. But it wasn't like she could complain today about Tony's juvenile behavior when she was playing truth or dare in a TGI Friday's.

"Okay," Kate said. "But I'm going to get you back."

"Good." Abby smiled up at Tony as he set down a container of cherries. "Thank you, Tony," she said, removing her arm from around Kate. "Just what I always wanted."

Tony extended his hand and then dramatically opened it, revealing a bunch of little green- and yellow-colored plastic swords. "Gail said to use these for the cherries," he said. "Don't touch them with your fingers. It's not sanitary. I think she thinks that we're going to bring them back in a minute. I let her think that."

Kate chose a sword. "Who's Gail? The bartender?"

"Yes. Gail the bartender. She has a master's degree in French and swims to work out. She tends bar on weekends to pay back her student loans. Apparently teaching French doesn't pay very well. She's a Scorpio at heart. She drives a hybrid." Tony sat down. "And she's meeting me after she gets off work, so we can go get coffee." He checked his watch. "So I have...um...three hours to kill."

Kate cleared her throat. "Before you head off into the sunset with Gail, I have to tell you something, Tony. Something that I've needed to get off my chest for a long, long time now."

"Oh?" Tony said, fussing with the plastic container of cherries.

Kate gently clasped his wrist. When he looked at her, eyebrows raised quizzically, she said, "Tony, I can't hide it any more. I've always been attracted to you--your body, your hot, tight ass, the way your hair does that--that thing." Her imagination briefly failed her, but Tony didn't seem to notice. He gazed at her steadily, eyebrows still raised. She plowed on, striving to make it good. "Your eyes--your eyes are like limpid pools in the moonlight. When you smile at me, I melt inside. When you stare at my breasts, I want to rip off my top and show you everything I've got, in the hope that you'll throw me down and ravish me." She tightened her grip. "Come home with me tonight, Tony. Let me show you how I feel. I want your hands on me, your mouth--all over me. Everywhere."

There was an electric silence as Tony, unmoving, stared at her. Then he opened his mouth.

"Wow," Abby murmured.

"Truth or dare, Kate," Tony said, as though Kate hadn't spoken. "Truth or dare, double dare, promise to repeat. What'll it be?"

"Dare," Kate said, without a pause. She speared a cherry and held Tony's eyes as she brought it to her lips.

"You guys are no fun," Abby complained. "Oh, wait, wait, here's McGee."

"What have I missed?" Tim asked, sliding in next to Tony. He pushed a Coke with a lime wedge over to Abby, who saluted him with a little plastic sword before taking a sip.

"Oh, you so don't want to know," Kate said.

"Your name came up when it was just us girls," Abby said. "But our little secret is safe, McGee, so don't fret."

"Great," Tim said, smiling nervously. "Just...great."

"I am about to dare Kate," Tony said. "And I dare you to...to kiss Abby."

Kate had seen that one coming since Abby had started playing with her hair. "What, again?" Kate asked, adjusting her umbrella, which was poking her in the temple. "You ask that every time we play this stupid game. Fun-filled game. Sorry, Abby. You want to up the ante?"

"Double dare?" Tony asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Oh yeah," Tim said.

"Double dare," Kate confirmed.

Tony pointed at her with his sword. "Double dare, then. A kiss. With Abby. And make it good. Make it porno good. Make it better than that pathetic 'limpid pools in the moonlight' line."

"Limpid pools in the moonlight?" Tim asked. "What?"

"Tony's eyes," Abby stage-whispered, and to Kate's amusement, Tim said, "Oh, yeah, right," as though that made sense, and nodded.

"Okay then," Kate said. "Abby, are you okay with that? Because if you're not, then I'm afraid Tony and Tim here will just have to be disappointed."

"I'm up for it," Abby said.

"All right, then." Revenge would be nice. Now she could get Abby back for that promise to repeat. She slid her cardigan off, revealing a tight white tank top, and pushed her hair over to one side. "Now, you gentlemen just let me know if you can't see," she ordered as she straddled a surprised but not unwilling Abby.

"Um--" McGee started, but he shut up when Tony warned, "Probie."

"Your eyes are like limpid pools in the moonlight," Kate said, putting her soul into it. "Your, uh, womanly physique makes you want to jump you."

"Just kiss me already, before Tony finishes all my drink," Abby said.

"Ready?" Kate asked, coming in close. Abby was wearing very dark red lipstick, almost black, as usual.

"I was born ready," Abby said boldly, and Kate leaned down and kissed her.

She'd kissed Abby before in previous versions of the game, on other nights, but they'd never gone beyond silly, and they'd never gone beyond a mere hint of tongue, more for effect than anything, so she knew what to expect. Abby would shut her eyes--like she was doing now--and she would open her mouth--like she was doing now, and their tongues would brush. After that, they usually stopped. But this time, Kate didn't pull back. Kate was always the one to pull back, to end it, and she wasn't going to do that this time. Abby would tell when she was done being kissed, and until she got the signal from Abby, Kate would keep on kissing her. She settled herself more firmly on Abby's lap as she gently nibbled on Abby's lip, surprised at how good it felt. It was because they were such good friends. It wasn't scary at all. It was sensuous and warm and...nice. Very nice.

"Mmm," Abby said contentedly.

"Mmm," Kate said back, sliding her hands around Abby's head to support it, because she didn't want to stop touching Abby's lips with her own.

"Jesus," she heard Tony say, but she wasn't really paying attention, because Abby's tongue was sumptuously playing with hers, sly and sweet. Kate wasn't at all surprised when she felt Abby's hands on her ass, pulling her a little closer, or when one hand wandered up to slide under her top. She'd said to Tony, "I want your hands on me, your mouth--all over me. Everywhere." Now, as she kissed Abby, she thought of what they could do together, if she brought Abby home with her. Abby's mouth would start where it was, and then it would move lower--oh, like that, down her jaw, over to her ear--Abby would ravish her with her mouth, would suckle her breasts, her belly, working her way down until her mouth touched her--touched her between--

She couldn't think that. She wrenched her head back, pulling her ear out of Abby's mouth, and put her mouth back on Abby's. Kidding, she'd been kidding, and now she didn't want to stop, because she'd trusted Abby and so she'd let herself go, and now Abby's hand traced small circles on her ass, she felt herself growing wet, her nipples were hard, and when she moved, she could feel Abby's breasts, soft and yielding and unfamiliar. She had thought she would stop when Abby told her to, but Abby wasn't going to tell her to.

"Uh, guys," McGee said loudly. Abby responded by sliding her hand further up Kate's shirt, sending shivers of warmth through her, and Kate increased the pressure, kissing harder, tongue sliding more aggressively against Abby's, because McGee was going to make them stop and she didn't want to stop, not when she'd just started.

"Jesus," Tony said again.

"Abby," McGee said, and Abby's eyes opened just as Kate's did.

Kate sat back and gently touched Abby's lips, wiping away smudges, and Abby slid her hand down and out from under Kate's top and rested both hands on her ass. Abby smiled at her, but it wasn't Abby's usual smile. Her eyes were heavy-lidded and dark. Her smile echoed the invitation Abby whispered next: "Come home with me. Let's ditch the boys. Girls' night out."

Kate shivered, because Abby wasn't kidding. This wasn't truth or dare. This wasn't a game. Abby wanted her. Abby wanted to strip her clothes off and make love to her in some place that was not a bed--the floor, the bathroom, the dining room table, a coffin. Abby had been waiting for Kate to stop, just as Kate had been waiting for Abby to stop. And they'd stopped together. That was a good way to begin. She panted slightly as Abby held her eyes. She felt out of breath, as if she'd been running. Abby would remove Kate's clothes, piece by piece, and kiss. Ear, breasts, belly, and lower, between her legs, and her mind wouldn't let her go there, despite the simple physical pleasure of touch, despite the fact that Abby would never, ever deliberately hurt her.

"I can't," Kate said, because she literally couldn't, and she swung off Abby's lap back to her spot, brushing her hair back.

"That was--that was--" Tim stuttered, looking from Abby to Kate, then back to Abby. He looked more like a deer caught in headlights than a jealous lover.

"Game over," Tony said, fanning himself with a coaster. "Because no one can top that." He ostentatiously checked his watch. "Three hours until Gail gets off, make it three hours, fifteen minutes until I get off--"

"Oh, grow up, Tony," Kate snapped.

"Give me a minute. I need a minute to recover," Abby said, holding up a hand to refuse a speared maraschino cherry that Tony extended to her. "You can't just kiss Kate and then...move on. You have to...to savor it. Relive it."

"Oh, I'll be reliving it all right," Tony said, and Kate, intensely irritated, kicked him. "Ow! Sorry!"

"You are not." Kate indicated Abby. "What if she and I were dating? Would we be doing that to amuse you?" She wiped her mouth with a napkin. She felt like she had butterflies in her stomach.

Tony pointed out, "But you were doing that to amuse me. And I'm pretty sure you're straight."

"What about me?" Abby said.

"You, I'm not so sure about."

"Oooh, I'm ambiguous," Abby said.

Kate forced herself to smile and banter. When Abby didn't join her when she made a bathroom run, she knew Abby was upset. Stupid juvenile games, stupid juvenile coworkers, and stupid juvenile Kate--herself--for playing along with them. The thing that made truth or dare fun was the truth part, when someone surprised you with a bit of knowledge. She'd thought that flirting with Abby was fun, a way to poke at Tony and get Tim at the same time, but truth or dare had surprised her with the knowledge that if she just said the word, Abby would go to bed with her. No kidding, no being silly, no "let's tease the boys," but for real. And that desire was a private thing, a thing Tony and Tim shouldn't see, just like whatever Abby did, or didn't do, with Tim was a private thing. Kate felt ashamed now for asking about it.

The maraschino cherries were almost gone when Gail, the bartender, came over. "I need my cherries back," she announced. "Are we still on, handsome? I'll be ready in five."

"We are absolutely on, beautiful," Tony responded.

"There's an all-night coffee place around the corner," she said. "But you guys, tell me about Tony. Am I safe with him?"

"No," Kate said, just as Abby said, "God no," and Tim said, "Absolutely not."

"Just what I like to hear," Gail said, reaching over for the cherries. "What's his best point?"

"He has a steady job," Kate said cautiously, when no one else responded.

"And of course, his eyes are like limpid pools in the moonlight. Everyone says so." Abby snagged one last cherry. "Even McGee here. In fact, he's often the most vocal about Tony's eyes."

Gail laughed. "That's the first thing I noticed about him," she said. "Tony, I'll be around back."

Tony watched her depart. "I like her," he announced. "I wonder if she speaks French in bed?"

"Keep us posted," Kate said, sliding out of the booth. She'd stopped drinking a few hours ago so she could drive home. She opened their bill and poked through the receipts. "Okay, this is my credit card. This is yours, Tony. Abby, you were a cash girl. Do you need change? No? And Tim, you worked it out with Tony so you're good."

"It's raining," Tim observed, peering out of the window. They were the last ones in the restaurant. "Give me your car keys, Abby. I'll bring it around."

Abby handed them over, and Tim left after giving Kate a quick hug.

"I'm outta here, ladies," Tony said. "Wish me luck. And thanks for the, uh, the inspiration."

"Yeah," Kate said. She was still mad at him, because being mad at him was better than being mad at herself. "See you Monday." She slid her purse over her shoulder. "You okay, Abby?"

"Yeah," Abby said, chipper as always.

"I'll wait with you in the foyer until Tim comes by," Kate offered. "Maybe he can give me a lift to my car."

"Thanks."

Kate followed Abby to the entrance. It was pouring out, rain pounding down, bouncing off black pavement. Kate leaned against the outer door but didn't push it open. "I'm sorry, Abby," she said. She knew she didn't have to tell Abby what she was talking about. "I'm not--I just can't. I don't know what I thought. I'm an idiot."

"Oh, Kate," Abby said, and she sounded so forlorn that Kate had to blink back tears. "I love you." She said it like it was a fact, not as a declaration.

"I know that," Kate said. "I love you too." She couldn't bear it if she had ruined their friendship tonight.

"If you change your mind--if you decide you can--" Abby said. Kate, realizing what she was saying, spoke over her: "I don't think I'll ever be able to--it's not you, it's me--I thought I wanted--but I can't."

They both fell silent at the same time.

"Not won't. Can't," Kate whispered.

"McGee's here," Abby said. "Do you want a ride to your car?"

"No," Kate said. She reached out and clasped Abby's hand. "I meant it, that kiss," she said.

She thought she saw Abby smile in the dark. "Good," she said, and she pushed the door open and ran out.

Kate watched Abby open the passenger door and get in. Then she turned and went back into the restaurant, deserted except for a few employees who were cleaning off the tables and putting chairs up. The sound of a vacuum droned. Their booth hadn't been cleaned yet. The black folder that held their bill was still there, and the little plastic swords that they'd fenced with were scattered all over the table top, along with maraschino cherry stems.

The little umbrella had fallen into the crack of the seat. Kate opened it and smoothed the paper. It was gaudy and bright and cheerful. The dark red along the edge exactly matched Abby's lipstick. Kate tucked it behind her ear and ran to her car in the rain.