We all groaned in unison.

“That’s a sure-fire way to make a fool of yourself,” Frederick said.

“Then it should be easy for you,” Angelique quipped.

Frederick rolled his eyes. “Fine, woman. But wouldn't you much rather play that game where you have to guess the name of a movie or song with pictures?” He pointed at the whiteboard. “That’s what that’s for, right?”

Angelique shook her head. “They wouldn't have had that wipeable thing back then. Charades are much more in keeping with the times.”

I swallowed a mouthful of whiskey, joining in the bullying toward my CEO. “Go on, Frederick. You’re up. Make a fool of yourself.”

Franco laughed while Tess snuggled deeper into my side.

Standing, Frederick proceeded to do exactly what I demanded.

He made an absolute utter fool of himself.

For the next few glasses of alcohol, we laughed at each other’s expense.

And I slowly forgot why I was terrified of surprises.

* * * * *

Midnight chimed in the large grandfather clock in the foyer, clanging through stone walls and architraves, echoing in our alcohol-mellowed bodies.

For the past few hours, we’d drank, joked, humiliated ourselves, and hung out like any normal group of friends. Half-way through the charade skit, while Tess scratched the top of her head and blew bubbles like a monkey, I pressed pause on this magical evening and let myself enjoy such simple but valuable things.

I’d never once played like this.

Innocently played with others without barking orders, running companies, or fighting unfairness on behalf of those who’d suffered so much. Even with Tess, I was still aggressive and overbearing and never just relaxed enough to laugh and be normal.

But this…

This ‘forced upon me’ holiday where my work colleagues and staff became trusted parlour game enthusiasts, I was struck by how beautiful it was. How rare and fucking precious.

For the past fifteen minutes, we’d finished teasing and poking fun and sipped contently on our rapidly depleting reserves of whiskey and wine.

I was inching past tipsy to drunk, but I wasn’t pissed at the lack of motor skills and slight blurriness of my vision. It was nice to be intoxicated and have nowhere to be, no worry to feel, and no one to keep appearances for.

Even in our own home, Tess and I could never let down our walls entirely because we always had guests. Women from rapists and slaves from imprisonment. If they saw us laughing and drinking, it would be a slap in the face of their unhappiness.

Frederick stretched, covering his mouth as he yawned. “We’re getting old if we can barely last past midnight.”

Tess giggled. “Speak for yourself. Suzette and I are years younger than you lot.”

Younger by calendars but not by wisdom. If anything, Tess surpassed me in emotional intelligence and wisdom on a daily basis.

“How about one more game and then we retire?” Frederick asked, reaching once again for the deck of cards.

No one complained. We’d all slipped into acceptance. We’d played Tiddly Winks, Snap Dragon, which ensured Franco singed his eyebrows (a stupidly dangerous game of flaming brandy while trying to scoop raisins from the flammable liquid), Twenty Questions, and the mind-taxing memory game called Elephant Foot Umbrella Stand.

“How about Blind Man’s Bluff?” He held up a card.

“What’s that?” Tess asked.

“Exactly what it says. Someone has to be blindfolded.”

My curiosity piqued at the mention of a blindfold. Anything to do with the resemblance of kink always earned my utmost attention.

Reading the instructions, Frederick replied, “One of us is blindfolded and spun around. The rest of us fan out around the room and take turns to ‘bluff’ push gently—according to the guidelines—the blind man or woman until they can find said victims and catch them. Then they become the blind man and so on.”

“So how do you win?” I ran my thumb around the top of my glass. The game sounded interesting. And thoughts of using a different type of blindfold made my heart hammer. My cock overrode the heaviness of liquor as I became more and more aware of Tess pressed against me.

“Umm.” Frederick flipped the card. “Another version is if the person gets tagged, the blindfolded wearer must correctly figure out who they caught and then they’re out of the game.” His eyes danced around the room. “It does say to play where there are no obstructions so no accidents occur. Perhaps we should—”

“Here is fine.” I stood. The sooner this was over, the sooner I could get Tess into my bed. I had other ideas for a blindfold once we were no longer in company. Turning to my wife, I smirked, “I nominate you, esclave.”

“Me?” Her eyebrows shot to her hairline. “Why me?”

“Because you’ve avoided being the centre of attention most of the night. This is the last game, and all of this was your idea. You’re up.” Hauling her from the chair by her wrist, I manhandled her away from the circle of love-seats. The room was large with open archways and sideboards uniform and neat against the wall. The only things she could trip over were the wingbacks and coffee table.

I could move silently enough that I could keep pace with her, and she’d never know I was there. I’d prevent any accidents.

Franco opened the small box on the table and pulled out a red silk blindfold. Black ribbons dangled on either side ready to secure.

I cleared my throat as my cock grew thicker.