Ring ring...Anita!

You say, "I pick...ummmm..." You look round the circle.

Melanie looks hopeful, but her quivering looks like a suppressed urge to jump up and down. Martin inclines his beautiful, chiseled-ebony head in your direction. Mark looks down, then tilts his chin up. The other fellows and girls look game. But something in Anita's expression catches you.

"Anita!" you say. "Anita goes first."

"Thank you, John. I'm flattered that you chose me," Anita says, favoring you with a slow blink of her dark eyes. "I have just the thing," she says. She seizes Dan by the earlobe and says, "Now listen!" She moves her lips to his ear and whispers.

Dan's eyebrows go up. He takes Melissa gently by the hand and puts his lips to her ear. Melissa smiles, and you see her thumb circle the palm of Dan's hand.

Melissa puts her hands on Mark's chin and the back of his neck and leans close. Her tightly vested breasts brush his shoulder. She whispers in his ear. His cheeks get a little pinker. She strokes her hands down Mark's front and back and lets him go.

Mark blinks, puts his lips to your ear, and whispers the phrase very softly, so you have to listen closely. You turn to Martin, but he's too tall.

"Martin!" you say, putting a hand on his head. "Down a little, I can't reach." He grins and squats down with his hands on his knees. He looks like one of those what-you-call'em rude little Egyptian statues. Kabiri. Now you have to stoop to reach him. As you bend over to whisper, a loose tress of your hair strikes his face.

"Mmmm," he says. "Nice hair. A little jasmine oil?"

You say, "You're just trying to make me forget! Ready? Listen." You whisper, "Your parents would never have the sophistication to totally enjoy casual sex."

Martin catches your eyes with that intense gaze of his, then nods. He turns to Marcia, but she's looking elsewhere. He traces his forefinger in a little circle on Marcia's hip. She starts, then looks back with a little smile at Martin.

"Oh, our turn then," she says.

"Yes, Marcia," Martin says. "Definitely our turn. Incline to me." Marcia turns her head, and he puts his lips to her ear. Her eyes widen, narrow, then startle wide open. She steps back from Martin. Is Marcia's ear a little moist?

Marcia works her hand into Gordon's and looks up at him. He bends down, eyes looking up as he listens closely. She finishes and leans back. He lets go her hand and says, "Thank you, Marcia. Melanie?"

"Mr. Cole. Gordon? May I whisper something to you first?"

"Not in the game," he says. "But I suppose so." He bends his head down. Melanie steps up on a footstool to bring her lips to his ear and whispers. He glances quickly at his wife. "Perhaps," he says aloud to Melanie. "Here's what I think," he says, and bends to whisper in her ear.

Melanie's eyes sparkle. "Oh, Mr... Gordon!" she says.

"Now to business," he continues. "Here's your message." He whispers in Melanie's ear.

Melanie whispers the message to your dashing partner Mr Doe, who smiles. The front of your husband's slacks show that certain tightness that you always want to help him with. So he's enjoying Anita's friendly buttock rub. And his hand...he's returning the favor. He whispers in Anita's ear to complete the circle. He pulls back, then leans forward and whispers again.

Anita laughs, a delighted look on her face. "Very good! Now understand that the original words are something I heard my mother say at a departmental tea at university, which makes this even better."

Mark coughs with surprise. Marcia giggles helplessly, which sets Melanie off in her own fit of giggles.

Anita takes a breath and says, "Here is what I said: 'Europeans rarely have the sophistication to truly enjoy casual sex.'"

She pauses for effect. "And here is what I heard: 'Your parents want you to have sophistication to enjoy holy, casual sex.'"

Dan smiled, "A worthy sentiment, to be sure."

"Next time, dear," Melissa said, "we should invite your mother and put her words to the test. We love to test things out around here."

"Indeed," Gordon said. "Challenges keep things lively."

Anita says, "I'm afraid that after all the fine talk, she's rather provincial in her way. Mum only fucks the lads at uni."

You glance at Mark. His ears do look rather pink. He's holding his drink in a way that hides his expression.

"Pity," Melissa said. "Oh, I was going to tell you earlier, you have a beautiful navel, Anita. You're charming and we hope to see more of you. Perhaps you would choose the next person?"

"Thank you, Melissa," Anita says. She touches her bare navel and scans the room. Her dark eyes rest on you for a long moment, then glance away. "I'd enjoy a challenge. Gordon?"

"With pleasure," Gordon says. He bends immediately to Melanie's ear and whispers something. Melanie giggles and her face turns red. She can barely keep her voice to a whisper as her red lips meet your husband's ear. He looks back at Gordon, then whispers to Anita. Anita laughs out loud, nips Dan's earlobe, and whispers to him. Dan smirks and whispers to Melissa. Melissa nods, smiles, and whispers to Mark.

Mark looks doubtful, then whispers to you, "Gordon has the biggest one." Ah, THAT's why everyone's in a twist. You repeat it to Martin, who whispers to Marcia, who passes the message to Gordon.

Gordon clears his throat. "The telephone's on the blink, I say. I said, 'Gordon has the biggest one,' and what do I hear? 'No, Martin has the biggest one!' Now, I'd really like to know who's gotten under the covers and looked at my portfolio." He sets his chin out firmly.

"Darling," Melissa says, "Nobody thinks you meant your STOCK portfolio, unless you mean to use rhyming slang."

Melanie holds both hands across her mouth. Her face is bright pink, and her body shakes as she holds in a giggle fit. Anita and Marcia are smiling. The fellows have carefully blank expressions.

"True enough, you've caught me out," Gordon says. "Then it's a challenge!" Hands on hips, he turns to Martin and says, "Sirrah, I accept your gauntlet. Here are my terms: Each of us shall choose an comely and agreeable second to assist. Down with our trousers. Manual help from our seconds to raise our lances. Then we hold them parallel and advance toward each other. The man who touches the tip to the other's body first is judged the winner."

"I accept!" says Martin. "Or rather, I affirm my challenge." He looks at Marcia. "Though I won't own to originating it." Marcia has a bland smile on her face.

You look at Martin and Marcia with narrowed eyes. One of them did it. Unless it was Gordon?

The telephone circle unravels to a clot as people step up to discuss the challenge. You end up a step back from everyone else.

"Now Gordon," Melissa says, "It's early yet, so let's keep things civilised. Let's conduct this little duel in the kitchen. Anyone who wants to sit it out can stay here."

"Or peep round the door!" says Melanie.

"No, dear," Melissa says. "It's in or out."

"I'm mad keen on in AND out, actually," Melanie replies. Her bright pink flush has receded to her nose and cheeks.

Marcia finally speaks up. "Now this is hardly fair," she says, raising her voice. "There are three other fellows in the running, aren't there? YOU two can have your duel, but WE won't know unless we toss the other Pooh sticks into the river. Right?"

Dan gives Marcia a little frown. Doesn't he like being called a Pooh stick? But she smiles and nods energetically at him, and he says, "Well, I guess I wouldn't mind seeing how I measure up."

Mark and your husband look up at Marcia, then glance at each other. They look like they might be up for it.

"Kitchen! Kitchen! Come on, boys!" Melanie says, tossing her blond head and wriggling in her tight dress. "Any of you need a hand getting ready? I'll be your second!"

You feel someone looking at you and glance to the side. Anita is curled up on the corner of the sofa, her dark-lashed eyes gazing at you. When you meet her gaze, she looks down at your skirt, up at your tits, then back to your face. You feel hot all over. Then she makes a little "powdering the nose" gesture and points her chin toward the hall and the bathroom.