Chapter 45
**Tom**
The game continued, each round getting progressively more outrageous. Olivia admitted to skinny dipping in the university fountain. William was dared to do his best striptease (which was hilariously awful). And Natalie confessed to having a threesome with twins.
By the time it circled back to me, I was feeling pleasantly buzzed and significantly less uptight.
"Truth or dare, Tom?" Natalie asked, a wicked glint in her eye.
Maybe it was the whiskey, or I was tired of playing it safe. "Dare," I said, surprising even myself.
A chorus of "ooh"s went around the circle.
Natalie's grin was positively devilish. "I dare you to let Isabella give you a lap dance."
My jaw dropped. "You can't be serious."
"Oh, I'm dead serious," Natalie said. "Unless you're chicken?"
I glared at her. "I am not chicken. I'm a grown man with dignity and—"
"Bawk bawk," Michael chimed in, flapping his arms.
"Real mature, guys," I grumbled.
Isabella stood up, smoothing down her dress. "What do you say, Thomas? Ready to live a little?"
I looked at her, then at the expectant faces of my friends. Oh, what the hell. In for a penny, in for a pound.
"Fine," I said, repositioning myself in the armchair. "Let's get this over with."
Natalie whooped, pulling out her phone. "Oh, this is going on Instagram."
"Don't you dare!" I warned, but then Isabella was there, straddling my lap, and suddenly I couldn't form coherent thoughts.
She started moving to the beat of the music, her body undulating against mine in a way that made my breath catch. Her hands trailed down my chest, unbuttoning my shirt as she went.
"Is this okay?" she whispered, her lips brushing my ear.
I nodded, not trusting my voice.
Isabella's hips ground against mine, and I bit back a groan. Her fingers tangled in my hair, pulling my head back as she leaned in close.
"Still think this is inappropriate, Professor?" she murmured.
I swallowed hard. "Highly," I managed to say.
She laughed, low and sultry. "Good."
The song ended all too soon, and Isabella climbed off my lap with a wink. I sat there, dazed and more than a little aroused, as my friends erupted into cheers and wolf whistles.
"Well," Natalie said, grinning from ear to ear. "I think we can safely say Tom passed that dare with flying colors."
I cleared my throat, trying to regain some semblance of composure. "Right. Well. That was... something."
Isabella blew me a kiss. "Anytime, Professor."
I caught Natalie's eye, and she mouthed, "You're welcome."
I shook my head, laughing despite myself. Some friends I had.
"Alright," I said, straightening my shirt. "Who's next?"
The room erupted in a chorus of "Not me!" and "I'm good!" Apparently, my little lap dance adventure had set the bar a bit too high for comfort.
"Oh, come on," I teased, feeling unexpectedly bold. "Surely someone wants to top that performance?"
Olivia snorted into her drink. "Yeah, no thanks. I don't think any of us can match Isabella's... talents."
Isabella preened at the compliment, looking like the cat who got the cream. Which, considering our earlier kiss and the lap dance, wasn't far from the truth.
"Fine," Natalie huffed, rolling her eyes. "I'll go. But I'm picking truth because there's no way in hell I'm following that act."
The game continued, each round getting progressively more ridiculous as the alcohol flowed freely.
By the time we called it quits, my sides hurt from laughing and my head was pleasantly fuzzy from the whiskey. I stood up, stretching out the kinks in my back from sitting on the floor for so long.
"Well, folks," I announced, glancing at my watch, "it's been fun, but I should probably head out. Some of us have classes to teach in the morning."
A chorus of good-natured boos greeted my statement.
"Party pooper," Natalie teased, throwing a pillow at me.
I caught it easily, tossing it back with a grin. "Hey, someone's got to be the responsible adult here."
"Responsible adult?" Isabella purred, sidling up to me. "After that lap dance? I don't think so, Professor."
I felt my face heat up, memories of her body against mine flashing through my mind. "Yes, well," I coughed, "temporary lapse in judgment. Won't happen again."
"Pity," she murmured, her hand trailing down my arm.
I stepped back, nearly tripping over my own feet in the process. "Right. Well. I should go."
The others started gathering their things, the party winding down now that I'd broken the seal of leaving. We stumbled out into the cool night air, a jumble of tipsy goodbyes, and promises to do this again soon.
I made my way to my car, fumbling with my keys. The world was tilting slightly, the whiskey making itself known now that I was vertical.
"Tom!" Natalie's voice rang out behind me. I turned to see her jogging towards me, cheeks flushed from alcohol and laughter.
"You're not driving, are you?" she asked, eyeing me suspiciously.
I waved my hand dismissively. "I'm fine, Nat. Just a little buzzed."
Natalie's eyes narrowed, her hands on her hips in a pose that reminded me eerily of my mother. "Uh-huh. And I'm the Queen of England. Hand over those keys, mister."
I sighed, knowing better than to argue with Natalie when she got that look in her eye. "Fine, Your Majesty. What do you suggest? I sleep in my car?"
"Don't be dramatic," she rolled her eyes. "I'm booking you a cab."
Before I could protest, she'd whipped out her phone, tapping away furiously. I leaned against my car, resigned to my fate. The world was still spinning slightly, and I had to admit, maybe driving wasn't the best idea.
"There," Natalie said triumphantly. "Your chariot will arrive in ten minutes."
"My hero," I deadpanned, leaning against my car as Natalie pocketed her phone with a self-satisfied smirk.
"Someone's gotta look out for you, you big lug," she retorted, punching my arm playfully.
We stood in comfortable silence, the cool night air sobering me up slightly. Just as I was about to crack about Natalie's mothering tendencies, I spotted a familiar figure sauntering towards us.
Isabella. Of course.
"Well, well," she purred, her hips swaying with each step. "Fancy meeting you two out here."
I gulped, memories of our earlier encounters flashing through my mind. "Isabella, are you heading home?"
She pouted, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. "That was the plan, but my ride seems to have vanished. You wouldn't happen to know anyone who could... give me a lift, would you?"
Her eyes locked onto mine, full of promise and mischief. I opened my mouth, ready to stammer out some excuse, when Natalie beat me to the punch.
"Perfect timing!" she chirped, clapping her hands together. "Tom here is waiting for a cab. You two can share!"
I shot Natalie a look that screamed 'traitor', but she just grinned innocently.
"Oh, how convenient," Isabella practically purred, sidling beside me.
Just then, as if summoned by the gods of inconvenient timing, a cab pulled up to the curb.
"And there's your ride!" Natalie announced, far too cheerfully for my liking. She opened the back door with a flourish. "In you go, you two. Play nice!"
Before I could protest, she'd shoved me unceremoniously into the backseat. Isabella slid in after me, her thigh pressing against mine in the confined space.
"Have fun, kids!" Natalie called out, slamming the door shut with a wink.
The cab pulled away from the curb, leaving Natalie waving like a proud parent sending her kids to prom. I made a mental note to make new friends. Preferably ones who didn't enjoy my discomfort quite so much.
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