Truth or Dare

by Dwayne S. Joseph

  BRB.

  OK.

  Jess leaned forward in her chair, put her elbows on the edge of the dining table, and cradled her head in her hands. “You’re crazy,” she whispered. She closed her eyes and applied pressure to her temples with her palms as she began to furiously bounce on the toes of her right foot.

  She thought about her husband. He had a tattoo on the outside of his left bicep. Words in black ink that read: Quiet Storm. They were words that described Esias’s personality. On the outside he appeared easygoing and calm. He showed emotion, but never went overboard with his display. Those that didn’t truly know him often described him as the one that never lost his cool. Mr. Even-Keeled. Only a select few ever saw the beast that lay dormant beneath Esias’s composed exterior. A beast that when provoked, had the ability to lash out with a fury that would—and did—shock many.

  Quiet storm.

  If Esias knew what she’d done, what she was doing ... A chill crept over her, the thought of his reaction, jarring.

  Put the shoe on the other foot, her conscience said. Put it there and imagine him doing this to you. Think about how you would feel.

  Jess ran her hands through her hair and sighed. She had to stop. She knew it. She pressed her lips together firmly and frowned as she pulled her head back away from her hands and made a move to click out of the messenger, when her cell phone chimed in the special way, alerting her that picture mail had come through.

  For the briefest of moments, she stared at her phone before grabbing it to press a button to stop the chime, which at that moment seemed loud enough to clue her neighbors in on her indiscretion. Her heart, which had already been beating at a rapid, heavy pace, went into overdrive.

  Truth or dare. A game she hadn’t played since her teenage years. A game she had no business playing now.

  Jess swallowed saliva, pressed the OK button to open the mail, and then looked at the picture of a man that belonged on the cover of Ebony magazine.

  “Oh my.”

  She looked from side to side as though someone other than her sleeping girls were around to hear her, and then looked back down at the now very real Jayson Winston. Dark chocolate, with deep-set eyes that appeared to be looking through her. Full, pink-hued lips—lips that she could tell knew how to be used—framed by a full, but well-groomed goatee. High cheekbones, a strong nose untouched from the throes of battle, a muscular jaw. The coup de grâce, a Maxwell-type hairstyle, before Maxwell cut it all off.

  Jess stared at Jayson with her mouth partly open. He looked to be in his late twenties to early thirties, and although he had captured himself from the shoulders up, it was obvious to her that Jayson took very good care of his body.

  “Lord.”

  She looked over to her laptop screen. The words, Still thre? Or did I scare u away? were waiting for her.

  She shook her head, looked at his photograph again, thought about how much better he must look in person, and then typed a response. Still here.And no, u defntly did not scare me away.

  Good 2 knw.

  Ur an ... Jess paused and thought about the safest word to use: attractive man, she finished.

  Thank u.

  And u hve no wife? No girlfriend?

  Nope.

  And ur sure u don’t hve a boyfriend either.

  Told u, I don’t swing on the opp side of the ballpark.

  Lol. OK.

  So ... now we both hve faces 2 go wth the names.

  Yes, we do.

  What’s nxt?

  Jess gave the question some thought, and then answered as honestly as she could, I don’t knw. I’ve never done anything like this bfre.

  Nethr hve I.

  I find tht hard 2 believe.

  U do? Why?

  I don’t knw ... u seem like a pro at this sort of thing.

  No. I’m def not.

  Mmm-hmm Jess typed, pulling the corner of her mouth back and rolling her eyes.

  Seriously. I don’t do ths kind of thing at all. I’m not a chatter.

  OK. So wht made u reach out 2 me?

  I don’ t knw.

  Mmm-hmm.

  4 real. The best explntion I can gve is tht I saw ur name and sort of felt ... complld 2 reach out.

  Compelld? Interesting choice of word.

  Most honest word I cld think of.

  Compelld?

  Compelld. U clled out to me. I reached. And then aftr I saw ur pic ...

  Jayson stopped typing, prompting Jess to probe. Aftr my picture ... wht?

  Sure u wnt me 2 go on?

  Aftr my picture ... wht?

  Aftr ur pic ... I got sucked in.

  Jess smiled, looked at his picture again, and licked her lips. I see.

  So?

  So?

  So ... wht’s nxt?

  I really don’t knw. U tell me. Ur the pro that started ths.

  Lol. True. Well ... technically, since I cmpltd ur dare, it’s now my turn to ask u to choose again.

  Hmm, Jess typed with a sneaky smile.

  Truth or dare?

  Jess’s smile widened. This was so wrong. So very, very wrong. Yet, as wrong as it was, she couldn’t deny the fact that it felt good, and perhaps that was because it was so wrong.

  She and Esias had a good relationship, but everything had become so routine. Wake up, get themselves and the girls dressed, leave, drop them off to school or daycare, go to work, put in long hours, leave work, get the girls, go home, fix and eat dinner, give baths, tuck them in bed, go on the laptop for school, go to bed, sleep, and then wake up and do it all over again. Pecks on the lips between her and Esias occurred in the mornings before parting ways for work, and again in the evenings when they saw each other. Sex happened once, sometimes twice a month. They had the usual stressors any marriage had, but they weren’t unhappy. They were just stuck, waddling through a muck that never changed.

  Routine.

  Talking to Jayson, doing what she was doing, had no place in the life she had, but the fact of the matter was Jess hadn’t felt this alive in a long time. Jayson said she’d left him speechless. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had that effect on someone. Was he lying about not chatting with anyone else, about not sending photographs? Maybe. He did appear to be up front about the things he said. At least so far. But, of course, maybe not was also a possibility. But as she glanced at his picture again, she surmised that lying or not, she didn’t care.

  Battle lost, her conscience fell silent.

  She typed, Truth.

  Chapter 6

  Truth or dare?

  Truth.

  Do u evr think abt, or hve u evr been tempted 2 not b so safe with ur qstns and dares? B honst.

  Jess looked at the question on her screen and bit down on her bottom lip as she thought about how to respond to Jayson’s question. Had she thought about not being safe?

  Had she refrained from asking him another dare because for the past week whenever she’d taken a glance at his picture, she wondered just what it would be like seeing more of him? Had she been playing it safe because the more she found herself looking at him, the more tempted she became to dare him to send another picture showing her just a little more?

  Truth or dare.

  Playing it safe had never been part of the game when she was a teenager. It was never fun that way. Being bold, daring—that was fun; that was why you played. That was the only reason for playing. Jess looked at Jayson’s question. He wanted her to be honest. It was, after all, a requirement. Safe. She thought about it, and as she did, a word came to her mind: Desire.

  She took a breath, poised her fingers above the keys of her laptop, exhaled, and typed.

  Maybe.

  Maybe? Interesting.

  Hve u? Jess asked.

  U wnt the truth?

  Of course.

  But can u handle the truth?

  Lol! Just answr!

  I’ve been tempted evr since I saw ur pic.

  Bumps rose along Jess’s arms. Hve you? sh
e replied.

  W/out qstn.

  How tempted?

  Extrmly. So tempted tht I almost gave in.

  Hmm ... I see.

  Do u?

  I do. What kept u frm asking? Were u scared?

  Ha! Tht’s funny.

  What’s so funny abt tht? U said u’ve been tempted 2 not b safe, yet u always playd it tht way. I figure u must b scared.

  Jess ... believe me when I say ths ... my playng it safe was more 4 ur benefit.

  Mine?

  Most defntly. I didn’t wnt 2 offend u in any way.

  Offended? Why do u think I wld b?

  I can b bold, Jess. With qstns and dares.

  So?

  U might not b ready 4 it.

  I’m grwn.

  Hmm.

  So?

  So.

  So give me a bold question. I dare u.

  Lol. That’s a dangerous dare, sexy. And yes, I did say sexy.

  TY.

  Jess smiled and nibbled down on her bottom lip again. A few days ago her conscience would have been screaming at her, demanding that she cease with the foolishness, that she come to her senses and grow the hell up. But that was a few days ago when she’d been in her right mind; when the voice of rationality was far louder and stronger than that of irresponsibility.

  A few days ago, hell ... a few weeks ago, she would have never thought she’d be eagerly waiting and wanting to refrain from holding back with a man that wasn’t her husband. Of course, the more she thought about it, the more she realized that holding back with Esias was all she had been doing.

  She typed, So ... I’m waiting.

  I’m thnkng.

  Thnkng? I thought u said u were bold.

  Tht’s the prblm. I want to ease u in, so I have 2 b gentle with the 1 st qstn.

  Gentle? Who told u I like it that way?

  Hmm ... so rough is ur prfrnce?

  Jess felt a tingle in between her legs.

  Gentle is nice, but rough can b ... powerfully pleasing.

  I see. Powerfully pleasing. That’s a hell of an answer.

  Was it 2 bold 4 u?

  Lol. Not even close.

  My turn.

  OK. Let’s see what u got.

  Boy ... ur askng 4 it.

  Lol! Yes I am.

  Another gush in between her legs. She grabbed her cell phone, which sat in its usual position off to her side, and pushed one of the buttons, waking it from the sleep mode it had been in. As it did, Jayson’s tantalizing image appeared. She licked her lips. What r u lookng 4 exactly? she typed with one hand.

  What r u willng 2 give?

  Jess’s heart was beating heavily from the excitement of the very wrong thing that was going on. Tht depends, she answered.

  On?

  On how much u can tke.

  O I can tke a lot, Jess. The real qstn is how much can u gve?

  Let’s just say as dormant as things hve been lately ... I hve an overabundance in the well.

  Hmm. Filled 2 the point of ovrflowng?

  Right now ... it’s tricklng over.

  Wow.

  Jess laughed out loud. The sudden outburst caught her by surprise. She quickly clamped her hand over her mouth.

  “Jess?”

  “Dammit,” she whispered.

  She frowned, powered her phone down, and before answering her husband, who’d just called out to her from upstairs, she quickly typed a message to Jayson.

  Hve 2 go. We’ll continue later. In the meantime, I dare u 2 send me a bolder pic.

  She exited out of messenger. She was supposed to be up late trying to remain on solid ground after having finally gotten caught up in her classes. “Yes?”

  “It’s late,” Esias said. “Are you planning on getting any sleep?”

  Jess wanted to go off and tell him to leave her alone and to go back to bed, but how could she when a reaction like that was one he didn’t deserve? She sighed and said, “I was just shutting things down.” She took a glance at her cell. She’d dared Jayson for more. She couldn’t believe it. It was so wrong, but as she shut down her laptop, got up from her chair, clicked off the lights in the dining room, she went to bed eager to see what picture would be waiting for her when she awoke.

  Chapter 7

  Jayson stood stone still as one word came to his mind. Kismet. The way he and Jess met. The ease with which their conversation flowed. The natural progression they’d made. Kismet, meant to be, destiny, soul mates; no matter how you said it, the fact of the matter was he and Jess were perfect for each other. Jayson knew it and felt it in his bones.

  Jess knew it too. That’s why she wanted a bolder picture. She wanted to see what she couldn’t stop thinking about. She wanted to gaze at what she wanted to feel; what she yearned for when they spoke. She was starving and wanted to taste what her stomach growled for. Jayson knew it because he wanted all of those things too. He knew it because they were of like mind.

  Kismet.

  The hairs on his arms rose as his blood flowed and his dick became erect. He’d never felt the connection with the others. He’d never experienced anything so symbiotic. It was powerful, stirring. Without having even consummated their inevitable union, it was sexually thrilling on a level he’d begun to think was impossible to achieve. “Jess,” he whispered. “Jessie. Jessica. Jesssssss.”

  He smiled while his manhood bounced. He put his right hand around his tip and sucked in a short breath. His hands were like ice against his hot skin. He slid his hand down to his shaft and squeezed. Blood pumped rhythmically beneath his palm, the way he wanted to move inside of Jess. In. Out. In. Out. In. Out. Slowly, methodically like Prince’s classically penned ode to a one-time sexual encounter, “Darling Nikki.”

  In. Out.

  Back. Forth.

  Clockwise. Counterclockwise.

  Each thrust deeper than the one before it. Deep enough to hit her core, to reach her soul.

  “Jess,” he sang in a whisper again. “My Jess.”

  Jayson squeezed his shaft harder, making his tip balloon, and reached for his cell phone in front of him. Jess wanted a bolder picture. He smiled again, set his cell to camera mode, held it up at arm’s length at an angle off to his left, to capture his good side. He stared into the lens of his 2.0 mega pixelated camera. His expression was serious, intense, and ruggedly seductive. “Come and get this.” He said that with his eyes, with the setting of his jaw. He squeezed harder on his manhood, and as he did, he pressed the button to capture the bolder picture Jess dared him for.

  And then he heard moaning.

  He stepped out of the bathroom he’d been standing in. It wasn’t his bathroom. It belonged to Rita. She was in his Visual Basics class. She’d wanted him to come and visit her when her husband went away for his weeklong business meeting in New York. Plans had been made for a month now. She lay spread eagle on her bed, naked.

  Jayson walked over to her, his dick bouncing with each step. She moaned again. Jayson grinned. “You want more, don’t you?”

  He sat down on the edge of the bed beside her at her waist and traced his index finger along the length of her thigh. “Are you comfortable? I didn’t tie you up too tightly, did I?”

  He ran his hand down from the middle of her thigh, past her knee, and made his way to her left ankle, which he’d bound to one of the four bedposts with rope. He pulled on the binding, then, satisfied with the job he’d done, stretched to her other ankle, checked the binding there as well, and then reached up and checked the bindings around each wrist holding her to the bedposts as well.

  Rita whimpered and Jayson looked at her. Tears were falling from her swollen, red eyes as she trembled. Blood was trickling down from her nostril; the result of a slap he’d had to give her when she tried to resist what she’d told him she wanted over and over again in their numerous and very explicit chats.

  Jayson didn’t like hitting women. It was something his father used to do to his mother, and he hated that. But he’d had to hit her. He h
ad to calm her down. He caressed her cheek, and as he did, his fingers grazed over duct tape he had pressed down over her mouth.

  “Do you want it again?” he asked. “Is that why you’re crying? Because it was so good?” Rita moaned beneath the tape. Jayson grinned. “OK ... I’ll give it to you again. I’ll fuck you the way you love to be fucked.” Jayson smiled thinly while Rita moaned as tears cascaded down her cheeks.

  Rita’s husband was away on business, but he wasn’t the breadwinner of the family. Rita was with the makeup company she’d started. A company that was worth millions. She had offered Jayson money before he covered her mouth. However much he had wanted, it was his. Just let her go. Jayson had turned the money down though. He wasn’t there for the money. He was there to complete the game they played. It was why he’d flown to California.

  Jayson climbed on top of her. He would fuck her again and again just like she’d dared him to, and then he would leave, knowing that she would never utter a word of his existence to anyone, because he had pictures and chat messages in his phone, and Rita’s reputation was everything to her.

  Chapter 8

  So did u see the pic?

  Jess’s vagina pulsated. Had she seen the picture? She licked her lips, and as she did, her thoughts went back to the moment when, two minutes after she had turned on her cell phone, Jayson’s picture came through. She’d been driving, taking the girls to day care before going into work, and had nearly rear-ended an Infiniti Coupe, as she’d found it nearly impossible to look away from the fulfillment on her dare Jayson had sent.