Surprise Read online

  "Because I thought you'd do the opposite. You're quite contrary tonight, Jane." She smirked at me. "Trust me. For once."

  "I always trust you," I said. "Or I wouldn't be here right now."

  "Pick someone already! Imagine dancing with her. Or him, I guess."

  I looked at the dancers. "Fine. Kennedy."

  Heather didn't say anything for a minute. "All right." She smiled. "Kennedy. She wanted to dance with you, too, so that's perfect."

  "She did not."

  "Of course she did."

  "She's here so you could torture Jessica with her."

  Heather laughed. "That's just a bonus. You would think Jess would get the hint. She'd have better luck hitting on you."

  "Yeah. You know how well I respond to pushy people."

  "You put up with me."

  "Remind me why again?"

  "Because I throw such awesome parties!"

  A minute later, the song ended. Heather grabbed my hand and practically dragged me to Kennedy, arriving at the same time as Jessica.

  "Sorry, Jess," Heather said. "It's the birthday girl's turn. You'll have to wait." Then she practically shoved me into Kennedy's arms.

  I looked up into her eyes. She was smiling down at me, a twinkle in her eye. "I take it we're dancing together."

  "Jane tangos, but you have to lead, Kennedy," Heather said. Then she made a dash for the sound system, interrupting the song that was just starting. "Sorry, everyone," she called out. "We're going to switch it up for a while." A moment later, one of my favorite tango pieces came on.

  "You don't have to dance with me," I said. "I'm sure Jessica would love to tango with you."

  She made a face.

  "I'm not very good," I added.

  She didn't say anything, but she adjusted our stance. I leaned into her lightly. She shifted her weight to make sure we were both on the same foot, and then she stepped forward.

  She was a good lead, and Heather was right to make me dance. I loosened up a little then leaned my head forward so my forehead was touching Kennedy's cheek, one more point of contact. I closed my eyes and relaxed, listening to her body lead me through the song.

  "Thank you," I whispered.

  "Ending the tanda already?" she asked. In tango, it is traditional to say "thank you" when you're done dancing with someone.

  "Oh. No. Sorry. Just... this feels nice."

  "It does, doesn't it? Why am I lucky enough to get your first dance?"

  "Heather told me to pick someone. I thought you would be kind."

  We made it halfway around the room before she asked, "What do you mean?"

  "Most people who are as perfect as you tend to be superior about it. You're not."

  "I'm hardly perfect, Jane."

  "You know what I mean though, don't you?"

  "Yes," she said after a moment. "Thank you for the compliment. I was hoping to dance with you. I wanted Heather to make a rule that you had to dance with anyone who asked, but she turned it the other way around."

  "Oh, god," I said. "Reese and Liv wouldn't have left me alone. What is with those two?" They were both very butch, and they could be very nice, but they loved teasing me. I didn't understand it.

  Kennedy paused for a moment before answering. "You should ask them sometime."

  We didn't talk after that, but I had three nice dances with Kennedy. Heather ended the set of tango music and announced, "I'm going to play a slow song, and then it's time for a game."

  I tried to pull away from Kennedy, but she said, "Will you let me have this dance? If I let you go, Jessica is going to be here in about three seconds flat. Save me!"

  I laughed and let her keep me. I melted against her, and then for the next three minutes, we slowly swayed together. I hadn't slow-danced with anyone in a long time. It felt nice, and when it was over, we thanked each other.

  "Jane," she said to me quietly, "if I ask you to dance later-"

  "I'd like that," I said.

  "Good." She hugged me for a moment before releasing me.

  "All right," Heather said. "It's time for our first game. Other games we'll let everyone play, but for this first game, only some of us will play. So first, we have to see who gets to play."

  At that moment, Clare rolled a cart from Heather's office. There were four purses on the cart along with a bowl. Three of the purses were locked closed with a shiny brass padlock. The fourth sat open. Heather smiled at me, and I wondered whether I was going to like this game. Clare rolled the cart to Heather and stepped back, joining the rest of us watching to see what Heather had come up with.

  Heather smiled at us. "Each of these bags is locked." She picked up the bowl and pointed it to us. "The keys are in here along with just enough extra keys there is either a bag or key for everyone here." She set the bowl down and then peered into the open purse. "The contents of each purse are identical. To pick partners, we'll each come up and select either a bag or key." She looked at me. "You get a bag."

  I smiled and nodded.

  "Those with keys will try to unlock the bags. If you unlock a bag, then you are partners."

  From the unlocked bag, she pulled out a sheet of paper. "This has your starting location. Once you have a partner, retreat to your starting location." She pulled out a smaller bag from the larger one. "This is for the key holder. The bag holder will put on everything else." And then she pulled out a mask, the sort that fit over your entire head, leaving only a hole for your mouth.

  "Oh no!" said Reese. "I am going for Jane's key."

  "You won't know what else there is until you open your bag," Heather said. She put everything back into the bag, locked it, then dropped the key into the bowl and mixed the keys around for a moment. "I'll explain the rest once the contestants are ready."

  Then she held out a bag to me. I accepted it after offering a pointedly dirty look. She leaned forward and said, "I promise, if you get into this, it will be fun. If not, you can take it out on me during the next game."

  I stepped back, and then Erica asked, "Who goes next?"

  "Jane picks."

  "They can decide if they want a bag or key?" I asked.

  "Until the bags are all gone. Or maybe everyone will take a key and the last three are stuck with bags."

  "All right," I said. "If the day of your birth is a prime number, line up here."

  "What's a prime number?" Hayden asked.

  "2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, and 31," Ike said. Ike was a math geek. He looked over at me and grinned. "A third of us." He stepped to the front of the line I had created. Soon we had six people in line, and there were only three more bags.

  "If you want a key," I said, "you may take one." Five of them, including Ike, took keys. Molly was left, and so she took a bag.

  It took a few minutes to pass everything out. I kept trying to come up with weird ways to pick the order. Kennedy had taken a key, and when it was Jessica's turn, she took the final bag. Everyone else had keys.

  Then Heather said, "Those with bags, move apart a little. Everyone else, see if your key matches anyone."

  I ended up partnered with one of the women I didn't even know. "I'm Cristina," she said. "You're Jane. I'm pleased to meet you." We shook hands.

  I studied her. She was attractive, with shoulder-length, blond hair and lovely, blue eyes. She was dressed in a conservative white blouse and blue skirt, and I saw she had dance shoes on. Her makeup was tasteful, and gold glittered at her neck and ears.

  "Don't take this the wrong way, but why are you at my birthday party?"

  "I'm part of the entertainment," she said. "And don't ask; I am not allowed to tell you."

  "Am I going to enjoy it?"

  She laughed. "People pay me. I don't know you well enough to guess about you. So-" she shrugged. "Maybe."

  Then I held open the bag. She looked in, found the note, and read it. "The green chair," it said. We looked around. The dance studio had seating arrangements for people here and there. One of the arrangements includ
ed a comfortable, plump, green chair. We moved to it and she said, "I think you're supposed to sit while I put these things on you." I sat and she took the bag from me, looking into it. She laughed then looked up.

  "You have to decide. Do you want the hood first or last?"

  "Last." I wanted to see what was coming.

  "All right." She set the bag down on a nearby coffee table, reached in, and when her hand emerged, there was a set of handcuffs dangling from it.

  "What kind of game is this?" I asked. "Handcuffs and a bondage mask?"

  "I don't think it's that kind of game," Cristina said. "Stick 'em out."

  I sighed and held out my wrists. Cristina was gentle while she locked the cuffs in place. She kept them as loose as she could but tested to make sure I couldn't slip out of them. Next was a single ear bud attached a small radio. She put the ear bud in my left ear, turned on the radio, and clipped it to my belt.

  "I can't hear a thing." I reached down and fiddled with the volume, but all I heard was a faint hiss, even at the loudest volume. I turned it down halfway.

  Next was a thick pair of mittens. Cristina pulled them up, and there was Velcro to pull them tight around my wrists, just before the handcuffs.

  "Your friend is very weird," Cristina said.

  "Tell me there aren't any leg shackles in there."

  She looked inside and pulled out leg shackles.

  "Seriously?" I asked. "I don't think so."

  "I don't know you very well, Jane," Cristina said, "and Heather only slightly better. But she doesn't strike me as someone who bluffs. Rule seven..." Rule seven said I had to participate in the planned activities. Then she gestured. Molly was already wearing her shackles, and Roy was fitting Jessica for hers. I sighed and stuck out my legs for her. When she was done, I would be able to shuffle around, but I wouldn't be walking normally.

  The hood was last. Cristina examined it for a moment then removed the party hat before tugging the hood down, working it carefully into place. When she was done, I couldn't see even a glimmer of light, but I could breathe, even through my nose if I wanted. The ear bud pulled loose, but she slipped her fingers under the hood and reinserted the bud. The hat went back on. I'm sure I looked absolutely ridiculous.

  "Comfy?"

  "Yeah. Totally. I can't see a thing."

  "I am pretty sure that's the idea. Now it's my turn." I listened carefully, but I had no idea what was in her little bag. But then I heard noise through the ear bud, and a moment later, she spoke. "Can you hear me?"

  "Yes."

  "Through the radio?"

  "Yes, but it's a little quiet." She adjusted my radio until I was happy with the volume.

  "This is a very complicated game," I said.

  "Nervous?" Cristina asked.

  "My heart is pounding. I really don't think I'm going to like this."

  "Give it a chance."

  "All right," Heather said a minute later. "I see our contestants look ready. Leaders, help your followers to stand." I held out my hands, and Cristina pulled me to my feet. "This is a scavenger hunt. Each leader has a list of the items to find. Leaders, you may sit or stand, but you must maintain contact with your chair. And you must speak quietly. There is a penalty for being overheard."

  Cristina spoke very quietly. "Can you hear me?"

  "Turn it up a little more."

  She did, and we found a new, comfortable volume. "How's that?"

  "You have an amazing voice," I said. "I could listen to it for hours." She did. It was low and sultry but not at all scratchy.

  "Thank you," she whispered.

  "All right," said Heather. "We're playing for points. You get a point for each item you find. Some of the items you must move to another location. Other items must be given to the leader." She grinned. "And you may move someone else's items. If someone moves one of your items, followers may collect it again and give it to the leader, so an item can be stolen only once. Questions so far?"

  I shook my head. No one had any questions.

  "If a follower bumps into any of the other people, except another follower, then the person she bumps into can steal the item the follower is carrying. The person who stole it can then do whatever she wants with it, but the follower's leader must be able to see what has been done so she can later direct the follower to retrieve it again."

  There were chuckles at that.

  "There are five points for the first to finish, three for second, then two, then one for last. Ready, go!"

  "Jane," Cristina said quietly. "We're going to work carefully. Don't rush. Don't worry about anyone else. Take two steps forward."

  It was difficult to trust her, but I did what she said. She carefully directed me across the room, finally saying, "Stop. Immediately in front of you is a table. Don't do anything until I tell you to go. There is an unlit candle on the table, but it is surrounded by tall vases with flowers. We lose points if you knock over a vase. Reach out with your hands very slowly until you find the table."

  I did that.

  "Okay, step just a tiny bit to your right but keep your hands there. I can't quite see. Good. Set your wrists on the table." I did that. "Okay, slide both hands forward slowly until I say stop." I inched them forward, careful to not rock the table, splaying my hands a little while I did so. "Stop. One inch in front of your right hand is a vase." I moved my wrists very slightly right. "Good. Forward. More. More. Wrap your fingers around it."

  I closed my hands, feeling a vase through the mittens.

  "Damn Heather," I muttered. The mittens made it very difficult to feel anything.

  "Okay, Jane. Can you shift that vase four inches left?"

  I worked carefully, moving the vase blindly. Then she had me move the one towards the right. "Good. Now it's a clear path to the candle. Bring your hands to the left. More. More. Forward. Two inches. One inch. Grab it."

  I found the candle and then she directed me away from the table. "Okay, hide the candle so no one can see you have it."

  It was a small votive candle, and I hid it easily.

  "Good. Turn around. A little more. Walk forward five steps. One more. Inch to the left. Good. You're facing a gap between two people. Step forward. Step. Step. Step. Good. Turn right a little ways. A little more. Step. Step." She brought me to a stop another half dozen steps later. "Okay, two tiny baby steps more."

  What size steps did she think I could make in the shackles? I could sense someone in front of me, but I did what Cristina told me. She had one of those voices I could trust.

  "Good. There's a woman directly in front of you, very close. Ask her to take the candle from you but not let anyone see."

  "Would you take this candle from me?" I asked. "But don't let anyone see I gave it to you."

  "Sure, Jane," said Heather. She cupped her hands around mine, and I gave her the candle. "Having fun?"

  "Cristina has an amazing voice."

  "I know!" Heather said. "I could listen to her for hours."

  "That's what I said!"

  There were ten items on the list. Once, I bumped into Ike, and he stole a ribbon from me. Later, I had to untie it from Roy's neck. That was a challenge with the mittens.

  A minute later, Cristina said, "Molly just moved the book. Nod if you want to get even." I nodded vigorously. "One of the guys has a ribbon. It was Molly's. Turn left. More. More..." She walked me right up to Ike.

  "Ah, we meet again," he said.

  "The ribbon is around his right wrist," Cristina whispered into my ear.

  "Ike, would you hold out your right wrist, please."

  He laughed and set his wrist into my waiting hands. I stole the ribbon. I was lucky Molly hadn't tied it tighter.

  "She tied it there, so I bet it's supposed to be there. So I think you should drop it and ask him to step on it."

  I did that, and Ike laughed again. I heard a little shuffling.

  "Good," Cristina said. "It's visible, but she'll have to bend over to get it, which might be difficult while shack
led, especially while wearing those mittens."

  The game lasted perhaps twenty minutes. Some of the items were easy, and Cristina could move me around the perimeter of the room to hand them to her. Others took more time. Then she said, "That's the last item, and you give it to me." Then I heard Jessica cheering.

  "Don't worry about that. I had you move one of her items. Andrew and Molly each moved one more. Come left. Step. Step. Left. Step."

  I walked right into her arms. She hugged me.

  "Do I get to take all this off now?"

  "I don't think so. Here, sit down." She helped me into the chair, and we talked quietly while waiting for the last two teams.

  Andrew and Kennedy were last to finish. Jessica and Clare came in first, so they got their five points, but they lost three points for items that were out of place. Jessica glared at Clare for not noticing, but Clare just shrugged.

  Because Cristina had noticed when the book was moved, we managed to collect all our items. And so we beat Jessica's team by one point. Everyone had one of her items moved, and sometimes they were noticed, sometimes they weren't. In the end, Andrew and Kennedy were third, Molly and Reese fourth.

  "All right!" Heather said. "Any follower who wants the hood removed must ask the leader for a kiss." That generated raucous laughter. Cristina gave me a chaste peck and then removed my hood from me. A moment later, Heather handed out keys for the hand and ankle cuffs, and everyone but Molly were released.

  I held up my hand. "Isn't it really Reese's fault they came in last?"

  "I believe it is." And a moment later, Reese was giving me a dirty look after Cristina and Kennedy fitted her with handcuffs and shackles. I shrugged and grinned at her. She pointed a finger at me then made spanking motions.

  Yikes.

  I'd forgotten about the birthday spankings that were due me.

  "We'll remove those at the start of the next game, but for now, you're stuck with 'em," Heather said. "Winning team, come on up and pick your prizes. Now, some prizes are opened immediately. Some you keep and open later. I have baskets for everyone to store things." She pointed to a set of cubbies, each with a basket, each basket with a name. Normally they were used for her students to toss things during classes.