Brad looked at the girl in astonishment. She was in her early twenties, very pretty and, at that moment, looking shocked at what she had just asked him. They were in a busy bar, he didn't know her and she had just asked him one of the strangest and most provocative questions he could imagine coming from a stranger. "Are you serious?" he questioned.
"Yes." She swallowed. "It's a dare. I was dared by my friends to come over and ask you." She indicated a group of girls in their early twenties who were looking over at them, giggling themselves silly and shuffling out of his gaze.
"Look, I'm sorry. I should've told them I wouldn't do it." She avoided his eyed and started to turn away.
Brad caught her arm gently and stopped her. "It's okay. I know all about dares." He smiled warmly at her and let go of her arm. "So," he lowered his voice so that his friends couldn't hear him, "they dared you to come over here and ask if you could hold my... penis while I take a pee?"
She nodded, still uncomfortable with the notion.
"What's the forfeit if you didn't ask?" Brad asked.
"First one to back away from a dare has to buy drinks all night." She swallowed. "I, er, I really can't afford that this week. So, I... well, I came and asked. I'm sorry."
"Don't be." Brad laughed slightly. "It's okay. I'd probably do the same in your shoes." Her features softened as he smiled at her. She had a lovely face, small nose, big eyes and a mouth that smiled easily. Her hair was black and just long enough to show some natural waves, and her slim figure was hugged in a dark red sleeveless dress. Brad thought there was something familiar about her but couldn't put his finger on it. Eventually he figured she was just someone he had seen around town.
"So, because you've asked, does that mean you've avoided the forfeit?"
She shook her head and looked at him through squinting eyes. It was obvious this was not the most comfortable thing she'd ever done, even though Brad was trying to put her at ease.
"Well, you can't go back to them and pay for their drinks all night, that wouldn't be fair." He glanced over at her friends, all of them looking slightly inebriated, which she didn't at all. "You want me to go and have a word with them?"
"No. No," she urged. "It's okay, I'm a big girl. I can handle it."
She neither looked all that big nor ready to take the knocks as Brad looked down into her lost puppy eyes. He sighed as he wondered how to help her out. He knew there was one obvious way, but searched his imagination for another before he made the offer. "Look, rather than you get stiffed paying for their drinks, why don't we just do what they want? I don't mind, it's no big deal for me. I'm Brad by the way." He offered her his hand.
She shook his hand and said meekly, "Gemma." She looked at his face while she considered his words. "You'd do that for me? You wouldn't mind?"
"Sure," he smiled, "it's not a big deal." Looking around the crowded bar swiftly, he bent towards her and said, "I don't know where we'd go though. Not like we can just walk into the washroom, is it?"
Gemma nodded in agreement and looked around also. "I know. I didn't think for one minute we'd get as far as actually needing somewhere to go."
Brad's lips pursed and his teeth pulled on them as he thought through his options. It was almost with a sigh that he said, "It doesn't have to be right here does it? We can leave the building can't we?"
Gemma thought for a few seconds, then shook her head slowly. "The dare was to get you to let me. No one said anything about where. Have you got an idea?"
Brad explained that his office was only two blocks away. He had a key. "There won't be anyone else there at this time of night though, so I'd understand if you'd rather not. Hell, we'll just walk into the washrooms here and go for it if we have to." He laughed. It was a challenge to him now.
"It's okay." Gemma's lips smiled thoughtfully, appreciating his effort and attitude. "We can go there."
"Nice bunch of friends you've got there." Brad made some conversation as they walked to his office. "Are they always like that, or was this a special treat for you tonight?"
"They're my older sister's friends really," she explained. "They thought it was pretty funny that I didn't have much money and they wanted to have a few laughs at my expense I guess. I didn't think it was very fair but they've had a lot more to drink than I have."
When they got to the door of the offices, Brad unlocked it and held it open for Gemma to enter the reception area. As he locked the door again she stood and looked slightly nervous. "Look," he offered, "I'm sure you can go back now and tell them you did it. I'll back you up and they'll never know anything different."
"It's okay. I'll go through with it. It was my dare after all. And anyway," she half-smirked at him, "now that we're here, away from them, I'm kinda curious, you know?"