Chapter 43: Truth or Dare?
Nicole's POV
I immediately slapped away his hand that was on my butt, nervously looking around to make sure no one had seen what he just did to me.
Fortunately, the bar was already empty.
Night had completely fallen.
The sea breeze blew on my face, slightly alleviating the irritation in my heart.
Ethan was calling everyone over, quite a few people had already gathered around the bonfire.
I saw Shier in the crowd too.
He seemed very depressed after losing money, sitting alone in a corner drinking, and hadn't come to bother me, which was a relief.
After all, nominally, I was attending this party as his female companion.
Ethan's companion Emily found an empty beer bottle from somewhere.
She sat down next to Ethan, her eyes practically glued to him.
I could tell she was crazy about him.
Emily suggested, "Just drinking and eating is so boring. Why don't we play a game?"
Ethan didn't seem very interested and just nodded perfunctorily.
Both he and Shier had lost badly at the gambling table tonight.
It wasn't just about losing money; more importantly, in that game that belonged to men, they had both been crushed by Hodgson.
Emily didn't care at all though.
She placed the empty bottle in the middle of the sand and said excitedly.
"How about we play spin the bottle? Whoever the bottle points to has to kiss that person."
Her eyes looked at Ethan bright and shining, her admiration completely undisguised.
Clearly this game was aimed at him.
Even Shier was pulled over to join the game circle.
I frowned, feeling somewhat resistant.
There wasn't a single person here I wanted to kiss.
But by the time I wanted to back out, it was too late. Emily was already the first to spin the bottle.
The bottle spun rapidly, and finally, the mouth of the bottle pointed steadily at Ethan.
Emily let out a cheer and didn't hesitate to lean forward, wrapping her arms around Ethan's neck and kissing him.
Although Ethan seemed a bit helpless, he didn't push her away either, generously kissing Emily back.
When it was Hodgson's turn, Molly's eyes were practically glowing.
Her body unconsciously leaned toward him, as if she had already decided the bottle would point to her.
Hodgson casually flicked the bottle.
Everyone's gaze followed the spinning bottle.
The bottle mouth wobbled to a stop, finally pointing at me.
Damn it! Was this some kind of joke?
How could I possibly kiss Hodgson in front of Molly?!
Shier was sitting right there watching too!
Just as I was about to refuse, Molly had already jumped up screaming.
"No! This doesn't count! We have to do it over!"
Ethan commented from the side, "Molly, fair's fair. It's just a game."
"What game! Anyway, it's not happening!" Molly was being unreasonable and didn't seem willing to accept this result.
To avoid spoiling everyone's fun, she changed her tune, "Then let's switch to a different game for this round. Let's do Truth or Dare instead! Nicole, do you choose truth or dare?"
This proposal was much better than kissing. I immediately breathed a sigh of relief and nodded in agreement.
Hodgson had no objections either.
"Truth," I chose the relatively less risky option.
Hodgson looked at me, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.
"Alright then, Nicole, when was your first time for sex?"
Shier had been drinking with his head down throughout the game, but when he heard Hodgson's question, his gaze suddenly fell on me.
I remembered that he and Wendy had been suspecting I had fooled around with someone else on our wedding day and were trying every way to find out who that man was.
Hodgson's question hit right at the heart of his suspicions.
This bastard!
He clearly knew my first time was with him, yet now he deliberately asked this question in front of Shier!
Being stared at by them like this, I could only bite the bullet and answer.
"...On the day of my wedding with Shier."
Shier's face immediately turned very ugly.
I glanced at Hodgson and, as expected, he had a satisfied smile on his face.
He seemed to really enjoy this feeling of only the two of us knowing the secret, and also enjoyed Shier's current awkward expression.
Next was Ethan's turn.
The bottle he spun pointed at Hodgson.
"Hehe!" Ethan rubbed his hands together excitedly. "Finally my turn to ask!"
His gaze moved back and forth between me and Hodgson, obviously wanting to ask some gossipy questions.
Hodgson gave him a light glance.
Ethan immediately shrank back and changed his words.
"Okay, okay, no joking around. Hodgson, who was the last woman you slept with?"
Molly immediately lowered her head shyly when she heard this question.
Her cheeks flushed, and she even stole a glance at Hodgson.
I nervously clenched my fists, my heart beginning to race uncontrollably again.
Hodgson's gaze swept across the faces of us women one by one, and finally, he answered, "That person is among you."
I breathed a huge sigh of relief. At least he hadn't named names.
But Molly thought Hodgson was talking about her, and the blush on her face deepened.
Ethan grumbled dissatisfied, "Fine, I guess that counts as an answer."
The game continued for several more rounds.
The atmosphere gradually became somewhat boring, the barbecue was almost finished, and everyone started getting up to return to the villa.
Just as I went back, Shier rushed out from somewhere and grabbed my arm.
"Nicole! You admitted it, didn't you? On our wedding day, you did go fool around with some wild man!"
He actually had the nerve to question me?
I forcefully shook off his hand and looked at him coldly.
"What else? Should I have said in front of everyone that my fiancé abandoned me on our wedding day and ran off to sleep with my sister?"
Shier was left speechless by my retort, his face instantly turning bright red.
"So what?!" he shouted in embarrassed anger.
"Wendy is ten thousand times better than you!"
I laughed in anger and cursed at him without holding back.
"If you really have the guts, go marry her right now and stop bothering me!"
With that, I turned and strode away without looking back.
Back in my room, I thought about the promise I had made to Hodgson in the restroom this morning.
I rummaged through the closet and found that thong.
After hesitating for a long time, I finally gritted my teeth and put it on.
The bikini had so little fabric it barely covered anything, making me feel very uncomfortable.
I put on a long, light coat to cover myself up a bit.
I took a deep breath and came to Hodgson's door.
I raised my hand, just about to knock, when Molly suddenly appeared around the corner of the hallway.
Seeing me standing at Hodgson's door, she immediately frowned and quickly walked over, her eyes full of vigilance and hostility.
"It's so late. What are you doing looking for Hodgson?"