“You’re not seeing Sam until it’s time for the ceremony so forget it, Brooke.” Henry teased her. “It’s your last chance to get all those…” her father coughed, sharing a glance to the other married men in the room, “wild oats out.”

“Dad,” Brooke smiled sweetly. “I don’t have any wild oats to sow, remember?”

Henry turned from his daughter’s view and chuckled. “Trust me, you’ll wish you had.” He winked at Sam’s father and both of them began to laugh.

“Okay Pop, whatever you say,” Brooke shrugged, “but you’re not going to scare me.”

“That’s what you say now,” Brian warned. “Just wait.”

Peter held his hands up. “Okay, keep it down. We got more then enough time to get rowdy later.” He flashed his devilish grin. “I thought we’d keep the night to ourselves. You know, learn from the masters here.” He pointed to the four married men in the group. “I thought that they could teach us…uh…I mean you, a lot.” He put his hand on Brooke shoulder and winked, then turned to the masters of marriage. “What do you say guys, got any advice for ol’ Brooke here on the night before her wedding?”

Brooke rolled her eyes and sighed. “Oh, this I have got to hear.”

“Yeah,” Brian shouted out. “Don’t do it.”

“Hey, speak for yourself, Brian. I kind of like being married to Terri,” Rick said with a satisfied smile.

“Yeah right, Brian. I’ve never wanted to do anything more in my entire life.” Brooke’s blue eyes flashed with expectation.

“Well, just wait until the kids come. Then we’ll see what you say,” Brian replied teasingly.

“You know, you are kind of responsible for that, Brian.” Brooke mock glared at her brother-in-law. “I don’t have to worry about any kids just popping in.”

“Okay, simmer down guys,” Peter got in between Brian and Brooke. “Simmer down.” He looked from one to the other until their stoic faces showed signs of delayed grins. “Alright, that’s better.” Peter’s face took on a relieved smile. “Now come on. I’ve got some little games for us to play.”

“Games, Peter?” Rick seemed confused. “Isn’t that what they do at women’s parties?”

Brooke hung her head. “Oh no… I remember how your games go.” She looked up into her longtime friend’s eyes. “Buddy, I’m in trouble, aren’t I?”

The grin on Peter’s face rivaled the one on the Cheshire cat. “Yeah, games. I figured that since Brooke really is a…a…” the man winced as if in severe pain, “…a girl,” he shook off the thought. “We should give her a little taste of that side too.” Peter revived his devilish grin as he wiggled his dark eyebrows. “But with a manly approach to it.” He puffed out his chest and held it there for a few seconds, then looked around the room for approval. “How’s that, guys?”

The woman watched as all eyes slowly turned to her. “Uh-oh…” Brooke said as she slowly sank back down into the chair.

“Here you go, Sam.” Terri handed her the same decoratively wrapped package, again. “I’ll let you start off with mine, now that you’re done showing old Randi there the bathroom.”

“Thank you, but you didn’t have to,” Sam offered as she took the package, seeing the rest of the gifts now spread out on the table in the room. “You all didn’t have to.”

“What, and not welcome you into the sisterhood of married women?” Randi balked, “No way.” The lawyer smiled as she watched Sam start to open the present.

Waiting until Sam’s attention, along with everyone else’s, was fully consumed in the gift, Randi passed the flask of liquor to the woman seated next to her. The silent exchange ended with a nod of Crystal’s head as she tucked the flask into the back of her jeans.

Handing the discarded paper to her sister, Sam took the lid off the box. The shock of what she saw was soon written on her face, as her green eyes grew as big as saucers.

“What’s in it?” C.C. started to get up to see better. “Come on, hold it up, Sam.”

The blonde cleared her throat, as she reached in and delicately held up the very sheer, see-thru nightie. Holding the skimpy looking top up in the air, the tiny thong that it was paired with remained in the box. Sam could already feel the heat of her blush crawling up her neck as the rest of the women voiced their sentiments on the gift.

“Wow! What’s the point of that?” Sarah gawked at the barely there nightwear. “Heck, the way that Brooke is, I bet she rips it right off of you the minute after you put it on.”

“Now, that would be such a waste of a lovely outfit,” Sandy looked over to her young niece with a glare. “I’m sure that Brooke would never do such a thing. She’s a well-mannered girl.” Sandy smiled as she met Mable’s gaze.

“Well, I thought it would add to the…ah…the…” Terri tried to get the heat off of Sarah. “Hey, I saw it and I liked it. Hell,” the pediatrician looked down to her slightly bulging stomach. “I can’t wear it for a while, so I got it for you.”

“Gee, thanks Terri.” Sam snatched the thong from Sarah’s hand and put it back in the box, along with the top. “I’m sure that…that…” she could feel her blush deepening and quickly closed the box, placing it down on the floor next to her chair, “…Brooke…I mean, that we’ll…I’ll enjoy it.”

As the room erupted with cackles of laughter at her slip of the tongue, the young woman brought her hands up to cover her face. The only thought running through Sam’s mind was that she’d die from embarrassment before the night was over.

Peter held up the index card that was in his hand. “Okay, Brooke, first question.” He leaned in toward his friend and whispered, “Now, try to get the right answer, okay?” He watched Brooke take in a deep breath and nod. “Alright, you’re out late…ah…” he looks to the men around him, “working, yeah…and you come home with lipstick on your collar. What do you tell Sam when she sees it?” Peter leaned in closer and cocked his head to hear her answer.

The woman mulled the question over in her mind for only a moment. “I’d tell her one of two things.” Brooke grinned as she started her explanation. “It’s mine…”

The master of ceremonies turned to his married brethren. Seeing no real decision on any of their faces, he turned back to Brooke. “Or?”

“Or…” Brooke smirked with a tiny little giggle. “I’d say, ‘What are you bitching about, Baby? That’s your shade.’ And she’d know it was the truth.” She sat up in the chair, proud of her smart aleck answer. “Sorry, guys, but the only way that any lipstick would end up on my collar would be if it were mine or hers.”

“As if you ever wore lipstick,” Brian quipped, and then looked to his fellow males.

“You’re exactly right, Brian. I don’t.” Her blue eyes shone brightly.

“URP!” Henry let out the loud sounding noise startling his daughter as a pointed a finger came in her direction. “Wrong answer!”

“What…what do you mean, wrong answer?” Brooke blinked, shocked by the judgment that was levied at her. She watched as a shot glass filled with liquor was handed up the ranks from one man to another until her father finally pressed it into her hand. “Oh God…”

“Drink up,” Henry said with a smile on his face.

“Yeah, Brooke,” Samuel stepped forward and slapped her on the back. “Take it like a man.” He winked, and then mimed the action of throwing a drink back.

Letting her eyes roam over the group, Brooke finally focused on the drink in her hand. With a quick, well-practiced motion, she downed the shot and swallowed, feeling the burning sensation go down her throat and into her belly. “Ahh… chilled Southern Comfort, my favorite.” She licked her lips and set the glass on the table off to her side.

Samuel studied the woman before him as he rubbed his chin. “Don’t go getting too comfortable, there’s more to come.” He looked over to Henry and chuckled, then patted her on the shoulder gently.

The dark-haired woman turned toward her father. “So, Dad, if that was the wrong answer, what’s the right one?”

Henry reached for the shot glass, handing it back to Brian for a refill. “Plead insanity. It’s your best shot.”

“Here you go, Sammi. Open mine next.” Crystal pushed a brown paper package across the table towards her cousin.

Sam eyed the paper and laughed. “Thanks, Crystal, or should I wait to see how badly you embarrass me with this?”

“Hey, I am sorry I didn’t have time to wrap it. Heck I just got it in the mail right before Peter picked me up.” The feisty blonde raised her hand to her mouth to hold in a laugh as she watched her cousin examine the very plain brown wrapper, and then cautiously open it.

Seeing the book inside, Sam turned redder than a beet. “Crystal!” Green eyes glared at the woman sitting innocently on the couch. “I can’t believe you did this to me.”

“What is it,” Ida spoke up. “I can’t see.”

Sam reluctantly held the book up with one hand as she covered her face with the other.

“Damn, I left my bifocals at home.” Ida elbowed C.C., “What’s the title?”

The room grew silent as all the women looked to Sam.

“I think that’s your job, Sam. Isn’t that right, Randi?” C.C. pointed out.

“Yeah, she’s right, kiddo.” Randi held in the laughter that wanted to explode from her mouth. “The bride has to answer any questions about the gift.”

Sam brought the book into her view and read the title aloud. “The Kama Sutra of Lesbian Sex.” She hung her head and sighed. “There, are you happy now, Crystal?”

“Hey, how in the hell am I supposed to know what to get the two of you?”

“Oh God, I didn’t even know that they made such a book.” Sam’s blush was getting a deeper shade of red by the minute.

“Neither did I, Sam.” Crystal rose from her seat and took the book from her cousin’s hand, flipping through the pages. “Hmm…maybe we should pass this around.” She handed the book to Randi and moved away from her seat. “Say, Cuz, could you show me where the little girl’s room is?”

“Sure, anything to get out of here while that goes around the room. “Come on, follow me.” Sam rose from her chair and headed down the short hallway.

Before Sam knew what was happening, her cousin pulled her into the bathroom and the door was hastily closed. After producing the flask from the back of her jeans, Crystal opened it and downed a swig.

“Oh, that’s good.” The nurse let out with a little yelp, then offered it to Sam. “Here ya go, Cuz.”

The blonde eyed the familiar looking flask, and then slowly accepted it. Hoisting it to her mouth, Sam took a drink with a very audible gulp. “YUK!” The blonde handed it back to Crystal amid a bevy of gasps and coughs. “Let me guess, Randi let you borrow it?”

“Yeah,” Crystal nodded.

“Just trying to put me at ease, huh?” Sam shook her head and tried to focus on her cousin.

“Huh? No. I just didn’t want to drink alone.” Crystal smiled and took another little nip before sealing it.

“Well, thanks for inviting me, Cuz.” Sam pointed to the flask, losing her balance as she leaned a little too far for her footing.

Preventing the young woman from falling, Crystal steadied her, then opened the door. “Come on, Sam. Let’s go see what the rest of the perverts got you with all those dirty little minds.”

Sam nodded in agreement. “Yeah, let’s go see.”

The tall woman threw her head back as another round of liquor emptied from the shot glass. Smacking her lips, Brooke set the glass down and slid it across the table to the official keeper of the bottle, Rick.

“Okay, that wasn’t so bad. When do the tougher questions start?” Brooke looked to men around her.

“Okay,” Peter shrugged. “Here comes one now.” He shuffled through the cards in his hand, then stopped and began to read what was on it. “You want to go to the big game for the weekend and she doesn’t…do you go, or stay home, doing useless chores that she deems are necessary?”

Blue eyes narrowed as Brooke tapped out a rhythm on the table with her fingertips. “Football, basketball or hockey, which sport?”

Surprised by the question, Peter drew back and looked to the men on either side of him. “Does it matter?”

“Yeah, it does.” Brooke stopped the drumming and looked from one married man to another.

Rick cracked under the pressure as intense blue eyes settled on him. “Come on, Brooke,” he laughed nervously. “It’s a shot of independence. Who cares what the sport is.”

“Hmm…” Brooke sat back in her chair and looked up to the ceiling in deep thought. “A shot of independence or sleeping with my wife that night…” she contemplated her answer while she tapped a finger on her chin. After a long pause, she began to speak. “I guess…” she watched as all of the men leaned forward, their attention hanging on her next phrase. “I guess I’d stay home. Seems to me… that would be the most fun sport of all.” Brooke grinned as she drew in a deep breath, feeling very proud of her answer.