<em>'She'd mentioned strip poker?' </em>…...But she'd only meant that as a joke... Beth looked at Vicky, nervous and worried, for goodness sake from the way George was talking about it Vicki might think she'd been trying......  shit...... that was the last thing she wanted to do, she didn't want to upset Vicki for the world.....<br/><br/>She wished for a moment the world would swallow up in a hole of nothingness. The situation made her feel like an embarrassed awkward teenager again, and she hated it.  And it was George again too.... the feelings of insecurity, jealous pain and the hurt longing......<br/><br/>As he explained the game the stronger feelings ebbed away, but they still left her feeling undermined and slightly restless.  She took a sip of her wine, Dutch courage.... to play a game like this....... with these people.....<br/><br/>She couldn't help but visualise them all naked, or partially clothed, and she took a longer deeper swallow, the heat of the wine flushing her cheeks. If this had been happening far away from home, in the anonymity of partying and playing, with those who knew the rules, she would have been the first to say yes.....  so why not now?<br/><br/>Smiling wryly across at her Beth decided She'd leave it to Vicky. If Vicky was OK with the idea she'd play it out, but if Vicky didn't want it she would help her turn the guys mind from it all.  Beth couldn't help a little bit of her old feelings slipping out though as she said dryly, "Do you still play for keeps George... ruthlessly taking walking over your opponents?"<br/><br/>She rolled the wine around in her glass, looking at the flashes of light in the depths of the ruby liquid.  Perhaps stripping off their clothes, getting down to nothing but the people they were underneath, would tear down more barriers than just their clothes.<br/>