Roger smiled. “Okay.”  

He crawled around behind her and pressed his knees into the floor against Rachel’s ass and gently started to work her shoulders. His strong fingers dug into her deltoids while his thumbs gripped the back of the same muscle and gently ground it together. He started gently. Then, slowly, worked in more strength. He worked his fingers along the top of her shoulder towards her neck. He gently gripped the sides of her neck and slid his thumbs along her spine as he winked at Sarah.  

He leaned down and blew cool air against the center of the back of Rachel's neck as he applied stronger pressure.  

Sarah clutched her mouth as Rachel’s eyes immediately fluttered shut with a soft moan. “Ohhh my GOD,” Sarah whispered, “he’s got the magic hands!”  

They all watched as Rachel slumped forward slightly as Roger continued to work her neck, her earlier bravado completely crumbling.  

Sarah turned to Briana, “Pay up, I told you he wasn’t bluffing!”  

Sarah giggled as Briana grudgingly took a shot of punch. “Rachel,” Sarah chortled, “babe, you look like you’re about to pass out.”    

Taylor leaned in to stage-whisper, “Should we leave you two alone with the scented candles?”  

Rachel managed a weak middle finger but did not open her eyes, her shoulder visibly loosening under Roger’s touch.   

“Okay,” Briana declared, “new sleepover rule” - pointed at Roger - “You’re now our official tension reliever.”  

Sarah grinned as Taylor started fanning Rachel dramatically with a magazine.  

“Spin the bottle’s gonna be WILD tonight if this is just the warm-up.” Sarah laughed as she wiggled her eyebrows. “Soo... truth or dare round four? Or shall we skip to the part where Rachel begs you to move downstairs to her apartment?”   

Sarah ducked as Rachel blindly swatted in her direction, her face flushed.   

“What?” Sarah asked, “I’m just saying!”  

Sarah laughed and stole Briana’s drink to take a sip.  

“If you can make her this useless with just shoulders, imagine what you could do with...”  

Briana clapped a hand over Taylor’s mouth. Taylor pulled back laughing. “Okay. Okay. PG-13!”  

Briana grinned and nudged Roger’s foot with her toe. “Well? Ready for your next challenge, or are you busy being our new favorite masseur”  

Rachel finally sank face-first into the carpet and mumbled, "Don't stop." 

Everyone started laughing. 

Roger moved both of his hands to one shoulder and continued to work the muscles gently. He slid one hand under her armpit and pressed her shoulder back against his other hand as he gently worked the muscles of her upper back. He slowly slid his hands off and gently patted her on the shoulder before whispering, “Better?”  

Sarah started humming the wedding march as Rachel buried her face in a pillow. 

Roger turned and looked at Briana with a smile. “Let’s go truth this time.”  

Biana grinned like the Cheshire cat as Rachel  bonelessly moaned against the pillow, her face still flushed. “Ohhh, someone’s in looove-” Briana dodged Rachel’s half-hearted swat and scooted closer to Roger, resting her chin in her hands.  

“Alright, truth time: What’s the most ’not safe for work’ thing you’ve ever done at a sleepover?”   

Sarah wiggled her eyebrows, “And don’t say ‘gave a life-changing shoulder massage,’ because we’re all” she pointedly looked at Rachel. “Very aware of that now.”  

Taylor started dramatically fanning herself while Sarah pretended to make a pile of throw pillows.  

“C’mon, spill! I once played strip poker with my cousin’s Pokémon cards, so the bar is,” Briana waved her hand, “underground.”  

 Roger blushed. “Would you believe me if I told you this is the first sleepover I’ve been to in... ten years? I wouldn’t have done anything ‘not safe for work’ ten years ago.”  

Sarah gasped dramatically, nearly spilling her drink. “No WAY – you've been sleepover-deprived for a DECADE?” She clutched her chest like she’d been wounded.  

“This is a CRIME.” Briana turned to the girls with wide eyes. “We’ve got to make up for lost time, stat.”  

Taylor grinned and scooted closer to Roger, poking his knee. “Okay, emergency truth follow-up: What’s the wildest thing you wish would happen at a sleepover?”  

Briana added in, with a suggestive wink, “Oooh, maybe we could realize one of your most cherished fantasies tonight." 

Rachel sat up abruptly and threw her pillow at Briana, who caught it, as she laughed. 

Sarah wiggled her eyebrows as Briana started miming exaggerated kissy faces. “And don’t say ‘nail art’, because Taylor’s already claimed your fingers.”  

Sarah ducked as Taylor flicked a cotton ball at her. “What? I’m just saying!”   

Briana leaned in, her voice dropped to a whisper, “Rachel’s still recovering from your magic hands, so...” She trailed off meaningfully as Rachel weakly groaned.  

“C’mon, give us the fantasy! Unless...” Taylor gasped. “You’re secretly hoping Briana makes good on that lap dance dare later?”  

Briana immediately started rolling up her sleeves while Rachel chucked another gummy worm at Taylor’s head.  

“Are you asking me what I want to happen tonight, or what I would have wanted ten years ago? Cause, babe, those are two very different things...” Roger said coyly.  

Sarah grinned wickedly and leaned in so close he could smell the vanilla of her lip gloss. “Ohhh, someone’s playing with fire tonight.”  

Briana twirled a strand of hair around her finger. “Let’s hear both – what would baby past-you have wanted, and what does current scandalous-you hope happens before we pass out in a glittery pile at 4 am?”  

Rachel glanced over with renewed interest while Briana started dramatically fanning herself with a magazine. “C’mon, we’re all,” she gestured vaguely, “emotionally invested now.”  

Rachel whispered, “And if you say, ‘spin the bottle,’ I’ve already got the empty schnapps bottle warming up.”  

Sarah giggled and nudged his foot with hers. “So? Spill! Unless...” Sarah wiggled her eyebrows, “You’re saving those fantasies for when Rachel’s fully recovered from your magic fingers...”  

Sarah ducked as Rachel chucked a pillow directly at her face.  

Roger laughed. “Ten years ago? I’d probably have been excited to stay up all night playing video games.”  

He sat back and looked at the four of them. “But tonight... my wishes have gone very NSFW. Not sure I can say it out loud.”  

Sarah clapped her hands over her mouth with a scandalized gasp. “Ohhh, now you HAVE to tell us -” Briana whirled to face the girls. “-he’s blushing harder than Rachel during that massage!”   

Sarah grinned as Briana immediately started chanting, “SPILL IT!” While Taylor fanned herself with a nail file.  

“C’mon, we’re all adults here...” Sarah leaned in, her voice dropping to a whisper. “Unless you’re imagining something so wild it’d make Briana’s ‘kiss the cook’ apron look tame.”  

Rachel leans in, still flushed but now intensely curious. “And I hope you are not going to say, 'get a massage from us’, because it would be woefully inadequate after what you just did.'" 

Roger snapped his fingers, “Well damn, there goes one fantasy!" 

He glanced at Rachel, blushed, “Not really.” All four girls looked at him with wide eyes. 

“Okay. Okay. Compromise: write it down and we’ll add it to the dare pile for later.” Rachel winked and produced a sticky note from her pajama pocket. “No judgment! Unless it involves Taylor’s bedazzler -” Taylor immediately hugged her toolkit protectively. “- then we might need a safety waiver.”  

Rachel giggled and nudged the note towards Roger. “So? Give us the tea, or do we have to start guessing?”  

Briana opened her mouth, but Sarah slapped a hand over it. “NOPE, we all know your guesses involve whipped cream and handcuffs.”  

Sarah leaned in, eyes sparkling. “C’mon... how bad could it be?” She whispered, “Unless you wanna whisper it just to me... and watch me dramatically gasp for the girls?”  

Rachel immediately chucked another pillow at Sarah’s head.  

Roger took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, his blush extending out to the tips of his ears. 

Sarah laughed. “What could have your face so red, you look like Rudolph’s nose?” 

 “Let’s just say it would include the loss of clothes... and leave it at that...”  

Taylor clutched her chest dramatically, nearly falling over backward into Briana’s lap. “Oh my GOD, he’s already mentally undressing us,” Taylor whispered, “this sleepover just got upgraded to explicit.”  

Sarah grinned as Rachel fanned herself with a pillow and Briana started untying her robe sash “accidentally.”  

Briana leaned in, eyes sparkling. “Soo... ever played spin the bottle for real stakes, or are we about to corrupt you tonight?” 

Roger raised one eyebrow. “Well...” 

“Okay. Okay. New plan: We’re playing spin the bottle NEXT, and every time it lands on you," Sarah pointed at Roger, “clothes come off.”  

Briana wiggled her eyebrows. “House rules say you can’t complain when you’re the only one getting stripped, though.”  

Taylor gasped and dropped her topcoat again. “Whoops,” Sarah leaned in conspiratorially, “Unless... you wanna make it interesting and dare us to lose layers too?” ‘ 

Roger nodded, eagerly. “Of course.” 

Briana immediately whooped and started rolling up her sleeves while Rachel hid her face in her hands. “C’mon, Picasso, you started this,” Sarah gestured to his glittery nails. “You can’t drop ‘loss of clothes’ and expect us NOT to pounce.” Sarah whispered, “Literally.”  

Sarah ducked as Rachel chucked another gummy worm at her head. “What? Don’t tell me you don’t want to ‘pounce!’”  

Sarah grinned and stole Briana’s shot of punch to take a sip. “Soo... ‘spin the bottle’? Or shall we skip to the part where Taylor bedazzles your, ahem, ‘bottle-spinning hand’?”  

Taylor cackled maniacally and shook her glitter pen.  

Roger laughed, took a breath, and spoke softly. “Hey... I didn’t say I had a hard time with clothing removal. I’ll strip now if you ask me. Just make sure you aren’t drunk when you ask for that. Sober decisions only.”   

Roger winked at them.  

Taylor clapped her hands over her mouth with a scandalized squeal. “Ohhh, he just VOLUNTEERED,” Sarah whirled to face the girls with wide eyes. “Did you hear that?”  

Sarah grinned as Briana immediately started chanting, “STRIP! STRIP!” While Rachel fanned herself with a magazine.  

“Okay. Okay. Sober decisions only, but...” Sarah leaned in conspiratorially, “If you’re offering, we could make it a performance.” She wiggled eyebrows. “Taylor’s got a feather boa in her makeup bag, and Briana knows how to work the Bluetooth speaker like a D.J.”  

Taylor winked conspiratorially at Sarah.  

Sarah giggled and stole Briana’s drink again. “But for real," she said, pointing to Roger’s glittery nails. “You’re already halfway to being our prettiest girl, might as well commit.”  

Taylor whispered, “Unless you’re scared Rachel won’t recover from seeing you shirtless after that massage.”  

Rachel immediately chucked a pillow at Taylor’s head while Briana fake-fainted onto the couch. “Soo... 'spin the bottle’, or are we skipping straight to the impromptu striptease?”   

Taylor brandished her bedazzler ominously. “Your call, Picasso.”  

Sarah grinned and nudged his knee with her toe. “But fair warning -” She gestured to the empty schnapps bottle now being set up in the middle of the room “-spin the bottle’s looking real tempting right now...”  

Roger smiled. “You tell me. I’m at your mercy. For tonight...” He bowed. “I bow to your whims. Ask and you shall receive.”  

Taylor clapped her hands together with a devilish grin. “Ohhh, he said the magic words -” Sarah glanced at the girls “-you hear that? Full surrender!”  

Briana immediately started scrolling through her phone for a ‘seductive playlist’, while Rachel hid her face in a pillow.  

“Okay, Picasso, since you’re being so generous...” Briana dramatically pointed to the center of the room. “Spin the bottle starts NOW, but with a twist – every time it lands on you, you lose a layer AND have to give the spinner a sensual massage.”  

Taylor gasped and nearly dropped her dedazzler again.  

“What? He’s clearly a professional!” Sarah leaned in, lowering her voice. “And if it lands on one of us...”  

Rachel peeked over her pillow with sudden interest while Briana wolf whistled.  

Sarah grabbed the bottle and spun it with a flourish. “Let the games begin!”  

She grinned as it wobbled dangerously towards Rachel. “Oooh, someone’s getting lucky again tonight!”  

Sarah ducked as Rachel chucked another gummy worm. “What? I’m just the messenger!”  

Briana laughed and stole Briana’s drink. “Bottle doesn’t lie, babe.”  

Taylor whispered to Roger, “Ready to put those magic hands to work again?”  

Briana started to hum “You Can Leave Your Hat On” as Taylor prepared her phone camera.  

Roger smiled happily. “I’d love to. Rachel again? AND I have to take something off?”  

Briana grinned wickedly as the bottle finally stopped, pointing directly at Rachel. “Ohhh, fate has SPOKEN -” Sarah whirled to face Rachel with an exaggerated gasp “-babe, you’re getting the deluxe package tonight!”  

“And yep, rules are rules.” Sarah pointed at Roger’s shirt. “One layer down, mister magic hands.”  

Brianna immediately started drumming on the coffee table while Taylor fanned herself with a nail file. “C’mon, don’t leave the poor girl waiting!”  

Sarah leaned in conspiratorially. “Unless you’re scared she’ll combust if you touch her again...”   

Rachel weakly swatted at Sarah’s knee, but she didn't protest, her curiosity clearly winning out.   

“Tick-tock, Picasso – shirt or socks?”  

Sarah giggled as Briana shouted, “SHIRT!”  

Rachel mumbled into her hands, “Socks.”  

“Oooh, someone’s conflicted!” Taylor watched Rachel tense up. “Don’t worry, we’ll vote.”  

Sarah whispered, “All in favor of seeing his shoulders, raise your hands!”  

Briana and Taylor immediately raised their hands while Rachel peeked through her fingers.  

“Majority rules!” Sarah plopped down onto the floor, chin in hands. “Strip and impress us, hot stuff.”  

Sarah ducked as Rachel chucked another gummy worm. “What? I’m just facilitating democracy!”