Page 8 of Vixen's Guide to Christmas
“How the hell did you know that?” I ask as the emcee starts announcing the scores. I don’t need to listen because I know we’re in first place.
“My best friend…let’s just say he’s a video game nut.”
He? I wasn’t expecting that answer.
She gives me a raised eyebrow. “Are you going to be one of those guys that can’t handle that my best friend is a man?”
I quickly think about it, because I’ve never been in this situation before. “No. Just wasn’t expecting it. Took me off guard.”
“I get that,” she says as she picks up her drink. “But I can assure you, we’ve never dated. Kissed once, and it was gross. But that was back in college. We were roommates when we graduated, but long ago started living our separate lives. Now I work for him and occasionally run his life.”
“Interesting,” I say. “What kind of work is it you do?”
Kat opens her mouth to answer me, but yet again, before she can say anything, the emcee announces our next question.
“Category: Movies. What famous movie had the line, ‘shitter’s full’?”
I look over to Kat, who shares a knowing smile with me. A woman who knowsNational Lampoon? I don’t know if she can get more perfect.
Unfortunately, the questions get a little more difficult as the night goes along. We lose a couple, but thank God Kat is some kind of Christmas movie trivia savant. The ones we didn’t know came in the carol category—who the hell was supposed to know the original name of “The Little Drummer Boy”—and no one inthe bar knew who the political cartoonist was who coined the image of the modern-day Santa Claus. But I can tell by the way Kat’s locking in on every answer, and how I’m matching her with most questions, that we’re not going to lose.
It’s fucking hot as hell.
“Okay, everyone, final round,” the emcee announces. “To make things interesting, pairs need to decide how many points they want to wager. And, you must lock in your wager before I read the question. Category: Movies.”
We share a look, but from the determination in her eyes, I know what she’s going to say.
“All in.”
Two words. Two words that are not supposed to be sexy, yet somehow are the hottest thing she could’ve said in that moment.
I reach out for her hand, and thank God she doesn’t move away as I lace my fingers in hers. “It’s all you. Bring it home.”
“Oh, I should’ve told you one stipulation,” the emcee says. “This question is going to have a closest-to-the-correct-answer caveat, as it’s a specific number without multiple choice options. Closest to the correct answer without going over wins. But! If someone guesses it on the nose, despite how many points are wagered, they will automatically win the game.”
“The fuck!” Kat jumps out of her chair, and sure, a few tables turn to us and give her a sideways glance, but I’m just laughing. Because even though she said it, I was thinking about it.
“Easy now,” I say, pulling her back down. “Plus, they don’t stand a chance. You got this.”
“Fuck yes, I do,” she says, which just makes me laugh more. “All right, trivia boy. Bring it!”
I don’t know if he heard her, but the emcee does just that.
“The final question of the night! In the movie “White Christmas,” how many times is the word ‘general’ said in the movie?”
A hush goes through the crowd. I look around, and a few people who looked confident thirty seconds ago suddenly look worried.
Except Kat. The smile on her face right now is downright diabolical.
Oh, we’re gonna win…
“Nineteen? That’s it?” I ask as I look over her shoulder to see what she’s writing. “I feel like a trivia question like that would be bigger.”
She shakes her head as she underlines the answer for extra emphasis. “That’s the point. There’s a whole song about the General, so people think it’s more than it really is.”
“And how do you know the number?”
“White Christmas drinking game,” she says as she folds up her answer to hand in. “Some families run 5Ks during holidays. Some families drink. Mine drinks.”
