“Come on Caitlin, there’s only you that hasn’t answered!”
“What? I’m sorry, I wasn’t listening. What was the question?”
“This is important, pay attention! Question eleven: have you ever let a man tie you up? Nat and I said yes, and Liz will if she ever stops wasting time and lets you-know-who get into her knickers!”
“Shut up Jen, I’m just making him wait. I just want to make sure, that’s all, just make sure that we’re ready for it!”
“Oh my god, he couldn’t be more ready! His tongue permanently hangs out. He has a thing for you so big you can see it from space! Caitlin, answer the question, we’re nearly there. Ever indulged in a little tying-up?”
“Sorry, no, I’ve never been tied up. Never tied anyone else up. I might have tied someone’s shoes up once or twice, does that count?” I ask, smiling innocently. They all laugh at me. So far I’ve answered no to pretty much every question. Where do they find these silly magazine questionnaires about sex? Is it really necessary to read them all out loud on the tram in the morning? And how is it that I end up answering no all the time? Of the girls that I am with, Liz is the youngest, and even she’s done more than me, if her answers are to be believed. I ask them for the next question, confident that, as the oldest, sooner or later there must be one that I can answer with ‘yes’.
“Okay, question twelve . Ooh, maybe we should skip that. Let’s do thirteen, it’s about anal!”
“What’s wrong with twelve? Ask away.”
“But we know what you’ll say to this one. Oh, what the heck. Question twelve then: have you ever kissed another woman?” Straight away, and in spite of my best attempts not to let it, my face wrinkles up at the prospect.
