The Essential Jagged Ivory (Jagged Ivory Boxed Set)

by Lashell Collins

  “Okay, we won’t cancel. But …”

  “But what?” Otis asked, growing slightly aggravated.

  “But only if we combine it with a birthday celebration for you,” Buz bargained, and Otis rolled his eyes.

  “I don’t want a birthday party,” he stated.

  “Seriously, brother, I don’t care. I don’t want a bachelor party either, but you’re making me have one. So, I want a cake, with ‘Happy Birthday’ sung by a bunch of topless hoochies. Those are my terms. Take it or leave it,” Buzzy smiled.

  Otis laughed. “So what? You’re basically holding your bachelor party hostage unless I agree to combine it with a birthday party?”

  “Pretty much,” Buz smiled, and the others all laughed.

  “Fine. But this is strictly a mens only event! Including the birthday party,” he said, purposely raising his voice so the ladies could hear him.

  “Oh, whatever, Otis,” Mercy said, getting to her feet and making her way over to the fire pit as the others followed suit behind her. And they made a very alluring sight as the four of them walked toward their men, still sporting their bikinis and sheer coverups. Even Donna, who had been brazenly showing off her baby bump all day in a sexy two piece. “We didn’t want to celebrate your birthday anyway.”

  “Now, I know that’s a lie, sweet thing, because you love me,” Otis jokingly taunted.

  “In your dreams,” Mercy quipped, and he smiled at her as she sat down on Noah’s lap.

  “So, this bachelor/birthday party is going to be at some strip club?” Fae asked as she took a seat next to Benji and frowned at him.

  “Yeah. Sparkles Gentlemen’s Club,” he answered her. “We used to hang out there almost nightly back in Jagged Ivory’s early days.”

  “I’m not sure how I feel about that,” Mercy said, pouting at Noah, and he smirked at her as his arms tightened around her.

  “Well, I’m not worried one bit,” Donna announced, smiling as she laced her arm through Cory’s and snuggled into him. “‘Cause Cory knows that he is only allowed to look, but not touch. Right, baby?”

  “Damn right,” he answered, smiling at her as he leaned in and kissed her deeply.

  “Mmm,” Mercy mumbled, turning to look at Noah. “You make sure that you learn that rule before tomorrow night,” she whispered.

  He looked up at her and frowned slightly. “Baby, don’t you know by now that I don’t want anybody else but you?” he asked her, caressing her face with his hand. “You do know that?”

  She smiled at him and nodded her head. “I do know that,” she answered.

  “Okay,” he said softly before he sweetly kissed her lips.

  Buz and Janie sat silently making love with their eyes and practically ignoring their friends’ banter as they held each other close. And Fae smiled at all three couples before she turned to Benji.

  “Well, I’m more worried about the venue than I am the dancers,” she said to him. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close.

  “Don’t worry about that; I’m good,” he said. “It’s a strip club, baby, and a private party. So, it won’t be like a regular bar or nightclub. And the place will be packed with family, you know. There’s not gonna be any drugs going on. But, I promise you … if I have a hard time, I’ll just split,” he said, shrugging his shoulders.

  “He won’t have a hard time, Fae. I promise,” Otis offered. “It’s not going to be that kind of party. And it is just family. And I've promised Janie that none of us will be fucked up and out of it for the wedding, so … you don’t have to worry about any of that.”

  Fae smiled at him and then whispered something to Benji. And Otis watched as he took her hand and threaded his fingers through hers. Then he looked into her eyes and kissed her. And suddenly he felt like a fifth wheel, or at the very least, like a voyeur as he glanced around the fire pit at his brothers and their women. Four couples, whispering quietly to one another or making out.

  They seemed happy, he had to admit. In fact, if Otis was being totally honest with himself, he couldn’t remember any of them ever being as happy as they each were right now. Cory had been walking on air ever since he and Donna had stopped all the divorce craziness and started preparing for their bundle of joy, and their marriage seemed stronger than ever. Buzzy had been almost giddy ever since Janie stepped back into his life, with their eight-year-old son, no less. Noah and Mercy were pretty much joined at the hip, and Otis had never known his usually brooding little brother to be so cheerful all the time. And Benji … well, Benji was a whole new man. Part of that, Otis knew, was the fact that his friend was now clean for the first time in many, many years. But he also believed that a large part of it was due to Fae’s influence as well.

  As he watched them, he couldn’t help but wonder what that might feel like. To let his guard down with a woman. Actually let someone in. It was something he hadn’t done in a long fucking time. Not since high school, as Noah pointed out. Joanie Thomas had broken his heart when she broke up with him at the homecoming dance, and Otis had vowed to himself that he would be the one doing the heartbreaking from then on. He hadn’t gotten seriously involved with anyone since. And when they formed the band and the chicks started flocking around offering up free pussy, he saw no reason to get seriously involved ever again in life. It was a lifestyle that worked for him. Until Kinky Kiki and her infamous sex video hit the airwaves. Now his lifestyle was under a microscope and he was being labeled a sexual predator in the minds of the public. The only good news was that the scandal didn’t seem to be hurting Jagged Ivory much. Ticket sales for the rest of the tour hadn’t slowed any, but the coverage was relentless.

  He took a deep breath and let out a big, heavy sigh. Why was all that shit never far from his thoughts? He drained the bottle of water he was holding and stood up.

  “I’ll see you guys tomorrow,” he said flatly.

  “You leaving?” Noah frowned, still holding Mercy on his lap.

  “Yeah. Thanks for dinner you two. It was a fun afternoon,” he said, walking toward Buz and Janie. And he leaned down and lightly kissed her on the cheek, saying, “Congratulations again on the books.”

  “Thank you,” she smiled, thinking of the series of children’s books she had written that were about to be published.

  “Hey, man, thanks for coming,” Buzzy answered. “But … why are you leaving, O? It’s early yet.”

  “Yeah, but I … I got some things to do,” he said quietly, not offering any further explanations. He wasn’t about to tell them that he suddenly felt like the odd man out with their girls around. It was different back in the day when none of them were attached and the girls were just groupies. But now that the girls were wives and live-in girlfriends things just felt different. More serious. And serious was not what Otis felt like he needed right now.

  “Alright, man,” Buzzy said. “We’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Yep.”

  He turned and headed up the yard toward the door amid a chorus of “Goodnight, Otis.” And he grabbed his discarded t-shirt on the way and pulled it over his head and stepped into his sandals. Then he let himself into Buzzy’s house, through the living room, and out the front door.

  As he slid behind the wheel of his McLaren he pulled out his cellphone and found Brooke’s number in his contacts.

  Hey, Feisty.

  Did you get the flowers I sent?

  He had no idea how long it would take for her to respond to his text. But he was actually prepared to sit in Buzzy’s driveway until she did.

  Yes, I did. They’re beautiful.

  Thank you.

  Btw, how did you get this number?

  Otis smiled as he read her reply. But he wasn’t about to give up his sources.

  I have my ways.

  Brooke sat in her room, smiling ridiculously at the flowers on her bedside table, and rolled her eyes.

  I smell a rat.

  And her name is Shelly.

  Otis laughed at her response.
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br />   I’ll never tell.

  I’m glad you liked them.

  I’ll see you on Saturday.

  Suddenly feeling immensely better than he had sitting at the fire pit with the others, Otis put his phone away and strapped on his seatbelt. Then he put the car into gear and took off. He smiled all the way back to Malibu.

  *****

  The music was bouncing, and so were the titties. And Otis silently patted himself on the back for pulling off this last minute bachelor party on such short notice. It’s not that he had waited until the last minute to start pulling it together. But Buz and Janie had made their wedding plans so quickly, there wasn’t a whole lot of time for anything too elaborate. So he was very happy when Teddy Denver agreed to rent out Sparkles for the evening.

  He and the guys used to love coming here back before their first album dropped and things got really crazy for Jagged Ivory. This was like their home away from home back then. They had even written a song or two about this place. One of which, “Sparkle and Shine,” had ended up on their first album, Seven Deadly Sins. And they had each dated - or fucked - a few of the dancers at one time or another. But that had been a long time ago, and as he sat here now, Otis didn’t recognize very many of the girls at all. But he supposed stripping wasn’t exactly a profession that most girls tended to follow for longer than a few years before moving on to bigger and better things.

  There were about twenty-five of them in attendance tonight. Mike Holland was here along with a couple of other guys from his management firm who worked with Jagged Ivory. There were a few guys from the band’s record label too. His and Noah’s dad was here, as well as all the male out-of-town wedding guests, like Buzzy’s father and his two brothers, Janie’s uncle, and her best friend’s husband. Buz’s drum tech, Tim, was here, and Aaron and Jason, Noah and Cory’s guitar techs. And, of course, each of their personal bodyguards were here, but as it was a private party, they were only sort of semi on duty. The bar was open for whoever wanted to partake in it, and the ladies were dancing their asses off on all three stages.

  The mood in the place was jovial as they all allowed themselves to be entertained by the topless beauties. Everyone appeared to be having a good time, and he and the guys had all agreed they would each buy Buzzy a surprise lap dance. So while most of their guests were enjoying the action on stage, Otis and his brothers were watching the groom squirm uncomfortably as his third lap dance of the evening sat grinding away against his crotch. Otis couldn’t help laughing at the frustrated expression on his friend’s face, and they all joked about the erotic assault Janie was going to take when Buzzy finally got out of there. When his fourth and final lap dance was over, Buzzy got his revenge by purchasing one for the birthday boy, but Otis took it in stride.

  “Okay, how’s everybody doing tonight?” Teddy Denver asked, hopping up on the center stage as the last dancer sashayed off. He waited for their cheers and whistles to die down before continuing, “You know, I don’t usually do private parties here at Sparkles, but these guys used to be fixtures here back before the world knew their names, so it was hard for me to say no. I’m not going to make a speech or anything. I just wanted to remind you all that the bar is paid for … courtesy of your host here,” he said, pointing to Otis. “So please don’t hesitate to take advantage of it.”

  More cheers and whistles went up, along with a few pats on the back for Otis.

  “Mr. West, how you doing?” Teddy asked, addressing Buzzy. “My ladies treating you alright tonight?” Buz laughed and nodded his head. “Alright. Well, we’re going to see if we can’t get you sent off to matrimony in style. This next one’s gonna be a real treat for you. She’s one of my most popular ladies here at Sparkles. Please give a warm welcome to the delectable … Coco!”

  The lights dimmed and the music began. And the guys all let out loud whoops and whistles when they recognized the music as their own. “Sparkle and Shine” was a song inspired by this very place, and it was all about a young girl who came to Hollywood looking for stardom, but she found a life as a stripper instead. The subject matter of the song was pretty dark, not glamorizing the job at all, and it hadn’t been one that the guys released as a single. As a result, it was one of their lesser known tunes. One that usually only appealed to the hardcore fans.

  When the music began, and the spotlight flooded down on her, she began to move. She had chosen this particular song purposely. She had only just recently discovered it, having heard it for the first time a couple of days ago. The mood of the song was dark and the music was almost sinister. But something about the lyrics spoke to her. Maybe because she felt so trapped lately by this job. Just like the girl in the song.

  When the spotlight kicked on, Otis was immediately mesmerized by the figure on the stage. She was dressed in a devil-red, patent leather mini skirt that barely covered her ass, and a matching bra. And her matching red, five-inch heel, fuck-me boots went all the way up to her thighs. A headband with red devil horns completed the image.

  The guys went nuts as she danced for them, losing first the headband and tossing it to the wind, followed quickly by the bra - which nearly landed on the groom’s head. She was obviously a hell of a dancer, and drop-dead gorgeous, judging by the volume level of the guys as they watched her. But Otis sat stunned and wide-eyed, unable to even blink as his manhood took over the thinking for him.

  “Oh, shit,” he heard Noah say loudly. Then he felt the hand on his shoulder. “Otis! Isn’t that …”

  “Yeah, man,” Benji chimed in, sounding shocked. “That’s Crash Girl!”

  “That’s Crash Girl?” Cory asked, unable to look away.

  “Yowza,” Buzzy added as they all watched her work, dangling from the pole as if defying gravity.

  She ripped off her little skirt and flung it into the audience before spinning and landing seductively on her knees. And when she flipped her head up, allowing her hair to flow around her shoulders, her eyes locked with the shocked gaze of Otis Ivory.

  Brooke froze. Unable to do anything but gape back at him, wide-eyed and mortified. Her heart, already pounding from her dance, began to beat frantically. What the hell was he doing here?

  Ever the professional, she quickly remembered that she had a job to do, and she pulled herself together, tearing her eyes from his and resuming her dance. What else could she do? She felt so humiliated as a few of the men began stuffing bills into her tiny, red g-string. And she tried to simply brazen it out, but she could feel the unshed tears stinging her eyes.

  Don’t cry! Whatever you do, don’t cry!

  Had he done this on purpose? Had his actor friend remembered where he’d seen her before and rushed to tell Otis all about it? Is that what he was doing here? And she knew that this was a private bachelor party, but what were the odds that this was just a coincidence? Pretty slim she thought as she finished her number.

  How she managed to get through it, she wasn’t sure. But when the music died, she wanted to also. She picked herself up and sprinted off the stage without looking back as the men cheered and whistled after her. She had never felt so humiliated in her life. And as she rushed into the dressing room and quickly pulled on her robe, she wanted to kick herself for feeling this way. Why should she care if Otis Ivory knew that she was a dancer at Sparkles? It wasn’t like she was interested in him anyway! She wanted nothing to do with him!

  “Coco? What’s the matter, girlfriend?” Pepper asked her, placing a soothing hand on her back.

  “Nothing,” she answered, trying to stop the ridiculous tears from falling as she sat at the long dressing table.

  “Oh! Hey lover. You’re not allowed back here, you know,” Trixie said, addressing someone at the dressing room door.

  “Yeah, I know. But I have to see Brooke. Ah … I mean … Coco. Can I see her please?”

  “Shit,” she whispered, grabbing a tissue and trying to hide the evidence of her tears.

  “Um, I’m sorry, but no one’s allowed back here but the dancers,�
�� Pepper said, standing and walking to the door. She didn’t know exactly what was going on or who Coco was crying over. But she was determined to help her friend if she could. She grabbed the door, opening it a little wider as she and Trixie formed a human barrier into the room. “Oh, my God. Mr. Ivory!”

  Otis smiled distractedly at her as he tried to see past them into the room. “Look, Coco’s a friend of mine. Can I just talk to her for a minute please?”

  “I am not your friend,” she said, pulling the cash from her g-string as she sat at the dressing table.

  “Brooke, please … can I just talk to you for a minute,” he said, trying to look around the ladies blocking the doorway. Then he looked them both in the eye. “Can you please let me in there for just a second?”

  “No! I’m sorry, Mr. Ivory,” Pepper said. “You and those dimples are as sexy as can be, sugar. And I don’t believe the shit in the news for one minute. I love Jagged Ivory! But my friend obviously doesn’t want to talk to you right now, so … I’m going to have to ask you to leave this area and go back to the party.”

  Otis let out a growl of frustration. “Brooke! Would you just talk to me, please? I don’t understand what just happened. Why did you lie to me about your job?”

  “Why did I lie?” she shot back, turning toward him. Then she stood up and walked toward them. “Why are you here, Otis? Did you do this just to humiliate me? Get me to strip in front of your rich friends so you could have a laugh? How long have you known that I work here, huh?”

  “Uh, for about ten minutes,” he answered gruffly.

  “I don’t believe that for one minute! What the hell are you doing here? What kind of game is this for you?”