Bet Me Something (Something Series Book 3)

by Aubrey Bondurant

  Words seemed to fail him for a minute. Then he recovered. “Learning the pole takes a lot longer than a half-hour session.”

  I raised a brow. “Wanna bet?”

  “You want to wager you’ll learn how to hang upside down and spin on the pole tonight after only thirty minutes?”

  “I could probably learn in half the time.” My pride was quickly getting me into trouble.

  Jazz sighed. “Uh, we can definitely teach you how to do the striptease, honey, but as for the pole, it took Daisy here months to master the technique. Same for me. Unfortunately, he’s right.”

  Colby’s satisfied grin made me want to smack it off. “Fine, then they can show me the striptease.”

  “What the hell for? You said you don’t have a boyfriend, right?”

  I tossed him a sexy smile. “No, I don’t, but I’m sure my next one will thank me plenty.”

  Both girls cracked up.

  “Tell you what. You want to bet, then fine, we’ll bet. You have fifteen minutes to learn the pole. If you can hang upside down, then we can stay here as long as you like. On the other hand if you lose, we leave without the striptease lesson, and you let me pay for your school out in LA.”

  Holy raised stakes. “What? No way.”

  “Why not? You want to stay in Los Angeles but can’t afford to do it if your parents won’t pay for school. This solves the issue.”

  I hated having this conversation in front of the two girls, and my face must’ve conveyed that.

  “Ladies, can you give us a few minutes?” he requested, without taking his eyes from mine.

  As soon as the door shut, I started pacing and rambling, not daring to read anything into the motivation for his offer. “Look, I know you mean well, and I appreciate it, but there’s no way I’d allow you to pay for my school. Truth be told, I never wanted to get my MBA in the first place, but my mother insisted, and I figured if she was paying, I’d go since I didn’t have another plan. It would be a complete waste of your money for something I don’t really want.”

  “Okay, then let me pay for music school instead.”

  Colby was one of the few people who knew my ultimate dream had always been music. I had a decent voice; however singing in front of others wasn’t something I could actually do. “Even if I entertained the idea of having you pay, I wouldn’t be able to audition.”

  “Why not?”

  What was this? Admit-every-possible-insecurity-to-your-crush-day? “Because I get stage fright.”

  He scoffed. “Yeah, right. Nothing intimidates you.”

  I laughed dryly. “How can you say that, knowing I was unable to stand up to my mother or Rebecca earlier?”

  He patted the cushion beside him, and I took a seat on the couch. “Your mother even scares me if I’m being honest. And you’re not intimidated by Rebecca. You simply don’t possess the superpower for fighting evil.”

  I giggled, bumping his shoulder affectionately. “Sometimes I call my mom my kryptonite, so I guess that’s fitting.”

  “See there. Every superhero has a weakness.”

  “Soooo, now we’re in a strip club without strippers or drinking, talking about the very people I’d hoped to forget this weekend. I have to say my expectations of you taking me to Vegas are falling way short. I should at least have a buzz on by now.”

  His eyes twinkled. “You’re right. Let’s call the ladies back in. Practice the pole, get your shaving tips, and then we’ll save the betting and school discussions for later.”

  “You’re going to watch me?”

  He shrugged. “I’m only here to supervise and ensure you don’t hurt yourself. I shouldn’t have used the babysitter word, though especially after what Rebecca said earlier—sorry.”

  “It’s okay. Supervise away, then.”

  After calling the girls in, I asked Jazz if we could get started.

  “Honey, if you can’t support your weight on the pole, it won’t matter what we show you unfortunately.”

  I slipped off my heels and grinned. Having been in lacrosse for the last fourteen years had given me great upper-body strength. Most of my confidence however, came from the fact that I’d taken a dozen strip aerobics classes on campus with my teammates and had already mastered climbing up. I demonstrated to the whistles and grins of both girls.

  Colby didn’t say anything, choosing to sit back sipping his bourbon with a carefully masked expression on his face.

  Ten minutes later, I was sweating in my designer dress, but had the hang of it for the most part.

  “I’m impressed, honey,” Jazz said, giving me a hand up from the floor.

  The only problem was my dismount had left a lot to be desired. When I went upside down, my dress flipped over so that everyone could pretty much see my entire ass sporting my thong.

  I flopped down on the seat beside Colby, exhausted. “Okay, girls, I’m gonna let you take it from here with a new respect from me. Show me a proper striptease which will make my next boyfriend grateful for the lesson.”

  It might’ve been my imagination, but I swear I could see a bulge in Colby’s slacks before he turned his body away from me. Was it possible I’d finally managed to turn him on?

  ***

  I only made him stay for another twenty minutes. The girls were beautiful and could dance, but my curiosity was sated and, frankly, I was anxious to see more of what Vegas had to offer.

  Colby instructed the driver to take us to the Bellagio before heading to a nightclub along the Strip. After we waited a few minutes, the beautiful water show started and by the end I could see why it was definitely worth seeing. Smiling, I bumped my hip into his, feeling more and more like myself. I was back to the fun-loving, confident Kenzie I’d been before my party. “Thanks for this.”

  His arm went around my shoulders as he kissed the top of my head. “Happy graduation, sweetheart.”

  After the water show was done, he turned towards me while the crowd began dispersing around us. “So what’s next?”

  “Dance and drink a lot.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  We walked along the Strip, arm in arm, to Caesar’s Palace where we were greeted and put into a VIP section once we entered the club. The music was pulsating, the people were gorgeous and the drinks started flowing. Never one to shy away from the dance floor—what else were ten years of dance lessons for—I downed a drink and attempted to get him out there with me. “Dance?” I had to nearly shout.

  He shook his head. “No, you go ahead.”

  After traveling downstairs to the main dance floor, it wasn’t long before I had company in the form of two guys. They weren’t unattractive, but I wasn’t a girl who was okay with a stranger touching me. I smiled politely, trying to extricate myself, only to find them more aggressive with one putting his hands on my hips from behind and the other caging me in front. I stopped completely and pushed on the chest of the one blocking me. “No thanks, guys.”

  Moving to the right, I felt a set of arms come around me from the back. I was about to stomp on the instep of the asshole when I calmed to Colby’s voice in my ear.

  “Relax, it’s me.”

  I turned around in his arms. “You were two seconds away from a very bruised instep,” I spoke in his ear.

  “Mm, those two were very close to getting more than a bruised foot.” His hands remained on my waist as the beat changed with the new song.

  I’d danced with him previously at his brother’s wedding but never like this. This was fast-beat, sexy, thumping music. His body was close enough I could smell his soap and aftershave. With my heels, I was nearly his same height, which made it easy for me to put my hands on his hips. We moved in sync with the sexual tension crackling between us. When the song ended, there was a moment where I was positive he was going to kiss me, but instead he suddenly pulled away as if remembering who I was, shoving his hands in his pants pockets.

  “Come on, I have an idea of what we can do next,” he threw out there.

 
So did I, but something told me we didn’t have the same thing in mind.

  ***

  “What are we doing here?” I asked, noting the karaoke happening the minute we walked into the bar of the next hotel over.

  “You’re singing something.”

  “Uh-uh, not happening. What part of stage fright did you not understand?”

  He waved me off. “So take another shot and get over it.”

  I shook my head, realizing I should’ve known better than to tell Colby I was afraid of anything. Even though I had my buzz on, I still didn’t think I was feeling brave enough to get up on stage, at least not yet.

  “All right, let’s make a wager. I bet you can’t get up there and belt out a song with a standing ovation.”

  I laughed. “You’re supposed to believe in me, not bet against me.”

  “Ah, but I’m aware of how competitive you are, which means you’ll want to prove me wrong. Plus, if I were to bet you could do something, you’d be able to say, ‘nope, I sure can’t.’ You have to put in some effort to win.”

  “What’s my prize? And it better not be any offer having to do with money or paying for school.”

  “Then you pick. What do you want?”

  Did I dare? Was this my chance to put it out there? “I’ll have to think about it, but I need another couple of shots if I’m to entertain the idea of getting up on stage.” Or to ask him to kiss me if I won.

  “Okay, choose a song and then name your prize later.”

  Two shots and a martini later, I found myself on stage. We’d spent the last hour flirting and chatting it up. I was right in thinking alcohol would quell the nerves and the darkness which hid most of the audience helped too. But really, there was one motivation larger than anything else propelling me up in front of everyone. A chance to go for it with Colby. If ever there was an opportunity, this was it.

  I wished like hell I had my guitar. When I’d said as much to the man in charge of the karaoke night, he, much to my delight, somehow managed to find me an acoustic one. He handed it over.

  “Do you prefer the background music, or you want to sing without it?” the man asked.

  “Uh, without, please.”

  Singing acapella was more my style than trying to keep up with the bouncing ball on a screen. I strummed the strings, refusing to look out into the crowd, but focused on how appropriate this song was right now. Biting my lip, I closed my eyes, getting lost in the opening chords of “California Dreamin’” by The Mamas and The Papas. I mean, who could resist the title alone, given my situation?

  My voice hit its full range with the opening words, and I hoped it wasn’t too loud in the microphone. Mine wasn’t a quiet one. Finally, at the end, I glanced out into the crowd. You could’ve heard a pin drop. My anxiety started creeping up as I thought maybe it hadn’t been good until everyone erupted into full applause, complete with whistles and people standing up. I smiled broadly, handing the guitar over to the man in charge.

  Stepping off the stage, I stumbled most likely because of the dark and the alcohol, before an arm went around my waist from the back. I immediately recognized the feel of Colby this time. When I turned around, my breath caught at the intense look he was giving me.

  He swallowed hard and then seemed to snap out of whatever he’d been thinking. “Nice song choice.”

  “I couldn’t resist. So I guess liquid courage did the trick, and I won the bet.”

  “I’d say so. I knew you’ve always loved music, but I didn’t realize you sounded like that. You were incredible.”

  I blushed. “Thanks. Uh, I think the shots are starting to hit me. Do you think it’d be okay to go back to the room and maybe sit in the hot tub?” I’d spotted the Jacuzzi out on the terrace and it would fit in nicely for what I had in mind for my prize.

  “Sure, we can head back. Come on.”

  On the way out, quite a few people stopped me to compliment my singing. I was on an unimaginable high from finally being able to perform in front of others. Now, if only getting drunk before an audition was acceptable, I could maybe start to contemplate music school.

  ***

  Thirty minutes later we returned to the hotel, but when I tried to get out of the car, I realized I was quickly passing the point of tipsy into full-on drunk.

  Colby laughed, putting an arm around me to steady my walk.

  “You doing okay?”

  “Sure am,” I slurred, causing him to laugh even harder.

  “I think those shots are catching up with you. Come on.”

  He led me up to the room via the elevator and, once inside, handed me a bottle of water. “Drink this before you go to bed, sweetheart.”

  “What happened to the hot tub?” At least that’s what I meant to say, but it didn’t sound quite right to my ears.

  “I think you’ve reached your limit. You need to chug some water, then sleep it off.”

  “I need my prize from winning the bet first.” I pouted.

  He smiled indulgently. “Have you decided what it is you want?”

  I stepped into him, putting both hands on his chest, meeting his eyes. I could feel his heart racing with the contact, matching my own. “I want a kiss. And not one on the cheek, not a peck, but a real one.”

  He didn’t pull back, which was encouraging. “Why?”

  I shrugged, hoping I was playing it cool despite teetering on inebriation. “Maybe I want to see what the fuss is all about.”

  His voice went down an octave, into a smoldering tone that was pure sex and sin. “Kenz, I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

  “Why not?”

  “One, you’re like my little sister.”

  Ouch, that one hurt. “Then forget it. I’m a gonna go to bed.” Jesus, I sounded like an Italian pizza maker. Unfortunately, I turned too fast in my heels, nearly face planting for a third time this evening. Thank God he caught me around my waist.

  “Two, you’re drunk and might not know what you’re asking.”

  “I’m not that drunk.” The expression on his face was unfamiliar. Was he nervous?

  “I worry about what it might mean to you.”

  I crinkled my nose. “Do you think I’ve never kissed a boy before and will go drawing hearts and rainbows because of you?” In fact, I’d dated a lot. And by a lot I meant a large proportion of first dates, a respectable number of second dates, and only a few third dates. Considering I had a five-date rule before I’d sleep with a guy, there you had the very reason I was still a virgin. However I’d certainly kissed my fair share.

  He sighed. “No, but I don’t want it to be weird after.”

  “You’re scared.”

  The look in his eyes confirmed the direct hit. “You’re drunk and don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “I’m not that drunk, I’m just—oh, Lord—” I bolted for the bathroom barely in time to upchuck the entire contents of my stomach in the toilet. A moment later, I felt his hands pull my hair back and then a cold washcloth was placed on my forehead once my stomach was empty.

  “You okay?”

  The tears threatened, and I cursed myself. The last thing I needed to do was to ugly cry in front of him after puking. “I’m humil-a-ted.” Hmm, that didn’t sound right. “Humy-lated.” It figures I’d humiliate myself further by not being able to enunciate the very word I was feeling.

  “Don’t be. I promise you won’t remember this come tomorrow.”

  “Wanna bet?”

  And that was the last coherent thing I remembered saying.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  I woke slowly, painfully aware of two things. One: my head felt like it might explode with what I could only guess was the worst hangover in the history of them, and two: I wasn’t alone in the bed. Turning slowly, both to avoid disturbing my bedmate and to keep the nausea at bay, I looked directly into his unbelievably attractive face.

  Holy crap. This wasn’t the way I’d dreamed of falling into bed with Colby Singer. My fuzzy, aching brain t
hought back to last night and tried to piece together what had happened. I remembered singing as well as returning to the hotel. Then I recalled trying not to cry over a toilet bowl. Certainly nothing said sexy more than a drunk, emotional girl. Or even better—as a memory slammed back—a drunk, emotional girl who threw up upon asking for a kiss as my bet reward. Pathetic: party of one right here.

  I froze when he moved slightly and then let out a shaky breath, studying the face of the one man who’d kept me from falling for anyone else my entire life. It was a rare opportunity to regard him unobserved.

  Gorgeous baby face, with a sexy five o’clock shadow I didn’t see very often. Long lashes on display, covering up what I knew were striking green eyes. Dark hair slightly out of place with a lock falling on his forehead and lips made for kissing. Couldn’t the man at least be snoring to exhibit some sort of defect?

  My mind was screaming that I needed to hop out of bed quickly to brush my teeth and wash last night’s makeup from my face. The thought of having him see me in what I could guess was way south of attractive was horrifying, but my throbbing head was making it difficult to conceive of movement at the moment.

  Please stay asleep, please stay asleep. I repeated this internally as I silently took inventory of the room. No sunlight coming in through the windows must mean it was still early.

  Next, I spent a few moments doing a self-assessment. Damn. The wicked taste in my mouth was reminiscent of horribly expensive tequila shooters, now mixed with morning breath. Lovely. Moving my hands under the sheet, I recognized I was in a soft T-shirt which was way too big. Sniffing it, I realized it smelled like Colby and, considering he was without one, this was most probably his. Pity the sheet covered him up to his shoulders. I ran my hands through my tresses, grateful I wasn’t coming across any foreign matter or large tangles.

  My panties were on: check in positive or negative column depending on the view. Sadly, I remembered enough to confirm it hadn’t been that kind of night. Expelling a breath, I thought of the irony that I’d hoped this weekend might provide an opportunity to progress things between us. At this rate, I’d never accomplish such a goal. Hell, I’d even won a bet and still couldn’t get the man to kiss me. It was humiliating. Driving that word home, his eyes flickered open and focused on me. Fuck.My.Life.