Romantic Promises (Alluring Promises Series, #2)

by Baker, Janice

  Flynn quickly looked back at Z again. He took a deep breath once my brother nodded his head to Flynn, prompting him to tell me. “Stephanie RSVP’d ‘yes’ to the wedding. Stephanie and her husband.”

  I took another drink from my beer and tried to appear unaffected by what he just told me. I shrugged nonchalantly even though my stomach took a nose dive. “Good. That’s good. It’ll be great to see her again after all these years.”

  “I wasn’t going to invite her, but you know her parents were invited since we all grew up together. Mom insisted that Stephanie be invited too,” Flynn continued to explain as his eyes darted around the room, not looking me in the eyes.

  “No problemo. No worries.” I tried to change the subject since it was my turn to bet. “I raise you twenty,” I stated as I threw my bill into the center, glancing over at Clark since it was his turn. My heart was beating frantically and I felt sick to my stomach, but I’d never let the guys know that. Thankfully, we continued to play cards and ignored what was just said.

  Fuck. I knew the day would come that I’d have to see Stephanie again, but I just didn’t want it to actually happen. No one knew I still kept tabs on her through the internet. She’s married now and had a little girl not too long ago. I want to say I’m happy for her, but that would be pushing it.

  She left for her college and we wanted our relationship to continue long distance. We promised each other we would make it work no matter what. I kept my end of the bargain.

  I decided to surprise her one weekend. She always teased me that I needed to be more romantic and I wanted to prove to her I could be. I had it all planned out. I had a room set up at a hotel nearby set up with rose petals from the door to the bed, champagne was chilling in a bucket near the bed and I even bought one of those stupid promise rings like a dumbass. I surprised her all right. A guy opened the door insisting he was her boyfriend. I was just about to knock the asshole out when Stephanie rushed into the hallway telling me it wasn’t a great time for a visit. I pretty much stormed off, pissed that she had taken me for a fool. I didn’t bother waiting for her explanation.

  I got up to grab another beer and to get away from the table as memories of Stephanie kept flooding my brain. Thankfully, I heard a knock on the door right after I pulled a beer from the fridge. I smiled to myself, knowing it would be a nice distraction from my thoughts of Stephanie. My smile brightened knowing this would cause a little stir in Flynn and Z’s happy little world.

  I opened the door and not only saw Diamond and Sunset, but about twenty other people. I had no idea who they were, but that was fine by me. I needed to get this party started and have some fun. I needed to forget that I would see Stephanie in a couple of weeks. My heart was caught in my throat just thinking about her again.

  I opened the door wider, stepped to the side and shouted, “Come on in! Let’s get this party started!”

  Flynn and Z started huffing and moping again like a couple of whipped guys, but once the others guys’ attitudes perked up they quickly got over it. We turned up the music and let the party begin. We made sure to put all that alcohol we bought to good use. Pretty soon even more people arrived and the party really exploded. I looked around the room and smiled. Dancing, body shots, a poker game in the corner of the room, people in and out of the bedroom – now this is a bachelor party, I thought to myself.

  That was the last thing I remembered until the next morning. Well, not the last thing actually. I vaguely remember the manager knocking on the door asking us to keep it down. I calmed him down putting a drink and a Benjamin Franklin in his hand as I pulled him in through the door. This wasn’t the first time I’ve ever had a party like this at his hotel.

  I woke up the next morning on the bed in just my jeans, next to a blonde naked chick sleeping on her stomach. My hand was resting on her gorgeous firm ass. I gave her a nice little squeeze and she groaned as I sat up slowly. “Matt, don’t get up. I don’t want to leave just yet.”

  “You don’t have to leave, baby. I need to go check out the damage. I can barely remember last night,” I whispered to her as I leaned over and gave her a kiss on her cheek. I might as well at least pretend I remember being with her.

  “Eww, don’t kiss me Matt. Sarah will get pissed.” Sarah? I looked around the room and noticed several other people passed out on the floor. I saw a girl across the room laying on some pillows, but I didn’t recognize her. I wondered if that was Sarah. If I wasn’t with whatever this girl’s name is, then who the hell is Sarah?

  As if she could read my mind, the naked blonde told me, “Matt, Sarah is the one you said you wouldn’t mind marrying last night. You were talking about some girl named Stephanie who broke your heart and that you might as well get married too since everyone else is doing it.” I cocked my left eyebrow up and felt my stomach churn.

  “I said that?” Damn, I’ve got a big mouth. I wondered if the guys heard that. I sure hope not. I’d never hear the end of that and I wasn’t looking forward to them harassing me.

  A tall brunette came out of the bathroom in faded jeans and a red bra. Her hair had that freshly fucked look. I sure hope that’s Sarah. No wonder why I said I’d marry her. She sauntered towards me with a sexy smile and sat down next to me on the bed. She leaned in and whispered in my ear, “Damn, Matt, no one has ever fucked me that hard before.” Visions of bending her over the sink, slamming her against the bathroom wall and finishing us both off in the shower replayed in my mind. Man, that was hot.

  I smiled, grabbed her hand and pulled her up with me to stand. I led her back into the bathroom for another round of that vision. Actually, one I could remember a little better.

  Sarah and I came out of the bathroom and heard several groans from various people lying on the floor. We stepped over all of them to make our way out to the living room.

  The place looked like a hurricane came through. I noticed two broken lamps, couch cushions were ripped apart leaving stuffing all over the place and, even more astounding, a carpet was laid across the huge dining room table. Well, this was going to be a tough one to explain to housekeeping. I’m glad I know the maids pretty well. No, not in a sexual way; I’m just a good tipper when it comes to housekeeping. I’ll have to call Lisa and Mary for some help. Crap. Unless the manager is still around here. I glanced around the living room looking for Mr. Miller. I let out a disgusted groan when I found him – naked and sprawled out on his back, showing all that God gave him. Or rather what God didn’t give him.

  “Gross,” Sarah mumbled as she glanced over at the same repulsive body that I was looking at.

  I chuckled and looked back at her. Her face was scrunched up showing me how disgusted she was. “Yeah, baby, close your eyes. I don’t want that to be the last vision you have in your head when you leave.”

  She smiled really sexy as she bit her lip and whispered, “Don’t worry. The only thing I’ll remember was our amazing time together.” Yeah, that’s right baby. I kissed her as I took her hand to lead her to the door. We stepped into the hallway and she leaned back against the wall. I placed my hands flat on the wall on each side of her head and bent down to kiss her. Damn, her lips are so soft and sweet. I pulled back and smiled at her. She felt around my pocket for a second before finding my phone. She slowly pulled it out as she glanced back up at me, nibbling on her bottom lip. I could tell she was unsure about putting her number in my phone. I smiled, nodding my head as I typed in my password and opened my contacts. Handing it back to her, I let her type in her number into my contacts. I definitely want to call her. Very soon. Her eyes lit up after I took my phone back from her, slipping it back into my pocket and kissed her again, this time more aggressively. I definitely used more force in this kiss, wanting to make sure she remembered our night. Well, she probably remembered more than I do, but at least I’ll remember our escapade this morning.

  “Matt! You son of a bitch! Where the fuck is Flynn?” I stopped kissing Sarah and put my forehead to hers as I groaned, listening to Mel yell
at me. Shit. Did one of them call her? I hadn’t even tried to look for Flynn or Z before I came out here with Sarah.

  “Who’s she?” Sarah looked at me with her brows pulled together as we both briefly glanced at Mel walking towards us. She looked exhausted as if she hadn’t slept all night, her jeans were wrinkled and the t-shirt she wore looked like it was Flynn’s. Her hair was in a ratted ponytail and her bright blue eyes looked red and swollen. She’s such a gorgeous woman, but you’d never know that looking at her right now. I had a small pang of guilt hit me looking at Mel so obviously torn up worrying over last night.

  “The bachelor’s fiancée,” I whispered into her mouth as I gave her another soft kiss.

  “This was a bachelor party?” Sarah asked innocently. I smiled against her mouth. She’s so pretty.

  I turned to see Mel with her arms crossed and tapping her foot as if I were the devil himself and she was ready to battle. “You better get going Sarah. I’ll call you soon. Very soon,” I said with a grin. She gave me a quick kiss, slid from under my arms and I watched her walk down the hallway. Yeah, I’ll definitely be calling her.

  “I’m still standing here, Matt. I want an answer. Is there something I shouldn’t see in there? If I walk in there right now will he have some slut draped over him?” Mel asked as she glared at me. Man, she can be unpleasant when she’s pissed. Poor Flynn.

  I was hoping that:

  A. Mel is loud enough that Flynn heard her and is removing himself from any activity he may have been engaged in or what may look like he was engaged in. Or,

  B. That I stall long enough so that he comes out here to save me.

  “It was just a party last night, Mel. It wasn’t any different than our usual parties,” I told her as I tried one of my cute smiles, hoping that my charisma would hold her over. It didn’t. She glared at me and smacked my arm as she stormed past me throwing the door open. I walked in behind her and quickly scanned the room looking for Flynn and Z.

  “Holy shit. What the hell happened in here?” She cried out.

  I continued to search the room, hoping to find Flynn before she did. I let out a sigh when my eyes spotted him sleeping, slumped down in a dining room chair with his head all the way back and his mouth wide open. I glanced to the seat next to him and my brother was in the same position. There is a God.

  I threw my arm out gesturing to where the guys were. “See Mel. The guys were good. They’re right over there. They were observing all night,” I said as convincingly as I possibly could, as if I knew where they were the whole time. She glowered back at me, her eyes barely opened.

  “You are so fucking lucky. If…”

  I interrupted her, “They were good all night long and just wanted to play cards and get drunk. The rest of us wanted…this,” I insisted. I watched her exhale and her shoulders relaxed when she stared into my eyes and saw that I was telling the truth.

  Just then we heard moaning and groaning coming from the bathroom. A woman’s voice shrieked, “Oh, God! Yes, Clark! Harder! Fuck me so hard, Clark!” I glanced back at Mel, who rolled her eyes as she started walking over towards Flynn.

  The noises continued from the bathroom, waking most of the bodies that were scattered all over the floor. It could have been a scene from some horror movie as I watched the “dead” rise while groaning and moaning, listening to the porno in the background.

  Just then, Izzy came walking through the door wearing a white tank top and jeans. She looked fresh, as if she had a great night sleep. She glanced around and laughed, shaking her head. She walked over to me and gave me a hug. “Thanks for keeping them safe. You’re lucky I didn’t tell Mel about the strippers coming to the party until this morning.”

  “Did the guys call you? How’d you find out?” I knew the guys probably sent her a text, but I thought I’d just ask.

  “Kara called me.” She glanced back at me and noticed my questioning look. She gave me a small shrug and added, “It’s a girl thing.”

  Kara? I was surprised she knew her so I asked, “How do you know Kara?”

  “She comes in to Allure all the time. She’s trying to hang around guys in the corporate world and move away from the stripper lifestyle. I’ve tried to hook her up with a couple of classier guys.” I had to chuckle about Kara hanging out at my brother’s bar with a different crowd so she could get into the business world. It just sounded like something Kara would do.

  I chuckled as I asked, “So you kept it from Mel all night?”

  “Yep. I didn’t feel like dealing with her ticked off throughout the night,” Izzy scoffed as she shrugged, giving a half smile. “As is, she paced back and forth all night long. She probably scuffed up the hardwood floors.” Izzy looked over at Z sleeping in the dining room chair and nodded her head towards him. “Did he sleep like that all night?”

  “I guess. I wasn’t really paying that much attention.” I gave her a grin as she shook her head. She knew I didn’t babysit them all night. I wasn’t about to lie to Izzy. She’s a pretty cool sister-in-law and I respect her too much.

  She exhaled a deep breath and walked over to Z, then looked back at me with a teasing smile as she wiggled her eyebrows up and down. I had to watch this because I knew that smile meant she was about to mess with my brother. I watched her quickly straddle Z’s lap and excitedly bounce up and down as she dramatically screamed out, “Oh baby! You’re so hot! Do me again, baby!”

  Z’s eyes flew open as he jumped out of his seat from being woken so abruptly, almost dropping Izzy off his lap. His facial expression made me laugh; it was a mix of shock and worry as if he were afraid he had a stripper on his lap. As soon as he saw Izzy, his facial expression changed immediately to relief and a loving smile for his wife. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her softly. “You scared the shit out of me, Iz.” Izzy giggled and kissed him back.

  I tried to stop watching, but it was tough. I’m still so happy for my brother and Izzy that they found each other. Izzy grew up with some tough times in her life. She met Z after she left her fucked up ex. Z had his own troubles of crazy exes, too. I was thrilled for both of them when they were finally married. It’s nice to see that some people find love. Of course, I had two couples in front of me proving that theory. I’m glad it works for some people. Unfortunately, not everyone finds that.

  Mel stood up holding Flynn’s hand and pulled him to standing. “Come on, Flynn. Let’s go home,” she said softly with a content smile. I could tell she was relieved this night was over and that her fiancé wasn’t caught cheating or in jail. Flynn nodded, his eyes barely opened, as he yawned and rubbed the back of his neck. He looked over to me and smiled.

  “Thanks, Matt. I had a great time.” I grinned, happy that he’d remember a fun bachelor party instead of just another night playing cards and getting drunk. My reputation is still intact.

  The girls each gave me an appreciative hug that their boys were still safe and not too trashed. When they were finally gone, I turned around and yelled for everyone to get up and get the hell out.

  Mr. Miller finally got dressed and we discussed my discretion of his antics and he agreed to find replacements for all the damaged items. Whatever couldn’t be replaced, I could pay for in cash separately so my company would never see the charges on the bill. Win–win for both of us.

  ******

  Eight-thirty Monday morning and it was way too early for me. I hate going into an office and I am so thankful I work outside sales. I make my own appointments and I set them for later in the day. I have plenty of time to work out, then I place several phone calls and make some sales. Although I travel a lot for my job, I’m based out of Atlanta, which is the ideal place for a single young guy. There’s plenty of bars and plenty of single women to chase. It’s perfect.

  I’ve been outside sales for several years now and only come into corporate headquarters when they need me. It’s usually at least once a month or so, but even if I’m in town visiting my family, I still try not to come here. It’s be
en a couple months since I’ve been here and one of my sales buddies told me they redid the whole office.

  I pulled my rental SUV into a parking space marked “Reserved for.” It didn’t have a name, so I might as well take whatever spot I want since they dragged me in here for the week.

  I walked into the spacious reception area and noticed the updated interior. A new receptionist sat behind a large wooden reception desk. I told her my name, who I was here to see and then she directed me to Perry Buchanan’s new office location.

  Perry used to be the Senior Vice President overseeing inside and outside sales. He was also my boss and mentor when I started out here six years ago as an inside sales representative. After two really successful years inside, I was trained for outside sales and am now their top sales person in the country, handling the southeastern major accounts. Perry was just promoted to Executive Vice President of all Operations for the corporate office. This entire office falls under him now.

  I knocked on his open door as I peered in. Perry is a large boisterous man. He’s the epitome of a genuine Texan good-ole boy, complete with a southern drawl. His pale blue eyes tend to lead people to believe that he’s a really nice guy. Usually, he is. On the other hand, he can also be a rattlesnake, ready to bite at any second if you screw up. I was thankful he took me under his wing to teach me everything he knew about sales and about selling computer hardware and software products. It worked out very well for me and he didn’t bite too often.

  “Hey Perry, how's it going?” I asked as he stood up and came around his desk. I shook his hand and he clapped my back, hard.

  “Great. You?” he asked as he stared at me with those pale blue eyes. They had a hint of excitement in them, but I couldn’t tell if maybe that glint was for something besides how my sales were going. I started to get sweaty palms just from his intense gaze.

  “I can't complain. You've seen my numbers.” I tried to joke. I wasn't sure why I was a little nervous, but I couldn't understand why he called me in here, nor why he was staring at me like that. Like I said, he can be a rattlesnake ready to strike at any moment and it put me on edge instantly.