by Boone Brux
She pushed the thought out of her mind. Didn’t she deserve to enjoy this thing they had going—even if it was bound to end?
Chapter Eight
Tonight was the big night, the bachelorette party.
“So what’s on the agenda?” Roxy’s big blue eyes peered at Kinni with hopeful anticipation.
Kinni’s task had been to line up fun for the evening. Even though a male revue wasn’t her first choice in evening entertainment, it was exactly what Roxy would like. And after all, this night was about the bride. “The Fox Hole. They’re having a male revue.”
“Very well done, Kinni.” Roxy’s manicured hand patted her purse. “I happen to pack a wad of singles in my purse for just that type of an emergency.”
Joya’s auburn eyebrow arched in the reflection of the rearview mirror. “Do you often have male stripper emergencies?”
“It never hurts to be prepared, my dear sister-in-law.”
“Strippers and booze, now that’s a good night.” Dani leaned forward and patted Kinni on the shoulder few times, followed by a friendly rub. “Oh, and thanks for driving, Kinni. You didn’t have to.”
“Yeah, we could have hired a limo driver for tonight and you could have gotten stupid drunk with us.” Pearly white teeth blinked from Roxy’s enormous smile. “I feel bad that you won’t be imbibing with us.”
Her eyes cut to the rearview mirror. “It’s better if I don’t drink. I’ve got an interview at Lawson and Associates tomorrow afternoon.”
A unanimous cheer erupted from the three passengers.
“Congratulations.” Roxy grabbed her arm and gave it a violent shake. “Way to put yourself out there.”
She shrugged. “What’s the worst they can say?”
“Exactly. If they don’t hire you, it’s their loss,” Dani said.
“You don’t think they’re going to hire me?” All of Kinni’s fears rushed to the forefront, and she slumped against the steering wheel. Of course they weren’t going to hire her; why would she even think they would? Somehow, someway, she’d screw up the interview and make it impossible for Lawson to offer her a job.
“Of course they’re going to hire you.” Dani’s warm hand settled on her shoulder again, her glossy pale pink lips turning up in an encouraging smile. “I’m just saying, on the off chance, I mean very off chance, they’d be losing an awesome asset to their firm.”
“Thanks.” What else could she say? And what else could they say before the interview but give her the standard friend support? That’s what friends did. She straightened and pushed that line of thought away. Tonight was girls’ night out—no worries about tomorrow.
Shrieking women crammed the Fox Hole. Jeez, it was as if they could smell their prey, lurking behind the blue curtain, glistening with excitement and coconut oil. Thankfully, she’d reserved the private table just off the stage, which got them out of the crowd and close to the dancers. Swathed in pink sashes and armed with light-up penis straws, the group threw themselves into having fun—especially Roxy.
After several pitchers of margaritas, numerous gleaming male dancers, and three text messages to Kyle, Roxy announced they were going to the Bush Company, the strip club where the guys were partying. Despite Kinni’s and Dani’s feeble protests of it being bachelorette party taboo, they closed out the male revue and headed to the Bush Company.
If possible, the music was louder there than at the Fox Hole. The aroma of stale cigarettes tainted the air even though it was illegal to smoke in a public place. A woman wearing a skimpy schoolgirl outfit leaned against a pole at the center of the stage and shook her pink ruffled panties in the direction of a group of businessmen perched at the end of the bar. Thankfully the place wasn’t nearly as packed as the Fox Hole.
Kinni’s gaze scanned the dim interior and landed on a group on the far side of the club. Price sat stretched out, his feet crossed and his arm draped along the back of the sofa. She hesitated, not immediately following the women deeper into the room. Roxy made a beeline for Kyle, and Dani headed toward the bar, stopping Linc, one of the other groomsmen, on his way back to the seating area. He was tall, dark, and handsome, reminding Kinni of an Italian movie star. Only his blue eyes hinted at something other than a Mediterranean heritage. She’d always gotten along with Linc because he tended to be more serious and quiet, like her. However, on him it made him mysterious; on her it seemed to come off as intimidating.
When Linc flicked his head toward the red curtain at the back of the room, Dani nodded and headed in that direction. Kinni inwardly grimaced. God only knew what went on behind the curtain.
Making her way to where Price sat was a far better option than following Dani. “Hey.”
“Hey, stranger.” He stood and indicated the seat next to him. “Come here often?”
“Once too often, unfortunately.” She skirted the low table and plopped onto the couch, after which he joined her. “Sorry for crashing your man party. Roxy thought it would be fun to see Kyle, and the bride gets what the bride wants.”
“Even if Roxy weren’t the bride, she’d get what she wants.”
Kinni released a snort. “So true.”
Again he leaned back against the couch, resuming his relaxed pose. “So Roxy wanted to see Kyle, and…”
Was he actually fishing for a compliment? She pursed her lips and narrowed her gaze playing dumb. “And what?”
“And you…” He nodded and circled his hand, trying to get her to admit she had wanted to see him.
She rounded her eyes. “And I what?”
“And you wanted…”
“And I wanted to go home and go to bed so I could get a good night’s sleep before my interview tomorrow afternoon.” Her face remained an unreadable mask. “But instead, here I am.”
“Come on, Kinni, you’re killing my ego.” He covered his eyes with his hand, gave an overstated exhale, and let his arm flop onto his lap. “Throw me a bone here.”
Unable to hold back, she let the smile creep across her face. “Okay, I might not have been one hundred percent against coming here.”
“Because of me?” He pressed his hand to his chest. “Please tell me it was because of me.”
She shrugged, pretending the fact that he wanted her to want to see him didn’t send a current of happiness through her.
“What’s going on over there?” he asked, pointing toward the red-curtained area. “Everybody is crowded in the entrance.”
“I don’t know. Dani headed that way a minute ago.” She gripped his arm. “You don’t think somebody is getting a lap dance, do you?”
His eyes brightened. “I don’t know. Let’s go find out.”
“Or we could stay here and not subject ourselves to that image.”
“Come on.” He stood and then pulled her to her feet. “It will be fun.”
“I guarantee that will not be fun.” Despite her protest, she followed him, but they only got halfway across the room before Dani burst through the crowd and stomped toward the exit. From her pissed expression, whatever happened in the back wasn’t good. “Dani, wait.” Her friend stopped and fisted her hands on her hips when Kinni approached. “What’s going on?”
“Oh nothing much, I just walked in on Jamie getting a tonsillectomy from his ex-girlfriend.”
In the car, Dani had quietly mentioned that she and Jamie were hanging out together, but she’d made it sound casual. From her reaction, it looked as if the relationship had been anything but casual to her. “I didn’t even know he had an ex-girlfriend.”
“Well, he does.” Dani threaded her fingers through her brown hair and sighed, her eyes magnified with threatening tears. “They were back there playing tonsil hockey.”
“I’m so sorry.” Kinni wrapped her friend in a hug. “What a jackass.”
“Gigantic jackass.” Dani returned a weak embrace and then released her. “I’m sorry to ruin the party after all the work you’ve done, but I need to get out of here and away from him.”
�
�Don’t be silly, you haven’t ruined anything, but are you sure you want to go home? We could go somewhere else, like an after-hours club or pancake house.”
Dani gave a weak grin. “Thanks, but I’ve lost my partying-pancake mood.”
Price approached, a sympathetic smile etched on his mouth. “Hey, Dani.” He shoved his hands in his front pockets and gave her a half smile. “Sorry about that. We didn’t even know his ex was here.”
“Thanks, Price. It’s no big deal. It’s not like we were back together or anything.” Dani’s shoulders sagged and her fist slid from her hip, her hands relaxing. “Well…” She inched toward the door. “I’m going to wait outside for a cab.”
“My driver can take you home.” He took hold of her upper arm and guided her toward the entrance.
“That’s all right. I can get a cab,” Dani protested.
“Nonsense, he’s just out there, waiting for us. Please, take the car. He’ll be back in plenty of time to pick us up.
Kinni couldn’t help but smile as she followed them outside. Something in his character drove him to take control, help out a damsel in distress, and be the hero. Several times he’d done it with her, and now he was doing it for Dani.
The black stretch limo sat on the far side of the parking lot. A light rain had started, and after being inside the stuffy club, the night air smelled fresh. Kinni took a deep breath. If Price hadn’t been there, she would have given her friend a ride home herself and then gone home.
After Price gave a few instructions to the driver, Dani hugged them both and climbed in. They watched the car pull away until it turned the corner. Kinni sighed. “Well, I guess we can go back in.”
“I guess we can.”
His hand guided her, making her feel safe, which she was grateful for in this questionable part of town.
They returned to the seating area where she’d found him and she plopped back onto the couch. “I feel so bad for Dani.” She hesitated. “Speaking of which, about that wager.”
A wide grin stretched across his face. “You mean the wager I clearly won?”
“Yes, but to be fair, Dani and Jamie also broke up. So that should cancel out any one victor.”
“Oh no, no.” He shook his head, his face tightening to a stern glare. “We bet on whether or not they would hook up, not if they’d stay together.”
Damn, he wasn’t going to let her out of their bet. Maybe she could appeal to his emotional side. “Do you really think it’s in good taste to profit from our friends’ misfortune?” Mustering a look dripping in censure, she added, “I mean, what would that say about us?”
“Well.” He leaned in, his face mere inches from her. “To me that says I’m a lucky man because you’ll be helping me paint my living room.”
“Ugh!” She pushed at his chest. “You are heartless.”
“But I’m the winner.” Before he could continue his victory speech, the waitress arrived.
“What can I get you two?” The skimpy outfit the waitress wore left little to the imagination, but compared to the woman on stage, she was practically dressed for a blizzard.
“I’ll have another martini, Trudy.” He turned to Kinni. “What are you drinking?”
“Water please, I’m the designated driver.”
“Designated driver? That’s just sad.” He patted her knee, but when he stopped, he didn’t remove his hand. “Why don’t you order a drink and let my driver take you home. You saw the car. There’s plenty of room.”
“I think your driver has made one too many unscheduled stops tonight.” She shifted and discreetly moved his hand from her leg. “Besides, I need my car tomorrow afternoon.” She leveled her gaze on the waitress. “So just water, please.”
The woman nodded, but Price held up his hand, staying her. “Kinni, please order a drink and place the responsibility of getting you home in the very capable hands of my driver.” He paused and smiled. “That way we can sit here and relax, enjoy each other’s company.”
“Oh.” Her lips pursed and she cocked her head. “Did you just go there? Are we doing this tonight?” When his smile widened, she turned her attention back to the waitress. “Okay, Trudy, make that one giant water and one small margarita, please. And put it on his tab.”
“You got it.” After jotting down the order, she moved to the next table, leaving them alone.
By asking her to order a drink and relax, he’d changed the mood of the night from slightly depressing to challenging. There had been no doubt Roxy would pull the fun card during their outing, but at least she’d been considerate, only requiring Kinni to stick a couple of ones in the fireman’s G-string. Get a few drinks in Price, no telling what kind of crap he’d try to pull. Heck, get a couple of drinks in her and she might match him “yes” for “no.”
The remaining four friends slogged toward them, looking as if somebody had pulled the plug on the bouncy house.
“Well, the bachelorette party is a bust,” Roxy said with a pout. She and Kyle claimed the overstuffed love seat, cuddling close to each other. “But we can still have fun here, I guess.”
Joya and Linc squished onto the small section of couch next to Kinni. When Linc sat, Joya inched away from him, her thigh ramming against Kinni’s.
Kinni glanced at their touching legs and then back to her friend. She was so close Kinni could see the freckles sprinkled across the bridge of Joya’s nose. “Personal space, please.”
“There’s not much room.” She leaned away, but didn’t create more distance between them.
“There’s enough room that you don’t have to be on my lap.” Kinni pointed to the six inches between Joya and Linc. “Like an inch—maybe three.” Though her friend backed her hips up, she still leaned into Kinni’s personal bubble and gave her a wide-eyed smile. “Weirdo.”
“My,” Roxy said, pulling everybody’s attention toward the stage. “That girl is exceptionally limber.”
The stripper was definitely skilled in the area of pole work.
“I like that in a woman.” Price gave a nod of approval. “Shows she takes pride in her work, goes the extra mile.”
“Yeah, I’m sure that’s why you value her flexibility.” Kinni glared at the back of his head.
“I bet you could give her a run for her money.” He shifted to look at her, his eyes glimmering with amusement, and dare she say, hope. “Maybe the splits, or that upside-down pole thing.”
She sneered at him. “You wish.”
“Yes, I do,” he said, leaning in.
It was tough to look away from him. They were too close, and the sincere conviction with which he’d backed his statement built a swell of breathless longing that spread from the center of her chest outward. Any semblance of a clever comeback evaporated. Thankfully, Roxy stepped in, breaking the tension.
“I bet I can still do the splits.” She bounded off the love seat and positioned her body in an open space beside the low table. “Three years on my high school pep squad and one year as the captain.” In a blink of an eye, she dropped, legs flattening against the floor. Thrusting her hands in the air, she shouted, “Go team!”
The rest of the group burst into a round of applause, adding whoops and whistles of approval. Kinni glanced around to see if any of the other patrons were watching them, but was relieved to see the crowd’s attention was focused on the stage, where the stripper performed the inverted splits.
“How about you, Joya?” Roxy jumped to her feet. “Any hidden talents?”
She held up her hands and systematically popped each knuckle. “Mom hated when I did it.”
“Because it’s gross,” Kyle said, giving a shudder.
“You’re gross,” she snapped at her brother.
“Play nice, children.” Roxy plunked down next to him again. “I’ve never been able to do that, but always wanted to. And that eyebrow thing.” Her face contorted, both brows lifting and lowering while her lips pursed and then relaxed. “Am I doing it?”
“I don’t know what
you’re trying to do, but it looks like you’re going to fart.” Joya grimaced. “Please don’t.”
“I’m not going to fart. Am I doing the eyebrow thing?”
“No, you just look constipated,” Kyle said.
“Damn.” Roxy’s efforts melted to a pout, her blue eyes rounding like a basset hound’s. “Oh well, I have other talents.”
“I’ll vouch for that.” He nuzzled her neck. “Maybe you can show me some new ones tonight.”
“Maybe I will, if you’re a good boy.” She wiggled against him. “‘Good boy’ being left open to interpretation.”
“Oh, gag.” Joya rolled her eyes and slumped against the couch. “I thought this was a girls’ night out bachelorette party, not a watch-you-make-out-with-my-brother night.”
The waitress arrived with their drinks and Price paid the bill before Kinni could dig money out of her purse. “I was kidding about putting it on your bill. I can buy my own drinks.”
“Okay, you can get the next one.” He picked up his martini and sipped.
“There isn’t going to be a next one.” As if to prove her point, she chose the glass of water and drank.
“We’ll see,” he muttered low enough that only she could hear him.
“What about you, Kinni?” Roxy asked. “Do you have any hidden talents?”
“Nope.” Unless you count scaring off men and job offers. Then again, that talent wasn’t so hidden. “I’m sadly unremarkable when it comes to acrobatics or making noises with my body parts.”
“Can you whistle?” Price asked.
“No, but I can blow a raspberry.”
“That can be a talent when applied to the right situation.” Draping his arm across the sofa behind her, his smile faded and he gnawed on his bottom lip a few times, staring at her. After a second he said, “Didn’t you say you took dance when you were a kid?”
