Adored (Club Destiny #7.5)

by Nicole Edwards

  “Think Magic Mike, only … hotter,” Sierra added.

  McKenna wasn’t sure that was possible. “You mean…”

  “Yep,” Sierra confirmed. “Luke, Cole, Logan, Tag, Kane, Xander, Shane, Trent, and Alex are gonna strut their stuff for us tonight.”

  Glancing around the table at all of her friends, McKenna’s grin widened. “And they agreed to this?”

  “Everyone except Tag, but that’s because it was a surprise,” Sam informed them.

  “Xander even volunteered to go first,” Mercedes announced. “Can you imagine?”

  “Does he even have any rhythm?” Lucie asked Mercedes. “I can tell you that Kane doesn’t possess an ounce of it.”

  “Not a lick,” Mercedes admitted with a chuckle. “But I can guarantee I’ll have my dollar bills ready.”

  “Kane really agreed to this?” McKenna asked Lucie.

  “I haven’t talked to him. But he’s always been a team player,” Lucie admitted.

  Lucie’s husband, Kane, managed Club Destiny, the nightclub that’d originally been the front for the fetish club before Luke closed down The Club at Club Destiny and reopened it as Devotion. McKenna didn’t see much of Lucie and Kane. They spent their time working or with their daughter, Haley. From what Tag had said, the couple was trying for another baby, but as of yet, they hadn’t gotten pregnant.

  “So when do the festivities begin?” Ashleigh asked.

  “We’re waiting for McKenna’s parents to go to bed. We asked Tiffany if she and Matt wanted to join in, but she politely declined.”

  McKenna was grateful for that. It would’ve been a little awkward to see her straight-laced brother-in-law stripping for a room full of women. Not to mention, Tiffany was a jealous woman, and McKenna doubted her sister would’ve been able to sit back and take all the women cheering him on.

  “What about Tag’s parents?” Ashleigh asked.

  “They’re here somewhere, but they didn’t commit to joining us tonight,” Sierra explained.

  McKenna’s gut tightened at the thought of Jackson not wanting to spend time with his son. After all, Tag had been the one to extend the olive branch, inviting his father when he would’ve preferred to leave him back on dry land. Their relationship hadn’t improved over the years, neither of them putting forth much effort. Although McKenna never understood how a father could be so blind to his own children, she didn’t push the issue. She’d had plenty she wanted to say to the man, but for Tag’s sake, she’d always kept her mouth shut.

  “Well, I can’t wait,” Mercedes said. “It’ll be interesting. Especially if Luke actually does follow through.”

  Sierra grinned. “Oh, he’ll be up there. I promise.”

  The twinkle in the other woman’s eyes spoke of secrets that McKenna didn’t even want to know about. That threesome never ceased to amaze her. Luke was opening up, and McKenna knew that all of the thanks went to both Sierra and Cole. It was incredible what love could do to a person.

  It seemed as though it could even get an uptight man to strip on stage.

  But as entertaining as she knew that would be, McKenna was most interested in seeing her own man up there. Because no matter what these other women said, Tag would definitely steal the show.

  Chapter Seven

  “I can’t believe y’all are really gonna make me do this,” Tag told Luke and Cole as they led the way down a long, narrow hallway to the area behind the stage in the nightclub that had been sanctioned off to them for the night.

  “I told you to have another drink,” Cole said, glancing back at Tag over his shoulder.

  “I could’ve had ten more. It wouldn’t have made me agree to this,” Tag informed his so-called friends.

  Xander’s giant hand landed on Tag’s back. “How hard could it be? Just get up there, rip off your shirt, make the ladies go crazy. Simple as that.”

  “I thought—” Trent was instantly silenced by Xander.

  Tag stopped, causing the others behind him to stop abruptly. “What’s goin’ on?”

  “Nothin’,” Luke stated. “Come on. We’ve got a show to put on.”

  Something was off. Tag could feel it. Luke McCoy was a lot of things, but eager to strip for a room full of women wasn’t one of them.

  Luke opened a door and took a step back, allowing Tag and the others to enter. The area was dark, with only a few dim lights from above providing enough light to see where they were going and that was about it.

  “Dressing rooms are over there,” Cole pointed out.

  “Based on what you’ve told me,” Tag stated gruffly, “we aren’t going to need them. No need to dress if you’re just gonna take it all off.”

  A sharp knock sounded on the door behind them, and Tag turned with the others to see who was there.

  “Gentlemen,” the younger man said as he stuck his head in the door. “I’m here to set up the sound system and show you how to work it. I’ve also brought the music you requested.”

  “And what song are we strippin’ to?” Tag questioned, not really wanting to know the answer to that.

  Cole smirked. “Have you seen Magic Mike?”

  “No,” Tag stated firmly. “No intention of seein’ it, either.”

  “Well, then the song’ll just be a surprise,” Xander added.

  “Nope. He’s gotta watch it. Come on,” Logan commanded, turning toward the dressing rooms.

  Tag obediently followed Logan and the others into the dressing room. What he saw before him made his mouth go dry.

  “What the hell are those?”

  “Costumes,” Shane informed him, amusement in his steady gaze.

  Hanging on the wall in front of them were—Tag paused to count—ten outfits. Several of them were black sweat pants and white hoodies, while the rest were the opposite—white sweatpants with black hoodies.

  “Good news,” Elijah stated. “No G-strings.”

  A few chuckles sounded behind him. That’s when he noticed there were black boxer briefs along with shoes for each of the outfits.

  Holy shit.

  They’d planned this well in advance obviously, because upon inspection, Tag noticed that, yes, they were all appropriately sized, and he doubted it was a coincidence that they’d find the exact sizes at the ship’s gift shop.

  Trent appeared in front of him holding an iPad. “Watch this.”

  With the push of a button, a video appeared on the screen. Tag could only assume it was the scene from the movie they had referenced.

  “Fuck,” Tag groaned. “Seriously. Y’all expect me to do that?”

  “No, we expect you to follow our lead. Your goal is to dance for your woman,” Cole informed him. “That’s all you have to do. Focus on McKenna.”

  Tag figured he might be able to do that, but as far as the moves… Well, he had none.

  The video continued to play, and Tag found himself laughing hysterically. He could imagine Luke, Cole, Logan, Xander, Kane, Alex, Elijah, Shane, and Trent performing to this song. But he absolutely could not picture himself doing it. He’d look like a fucking dancing monkey.

  Fuck.

  “All right. Who’s ready to get this show on the road?” Xander boasted with a deep, rumbling chuckle. “Time to change.”

  From that moment forward, Tag was ushered where the others wanted him to go. He managed to change into the black sweatpants and white hoodie, along with a pair of white shoes that he would never in his life have purchased for himself. He tried to ignore the anxiety that erupted in his gut.

  Focus on McKenna.

  Yes, that was certainly the plan.

  Once everyone was dressed, they made their way back to the stage. It was no longer dark, but lit up with red lights from behind the curtain. No one was there yet, which Tag considered a good thing. He wasn’t even close to being comfortable with this.

  The others were laughing and joking, although Tag didn’t find anything funny about having to get up on stage and do a strip tease for his future bride and her
crazy friends. His crazy friends.

  Heaven help him, this was not going to go well.

  Speaking of friends… From the other side of the curtain that blocked off the backstage area, an eruption of giggles and cheers sounded, signaling the arrival of their audience.

  “Y’all do know that I’ll be payin’ you back for this. In the very near future,” Tag grumbled.

  “Oh, we know,” Luke said. “Lighten up a bit.”

  “Someone wanna tell me what Luke’s drinkin’? Since when did he volunteer to strip for women?”

  “You only live once,” Luke assured him.

  Tag simply stared at the other man’s back as he retreated, heading toward the stage.

  “Trent, you’re up,” Cole announced.

  “I thought Xander was goin’ first,” Tag asked, confused.

  “He is, but we’ll let the actor get up there and set it up.”

  Great.

  Just fucking great.

  Tag peered around the curtain, scanning the room to see the women who’d be watching them. McKenna had a front-row seat, and the others were spread out around her. The tables had been left where they were stored, and only chairs sat in front of the stage, likely to give them more room to dance.

  Right.

  Like Tag knew how to fucking dance.

  “You’re not nervous, are you?” Kane questioned, coming to stand beside him.

  “You’re not?” Tag retorted.

  “Like Luke said, you only live once.”

  Right. You only live once.

  And then you die of humiliation.

  <><><><>

  McKenna was unable to hide her excitement. For the last hour, she’d shared a couple of drinks with her friends, laughed at their stories, and ultimately anticipated what the night would bring, still a little shocked.

  The boys were going to strip.

  Even the thought made her giggle as she sat at the front of the group, her chair in the center, facing the stage. The black curtains were backlit with red lighting, giving the entire area a sexy, seductive feel.

  “You ready for this?” Mercedes called out from behind her.

  “Absolutely,” McKenna confirmed. She was more than ready.

  Her attention was drawn to the side of the stage as Trent Ramsey, the incredibly handsome and equally famous actor came waltzing out with a huge grin plastered on his face.

  “Ladies,” he greeted.

  A round of catcalls sounded from behind her, and McKenna laughed.

  “Are y’all ready for this?”

  More yelling and cheers made McKenna’s grin spread across her face. A tingle of anticipation started in her belly and worked its way throughout her body.

  “Remember, no touching,” Trent said with a smirk.

  Right. Like they weren’t going to touch.

  He disappeared as fast as he’d come. There was movement behind the black curtain, but it was evident there were bodies lining up. Big bodies.

  Unable to help herself, McKenna clapped with the others.

  The lights went off, pitching the entire room into complete darkness. Although McKenna was close to the stage, she couldn’t see anything.

  And then it started.

  “Pony” by Ginuwine started playing, causing her belly to tighten with anticipation, and the red lights near the curtains began flashing, matching the familiar beat.

  “Take it all off!” Sam yelled, making the rest of them laugh.

  Xander appeared, all six and a half feet of him. He was wearing white sweatpants and a black hoodie, along with a ball cap. That’s when McKenna realized they were mimicking the scene from Magic Mike—one of her favorites.

  “Woohoo!” Mercedes yelled when her man moved forward, his dance moves surprisingly good. He managed to keep the beat, but then McKenna’s eyes were drawn to the others—all nine of them—as they moved onto the stage, their moves fairly choreographed.

  Well, all except for Tag, who looked as though he might turn tail and run, which made McKenna smile. She was so proud of him. She knew this wasn’t easy, but there he was, giving it his all.

  The excitement level rose. A deafening roar erupted in the room as the women around her went a little crazy.

  Ten big, sexy men unzipped their hoodies, ripped them from their arms, and tossed them to the side, leaving them shirtless and…

  Holy hell.

  She scanned all of the sexy torsos, but when she fixed her eyes on Tag, McKenna couldn’t look away. Their gazes slammed into one another as he moved forward. Gone was the initial fear she’d seen, and in its place something much, much … sexier.

  He was focused only on her, and who would’ve thought that Tag Murphy could dance so well, but holy shit, he had some serious moves.

  The song continued to play as the men moved down from the stage, into the audience. When Tag was directly in front of her, McKenna’s breaths rushed in and out of her lungs. She didn’t move, didn’t reach for him, but damn, she wanted to.

  We’re gonna get nasty, baby.

  The words echoed in the room, followed by more cheering, and that was when Tag straddled her lap, his hips gliding forward and back in a sensual move that nearly knocked McKenna from her seat. She had no idea how long he continued to give her the hottest lap dance imaginable, but then he moved back, as did the others.

  They backed up closer to the stage, turning away from them as they kicked off their shoes. Their hands went to the waistband of their sweats and then…

  “Fuck yes! Take it off!”

  McKenna laughed, her eyes glued to Tag’s extremely fine backside. Her eyes raked over the tattoos that covered his smooth skin. And when he was clad in only a pair of black boxer briefs, which, sadly, he didn’t take off, she couldn’t contain herself any longer.

  The other men moved back into the audience, and McKenna got to her feet, stalking closer to Tag, who was beckoning her with the crook of his finger.

  She moved up against him, their noses nearly touching as he continued to grind his body against hers. She could hardly breathe for wanting him, a desperate ache infusing her blood. He was the hottest man she’d ever laid eyes on, and tonight, he’d gone above and beyond. She’d known from the get-go that Tag wouldn’t be comfortable with this, but here he was, working it like a pro.

  His arms went around her, his hands cupping her ass and jerking her forward as he leaned in, his lips brushing her ear.

  “Do you know how bad I want to fuck you right now?” he asked.

  McKenna nodded. She did know because she felt the same.

  “I want you to ride my cock.”

  Knowing they were in public and she couldn’t very well do that, McKenna allowed herself the fantasy for a moment while he squatted in front of her, his mouth and hands traveling up her body slowly as he returned to his full height.

  “Holy shit,” she breathed out when he was looking down at her.

  The song faded, more cheers erupted, and McKenna stood staring at her future husband. She was grinning from ear to ear, as was Tag.

  “So? What’d you think?” Sam called from behind her.

  “I think…” McKenna kept her eyes locked with Tag’s. “That you’re gonna do that for me again real soon.”

  “Only next time,” Tag added as he leaned in close, “we’ll be alone, and you will ride my cock.”

  A flash of heat consumed her as he looked at her mouth before he pulled her in and crushed his lips to hers.

  McKenna gave in, as she always did. Only this time, she started counting down the minutes until they could do this again.

  Because … damn … that had been the hottest thing she’d seen in her entire life.

  “Okay, you two lovebirds,” Sierra said from close by. “Looks like your rendezvous will have to be postponed.”

  McKenna pulled her mouth from Tag’s and glanced over at her friend, lifting her eyebrows in question.

  “Tomorrow’s your wedding day. And you know the rule. The groom can’t
see the bride. So that means we’ll be stayin’ with you tonight. And he”—Sierra glanced over at Tag—“will be stayin’ with the boys.”

  The disappointment of not being with Tag tonight was overwhelmed by the anticipation that flooded her.

  They were getting married tomorrow.

  Holy shit.

  They were finally getting married.

  Chapter Eight

  Saturday afternoon

  The wedding

  Sierra stood beside Logan, waiting for Tag to make his way up to the altar after walking McKenna’s mother to her seat. The scene before her made her smile. So many people, all gathered together in one place, all patiently waiting for the ceremony to begin.

  Surprisingly, Sierra wasn’t nervous, merely eager for them to get on with it. She had spent the morning with McKenna, along with Sam and Mercedes, helping her to get ready, trying to calm her nerves, and ultimately making her laugh. They’d arranged for breakfast to be delivered to the cabin, not wanting to risk Tag seeing McKenna before he was supposed to. It had been a fun, laughter-filled morning, but Sierra was as anxious as Tag and McKenna to get this started.

  She was excited for this day, excited for two of her nearest and dearest friends to pledge their love for one another. Today, Sierra was McKenna’s matron of honor, while Logan stood for Tag as his best man. The couple had opted to keep the wedding party small, due to the fact there were so many people close to McKenna, and the woman didn’t seem to know how to pick one person for the high honor without selecting everyone.

  So, to make it simple, last night after the striptease, they’d come up with a plan to make it easy. Everyone’s name went into a hat—two separate ones, actually—and McKenna and Tag then drew randomly. Not conventional, maybe, but it had been fun. Probably more so because Sierra’s name had been selected, and she had the honor of standing up for the couple as they stated their vows to one another.

  Once Tag made his way to the altar, standing in front of the officiant who’d entered from the side of the beautifully decorated chapel, a silence descended over the group gathered before her. Luckily, they’d had an assigned wedding coordinator who’d handled all of the details, right down to the decorations, as well as the menu, cake, flowers, and music. Sierra merely oversaw it all, ensuring that nothing was missed.