Stripped Bare

by Heidi McLaughlin

  She’s right, it is, but I’m not leaving her. “I want to spend the night with you.”

  Morgan climbs onto my lap and places her hands on my cheeks. “But I want you to go and have a good time with my dad. Besides, if he bought you a dress, that means he wants you to be there with him.”

  “It’s not that easy.”

  “Make it easy,” she says, shrugging. Before I can respond, she’s off my lap and running down the hall to Finn’s room. When I hear her say “Oh my god” I chase after her.

  “Are these yours?” she asks as I enter the closet to find her touching the gowns.

  “Yes.”

  “Which one is for tonight?”

  “The black one,” I tell her while pointing.

  “Put it on, Mommy. I want to see you in it.”

  I do as she asks because who am I to deny her anything? Once I’m in the gown and my shoes are on, she pulls me into the bathroom and sits me at the vanity. Standing behind me, she moves my hair off to the side and smiles.

  “You’re beautiful.”

  “So are you, little miss.”

  “Please go with my dad, it’ll make him happy, and your eyes sparkle in this dress.”

  She’s right, they do. I finally agree after sending a text to Lamar, letting him know I’ve changed my mind, but want to surprise Finn. He tells me he’ll arrange a car and then be right up with every Disney movie on DVD so he and Morgan can bond over animation.

  Morgan helps curl and pin my hair to the side, then watches me apply my makeup. I finish just as Lamar arrives.

  “Mr. McCormick will be very pleased to see you tonight, Ms. Webster.”

  “Please, call me Macey.”

  He nods and hands Morgan a pile of DVDs.

  “Morgan, this is Lamar. Please listen to him.”

  “Will do, Mommy.”

  “Thank you for coming to watch her,” I tell him.

  “It’s my pleasure. The car is out front and waiting.”

  I thank him and hurry out of the apartment before I change my mind. As he said, the car is waiting for me and takes me immediately across town to the hotel where the event is being held. The driver follows me in, ensuring that I get into the event without any hassle and once I’m inside, my eyes scan the room looking for Finn.

  As soon as I find him, everything that I thought could change tonight does, but not in the way I had hoped. Attached to his arm is Brandy, and it’s in a way that suggests that they’re more than friends. When she sees me, she smiles and says something to him that makes him nod. When she moves toward me, I know I have to get out of there.

  “Macey,” she calls after me. Everything in me tells me to keep walking, but I don’t. I turn to face her. “I’m surprised Finn didn’t tell you.”

  “Tell me what?”

  “That we’re engaged.” She flashes her ring finger with a massive diamond on it. Truthfully, it’s too big for my taste, but what the fuck do I know? I’m a stripper who got paid by her baby daddy to fuck him for a week.

  “Must’ve slipped his mind after we fucked earlier,” I tell her with a slight shrug. Her mouth drops open, but closes instantly. It’s taking every power within me to keep from crying. Why would he dress me up, only to propose to her?

  “Well, I’m sure now that he’s gotten you out of his system, he’ll be sending you on your way.”

  “Yes, I’m sure that will be the case.”

  I turn and leave, rushing out of the hotel with my dress cinched in my hands. This is the second and last time he’s made me out to be a fool. I hail a cab and reluctantly head back to his hotel, wishing I were staying someplace else. Next time he wants to see Morgan he can come pick her up or stay there while he visits. I won’t be coming back to Vegas to see him ever again.

  Two sets of eyes are shocked to see me come through the door. I barely make it past Lamar without crying before retreating to the bedroom. With the dress off and nicely hung, I take the pins out of my hair and wash my makeup off. I’m better off as Cinderella before the fairy godmother tried to make me something I’m not.

  “Why are you back?” Lamar asks as I enter the kitchen. I pour myself a glass of wine and keep my back to him.

  “It wasn’t my scene,” I tell him. “You can go now.” I refuse to look at him for fear that I’ll start crying. As soon as I hear the door shut, I let the tears fall. Little hands wrap around my waist, hugging me tight.

  “What happened, Mommy?”

  “Nothing, little miss. Nothing at all.” But she knows better because the tears tell a different story.

  Chapter 26

  Finn

  I breathe a sigh of relief when Brandy excuses herself. Finally alone with her father, I motion for one of the waiters to bring us another round of drinks. With my hand on his shoulder and a half-empty glass in my hand, I motion for us to move over to the side where I feel we can discuss business without an audience.

  “Mr. Kramer, you know that your support means the world to me—”

  “Finn,” he says, interrupting me. I’m actually put off by this. I have only a small window in which to tell him that he can take his money and stuff it before Brandy comes back. With her hanging on me constantly I haven’t been able to get a word in edgewise. And if I have to hear “oh Daddy” one more time I’m going to blow my own eardrums. “Brandy tells me that you’re making great strides with the new hotel. Tell me what you need.”

  And there it is, the golden fucking ticket, except this ticket comes with a price tag that I’m not willing to even turn over to see the cost. I already know it’s out of my range. I don’t want to be with Brandy, this much I know. I’m not sure I want to be with anyone because I’d rather spend my time with Macey and Morgan. It’s purely selfish to include Macey because she deserves better than what I can offer her right now.

  “Yes, Mr. Kramer, and that’s why I wanted to talk to you. You see, I won’t need your—”

  “Oh, Daddy, there you are.”

  I roll my eyes at the sound of Brandy. When I glance at her, she’s almost out of breath, making me wonder where the fuck she ran off to. I’d ask, but I don’t care enough to know. Hopefully, she dropped down on her knees in the bathroom to give the waiter a blow job. I’ve been watching him eye fuck her all night.

  “Are you telling Daddy the good news?”

  “What news might that be, sunshine?” Brandy shrugs her shoulders as if she’s meant to be cute while Mr. Kramer dotes on his conniving little girl.

  “No, I was about to tell your father—”

  “That we’re engaged!” she says excitedly, holding up her left hand. My mouth drops and my hand goes slack, allowing the glass I’m holding to slip and crash to the floor. Both Brandy and her father look at me as if I’ve done something incredibly horrible. Fuck, maybe I did.

  “Finn, it looks like we’ll be family.”

  “Actually, sir—”

  “Daddy, I want a big wedding.”

  “For fuck’s sake,” I say, irritated by the facts that my phone continues to vibrate in my pocket and the Kramers keep interrupting me. I pull my phone out and see two texts. One from Morgan, which makes me smile because she’s thinking about me, and one from Lamar. I open his first.

  Macey went to the fundraiser. Came back crying. I thought you wanted her to go?

  Daddy, why is Mommy crying?

  I read both texts over and over, and look at the door even though I know she’s not in the room or even waiting for me at the door. I look at the time stamp and calculate how long it would’ve taken her to get back to the hotel from here and how long Brandy was gone. Pocketing my phone, I step to Brandy and her father to interrupt their wedding plans and pull her aside.

  “Brandy, did you happen to see Macey tonight?”

  Her face pales before the mask is put back into place. “I let her know our good news.”

  “Right, except I didn’t ask you to marry me, so the fact that you’re telling people is bullshit.”

 
; “It’s a matter of time, Finn.” She reaches for me, but I recoil. I don’t want her to touch me, not now, not ever.

  “I’m not marrying you, Brandy.”

  Her mouth drops open briefly before shutting as her eyes turn deadly. “You listen to me, Finn McCormick. You will tell everyone that we’re getting married and that last night under the stars you proposed with this ring. I will not be made a fool of. My father will destroy you and everything you’ve built. Everything will be gone. Is that what you want?”

  I don’t answer her.

  “I know you fucked her before you came here, and let me tell you right now that was the last time. I will not have a mockery of a marriage. You will remain faithful to me from this point forward.”

  I look at her and shake my head. Even if Macey and I did have sex before I arrived, how would Brandy know she’s…

  It all comes back to me in a flurry: Brandy stepping closer, trying to get me to kiss her before she left to use the restroom. She must’ve seen Macey and pounced, sending the woman I’m in love with…

  In love?

  Do I love Macey?

  Yeah, I think I do. I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face and then Brandy’s. She thinks she’s won, when in fact I’m about to destroy everything.

  Brandy’s words and actions leave me no choice. I sidestep her and holler out for people to give me their attention. “Excuse me. I have an announcement to make.”

  Brandy steps next to me, her smile lighting up the room.

  “It’s with great pleasure that I announce…well, that I tell you that Brandy Kramer is a fucking snake. I know she’s going around telling everyone we’re engaged. We’re not. She bought the ring for herself.”

  Brandy slaps me just as the people in the room gasp and I love every minute of it.

  “Finn?” Her father says my name as if he doesn’t understand what’s going on.

  “Sorry, Mr. Kramer, but I’m not marrying your daughter. She’s trying to blackmail me, telling me that if I don’t marry her you’ll pull the funding for my hotel and the thing is…what I’ve been trying to tell you all night is that I don’t need your money to finish it, but your support would be appreciated.”

  I don’t give him a chance to say anything. I turn and walk away, barely making eye contact with the rest of the guests. I’ve probably sealed my fate by this, but I don’t care.

  Behind me I can hear Brandy crying and her constant “oh Daddy” ringing out as I exit the room. I hail a cab and pray that when I get to my apartment Macey will still be there. It’s not the first time she’s walked out on me, but I’m hoping to make it the last.

  The elevator ride seems to take forever, but when it finally dings at my floor I jump off and barge through the door. The apartment is quiet when I walk in, and one look down the hall shows me that my bedroom door is shut. I decide to see if Morgan is upstairs or not.

  Her door is open and the lamp on her dresser is on.

  “Hey, Daddy,” she says as she sits up.

  “I like that name,” I tell her as I go in and sit on her bed.

  “I don’t want to call you Finn and you’re my dad.”

  “That I am.” I kiss her on her forehead, pushing her wild hair out of her face. “I came home as soon as I got your message. What’s wrong with Mommy?” I don’t say her mommy, pushing home the fact that somewhere along the lines my feelings for Macey have changed drastically.

  Morgan shrugs. “She got all pretty to go see you and came back crying. Big tears too, like I have when I scrape my knee.”

  I nod, wondering how I’m going to fix this. Truth is, I probably can’t. Macey has no reason to trust me.

  “Get some sleep. I’m going to go talk to her.” I kiss her again and tuck her into bed. I take one last look at my daughter before I close her door and make my way back downstairs. I knock twice before I let myself into my room.

  Macey is on her side of the bed, facing the windows. I can’t tell if she’s awake or not. I want to go to her, but I want to change first. My tuxedo has Brandy smell on it and that’s the last thing I want touching Macey.

  Clad only in my boxers, I turn off the light in the closet and make my way to the bed. The slow dip of the mattress has her moving.

  “Get out, Finn.”

  I ignore her and move in behind her, keeping barely enough space between our bodies. She sniffles, breaking my heart in the process.

  “Why didn’t you tell me you were there?”

  “You were busy.”

  “I’m never too busy for you, Macey.” I try to touch her, but she shies away from me.

  “Please leave.”

  “Please look at me, Macey.” I tug on her shoulder and am met with resistance. She’s never fought me this hard before and as much as I hate to admit it, it turns me on.

  “Macey?” I try again, but to no avail.

  “Fucking look at me, Macey.” This time I’m more demanding. She rolls over, facing me with her bloodshot eyes and tired-looking face. I want to reach out and push all her fears away, but mine are bubbling to the surface and I can’t even make those go away.

  “Fuck you, Finn, and this hold you have on me.”

  “I want to fuck you, but that will come later. Right now, you need to listen. I don’t know what Brandy said to you, but she’s a liar. We’re not engaged, together, married, expecting any children or even friends at this point. She’s been trying to blackmail me and I’ve been playing along until I could get her father alone to tell him that I don’t need his money, but that I do need his support.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “Why not? Why would I lie to you?”

  Macey mimics my position and rests on her elbow. “I saw you with her. You looked…happy.”

  “Because I was having thoughts about fucking you in the shower when I got home.”

  “Why does everything revolve around sex with you, huh?”

  I move slightly closer to her. “Because when I’m around you it’s all I can think about. I told you, I’m addicted to that pussy of yours and I can’t get enough.”

  She shakes her head. “I can’t do this anymore, Finn. I can’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I want more.” She sighs, looking defeated.

  “What if I tell you I want more?”

  Her eyes search my face, looking for the truth. “I don’t believe you.”

  “Believe this,” I say, placing my hand on her cheek and pulling her forward until our lips briefly meet. I look into her eyes and see a longing that I’ve never seen from her before. Her hand clamps down on mine and her tongue wets her lips. The prolonged anticipation is almost unbearable as I inch forward until my lips are caressing hers. Her breathing hitches as my tongue traces the outline of her lips and the small gasp she emits spurs me into action. I pull her under me, moving her away from the side of the bed without breaking our kiss. Our tongues mingle and her hands roam over my body as she lets out the most delicious-sounding moans that send jolts right to my dick.

  Pressing down on her, her legs fall open to where she needs me the most, to where I want to be. I let her feel what she does to me, how hard she makes me by being near me. A slow hiss escapes my mouth when her hand comes in contact with my hard-on. Nails scratch down my sides as she pushes my boxers down, springing me free. The long pull of my shaft as my hips flex into her hand, it’s slow and agonizing.

  Her lips are pressed to mine as her free hand tangles in my hair. I skim over her panties, pushing them aside and inserting a finger into her. Her hips buck off the bed, causing me to smile. I keep going, adding another and pressing my thumb lightly on her clit. The in-and-out motion from my hand in her pussy and hers wrapped around my dick is too much to take. I need to be inside of her.

  I pull away, leaving her lips red and puckered, and slowly remove her panties, tossing them over my shoulder. Her shirt goes next, freeing her perfect breasts for my mouth to devour while I’m fucking her. She lie
s back, her dark hair contrasting nicely with the white pillowcases.

  “Do you believe me?” I ask, hovering over her.

  She nods as the tip of my penis grazes her core.

  “Are you in love with me?” I ask, pushing in slightly only to pull out again.

  “Yes. Do you love me?”

  Hovering over her, I look into her blue eyes and smile. “I love you, Macey.” The words fall easily from my lips as I push fully into her. She rolls her hips, meeting my thrusts as I move slowly in and out of her, never taking my eyes off hers.

  “Fuck, look at us, Macey,” I say, using my hands to put some space in between our bodies. Watching my dick disappear into her is the biggest fucking turn-on. I sit back on my haunches and pull her hips up to meet mine. She cries from the new position hitting her G-spot differently and takes over, putting her feet on the bed and flexing.

  “Fuck,” I say, losing all train of thought as I watch her fuck my dick. With my thumb on her clit, I add some pressure, causing her to go wild.

  “Finn.” Her hips start to move faster as her orgasm builds.

  “Oh yeah, say my name, baby.” I want her to fucking scream it, but that will have to wait until the water from the shower can drown us out. The last thing I want is for Morgan to come downstairs wondering why her mother is yelling out my name.

  When her pussy starts squeezing the life out of my dick I fall forward and help her finish. The bed is squeaking, our skin is slapping together and for the first time I’m greedily catching every single moan that comes out of her mouth. Knowing that I’m kissing her, committing an act that I find far more intimate than sex, is enough to send me over the edge.

  “Holy shit,” I say, collapsing on top of her. Our breathing is labored, we’re sweaty and I have a feeling that the minute I disengage from her, she’ll start dripping cum. “I feel like I’ve run a marathon.” I make a move to roll over, but she holds me to her.

  “Not yet. I want to feel you,” she says, flexing her muscles over my dick.