by Amanda Boone
I was fifteen minutes late for my meeting time, but my legs seemed to be paralyzed. I looked down at them, bare and smooth under the steering column of my car. The dress I was wearing was short and flowed to a stop high on my thigh. If I bent over the wrong way, everyone was going to see the black thong I was wearing.
My breasts hadn’t been out in so long, the slightest breeze had me checking to make sure they were still covered. The black dress was clingy in all the right places, making sure everyone knew what I was working with, but still casual enough to be in a bar. I’d paired it with a tall pair of black heels that made my legs look longer.
My hair was curling wildly down my back, and I’d even applied makeup to hide the freckles and brighten my eyes. My glasses were long gone.
I looked good. I knew I looked good. I still couldn’t get out of the car, though. If I got out, people would see me. People would see me and then they would talk. If my father was someone that eventually got talked to about it, I’d be a dead woman. As silly as it was to care, I still did. Dad yelling at me about my clothes was a nightmare that I’d like to avoid.
I was thinking about going back home when I looked up and saw Avery walking into the bar. His stride was long and casual, like he didn’t have a care in the world. I could tell, even from his profile, that his eyebrows were furrowed. He seemed more intense than I ever remembered him being.
He opened the door to the bar and glanced over his shoulder. For a moment I thought he was looking right at me. Instead of some great moment that I was hoping for, he just turned around and walked inside.
I took a deep breath and rushed out of my car. I couldn’t be invisible anymore. I ran to the door, only tripping once. I straightened myself and shook it off. I hadn’t worn heels in a long time. I was a little rusty.
I opened the door and immediately spotted Amanda and Devon. They were at a table in the middle of the room, laughing together. Music poured over me, some old-school county song. It wasn’t the dance music I was used to, but I could still deal with it.
I made my way over to them and smiled when Amanda looked up at me. “Hey, ya’ll.”
Amanda’s eyes went wide and she slapped Devon’s arm. “Holy shit. You clean up well, Maggie.”
Devon kept his eyes on my face and nodded. “Very pretty.”
She laughed at him and shook her head. “He’s afraid to say how hot you look because he thinks I’ll hurt him. Which, I would.”
I sat down in one of the two empty seats and looked around the bar. “This place is…interesting.”
Interesting was an understatement. It was dark and grungy, with sticky floors and questionably dark booths along the outer edges of the bar. I could see at least two couples dry humping, and there was a pole in the center of one of the stages.
Amanda groaned. “You’re not kidding. This place is one giant health code violation.”
“Come on, ladies. Look past the shitty coating. It’s got great bands and cheap beer. What else do you need?”
I raised an eyebrow. “A penicillin shot?”
Amanda threw back her head and laughed. “I wish you weren’t probably right.”
From beside me, I saw the chair move and then Avery’s tall body dropped into the seat. He looked around the table, his eyes raking down my body briefly before moving away. It wasn’t a look of interest, and it kind of pissed me off.
Amanda frowned but quickly hid it. She gestured toward me and smiled at Avery. “You remember Maggie, from the library?”
He looked back over at me with surprise in his eyes. “Jay’s little sister?”
I tried to keep my frustration in check but it wasn’t working. “I usually just go by Maggie these days.”
A hint of amusement lit his dark eyes, and he took a long pull from his beer. “Maybe so, but I bet Jay doesn’t know you’re at this bar, dressed like that. I remember Jay liked to keep a tight leash on his baby sister. How old are you now, anyway? Are they not carding tonight because of the band?”
I took a deep breath. Then another. “I’m going to need some whiskey.”
4.
The bartender didn’t seem to think I was underage when I went to get my shot of whiskey. Neither did the man beside me at the bar who bought me an extra. The encouragement boosted my morale, and I finally decided to go back to the table. The band was about to start and Amanda was looking bored at the table.
I took a beer to go and wound my way back. Avery and Devon were in a heated discussion and Amanda was tapping away at her phone. She looked up at me and grinned.
“I saw you get some free shots.”
So, maybe I’d been gifted more than one. I leaned closer to her. “The men here are exceptionally nice.”
She laughed. “Most of them, anyway.”
I didn’t even bother looking at Avery. I was taking a few minutes to decide if I was sure I liked him. I remembered him being nicer. When I was younger, he was Jay’s sweetest friend. He would always smile at me and say hi in the hallways at school. He didn’t seem that nice anymore.
“Incoming.”
I looked up just as the guy from the bar closed in on me. He knelt beside me at the table and slipped me a napkin. He was a handsome guy. Maybe not as hot as Avery, but close.
His hand was warm as he pulled it away and stroked my fingers. “Call me. Any time.”
Once he was out of sight, Amanda and I fell into a fit of giggles. I fanned myself with the napkin and then looked down at it.
“His name is—”
“Patrick O’Leary. And he’s a fucking pig. I’ll take that.” Avery pulled the number from my hands and shoved it into his pocket. “I haven’t seen Jay in a while, but the least I can do is make sure his baby sister doesn’t get felt up by some creep in a dark alleyway.”
My whole face was probably bright red. The dress wasn’t working. He was still looking at me like I was a little kid. It frustrated me to no end. I was chancing my father having a damn heart attack once he heard about my activities, and Avery couldn’t even think I looked hot and fuckable?
“You know what? Being felt up in a dark alleyway sounds like just what I need. How about you give me that number back?”
He shook his head. “No way. I’m doing you a favor.”
I shoved my hand into his pocket and retrieved the napkin myself. I shoved it into my bra and smiled sweetly at him. “I have a big brother. I don’t need another. I do, however, need to dance to this song. Amanda?”
She nodded and pulled me to the dance floor with her. “You okay?”
I blew out an angry breath. “He used to be so nice!”
“He’s still nice. He’s just in a weird place, I think.” Her eyes darted over to him, and I noticed that he looked away when he saw she was looking.
I raised an eyebrow. “So weird that he won’t even look at you?”
“Must’ve just been weird timing. We’re fine. Come on, you look amazing. Don’t waste this outfit on him if he’s going to be an idiot. Let’s dance.”
So, we did. We danced around the floor while the band played. It was crowded, and I was constantly being brushed against by somebody or another. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had so much fun, though. I was dancing my ass off and laughing nonstop with Amanda.
We’d never been super close before, but she was always so nice to me. Now I found myself bonding with her over stupid dance moves and rallying together to get creepy men to avoid us.
I’d forgotten about Avery in the process and was surprised when I turned around to shake my ass at Amanda and found him standing directly in front of me. I glanced back at Amanda and she was already moving off the dance floor, trying to give me a chance with Avery.
I moved closer to him and smiled, thinking that maybe he’d loosened up some. “Hey!”
He grimaced and grabbed my arm to tug me closer. “I just got a call from your brother. He said that word had already gotten back to him and your father. They know you’re here and aren’t happy about it. Jay yelled
at me for bringing you here. Did you tell someone we were coming together?”
I frowned. Was he serious? I put my hand on his chest and leaned in closer so I wouldn’t have to yell. The warmth there caused me to stutter, but I got focused quickly. “They’ll be fine. I didn’t tell anyone anything. Relax.”
He still had my arm in his hand and he pulled me after him, off the dance floor. “I’ve got to get you out of here. Jay wants you home.”
I jerked my arm away from him and shook my head. I was having my first and maybe only excursion away from sweet librarian. If I was going to get yelled out and chastised, it was damn sure going to be worth it. “Tell him you tried.”
I skirted the dance floor and found a hole to insert myself in. I was alone then but still having a great time. The whiskey was helping, I was sure. I doubted there would be any other double dates with Avery and Devon in my and Amanda’s future. No matter what, Avery wasn’t noticing me. If my dress didn’t work, I didn’t know what would.
At that moment a woman slipped by me in a white T-shirt. She was talking to her friend, loudly, so I couldn’t’ help but overhear. “I’ve won the contest for three weeks in a row. That money is mine.”
“I heard that Stacy is doing it tonight. She shouldn’t even be allowed to wear a wet shirt, much less participate in a contest for it.”
I watched as they walked up to the DJ and motioned to him. He grinned back down at them and motioned at them with his pointer finger. One minute.
One minute until their contest? I wasn’t innocent, and I’d assumed they meant a wet T-shirt contest. I’d never heard of Steak-Outs doing one, but I looked around and, sure enough, there were plenty of women walking around in white T-shirts, getting ready to show off their goods.
My heart started racing. I’d never done one before. I’d watched plenty during one especially wild spring break in Florida, but I’d never had the guts to do it. A part of me thought it was sad, women drenching themselves in water to be judged by men, but another, crazier side of me was slightly turned on by the idea.
I rushed back to our table and found Amanda sitting with her arms crossed, glaring at Avery. I ignored it and slapped the table in front of her.
“They’re about to do a wet T-shirt contest!”
She raised her eyebrows and looked around. Shock lit her face, and then she turned to the brothers. “Is this why ya’ll pick this bar all the time?”
Devon had the decency to look embarrassed. Avery just shrugged.
Amanda slapped Devon’s arm and then laughed. “You’re lucky I like you so much.”
I slapped the table again. “I’m going to do it!”
She cheered at the same time Avery jerked his head around to face me. “Are you serious?”
“The hell you are! You want to have your brother and father down here with their guns?”
I rolled my eyes at him and grinned at Amanda. “I’m doing it. I’ve always wanted to. Why not now?”
She stood up and Devon pulled her right back down. “You don’t get any ideas, baby. I fully support you doing it, Maggie, if that’s what you want. But if anyone is looking at your body, Amanda, it’s going to be me.”
I smiled sweetly at him. “I’m glad you support it so much, because I’m going to need to borrow your T-shirt.”
5.
Avery protested, Amanda cheered, and Devon stripped his simple white T-shirt over his head for me. After a few minutes of begging by Amanda and myself, he’d given in, leaving him in just a thin tank top.
Avery sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. “This is insane. You shouldn’t do this, Maggie. You’re too young.”
I poked his chest and nearly bared my teeth at him. “You just keep watching, Avery. You’ll see that I stopped being too young a long time ago.”
I charged to the DJ booth and steeled my spine. I was doing it. It felt amazing to make a few crazy decisions. My thought process was that I was going to do it all in one night. I’d probably only have one night of being insane before my father murdered me, anyway. I had to take my opportunity while I could.
After some smiling at the DJ, he leaned down to talk to me and I informed him that I wanted in on the contest. He looked at my outfit and frowned, but I held up the white shirt and his eyes relaxed. He told me to get changed and wait near the stage with the rest of the girls.
I used the bathroom to roll the top of my dress down and tuck it into itself. I pulled Devon’s shirt on and tied it around my waist so a few inches of skin was exposed there. I rolled the sleeves up and then I was set. My black bra was tiny and visible through the shirt’s thin material, but it made me feel extra daring.
By the time I got back to the stage, the other girls were lined up and getting ready to go. I looked them all over and noticed that they weren’t wearing their bras. I looked down and sighed. It was too late to take mine off. Not that I wanted to take it off; I was more than happy to have it still on.
Chaos erupted through the bar as the DJ called us onstage. Each of the girls were beautiful, and I noticed that the crowd cheered for the three-week champion the loudest. She was the one to beat.
It seemed pretty straight forward. Someone was picked from the audience to man the powerful water gun, and then he sprayed the women, one at a time. The DJ picked a man and it got started.
I wasn’t nervous, and that’s how I justified that it wasn’t wrong. I was at the end of the line of women, and one by one the women were doused in water and then they’d gently shake their bodies around. Overall, it was a very intense show to watch. I found myself blushing as their breasts jiggled every which way, and I was suddenly very glad I’d left my bra on. That motion, the bouncing, felt so sexual that I didn’t think I could’ve done it.
When the man reached me, I could hear Amanda screaming for me in the bar turned audience. I smiled out at her, even though I couldn’t see her, and decided I wanted to win.
I knew I was going to lose points because no one would be able to see the color of my nipples, but I could give them a show. I’d taken strip tease as a class to count toward my gym credits in college.
The man with the big water gun grinned at me and raised it. I immediately arched my back and leaned forward slightly. The first blast of water hit me, and the coldness almost made me forget what I was doing. I giggled and held my arms in front of me to press my chest together and resemble the famous Marilyn Monroe pose. The gun suddenly lowered to my skirt, and my pose became real as the material tried to slide up between my legs, revealing more than I was ready to.
I gave him my best “come hither” look and stroked his arm when he was close enough before taking the gun from him. I put my finger on the trigger and held it up in the air so the water rained down on me when I squeezed.
I moved sensually and with a faux heat in my eyes that I’d perfected for that class. I squeezed the gun and a little water shot out and splashed my face. I acted shocked and giggled again before I pumped the gun to get more water loaded. The pumping was overtly sexual, and the blush on my cheeks was real as I squeezed the trigger once more and created a shower that rained down on me as I moved my body like a snake, all hips and curves. My other hand ghosted over my body, never stopping in one place for too long.
I finished by shrugging, over exaggeratedly, when the gun ran out of water and then handing it back to the original gunman. He was staring at me with his mouth open, so I leaned over and pressed my lips to his cheek.
I noticed the crowd was silent and felt a surge of panic. Had it been that awful? I’d passed that class with an A plus, but maybe the teacher had felt bad for me. I raised my eyebrows as I found Amanda’s shocked eyes from across the room.
Then she jumped up and screamed for me. Everyone came back to life, and suddenly the cheering was deafening. I laughed and did a little bow before stepping back into the line.
The woman next to me leaned over and slapped me on the ass. “Damn, girl. I don’t think there’s a dry seat in this place.�
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I looked out at the crowd and noticed there was some moisture on the first few rows of people. I winced. “Oh, no. Do you think I’ll lose automatically for splashing them?”
She laughed and shook her head. “That’s not what I meant, at all. You’re just a little peach, aren’t you?”
Before I could decide if it was an insult or not, the DJ calmed the crowd as he came back onstage. He walked in front of us and stopped near me.
“It’s clear we have a new champion tonight, ladies and gentleman. This little hot tamale just made a mess of all our hearts, didn’t she?” He spun around and grinned at me before holding out a little trophy, which was basically just a pair of tits, and an envelope.
My eyes went wide. “I won?”
He nodded and the crowd cheered. “You won, baby. What’s your name?”
I opened my mouth to answer, but someone spoke for me.
“Maggie Day!”
My brother’s voice wasn’t one I was ever likely to forget, especially not when he sounded angry enough to strangle me.
6.
I squeaked when I saw my brother bearing down on the stage. There had to be a back way out of the place. No matter how confident I was feeling with my trophy and money, I wasn’t ready to face him.
The DJ seemed to sense my need to run and leaned in. “Behind that curtain there’s a door that leads to a hallway. Take it all the way down to the right and there’s an exit.”
I had to wonder if he was used to helping women run away from people. I kissed his cheek as well and made a run for it. Along the way I twisted the wet shirt off my body and yanked the dress back over my shoulders so I looked more normal once I got outside.
The exit door was heavy, but my panic sent it sailing open and crashing into the wall behind it. I sprinted around the building and toward my car. Only once I was there, I realized that Amanda was holding my purse with my keys in it, at the table.
As if by miracle, she ran out of the front door of the bar and spotted me, standing next to my little car. She came at me, waving my purse and laughing. “Your brother is being distracted on the stage by all those nearly naked breasts. You’ve got a few minutes.”
