Command and Control (5 page)

“I’d buy a dozen of those, Kate,” another girl called out. “Can I have another one of those shots, Evan?”

“Me too.” Megan blinked in dismay, realizing the request had come from her. She bit her lip, ready to retract her request and then sighed.

Screw it. It
was
Ellie’s bachelorette party after all. What could a few drinks hurt?

“You mean you’ve never tried handcuffs?” Ellie asked, wide-eyed as she leaned forward on the bar stool.

Megan took another sip of her chocolate martini and then shook her head. Half the girls were out on the floor dancing and just her, Kate and Ellie were gathered around the bar chatting.

Everything felt kind of light and fluffy right now. She was on her third drink. Or was it fourth? There’d been at least two blow job shots…

“Never?” Ellie asked again. “Not even when you were with Trevor?”

Megan shifted on the stool and lowered her gaze, ignoring the pang in her heart. That familiar sense of loss she had when someone brought up Trevor.

“No, we never did handcuffs.” She tried to sound casual.

“How about being submissive? That whole being-dominated thing?” Kate asked with a sly smile. “I hear that’s awesome. Either of you ever do it? Give up control to a guy?”

“Not really my thing.” Ellie wrinkled her nose. “How about you, Meg?”

“No.” Megan’s mouth curved with amusement. “In fact if anything I tend to be the one in charge. Come on, you know me. I’m a control freak.”

“Oh my God, you so are.” Kate snorted and her gaze turned impish as she glanced toward the door. “What about with Henry? Does that therapist get your bells a ringing? Maybe fix up more than just your mind?”

“Ugh, no.” Megan snorted, the alcohol making her a little more honest. “And he’s not
my
therapist. I see his partner for that. You know, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to sleep with Henry. He’s just a little too—”

“Umm, Megan.” Kate’s face turned red and she shook her head.

“Boring? I don’t know,” Megan went on. “There’s just no chemistry. And I’m still all emotionally wrapped up with Trevor. I should probably just tell Henry, huh?” Megan finally recognized the distress on Kate’s face and how Ellie’s mouth was hanging open. “What? What is it?”

“You don’t need to tell me. I heard it all fine myself,” a voice clipped from behind her.

Oh shit. Shit, shit, shit!

Megan’s eyes rounded as she spun the bar stool around. Yes, Henry was really right behind her. Standing stiffly in his suit and tie, the light in the bar reflecting off his receding brown hairline.

Her smile felt so tight now, her face nearly split.

“Well, of all the people I expected to show up at Ellie’s bachelorette party, you’re not exactly at the top of the list,” she tried to joke.

“No. I suppose not.” His brows drew together in disapproval as he took in the scene. “I’ve been trying to call you, but you haven’t been answering your phone. You never called back about dinner last night. I finally dropped by your house tonight. Fortunately, or unfortunately, your neighbor noticed me and told me where I could find you.”

“Dinner. Oh, I did forget to call you, didn’t I? I’m so sorry—”

“Don’t apologize, Megan.” He gave a slight smile. “I don’t suppose it really matters anymore, does it? Seeing that there’s no chemistry and you’re still in love with your ex-fiancé.”

How did he know that? Or had she just admitted it? This was just weird going on weirder. And her buzz wasn’t helping her at all, because she had the sudden urge to giggle.

“Listen, how about I give you a call tomorrow,” she said, trying to sound professional. But Henry wasn’t a client, so why couldn’t she just talk to him—

“No, don’t call.” He waved a hand dismissively. “It’s why I wanted to talk anyway. I think it’s pretty much been laid on the table at this point. We’re better off not seeing each other anymore. Have a good evening, Megan.”

Megan watched him leave the tavern again, her mouth gaping open in dismay.

“Okay, did that just happen?” Kate asked on a wheezing laugh. She leaned forward and shook her head. “Did he just break up with you at Ellie’s bachelorette party?”

“He totally did!” Ellie guffawed and then lifted her glass of wine and nodded solemnly. “What a douche.”

Kate joined in the nodding. “He really is. Are you upset, Megan?”

“No. Not at all,” Megan replied, realizing she didn’t even need to think about the question.

In fact it was almost a relief it had been so easy. Maybe tomorrow, when the alcohol wore off, she’d feel a little guilty, but right now it was just liberating. She never should’ve started dating Henry in the first place, it was just that her therapist—his business partner—had kept telling her she needed to move on from her past relationship. When Henry had asked, it had seemed like the perfect solution. Hmm. Maybe the whole thing had been a setup?

“Seriously,” Kate patted her hand. “You could do so much better than him.”

Ellie waggled her eyebrows. “Yeah. You could do Trevor.”

Her chest grew tight and another wave of despondency swept over her.

“That boat has sailed,” she replied softly.

“Then flag it down and make it come back. Seriously, anything is possible,” Kate said earnestly. “You and Trevor are so right for each other. I think the entire town mourned when you guys split.”

She didn’t want to hear this. Megan’s fingers tightened around the stem of her drink. Oh God, she didn’t want to be told how awful it was that she and Trevor weren’t together anymore; she already
knew
this.

Taking another sip of wine, Ellie nodded. “I have to back Kate here. Though I never knew you guys when you were together, whatever you had is still there. You guys get together and the air just shimmers with electricity.”

“Look, the past has passed,” Megan said over-brightly and changed the subject. “I want to hear more about these other things, like handcuffs during sex? So Ellie’s the expert?”

Ellie spun on her stool and lifted a brow, her smile secretive. “Well, I
am
marrying the town sheriff. I’ll leave it up to your imagination.”

They all let out another round of laughs, and Megan glanced at Kate.

“How about you? You ever try handcuffs during sex?” Megan asked.

Kate’s face turned bright red and then she downed the rest of her drink and shook her head.

“No handcuffs?” Ellie asked. “I’m telling you, you guys need to try it.”

“No. Just no sex.” Kate lifted her shoulders into a big shrug. “I’m still a virgin.”

Megan had to snap her jaw shut when it just about hit the bar. She glanced at Ellie, who was making no such attempt to keep her shock hidden.

“Shut the hell up!” Ellie finally cried.

“Are you…serious?” Megan asked carefully. Kate had to be close to twenty-five at least.

“I’m dead serious. And I’m only admitting it because y’all got me drunk.” Kate wrinkled her nose and took another sip of her drink. “But if either of you ever tell anyone I
swear
I’ll ban you from ever buying a cupcake from me again.”

Ellie mimed zipping her lips. “My lips are sealed. Don’t even try and blacklist me from your shop.”

“Ditto,” Megan replied, nodding. “But I think I’ve found my new purpose in life. To get you laid.”

Kate snorted and rolled her eyes. “You let me worry about that. Which, speaking of…” She glanced toward the door. “Here he is.”

“Who?” Ellie and Megan asked at once.

“The stripper I hired.” Kate grinned and hopped down from her bar stool, her curvy frame striding toward the man at the door.

“I don’t believe it,” Ellie muttered in awe. “The virgin hired me a stripper.”

Megan nudged her in the side and giggled. “Not so loud.”

Another woman joined them at the bar and ordered a beer. “That’s not just any stripper, that’s Pete Haggerty. I used to babysit him and his little brother when Pete was ten. He didn’t look like this a decade ago…oh my God, I feel so dirty.”

Ellie let out a loud hiccup and grinned. “Maybe the boy needs college money.” She stood and whistled. “Come on, baby, take it off!”

Some of the men, the ones who weren’t dancing with the bachelorette crowd, made a hasty escape when they noticed the male stripper.

Oh, God. Megan shook her head and smothered another giggle. She really should be discouraging this. But after three drinks—or was it four?—it was kind of hard to care anymore. She downed the rest of her martini, spun on the stool and propped her elbows back on the bar to watch the excitement.

And it wasn’t long before things got really out of control. Megan watched in fascination as chaos ensued, finally feeling the first prickle of unease when one of the girls climbed onto the bar and started dancing.

“Charlotte, you really should get down,” she hollered as the woman began to sway in her heels. “Any second you’re going to fall and break—”

Charlotte yelped as her ankle went to the right and her body fell to the left.

“Something,” Megan finished on a sigh as the other woman began to scream in pain. “I really should have seen this coming.”

She slid from the chair and went to figure out the damage.

Chapter Six

“Can I get anyone another beer?” Todd asked, standing from the couch and stretching. “This game is kind of slow.”

Trevor shook his head at the suggestion to another beer. This baseball game wasn’t doing shit to distract him from his thoughts, which alternated between luscious ideas of what he wanted to do to Megan and darker memories of Afghanistan. Alcohol wouldn’t help his state of mind either way.

There were less than ten of them here at Todd’s house, watching the game and drinking beer. The Wyatt brothers, a cousin and a couple close friends. Not much of a bachelor party, but it’s all Tyson had wanted.

Trevor glanced over at Tyson and bit back a smile. His middle brother sat at the far end of the couch, his fingers clenching and unclenching around his beer. He’d look at his watch occasionally, then shift in his seat.

“You really should’ve had a bachelor party,” Todd muttered, returning from the kitchen with a beer. “You’re just sitting here thinking about Ellie all night anyway.”

Wincing, Trevor shook his head, thinking his little brother shouldn’t have brought up the reminder that Ellie was at a bachelorette party.

“I’m sure they’re just hanging out, Ty.” Trevor kept his voice casual as he gave Tyson a brief smile. “Probably just having lots of sugar from Kate’s place, some wine and gossiping.”

Tyson grunted. “They took over The Oceanside Tavern. I have a feeling it’s more than cupcakes and chatting.”

The tavern? Really? Trevor scowled and shifted on the couch. Hell…maybe it wasn’t quite so innocent.

The front door burst open and a man hurled himself inside, out of breath and wide-eyed.

Tyson came to his feet. “Jimmy? What’s going on?”

The just-out-of-college kid pulled his hat off and twisted it in his hands. “Sheriff, I just came from the tavern and it’s getting a little rough. A stripper just arrived, think it might even be the younger Haggerty brother. And I think one of the girls just busted her ankle.”

“Jesus.” Trevor joined his brother on his feet, hoping he didn’t sound too excited as he suggested, “Maybe we oughtta go calm things down?”

Tyson’s jaw flexed and he nodded. “Someone get me my keys.”

Trevor rode shotgun in Tyson’s SUV, while Todd sat in the back. The three of them were silent as they made the two-minute drive down to Main Street where the tavern was located.

When they pulled up in front of The Oceanside Tavern the sound of music and women yelling could clearly be heard.

“Shit,” Tyson muttered. “I’m surprised nobody called the station yet.”

“No kidding.” Trevor agreed and opened his door, stepping down from the vehicle.

Todd came around beside him and grinned. “I don’t know, this could be fun. Lots of buzzed women, no men. Maybe I’ll stick around for a while.”

Trevor slapped his youngest brother on the back of the head and bit back a curse. Though the women of Wyattsville would likely love having the town’s most notorious flirt—who’d also been labeled sexiest firefighter in Wyattsville—staying to hang out.

“Well,” Tyson sighed and placed his hands on his hips, staring at the door to the tavern. “I guess we’d better do this.”

Todd nodded, wiping the smile from his face, even though his eyes still danced with amusement. “Let’s do this. Time to reel in the fiancée, bro.”

Trevor fell back, let Tyson stride in first and do what he needed to do. He and Todd walked in a moment later to join the chaos.

“Holy shit balls,” Todd muttered in dismay.

Trevor silently echoed the sentiment as he took in the scene. Jesus, he almost preferred hand-to-hand combat than having to face breaking up this.

All around them women were dancing and slamming back alcohol. Some were even dancing on the bar. In fact one gal, probably the one rumored to have busted an ankle, was sitting on the bar with a fat ice pack on her foot. Poor Evan and whoever else was on duty were standing far back behind the counter, watching with wide eyes as if they contemplated abandoning ship.

Trevor stepped farther into the tavern and slid his trained gaze over the crowd. Searching for any sign of real problems, but mostly searching for Megan.

He caught sight of the stripper—fortunately he wasn’t quite naked—with half a dozen gals circled around him hooting and hollering. Ellie being one of them.

No Megan though. He slid his gaze beyond the group to the corner of the bar. Bingo. She was there, facing the crowd, leaning back with her elbows on the bar. Her breasts peeking over the neckline of the clingy blue dress she wore.

And she was watching him. Her blue gaze met his solidly over the madness inside the tavern. Trevor couldn’t look away, almost like an invisible laser connected them. Even across the room he could see something had changed. He didn’t sense resentment or anger in her eyes. Instead it was something else that gave him a hell of a lot of hope. His breath caught, the muscles in his body coiled, and his dick leapt to attention against the denim of his jeans.

Not breaking her gaze, he pushed through the crowd of people toward her. Dimly aware of Tyson and Todd shouting out instructions for the stripper to put his clothes back on and the women to calm down.