Playing Fate (Endgame Series Book 1) (30 page)

“Bullshit. We won’t lose.” I lock eyes with each of them. Deacon has the decency to try and hide his smile.

“Babe, you don’t have to prove anything to me. I know you have endurance.” Oh, he’s getting cut off. No, he isn’t because that hurts me.

Lee Lee claps, “I have the perfect bet.” She’s licking her lips, and Avery is succumbing to this plot.

“Name your terms,” Caden challenges.

“We win, the entire baseball team, including you three give us a private rendition of your version of
Magic Mike
. The first one because the second one sucked. Except the welding scene. That was hot.” She’s lost in her thoughts replaying Channing Tatum humping metal. Now she has me salivating.

“Deal,” Mason the exhibitionist agrees.

“We’re safe,” my traitorous boyfriend agrees.

“If y’all win,” Caden starts laughing, “you three and your hot friends around campus do a rendition of
Trickery Tara
for us.”

“What the fuck is
Trickery Tara
?” Mason asks the question we are all thinking.

“The female version of Magic Mike.” His expression of exasperation has us all laughing.

“Minus Saylor,” Deacon warns.

“Nope, that’s cheating.”

“Fuck,” he whispers.

“Saylor, can you give him back his balls for a bit?”

“Mace, I can’t wait for a girl to grab yours.” I don’t particularly like anyone looking at Deacon, especially stripped down to his skivvies, but I’ll take one for the team. He, on the other hand, will have a coronary while we perform . . . and unless there is a miracle, I’ll be stripping down for
Trickery Tara
.

“Let’s go,” Avery waves Lee Lee and me to get off the couch.

“Where?” I’m comfy, and my man is here.

“Training. I’m not stripping for these fools.”

“To the mall.” Emberlee grabs her purse.

“We aren’t training at the mall,” I huff.

“We have to be cute for this thing.” She pushes her hair behind her shoulder and walks to the front door.

“Any color preference y’all want for our undergarments?” I need to get used to the idea of losing and ease Deacon into it.

Mason and Caden laugh, Avery looks scared, Deacon is barely holding it together, and Lee Lee is honking the horn. This endeavor will be as much fun as a tornado in a trailer park. I kiss Deacon and begin the journey to my torture chamber.

None of us are prepared for this crowd. We’re all in matching shorts and cute shirts Avery designed for us. Mason and Caden are trying intimidation methods; the entire baseball team is joining them, and their taunts and jeers are pissing me off. I can’t run my mouth because I know we don’t have a chance to beat them fairly.

“We’re so fucked.” Avery’s even caught a clue.

“Have we picked out a song for our striptease?” I ask.

Emberlee glares. Her eyes go back to the group of guys, zeroing in on one I don’t know. He looks a few years older and is fucking built. His eyes roam her body, and he seems aware of every step she takes. “I’m not losing. Not to that asshole.”

“Who is that?” This could be interesting.

“Nobody.” She’s trying to kill him with her eyes.

“Is that the reason you’ve stopped fucking your vibrator?” I choke at Avery’s observation. I’ve known for a while it’s been over a few months since she took a turn with ole trusty rabbit, but our dynamics are still off. After Mason, she didn’t want the real thing, no hurt feelings at all. They were truly fuck buddies and love each other— just not romantically.

“Shut up, Avery.” I guess we have our answers.

The signal for the start of the race echoes through the crowd, and we take off. At this pace, we’re all going to die. The guys threw us a bone, giving us a six-minute head start. The same amount of time they said we had to dance for them.

“Hurry!” Emberlee is channeling her father, barking orders like an officer.

Obstacle after obstacle we maneuver. I’ve got mud in my mouth, my eyes, my hair. I can’t catch my breath. We’ve smoked most of the competition. Mostly because Lee Lee is scary when she’s on a mission. We’re losing gusto, and I hear the guys behind us. Comments about our asses, about our racks, our legs, and how good we are going to look gyrating. One asks if he can bring singles to place in our G-strings. Deacon warned me he was going to have to take one for the team and keep his cool.

“We need a diversion!” I holler to them.

“No shit, but our asses in front of them
is
an incentive. They want to see more skin, less clothes.” Avery struggles to get her words out.

“Shit, I’ve got a cramp.” I look behind me, and they’re gaining ground. One more crawl or climb, and they will pass us.

“Fuck it. Here is our Hail Mary. I love you guys.”

“What are you doing?” Avery grabs my arm.

“Saving us. Or killing myself. We’ll have to see how it plays out.”

I whip my shirt over my head to reveal the skimpiest sports bra I could find . . . in red. His favorite color on me. I turn and jog backwards to Lee Lee’s laughs and Avery’s gasps of air. I spot my man and wink before turning around and
falling
in the mud. Every guy’s fantasy. I’m hoping it is one Deacon won’t be able to stand any other’s looking at. I crawl, hopefully seductively, up to my knees and smear the mud across my chest slowly and sexily. I feel like a damn fool.

Deacon shoots daggers at me, a few guys tripping over their feet. “UNCLE!” He stops running and crooks his finger for me to come to him. I raise my eyebrows and smile at him. “Put your shirt on, Saylor.” His words are staccato, and he’s looking at the crowd getting upset when he spots eyes on me.

“What do I get in return?” I challenge him, crossing my fingers this works.

“I’m out.” He resigns.

“No. Fuck no, Double D. You know the rules, unless there is an injury, we all have to cross the line.”

“One more pair of eyes looks at my girl I’m going to injure every one of you motherfuckers.”

“Promise?” I ask him. I know his word is everything.

“Yes, baby. Please put your god damn shirt on.” I quickly comply and run to give him a kiss. “You don’t play fair.”

I smile. “Nope. But you can blame Mason. He wanted to taunt us with the whole team. If he would have just kept the race to you three versus us, my plan wouldn’t have worked.” I wink and turn to Mace. “Thanks for being a dumbass. It benefited me this time.”

Deacon picks me up giving me another kiss. “You’re my weakness.”

“And you’re my strength.” I kiss him and push back to continue this course.

Just to piss Mason and Caden off, I slow to a walk. Avery and Lee Lee clasp each hand, and we whistle as we leisurely stroll—all united. “Oh, remember six minutes.” Emberlee gives them a final comment before we bust out laughing and cross the finish line. Victory is ours.

Since I took one for the team, per se, and cheated our way to winning, Avery and Emberlee agreed to not invite other girls over to witness them stripping. And undies had to stay upright. I am proud of what Deacon sports, but nobody else needs to see it. “More for our viewing pleasure,” Lee Lee is fast to agree. There is something else to her quick acceptance, but I’m not questioning it. Avery couldn’t care less; just happy we’d won.

“Great strategy.” She smiled at me. “Gave him just enough to see
red
.” I laugh at her and get comfortable. We all decide to mix Cosmos for our drink—sophistication to counteract the meat market we were preparing for.

“They better do us proud. I don’t want just schlong flinging.” Lee Lee kills me.

“You’re being optimistic thinking they all have abundant schlongs to fling.” I wink at her.

“I know Mason and Brody do.” Avery’s head whips to her, and I cough, snorting my drink through my nose.

“Who is Brody?” Emberlee is red and avoiding our looks.

“There is no Brody on the team,” I state the obvious.

“Fuck…” she whispers.

“Spill it,” I demand.

“Nobody. He is nobody.” Her tone tells us she isn’t sharing no matter how much we push, and I now have a name to match the strange face from earlier. I know he’s not part of the team, which begs the question even more. Her eyes fill with tears, and she sighs.

I pull her to me. “It’s okay. We’re here when you need us.”

“Brody?” Avery asks her in a quiet tone. Lee Lee just nods as a few tears spill. “God, Lee Lee. When?”

“Last month. Thanksgiving. And last night.” I’m missing vital information.

“Emberlee.” Avery squeezes her hands. “Why? He hurt you last time.”

“No, Avery. He fucking destroyed me.” I’ll get the scoop when she’s ready; right now, she needs both of us. I hold her, and Avery stares at her while rubbing her back. We sit like this for minutes until Emberlee pulls away and slams her drink back in one gulp.

“Commence the sausage fest.” Her laugh lightens the tension, and we all prop our feet up, waiting for our guests of honor. “Thank God we agreed undies stay up because I don’t want to see hairy asses. And I swear if there are any skid marks on their boxers, I’ll shame them. I will post that shit all over every dorm and hall at school. Wash your nasty ass.” She gives me whiplash. Crying to laughter in less than ten minutes. Sheesh.