Playing for Keeps (26 page)

Pouting, I opened my eyes. “Can we just find me something to wear? Everyone’s going to be here soon.”

“Fine. Be obtuse.” She got up and shoved a few things aside in my closet before she plucked out a hanger. “Wear this.”

“No.” I shook my head.

She got a glint in her eyes that would have made a general back down. “Wear it.”

I wrinkled my nose. “It’s a dress.”

She glared.

“I don’t have the right underwear on to wear with that.”

She pushed it at me and strode out of my room, slamming the door shut after her.

“Grrr.” I tried to remember why I invited Celeste to join us tonight. Oh yeah—she was my best friend. I wanted to call her names but I couldn’t. I held the dress out from me and stuck my tongue out at it.

Actually, it was kind of pretty. Nell and Chloe made me buy it, saying the dark green color made my eyes look bottomless.

“Fine. I’ll wear the freaking dress.” I tossed it on the bed and went to my underwear drawer. I changed my foundation garments, slipped on the dress, and found the heels that were supposed to go with it. After slashing some lipstick on my lips, I carefully walked down the stairs to join the assembling party.

Nell was laughing with six of her closest friends. Celeste had joined them, a champagne flute in her hand. Chloe was probably still primping.

A word on The Friends. They’d been in our lives since Nell was in grade school. Even though I’d known them for years, when the six of them were together I couldn’t distinguish them from one another. Over the years, they’d all morphed to look the same, kind of like how husbands and wives started to look alike after a period of time. They all had bleached blond hair and fake boobs. Thank goodness Nell still looked like herself.

Speaking of Nell… She glanced at me as I walked in. Then her gaze swung back and she choked on her drink.

Someone patted her on the back as she sputtered. “Holy hell, Gracie,” she said, still gasping, “you’re wearing a dress.”

I made a face and reached for the drink offered to me by one of The Friends. “Bright observation.”

“Am I late?” Chloe rushed into the room and grabbed my champagne before I got a hold of it.

“Hey!” I scowled at her.

“Damn, Gracie. You’re wearing a dress.” She looked at Celeste. “Is the moon out of its normal rotation?”

Celeste smirked. “You could say that.”

The limo honked its arrival and I herded the gaggle of women out the door.

The chauffeur was waiting for us, holding the door open, ready to help us in. “Good evening, ladies.”

“Well, hello there,” Celeste said in her breathy, Marilyn voice.

Apparently he dug her come-on. Grinning brilliantly, he said, “I’m Marc, and if I can help you with
anything
, please let me know.” He aimed that last bit at Celeste.

She winked at him and got in the car with the rest of us. She waited until the door was closed before she made any comments. “What a hottie. I’ve never got it on in a limo before.”

Chloe leaned forward, a wicked look in her eyes. “Ten to one says I hook up with him before you.”

“You’re on.” They shook hands.

I rolled my eyes. Celeste could never resist a dare.

Not that I could blame her in this case. Marc
was
hot. His voice was deep, his eyes were bright, and underneath his uniform he had a mighty fine body.

But not as fine as Pete.

No thoughts of Pete tonight. I decided right then and there I’d enjoy myself. Maybe I’d even flirt with other men a little. Bachelorette parties were magnets for men, after all.

On our way to the first bar, we outfitted Nell with everything she needed to get through the night: a penis shaped drink holder (with a straw and filled with champagne, of course), a feather boa, and a tiara. She took to the tiara a little too well, if you asked me.

The first couple places we went to were regular bars. We made a huge splash. Picture nine really attractive women (plus me) walking in, all of them (minus me) in various degrees of tipsiness. Chaos ready to happen.

Ever the older, responsible sister, I didn’t drink very much. I had every intention on forgetting my sorrows in alcohol, but everyone else was drinking so much I thought I should stay mostly sober to make sure no one got into any trouble. The potential was there.

We were in the limo again, on our way to the next place when a voice called out. “Let’s go to Delilah’s.”

I’d heard of Delilah’s but I’d never been there. “But it’s a strip club.”

Everyone laughed like I was so silly.

Nell smirked and toasted me with her huge penis to-go cup. “Hence the appeal.”

I frowned, still not understanding. “But it’s a club for men. Women strip there.”

They laughed again and my cheeks burned.

One of the woman said, “I’d rather see women strip than men. Don’t get me wrong. I love men, but women’s bodies are just more attractive.”

“Yeah, having a stranger dangle his parts in front of me is just gross.”

There was a titter of agreement.

Celeste knocked on the partition between Marc and us. There was a slight shoving match between her and Chloe as Marc lowered the window.

Celeste won, of course. “Marc, darling, do you know where Delilah’s is?”

“Sure do.” He grinned. “Time to get the party started, huh?”

Celeste winked at him.

I resisted gagging.

We were there in record time. We got out of the limo, Celeste and Chloe both shamelessly clinging to Marc under the pretense of needing help, and walked into the club.

I’d expected sticky floors, a scantily clad woman, and a bouncer with a round beer gut. I was pleasantly surprised.

An elegant lady in a slim black dress greeted us with a smile. “A bachelorette party? Excellent. There’s no cover charge for women, so right this way.”

She led us past a set of velvet curtains. It looked like any upscale establishment. The wall behind the bar lined with expensive liquor in shiny bottles, blue lights, and leather chairs. There were men in small groups, talking, as well as solitary men watching the show on the stage. Most surprisingly, there were no naked women. Even the ones dancing had tops and bottoms on—skimpy, but still.

The hostess led us to a center booth/table area that could accommodate us all. “Your server will be right with you.” And she discreetly disappeared.

“This is so cool.” Chloe looked around with round eyes. “Wait till I tell my friends.”

I scowled at her. If this had been a male strip club, I would have made her wait in the car.

On second thought, having her wait in the limo with Marc probably wasn’t a good idea either.

“Champagne.” Nell waved her hand, trying to get a waitress’s attention. “We need more champagne.”

“I doubt we need more champagne,” I said.

“Don’t be such a tight ass, Gracie,” was her reply.

Fine. But in the morning when she was suffering from the mother of all hangovers, she better not expect to come to me for sympathy.

When the waitress came over, the resounding chorus of “Champagne!” deafened me. In moments, we had a magnum on ice and a glass in each of our hands.

Okay, I admit I didn’t turn it down. There was no way I was going to sit there and watch them get trashed without a little fortification myself.

“Nell, you need a lap dance.”

I looked around, trying to figure out which one of the Friends suggested that.

“A lap dance.” Nell’s entire face lit up with an unholy light.

“Nell…”

“Shut up, Gracie.” She frowned at me. “You only have a bachelorette party once in your life.”

“We can only hope,” I muttered.

One of the Friends waved a bill in the air and next thing I knew there was a half naked woman gyrating on Nell. She sat on Nell’s legs, facing her, shaking her ample stuff in Nell’s face. The stripper seemed to be enjoying it. Who could blame her? It was probably a refreshing change dancing for another woman.

By the look on Nell’s face, she was enjoying it too. I gave up a quick, fervent prayer that Nell wouldn’t decide she was a lesbian after this. I’d be elected the one who had to call everyone and tell them the wedding was canceled because the bride came out of the closet a week before the ceremony.

“It’s not.”

“Yes, it is. You have to be in shape to do that.”

“I’m in shape.”

I glanced at Chloe and Celeste and sighed. They were always in competition for something. Sometimes I felt like Celeste was our long-lost sister, she and Clo bickered so much.

Celeste pointed to the stage. “You may be in shape, but not that kind of shape.”

“Wanna bet?”

Uh-oh. Chloe’s chin jutted out. Dangerous sign.

“Oh yeah, kid.” Celeste grinned wickedly. “You’re on.”

They smacked palms and Chloe stood up.

“Wait a minute—” I didn’t get beyond those first few words before I got distracted by the sequined thong that was suddenly right in my face.

I looked up. And up. Past the washboard abs and medium sized breasts to the exotically attractive face.

She grinned at me. “You’re the maid of honor.”

There was a gleam in her eye that made me feel like a little bunny before a cunning predator. I gulped. “Um. Yeah.”

“You’re next.” She straddled my legs.

“Listen.” I tried to scoot back but she wouldn’t let me get away. “I don’t need—”

“Honey”—she leaned in close to whisper in my ear—“this is going to be my pleasure.”

I thought she placed a fleeting kiss on my neck, but I got distracted by the whooping going on around us. A third of it was for Nell, who was getting into her lap dance in a big way. A third was for me. The other third was for Chloe, who’d hopped up on the stage and started grinding like there was no tomorrow.

“Chl—” I started to say but the Latina perched on my thighs turned my head forward, right into her boobs.

They were real.

She moved in slow, sinuous movements over me, her body brushing up against me. Somehow, I doubted those glancing touches were accidental.

It wasn’t everyday that a woman rubbed herself up against me. I didn’t know what to do. My face was in flames and I’d started to sweat. Did I look at her breasts, which were at eye level? Or did I look her in the eye? I decided to fix my gaze at a point beyond her shoulder, at the velvet curtain leading to outside. Safer that way. Staring into her eyes seemed too intimate, and staring at her breasts—well, let’s just say I could tell she was not a little bit turned on by this dance.

That left what to do with my hands.

“You’re really hot,” she said, undulating in my face.

“Thanks.” I slipped my hands under my thighs so I wouldn’t inadvertently touch anything. I didn’t want to encourage her.

A loud cheer went up from the crowd. I looked up and saw Chloe anchored around one of the poles with her leg, hanging upside down.

Holy crap—she’d taken her top off.

The Latina forced my eyes back to her. I started to protest that I needed to get my little sister off the stage when movement by the velvet curtain caught my eye.

Oh no.

In walked Riley, Pete, and the rest of the bachelor party.

I’d forgotten they were celebrating tonight too. Of all the strip joints in town, and in Portland there were hundreds, why’d they come here?

My focus zoomed to Pete. He’d homed in on me with lightning speed.

He stood there watching me watch him while the woman gyrated on me. He raised an eyebrow.

As if not liking that she didn’t have my attention, the stripper upped the ante and began grinding against me like there was no tomorrow. There was no stopping her, so I sighed and went with it.

Fortunately, the song ended.

Unfortunately, she leaned in to give me a parting kiss.

I happened to glance up the split second before. I saw Pete and how his gaze narrowed. Jealousy?

The thought that Pete wasn’t immune lifted my spirits. So much so that I opened my mouth to call him over.

That was when the stripped went for it and lowered her lips to mine. Shock stilled me. She must have taken it as assent, passive though it was.

Her lips were soft but aggressive. It was interesting, but at the same time it didn’t feel right. Her lips were the wrong shape and texture, and her lipstick tasted weird.

We broke off to a round of applause. Even Chloe had gotten down off the stage and was clapping. She and Nell looked shell-shocked, like their worlds would never be the same.

The Latina eased off me with a last caress. She slipped something in my hand. “You’re delicious. Call me if you’re up for some fun.” She winked and sauntered away.

I stared after her. Where had she been hiding her card? In her shoe?

Celeste whacked my shoulder. “Gracie, I didn’t know you had it in you.”

“Yeah.” Nell stared at me with new respect. “Why didn’t I get a kiss like that? I’m the bride, after all.”

“It’s her dress,” Chloe said sagely. “She looks hot in that dress.”

I was plain hot. “Excuse me.”

Fanning myself, I got up and walked to the bar to get a glass of water. Just in time, because one of the men in the club bought another lap dance for Nell. I signaled the bartender. “A water, please.”

She nodded and flipped a glass out from under the bar. I watched her spritz water into it and wondered if she’d put a slice of lime on the rim. I loved that.

“That was sizzling.”

I looked to my left. The man who sat there didn’t look like the kind of guy who’d hang out in a strip club. He had on a nice suit with his tie stuffed in his pocket. His hand was loosely wrapped around a glass of whiskey that looked barely touched.

“Thanks. I think.” I nodded at the bartender as she handed me my water and took a sip.

“My name is Brian.” He held out his hand.

“Grace.”

Surprisingly, he had a firm, dry grip, and he got points for letting my hand go instead of holding on to it overly long.

“You and your friends are having fun. Bachelorette party, right?”

“Yes.”

“That woman who danced on stage was amazing.” He glanced at the group, locking on my little sister.