I was much happier where I was, locked in a silent battle of wills with the indomitable presence that was Alice.
“Nothing more relaxing after a workout than a bit of relaxation in the steam room, don’t ya think?” Well, maybe not so silent. I couldn’t help but goad. Any moment now, she’d be running for the hills.
We were in the locker area outside of a foggy glass door. Inside, tendrils of steam leaked between the boarded seats. It was a private room, of course. Nobody with my bank account was going to sit in a public chamber, surrounded by dripping strangers, their sweat absorbing into the seats and pooling on the floor.
And I had a good feeling that Alice would rather lick them head to balls rather than go in there with me. But while we both knew that I wasn’t going to be ‘up to anything’ while I was inside, a challenge was being set.
She was standing with her back to the door, stiff as a board, watching me with guarded eyes as I moved around the room, gathering the towels the resort had left us into a stack.
I pulled my shirt off and flexed my stiff muscles. Her eyes darted to my pecs and down to my abs but just as quickly found my face again. The temptation was there, but she’d never give in to it. Her meaningless crusade against me had her on the straight and narrow.
But even though she knew where this was going, she wasn’t backing down yet. So why don’t we see how she feels about the slightly curved and thick?
I dropped-trou, sliding my athletic shorts off and hanging them on a hook. My cock and balls hung freely, unrestrained by briefs.
She groaned and rolled her eyes like I’d just told a bad joke. “What?” she asked disparagingly. “No jock?” It was the first thing she’d said since we’d entered the room.
“Forgot to pack it,” I replied with a grin.
It seemed like Alice might need a bit of a shove out the door. She didn’t look thrilled at my nudity, but she also wasn’t in a rush to leave. Of course, she had seen it yesterday. I needed to up my game.
I stretched my arms overhead in an exaggerated motion, displaying my entire muscled form. I cracked my neck and rolled my shoulders, feeling the stiffness in my body relax, my tendons twitching and loosening. There was still zero expression on her face. But that was fine. I could go harder (not literally).
I put one leg up on the bench and did some lunges, groaning obnoxiously as my muscles flexed. “Oh yeah. That’s the stuff.” Little Mac (inaccurate but I hated to compare him to a substandard burger) danced a merry jig at the movement and I wondered how much effort it took not to stare. Probably as much as it was taking me not to laugh.
When her expression never changed from unamused, I stopped the antics and stood in front of her with my arms crossed.
“You coming in?” I asked.
“Of course.” There was no hesitation.
“Then you’d better get undressed. I’m feeling lonely all vulnerable out here.” I wasn’t, of course. I had zero issues with nudity. Alice on the other hand…
“I’ll take one of those towels,” she said, pointing at the stack.
Oh no, you don’t get to take the easy way out. “These towels?” I asked innocently, grabbing them. I walked toward her, holding her gaze. She reached for one, but just as it looked like I was going to hand them over, I opened the door to the hallway and threw them out, quickly shutting it behind them.
She inhaled sharply. “What the hell did you do that for?” she demanded.
“It’s a steam room and towels are for pussies. You don’t have to come in, but if you do, it’s going to be as God intended.”
“I really hope God didn’t intend any of this,” she muttered.
Finally there was hesitance on her face. Her eyes darted to the door and lingered there for a second too long. I’d thrown her and the previously carefully-guarded emotions were now cycling across her face with unchecked abandon.
I grinned. I’d won, she’d lost, and this idiotic scheme to mess up my week was going to go tits up on day one.
Then her face hardened and my heart sank. Oh come on. She held my eye as she reached behind her and pulled her shirt up over her head, revealing a toned, lithe body and what looked to be good-sized breasts ensnared in a sports bra.
I leaned against the wall, waiting. She won’t go any further. Just as the thought entered my head, she pulled the straps down and took it off in a single practiced motion.
Now it was my turn to try not to stare. Sure, I’d goaded her into this, but as big of an asshole as I was, I also wasn’t about to leer at her, trapped alone in the steam room with me. That kind of behavior suited lesser men, men with zero willpower. And as delicious as Alice’s breasts were in my peripheral vision, I wasn’t going to take my eyes from her face.
She held my gaze steadily, only breaking to lean down and pull her shorts off. When she rose, that defiant, daring look goaded me to push further. There, she said, whatcha got next? It was that expression of defiance more so than her naked body that threatened, alarmingly, to make me hard.
Shit. Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea after all.
“Well,” I said, snapping the tension. “Looks like we’re ready than.”
“Looks like it,” she replied coolly.
I turned and walked into the steam room, feeling the humidity immediately sap at my energy. I sat as quickly as possible and tried to conjure up the flabby faces of my investors to kill my attraction. Keep it cool, Mac. I’d been naked with dozens of hot girls before, but never had the goal been not to get hard. I needed distraction and I needed it fast.
Alice sat on the other side of the room. I cranked the steam up, and it created a hazy mask over my more exposed area. That would have to do.
“Are you happy now?” she asked as we sat.
“Very,” I lied. “You should be too. Beck and Sam can relax knowing their great protector is on the case of the devilish groomsman.”
“Be sarcastic all you want,” she said pointedly. “But you’ve been at the heart of every issue this week.”
“‘Every issue’? What issues?”
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t pretend like you don’t know what I’m talking about. First Mariana, then whatever the hell that was last night. What’s next on the docket? Fire? Plague?” She cocked an eyebrow. “Bees?”
“Yer not giving me enough credit, love,” I said, stretching my arms up to rest behind my head. I caught her stare flash up my biceps before pulling back to my eyes. “I told you. Mariana was an accident, the strippers a well-intentioned mistake. Trust me, if I wanted to ruin this wedding, I could. Easily. Whether you follow me around or not.”
Her eyes narrowed. “How?” she asked.
“And why would I tell you that?” I asked. She couldn’t call my bluff. The truth was that if I knew a way to stop this wedding without losing Sam as a friend forever, I would. In an instant. And even without Alice watching me, I had to watch my step. Sam had made that very clear last night.
After the strippers had dispersed and I was back in my room, regretting the amount of liquor and gummies I’d put in my stomach, he’d knocked on my door.
Sam had gotten right to the point. He’d fixed me in that cold, ruthless stare I’d so missed and said, “If you mess up this week for Beck, we’re done.”