“We are saving ourselves for the strippers,” Madison shouted over the music. Scott didn’t hear a thing. He was already going to back to the kitchen.
“I told you guys. There will be no strippers tonight,” I repeated myself for a millionth time that day.
Clem had specifically asked me not to hire strippers. She said it felt icky to have a total stranger rub himself on her while she was pregnant. I could see her point.
“Tyler said otherwise,” Madison took out the straw from her Long Island iced tea and took a serious gulp. “I saw him before I came here.”
“He’s probably trying to piss Lucas off,” I said shaking my head. “There is no stripper. And I haven’t talked to your brother since the engagement party, so even if there was, he wouldn’t know.” Madison shrugged and went to sit at the edge of the pool, feet dipped in the water.
When I felt my legs steady again, I lifted my butt of the sunbed and ushered the others to go to our rooms and change for dinner. I gave Scott a one-hour break and soaked myself in the bathtub for most of that time.
I was the last one to go to the table for dinner. Everyone looked flushed, except for Clem, who was the only one not drinking. Madison had another Long Island in her hand. At this rate, she was going to be the first one the get ugly drunk.
For the next few hours we drank and danced and ate cupcakes with little funny looking penises on top. We laughed like crazy while watching Madison eating one with the serious face of a person doing something she believed was idiotic but had to indulge the rest of us.
At some point I heard something that resembled a doorbell. Madison and I walked over to the front door. There were three men waiting at the gate. I pressed a button on the intercom.
“Can I help you?”
“Police. Open up.”
I straightened up a bit and tried to focus on the image I was seeing in front on me. It was dark but they could be in uniforms.
“The strippers?” Madison asked.
“There are no strippers,” I said a little annoyed that no one believed me. “We were probably too loud and someone complained.” Then I pressed the button again. “I’m opening up.”
I unlocked the front door and watched the men approaching us. They looked way to ripped for actual officers. As they came closer I saw wicked smiles on their faces, then three pair of eyes slid over me and Madison.
“We are here to arrest you,” one of them said his eyes clinging to Madison’s face.
“On what grounds?” She asked with a suggestive tone. I looked between the two of them trying to find out what I was missing. Seeing Madison flirt with someone was a first for me. I had seen boys drooling after her when she was in high school, but I had never before seen her show an interest in someone. Even her quarterback boyfriend.
“For dumping me back in high school,” the man stopped right in front of her and that was the moment I recognized the quarterback in question.
“Did you hire them?” I asked in accusatory tone.
“Yes, Hannah. I deliberately hired my high school boyfriend to dance naked in my little sister’s lap.” She looked at me with her signature oh-why-are-you-so-dumb expression. “Who would do this to me?” She asked me, pointing at her ex. “Who told me there would be strippers?”
“The bastard,” I balled my hands into fists. “I am going to kill him.”
“You must be Hannah then?” One of the others laughed and leaned over closer to me. “Tyler says hi.”
Before I could answer him the sound of footsteps approaching us caught his attention and he tore his gaze away from me.
“Who is it?” Clem shouted from behind us. I stepped aside and invited the guys in with a wave of my hand.
“A gift from your brother.”
They entered the villa. One of them removed Clem’s tiara and veil, and put his police hat on her head. Then he took her hand and dragged her inside. I closed the door and followed.
***
Around midnight, two of our policemen finally got fully dressed again. The third one, Madison’s ex, was still in his underwear and had successfully graduated from flirting with her to making out.
Clem actively tried to look everywhere else but at her sister, while I was openly staring at them, wondering what was happening with Madison. The alcohol I consumed made me loosen up and I had no problem at all enjoying their foreplay.
Usually Madison was so uptight, so self-restrained, I couldn’t believe she was sitting in his lap in the company of others. I didn’t remember a single time I had seen the two of them kissing or even holding hands when I was still a kid. She always remained at an arm’s length distance from everyone.
I sat at the bar grateful that Scott ignored my presence except for the occasional offer to make me another cocktail. Ever since the three policemen arrived, he tuned his personality down to the point he was barely talking to any of us. I could see why he would do that. If I was a man and these three came around, my confidence would shrink too.
Everyone else sat on the enormous couch in the living room. Clem was half asleep already, when we heard the doorbell again.
“No more surprises,” she groaned. “I need sleep.”
“Oh, just one more,” the wife of Lucas’s colleague said. “You will love this one. I promise.”
She went to open the door. I didn’t move my ass from the bar stool. Everyone did whatever the hell they wanted. Tyler hired strippers and didn’t bother to tell me. And now a woman I met a few hours ago, who barely said two words to me the entire night, apparently thought it was okay to do whatever she wanted at my boss’s villa without even asking me. At that point I was just hoping there would be no animals involved.
Seconds later I recognized Lucas’s voice and my tension eased. It really was a nice surprise. Although I wasn’t sure how Lucas would feel about the policemen that had handcuffed his fiancée to a chair not so long ago.
And then I saw the man walking behind Lucas and all thoughts flew out of my mind in an instant. I couldn’t see his face yet, but I would recognize that shade of blond hair anywhere.
He lifted his head, his eyes scanning the room and I knew it in my soul he was looking for me. A slight frown appeared on this face when he didn’t find me on the couch with the others. Then as if he sensed I watched him his head snapped in my direction. A half grin formed on his lips as he strolled over to me not paying attention to anyone else. He stopped just a step away from me, took my cocktail from my hand and took a sip.
“I can make you a better one.”
He leaned over the bar, so close his arm brushed mine, and murmured something to Scott. Not wanting to give him the satisfaction of showing interest and looking over my shoulder, I stared ahead. I allowed myself one greedy inhale of the scent coming from his exposed neck. He was so close I could lick it if I leaned in just a little.
“We already have a bartender,” I said with an icy tone that didn’t match the fire I felt inside my veins. “And you’re not even supposed to be here.”
“Says who?”
“The maid of honor.”
Scott passed in front of me with a smile and a nod that seemed like a goodbye. I took a sharp breath through my nose and pursed my lips for a moment.
“Please tell me he’s taking a break.”