“Wait, there’s one more girl who hasn’t been part of the toast yet.” Even without seeing who it is I know it’s my Trifecta. I blush, correcting myself to Trifecta number one refusing to recognize I’d labeled him as mine from the moment I saw him.
He isn’t mine.
And he’ll never be mine.
“She’s fine,” Maureen says. Her friends bobble head up and down in agreement. “Clara, never drinks anyway. She’s boring.” More bobble head action, I resist grabbing my dangling shoe and tossing it at Maureen’s head.
“Oh, I don’t know, she looks like she needs a drink. Why don’t my brothers start dancing while I catch Clara up on the party?”
Some sort of triplet communication passes between the three brothers. The other two give an imperceptible nod, grabbing my sister and her friends as they grind on them.
My Trifecta, I mean, Trifecta number one, I correct myself, takes measured steps across the room until he’s less than a foot from me. He nudges my legs slightly and steps between them.
“You don’t have to do this,” I say, looking all the way up to stare into his blazing green eyes.
“I know.”
“You can go back to my sister and her friends. I don’t mind sitting here. I’m actually quite tired.”
He smirks, bending slightly so his face is closer to mine. “Why aren’t you with the other girls? Are you trying to get me all to yourself?”
Yes. “No,” I lie.
He leans even further down, and I can’t help studying the bright green orbs. They’re outlined by thick black lashes that any woman would die for. His face is all sharp angles and soft planes making me know without a shadow of a doubt this man knows how to please a woman in the bedroom. With the way he was shaking his hips earlier, I know this man has the rhythm to last all night long.
Listen to me, this isn’t me. I don’t go to male revues and scope out the dancers. What am I doing here?
“Are you sure?” His tone pulls me out of the trance his cheekbones put me in. He knows he’s good looking, hell he’s one third of the Trifecta. His nearness is causing me to want things I know I shouldn’t want, and his cocky attitude is just what I need to keep me from making a mistake.
“Of course, I’m sure.” I push back against the couch, attempting to put more distance between us. It has to be the alcohol making me want to push the other way and plaster myself against him instead of the red leather couch I’m sitting on.
“I don’t believe you. Now are you ready for your drink?” He stands up straight and moves to pour the champagne over his sculpted abs and right into my waiting mouth.
“Really, I’m not interested.”
His arm freezes from pouring the liquid over his body. I sit on my hands to stop myself from rubbing them over him. I can’t help but wonder if he’s as hard as he appears. His body looks as if tanned skin is stretched over forged steel. Men don’t normally have a body like this. It can’t be real.
He has to be photoshopped.
“Are you a robot?” I ask and also cut myself off from drinking forever.
“No, but I’ve been told my stamina isn't human.”
I blink. “Did you really just say that? How many women does that line work on? Never mind, don’t answer that. I don’t want to lose all my faith in my gender in one night. I want to spread it out over some time.”
“Clara, what the hell are you doing?” Maureen yells over at us.
We both jump. I forgot we’re in a room with the evil stepsister and her minions.
Yeah, no more drinking for this chick.
“Stop hogging one of the Trifectas. I want all three of them to party with me and you’re taking up too much time being stupid. Just take the drink so he can come back over here and have fun.”
There is a collective, ‘yeah’ from Maureen’s friends and I roll my eyes.
“All right, let’s just get this over with so you can go entertain my stepsister and her flunkies so she’ll leave me alone.” I wrap my hands around my waist and then place them on the couch not sure what to do with them. “Do I just open my mouth?”
I stretch my lips as far as they’ll go and tilt my head back closing my eyes, wishing this night would just end already. My jaw aches having it open so wide so I crack one eye open, wondering what the hold up is.
“I’m ready, Cassanova,” I say when I catch him staring at me. “Am I doing it wrong?”
My Trifecta shakes his head and grasps the back of my head, his eyes searing into mine with what looks like lust. But, it can’t be. These men don’t fall for women at their shows. I stiffen for a second and he smirks at me. “I need you closer for this to work.”
I allow him to pull me closer to him. He situates my mouth at the bottom of his belly button. “Open wide.”
I listen, watching in wonder as he raises the bottle pouring it in between his bulging pec muscles. I’m in awe as the gold liquid rushes over the grooves of his abdomen landing straight into my mouth. I don’t close my eyes. We watch each other as I drink what he’s offering me.
Oh, he’s good.
“Okay, she’s done now come play,” Maureen says, yanking on my Trifecta’s arm causing some of the champagne to spill over my cheek which soaks into my dress.
I stand up and wobble on my heels. I blame the alcohol refusing to give the man’s body I just drank from any credit for my unstable legs.
“Are you ok? Let me help you clean up,” he says, brushing off Maureen’s hand.
“I’m fine. I’m just going to go to freshen up.”
“See she’s fine.”
I move around Maureen and my Trifecta. His hand brushes my arm as if he’s trying to stop me, but I move around him too fast for him to get a good grip.
I take my time in the bathroom, cleaning up my dress. Not wanting to go back to my stepsister and her cruel friends. And if I’m being honest, not wanting to face my Trifecta either. The Trifecta I can still taste when I touch my tongue to my lips. I cup water from the sink so I can rinse him out of my mouth, but at the last second I dump the water back in the sink and walk out of the bathroom on a mission.
The second shot at the bar burns down my throat, and I know I’ve gone too far. Although, the taste of my Trifecta hasn’t been removed from the alcohol I’ve drowned in. I sit at the bar, pretending to watch the dancers on stage so nobody will bother me, needing to stay away from the man now stuck on my lips.
“Are you ready for another one?” the bartender asks, and I shake my head. The bartender splits into two people until I stop moving and blends back into one.
“I think I over did it,” I admit. “I’m going to go outside and get some fresh air.”
I stand up and it takes a second for me to get my legs to hold me up.
“Do you want me to call you an Uber?”
“No, I’m here with my sister and her party. They should be getting ready to go soon. I’ll just wait for them outside.”
“All right, the bouncer outside's name is Chuck. Let him know, Rafe sent you. He’ll make sure no one bothers you.”
I nod and walk outside. It takes all my control to walk out without bouncing off any of the people or furniture I have to navigate around. I almost cheer when the night air brushes across my overheated skin.