Cherished (Wanted) (43 page)

Grace saw that Libby was out, and she stopped, looked up at Heather, and put her hands up for Heather to take her out. Heather reached down, took her out, and set her down. Then, Grace started walking up to Libby, and I almost died.

At the same time, Heather, Ellie, and I all screamed, “She’s walking!”

Poor Grace got scared and jumped, causing her to fall again on her bottom.

“Oh shit!” I said as I walked up to her and bent down. “Yay, Grace! You walked like a big girl.” I clapped my hands.

The next thing I knew, Heather and Ellie were right next to me. Grace pushed herself up and took off. This time, she went off at full speed out toward the living room.

I stood up and smiled. Then, my smile faded briefly. “Oh hell…now, I’m going to have two of them loose and crazy.”

“Welcome to my world!” Heather patted me on the back.

“A stripper? Are you crazy?” Heather asked as she placed a bowl full of noodles in front of Will.

Ellie pointed at me and said, “See, I’m not the only one.”

“I thought Jessie said no strippers, no way. Why are you planning on having one, Ari, if she doesn’t want one?” Heather asked as she placed Libby into the portable high chair she had brought.

I let out a sigh. “Okay, listen, you prudes…just trust me, will you? Now, what time are we going to head into Austin?”

Heather shook her head. “Ari, if Josh finds out there’s a stripper…well, hell, never mind Josh. When Jessie finds out, she’s gonna freak!”

“Agreed,” Ellie said before taking a bite of noodles.

“Bitches, just stop with your whining, my god. After all, we’re almost twenty-two. It’s not like we can’t still have fun just because we’ve pushed out a few pups.”

“Jessie is older, and I’m pretty sure she said no strippers,” Heather said.

I stood up and placed Luke’s dish into the sink. I took a deep breath before I turned around. “Listen, we’re going out tonight, and we’re going to have fun. I
need
fun. I
need
to drink a little, not get drunk but pretty damn close to it. I need to laugh and just have a good time, and I know you two need to do the same. I just want one night for all of us to have a good time. I promise y’all, I’m not going to do anything that the guys wouldn’t like or that Jessie wouldn’t want. Okay?”

Ellie and Heather looked at each other and then back at me. “Okay,” they both said.

I smiled and nodded my head. “Okay, the limo will pick us up at Scott and Jessie’s. Amanda is going to Jessie’s house, and I believe they are spending the night there, so Brad will be there with Maegan and Taylor. Scott’s mom will be there to help them get the kids to bed. Ellie, are Jack and Grace watching both kids?”

Ellie shook her head. “Only Alex. Gunner is keeping Colt.”

Heather smiled. “Josh and I are staying at Ellie and Gunner’s place tonight. Josh brought the portable cribs for the twins, and he’s watched them plenty of times alone. Plus, I think Sharon is going to stop by, right, Ells?”

Ellie nodded.

“Fine. Now that we have all of our kids taken care of, we can decide who’s not going to get drunk,” I said.

Ellie grinned. “Well, since Jessie’s getting married in two days, I think we need to make sure she takes it easy. Amanda won’t drink ’cause she’s still breast-feeding Taylor. Oh my god, did you see the cute picture of her that Amanda sent last night?”

Heather smiled. “Oh, I know! She is the cutest baby!”

I tilted my head and looked between the two of them. “Really, y’all? Can we please stop with all the baby and kid talk? Before we need to start putting the kids down for a nap, we have to talk about getting ready.”

“Fine…let’s talk about how we are going to have a clean, fun night tonight.” Ellie looked at me and raised her eyebrow.

“Hey, I said I wouldn’t do anything that would upset Jessie or the guys.” I crossed my heart with my index finger and smiled. “I cross my heart,” I said as I looked at both of them.

“Good. Now, what are y’all wearing?” Heather asked with a clap.

After we made all the arrangements and talked about who was driving over to Jessie and Scott’s, Ellie and Heather headed over to Ellie’s house.

I put Grace and Luke both down for a nap and headed back downstairs.

Now, I just have to call the stripper and make sure he has the plans down for tonight.

The evening had been a blast so far. I couldn’t help but worry about Lauren though, and Ari was getting frustrated with me because I kept trying to call Scott.

“If you try to call him one more time, I swear to God, Jessie, I’m gonna smack you!” Ari yelled over the music.

Ellie came bouncing back over from the DJ. “Oh my god, I’m having so much fun! He’s gonna play a song for us, y’all!”

I glanced over at Amanda and Azurdee dancing on the dance floor. Two guys were trying desperately to dance with them.

When Katy Perry’s “This Is How We Do” started playing, Ellie let out an, “Eeeep!”

She grabbed Ari and me and dragged us out to where Amanda and Azurdee were. I couldn’t help but laugh at all of them. They were having a blast, and all I wanted to do was go home to Scott and Lauren. Scott and I weren’t going to be spending the night together tomorrow since the wedding would be the next day, so tonight was our last night together before we got married—and I was out dancing.

A few friends of mine from college had met us at the club, and they were dancing right along with us. A guy walked up to Ari and said something to her. She smiled big and looked at me. She tapped on a few of the girls’ shoulders before she grabbed me, and then we took off, following the guy. We walked down a hallway and then into another room that had a giant glass window with tables all around.

“We get our own private room?” Ellie asked with a smile. She looked over at the pole in the middle of the room and smiled. “Oh god, I want to take pole dance lessons!”

Okay, she’s had too much to drink.

“Just take lessons from freaky-fresh Heather over there. She knows how to get her groove on,” Ari said as she jerked her head over toward Heather, who was on her way to being drunk also.

“Hell yeah!” Heather grabbed Ellie’s arm and dragged her over to the pole.

I looked up and saw a DJ in a booth. He started laughing, and then Eminem’s “Shake That” started playing. I couldn’t believe how Heather could move her body. I just stood there and stared at her and Ellie dancing.

“Years of dance lessons and getting nasty in the bedroom will do that for ya,” Ari said as she hit me in the arm.

I snapped my head over at Ari and busted out laughing. “My god…she could make serious money doing that,” I said as I shook my head. “What are we doing in here anyway?” I yelled over the music.

Ari smiled. “I have a surprise for you.” She pulled out two pieces of red satin and wiggled her eyebrows up and down.

“What is that for?” I asked as the music stopped.

Heather and Ellie were laughing their asses off as they walked back over toward us. Ari reached for my hands and pulled me over to a chair that someone had put in the middle of the room.

Oh, hell no! She did not…

“Sit down, Jessie,” Ari said with a wicked smile.

“No! Oh my god, no, you didn’t, Ari. I said no strippers.”

Azurdee jumped up and down. “Stripper? Yes!”

I quickly looked at her, and my mouth dropped. “Azurdee!”

She shrugged her shoulders. “What? Do you know how long it’s been since a man has touched me? The least you could do is let me touch a hot guy dancing.”

Heather, Ellie, Amanda, and the rest of the girls all started laughing.

“For me, Jess?” Azurdee practically pleaded with a smile.

“No!”

Ari pushed me down in the seat and grabbed my hands. She pulled them behind me and quickly tied them.

“Ari, so help me God, if a strange dick comes anywhere near me, I will never talk to you again!” I yelled at her.

“Ari, you promised us no strippers,” Ellie said.

“Stop whining, Ellie, and just trust me,” Ari said with a wink.

I looked up at Ari. “Ari…please. I don’t want to do this, so please…”

Ari put the red satin cloth over my eyes, and I instantly started panicking.

Oh my god. Scott is gonna find out, and I’m not going to get married. He won’t marry me!

Def Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar on Me” started playing.

“No! Absolutely not, Ari. Scott loves that song!” I yelled out.

Then, I heard all the girls start yelling and hollering.

What in the hell is wrong with them? Is that Ellie yelling? Ellie, of all people, is going crazy over a stripper! Oh, I am so going to have a talk with her after this. Gunner would be devastated!

Oh god…he’s in front of me.
The moment I felt him near me, I wanted to puke. I tried hopping back in the chair, but I was getting nowhere.

“Take it off, cowboy!” Heather yelled out.

“What?” I screamed. “Oh my god, Heather! What is wrong with y’all?” I tried to figure out where he was. “Just stay back, stripper cowboy.”

Then, I felt him straddle me. He must have taken off his shirt because I felt something wrap around my neck, and Ellie screamed something about how hot his abs were.

“Um…no…I’m not happy with this at all. Really, go dance with one of the horny drunks.”

Then, I felt his breath on my neck.
Oh god…he smells like Scott.
For about ten seconds, I lost my wits.

“Please…I really don’t want…”

I felt someone untying my hands.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

“You have got to feel his abs, Jessie!” Azurdee said with a laugh as someone grabbed my hands.

“Azurdee! If that is you grabbing my hands, you are no longer my maid of honor. I’m stripping you of the title.”

The only girl I couldn’t hear was Amanda.

“Amanda! You’re my new maid of honor!” I yelled out.

Ari started laughing. “Sorry, sweets. Amanda is busy making out with one of the stripper’s friends.”

What. In. The. Hell?

“
What?
She’s not even drinking. Ari, please…you’re gonna get everyone divorced and—”

The minute my hands touched the stripper’s chest, I felt a funny feeling zap through my body. I froze for two seconds until he straddled me again. I moved my hands across his chest and then slowly down to his abs.

I’d know this body anywhere.

I slowly smiled and then felt his lips against my neck. My body instantly jumped to attention, and every sensation kick-started. He slowly kissed along my neck and up to the side of my face.

“Wait,” I said.

He stopped moving, but he kept his lips against my face. He was now putting more pressure on my legs, and I could feel his hard-on.

“I’d like to take off this blindfold, so I can see my future husband strip for me,” I said.

Scott started laughing as I reached up and pulled the silk cloth up and over my head. He didn’t even give me time to say anything before he started kissing me. All I heard was everyone whooping and hollering. His kiss felt like heaven, and I wanted nothing more than for him to pick me up and just take me out of this stupid club.

“For a second there, baby, I was getting worried that you might be liking this a little too much,” he spoke softly against my lips.

I smiled. “The moment I touched you, I knew it was you.”

I glanced over and saw Brad and Amanda making out like they hadn’t in years. Gunner was hugging Ellie and whispering something in her ear. Josh looked like he wanted to rip Heather’s clothes off her body, and Jeff had Ari in his arms while he was talking to her. Lark was talking to a few of my college friends, and Azurdee was standing there, looking really pissed-off.

I turned back to Scott. “What in the world are y’all doing here?”

“Ari planned it all. I know I told you I didn’t want to have a bachelor party, but we’ve pretty much been following y’all around all night. Josh and Lark are well on their way to being trashed with Jeff and Gunner running a close third and fourth. All I’ve wanted to do was get this part over with, so I can take you back to the hotel and have my wicked way with you.”

I shook my head. “Is that why all the moms were at the houses because y’all had planned on going out the whole time?”