All You Need Is Love (13 page)

Nathan looked around the room in dismay as nearly every man present began to whoop in agreement and egg Jonathan on. In fact, the only two guests at his bachelor party who weren’t clamoring for a stripper were Travis and Ian, and each for very different reasons. Nathan guessed that his openly gay business partner wouldn’t necessarily object to the idea, but also wouldn’t enjoy it very much, either. Ian, on the other hand, was still way too much the proper English gentleman to actively appreciate something as tacky as a stripper. He was also obsessed with his beautiful young girlfriend, and definitely wouldn’t want to do anything to upset her.

However, it appeared that Travis and Ian were planning to keep out of the controversy as both of them seemed content to hang out at the bar and sip their drinks rather than bail Nathan out. Nathan scowled to realize he was going to be on his own with this one, since even his younger brother Greg didn’t seem willing to come to his defense. Nathan thought sourly that he ought to rat his disloyal sibling out to Emma, Greg’s brand-new fiancée. The couple had arrived in town just this morning and would be crashing at Nathan’s condo for the next few days until the wedding.

The wedding that would actually, against all odds, be happening a week from today. Just last night, he and Julia had marveled that they had really been able to pull it off with scarcely six months preparation, and without Julia having a nervous breakdown in the process. After the near frenzy she’d worked herself into last month, things had calmed down and she’d gratefully accepted the help given by her family and friends.

Tonight were their respective bachelor and bachelorette parties, and they had made each other a firm vow that there would be no strippers or exotic dancers – of either gender – involved. Lauren had merely shrugged when Julia had told her the news, baldly stating that she didn’t find much sexy about overly-muscled, oiled-up guys doing a bump and grind in their underwear.

“We’ll have lots more fun doing shots and having twerking contests,” she’d declared. “I’ve been doing a lot of research and have at least ten different clubs for us to hit up. Three of them in particular are supposed to be great pick-up spots.”

It had been all Nathan could do not to flip his future sister-in-law off, until he’d realized she had been deliberately trying to provoke him – something that Lauren was very, very good at. But while he was relieved to know Julia and her posse wouldn’t be going to see any male strippers, now he had a whole new set of worries on his mind when he began to wonder what other sort of trouble Lauren might cook up.

At the moment, however, he had his hands full keeping his own increasingly rowdy friends under control. Not trusting any of them to abide by his wishes, Nathan had made the arrangements for tonight’s party by himself – reserving the entire upper floor of a very popular sports bar. In addition to a buffet dinner and their own private bar, there were billiard and poker tables, dartboards, cigars, and half a dozen big screen TV’s, each tuned to a different sporting event. But it was quickly becoming apparent that an unlimited supply of booze and baseball wasn’t going to appease this bunch of increasingly rowdy and already half-drunk men for long.

Nathan shook his head. “Guys, I already told you. No stripper, no pole dancers, or women in general. Julia and I promised each other that wasn’t part of the deal.”

Jonathan smirked, his dark eyes glinting evilly. “Sounds like Julia has someone’s balls in a vise. Or maybe she’s carrying them around in her purse.”

Rick Marshall, another college buddy, snickered. “Nah. As hot as Julia is, Nate would need to keep both of his balls firmly attached at all times. But,” he added with a wink, “if Julia found out we got a stripper, she’d have Nate’s testicles on a platter, and maybe a few of ours, too. So we should probably forget the idea.”

Rick’s comment was met with a rousing course of boos and groans, but Nathan gave his friend a grateful look and whispered, “Thanks, buddy. I owe you one.”

Rick grinned. “I was hoping you’d say that. Is it really true that Julia has an identical twin? What are the chances you could wrangle me an introduction?”

Nathan stared at his friend in shocked silence for several seconds before shaking his head. “I offered to do you a favor, pal, not piss you off for the next ten years. Trust me, Julia’s sister might look like her but otherwise they are
nothing
alike. It’s like the difference between a poodle and a pit bull.”

“Maybe I have a thing for pit bulls,” declared Rick. “Besides, if she looks exactly like your smokin’ hot fiancée, it might be worth a few scratches and bites.”

Nathan put a hand on Rick’s shoulder and steered him over to the bar. “Tell you what. I’ll introduce you to Lauren at the wedding and let you take it from there, okay? But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Warn him about what?” asked Travis as Nathan ordered drinks – a single malt scotch on the rocks for himself and a beer for Rick.

Rick was grinning stupidly. “In return for bailing Nate’s ass out just now he agreed to introduce me to Julia’s sister.”

Travis spewed out a mouthful of the Grey Goose vodka martini he’d been about to swallow, while Ian coughed several times to clear his throat. Both men gazed at Rick in mingled alarm and disbelief.

“Nate did warn you that Lauren’s got black belts in three different forms of martial arts, didn’t he?” asked Travis. “Not to mention a tongue that can cut a man into tiny little bite-sized pieces. An introduction to her is what you asked for as a favor he owes you? Might I suggest a steak dinner at the best restaurant in town instead? Much safer and probably a hell of a lot more satisfying, too.”

Rick looked at the three men gathered around the bar in confusion. “I don’t get it. I mean, Julia is such a babe and a real lady besides. How can her twin sister be so completely different?”

“I’m guessing her parents ask themselves that question on a daily basis,” drawled Nathan. “This is one time you’re just going to have to trust me, Rick. And as one of my oldest friends, believe me when I say I’ll be doing you a much bigger favor by
not
introducing you. Lauren is just – terrifying.”

Ian smiled. “She’s not that bad, Nathan. Your future sister-in-law is just a bit high-spirited is all. Perhaps you ought to let your friend here make up his own mind.”

“Except that Rick won’t be my friend any longer if I introduce him to Lauren,” replied Nathan.“You know, her co-workers nicknamed her the Queen of Confrontation. And apparently that’s one of the milder things they call her.”

Travis guffawed. “That’s Lauren, all right. For sure the ballsiest chick I’ve ever met. Not to mention the fact that she could drink anyone I know under the table. I’m guessing she’d give that pack of animals over there some serious competition.”

The others followed his gaze to where a collective cheer had just gone up from the group gathered around one of the TV sets. Someone – Nathan’s money would be on that rabble rouser Jonathan – had managed to find what looked like the Playboy Channel and a dozen sets of horny male eyes were now fixated on whatever soft porn was being broadcast.

Rick brightened at Travis’ last statement. “Well, now, there’s an idea, Nate. You ought to get in touch with Julia and suggest she and her girls just join us. There’s plenty of room and you ordered enough food to feed the entire neighborhood.”

Nathan shook his head. “Nope. Not going to happen. We had actually discussed the idea of a joint party but her sister got wind of it and put her foot down. Said there was no way Julia was going to miss out on a proper girl’s night out. And since I’ve unfortunately witnessed what the two of them can get up to when they decide to be a little wild, I’ve got to confess I’m not thrilled with the idea of her sister planning their evening out. Lauren is trouble with a capital T.”

Ian frowned. “This conversation is not making me feel especially at ease, Nathan. I just hope your fiancée and her very mischievous sister remember that Tessa isn’t exactly used to, er, a proper girl’s night out.”

At Rick’s confused look, Travis explained. “Ian here has a very hot but very young girlfriend, so he’s uber-protective of her.”

Rick, who hadn’t met the suave, debonair Englishman before tonight, gave Ian an assessing onceover. “Young and hot, huh? Some men have all the luck. Just how young is she?”

“Twenty-five,” chimed in Travis before Ian could reply. “And His Lordship here is forty. We figure he’s got to be getting daily vitamin B-12 shots to keep up with her.”

Rick let out a low whistle. “Damn, you got that right. But – Ian, isn’t it? You look like you keep yourself in pretty good shape, so yeah, I could see how a twenty-five year old babe would be attracted to you.”

“Your vote of confidence is appreciated, mate,” replied Ian drolly. “Though the vitamin shots Travis jokingly mentioned might be something I need to consider before much longer. The fifteen year age difference is beginning to wear on me a bit.”

Travis chuckled. “And here I figured when Nathan and Julia finally got together that the eight year difference in their ages was a lot. But you’ve almost doubled that, Ian.”

Rick, who’d been known over the years to put his foot in his mouth with very little difficulty, was grinning like the village idiot and Nathan cringed when his old college buddy told Ian cheerfully, “So, like, you’re the oldest guy here tonight, Ian, but with the youngest girlfriend. That is so badass.”

Nathan groaned when he saw the expression on Ian’s face – a combination of shock and irritation – and quickly steered the conversation to a safer topic.

As the evening progressed, the noise level in the room rose in accordance with the amount of alcohol being consumed. Even without the stripper his buddies had clamored for, it was still a raucous and wild evening, with Travis, Ian and Nathan the only ones who were even partially sober after a time. Nathan knew he’d certainly had more than his fair share of booze, but he was nowhere near as far gone as most of the others. Several of the guys had bribed one of the bartenders to dredge up a karaoke machine, and they were currently making drunken asses of themselves in their pathetic attempts to carry a tune. Two of the slightly less inebriated ones had had the brilliant idea to engage in a wrestling match and were at present rolling around the floor exchanging headlocks. Another group was having an eating contest to see who could chow down the most hot dogs in ten minutes, while Nathan was silently figuring out which of them would be the first to barf. Others were still glued to the TV set broadcasting the Playboy Channel, while Ian was kicking everyone’s ass at billiards.

Nathan shook his head in amazement as Ian smoothly annihilated Matt Wright, who slunk off after forking over the hundred bucks he’d just lost. Matt was, by Nathan’s estimation, at least the fourth consecutive victim of the Brit’s vastly superior skills at the game.

“Is there anything you can’t do?” Nathan asked.

Ian gave him a rather roguish grin. “A great many things, actually. However, I grew up playing billiards with my father and brothers so I may have something of an advantage this evening.”

Both men were sipping brandy by now and puffing away at cigars. Ian racked up the balls and picked up his cue stick.

“Fancy a game?” he asked as he chalked up the cue.

Nathan bolted down the rest of his brandy, the alcohol lending him a bravado he sure as well wouldn’t have felt otherwise. “Sure, why not? Otherwise, I’m afraid I’ll get roped into the limbo contest going on over there.”

Ian followed Nathan’s gaze to where several of the group were, in fact, having a limbo contest and shook his head in disbelief. “Where in the world did they find a pole anyway?”

Nathan was startled to notice Travis was one of the participants. “Hmm, that pole they’re using looks like the one our jackets were hanging on a little while ago. Let’s just hope it pops back into place easily enough.”

Ian laughed. “Your mates are, ah, certainly a lively bunch, Nathan. Much more so than any of my old chums from Oxford. Though looking at them now it’s a bit of a stretch to believe they actually graduated from Berkeley. Isn’t your alma mater considered one of the top academic universities in the world? It’s rather amazing that these, er, gents actually received a diploma from such a highly ranked institution.”

Nathan watched as the two friends who’d been wrestling a little earlier were now having a new contest – chugalugging a beer and then dropping to the floor to see who could do the most push-ups, then repeating. “Not only that, but you see those two there? One has two masters degrees and the other a PhD.”

Ian stared. “Amazing. Truly amazing. I won’t even ask what their degrees are in.”

Less than ten minutes later, Ian was pocketing another hundred dollars after soundly trouncing Nathan at billiards. The groom to be sighed as he hung up his pool cue.

“Can I dare to hope that you suck at darts?” asked Nathan half-jokingly.

Ian offered up an apologetic smile. “I believe I still own the high score at my old residence hall at Oxford.”

“Poker?”

Ian shrugged. “I’m more of a baccarat or craps player but I don’t mind a game of poker every so often.”

A few minutes later Nathan had assembled a group that consisted of himself, Ian, Travis, Matt, Greg, Jonathan, Rick and Jake. Jonathan in particular had jumped at the chance to play, especially when he’d learned Ian would be part of the group. Nathan knew all too well just how competitive his old college roommate could be, whether it involved sports, card games, or attracting women, and that Jonathan must still be smarting at being so thoroughly beaten at billiards earlier this evening. It was understandable that he’d be salivating for the chance at revenge.

Nathan looked quizzically at Travis, who had a full bottle of Grey Goose sitting beside him on the table. “Where did that come from?”

Travis gave a careless little shrug. “I won the limbo contest.”

Nathan grinned. “I, uh, didn’t know you were that limber.”

“I’m not,” drawled Travis, a hint of his Southern accent beginning to crop up. “However, I was the least potted of everyone participating so I sort of won by default.”