Bad Boy's Kiss (Firemen in Love Book 2) (28 page)

“Eh, I don't know. The guy kinda creeped me out. Just thought I'd run it by you and see what you think.”

“You're right to be freaked out. This dude's an asshole.”

“And you're planning to get hitched to his daughter? Real smart. Y'know what they say: marry the woman, you marry her family.”

I didn't know what I was doing anymore. Last thing I wanted was to get tied up with the Southwells and their drama. I had half a mind to kidnap Anna and fly her far away from this place, somewhere we could be alone together, away from the nonsense and noise. The stress couldn't be good for the baby, anyhow.

“So, what's the plan? Are we going to this party or not?”

I was very suspicious. No way was Daniel paying for this out of the goodness of his heart. Yet the curious part of me wanted very much to know what he was plotting...

“I guess it wouldn't hurt. Not like I got anything better to do. And who am I to turn down perfectly good booze and food?”

“You'd better be careful, man.” Jayce warned me, his expression stern. “Maybe it's not so smart, putting yourself in that position. Remember your birthday party? Elle found me with those girls hanging off me, and she lost it.”

Admittedly, I sucked at warding off temptation. But maybe that's because I never really tried to fight it before. Before meeting Anna, if a girl shook her ass in my face, I hopped in bed with her without a second thought.

Now, though? The very idea of it made me kind of sick. Scared, too, at the change in me.

“I'll be fine, dude. You coming to the best bachelor party of all time, or is your wife gonna put the leash on you?”

“If it's at a strip club, count me out. I don't even want to
look
at those girls.” He swallowed hard. “I love Elle to death, but I'm a man. I'd rather not disrespect her like that.”

I was about to call him a sissy and say what Elle didn't know wouldn't hurt her, but why bother? He wouldn't care – and you know what? I was kind of starting to feel the same way he did.

Maybe, then, it was love after all?

“Jayce needs to know where it is. No naked boobs for him tonight unless they belong to his wife.”

“The dude told me Saint Claire's, any time after eight.”

“Saint Claire's? The hell is that?”

“I tried looking it up; I never heard of it either. Evidently, it's some kind of private club-restaurant thing. Membership is five hundred dollars a person per year – and that's the bronze level.”

“Well, if that's a strip club, I imagine for that much money, it has the world's most beautiful girls. What the heck is Daniel up to?”

“Maybe he's just trying to be nice and give you a warm welcome to the family,” Jayce suggested.

“Oh, you don't know this guy. He never does anything unless it benefits his ass in some way.”

I got off the phone with him so Jayce and I could get a quick lunch. As we ate, I thought about the whole thing and how weird it was.

“So, are you gonna tell Anna you're going to this party?” he asked.

I probably should have. But still, even now, some part of me remained. That was the secretive part that said what I did with my life was nobody's business but my own. I knew that'd change with marriage – but I wasn't married yet, was I?

“Nah, I don't think that's necessary. I'm gonna be on my best behavior.”

I just hoped it really
wasn't
a strip club. If it was, I'd need more than mere willpower to get through that party unscathed.

Chapter 20 - Max

Saint Claire's was an unassuming building tucked into the woods, just on the outskirts of town. Whatever kind of club this was, it was apparent they didn't like being bothered.

I'd come alone. Brett figured it'd be best if we brought our own cars and besides, after so long of not driving, I couldn't wait to get back behind the wheel.

I winced as I hit the brakes and rolled to a stop in a parking spot. Guess my leg wasn't totally healed after all.

The parking lot was pretty full of cars, odd for this late on a Monday night. I headed to the front door and was promptly greeted by a well-dressed older man.

“Name, please?” He looked me up and down.

“Uh, Max. I'm here for... my party, I guess?”

He brightened and slapped me on the back. “Ah, yes, welcome! Daniel asked for a special room prepared, just for you and your guests.”

He led me down the red-carpeted hallway. To the left was an open dining area, filled with fancy-looking furniture and chandeliers on the ceiling. It being as late as it was, few people were eating there. Those that were donned expensive clothes to match the décor.

“Is this your first time joining us, Mr. McLaren?”

“Uh, yeah. If I can admit it, I do feel a tad out of place.”

The guy chuckled. “Nothing to worry about. When you're a guest at Saint Claire's, you'll be treated like royalty. Daniel called ahead and insisted that you be given the premium treatment.” He winked. “After all, you
are
getting married, so you deserve it.”

This dude gave me the creeps. All these upper-crust rich folks did. But hey, who was I to complain when I wasn't paying? Trey said Daniel was always throwing his money around like this. Guess I better learn to grin and bear it.

At the end of the hallway, there was a door that looked out of place around the rest. They were wooden and painted white. This lone door was metal and red.

The guy opened it and stood aside to let me through. “Just head on down the stairs. Our staff is ready and willing to meet your every need.”

The door slammed shut behind me. If I felt like this was a trap before I came, I sure as hell believed it now.

Loud music shook the stairs beneath my feet. Down there in the darkness, strobe lights flashed. It looked more like a rave club than a high-class restaurant for well-off folks.

Curious at least, I headed down. Wow! There must have been at least a hundred people, dancing to the beat of obnoxious European techno music. Looked like the sort of club I hit up with the guys in college.

“Over here, Max!”

Brett waved to me from the bar. Beside him sat Jayce, some of the other boys from the station, and Carter. Man, I hadn't seen that guy in ages.

“Carter, dude. This is the last place I'd expect to see you. Figured you'd be at home with the girls.”

He raised his wine glass and sipped. “And you're not going to make fun of me for being a pussy?”

“No way. I mean, not about that, at least.” I grinned. “Thanks for coming, I guess. Frankly, I have no dang idea what's going on here.”

Brett shrugged. “Us neither. We thought to have you a little party before you went back, of course, but it was just gonna be a casual affair at one of the usual haunts. This is just... Crazy.”

Jayce cackled and chugged his beer. “And the best part is, we don't have to pay a dime! The bartender got your name and said everything was already taken care of. So drink as much as you want, buddy.”

The bar guy handed me a Shiner without even asking what I wanted. Freaked me out, but hey, I needed the alcohol in my veins right about now. I wasn't gonna ask questions.

“I dunno if drinking as much as I like is very smart. We all know what happened last time.”

Brett agreed. “Yeah, but you gotta admit – it makes for an epic story, doesn't it? Just a darn shame we didn't get those girls' numbers.”

Just a few months ago, that really pissed me off. Now? I could barely remember what they looked like. Anna's lovely face was the only one in my mind as I downed my beer.

“Maybe this Daniel guy isn't so bad,” Jayce said. “I mean, you're marrying into some real money, looks like. You treat his daughter right, it could bode well for you.”

“Eh, I could do without that jerk's money. What kind of loving dad forces his daughter to get married?”

As the alcohol flowed, I thought about him less and less, and Anna more. I'd only been away from her for one day, and already, the urge to go running back into her arms was very intense.

Call it infatuation, serious chemistry, or maybe something more – fact was, I'd fallen for her hard.

A trio of giggling girls caught my attention for the moment. Two of them sat beside me on the stools, while the other made a beeline for Brett.

“Hi there,” said the blonde one. “So you must be Max. I heard you're getting married soon.”

I eyed her warily as she sipped her fruity drink. “How do you know who I am?”

“This is your party, silly! That's the whole reason we came here tonight.”

The one with curly red hair nodded. “We got an invitation. Said it's going to be the most amazing party ever! Of course, we
had
to come.”

The blonde put her hand on my arm. “Hey, I hope you're still up for having a bit of fun tonight. You're not a married guy yet.”

Carter's jaw fell. Jayce silently shook his head. I knew as well as they did: no hook-ups for me; not anymore.

And you know what? I didn't even feel sad about that one bit.

“Well, girls, what kind of fun are we talking about?”

“Don't be silly. We heard you're a fireman, and you know what they say about firemen.”

When her hand dared slide a little too low for comfort, I politely pushed her away. She gasped, as if I'd just insulted her mother.

“Pardon me, but no thanks. You could try Brett or one of my other friends. They're single.”

The girls glared at me and sashayed away. Jayce gave me a high five.

“Way to go, buddy. I wouldn't have believed it if I weren't sitting next to you.”

“Yeah. Max McLaren tells bimbos to take a hike? It's sheer craziness.”

For a while we just sat there talking and drinking, as we always tended to do. So far, the only amazing part of this party was the free drinks. Occasionally, a waiter would come along and drop off a platter of fancy-pants appetizers.

“What the hell's a quiche?” Brett bit into one. “Tastes like scrambled eggs in a pie.”

“Oh, I know!” Carter lit up with excitement. “Alicia makes those for us all the time, with ham and cheese in 'em. The girls just love it. Does Anna cook for you, Max?”

I grinned. “You'd better believe it. Makes me wonder why I didn't ponder getting married sooner.”

Here we were at a freaking
bachelor party,
trading stories about cooking and kids and the wonderful women in our lives.

There was a time I called guys like Carter and Jayce whipped. If they were, then I guess I was too.

As I nursed my beer, my attention turned to the girls who'd tried to seduce me. They were hovering in the dark corner, staring and obviously talking about me. I usually loved such attention, but they made me nervous.

“So, Max, tell everyone the story of your heroic fight against the wildfires,” Jayce said.

“Wasn't much of a fight. I got KO'd by a tree falling on my head.” I rubbed the still kinda tender spot on my crown. “Man, I hope those guys down south are doing all right. They're going on nearly a hundred days without rain now.”

Another pair of women joined the two in the corner. They all turned and looked right at me. What was their
problem?

The lights dimmed, and the music changed to something sultry with a low beat that shook my core. Spotlights turned to the stage, and a male voice echoed over the speakers.

“All right, ladies and gentlemen, it's time for our first show of the night. This one is dedicated to Mr. Max McLaren, who will be getting married to a very lovely lady this Saturday. A round of applause, please, for our St. Claire's girls!”

A trio of women strutted out onto the stage –
topless
women. I didn't want to look. I didn't want to get a hard-on. But I was a man, and unfortunately, both happened.

“Well now,” Brett muttered. “They sure are rather... well-endowed.”

I glanced nervously at Carter and Jayce. They too stared at the women, mystified, as the ladies danced to the rhythm for the crowd.

Carter once said that his wife didn't mind if he looked, so long as he didn't touch – and he did just that, but he loved his family to death. Was it okay, then, just to maybe take a little peek?

Another girl came out of the darkness. She was topless too, and so beautiful she could have been a model. Imagine my shock when she tossed her wavy hair over her shoulder and came to me!

“So you're the lucky husband-to-be,” she purred in my ear. “I'm Lola. Since you're the guest of honor, we'll be glad to give you a little... party favor.”

I couldn't move as she slipped her arm around my neck. Her breasts, gigantic and bouncy and most definitely fake, hovered right in front of my face. No matter how I fought it, my dick responded.

“Oh, thanks, miss, but no party favors for me.”

She pouted. “But how can you
say
that? We've all planned this night especially for you.”

Brett had been dragged away by some young thing who wanted to dance. Jayce had picked now of all times to scurry off to the restroom. Carter was too busy ogling the talent to notice me.