Reckless (49 page)

A lime-green-haired Jenny collapsed into Evan’s arms, marking his cheek with a bright red lipstick outline. Rachel, wearing a canary-yellow wig, put her hands over her face and giggled
uncontrollably as Matt held her; at least one of the girls was as embarrassed as I was. Kate smoothed her deep purple wig with a bright smile on her face. And Cheyenne, her hair a flaming red color
that reminded me of Meadow’s, clapped me on the shoulder as Kellan stood to greet me.

Lip curved in a seductive half-smile, he growled, “I am not going to be able to concentrate on stage tonight with this image of you in my mind.” His smile widening, he added,
“You are unbelievably hot.”

Resisting the urge to deny his compliment, I instead told him, “Thank you.”

Kellan’s face was full of pride at my growing level of confidence. As my girlfriends said their goodbyes and grabbed their stuff, Kellan leaned in close. In my ear, he murmured,
“You’re keeping the wig, right?”

His fingers slid through a pink lock as he sucked on his bottom lip. Heat, fire, and passion were burning in his eyes, and I suddenly didn’t want to go anywhere but to a private hotel room
with him. My lips against his ear, I told him, “It’s the only thing I’ll keep on when I get back.”

Kellan made a strangled groaning noise, then slung his arms around my waist. Over his shoulder, he told the guys, “Change of plans, we’re canceling the show tonight and staying
in.”

Matt glowered for a fraction of a second, then looked over at Rachel grabbing her purse and smiled. Evan shouted his agreement and pulled Jenny back into his lap. Griffin exclaimed, “Fuck
yeah,” and pinched Anna’s ass.

I smiled back at Kellan. “Nice try, but you know you can’t do that.”

He gave me a forlorn sigh. “I know, but it was a nice thought.”

I gave him a soft peck, then slid away from him and collected my girls. Anna started doling out the rest of our outfits, and I contained a groan. It was the penis-paraphernalia that I’d
noticed earlier. She gave each girl an obscene necklace, straw, suckers, and feather boas that matched our wig colors. The boas had shiny, tinsel penises woven into them. We were all dressed like
sex-starved maniacs. I think my cheeks matched Cheyenne’s hair.

As we gathered around the front of the bus, I saw a modestly sized black limo arriving at the edge of the lot. Kellan and the boys brushed past us. “We’re going to head in
now,” he said as he kissed my cheek. Seeing me staring at the fancy car, he added, “I rented you a limo for the evening, so you could relax. Have fun tonight. You deserve it.”

He winked at me and I smiled at his thoughtfulness. “Thank you. You guys have fun too.” As he walked away from me, I grabbed his arm. “Hey, if you really want to go to a strip
club, I would be okay with it. I trust you.” I swallowed, not thrilled about the idea, but comfortable enough to know that Kellan wouldn’t do anything differently behind my back than he
would do if I were right beside him.

Kellan smiled. “I’m glad to hear that. I don’t need a club, though.” He shrugged. “They never really did anything for me anyway.” I gave him a sly grin. That
was probably true. Kellan didn’t need to pay for beautiful, naked women to hang all over him. If he wanted, he could have that in a heartbeat just by throwing a party at his house.

There was a burst of noise and camera flashes as Kellan left the bus; some of the fans were still waiting around, then. Well, tonight was their lucky night. Not only were they getting an up
close view of rock stars, but they were about to get an eyeful of rather bizarrely dressed women. Damn my free-spirited sister.

The girls and I waited a few more minutes, then dashed to our car. I stayed in the middle of the group, head down and neon pink hair blocking my face. The driver held the door open for us as we
approached. Anna exchanged a few words with him before joining Jenny, Rachel, Kate, Cheyenne and I in the spacious vehicle. Remembering the spectacle at the club, Poison, I kept my eyes open for
anyone following us. I know I would be curious about a group of women dressed like colorful hookers exiting a rock star’s tour bus and hopping into a limousine.

Anna elbowed me in the ribs. “Relax, Kiki, you’re free.”

Laughing at my paranoia, I shifted to the front. “Yes, I am. Let’s go have some fun.”

The girls laughed with me while the driver gave us amused, puzzled glances. Per my sister’s instructions, he drove us to a restaurant. Even though I felt like an idiot as the group of us
slid out of the car and walked into Red Robin—my sister was having a craving for seasoned fries—I was grateful that we were eating first. I was starving.

Funnily enough, with the chaotic ambiance of the restaurant, we fit right in, like a piece of living art. Every patron in the place turned their heads to stare at us, though. Pushing aside the
feeling of everyone’s eyes on me, I followed my sister up the stairs to the bar. The six of us scooted into a booth, with Jenny, Kate, and Rachel on one side, Cheyenne, Anna, and I on the
other. The fresh-faced waiter who arrived seconds later was clearly impressed with our outfits. “Hi, I’m Gabe. I’ll be your server this evening.” Pointing his pen at our
penis-inlaid boas, he smirked, “Bachelorette party?”

Pulling the boa off, I placed it on the seat beside me. Flaunting phallic shapes at a family restaurant probably wasn’t the best idea, young eyes and all. On the limo ride over, I’d
made my sister put her penis necklace in her purse and promise me that she wouldn’t use her straw or sucker here. She’d grudgingly agreed.

Tossing her arm around me, Anna beamed at Gabe. “Yep, my girl’s tying the knot, so we need to get her lit!”

Gabe turned his blue eyes to me. “Congratulations.”

Surprisingly, his gaze shifted over my face. Wow, was he checking me out? “Thanks,” I murmured. “We’re celebrating her recent wedding too.” I turned to Anna.
“I still can’t believe you married Griffin.”

Anna rolled her eyes. “Let it go. You’re worse than Dad.” I had to laugh at that comment. It was highly unlikely that Dad knew about Anna’s marital status. I doubt
she’d even told him that she’d left Seattle yet.

Gabe’s smile widened. “Sisters?” Leaning toward us, he gave everyone a grin, then focused solely on me. “I know just what you guys need. Mind if I pick your
drinks?” He winked at me as he straightened, and my mind froze. He really
was
hitting on me.

“Uh, no, go right ahead.” Not knowing what else to do, I gave him a polite smile.

Leaning around me, Anna told him, “It’s been a while since I’ve
been
one, but make mine a virgin, ’kay?” She rubbed her expanded belly and Gabe pulled his
eyes from me to glance at her.

He nodded, his eyes instantly returning to mine. “Will do.” He stood back up and pointed his pen at us again. “You ladies don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right
back.”

After he walked away, all of the girls looked at me simultaneously. “He was so checking you out!” Jenny exclaimed.

I sank into my chair and fingered my bright hair. “No, he wasn’t.” I giggled at the end of my sentence.
Yeah, he was.
Well, unfortunately for Gabe, I wasn’t
single. No, I was about to formally marry my rock-star sweetheart, whose searing good looks were insignificant in comparison to the beauty inside his soul. He was as close to perfect as one human
being could be, and he was mine. I was beyond blessed.

Gabe returned a few minutes later with huge, crazy-shaped glasses full of something fruity and strong; I cringed a little after taking my first sip. Gabe winked at me again. “That should
properly prep you for your evening.”

I thanked him, then ordered some chicken strips. I was going to need a good base in my stomach if this drink was any indication of how the night was going to turn out. Gabe flirted with me
throughout the remainder of our meal. Needless to say, I received the most attentive service that I’d ever received at a restaurant. The girls teased me about it relentlessly. Gabe was cute,
so I was flattered, but Kellan had my heart and I wasn’t interested. When Gabe handed me the receipt when we were finished, his number was on it. My eyes were wide as I looked up at him. He
shrugged. “Just in case it doesn’t work out.”

I was so surprised that he’d done that, my only response was, “Thanks.” Collecting myself, I added, “I think it’s going to work out, though.”

Gabe looked disheartened as I stood to leave him. I was so used to seeing that expression of disappointment on female faces as Kellan walked away that it was bizarre to see it directed at me. A
thought struck me as I showed the receipt to my sister outside. If we’d been playing the game Kellan and the boys played when they went out,
I
would have won tonight. Just the
thought made me giggle while the rest of the girls let out loud hoots and hollers.

Wondering what he would say, I snapped a picture of the receipt and texted it to Kellan with the message
I won!
I hoped he would find that funny, and not worry about what I was doing.
But if I was willing to trust him with strippers, than he’d have to trust me too. And he did.

He didn’t text me back, but I didn’t expect him to. He was in the middle of a show, probably just about done with his set. It was strange not to be there, listening to him play, but
I was enjoying my girl time. I wasn’t sure where we were headed next, but I was slightly buzzed from Gabe’s drink, so I didn’t much care. Anna gave our limo driver a swift kiss on
the cheek, making the older man blush. Feeling benevolent, I kissed him on the opposite cheek.

Where we ended up going was a strip club. I frowned as the car pulled up to the bright pink neon flashing a pair of female legs so that it looked like they were kicking. I cringed at the name of
the club—Pole Palace. Glancing over to Anna, I firmly told her, “I have no interest in watching a bunch of half-naked women flirt with married men.”

Anna let out an exasperated sigh. “Where’s your sense of adventure, Kiki?” With a sly smile she added, “You will like this, trust me.”

Not sure if I should trust my up-for-anything sister, I hesitantly stepped out of the limo. At the last minute, I told the driver, “If you see me running from the building in terror,
please take me home right away.”

The driver smiled at me as he held the door open. “Absolutely . . . Kiki.”

Once again dressed in our penis gear, the group of us gathered under the front awning. Jenny and Kate seemed fine with going somewhere else or going inside; Rachel seemed just as dubious about
this place as I was. Cheyenne was smiling. When I glanced at the front door of Pole Palace, I noticed the huge sign propped on an easel beside it and shook my head.
Ladies Night! Come on in to
see the hottest men in town!
I should have known.

For some reason, it did make me feel a little better to know that we were going to be watching half-naked men flirt with married women. It seemed more innocent. I still felt horribly embarrassed
about the whole thing, though, especially since I was dressed like a Bratz doll. “Anna, are you serious?”

With an ear-to-ear grin, she turned toward the bouncer. “Yep.”

Jenny, Kate, and Cheyenne giggled and followed after her. Rachel and I looked at each other, shared a moment of mortification, then sucked up our inhibitions and followed after our more
gregarious friends. The place was jam-packed with women of all ages. They were hooting, hollering, and shouting at the greased-up studs on the stage. The men dancing were gyrating and hip thrusting
in a suggestive way that made me a little uncomfortable.

Wondering if Kellan would be okay with me being here since we hadn’t talked about me going to a strip club, I grabbed Anna’s arm. “Do you think Kellan . . . and the boys . . .
will be okay with this?” I indicated some shirtless male servers posing for pictures with some very friendly female patrons.

Anna quirked a smile. “I think they’ll be fine with it.”

I wasn’t quite sure, and I felt a little guilty about being here. I didn’t plan on doing anything with any of these beefy, well-cut guys, but Kellan didn’t know I was here, and
it felt dishonest that he didn’t know. I pulled out my phone to call him, and Anna snatched it away from me. “He won’t mind, Kiera, and I told him where we were going. He was cool
with it.” She indicated the stage. “He’s the one that found a place with male dancers tonight.”

Surprise washed through me, but only for a moment. Of course he’d arranged this. Kellan wanted me to have a good time with my friends, and by the looks of the tittering women around us,
being here was a
very
good time. Kellan also loved embarrassing me, and when a man wearing pants so tight they left nothing to the imagination asked me if I wanted a drink, I was very
embarrassed.

Laughing, I finally accepted that being here was okay and relaxed with my friends. Anna sat us at a table near the front of the stage, and a couple of drinks into it I was hollering along with
the rest of the girls in the audience. The dances were amusing, and yes, sexy as hell. My favorite part about it was the costumes. We’d had a fireman, policeman, and a construction worker so
far. It was beyond ridiculous, and I couldn’t stop laughing. Then a man dressed like a cowboy stepped out onto the stage.

He was wearing a bandanna around his mouth like he was a bandit and a black cowboy hat pulled low over his eyes. One of his hands was holding the tip of his hat, the other rested by his side. He
was wearing a vest with nothing on underneath it, and his muscles had a light sheen to them, like he was slathered in oil. Like any good cowboy, he was wearing chaps . . . over a pair of dark
spandex briefs. He was hot, and a hush went over the crowd. Just the way he stood there while he waited for the music to start was seductive, and I had a feeling he’d be good at riling up the
crowd.

A heavy beat filled the air. I recognized the song as one of Rhianna’s provocative hits. When the beat started, the cowboy lifted his eyes and stared at the crowd. I sputtered on the drink
coming up my penis straw. “Oh my fucking God!” I screeched that, and Jenny, Kate, Cheyenne, and Rachel all twisted to stare at me like I was insane. Anna was holding her sides,
laughing.