Shannon's Fairy-Tale Foursome (2 page)

Realizing Randy wasn’t with them, curiosity overwhelmed her, and Shannon had to know why he wasn’t there. She whipped her head back toward Jaycee and demanded impatiently, “Wait! Where’s Randy?”

Jaycee smirked, leaning toward her. “Oh, he won’t go within fifty feet of your wannabe clone. He says he wants the real thing and not some cheap imitation.” She settled back in her chair before adding, “I always knew he was the smartest of my buffoon brothers.”

Buffoons.
Shannon couldn’t help it. She giggled despite her headache and heartbreak. So did her two friends. She, Jaycee, and Katie-Anne delighted in coming up with absurd names and descriptions for the seven men in their lives. They’d practically made a sport of it, just like their ongoing game of Truth or Dare.

I just had to go there.
Remembering the game that she kept pretending she wasn’t playing, Shannon’s amusement died away, and she trembled as dread pervaded her mind.
Why in the hell did I agree to play Truth or Dare with them? Oh, yeah, I know why. I’m a glutton for punishment.

Almost three months ago, she and her two best friends had decided their lives pretty much sucked. They’d all strayed from the paths they had paved for themselves and wanted to get back on track. Katie-Anne had an insane idea to play Truth or Dare, and she’d convinced them at their weakest point to play along with her on a drunken girls’ night at Jaycee’s apartment.

A week later, Jaycee had lost a round of Draw The Dildo, Katie-Anne’s twisted version of drawing straws, and been pegged as the first victim or player, depending on who was asked. Lucky for Jaycee, the two men of her dreams had united with Shannon and Katie-Anne to play a game of their own. With two matchmakers and two determined men, Jaycee had ended up back in the arms of Gray Blakemore and Cade McCoy.

Like that would ever happen to someone like me.

Several months had passed, and Shannon’s friends had yet to dole out her dare, but she was no imbecile. Her life existed on borrowed time since she was up next. With her luck, she would wind up in a situation far worse than the last time they’d played Truth or Dare ten years ago.

She’d been nineteen when her best friends had dared her to have an “adult” makeover and go into Spurs, Chaps, and Cowboy Hats, the only bar in Serenity at the time. But that had been the easy part. Once inside, she was to seduce the first man she spotted.

Taking off from her waitressing job at Lou’s Café, Shannon had spent hours in front of a mirror primping. She’d given herself more pep talks than she could count or even remember before she stepped a foot inside that bar. As always, luck hadn’t been on her side. She’d seen Jared, Drew, and Randy at the counter as soon as she crossed the threshold.

Shannon could still remember the way her heart had thumped in her chest, the way her breath had hitched in her throat. She’d swayed from the fear and excitement coursing through her veins. Then she’d gathered all her courage and approached them.

* * * *

Ten years ago…

Shannon sucked in a quick lungful of air and sashayed right across the room to where the Dalton triplets sat at the bar, nursing a mug full of beer. She knew her easiest target would be the youngest brother, Randy, so she moved in behind the man in the middle and slid her arms around his tight, muscular abdomen.

“Well, hi there, fellas,” she drawled as seductively as she could manage. “What does a girl like me have to do to get a drink around here?”

All three men froze, and they stopped talking. Jared, Drew, and Randy turned their heads toward her, looking at her coldly, so coldly that she wished she’d worn something far thicker than the black sequined mini-dress and sheer panty hose she had on.

Each brother’s eyes locked on a different part of her body. The eldest brother, Jared, eyeballed her head, alternating his glares between her heavy makeup and elaborately coiffed hair. Drew, the middle brother, gawked at the too-small dress she’d stolen from her mother’s closet. Because of their size difference, the skimpy halter-style top barely concealed Shannon’s cleavage, the bodice clung to her every curve, and the hemline rode up drastically. The last brother, Randy, openly ogled her legs but kept a fierce scowl on his face.

When none of them spoke, Shannon lowered her voice then whispered, “My good friend, the bartender, won’t serve me anything.” She huffed, sticking out her lower lip in a petulant pout. “How about you guys get me a little something? Or we could just head to my place and drink a little wine then make a little love.”

Three identical masks of pure, menacing fury appeared on their faces. They swung their entire bodies around and stood to their full heights, towering over her.

Randy shrugged off her hand. “There are so many things wrong with what you just said that I don’t even know where to start,” he snapped.

“Would you prefer we just fuck?” Shannon asked boldly, her sanity fleeing in the face of their anger. She reached into her purse then snatched her keys up and offered them to Randy. “Here’s the keys to my house. I’m ready if you are.”

“You have to be kidding me,” Jared said fierily. “You aren’t ready for a damn thing, Shannon.”

“Yeah,” Drew agreed, his words coming off as a snarl. “You’re acting like a child. This is why we’ve stayed the hell out of your bed and your life.”

Shannon snorted. “Oh! Woe is me. How could a girl like me take on three, big strapping men like yourselves?” She waved the keys in front of Randy, daring him to take them from her. “Let’s find out.”

“Shannon,” Jared said warningly. “Stop this bullshit before you really piss us off. When you’ve grown up, we will have this discussion again. But not now, not when you’re dressed like that, and certainly not when you’re pretending to be something you’re not.”

“What do you mean by that?” Shannon demanded as she yanked her hand back and dropped the keys back into her purse. “I’m acting like myself. You just don’t know who the fuck I am.”

“Yes, we do,” Jared rebutted, appearing calm in his demeanor but livid in his words. “We’ve watched you for
years,
Shannon. We know who you are and how you talk. We know how you act and the things you love. This is
not
you.”

“It is me,” she sneered. “You can fucking take me or leave me.”

Drew’s eyes narrowed. “Then I guess we’ll leave you, Shannon,” he countered. “We want to be with you. Hell, I think we’re in love with you, but you aren’t ready to be involved with us, and I’m not sure you ever will be.” He stared right through her. “I suggest you get out of here. A bar is no place for little girls.”

“Little girl? Little girl?
Little girl?
” Shannon sputtered, her voice rising with each word.

“Yes,” Jared retorted. “You apparently are still a little girl. Now, you need to go home and get that trashy dress off your body.”

“There is not a damn thing wrong with this dress,” she practically yelled then moved closer, rubbing her body against Randy’s. “I think I look sexy.”

“Stop that,” Randy growled as he pushed her away.

“You are beautiful and sexy,” Jared conceded.

“But not when you look no better than a whore,” Drew finished for his brother.

Shannon gasped, tears welling in her eyes before brimming over and running down her cheeks. “I–I–I’m sorry. This was a mistake,” she rambled. “It was just a stupid dare, anyway.”

“A what?” Drew barked. “This was some goddamn game?”

“Y–y–yes,” she stammered. “Jaycee and Katie-Anne dared me to dress up and come in here so I could seduce the first man I saw.”

Randy cursed, “Son of a bitch.”

“You came in here to seduce the first man you
saw
?” Jared asked incredulously. “What would you have done if we hadn’t been here?”

“I don’t know,” she cried. “I really don’t know.”

“Well, I hope you won your little game, Shannon,” Drew announced, “because you just lost my interest.”

Not waiting a second longer, Shannon turned on her heel and ran out the door.

* * * *

With a blink, Shannon returned to the present, her memories receding into the back of her mind. She dabbed her eyes with the fancy napkin like both of her friends were doing, only her tears stemmed from her painful past and not the amusing present.

Eyeing her with too-perceptive eyes, Jaycee and Katie-Anne’s laughter dwindled, and they grew quiet. Endless minutes ticked by before Katie-Anne finally broke the tense silence with a question. She asked curiously, “J, my dear, why are we in Serenity’s fanciest restaurant? Don’t get me wrong. Their food is divine, but we haven’t exactly eaten somewhere like this in, hell, I don’t know how long.”

Jaycee’s youthful face lit up. She clapped her hands together, apparently forgetting they were in an elegant establishment where the noise level was kept at a whisper. “We’re planning our girlie getaway for my bachelorette party.”

Groaning, Katie-Anne covered her turquoise eyes. “Oh, hell.”

Duh!
Shannon slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand, like she should have known that Jaycee had something up her sleeve.

Katie-Anne peeked between her fingers and inquired, “Do we have to? I know you, Jaycee Elizabeth. There is going to be hell to pay when we get back. My brother is going to kill me.”

Shannon snorted. “He won’t kill you. It’ll be me!” Shuddering theatrically, she tacked on, “If he doesn’t, Cade will. Shit, with my luck, they’ll both come after me.”

“Come on. Don’t be wimps,” Jaycee half whined, half encouraged. “It’ll be fun. I’ve already gotten the green light.”

“Of course, you did,” Katie-Anne said skeptically between sips of her citrus soda.

Shannon had no doubt that Gray and Cade had given Jaycee the go ahead. “No, Katie-Anne. I’m willing to lay money on the table that they agreed. They just want to punish her—again.”

Jaycee nodded with enthusiasm. “Yep. They love to have an excuse to punish me, not that they ever need one.” She giggled mischievously. “But I will admit that it’s a lot of fun getting in trouble, just the same.”

Katie-Anne grunted, her sips turning into gulps as she downed more Chinotto Neri.

Shannon snickered. “My friend, they know you. Don’t underestimate your fiancés. We will not be going anywhere without some kind of supervision.”

Jaycee’s excitement drained away, and she cursed, “Fuck. You’re right.” But before the bat of an eyelash, her impish euphoria returned in full force.

Shannon regarded Jaycee nervously. That look never boded well for her or Katie-Anne.

“Well, we’ll just have to be sneaky.” Jaycee sounded completely convinced that they could ditch the bulldogs Gray and Cade would inevitably set on them.

Oh, boy.
Shannon glanced at Katie-Anne with beseeching eyes. To her chagrin, Katie-Anne shook her head sadly, apparently aware that they would never get Jaycee to back down.

Movement from Jared and Drew’s table in the corner of her eye snagged her attention for the hundredth time. Without thought of the consequences, her head swiveled to gawk. Both of her men stood up to their full six-feet-plus heights respectfully. Drew pulled out Mary’s chair for her so she could get up. In turn, she smiled up at him, rose to her tiptoes, and kissed his cheek.

Crazy cunt.
The green-eyed monster reared his hideous head. Stalking across the room to tear the horrid woman into tiny pieces appealed to her enraged senses. How dare that wench touch
her
men.

Someone grabbed Shannon’s glass and pulled it out of her hand, wrenching her out of the malicious haze blanketing her brain.

Katie-Anne sat the glass down gently. “Shan, honey, you’re about to snap the stem in half. Calm down.”

Shannon turned her animosity on her reprimanding friend and snapped venomously, “Fine, let’s talk about Shane Jacobs and Landon Tolliver. Last I heard, Leila Schillings is going after one of your men since she gave up on Gray and Cade. The whore had to find a little fresh meat, and apparently, Shane is her new filet mignon. How about them apples, sister?”

“Now, who’s being the bitch, Shannon?” Katie-Anne’s calmly asked question amazed Shannon. She had no clue how her friend could act uncaring when the bane of their existence relentlessly pursued one of the men she loved.

If it wasn’t for the pain swirling in Katie-Anne’s exotic eyes, Shannon would actually believe the woman didn’t give a damn. The tightness and deepening of the blue-green gave her away.

“Well, Katie-Anne,” Shannon sneered. “Don’t presume to tell me how to act when the men that
I
love are with another woman in front of my fucking face.”

“Calm down,” Jaycee urged softly, sounding hesitant as though she were approaching two wounded animals. “No point in turning on each other.”

“I am not turning on anyone,” Katie-Anne denied arrogantly. “I’m just telling the truth.
She
is the one who pushed them out of her life, and they moved on. She needs to follow their example and get over it.”

“You don’t know what the hell I did or didn’t do.”

“Then, tell us, Shan.” Jaycee’s compelling tone nearly undid her, but how could she tell them the entire truth? How could she explain Uncle Pauley? What about what had happened two months ago with her men?