by Olivia Evans
“Are you ready?” Maddie asked on the other side of the door.
Before Josie could respond, she felt Anders’s arms wrap around her. “Where is the rest of your dress?” His voice was low and dark and pure sex.
“I have no idea what you mean.” She tried to sound innocent. She failed.
Anders loosened his arms and moved away just enough to touch the bare skin right above her ass before trailing his finger up the length of her back to her neck. “You seem to be missing fabric in this general area.”
“How strange.”
“Stop fucking with me, Ivy.”
Josie spun around and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I think we both know that’s the last thing you’d ever want me to do.”
“This is bullshit,” Anders groaned, leaning forward and nipping Josie’s shoulder. “You’re going out dancing looking like sin and sex, and I’m stuck here on the beach with a bunch of assholes whose number one source of entertainment is pissing me off.”
“Josie, let’s go!” Maddie yelled, her annoyance clear. Josie pulled away from Anders and gave him a sympathetic shrug.
“I promise I’ll make it up to you when we get back.”
Anders let out a heavy sigh and followed Josie to the door. Maddie stood on the other side, her arms crossed over her chest and her brow lifted.
“I was beginning to wonder if I was going to have to break down the door.”
Anders let out a low whistle, his gaze bouncing between Josie and Maddie. “And I thought Josie’s dress was bad. Did you club Holden over the head for him to let you leave?”
Maddie twirled in her dress, letting out a small giggle. Not that the twirl did any good; the dress never moved. It was like a second skin of green silk. “I tried to get Josie to wear it, but she had to be difficult. No sense in letting it sit in the closet gathering dust.”
Anders’s eyes widened. “That’s the dress she wanted you to wear?”
“Yup,” Josie laughed.
Anders looked at Josie’s dress again before shaking his head. “You two need to leave now before I lock both of you in the bathroom.”
“Yeah, good luck with that. You should see the rest of them. They’re going to give every guy in the club a heart attack when they walk in,” Holden said, stepping behind Maddie. Clearly, he wasn’t any happier with the situation than Anders. Boys.
“I’m liking this idea less and less,” Anders said, his face pinched. “Why don’t we just come with you?”
“I’m down with dancing,” Walker said before slowing to a stop as he looked between Maddie and Josie. “Holy shit, you two are going to cause every guy there to leave with boners and blue balls!”
“That’s it,” Anders cut in. “We’re not going to start talking about dicks again. Y’all get out of here before I change my mind. And if any motherfucker tries to touch you, I’ve already promised Inky I’ll bail her out of jail if she fucks them up.”
Josie laughed. “You didn’t!” Anders’s blank stare told Josie that was exactly what he did. “You’re hot when you’re jealous.”
“I’m hot all the time, Ivy. Don’t try to change the subject.”
Josie rolled her eyes and gave him a quick kiss before looping her arm through Maddie’s. Just before they rounded the corner, Maddie looked over her shoulder, a mischievous smile on her lips.
“Have fun tonight, but y’all behave. I don’t want to see pictures of any more of your friend’s dicks!”
“Goddamn it, Maddie,” Anders yelled as the two girls ducked out of sight, both of them breathless with laughter.
“He makes it so easy,” Maddie said, fanning her red face.
“Stop picking on him,” Josie said, but her expression was filled with amusement. “You two are worse than Holden and me.”
“Oh sweet Jesus,” Madison gasped, her feet stopping abruptly.
“What…” The words died in Josie’s throat as she followed Maddie’s line of sight. “Chloe is going to kill my mom.”
Maddie nodded, clearly still at a loss for words.
“What the fuck?” Chloe said as she moved behind Josie and Maddie, Inky and Lori beside her.
“Damn, Chloe, who knew your mom was such a fox?”
“Not now, Inky,” Chloe groaned. “Josie, I think your mom has drugged my mother. That or she’s possessed, because I don’t even know who she is right now.”
Josie couldn’t have agreed more. Abigail stood next to the limo, chatting with whom Josie assumed was the driver. Her hair was piled on top of her head in an intentionally messy bun, leaving an unobstructed view of the plunging neckline of her dress. There was no way she had on a bra. Of that, Josie had no doubt. Her dress was short and red and one hundred percent not something Abigail would have been caught dead in before. Maybe Josie’s mom really had drugged her.
“Are you girls ready to go?” Sonya called, sashaying around the corner like she was on some kind of runway. Josie’s eyes fell shut, and she dropped her chin to her chest. Her mother wore a dress almost identical to Abigail’s except it was black.
“Does anybody else feel like they’re witnessing Stella get her groove back in real time?” Maddie asked.
“I don’t know if I can handle this. We’re going to have to drink a whole lot of tequila,” Josie said, grabbing Chloe’s hand in solidarity.
“Do we even know where we’re going?” Lori asked, looking nervous.
“I have no idea, but the sooner we get going, the sooner we can get to work on a bottle of tequila,” Josie answered, moving to the limo. It was going to be a long night.
“Shot! Shot! Shot!”
Josie laughed and grabbed her shot of tequila, raising it over her head before pouring it down her throat. Bass thumped from the speakers, and colorful lights danced around the dark bar. Ice sculptures behind glass cases were positioned around the room, illuminated by blue lights. One of the back rooms was closed off from the open dance floor, its entirety made of ice. Josie had tried to go inside, but even with the gloves and jackets the bar provided, it was too much for her California constitution. Of course, after a few more shots of tequila, it might be necessary.
She cut her eyes to where Sonya and Abigail were on the dance floor, dancing and flirting with locals who looked younger than Josie. The moms were definitely in need of cooling off. Maybe she’d drag them back there with her to chill, for obviously different reasons.
“If your mom gets on that pole, I’m totally going to take pictures. I feel like it’s only fair to warn you now.”
Josie looked over at Inky and giggled. “Oh man, I can see my dad’s face now! He would die. I don’t know what it is about this island, but it’s made my mother and Abigail lose their minds.”
“I, for one,” Chloe hiccupped, “traumatized as I am, couldn’t be happier that your mother pulled the stick out of my mother’s ass.”
“You say that now,” Maddie said, her smile wide. “I’m calling it now. She hasn’t even begun to start racking up your therapy bills.”
“Hush it, Maddie. She’s already got a tattoo, she’s dressed like…well, I can’t call my mom what she’s dressed like. She’s taken drugs, and she’s drunk more this weekend than she probably has in her entire life. I think we’ve hit our wall.” Chloe and Josie locked eyes, Josie’s brow raised in that You sure about that? kind of way.
“Um, Chloe,” Lori said, her voice hesitant.
Chloe looked at Lori and smiled. “What’s up?”
Lori looked toward the dance floor and grimaced. “I’m not so sure about that wall.”
Everyone followed Lori’s gaze. There were gasps, laughs, and stunned silence from the girls. “Mom!” Chloe shrieked, jumping to her feet. “Get away from that pole!”
The girls burst into laughter as Chloe darted toward the stage, trying to stop her mother from taking a turn on the pole. Josie narrowed her eyes, her vision blurry as she tried to locate her own mother. She didn’t trust Sonya to not be waiting on deck.
&nb
sp; “Come on, let’s dance!” Maddie grabbed Josie’s hand and hauled her to her feet. The room tilted on its side before righting itself. Stupid room. Inky jumped up, hauling Lori with her as the foursome moved to the center of the room. It didn’t take long for the guys in the room to form a circle around them. The girls didn’t care. They were there to have a good time, and as long as someone didn’t get handsy, they weren’t bothered. Josie giggled and moved next to Inky.
“Did Anders really offer you bail money if you’d kick anyone’s ass who messed with me?”
Inky covered her mouth, her eyes wide as she started laughing. “Holy shit, I forgot about that. Your future husband is psychotic, in an annoying and sweet way.”
“Yeah,” Josie laughed, suddenly wishing they’d invited the guys, after all. The music changed, and the DJ came over the speakers.
“All right, guys. Let’s take it back in time. Who’s ready for an all-out nineties assault?”
Everyone in the club screamed as the immediately recognizable intro to “Ice Ice Baby” started pumping into the room. The crowd began to move in sync, the familiar tune creating an electric feel throughout the club.
Chloe appeared behind Josie, a bottle of tequila in her hand. “I can’t stop what fate has decided, so I’m about to get shit-faced. Who’s with me?”
Josie looked at her, confused, before whipping her gaze to the stage where their mothers were…twerking? Holy shit. “Give me that,” Josie demanded, taking a long pull and coughing from the burn in her throat.
“Pass that shit around!” Inky reached out, her body moving to the beat as she tipped her head back and let the golden liquid slide down her throat. Things began to blur after that. The girls danced until sweat beaded on their temples and slipped down their spines, and the guys became bolder. Which was a huge mistake, obviously.
Inky had just moved nearer to fend off a guy who had come dangerously close to grinding against Josie when a familiar pair of hands gripped Josie’s hips and pulled her against his chest.
“You’re going to get me arrested days before our wedding, Ivy.”
Josie gasped and spun around, the room making a couple more loops before settling on Anders’s handsome face. Even in the darkened room with the pulsing lights, he was fucking delicious. His white button-down was open and rolled up to his elbows, his gray Henley stretched tight across his chest, and his jeans fit oh so right. She pulled in a deep breath and let her eyes fall shut.
“Hey, baby,” she breathed, not even a little bit bothered that he was in front of her. A moment of clarity hit her, and she blinked up at him. “How are you here?”
Anders lifted his brow and smirked. “Your mother texted me.”
“No,” Josie exhaled. “What did she say?”
“She told me the sharks were circling, and the water was cold. I had no idea what the fuck she was talking about, but then she sent me a picture of Abigail on the pole and told me the name of the place, and that was about all I could stand.”
“Coming to the rescue again,” Josie giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“You mom is a maniac, you know that, right?”
Josie nodded before her eyes flew around the room. “Is my dad here?”
Anders chucked. “You bet your ass, he is. He’s going to take Sonya and Abigail home.”
“Has he been drinking? I swear to God, if he gets on that pole with her, I might never recover.”
“Honestly, I think she sent him pictures none of us ever want to see. He was very anxious to get to her and not because he was mad. The entire way here, he kept asking if it was okay for them to leave right away. He seemed very…excited. Actually, I need to stop thinking about it before I’m as traumatized as Chloe.”
“Are you sure you’re ready to be a part of my family? They’re kind of a train wreck.”
“Fuck no,” Anders laughed. “But it doesn’t matter to me how much of a disaster your family is. If I have to take them to have you, then bring it on.”
“You say the sweetest things,” Josie said, her nails scraping against Anders’s scalp.
He let out a soft groan and dropped his lips to her neck. “I’m a motherfucking romantic.”
Josie let out a loud laugh and hugged him close. “Let’s have a drink.”
Anders took a seat at their corner booth, pulling Josie into his lap. Reid, Chloe, Holden, and Madison were already there and offered the bottle of tequila to the pair as soon as they joined the group.
“Where are Lori and Inky?” Josie asked, pouring a shot in the glass and handing it to Anders.
“In the middle of hell and deep shit,” Maddie laughed, pointing at the dance floor.
Josie looked to where Maddie pointed and let out a low curse. “Oh shit. This is going to be interesting.”
On the dance floor, Inky and Lori were dancing together, seemingly oblivious to Owen, Walker, and Greer dancing with a few girls close by. Owen moved toward Lori just as a local grabbed her hand and spun her around. Lori let out a peal of laughter and continued dancing, having no idea Owen had been right behind her.
A second later, Owen grabbed Inky’s hand and twirled her around, his smile wide. Inky laughed, her defenses down from the alcohol coursing through her veins. She swayed her hips, while Greer stared daggers at Owen
“They’re going to fight,” Chloe said, her voice matter-of-fact. “Thank God you picked Holden and Reid to be in the wedding party. Otherwise, you would need some serious Photoshop.”
“All of these assholes will be in the pictures. I don’t want to deal with busted lips and black eyes. Someone needs to fix this.” Josie eyed the guys, but none of them made a move. She took another shot from the bottle, forgoing the glass and jumped to her feet. “Fine. I’ll take care of it myself.”
“Oh shit,” Maddie snickered, her eyes shifting to Anders. “This is going to be good.”
Josie moved toward the circle of her friends and stepped in front of Greer before he could cut in between Inky and Owen. “Hey there,” she said with a smile. “You’re not going to make me dance by myself, are you?”
A flash of surprise crossed Greer’s face, his eyes darting toward their group of friends at the table before letting out a small laugh. “Keep your distance, woman,” he joked, moving with Josie on the floor. “I have no interest in Anders trying to kick my ass.”
“And I have no interest in you trying to kick Owen’s ass two nights before my wedding,” Josie said with a knowing smile. Again, a look of surprise flashed across Greer’s face, but before he had a chance to respond, Chloe and Maddie joined the pair.
“For someone trying to keep the peace, you sure are playing with fire, dancing with a guy whose dick you saw twenty-four hours ago,” Maddie said with a laugh.
“Maddie,” Chloe squeezed her eyes shut like that would make the image of Greer’s dick disappear. When she opened them slowly, she turned toward Josie, completely cutting Greer out of her line of sight. “Seriously, Josie,” she said, looking toward their table. “I thought you were going to steal Inky from Owen, not get your groove on with Greer!”
Josie rolled her eyes. “I didn’t really have a plan. I’m just kind of winging it here.”
“Can we back the fuck up a second to the part where Josie saw my dick? Because I feel like I’ve missed something. Do I have a sex tape I don’t know about?” Greer had completely stopped dancing, his eyes bouncing between the three girls.
“Jesus, I hope not,” Maddie laughed. “Seeing Owen’s was bad enough!”
“You watched my sex tape?” Owen asked, the sly smile on his face making him look like the cat who caught, then ate, the proverbial canary.
“Oh boy,” Chloe said under her breath. “This is going to turn into a shitshow if Holden comes over here.”
“Too late,” Josie squeaked. “Abort! Abort!”
“Come on, boys,” Inky said, grabbing Owen and Greer by their arms and pulling them away from the group as Holden, Anders, and Reid made their
way back to the dance floor. “Let me show you guys the ice room. I think everyone could use a little cooling down.” She looked at the group of girls and winked. “And no one needs to worry about anybody talking about their dicks in there.”
With a giggle, she mouthed, “Shrinkage,” as she hauled a very confused Greer and Owen to the ice room.
“What did I miss?” Lori asked.
“You don’t even want to know,” Chloe said, turning to Reid with a big smile. “Let’s dance!”
“Come on, sweetheart,” Walker said to Lori, seeming to appear out of nowhere. “You don’t need to sit this one out.”
“Thanks.”
“Are you going to tell me what I missed?” Anders asked, wrapping his arms around Josie and swaying to the music.
“Oh, hell no. Some things are better left unsaid. Trust me.”
Anders narrowed his eyes, and his mouth flattened into a straight line. “Y’all were talking about dicks again, weren’t you? I swear to God, Ivy. You’re going to make me kill someone on this island.”
“Nonsense. You’re too pretty for jail, remember?”
Anders let out a low laugh and shook his head. “You’re going to be the death of me.”
“Nope. You’re stuck with me for a long, long time.”
“Till death do us part,” Anders whispered, his lips brushing against Josie’s forehead.
Warmth spread through her body, a feeling of happiness that seemed to get stronger every day. “Not even then.”
Josie swayed to the music, wrapped in Anders’s arms, her eyes closed as the world drifted away. That was until she heard a loud roar of cheers from the front of the dance floor. They turned toward the sound, and both gasped in horror. On the stage, on the stripper pole, was Abigail.
“I thought they left!” Josie’s eyes flew around the room, trying to find her parents. “Where are they?”
“Do you think they left her?”
“No way. Dad wouldn’t have left her. Where can they be?”
“Maybe…” The words died in Anders’s throat as he looked to his left. “Oh shit,” he laughed. “No fucking way.”