by Elle Rease
“Guys, this isn’t funny,” Cinnia muttered. Her blindfold was removed, revealing that she was stationed in the center of the room. There was a stage in front of her and she got a sinking feeling in her stomach. Brennan was going to be so fucking pissed. “I thought you said no strippers.”
“We lied!” Dawn said cheerfully. "We are hillbillies!”
“I’m gonna kill you.”
“Don’t be a spoilsport. We’ve all had to go through this.”
“Yeah, but you weren’t the fiancée of the VP, were you?”
Dawn paused. “He’ll be okay with it.”
“You’re delusional,” she muttered.
Piper appeared on stage, microphone in hand and a huge smile on her face. “Okay, ladies, take your seats! The show’s about to start.”
Acting like a bunch of schoolgirls about to witness their first penis, they all complied. Cinnia rolled her eyes and tested her bonds, which weren’t giving an inch. Brennan could learn a thing or two from these women, it seemed.
“We’re all here to celebrate Cinnia’s last few weeks of freedom,” Piper went on. She gazed at Cinnia. “It might all be happening really fast, but the best things don’t need to wait. You’ve become such a good friend of mine and, I think we can all agree, a formidable old lady.”
The girls whooped and whistled, pumping their fists in the air.
“I know this isn’t your idea of having a good time—”
“No shit!” Cinnia yelled sarcastically, to the amusement of everyone.
“—but there’s a reason for this.” Piper winked. “Brennan’s your dream boat, but that doesn’t mean he’s the only attractive man out there. The guys who are going to dance tonight have all been chosen meticulously, for your benefit as well as ours. No one said you’re not allowed to look!”
Okay, so maybe this won’t be so bad, after all.
“Without further ado, let the show begin!” Piper declared before hurrying off the stage.
The familiar intro of Usher’s Yeah blasted through the speakers as the lights dimmed. Smoke filled the club and the curtain parted to draw focus to the lone ranger on stage. He was dressed in typical hip-hop attire, and he’d tilted his head down so his cap covered his face.
Cinnia felt a bit of apprehension leaving her body and she relaxed in her chair. Piper was right: just because she was getting married to the man of her dreams, didn’t mean that she couldn’t appreciate male beauty. She was going to enjoy tonight.
As soon as she reached that conclusion, the man began dancing. He was mostly covered, although she could sense he had loads of muscle underneath. He knew how to move his body, easily rolling his hips to the beat as he executed a bunch of complicated, well-rehearsed steps.
The women’s shrieks egged him on and begged for more. The corners of Cinnia’s mouth tilted up as he ripped his shirt open. He didn’t have a single tattoo yet, somehow, virgin skin worked for him. He was tanned and ripped, a mouth-watering combination.
Two other dancers, already shirtless, joined him on stage. As the song progressed to Ludacris’ rap, they huddled closer together, back-to-front, and ground their hips in tandem.
A bead of sweat popped up on Cinnia’s forehead and she licked her lips. Unbelievably, she was appreciating the view. She didn’t feel the same crazy attraction that she always had towards Brennan, but these men were all gorgeous. No doubt about that.
Yeah briefly got interrupted by Black Stone Cherry’s Blame It on the Boom Boom, causing Cinnia to frown. Had the DJ skipped the track by mistake? Even the dancers were looking around in confusion.
The lead dancer shot his hand up and did a countdown from three to one. Another R&B classic took over and they started a new dance.
Only, a few seconds later, Black Stone Cherry dominated again.
The guys leaned into each other, gesturing wildly and looking majorly ticked off. Their music returned and their routine got more aggressive.
Black Stone Cherry wouldn’t be ignored, though, and another round of smoke washed over the room as it kept playing. A spotlight shone on the center of the stage and Cinnia realized that this was all part of the act. Apparently, the next performer was the show-stopper.
And when Brennan appeared, donned in his leather pants and boots—and nothing else—Cinnia finally understood why. Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes raked over his tattoos and stunning, broad-shouldered body.
He gave her a devilish grin, those studs in his bottom lip twinkling in the light, just like his nipple piercings were.
Liquid pooled between her thighs once he began gyrating to the beat of one of her favorite songs. She’d known that he had a sensual part, of course, but this was the first time he’s danced for her, and she was taken aback by how sexy he looked. Was there anything this man couldn’t do?
He slowly, teasingly, made his way over to her, stepping down from stage and bending forward once he was at her feet. He nibbled on her earlobe and whispered: “Surprise.”
“Bren,” she gasped. She tried pulling free from her bonds, to no avail. “This isn’t fair!”
“I won’t be here long enough for what you’re thinking of,” he informed her, sliding his hands from her neck to her chest.
“Whose idea was this?”
“Jemma and Piper’s.” He scraped his teeth down her throat and up the other side, soothing the sting with his tongue along the way. “They got me on board pretty quickly.”
Her nipples hardened. She was way too turned on. “Bren, fuck the rest of the party. Take me home.”
“No, lass,” he chuckled. “I have to get to my own party after this.”
The band sang about waking up in someone else’s bed, inferring the kind of act she wanted to get up to with Brennan.
She looked over his shoulder and saw that there were five dancers on stage to keep the other women’s attention, which she was happy about. Even though Brennan’s surprise pleased her no end, there were too many Raptors women that he’s slept with gathered here and she didn’t want him to remind them why he was so delectable.
He was hers, damn it.
“I feel bad for not going behind your back to do something special.”
He pulled back and winked. “I wanted to do this for you.”
“I love you.”
“Aye, lass, and I you.” He straightened and adjusted himself. It was awesome that he was so affected by her, even though he’d been the one seducing her. “Body shot time, and then I have to go.”
Her mouth watered at the thought of licking tequila off his well-defined abs. That’s when she remembered her secret. She bit her lip, grimacing. There was no way she could get out of drinking alcohol without tipping him off. So much for her elaborate plan to tell him later…
“Bren, I can’t.”
He frowned. “What do you mean?”
She felt unbelievably vulnerable, tied to the chair and about to give him the news. What if he didn’t like it? “Unless I’m doing shots of juice off you, I’m not doing it.”
His icy gaze widened as the penny dropped. He kneeled in front of her, his hands on her thighs. “If you’re messing with me right now—”
“I’m not,” she insisted.
“Jesus Christ.” He crushed their lips together, running his fingers through her hair as he kissed her like he’s never done before. There were hints of desperation and impatience but, in the middle of it all, such gratitude that it brought tears to her eyes. He pulled away and sucked on her bottom lip. “You planned this.”
“I wanted to tell you at the wedding.”
“I want to take you home and thank you properly.” He sighed deeply. “I fucking love you, Cin.”
“I love you, too.”
He touched his fingers to her swollen mouth and quirked a smile. “I’m not going to drink tonight. Let me know when you’re home and I’ll leave everything. Another massage is in order, I think.”
“You spoil me.”
“As you deserve to
be, aye.” He gave her a lingering kiss, this one slower than the first. “Have a good time with the girls.”
“Don’t fuck any strippers,” she teased.
He barked a laugh and hugged her, before he loosened her bonds. “I’ll do my best not to. See you later, Cin.”
“Later, babe.”
Standing up, he waved at the women—only some of whom replied with a cheer, since their attention had shifted to the other dancers a long time ago—and hurried out of the club. Cinnia felt content and horny while she stared off into the distance, already anticipating going home so Brennan could make good on his promise.
The rest of the evening was full of fun games, naked men and drunk women. She would be lying if she said she didn’t have a blast. Despite being unable to ingest alcohol without suffering the consequences, she was laughing and cheering as much as those who didn’t have to worry about pregnancy. Thankfully, Dawn was also laying off drinking, so Cinnia didn’t feel left out.
Her best friend had arranged for a presentation segment of the evening, showing the most embarrassing photos of Cinnia that she had got her hands on. What was most noteworthy, though, was the fact that Brennan featured in most of the photos. Cinnia suddenly realized that he’s been a part of her life for longer than she could remember.
If she hadn’t spent nearly ten years away from him—two of which she’d had no contact with him whatsoever—she would’ve been worried that she hasn’t lived on her own. And if not for those years apart, she never would’ve seen how good they were for each other.
They really did belong together. As long as they strived to work through the tough times, they will be unstoppable.
At around eleven-thirty, she was in dire need of some fresh air. She’s been dancing with her inebriated friends non-stop, having such fun, but it was getting stuffy in the club. She gestured to Piper that she was heading outside, since talking was impossible over the loud music.
Piper nodded and linked her arm with Cinnia’s, intent on coming along.
Smiling, Cinnia pushed through the crowd to one of the back exits, passing Ike and a few of the other Raptors guys along the way. She felt bad that they weren’t allowed to join Brennan’s bachelor party until the ladies went home, yet she understood that they needed the protection.
“Oh, that’s much better,” she said as they stepped into the alley, the door shutting behind them. “God, it’s so loud in there.”
“I know,” Piper agreed. “My ears are ringing.”
“How are you feeling? Like you’ve had too much alcohol?”
“Nah, I’ll be fine. Your brother will make sure of it.”
Cinnia groaned dramatically. “So not the mental image I want.”
“Hey, after you and Brennan nearly had sex in front of all of us, I feel like there are no more lines between what I’m allowed to tell you and what not,” Piper giggled.
“I had to tell him I’m pregnant, ‘cause he wanted me to do body shots off his stomach.”
“Ah, so that’s why he was so happy!” She clapped her hands together. “I’m glad you told him, though. He probably would’ve found out by mistake.”
“You’re right,” Cinnia said, sighing. She vaguely heard a car pull up somewhere close, thinking how strange that was, since they were on the private side of the club. “At least the pressure’s off.”
“And you won’t have to spend the next few weeks wondering if someone will crack and tell him, so you can have a healthy, happy pregnancy!”
“He does seem pretty psyched.” Cinnia blushed. “We’re such an unconventional couple. Can you imagine—” The footsteps behind them brought her up short. She turned, freezing in her tracks once she recognized her creepy stalker, plus five of his buddies. Whatever this was, it could not be good. “Piper, let’s—”
“Stay right where you are,” the man insisted. “No need to involve anyone else.”
She stepped back, intent on leaving, only to realize that there was a wall blocking her way. Her heartbeat accelerated and she grabbed Piper’s hand as the men closed in around them, successfully eliminating all chance of a clear escape. Stall for time, she decided. Someone will notice you’ve been gone too long.
“What do you want?” she queried as casually as possible, keeping Piper behind her.
“I’ve been asking myself the same thing, over and over again,” he replied, a sinister edge to his voice as he perused her from head to toe. “You are one fine piece of ass, do you know that? I can understand why dear ol’ Brennan can’t keep his hands off you.”
“Just answer my fucking question and let us go,” she snapped. Her mind was already racing with the different ways she could get her and Piper out of this mess using her self-defense training. Unfortunately, she didn’t think they would get out unscathed. “I don’t have time for games. I already know who you are, so you’ve lost the element of surprise.”
“Ah, the Raptors, always putting their noses where they don’t belong.” He tilted his head to each side and rolled his shoulders. “Not only did they step in when I was arguing with my girlfriend, but they also hired a private investigator to find out who your stalker is.” His eyes, so close to black it made her stomach twist, blazed. “I must say, I am impressed, Miss Sloane. You’re not a dumb bimbo. No, you knew to tell Brennan straightaway. I wasn’t expecting that.”
“Our guys are right inside,” she warned. “They’ll come looking for us if we don’t go back soon, so say your piece and fuck off.”
He burst out laughing, prompting his goons to do the same. “I know they’re here, but you’ll find that my guy’s keeping them busy. They won’t come. Also, they have a bunch of sexy, drunk women to look at instead of babysitting you.”
His guy? Cinnia wondered, shooting a glance at Piper, who had tears in her eyes but a firm set in her jaw. She was already so strong, Cinnia was impressed. Her brother would be, too.
Raptors old ladies never backed down first, and neither did their male counterparts.
“I don’t want you to take this personally, Miss Sloane,” the man droned on, stepping closer. He reached out to cup her jaw and smirked when she spat in his face. With a butter-wouldn’t-melt-in-my-mouth attitude, he wiped the saliva off with his sleeve. That made her notice his knuckledusters.
Shit.
“Like I said, you’re one fine piece of ass. I’d rather fuck you than hit you, but Brennan needs to learn to keep out of other people’s lives.” His nostrils flared. “This isn’t some hick town in the eighteenth century, where men can take the law in their own hands.”
She rolled her eyes, faking bravado. “Says the man who beat up his girlfriend.”
“He’s one to talk. I know how rough you like it, Miss Sloane. I’ve seen the way he smacks you around. How’s he any different from me?”
Her eyes widened. The only way he could know that was if he’s been watching them behind closed doors, or if he had been there that night Brennan asked her to strip in the driveway… Just how sick was this man?
“Oh yes,” the creep purred, correctly interpreting the look on her face. “I saw how hard he spanked your pussy, and how you begged for—”
She leapt forward out, her fists ramming into his recently healed face, acting out of pure instinct. The first few hits landed without him protecting himself, since he hadn’t been expecting it, but then two of his buddies pulled her back.
“Piper, run!” she screamed. “Run and call for help!”
But Piper’s arms were locked behind her back and her mouth was covered with the beefy hand of one of Mr. Creep’s sidekicks. No matter how she tried, she couldn’t get loose. Those tears were now rolling down her cheeks.
“I’m glad you made the first move, Miss Sloane. Now, I don’t have to feel bad for what I’m about to do.” He grinned, unperturbed by the blood on his face. “Not that I would’ve, anyway.”
Cinnia tried to use her captors’ weight against them and managed to throw one of them off. She jammed her knee in
the one’s groin and ducked once the other came back to catch her. She tripped him and kicked for his face, happy that she was wearing boots—upon Piper’s earlier insistence—and even happier when she heard the crack of bones and saw that he was out cold.
She ignored the pain in her toes, as well as Mr. Creep’s shouts for order. She went for the guy who was holding Piper, but got dragged away at the last second. She slammed the back of her head into the man who had his clutches on her and elbowed him in the ribs as hard as she could. Her adrenaline was kicking in, so she hardly felt the accompanying aches.
He gasped for breath and let go, giving her the opportunity to connect her shin with his testicles. She was about to repeat the motion when Mr. Creep himself hit her square in the jaw.
An ominous, high-pitched ringing sounded in her ears. Cinnia staggered back, falling into another chauvinistic asshole, who righted her and pushed her towards Mr. Creep.
“I didn’t know you had that in you.”
She spewed blood at his feet, the side of her face throbbing. It wasn’t fair that he wasn’t even injuring his hands. Why couldn’t he man up and get dirty, at the very least? “I thought you knew everything about me.”
“Such a spitfire,” he chuckled. “Maybe I’ll fuck you, after all.”
Bile burned her throat, but she forced it down. She wasn’t going to show weakness in front of him. “Here’s another thing you might not know: I’m pregnant. Are you really going to beat up a pregnant woman?”
It didn’t give him or his posse a moment of pause, and Cinnia realized the true helplessness of her predicament.
“Oh, darling, I don’t give a shit about the state of your womb.”
He lunged for her and she blocked the first blow. He was strong and had waited to get back into physical shape before confronting her, so she had to give him props for being a bit more intelligent than the run-of-the-mill vengeance seekers. He jabbed her in the ribs and she spun away just before his elbow could clip her face.
Her kick of retaliation didn’t even come close to its intended target. Every time she wanted to get out of his reach, she was shoved into the middle of the circle by his asshole friends. What kind of men ambushed and teamed up against women like this?