He sighed and turned around to go back up.
"Are you part fish? Because I'm telling you, I'm fine if your legs disappear and you turn into a mermaid after midnight," Stephen said.
Trevor gave me a wink and went upstairs.
I flashed Stephan a smile. "No. I've just never been here before and there's a crapload of things to do around the area. I'm taking it all in."
"See?" Drake asked. "Cities aren't so bad after all."
I had the decency to smile until his back was turned before shaking my head at the thought of ever becoming a city girl.
Liam came back downstairs and we left to go get in the car and get the day underway.
"Another boat ride?" he asked.
"Eh. In a manner of speaking."
"Where are we off to?"
"Channel Islands National Park."
"And what's there?"
"Kayaking."
"To see what?"
"Sea caves and cliffs."
That got his interest. "Sea caves?"
"Yes, sir."
"I've never been in any of those."
"Well, this'll be a first for both of us."
He perked up after that. I guess he figured he was getting a good date, instead of another version of either a boat ride or park. I'd wanted to be annoyed at first, when I thought he might express disinterest in a date destination. But then I'd had to remind myself that they were only seeing a portion of the destinations that I was. I could afford to hike a lot of trails and ride multiple boats, because I was doing three sightseeing ventures a week. The guys were each only getting one. So of course, they'd be more picky. And looking at it from that perspective, I was glad this choice had pleased Liam.
We'd opted for an unguided tour of the area. They gave us waterproof maps, kayaks, and paddles. We paddled out and away from shore to settle in and wait for the camera crews to get set up in their boats.
The moment the sun blinded me off the surface of the water was the moment the sunglasses came out of my bag and were slapped back onto my face. Liam caught the action, maneuvered over to cup the back of my head, and squeezed.
I closed my eyes and smiled. "Who tipped you off?"
"Trevor. He said while he didn't really want to give me any tips, he also didn't want us to get out on the water and have you shut down."
"I don't think I'm in danger of a migraine anymore, but I don't want to take any chances."
"Neither do I. I was already brushed off once," he said with a grin.
"Just think of it as my saving the best for last."
Something warmed and softened in his eyes as the camera crew called to us that they were ready to head out.
We studied the maps, and their marked points of interest, picked a route, and got underway.
I couldn't tell if it was the setting, the adventure of the sea caves, the quiet day on the water, or the man I was with. But, by the end, I was convinced that this was my favorite one-on-one date so far. The more I spent time with Liam, the more I really, really liked him. He was funny, considerate, and loved the adventure of the activity as much as I did.
Friday
Mike was outside, near the pool, tossing a tennis ball for Goldie, when I looked outside the next morning. It made me smile as I put on my workout clothes and sneakers. There was something about working out with him that just made the whole thing seem less like a pain in the butt to do. And the fact that Goldie seemed to follow him around quite a bit... yeah, you could say I was into him.
Having him to myself on an almost daily basis was something that I'd begun to take for granted.
"Are you having fun, yet?" Mike asked as we turned at the end of the track.
"The further into this I get, the more fun I have," I answered.
"I think I'd be going nuts with all the bouncing back and forth."
I laughed. "The ping-pong ball affect can get to be a bit much, I admit. But, I think as I eliminate guys and narrow it down to the ones I like the best, it gets easier to relax and enjoy myself."
"Because you genuinely like the company."
"And because we're all getting to know each other more, so I feel more and more like I can just be myself."
He gave me a sideways glance, "Well, who would you say you're the most comfortable with at this point?"
I flashed him a smile. "No fair asking."
"Oh, come on. Throw a dog a bone."
"Okay, you."
He rolled his eyes. "For the love of- Don't blow smoke up my ass."
"I rarely blow smoke up anyone's ass."
"Just because I'm asking the question doesn't mean I'll be mad if it isn't me."
"Just because I'm answering the question the way I think you want me to doesn't mean I'm lying."
"You're honestly the most comfortable with me?"
"We see each other almost every day and talk in private just as often, and I keep coming back for more. Why wouldn't I feel the most comfortable with you?"
"Yeah, but who are you the most attracted to?"
"Truth?"
"Please."
"That changes almost daily."
He reached out, grabbed me, and stopped us mid-stride. Pulling me into his arms and against his tall frame, he bypassed my forehead and kissed the side of my neck so gently that I got chills and tingles all at the same time. My shoulders relaxed so they could drop and give him better access. His lips began exploring.
A noise, too high-pitched to be a moan, escaped from me and he grunted in response. His lips slowly migrated to my earlobe and I literally climbed up the man. My arms wound around his neck, and my legs around his waist. He walked us off the track with only a slight limp and leaned me up against a tree trunk.
"Oh, my Goood," I moaned.
"You want more?" he whispered against my ear.
I made a noise of approval and he pulled his head back, smiled wickedly at me, and freaking kissed my freaking forehead a-freaking-gain.
I spent some quality time with the massaging showerhead in my bathroom before heading over to collect the guys.
Slices of ham and fried eggs were waiting for me, alongside a tall glass of pink grapefruit juice.
"What're we doing today?" Stephen asked.
I gave them all a sly smile. "We'll be performing onstage later this afternoon."
"So what are we going to do until then?" Jared asked.
"Practice our parts."
"There's a sparkle in your eyes that's freaking me out," Drake said.
The smile on my face broadened until it almost morphed into a giggle all on its own. "You have every right to be scared."
The six of us piled into a van ten minutes later. They kept asking what we were going to be doing, and I kept my mouth shut. I wanted my portion to be a surprise for them.
It had occurred to me that I had all these guys vying for my attention, but I'd done very little to strut my stuff, even as I very much enjoyed watching them strut theirs. I'd participated in every activity that I'd asked them to do, but still, I felt like it was always imbalanced. Aside from prancing around in a bikini and kissing in dark corners, I'd focused hard on showing them who I am. But, I hadn't yet shown them all that I am.
We pulled up to the building and piled out. This time, production was already set up inside, waiting for us.
"Is this what I think it is?" Jared asked.
I smiled and headed for the door. "Let's find out."
We walked inside the club and a man behind the bar directed the guys to take seats near the stage. I was greeted and led to a dressing room, where I was given a selection of costumes in my size to choose from. I chose a black bustier with red, feathery trim. My guide helped me figure out how to get into the contraption of a costume and we quickly discussed what skills I knew and worked out a short little routine, which I practiced on a pole in the back.
While I was behind-the-scenes, working on my surprise, the guys were out front, getting lessons of their own. Later, when their instructors h
ad gotten to a good stopping point and I'd finished going over things with my instructor, my short musical selection was queued up and I stepped out on stage.
The guys were stunned into silence when I strutted over to the pole and started my dance, climbing and holding poses as I swung around and around. Seconds passed by and the guys started cheering and whistling, and looking at me in an ever-slightly different light. My little routine certainly managed to hold their attention, that was for sure. I finished, the music stopped, and the interior lights brightened. The guys applauded as I moved to center-stage.
"So, I got into a traffic accident outside of Vegas a few years ago," I told them. "The truck was fine, but repairs had to be done to the fifth wheel before I could continue on. I had to find lodging since my house was broken. I went online and found an amazing deal on a suite of rooms. It was like a small apartment for the same price as a regular room. I was ecstatic, actually. I'd never been to Vegas. I figured I'd write during the day, in my temporary home, then go see a show in the evenings."
"But," I continued on, "there was this whole city of activity going on outside the windows and I couldn't seem to sit still. Soon I got a phone call from the front desk explaining that the reason I got such a good deal on the room was because the building was actually time-shared apartments, and they were trying to drum up business. If I went down and listened to their spiel, I could have a package of gift cards, vouchers, and coupons. So I went. In my package was a voucher for my choice among three different types of free lessons. And, stripper pole dancing lessons sounded the most intriguing. So intriguing, I made it a part of my day for a week, until my rig was fixed. Now every time I pass by Vegas, I stop overnight to attend a lesson and catch a show.
"And now, I've shown you my dance. I'll give you guys another couple hours and you can all show me your stripper routines that you all are about to put together."
Laughter and groans circled around the room and I laughed back at them. I went back behind the curtains to change. Afterwards, I curled up in a back dressing room and worked on a draft of my novel on my phone for a while, giving them time to figure what in the world they were going to come up with to impress me.
By the time they were ready, Troy was onsite to witness the hilarity that was about to be filmed for national television.
We took our seats and their instructor played the MC for their presentations. "First up, we have Jared the Snake Hunter for your viewing plea-sure," he said, drawing the last word out for effect.
I must admit, I'd expected Jared to be good. He was always well coordinated and confident in everything he did. But he came out all dressed in leather and put on a strip tease that my mind's eye wouldn't soon forget.
"And now let's welcome Smooth Moves Stephen out onto the stage."
Obviously, my little nickname for him was now public knowledge. His moves were smooth, but less impressive to my senses than Jared's had been.
Next up was Drake, and damn it, I was impressed. The man could flex his hips and had a step or hand move of some sort for every beat of music in the selection.
Phillip danced out onto the stage, geared up in about ten layers of clothes, and proceeded to make a comedy routine out of teasing me with every single article of clothing that he peeled off his body. I didn't see much skin before the music was done, but I'd laughed pretty freaking hard.
Last was Mike, and I admittedly worried about how his routine would end up looking. Not that it would bother me, but rather that his having to do it on a national show might bother him. But the man strutted out on stage in mock Army fatigues, called out marching commands as he went, then gave himself over to the music. He danced, bounced, gyrated, showed off arm strength, and stripped down to a little camo g-string thing that barely kept him contained. By the time his performance ended, we were all cheering and his smile was wide.
"It's not funny," I muttered into the phone later that evening.
"Yes, it is," Chloe contradicted between her giggles.
I was standing on the balcony outside my bedroom, with the pool just a short distance away, around the corner of the house.
"I can't help it. They're all driving me insane," I told her.
"Not all of them."
"Fine, six out of seven of them are driving me crazy."
"And this is supposed to be a bad thing, how?"
My voice started getting louder as I dive-bombed into my frustration with the whole thing. "You don't get it."
"You're right. I don't see how having seven hunky men focusing all their attention on you is anything but very, very good."
"If you were standing in front of me, I'd slap you."
She laughed in my ear. "What's so horrible?"
I hit the speakerphone button and put the phone on the railing while I stared in the direction of the main house. "Chloe, they're all kissing on me, hands venture across shoulders and backs, ass cupping happens from time to time, and one of them actually gave me chills he had me so revved up. I almost said, 'to hell with it', and was ready to strip off my bikini in the hot tub with one of them. It's like my body isn't registering the fact that there are several guys in play. It just knows that it's getting a lot of attention that isn't leading anywhere, and it wants to get things kicked into gear."
She freaking giggled at me.
"When I was sitting there, watching them strip for me today, all I could think about was who'd be more likely to take me into the next room and put me up against a wall."
"And did you come to any conclusions?"
"Yeah, Phillip. Because he's already put me up against a couple walls."
She sighed. "There's a very simple solution to this, you know."
"Oh, yeah? What is it?"
"Pick one of them and have a little fun on the side."
"Oh, yeah, right. Because no one would ever find out about that. And which one would you like me to pick to be bed buddies with? And exactly how would I explain that to whomever I end up with, when the truth comes out?"
"So... Take care of it yourself."
I rolled my eyes. "It's not that easy."
"I don't recall it ever being that hard to do."
"It's not enough, I'm telling you."
"So buy a vibrator."
"I almost did, while I was waiting for the guys today. There was a toy shop next door."
"Why didn't you?"
"Cameras, Chloe. The freaking cameras that follow me all around."
"Order one online."
"And chance one of the many members of production seeing and recognizing a return address? No, thank you."
"Like they'd recognize it," she scoffed.
"I'm not taking the chance."
"You're being impossible to try and help."
I sighed. "I know. I feel like a lost cause. I should be able to handle this. It's like I'm a, a... Holy crap!"
"What?"
"Is this what it's like to be a guy?"
She laughed hysterically. "I don't know. Have you started walking funny?"
I laughed at her. "No, not yet. But give me another week and I might."
We said our good nights and ended the call. I turned around to go back inside and I swore I could hear chuckling. I tried to stretch and peek around the corner, to see who was out front, but I couldn't stretch that far. I went back into the bedroom and looked between the blinds of the front window and spied Liam making his way to my hot tub.
Well now I had a problem. He'd obviously been listening to the phone conversation, which I was now kicking myself for. I should have locked myself in the bathroom before calling Chloe. And now I could stay inside and marinate in my embarrassment, or I could go out there and let him rev me up all over again, making me more frustrated that I already was.
Oh, to hell with it. I shook my head at myself and headed downstairs.
Liam looked up when he heard the front door and smiled as I walked outside. He started barking with laughter when I stepped down into the hot tub, still fully cloth
ed. But he shut up when I moved over to him, wrapped my arms around his neck, and stuck my tongue down his throat.
He groaned, wrapped his arms around my waist, and put all of his focus into kissing me back.
The material of my tank top was floating up between us, and Liam's hand was getting waylaid in trying to caress my back. He made quick work of lifting the edge up and over my head, tossing the shirt onto the concrete patio.
"I can't sleep with you," I whispered between kisses.
"I know," he whispered back.
And off came my shorts.
I'd like to say I felt a little ashamed to be wrapped around Liam, wearing nothing but my underwear. But, quite frankly, the bra and panties covered just as much as some of the bikinis production had me wearing.
He lifted me up slightly and bent to tongue the top of my cleavage as a finger stretched to brush over a nipple through my bra.
It felt deliciously naughty, what we were doing out there. And the thought that any of the other guys could sneak over and catch us only added to the feeling. I started panting. Then I moaned, gripped his hair, and redirected his mouth back to mine.
He chuckled and moved one hand against my back, pressing my chest into his, and the other hand moved to cup my rear end.
I vaguely began to wonder if it even mattered to me which one of the guys was out here. But then Liam began to whisper in my ear with his thickened accent and I realized that it did matter to me that it was him.
Though, if it had been Jared's accent I would have probably melted like butter and started stripping myself of the underwear...
Whoa.
I put my hands on Liam's shoulders and pushed myself away from him, breathing so heavy it was ridiculous. "I can't do this."
He nodded along with his own deep breaths. "I know."
I moved to the bench built into the other side of the hot tub.
He chuckled. "You don't have to move over there."
I gave him a frustrated sigh. "Oh, yes, I do."
He laughed.
We spent the next hour talking and laughing about everything from the antics of the other guys up at the house, to the camera guy who fell backwards into the pool because he didn't look behind him.
Walk of Shame Page 23