Under My Skin (Skin Deep)

by Stone, J. M.

  Jacks nodded, but I think he saw how antsy I got when we talked about going dancing, so he was good with whatever as long as it made me happy. Brandon saw the nod and grabbed his phone to call Luke. I wasn’t leaving it to chance, though, so I pulled out my phone and dialed Emma.

  She answered on the second ring. “Hi, stranger! What’s up?” she asked. Then I heard her gasp. “Oh no, Allie, you are NOT calling to cancel out on me tomorrow. You absolutely HAVE to go with me because you have to find a dress for the wedding, and I have to find a dress for the wedding, and you have to be there because you’re my best friend, and Jenna is driving me nuts and…”

  “Emma! Shut up!” I yelled into the phone, trying to stop her panicked tirade. “What the hell has gotten into you, chick? Of course I’m not calling to cancel!” I tried to soothe her, curious as to why she’s starting to freak out.

  She took a deep breath and blew it out, directly into the mouthpiece of her phone and I laughed. “Geez, Em. Trying to turn me on blowing in my ear like that?” I teased.

  “Allie…you’re a dipshit, you know that?” she asked, laughing.

  “Yes, but you love me,” I replied. “Anyway, I was calling to see if you and Luke wanted to go down to that new club with us? I wouldn’t mind checking it out, and you know I love to dance! There’s some melon sours with your name on them…” I said in a sing-song voice to her.

  She humphed. “Fuck melon sours…I need some liquid cocaine!” she exclaimed.

  Ooh…that did sound good. “Well, I’d have to make a run to the liquor store on the way, but I’m okay with that. Alright, it’s on. Go get ready, I’m gonna jump in the shower real quick and get the guys moving. Yay! Party night!” I shrieked, purposely making myself sound like a ditzy ass valley girl.

  She laughed, which is what I wanted, said okay, and hung up on me. I turned to Jacks and Brandon, who’d just hung up the phone from his own phone conversation with Luke, and told them, “Yup! They’re in. Get ready and we have to hit the liquor store up on the way to their house. Is that okay?”

  They both nodded and said they’d get ready at Luke and Brandon’s house when we got there. Duh moment for me. They’d been at my house every night, so it completely slipped my mind that they wouldn’t have going out clothes at my house.

  I hurried through a shower but took a little more time with my makeup after running some gel through my hair and spiking it up in the back. I’d let it grow out some in the front, so I smoothed the longer pieces around my face, my side-swept bangs dipping over my eye. Satisfied that I looked pretty good, I grabbed my black skinny jeans and a black and silver halter top from my closet, dressed quickly, and shoved my feet into my black peep toe stilettos before heading back into the living room where the guys were waiting.

  When I walked into the room, Jackson and Brandon both sat up, their eyes raking up and down my body. Brandon let out a low wolf whistle and I smiled. “Ready?” I asked them.

  They nodded and we headed out the door.

  Chapter 5

  We pulled up to the house to see Emma waiting on the front porch. I jumped out of the car and reached in to lug all of the various bottles of alcohol and fillers I’d bought to make the liquid cocaine. I turned to walk toward the house and before I could take a step, the bags were pulled from my fingers and the guys took off inside.

  Shaking my head, I mounted the steps to stand beside Emma. “So, were you that anxious to see me? What are you doing out here?” I asked, smiling.

  She scowled. “Waiting on Doug to finish. I swear to God, that dog purposely takes his time. Did I tell you he came home smelling like a fucking skunk again last week? It’s like he seeks them out and taunts them like, ‘hey guys! C’mon, spray me! The bitch at home LOVES taking tomato juice baths!’ And I think he has a girlfriend. There’s a little black lab that I saw chasing him the other day, but I don’t know where she came from or where she went. If he comes home with puppies in tow, I’m gonna castrate him!”

  Doug chose that moment to come trotting up the steps. He stopped and licked my toes where they peeked out the peep-toe of my shoes, and I patted his head. He turned and looked at Emma, and if I didn’t see it with my own eyes, I’d never believed it, but he opened up that doggy mouth of his and grinned at her!

  I laughed as Emma muttered, ‘smart ass’ under her breath while glaring at him. Still laughing, I shook my head and we went inside to see the guys standing around the counter, eyeballing all the liquor.

  “Oh, no no no! Don’t even think about touching any of it!” I shouted.

  Luke threw his hands up and yelled, “Not touching! I’m not touching it!”

  I heard Emma laugh and Brandon groaned, throwing his head back and moaning, “Oh, God…he’s pussy whipped! He won’t even touch the liquor!”

  I cocked my eyebrow at him and tried to look serious but couldn’t help but smile back at him as he grinned at me, completely unashamed at his part in trying to get into the booze. Jackson just stood there grinning at everyone, but I think he had a pretty good reason to be in a good mood. I know I did…

  “Just give me a few minutes and then you guys can take off with whatever is left. But who’s DD tonight?” I asked.

  Jackson spoke up. “I’ll do it. That way we can drop Emma and Luke off here before we go back to your house. Unless you want to just crash here tonight in Brandon’s bed?” He looked at me questioningly.

  I shrugged and asked Brandon, “Do you want to sleep in your bed for a change or go to my house?”

  “Your house, definitely. My mattress squeaks. And I don’t want to hear all the ‘Oh, God’s and ooh, yes, harder’s later coming from upstairs,” Brandon said, smirking at Emma.

  I laughed as I watched Emma’s face turn bright red. It doesn’t matter how often we tease her, she still gets embarrassed. I took the big pitcher of ice she held out to me and began cracking open bottles, pouring each into it in turn. I grabbed the long handled spoon she handed me and stirred to mix the vodka, amaretto, Southern Comfort, Grand Marnier, pineapple juice, sweet & sour mix, and 7up all together.

  When it was all mixed, I poured a glass of it for everyone except Jacks, and then raised my glass, the others following suit without question.

  Without even thinking, I gave my customary girl’s night toast. “Here’s to a good night with plenty of booze, good music to dance to, and lots of hot dudes!” As soon as the words left my mouth, Emma cringed and then busted out laughing at the horrified look I know how to be plastered across my face.

  Luke looked like he was trying to choke back the laughter, and Brandon didn’t even try.

  Jackson just shook his head and said, “Might want to work on a new toast there, babe.”

  Oy.

  We hung out and drank a bit more before piling into Brandon’s Expedition because it was the biggest vehicle. About twenty minutes later we pulled up to new club that had opened in town, The Dungeon. I was really curious to see what kind of club it was. I’d heard a few people talk about it in passing and how much fun it was to go there and dance, so I was definitely excited to get in and have a good time. About the best place to go dancing before the new one came in was Shimbot’s on Main, but a lot of people don’t want to go there because it’s a “gay bar”. Gay or not, I’ve always had a blast there!

  There was no horrendously long line to get in (come on, it’s Ohio, not Hollywood), so we made it into the dimness of what looked to be a lobby area fairly quickly. There was a gorgeous woman standing at a podium, dancing to the heavy beat of the music flooding the room while she was checking ID’s and taking the cover charge. She was wearing a tight black and hot pink corset with black boy short panties, fishnet stockings, and six inch stiletto-heeled fuck-me shoes. I think we all drooled.

  We paid the cover and pushed our way through the heavy black curtains separating the lobby from the actual club. It. Was. Awesome. The décor was predominantly black with splashes of red and silver throughout. The lighting was even dimmer than
usual for a club, and the dance floor was packed. I gasped as I noticed two cages on either side of a stage area along the back wall; in each one was a woman dressed similarly to the one in the lobby, dancing seductively. One of them held a whip, the other what looked to be a riding crop. Yikes.

  And by yikes, I mean, oh-holy-shit-how-hot-is-that?!

  The bar, a long expanse of glossy black wood, was situated along the far right wall. There were black booths with blood red cushions along the left and front walls, with some tables and chairs placed around the perimeter of the dance floor. They were separated by a half-wall that almost enclosed the dance area. There was also a staircase that I noticed led up to a loft area with more tables, chairs, and booths.

  I looked over at Emma, whose eyes were sparkling and her lips were stretched in a wide smile, and raised my eyebrows. Without hesitation, she nodded and we took off, grinning as we heard the guys start to protest behind us. We ignored them and made a bee-line for the dance floor, shrieking when the song changed and the speakers began belting out AC/DC’s Shook Me All Night Long. I don’t care how old or young you are, when that song plays, you dance!

  We rushed the floor, pushing our way in and then started to dance, shaking our hips and asses as we bounced around. I love to dance (I mentioned this before) and Emma, though you won’t get her to really admit it, does too. She’s pretty decent when she lets loose, and I can hold my own for sure, if I do say so myself. In fact, back in the day, that’s how Emma and I managed to drink for free pretty much every night we went out, even when we went to Shimbot’s on Main. I’d grab Emma and start grinding on her and soon enough, we’d have an audience panting around us and would be making steady trips to the bar, accompanying the buyer of the moment. (Give us some credit, we knew better than to wait for them to bring the drinks to us; never know what the hell they might have tried to pull!) God, those were the good ol’ days…

  Still dancing, I looked around to see where the guys had went since we’d left them. I spotted Luke and Jacks sitting in a booth not too far from the bar, but didn’t see Brandon anywhere. I danced in a circle, turning to see if I could find him and stopped dead in my tracks when I finally did. I felt Emma bump against me, dancing like a maniac, but she froze when she saw what had me staring.

  Brandon was standing at the bar, but he was leaning down so he could hear the slutty little skank currently talking in his ear. Her hand was pressed to his arm, fingers squeezing his bicep. I don’t think so, whore-bag…

  I strode off the dance floor, Emma holding onto my shirt so she didn’t lose me, headed straight for Brandon. Emma knew better than to try to stop me, but as I got closer, I did notice that she broke away from me and made her way toward Luke and Jacks. Calling in the big guns to stop me in case I do something stupid. Not that I would…I think.

  I didn’t stop until I reached Brandon’s side, purposefully sliding under his arm and wrapping both of my arms around his waist, which knocked the skank’s hand away. Oops…my bad. Ha! Yeah, right…

  I pressed myself tight to him and tipped my head back, meeting his amused gaze with mine. I smiled sweetly at him and asked, “What are you getting me to drink, baby?”

  He chuckled and squeezed me, not bothering to reply. He did, however, look back at Skank and say, “Sorry, as I was saying, I’m not interested. I’ve got all the woman I need right here.”

  Gah…I melted into him, unable to help myself. He made things down low clench and become suspiciously damp.

  I straightened a bit when I felt someone walk up behind me and noticed that Skank’s eyes were locking onto a new target. Turning my head, I smirked as Jackson slid his hand down my side, stopping possessively on my hip.

  “Brandon getting you a drink, baby?” he asked.

  “Sure is, lover,” I replied with relish.

  I watched Skank’s eyes widen and her mouth open and close, her face becoming decidedly redder and redder, even in the dim lighting of the room. “You…you…whore!” she sputtered. “Both of them? You greedy ass bitch!” she shrieked.

  I opened my mouth but didn’t get a chance to say a word. Brandon growled, “I suggest you walk away now and it’d be in your best interest to keep your mouth shut while you do it. And don’t you ever call my woman names again. Trust me, she’s better than you’ll ever dream of being.”

  I gawked at him, and then at Jacks as well, as he nodded and shooed her away with his hand. I shook my head at them, grinning. “I could have handled that, you know.”

  Brandon shrugged. “Yeah, I know. But I’d hate to get kicked out of here for you beating that bitch’s ass before I even get to dance with you.”

  I laughed and hugged him, then turned and hugged Jackson before leaving them at the bar and making my way to the booth where Luke and Emma sat. Emma was laughing as I sat down and Luke was shaking his head.

  “I swear, Allie, you cause trouble everywhere you go!” Luke said affectionately.

  I glared at him, knowing that he was referencing the time I bitch-slapped a guy down at Skin Deep. Seriously, though, the dude had it coming. If he’d have groped my ass one more time, he probably would have went home wearing his ball-sac as a hat. He’s lucky all he was wearing was my hand print on his cheek.

  Brandon and Jackson came back to the table then carrying drinks for us. Brandon had so kindly gotten a couple melon sours for us (frou-frou, yes, but so damn good!) and had also brought us a couple Three Wise Men, which are shots made of Johnnie Walker, Jim Beam, and Jack Daniels. Guaranteed to mess your world up!

  Which is why, an hour and countless dances with my guys later, I was now kneeling on the bar, leaned backwards as the bartender poured a shot of tequila straight into my mouth. I got to my feet, still surprisingly steady, and started busting a move as Prince’s Pussy Control started playing. I heard Emma hoot and then she hopped up beside me, both of us dancing our asses off. She was laughing at me like crazy because I couldn’t help but belt out every single word as I dipped and rolled and basically humped the air.

  Aaaand cue the big gulp and wide-eyed look from both me and Emma as we noticed halfway through the song that we’d gathered an audience. And fuck me running…front and center of that group were three drop-dead gorgeous males who did NOT look happy. At all.

  Emma and I looked at each other again for a beat and then scrambled to get down. She shrieked beside me as Luke wasted no time in reaching up and lifting her down before she could do it herself, then without a word turned and left, Emma still held in his arms.

  I remained standing there, frozen, until Jackson’s deep voice broke in above the music. “If you don’t get your happy ass off that bar right now, Allie, I won’t be held responsible for what happens next.”

  Brandon nodded seriously beside Jackson and I couldn’t help it. I tried, I seriously did, but I guess I’m too much of a smart ass for my own good. “Threats, Jacks?” I said, saucily. “You should know better than that. I LIKE being punished…”

  I let out my own loud squeak, my words cutting off sharply as Brandon grabbed me down the same as Luke had Emma, and headed toward the door. I turned my head in time to see Jackson throw a couple bills down on the bar before nodding at the bartender and following us out.

  Oh, hell. I was in for it now. Unless…

  Light bulb! I can’t get yelled at if they’re busy doing other things, right? With that in mind, I tightened my arms around Brandon and nuzzled my lips against his throat. I trailed kisses up his neck to his ear, taking the lobe in my teeth and nipping before whispering, “I want you inside me, Brandon.”

  I felt a slight shudder run through him and his arms tightened even more around me, but he didn’t say a word. I darted my tongue out to taste him and continued to rain hot, open-mouthed kisses down his neck and jaw, moving swiftly toward his lips. I grunted when he turned his mouth away so I couldn’t reach it, pulling back slightly and scowling at him. He just shook his head and when we reached his SUV, he slid me down his chest and sat me on my feet b
efore opening the back door for me to get in.

  I shot him one more dirty look before crawling into the middle of the backseat, expecting him to follow me in. He didn’t; he got up front with Jacks and Emma and Luke got in on either side of me.

  Emma looked at me and grinned, clearly feeling no pain. My head was swimming and I was more than a little…okay, a lot, buzzed, so I just shook my head and grinned back at her before laying my head on her shoulder. I felt her head lean against mine and then it was lights out.

  In the morning, I blinked open eyelids that felt like they weighed twenty pounds each and flailed around, trying to turn off the alarm that was rattling my brain with every obnoxious beep. Why the hell had I set the alarm on a Saturday morning anyway?

  Oh, shit! Today was the day we were doing the whole dress thing for Emma’s wedding. I groaned as I moved to sit up. First things first, though. I needed the bathroom and some Tylenol, stat!

  Strike that—first things first; I wasn’t going anywhere until I managed to get out from between the two solid walls of hot, nude male flesh wrapped around me.

  “Mmmfff…quit moving,” Brandon grumbled.

  I pushed against his chest and said, “I have to get up so I have to move. Just let me up and go back to sleep. I have to go meet Emma and the other girls at the dress shop,” I replied softly to him.

  Jackson’s arm tightened around me, pulling me back against his chest and Brandon slid even closer until I was completely pressed between them. Brandon’s head came up and his lips met mine in a brief kiss as I felt Jackson’s lips nuzzle the curve of my neck and shoulder. I wiggled, loving the feel of them wrapped around me.

  “How’s your head?” Jackson asked. I could hear the laughter in his words.

  “Ehhh…got a bit of a headache, but I’ll be fine once I get some Tylenol in me. Why?” I asked him.