Blackout: A Romance Anthology

by Stephanie St. Klaire

  It was like laying on a cloud, you just sink in and it swallows you up like a big hug. Jesus, I sound like a damn Hallmark card. Seriously, it’s really heaven.

  I remain there until the guys announce that the food has arrived. I didn’t realize just how hungry I am until I take the first bite of a burger. It is juicy and cooked to perfection. Hell, I may have even moaned as the flavor hit my taste buds. This place is a dream, and I remind myself that I need to again thank Leo’s father for setting up this weekend. It’s time to get this Bachelor weekend started. This weekend’s going to be epic. Hangover movie epic.

  CHAPTER 3

  Hallie

  “Should we be concerned?” I whisper near Zara’s ear while looking at Lucy who is on her third shot. All it took was one guy, sweet looking actually, to get her to cut loose. His name is Henry. From the name alone, you would think of a well-rounded man, maybe a teacher or some other respectful profession, but I think this Henry has a little wild side about him.

  Henry is a male version of Lucy with his glasses, khakis and white crisp dress shirt with a folded collar. From the look of his Rolex, he must have some cushy job where he uses that devious brain of his to make lots and lots of money. And Lucy finds him irresistible it seems.

  So irresistible that the two of them are chasing one shot after another while laughing and flirting as if they’ve known each other for years. It is mesmerizing really. Who would have ever thought a man like him was all it would take to pull the stick from her ass? Color me impressed.

  “Well, we wanted her to loosen up.” Zara shrugs it off as she holds up her hand to signal the bartender of another round.

  “Looks like if we give it a little longer, he’ll be doing just that.” Robyn says, as Zara and I look at her, wondering what she’s talking about. “Loosening her up.” She makes her brows waggle suggestively and I look back over at King of Khakis.

  “I can’t imagine it. I mean, look at him. Henry screams accountant, not rock star,” I mumble but the girls hear me clearly. “I wonder if he moves robotically?”

  “I wonder if he wears those really loose boxers that my grandpa wears, and those socks that are pulled up practically to his knees.” We snicker as Zara continues. “But then again Lucy would probably find all of those things attractive.”

  “I think we should stop thinking about this,” I suggest, unable to keep from wrinkling up my nose when I imagine the two of them carefully taking off their clothes, setting aside the time to fold each item carefully placing it on a chair before moving to the next. “I’m losing my buzz.” I wasn’t, but if my mind wanders anymore into the bedroom antics of Lucy or this Henry guy, I knew it would be gone for sure.

  Good grief! Why was I even thinking about Lucy and Henry getting it on? I need to focus on the man candy I’m going to feast on in the city of sin. Sin is what I plan to do.

  “We need another round and also bring us three Kamikazes.” I utter to the bartender while Zara rubs her hands together in anticipation.

  “Make that six shots, my man,” Robyn demands and a smile stretches out over my lips.

  The guy behind the bar winks at Robyn, who of course leans forward, practically spilling out of the top of her dress in the process. “You got it,” he says while eyeing her tits, encouraging her to push them up a little higher with her hands as she blows him a kiss.

  “I wonder where the nearest closet is?” she says as the hot bartender walks away. “I’d let him do dirty things to me, so many dirty things.” I don’t even attempt to hide my laughter as Robyn continues. “I bet he’d be good at it.” Zara and Robyn share their normal high five.

  “Excuse me,” a familiar voice says softly and we all three turn around. It takes me a few seconds to register it, but my mouth falls open when I recognize him. “Oh my God!” bursts out of my mouth before I can stop myself.

  The guy who checked us in when we first arrived stands before us, only he looks completely different now. Long gone is his dress shirt, tie and pleated pants. He’s now wearing a pair of frayed jeans, and might I add he wears them very, very well. I notice instantly that I’m not the only one of us three to notice as he’s caught all of our attention. We look him over from head to toe like he’s dessert and we’re starving for sweets.

  The uniform he had worn earlier managed to hide the fact that he has some pretty impressive muscles beneath. The Henley he has on now displays his great assets. And for the first time in forever, Zara is stunned silent.

  “You said to find you after I got off at six, beautiful,” he utters, his sky blue eyes fixed on Zara. Gone is the slightly awkward guy working at the hotel and in his place stands a gorgeous guy who exudes confidence. He steps in a little closer and places his hands into his pockets, casting a panty-melting smile our way. I may have whimpered when one single dimple flashes on his right cheek. “So here I am.”

  “Yes, you are indeed,” Zara finally breaths and I can’t help but snicker. She had no idea what kind of guy she was teasing earlier; none of us did. But I can safely say, we never imagined this.

  “Can I buy you a drink?” Zara steps forward and loses her footing. He, of course, catches her by her hips and I find myself wondering if she didn’t just nearly fall on purpose. When she flashes Robyn and me a smile, I know immediately it is all part of her plan to land hot hotel man.

  The two of them are standing close together and talking, and I look away to give them a little privacy. The Sanderson sisters have found what I assume will be their entertainment for the evening, which leaves Robyn and me.

  “Here you go.” I spin around just as our bartender sits our shots and drinks down on the counter upon a tray. “Room number?” he asks and Robyn reaches out and places her hand over his on the bar.

  “Are you asking me where you can meet me later?”

  Okay, now I am the odd woman out it seems. What is happening around me? Am I the only one going home solo tonight? I better get my Vegas flirt on fast.

  The bartender gives Robyn a pen, and she writes something on his palm before handing it back. I missed what just took place but the two of them share a knowing smile as he backs away and gets back to work.

  “I love you all but I have no intentions of sleeping in a room where all of you are screwing random guys,” Robyn declares while still smiling. “Suite or not, there are only two beds and I’m just saying maybe we should have thought this entire thing out a little better.”

  “I think the only one you need to worry about is Zara, unless her friend has his own room here at the hotel.” Robyn finally focuses back on me. “It would seem that my bartender friend has a room here during the week because it’s easier with his split shifts to just stay at the hotel.”

  “Hmm,” I utter. How convenient.

  Robyn hollers out, “Drinks!” Zara pulls back from her friend to face us, and Robyn and I point to the tray in front of us. Grabbing Hotel Hottie’s hand, Zara pulls him along with her. The three of us do back-to-back shots and break out in laughter when we see Lucy practically climbing into the lap of Mr. Khaki.

  “And she calls me a whore,” Zara slurs, pulling out her phone to snap a few pictures. “She’ll never believe this, but now I have proof.”

  “Thank U, Next” by Ariana Grande comes on and Robyn drags us to the dance floor. Zara’s friend waits near the high table just a few feet away from where Lucy sits, watching us all closely. His mind is probably playing out some fantasy of three on one. With a grin covering his lips, it must be pretty detailed. He looks a little drunk himself, but it has nothing to do with the alcohol flowing around him because he hasn’t even had one drink.

  What a dirty boy.

  “He is nothing like I imagined,” I whisper as I lean in close to Zara’s ear.

  “Me either,” Zara replies, looking back over her shoulder and wiggling a little more than necessary and he watches her close. “His name is Jax and he’s twenty-six. He’s working here to pay off his parents’ house since his father lost his job
. I figure I owe him a good time.”

  “Oh you figure?” I shrug and she laughs.

  “It’s a win-win,” she retorts, her eyes widening a fraction. “Come on, look at him, he’s hot.”

  I couldn’t argue, not even a bit, as I’d already nicknamed Hotel Hottie in my head.

  Robyn and I get lost in the song as Zara leaves us to go back to Jax. The way he places his arm around her waist and she leans into him is pure sweetness. She throws her head back in laughter and I can’t help but be happy for my friend but jealous too because I want my own Jax.

  The shots I’ve just downed relax me, as my body starts to move to the music. It feels amazing to just let go and not think of what I’ll be doing tomorrow or next week when I’m back in Chicago. Actually, it doesn’t even matter because I am feeling too damn good to care.

  CHAPTER 4

  Levi

  We walk into the club and immediately are met with loud thumping music and flashing lights that highlight the dance floor. There is a bar to the left that wraps around the back in a large L-shape. It too is lit by running lights along the ceiling pointing downward, almost spotlighting the crew that wears all black. The place is bouncing and it reminds me of my club back in Chicago. One thing I do when I decide to buy a place is look into other business around the city that are similar and striving. I even go as far as visiting a few other cities and bring back ideas to use for myself. Things I few are necessary to grow a business. My goal is to stand out, draw in a crowd and make it successful.

  This place is gold for sure.

  “Drinks for the bachelor!” Leo exclaims as he points toward the bar, beckoning all of us to follow. “I vow to get the groom smashed and that starts now.”

  I knew it was coming; there is no way Leo is going to let it slide. He has something to prove as best man and that is to supply a weekend that can never be forgotten.

  He steps up to the bar, places his order and the rest of us stand around looking through the crowd of people. My focus pauses on a table with a couple and I chuckle to myself. The two of them look as though they just left church and came straight here. They’re both obviously drunk, leaning in so close in order to talk that their foreheads are almost resting against one another. The woman’s mouth moves along with the guy’s like she is repeating every word he speaks in slow motion.

  They seem so out of place.

  “Here you go.” Leo hands us all our drinks. “I told the bartender to keep them coming so, drink up.”

  I’m already buzzing from the whiskey we had before coming downstairs and Lincoln doesn’t handle his liquor well, so I decide to keep an eye on him. The last thing I need is to have to take him to the hospital for alcohol poisoning because his best friend pushes him over the edge. If I have to drink his drinks for him, I will. Or I’ll dump them when Leo isn’t looking.

  “Let’s grab that table,” I say as I point to the left and begin moving in that direction before they have the chance to decline.

  Once seated, I start looking around the club again, taking it all in. A shimmer of red catches my eye and I zoom in, feeling my body become more alert. A tall thin woman with her back to me moves her hips seductively as she faces another woman. Her legs appear as if they go on for miles and I’m sure the fact that her dress is so damn short helps highlight those endless legs too.

  “See something you like?” Kane asks as he leans in and looks in the direction I’m looking.

  “Nah,” I say brushing it off.

  “Your brother’s the one getting married, man, not you.” He scoots closer, “You need to loosen up. Have some fun for yourself, man. You work too hard not to enjoy this time away.”

  I still say nothing.

  “You and Kami have been over for what, eight months now?” At the mention of Kami, my mood sours. I gave that bitch so many years that I can’t get back. We dated through high school and even through college. I thought we’d get married, hell everyone did. Then one day she decides that she and I aren’t working anymore. What she should have said was, “I’m fucking my boss and I have been for close to a year.”

  “You trying to fuck up my mood?” I shoot Kane a look and he laughs, holding up his hands in surrender.

  “No, Levi,” he replies, shaking his head he lowers his hands and picks up his drink once more. “I’m just saying that you deserve to have a little fun. So if you see a lady who interests you, go for it. Do it, bro.”

  Instead of dragging this out and having some heart to heart that I’m not up for, I look back toward the dance floor only to find that the woman I was just watching from behind is no longer there.

  Instantly, I scan over the bar, looking for the blonde beauty who has my attention. A sea of people are blocking my view, and I stretch my back trying to see over the mass of drunk dancing bodies. Then I spot her once more near the bar, still shaking her hips, drawing in the attention of many men. From the looks of it, she doesn’t even notice the attention she is gaining. She now sips on a drink she holds in her hands and all I get is a view from the side, her tongue slipping past her luscious lips to catch the straw in her mouth.

  “Just tell me if it’s the one in the red or the one in the silver,” Kane inquires cautiously. “I need to know because, well, I’m hoping like hell you say red.”

  When I smile to indicate a yes, he chuckles and replies, “Perfect.”

  I watch her for a bit, waiting for her to turn completely around so I can take her all in, but she continues to talk to her friend, dancing from side to side, completely lost in the music.

  In the meantime, my brother and Leo are arguing about sleeping with the same woman every day for the rest of their lives. Leo insists it’s like eating chicken every day for every meal without being able to change it up in anyway. My brother refers to his fiancée as the rarest flower that he’s honored to have from today and every day after. The romantic himself spewing drunken poetic shit makes us all laugh. No wonder he’s getting married; chicks eat that shit up.

  “No wonder Farrah fell for you,” Leo says and then leans back in his chair, chuckling. “Girls love a man they can control and you, my friend, are a robotic kind of guy. She says now and you start running.”

  Lincoln smiles proudly, not caring in the least that he’s whipped. Farrah is a good one. She actually worships Linc, treating him like a god in some fucked up kind of way.

  Before I can utter some smartass comment about her warming up to me, I hear a loud squeal. I turn in my seat—just in time to see a flash of red—before the girl I’ve been watching for close to an hour lands in my lap. The drink I held is empty but the glass crashes to the floor and rolls, spilling the ice and leaving a trail in its path.

  My hands rest at her waist, gripping her hips and she laughs uncontrollably, covering her face with her hands.

  Her back presses against my chest, her dress riding up to expose even more of her creamy thighs than before. I can’t help but peek over to get a good look as I breathe her in. A fruity scent—maybe a strawberry shampoo—mixes with a perfume that’s alluring. Thank god, it isn’t that floral sent like the one Kami wore because I hated that old-lady smelling shit. The perfume this woman wears is different, the perfect mix of sexy and captivating.

  “You’ll have to excuse my friend,” utters the brunette in the silver dress who leans in, grabbing her friend’s hands. “She tried to bet me she could balance her weight on one foot and I knew she couldn’t after all the shots she’s had. This is the result of her attempting to prove me wrong.”

  I silently thank the gods above for the beautiful blonde who lost that bet, landing her lush body in my lap, as if she were a gift sent from the heavens above.

  Her brunette friend then tugs and pulls her up off of my lap, a lap that is already missing the beauty in red.

  “I’m just glad I was here to catch her,” I say as the blonde turns to face me, tucking her hair behind her ear, fully exposing her gorgeous face to me. There is something so familiar about her, bu
t I can’t put my finger on it. The way her cheekbones are so defined, the heart-shaped contour of her upper lip, and big beautiful ocean blue eyes that watch me closely.

  When she smiles back at me, I get this strange sense of deja vu.

  “Thank you,” she finally speaks and suddenly I feel like I can barely breathe. “Hitting the floor would have been humiliating—not to mention painful—so I am glad you were here to catch me.”

  “Do I know you?” I lean in, studying her closely, and feeling like a fool for using such a cliché of a line. “I mean … I swear that I’ve seen you someone before, maybe a younger version, but it was definitely you. I know it.”

  When she reaches out to brace herself on the nearest table, I find that I want to grab onto her and ensure she remains standing too. Only I don’t.

  “Hallie,” her friend calls and steps in closer. It then hits me as I register her name, a name now familiar to me.

  “Hallie Randall.” Her eyes remain focused on me. “It’s me Levi Moretti.” I don’t miss the way her eyes widen and she wavers on her feet just a little. Gripping the table tighter, she continues to stare at me with her mouth slightly agape. “I haven’t seen you since our senior year of high school.”

  And, damn, have the years changed her. No longer is she this sweet young girl with one braid hanging over one shoulder. The glasses and braces are gone too.

  “You look amazing,” I utter, causing her cheeks to turn a lovely shade of pink from my compliment.

  “Do you know this guy?” The brunette with her doesn’t seem convinced.