Reckless Abandon (The Cave Series Book 1)

by Teri Kay

  ***

  What the hell? What time is it? There was a solid banging on my front door. It was the kind of knock you always teased sounded like the cops. Yeah, arrest the boring teacher at…I rolled over to see what time it was…oh shit, it was already eleven-thirty. Well, it was my birthday.

  “Open up! Get your ass out of bed, and answer your door, bitch!” Ah yes, the lovely wake-up call of my best friend. Hooker better have coffee.

  “Alright. I’m coming.” I rolled out of bed, grabbed a pair of yoga pants that I threw on the floor last night—one of the few perks of living alone—tossed my blonde hair up in a messy bun and looked around for Roxy. I saw my beautiful blue nose pit bull sleeping in her bed in the middle of our small yard, all four of her large paws in the air. You never knew who Rose would bring with her on party nights, and not everyone sees the gentle seventy-five pound fur baby I do. That's exactly why I love having her around. Watching people freak the fuck out when she runs up to them and licks their toes is quite amusing.

  I slowly made my way to the front door and checked the peephole. Yes, just Rose. And coffee. “Happy thirtieth birthday to my best biotch ever!” she shouted as she pushed her way into my kitchen, with two venti Starbucks and a bag full of muffins. She tossed everything on the counter and rushed back out the door. She came back in with three large boxes in her arms and a large bag draped over her shoulder. “Let the dirty-thirty party begin. It’s you and me, babe, for the next few hours, then the glam bitches will get here at three to make us look fierce, and our ride will be here at seven.”

  “The glam bitches?” I asked, raising one eyebrow at her.

  “Yup. Their name not mine. The girls I work with are coming over to give you a head-to-toe make-over for tonight,” Rose explained.

  I looked at myself in the mirror on the dining room wall for a moment. Boring, divorced school teacher. I know that’s the way Rose saw me. Hair in a bun, black rimmed glasses, and shirt buttoned all the way up. Damn, I was a walking cliché. “Am I that bad that I need a whole squad?” I whispered to myself.

  “So what’s in all the boxes?” I asked, knowing damn well that Rose brought something that I am way too modest to wear out. I've always been the introvert of our group of friends. It’s not that I was shy, but I definitely was not the person that liked to have the spotlight on me. Lucas was a light that could shine bright in any room. He was that type of guy that could fit right in no matter where we went. Conversations were easy for him. I was happy just living in his wake.

  “Your birthday outfits,” Rose said with a sly grin. Outfits? More than one? What the hell were we doing tonight?

  The next few hours were relaxing. Rose and I caught up on the latest gossip of our friends and family, video-chatted with my grandmother, and laid by the pool for an hour. Our schedules were completely opposite, so our time together these days was precious. Rose was the sister I never had. I wanted to tell her exactly what was going in with my life. I knew she sensed something was off, but being my birthday she didn’t ask. I think she just blew it off as me feeling crappy about turning thirty. And she for sure wasn’t going to let that drama-llama takeover, as she so eloquently put it.

  New teachers do not make good money. After Uncle Sam, insurance, and retirement all take their cut, I wasn't left with much to live on. What I brought home barely covered my rent and living expenses. Not to mention, my student loans and the damn lawyer fees from my divorce that still plague me every month. Come to find out, when you have been married less than five years, and don’t own any property together, you can walk away free and clear. And wouldn’t you know that Lucas served me with divorce papers just in time. Being that we only work ten months out of the year, we have those wonderful summer months with no paycheck. For the life of me, I cannot save a dime. Struggling as much as I did was exhausting.

  At exactly three o’clock all hell broke loose in my condo. Four girls that work with Rose at The Cave came in with every hair, nail, and beauty accessory you could possibly imagine. Some of the devices that they started plugging in I had never even seen before. I thought I was girly, but I was out of my league here. Vanessa (the head glam-bitch) pushed me down in the chair already set up in my oversized bathroom. “Ready to be glamified, Teach?” she proudly asked as she started brushing through my long, straight hair. I'd only met Vanessa a few times, but I really did like her.

  By the time the girls were done, I seemed like a totally different person. Hair, makeup, and nails all done to the hilt. Rose walked into my room with the first of many birthday shots to find me lost in my reflection. “Honey, what’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. I promise. I look hot,” I paused for a moment as I looked myself up and down. My dress was an absolutely gorgeous sheath lace, navy blue sleeveless mini that fit my ass perfectly. It was a little shorter than I usually wore but at least the girls were covered up. Yet, remembering that Rose used the word outfits still had me nervous. “I just don’t look like me, that’s all. But, thank you and your friends for all that you’ve done for me.”

  “Oh, sweetie. I would never want to change who you are but did you ever think that maybe it’s time to find a new side of you?” Rose hugged me tight, knowing that’s exactly what I needed. “The night has just begun. Cheers!” And to that we raised our glasses and let vodka burn down the back of our throats.

  The limo arrived at a quarter after seven already full of people. Jeremy and a couple of his work buddies were hitting the mini bar, my brother and his flavor of the month were making out on the back seat, and the few friends that have been by my side since high school were rapidly catching up. As Rose and I climbed in, all I could think is that I was going to make it one kick ass night.

  “Hot damn, woman! Looking good,” my friend Travis said as he handed me my usual vodka and cranberry. His wife, Ari slapped him on the arm as I kissed her on the cheek and took a seat next to her.

  “Thanks.” I felt my cheeks turn red. I was totally out of my comfort zone.

  “Own it, girl. You looking fucking amazing,” Ari said only loud enough for me to hear.

  “Ahem,” Rose cleared her throat to get everyone’s attention. “Raise your glasses. Here’s to having one of the best nights of our lives tonight, to the last of us to have their dirty-thirty, and especially to new beginnings.”

  “And not to forget—it’s summer vacation!” I chimed in.

  “Cheers!” We all cheered in unison.

  **

  We pulled up to the Aria right before eight, and I knew the only place we could be going to is Bar Masa for the most amazing sushi in Vegas. As I got out of the limo and made our way across the casino, I could feel eyes on me from all directions. Or maybe I was just that self-conscious, I wasn't sure. What I do know is that I needed to take Ari’s advice and "own this shit" tonight. With a little bit more liquid courage I could maybe make that happen.

  When we walked into Bar Masa, they led us to a back room that I didn’t know existed, despite the hundreds of times we've eaten there. Must be Rose and her connections. Gotta love Vegas! As we went through the doors, I noticed the green and purple (my favorite colors) motif around the room and balloons everywhere. Damn her. We came to the second room and there sat all my family, close friends and co-workers. “Surprise!” They all yelled as they came over to give me hugs like they hadn’t seen me ages.

  Dinner was absolutely amazing. There’s a reason why it was one of the top rated restaurants on the Vegas strip. It was so nice to be able to catch up with my mother before her boyfriend whisked her away on another trip, and also to be able to spend time with my co-workers outside of work; without all their kids running around. I loved their kids to death don’t get me wrong, but sometimes the constant reminder is difficult. My thoughts were broken by the sound of Rose tapping her wine glass with a fork.

  “I hate to cut this dinner short, but tonight will be an epic night of new and exciting experiences for our birthday girl. We're are off to our second destinatio
n to start the dirty part of this “dirty-thirty” party. Some of you we will see later and some of you have a great summer,” Rose announced. I could see the look of confusion on my teacher friends’ faces, wondering what were they being left out of. But if I knew Rose, I didn’t need to mix my set of friends anymore tonight.

  The same people all piled back in the limo, along with a couple of my cousins that Jeremy’s buddies picked up. When we pulled up in the front the Wynn, I instantly got giddy inside. “Oh, please tell me we are going dancing at XS?” I asked Rose. I may be an introvert when it comes to conversations and meeting new people, but on the dance floor I felt free.

  “You know it, babe,” she gave me a wink as we exited the limo. “Just one quick stop first.”

  As all my friends went left to the club, Rose grabbed my hand and pulled me off into the other direction. “Where are we going?” I asked.

  “Ssshhh, little one,” she smiled. “Trust me.”

  Up the elevators we went. They kept going, and going until we hit the top floor. “Holy shit, you didn’t? You can’t afford this. Jeremy is going to kill you.”

  “Like I said before, trust me. I have connections. This place is ours for the night. Enjoy it,” Rose boasted.

  We walked into the suite and Vanessa’s already there waiting for me in the vanity area. “Hey, Teach. You ready for outfit number two?”

  “What? I’m really liking this one. I’m finally feeling comfortable,” I said as I played with the lace hem of the dress.

  “Off with the nice family/teacher dress. Time to slip into something sexy to show off those curves, woman. You have a rockin’ bod, use it. Let’s get you ready to dance the night away,” Vanessa demanded as she moved over to the vanity to get me freshened up. She touched up my make-up, re-curled my hair, and tucked me carefully into a skin tight bandage dress. I didn’t remember the last time I felt so sexy.

  “I’m not sure what I did to deserve all this but thank you guys. I needed it,” I said to my friends. I sat there willing myself not to cry. “The past year has been on the worst of my life, I'm ready to start my thirties off with a bang.”

  Our next stop was dancing at XS Nightclub. Vanessa’s cousin was a bouncer there and was able to hook us with a VIP booth for the evening. Grey Goose and cranberry on a constant flow. I lost myself in the rhythm of the music, my body naturally moving with the beats. It was such a Zen feeling to be able to finally let go of the shit that I'd gone through recently and what I was dreading telling my best friend. Or maybe it was the all the alcohol, either way I felt fan-fucking-tastic.

  “Hey, beautiful,” I froze as I felt arms slide around my waist. “Ready to move on to our final destination? We have something special planned for you.” I flipped around to see Vanessa standing quite close. It almost seemed like she was checking me out. Time to lay off the vodka, Ryann.

  “I’m only beautiful because you made me that way,” I teased.

  “Keep telling yourself that, sweetheart,” Vanessa said as she grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the club.

  Porn Star Dancing

  I’ve seen her somewhere before. I can’t place it, but I know it will come back to me. I suck at names, but I'm pretty damn good at faces. I’m a professional poker player, it’s my job to remember things. I recognized a few of the girls that were dancing around her. Ashlynn, Jade, and Vanessa are dancers here at The Cave, and Rose is one of the sexiest bartenders in town. As I watched the blonde beauty move in that dress, my dick twitched in a way it hasn’t in a long time. The two-piece number she had on hugged each of her curves in all the right ways. Just enough mesh to let me know that she had some magnificent tits under there. Porn Star Dancing started blasting over the speakers and I watched as Ashlynn pulled the blonde on the seat next to her. Jade comes slowly crawling up to them and her eyes went wide. The beauty appeared nervous, but by the way her nipples were piercing through her dress, I could tell she's turned on by all of this.

  “Hey, I thought you said Ashlynn wasn’t working tonight?” I asked Bree as she dropped off my beer.

  “Some kind of private party. Her and Jade are booked for the entire night. Rose and Vanessa took the night off. Birthday party I think,” she sighed with a slightly jealous smile.

  When I looked back over at the absolutely stunning, obviously over-intoxicated group of women I saw that Jade and Ashlynn had already stripped down to just their G-string, and were straddling the blonde mystery woman. Damn, that escalated quickly. I know I shouldn’t be watching their private party like some kind of creepy stalker, but I can’t take my eyes off her. It’s not the naked women that are rubbing their breasts all in her face, though they are gorgeous, it’s just this blonde is intoxicating. Even from here, I could see the heat in her eyes as she watched the two women dance. The look she gave Jade’s body was like an animal wanting to devour its prey. My dick started to ache as it pushed along the seams of my jeans.

  Hmmm…there are no guys in their little soiree. Shit, was I really lucky enough to be watching a lesbian stripper party? I laughed to myself.

  Judging by the way Nessa hadn’t been able to keep her eyes off the blonde beauty, I'm going to guess that’s her girlfriend. I knew Vanessa was in a serious relationship, but I thought she kept that part of her life separate from her club life. What a lucky ass girl. Both of them. I wondered if Vanessa was the type to share. I couldn’t help but grin at the naughty images going through my head.

  I looked back over at the women, and most of those images were becoming a reality in the booth across the room from me. The blonde mystery woman (I really did need to find out her name) was bending over Vanessa’s petite little body, her face buried in those large, completely natural tits. Her ass bounced up and down perfectly to the beat of the music. I noticed that blondie had two butterfly tattoos peeking out of the side of her sheer dress. Now, I'm really intrigued. Any woman who can get tatted on her side ribcage is a badass. I needed to know more about her.

  “Bree,” I called out across the room and waved her over. “Another beer please. Unless Rose over there will make her favorite poker player one of her famous Flaming Doctor Peppers.” I flashed my cute, California smile that worked on most girls. I paused when Bree giggled. "And there’s an extra twenty bucks in it if you can find out the blonde’s name for me over there.”

  I watched Bree seductively shake her ass all the way over to where Rose was sitting. I knew that she was just trying to get my attention. Bree’s cute, but definitely not my type. Too young and way too fake. At nineteen, I'm not sure what is still real on that girl. I heard a rumor that she was trying to get into movies. Bree said something to the group of women that of course I couldn’t hear, and all together the six of them turned and stared at me. Tits, ass and all. I don’t get embarrassed easily, but damn if there isn’t a hole I can run into and hide. I did the next best thing. Held my drink up and offered to buy them a round. Hey, if I am going to be a creepy stalker I might as well be a gentleman right?

  A few minutes later, Rose came over and set down the Stella and shot mixture for my Flaming Doctor Pepper. “Hey handsome,” she drawled as she scooched in next to me. Being married to Jeremy for so long, Rose picked up some of his southern accent. She lit the shot on fire, dropped the beer and I chugged the amazing drink. I could feel the slow burn of the alcohol move all the way down my chest. “If you wanted to know her name all you had to do was come over and ask. It’s not like you’re some creepy stranger that’s been watching us all night.” Oh, they noticed. There was a definite slur in Rose’s voice. Even drunk she could still make a damn good drink.

  Rose kissed me on the forehead, ran her fingers through my short, messy hair, and thanked me for the drink before she started to wiggle herself out my booth. Oh yeah, she was drunk. I gently grabbed her wrist and pulled her back in. “Not so fast there, princess. I paid good money for this drink and now I want the inside scoop.” We both laughed, because if I knew Rose she was going to make me work even harder f
or information. “How are you all getting home tonight?” She raised a suspicious eyebrow at me like I was up to no good. “Really? Stop thinking the worst. I just want to make sure all you pretty ladies get home safe. Vegas can be a rough town.”

  “A couple of us are staying at the Wynn and the rest are being taken home in the limo,” Rose answered.

  “How about this? When you ladies are ready to walk back to your hotel let me be your escort in exchange for the blonde beauty’s name, deal?” I asked.

  “Deal.”

  For the next hour, I watched the stunning group of strippers, lesbians, and a bartender continue to drink, party, and take more clothes off. All but the blonde beauty. Her clothes seemed to stay perfectly in place. Her skirt may have been lifted up a few times, but never enough to allow me to see that luscious round ass she was hiding up underneath there. We made eye contact a few times and each time I caught her looking at me, she would quickly turn away. Fuck, she was beautiful.

  When they brought the cake out, I realized it was blondie’s thirtieth birthday party. It was a giant mound cake that was a very accurate depiction of tits and ass. It was long past closing time, but for a VIP party The Cave would stay open any hours. And all of these women were our VIPs. Me, being their designated chaperone, was the lucky SOB who got to stay and watch. Not wanting to be the only guy amidst this group of beautiful, drunk women I kept my distance during the party. Something told me there was more than meets the eye with the ladies.

  By the end of the night, or the early morning, however you want to look at it, I wasn't sure I was as lucky as I thought. I walked out from taking a piss and looked around the room. Bree’s full red lips were sucking the frosting off Jade’s large nipples. Sexy? Hell yes! But probably not something you should be doing at work. Vanessa and Ashlynn were snuggled up together in a dark corner. Oh fuck, yes. My blonde beauty wasn’t Vanessa’s girlfriend. Oh, but shit, Ash is? Wow. Again not something you wanted to do at work. But where was my blonde beauty? Fuck, I still needed to learn her name. I look around and see her laying across a table looking like she’s going to be sick. Time to get these ladies home.