Chapter 10 – Belle
CHAPTER TEN
BELLE
It’s the night out, and Queenie has drugged the prospects, who are now on the couches in the bar, snoring louder than a chainsaw.
“I feel like we should fuck with them a little.” Maggie shrugs before she forces one of her index fingers up their nose.
We laugh. “No, the poor boys will already get it in the neck if the rest find out. They don’t need you girls adding to their humiliation,” Queenie says as she switches on the baby monitors. “Babies are asleep, so you ladies are free to go and have a good time.” She smiles and shakes her head. “Oh boy, if they could see you all now, they would lose their minds.” She snorts.
All of us have gone all out. We decided on little black dresses; it was something we all owned, just in different styles. Dixie’s is a scoop neck that stops just above her knees with capped sleeves, and its figure-hugging style shows off her petite yet curvy frame. Maggie has on a mid-thigh length, slash neck backless dress that stops just above her behind. Josie has on a low draped front dress that means no bra. It shows off the curve of her breasts, hugs the curve of her thighs and behind, and it stops just past her knee. Then there’s Star. Her black drees is a sheer, completely see-through knee length dress. She has on a gorgeous matching black lace bra and matching high-cut French knickers, showing off the bottom half of her cheeks. I imagine all their men would lose their shit seeing them all looking so hot. I am the only free agent, and I am dressed to hook up tonight. I need some careless, meaningless sex to get Beast out of my head. I’m wearing my black body, mid-length dress that has a split all the way up to the base of my hip, with thin spaghetti straps, meaning I can’t wear a bra because the sheer material hangs low across the bust, showing an ample amount of cleavage.
“Right, let’s go!” Star cheers excitedly.
“Wait!” Queenie yells. “Let me get a picture.” She smiles. We stand together, pulling silly slutty poses. “Great. Go and have fun!” she says, ushering us out the door.
Dixie drives with her heels off. She admits that she doesn’t wear heels often. We laugh, sing and drink on the way there. I don’t think I’ve laughed this hard in a long time. It takes us around an hour to reach the next town. Dixie parks the truck up and we all pile out. People look and stare at us, as we are clearly overdressed compared to others who are wearing jeans.
We walk up to the bar, and the barman’s eyes light up like it’s Christmas. “2 jugs of margaritas and a tray of shots,” Star orders, handing over her card. “Keep that behind the bar,” she orders. He nods and smiles, walking off to make our drinks.
“Er Star, can I have a coke?” Dixie asks quietly.
“Shit, forgot you are not drinking,” she apologises. “And a coke!” Star adds, yelling down the bar.
I look around the bar. It’s rustic, but it has a good feel to it, with warm lights strung up, giving it that country barn vibe. As I look to the far side, I notice a table of guys looking over our way, all with appreciative eyes.
“Someone is interested,” Maggie says, nudging me.
I laugh and shake my head. “Nah, it’s a girls’ night. But there is nothing wrong with looking.”
“That’s true. I mean, the guy with the worn jeans and white shirt that’s turned up to his elbows is fine,” she says, fanning herself.
I look back over and she’s right; his black hair, stubbled jaw and broad clearly tone body with his olive skin makes him look like he’s just stepped off a magazine shoot.
“Let’s sit,” Star yells over the music. I break my stare and follow them to our table.
The drinks flow, and the cackles of our laughter ring out loudly across the bar. It feels good to laugh and let go.
“So, come on Belle, spill,” Josie presses.
I frown. “I don’t know what you want me to spill?” I shrug.
They all groan and roll their eyes. “Beast! What is going on with you guys?” she adds.
I shake my head. “Nothing. He likes to tease and provoke me, then just leaves. Walks off and leaves me stood there feeling like a complete idiot,” I complain.
“Wait, wait a minute. I feel like we will need a shot for this,” Star says, taking the shots off the tray and passing them around the table. We all apart from Dixie down our shots, wincing and near gagging from the strength of them. “Okay, now you need to elaborate. Tell us everything,” Star demands.
I down the last of my margarita and start explaining, all the way from the beginning. They open their mouths in shock at some parts, laughing and nodding along. “So, that’s it. I am left completely confused and sexually frustrated,” I say at the end.
“Oh, you are his,” Dixie states. They all nod in agreement.
“How? I’ve had more interaction with a barista getting coffee than I have with Beast,” I argue.
“Girl, if that’s how you’re ordering coffee, then you are doing it wrong.” Star snorts.
We laugh. “You know what I mean!” I defend.
Star places down her drink. “Look, here is the thing. Until you give in to their way of things, you ain’t going to get it. But bottom line, I think he wants you to feel what he feels. Then you will see a difference,” she adds.
“That’s true. He’s been knocked back a couple of times. Maybe this time he just wants to be sure you feel the same?” Dixie asks.
“What do you mean he’s been knocked back?” I ask, because I don’t believe for a second that Beast has ever been turned down by a woman.
Dixie gives Josie a side glance. “He asked you out?” I ask Josie.
She nods. “Yeah, but it wasn’t like anything serious. It never happened,” she clarifies.
“I think at some point or another, Beast has asked one of us out or flirted the suggestion. It’s just who he is.” Dixie shrugs.
I pick up the jug and pour myself another drink, then knock it back. I stand, swaying slightly on my feet. “Well, then that just confirms that apparently, he is just being who he is. It’s nothing serious, so that means I can stop worrying about it and enjoy this night. Now, who is coming to dance?” I ask. I walk towards the dancefloor, not waiting for their answer. They soon join me, and we dance doing silly moves and laughing so much.
After a while, I take a break and go to the bathroom. Once I’ve finished, I wash my hands and look at my reflection in the mirror. My cheeks are flushed from dancing and my eyes are alight with amusement, and the alcohol definitely has something to do with it. I swing the door open and make my way back to the main bar. Scrolling through my phone, not looking where I am going, I suddenly stumble right into someone.
“Ouch,” I mutter. Hands grab my waist to keep me from falling backwards. I look up and realise I’ve walked right into the guy from across the bar. I smile. “I am so sorry,” I apologise.
He smiles, his teeth perfectly white. “No need to apologise,” he says smoothly.
I tuck my hair back behind my ear. “I, um, still sorry. I should have been looking where I was going instead of staring down at my phone,” I add.
“I’m sure it was an important message. Your boyfriend know you are out tonight looking like that?” he asks.
I blanch. “Excuse me?” I ask, snapping.
He lets out a laugh and shakes his head. “I don’t mean anything by it. I mean, when you and your friends go out dressed like you are, you are going to attract attention. I’m just saying that if I was your boyfriend, I wouldn’t allow you to go out dressed like that. I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands off you, and I wouldn’t want other guys looking at you, thinking they could have you,” he says, still trying to be smooth, but it doesn’t work on me.
I let out a sarcastic laugh. “You think you could have me because of what I am wearing?”
He chuckles and shrugs. “Oh sweetheart, a woman doesn’t wear what you and your friends are wearing, if they didn’t want guys like me making a play. Women wear what they wear to tell me and other men that they want it, too.” He winks, like what he’s saying is supposed to be flirty.
I smile. “You know what? When I saw you from across the bar, I thought you were perfect. Perfect hair, face, teeth and build, but up close, I can see that your teeth are veneers, your hair is dyed, and your natural tan is out of a bottle. Now, if you would excuse me, my friends are waiting,” I snap, moving to push past him.
He grabs my arm and shoves me against the wall. “Listen here, you can’t come in here wearing something like that, and not expect a man to take something. It is false advertising. Now, you going to give me what I am entitled to?” he sneers. Leaning forward, he runs his tongue along my neck.
I try to push him off me, but he doesn’t move. I lift my leg quickly and bring my knee up hard, connecting it with his nuts. He groans and falls to the floor, clutching his balls. “You touch me again, I will stamp my stiletto heel right through your balls. Fucking creep!” I yell. Before I storm off back to the bar, as if she was able to read my mind, Star’s smile falls. She takes one look at me, and then her eyes travel behind me to the guy walking while wincing, holding his balls. “Leave it,” I snap.
“What did he do?” she asks.
I pick up my drink and down it. “Implied that I’m, well, we are all dressed like this, because we are asking for it. That he is entitled to take what he wants,” I rush out in between downing more of my drink. “He didn’t do anything. He just licked my neck. I kicked him in the balls and told him to do one,” I explain.
Star’s gaze turns murderous. She cracks her neck and storms toward the table where the guy is stood, obviously telling his friends what a cock tease I am.
“Oh, shit,” I mutter.
“What’s going on?” Maggie asks as she comes over, followed by Dixie and Josie. I pause and tell them briefly. “Grab our bags. We are about to get thrown out,” Maggie says before she marches over to Star. We grab the bags and follow them over.
“You think you can touch her without permission?” Star snaps.
The guy shrugs. “Look sweetheart, you weren’t there. Your friend offered it to me on a platter. She was practically begging me for it. You can’t mess a guy around like that. We are red-blooded mammals. We can’t just shut it down,” he says, spouting more bullshit. Star grabs his drink and throws the contents all over him. “What the fuck, bitch?!” he yells, jumping to his feet.
Star gasps. “Oh no, I am so sorry. I’m just a hormonal woman. I just can’t shut it down,” she says sarcastically.
He goes to lunge for her, but Maggie comes in at the side and shoves him hard, making him stumble backwards. It’s then that all his friends who were sat in the booth stand and circle us. The guy smiles and joins his friends. We exchange a look. This is dangerous. There may be 5 of them and 5 of us, but it’s men versus women. My back legs hit a table, and as I turn, I see it has some empty bottles. I grab them and pass one to Dixie, Maggie and Josie.
“Pass me my bag,” Star asks, holding her hand out while still keeping eye contact with the douche bag.
“You can swing your handbag at us all you like sweetheart, you and your friends don’t stand a chance against us. Why don’t you all just calm down and join us for a drink or 2? Who knows? You might actually enjoy yourself,” he states, still thinking that he is in with a shot. Fucking moron.
Star smiles. “Really? Oh, that is nice of you, but you crossed a line, and I have a problem with men that think they can do what they like to women, like they are entitled,” she says before sliding a pair of brass knuckle dusters onto her hands.
“Fuck Star!” I blurt out, surprised.
The guy looks down at her hands and smirks. “You know how to use those?” he asks.
Star shrugs. “Oh god, I don’t know. Is it something like this?” she asks as she rears her fist back and slams it across the guy’s face. He stumbles backwards, falling to the floor. His mates go to grab Star, and she tries to shake them off.
“Get off her!” I yell. I lunge forward and smash a bottle over one of their heads. Maggie, Josie and Dixie all do the same to the others. We kick, scratch and fight them like rabid animals.
“WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!” a deep, loud voice rings out. The music is cut, and the bar has gone instantly silent.
We freeze, all while I am clinging onto the back of one of the guys as I try and rip chunks of his hair out with my fists, Dixie is grappling one of their legs while biting his thigh, Josie is holding a chair above her head, ready to smash it over another guy’s head, Maggie has a broken bottle in her hand, holding the sharp edges against one of their necks, and then Star has straddled a guy, about to slam her knuckle dusted fist into the guy’s face again.
“Oh, hi Casper,” Star greets.
I look over my shoulder to see Ghost, Cash, Rage, Hawk and Beast, all stood there with murderous expressions. Shit.