Seduction - Chapter 23
Friday
I screamed at the top of my lungs.
The man who bagged me responded by lifting me off the ground and throwing me over his shoulder.
“Let me down!” I screamed.
He started moving.
“Help!” I started thrashing around, but he caught my arms in one hand and put his other arm firmly around the back of my thighs so I couldn’t knee his dick.
Damn it! Why hadn’t I gone right for his nuts? What was wrong with me?
The only thing I could manage to do was kick my feet.
He didn’t seem to have any regard for the safety of his shins.
Or maybe he did, because he just shifted me.
I thought he was going to drop me on my head.
Instead, I was just hanging down farther on his back so he could wrap his hands around my ankles.
I had the use of my hands back, but I was completely disoriented and… Oh no. Please, for the love of God don’t let the morning sickness come back right now! I swallowed hard, hoping to somehow manage not to throw up. I took a deep breath.
“Help!” I screamed again.
But I’d been alone in the alley. And the club music was too loud. Oh God. I’d jinxed myself terribly. I’d just said how amazing everything was and now I was going to be murdered on the city streets.
There would be no wedding. I’d never get to see Melissa be happy. And this baby?
No. No fucking way. I would not let anything happen to my baby.
“Help me!” I yelled even louder. I started hitting the back of his legs with my fists.
“Help!” I was not going to be murdered today.
Because it wasn’t just me I had to protect.
I thought about my baby and the little boy I’d imagined him becoming.
Brown eyes just like his father’s. The little goblin running around our living room.
Long afternoons watching cartoons and snuggling.
“Put me down!” I screamed, tears trailing down my cheeks.
But that strategy wasn’t working. And now I was choking, trying not to puke everywhere.
So I stopped hitting him. “Please. I won’t tell anyone what happened.
Just let me down. Do you want money? You can have anything you want in my purse. Please just let me go.”
He didn’t respond.
“Someone help me! I’m pregnant! He’s hurting my baby!” I slammed my fist into the back of his leg. For a second, I thought he was going to fall over. Instead, he just shifted me again.
And my belly lurched.
No.
I tried to swallow it down, but I couldn’t. I morning sickness-ed myself all over the stupid bag on my head. And then I just kept throwing up because of the smell. And…
“Gross,” the guy said. “I did not sign up for this.”
My stomach lurched again.
I heard a car door open.
“I don’t think you want her in there,” the man said. “She just…threw up.”
He wasn’t going to throw me in the back of a car and murder me?
“What?! Why’d you make her vom?!”
I’d recognize Justin’s voice anywhere. “Justin? What the hell!” He was a dead man. I reached out like I could strangle him, even though I couldn’t see him.
He yelped. “I was just trying to get everyone’s hearts racing before the main event!” He tore the bag off my head and screamed at the top of his lungs as the bag and some vomit splattered onto the sidewalk.
I just stared at the city sidewalk from my upside-down vantage point and tried not to throw up again. I groaned.
“Put her down!” Justin demanded.
Now that I knew I was safe, I didn’t want to be put down. “No,” I groaned. Because being put down meant turning right side up. And right side up meant my stomach churning again and the vomit going on me instead of the sidewalk. Not that it mattered. I could see it in the tips of my hair.
I’d been scared to death. And then relieved. And now so gross. I started crying.
“Justin, what the hell?” Daphne said as she climbed out of the limo, holding a clean bag that must have been on her head.
“Oh my God, Penny, are you okay?” Bee said and stumbled out of the limo next to Daphne.
“Here, let me see if I can help,” Daphne said. “If we put this bag around her hair…”
“No, I’ve got this,” said Justin. “Get that bag back on your head and your bachelorette butt back in the car!” He turned to Bee. “You too you blonde Goddess.”
And then he tore his shirt off, one of the buttons almost hitting my eye. He wrapped up my hair, turban style, before the big strong kidnapper man set me down on my feet. Justin reached into my turban and pulled out a fancy satin scarf. He dotted my face with it.
“You okay?” he asked.
“No!” I slapped his hand away. “Not even a little. What the heck were you thinking?”
“I was thinking exactly what I said…that I wanted to get everyone’s hearts racing before the main event.”
I just stared at him. “And what’s the main event?”
“A surprise.” He put his hands out to the side and waved his fingers.
“Jazz hands don’t make everything better.”
“I know. And it’s freezing out here.” He put his hands over his nips.
He was being ridiculous. He wasn’t even shirtless. He was wearing some kind of shiny black mesh tank top thing. Sure…it didn’t look warm. But at least he wasn’t covered in vomit.
“Can I please just go home?” I asked.
“What? No! Never! The night has barely even begun.”
“It’s almost midnight.”
“Exactly. Midnight is when the fun truly begins. Here’s what we’re going to do.
We’re going to climb back in that limo and drive you home so you can freshen up and we can both change.
James won’t mind if I borrow a shirt, right?
” he asked, even though I knew he wasn’t really asking.
Because he climbed back into the car without waiting for a response.
I groaned. How had the night barely even begun and I already looked like I was a hungover mess? I didn’t really have a choice here though. I was at Justin’s mercy. So I climbed into the limo.
Everyone was quiet.
The cologne wafting off Justin’s shirt smelled amazing. But I was pretty sure nothing could mask the stench on me. I had somehow managed not to get anything on my dress, but once vomit was near anything…it all smelled the same.
“Are you okay?” Bee asked.
I shook my head. I wanted to be a trooper. I really did. But it was really hard when I was focusing so hard on not vomiting again.
Alina hiccupped and took another sip of champagne. “This is officially the craziest night ever. Well, one of the craziest nights. How do I always get in these crazy situations?” She tossed her bag to the side.
Kristen laughed. “Because you hang out with me.”
“Okay…um…” Daphne looked at me. “I think we should call it a night, right? It’s getting late anyway and…”
“Nonsense,” Justin said. “We’re just making a short pit stop at James and Penny’s place. And then the night will continue as planned. Driver! Take me to destination #2!”
“Wait!” I turned to Justin. “You just said I could go home. I can’t go anywhere like this.” I gestured to my whole body. I was a fucking mess. I needed a shower or five. And a change of clothes. And I needed a whole tube of toothpaste in my mouth.
“Yeah.” He looked confused. “We’re going to your place,” he said. “I just said that.”
“No, you said destination #2.”
He just blinked at me. “Did I? I’m pretty sure I said go to Penny’s place.”
“You did not.”
His eyes started darting everywhere but at me.
“So let me get this clear. My apartment is destination #2 on the itinerary for tonight?”
His eyes grew round like he’d gotten caught in a lie. He downed his glass of champagne. “I named everyone’s homes a destination number. For practical reasons. In case something crazy unexpected like this happened. I’m a planner, Penny.”
I turned back to the driver. “What destination number is Daphne’s apartment?”
He looked at Justin and then at me. “Um…”
I turned back to Justin. “Liar.”
“Me?” He gasped. “Never.”
But he still wasn’t looking at me. And he was acting like a big fat liar. “Justin, I swear to God. Did you seriously have this planned?!”
He pressed his lips together and then gave me a saucy little smile.
“I’m sorry, Penny. But you know I love exploring people’s closets.
You can learn so much about them. And I knew if I asked if I could sit in James’ closet for thirty minutes you’d freak.
Much like you are right at this exact moment.
So technically I was right and we should just move on. ”
“You…you knew I’d get sick?”
“I suspected. You’re four or so months along, right? So…morning sickness.”
“A few hours ago you didn’t even know if pregnant women could drink. How do you know so much about morning sickness?”
“I was putting on a show so you wouldn’t suspect me. Clearly I did a good job.”
“So let me get this straight. You planned out this night in part to explore my husband’s closet?”
“Sounds fun to me!” Kristen said.
I shot her a death glare and turned back to Justin. “Not okay, man.”
“I think everything is working out perfectly, actually,” he said. “Destination #2!” he told the driver again.
The limo pulled away from the curb.
“I’m so excited to see his closet,” Kristen said.
“Girl, same,” Justin said and squealed.
“I am so sorry,” Daphne said.
Bee started laughing. And once Bee started laughing after a few glasses of champagne, she rarely ever stopped. Eventually she had me laughing too.
“I thought I was going to die,” I said through my laughter.
“Because of the smell?” Bee asked.
“No!” I started laughing harder. “Because of the whole getting bagged and thrown over someone’s shoulder thing. Who were those guys?”
“Strippers,” Justin said.
Bee started choking on her champagne. “Then why were they kidnapping us instead of stripping for us?”
“Because I paid double. Raphael is going to be very upset about all the kicking though.” He gave me a hard stare.
“His body is his livelihood, Penny. That was incredibly rude of you to do all that squirming. I hope you’re planning on leaving him a big tip.
Because he looked pissed with a capital P. ”
“Me?” I laughed. “I think you owe him a big tip. Who pays strippers to be kidnappers?”
“Well I don’t know how to hire actual kidnappers. I’m a party planner. Not a murderer,” Justin said. “You’re welcome, ladies. It’s fun to be manhandled by hotties, right? Besides, it was pretty obvious it was part of a thing.”
“For us,” Bee said. “Because we saw them coming through the crowd and they bagged us all together. But Penny was outside. She must have been fucking terrified.”
“Hmm,” Justin said. “I hadn’t thought about that. You thought you were actually being kidnapped?”
“Yes! Why do you think I morning-sickness-ed all over myself?”
“Because I told Raphael to be extra shaky with you. So I could get into your husband’s closet. We already talked about all this. New topic. Which Hunter brother is packing the most?”
“How are we supposed to know that?” Daphne said. “I’ve never seen James naked.”
“Here’s how we do it.” He put his hands close together and slowly started moving them apart. “Tell me when to stop.” He kept going. “Holy anaconda!” He kept going. “Good Lord, girl how do you fit that inside of you?” he asked when his hands were two feet apart.
“I’m sorry…what is happening right now?” Daphne asked.
“He wants you to tell him how big Rob is,” Bee said. “You have to tell him when to stop.” She gestured back to Justin’s hands which were still moving farther apart.
“Oh.” Daphne laughed. “Right around when you said Holy anaconda. But are you talking flaccid or erect? Because if you mean erect…”
Justin pretended to faint. “How can he be a grower and a shower? I think I’m in love!”
I laughed.
“Your turn,” he said to me and started moving his hands apart again.
“Justin, you’re literally about to go through James’ underwear drawer. I think that’s enough of an intrusion for one evening.”
“Oh, so he’s smaller than anaconda boy?”
“I definitely didn’t say that.”
Justin smiled. “I’m satisfied with that answer.” He turned to Bee. “Your turn. And also have you seen the little one’s?”
“I’m sorry…what?” Bee asked. “Mason does not have a little penis.”
Justin laughed. “Oh, I don’t doubt that. I meant the little Caldwell’s member. Whatever his name is. I always forget because he’s not important to me. It doesn’t matter. Let’s focus on Mason’s. And go.” He started moving his hands farther and farther apart until the whole limo was laughing.