Seduction - Chapter 24
Friday
I pulled on the dress I’d grabbed from the closet.
This one was even more inappropriate than my first dress.
James would not have been happy if he saw me leave the house in this.
But it was one of my only dresses that still fit.
I froze. Wait, had James somehow planned this fiasco with Justin?
In hopes that I’d have to come change into something with less cleavage showing?
No, that was ridiculous. My husband was a little controlling, but I don’t think he’d ever purposely make me get sick. This was all Justin. Yeah, I still wanted to slap him.
When I left the bathroom, everyone was jumping on my bed hitting each other with pillows.
Oh God. How did they have so much energy?
All I wanted to do was climb into that bed and fall asleep.
Honestly, the thought of sleeping at a hotel instead of here made me sigh.
I wanted to be wrapped in my own comforter and James’ arms. I didn’t need a night out. I just wanted to be home with James.
Justin slid out of James’ closet in a totally new outfit. “What about this one?” he asked as he spun in a circle.
Everyone stopped jumping and turned toward him.
“It’s an A from me,” Kristen said, in a sultry voice that I think she thought sounded like James.
Spoiler alert…it did not.
“A plus!” Bee yelled.
I laughed and threw a pillow at her.
She caught it and jumped off the bed. “Tonight is so fun!” she said and gave me a big, drunken hug.
Is it though? I literally just spent the last twenty minutes scrubbing vomit out of my hair. We had very different definitions of fun.
“Justin, you said you were just borrowing a shirt,” I said. Why was he in a whole new ensemble?
“Yeah, but these pants were slim cut and way in the back of the closet. And every good party needs an outfit change. Besides, I’ve never seen James wear them before. He won’t miss them.” He adjusted his new V-neck shirt in the mirror.
He was acting like he saw my husband all the time instead of only at fancy events.
“Whatever you say,” I said. Yeah, I was a terrible negotiator. “Is that all you took? The shirt and the pants?” I felt like I’d have some explaining to do to my husband.
Justin turned to me. “What do you think?” He gave me a wink.
“What else did you take?”
“You said I could have free reign in his underwear drawer.”
“I didn’t say that exactly…”
“Too late now. My tight little booty has already slid into a pair of very sexy briefs. And they’re a little loose in the you-know-where region. I think James wins.”
I laughed.
“Okay, ladies!” Justin said and clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention. “If you think tonight has been fun…”
I don’t.
“…then just wait until you see the surprise event of the evening. Time for destination #3! Come with me!” He sprinted out of the room.
“He has so much energy,” Daphne said. “I need to get on his level.” She cheered and jumped off the bed. “I’m pumped for whatever the surprise is. I mean, it has to be better than the getting bagged and escorted into James’ closet thing.” She looped her arm through mine.
“Oh, you mean your ideal bachelorette party didn’t involve perving around in your soon-to-be brother-in-law’s closet?”
She laughed. “Honestly, I should have guessed that we’d wind up here at some point since Kristen and Justin are both involved.”
“Party time!” Kristen said and hopped off the bed. “I hope you don’t mind…but I took something from the closet too.” She held up one of James’ ties.
I was just about to tell her that I most certainly did mind, but she sprinted out of the room so fast.
I was really starting to hate athletes. Especially ones with long tan legs, brown hair, and flat unpregnant bellies.
God, she’s actually going to try to steal James from me, isn’t she?
But if she thought James wanted to be tied up, she was mistaken.
He was more the one to do the tying. And he certainly didn’t want to tie anyone down but me.
I hope . I thought about her stupid long legs again and tan skin.
Sometimes being a short, pasty redhead really sucked.
“I’m so sorry,” Daphne said, apologizing for Kristen for the millionth time.
“She’s not actually going to try to sleep with my husband, is she?”
“No,” Alina said, but bit her lip. “I mean…I don’t think so. That would be totally inappropriate.”
Daphne laughed. “I don’t know if Kristen understands the meaning of inappropriate.”
“We’ll shove Matt in front of her tomorrow at the wedding,” Bee said. “Surely that will be distracting enough. What’s up with Justin acting like he doesn’t know Matt, by the way? It’s so weird.”
I shrugged. Honestly a lot of things Justin did were weird. Like the fact that he was wearing my husband’s clothes right now. And I was too tired to question any of it.
***
“This is not a good part of town,” Bee said as the limo turned down another empty street.
We were passing by all these dilapidated buildings. Each one looked more rundown than the last.
“Where are we?” Daphne asked.
“Near the pier,” Justin said. “Isn’t it wonderful?”
“Um…no,” Daphne said. “It’s horrifying, actually.”
“Getting those hearts racing again!” Justin said.
“Justin, are you trying to actually murder us now? Instead of just pretending to?”
“Bwahaha! Could you imagine? Moi? A murderer? Nonsense.”
“Honestly the evil laughter right before that wasn’t very convincing,” I said.
“Bwahaha!” he said again.
“Justin, it’s only September. If you’re planning something Halloween related, it’s a little too early for that. Save it for the Caldwell Halloween party.”
He squealed. “Did you just invite me to the annual Caldwell Halloween party? It’s the talk of the town that they’re bringing it back. I’m so excited!” He screamed at the top of his lungs and I winced.
I hadn’t technically invited him. But…what could I say now? “I’m sure I can get you an invite.”
“I knew I loved you.” He gave me a big kiss on the cheek. “You smell a million times better by the way. Almost as good as me in your husband’s clothes. What cologne does he wear?” He lifted up a zip-up hoodie that I hadn’t seen him take from James’ closet and gave it a big sniff. He sighed.
“Justin, you can’t have that.”
He looked up from his sniffing. “What? This ratty thing?”
“It’s…you can’t have that one.” James had worn it that night when he’d driven me home from my terrible date with Austin. The night it had started pouring. The first night he had kissed me.
“I know, it belongs in the trash. That’s why I took it. I figured it was going there soon anyway.”
“It’s not trash.” I grabbed it out of his hands. He was right. James’ cologne wafted off of the fabric, making me feel dizzy. It was like I was transported back to that night. “It’s my favorite.”
“If you say so. You can have it back as long as I can keep everything else.” He gave me a smile that showed me he knew exactly what he had done. Stolen a sentimental hoodie for negotiation purposes.
Didn’t he know I was a terrible negotiator? I would have let him keep all the stuff anyway. “Yeah, of course. Those clothes are yours now.” I pulled the hoodie to my chest. But this was mine. I couldn’t imagine it ever being thrown away.
“So…back to the Caldwell Halloween party. Is it clothing optional?” he asked.
I laughed. “I think it’s costume required.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
Doesn’t it though?
“You guys…this really feels like we just entered a horror film,” Daphne said as she stared out the window.
“Don’t worry, ladies. Destination #3 isn’t Halloween themed. It’s sex themed.”
“Oh, are the stripper kidnappers coming back?” Kristen asked.
“No. I already utilized my stripper budget.”
Kristen laughed. “Oh, you’re serious?” Her face fell. “But what is a bachelorette party without strippers?”
“Sounds fine to me,” Daphne said. “That would have been super awkward to tell Rob about tomorrow morning. Wait…do you think there were strippers at his bachelor party?” She turned to me. “Did James say anything about strippers?”
I held up my hands. “James didn’t plan it. Justin did.”
“What?”
Justin’s saucy smile was back.
“Are there strippers at his?” she asked him.
“What happens at a bachelor party stays at a bachelor party. Look, we’re here!” He pointed out the window.
Our limo had just stopped outside a very rundown warehouse. Just looking at it made me shiver.
“Yeah…I’m not going in there,” I said. “That has tetanus written all over it. And I’m not sure if it’s safe to get a shot while I’m pregnant.”
“Me too,” Daphne said. She immediately shook her head. “Not about the pregnancy thing of course. I’m not pregnant. I just meant…I don’t want tetanus either. And that place looks rusty AF.”
I laughed.
“This isn’t a debate,” Justin said and opened the door. “All of you will go into the haunted warehouse right this instant. Don’t make me call Raphael to drag your asses inside.”
“Technically…you said you already spent your stripper budget,” Daphne said. “So you can’t get Raphael here to do that.”
“Money isn’t the only way to pay people, missy. Now OUT!” He pointed toward the warehouse with all the authority in the world.
“He seems pissed,” Alina said and climbed out. “I’m sure it’s safe, right?”
“It sounds like something really sexy is about to happen,” Kristen said. “I’m definitely in!” She joined Alina and Justin.
Bee shrugged. “He’s not going to kill me. He wants to plan my wedding. I’m probably the safest one here.” She patted my knee and climbed out of the limo.
Daphne and I looked at each other.
“He’s not going to kill me the night before my wedding, right?” She laughed, but it sounded forced. “Although…he does kind of hate me. Maybe this is where he murders me and tries to steal Rob for himself. I should have lied and said Rob’s penis was only this big.” She held up her pinky finger.