Chapter 10 #2
The women seated at the tables clapped and cheered as I encouraged them to get closer to the stage.
As they shuffled chairs around and drew near, I explained, “Bella’s bachelorette celebration is going to be a little different than most would imagine.
Yes, we’re in a bar, and yes, the drinks will be flowing, but we’ve changed things up a bit.
Years ago, my mom had Kale ask some women who worked here at The Glass Slipper to give her lessons on how to dance.
She ended up bringing several women to join her in class.
Those women were our moms, aunts, and closest family friends.
Later, some of those women arranged for Nichole to have her bachelorette party and baby shower with entertainment provided by some hot, oiled-up, muscular males. ”
Most of us had heard about that party and even seen pictures from that night, so it was no surprise there was a lot of whistling and cheering at the mention of how much fun the women had all those years ago.
“Anyway, we’ve made arrangements to have some eye candy for you tonight.
A few of you may not enjoy some of the scenery as much as others, but we made sure there’s a diverse assortment.
While you enjoy your cocktails, we’ll have professionals on stage to give you some tips and tricks on how to dance sexier to give your ego a boost or put on a show for your chosen audience. ”
When the crowd went wild, it became clear that they had already had a few.
That would make this event all the more fun.
I almost had pity for the men we’d chosen to be our servers tonight since they’d been bribed and coerced in a myriad of ways.
I chuckled, and my sympathy quickly dissipated.
I’d known these guys forever. They damn well deserved whatever embarrassment tonight caused them.
And considering what they’d planned - with no input from any of us, I knew that tonight would be very memorable. Maybe even as memorable as the party Janis’ mom had before she was born.
I signaled for the DJ to cue the music as I hopped off the edge of the stage onto the floor.
When the beat started, I announced, “Give a warm welcome to our servers for the evening! First up is Noble Hamilton - a decorated officer of the Rojo police department who enjoys working out and serving the fine citizens of Rojo . . . especially the ladies!”
Noble sauntered out to the beat of the music, and I was surprised to see him wearing a white T-shirt. Just then, he spun around and then faced the audience as he ripped it off and tossed it aside.
The music could barely be heard over the howls of laughter and screams of encouragement. I looked over at Bella to find her wide-eyed as she watched Noble bump and grind onstage. When he dropped and did a series of one-armed pushups, her mouth fell open in shock.
I was laughing as Janis appeared beside me and laughed even harder when she put her fingers in her mouth and whistled loudly, encouraging our friend as he worked the ladies into a frenzy.
I sensed someone close behind me right before hands rested on my hips. I knew those hands and wasn’t the slightest bit surprised when I heard Garvey say into my ear, “Even if I was a drinker, there’s not enough liquor in this town to get me up on that fucking stage.”
I turned to give him a kiss before I pulled my phone out and handed it to him. “In that case, you can be in charge of video.”
◆◆◆
ALAZEI GONZALES
The second the elevator doors opened, I heard laughter I recognized coming from the bar. At this time of night, the hotel was mostly shut down. The kitchen was closed, and the bar was dark, but the employees were still working, just like me and my friends.
The first person I saw was Avita, one of Constance Romano’s guards. I hadn’t had many interactions with her until this trip, when we often found ourselves together as our charges delved into all the festivities and preparations leading up to the wedding.
I pulled out a chair and sat down between Bettina and Ilaria, the personal guards to Tabby Russo and Brett Campana, best friends who were together almost constantly.
Alessia, Bex Romano’s guard, was laughing as she scrolled through pictures on Avita’s phone. When she came to the video of the first male dancer, she paused it and studied the man on the screen before she asked, “The guys who were dancing tonight are friends of Bella?”
Before I had a chance to answer, Ilaria asked, “Did you get her delivered to Mr. Russo?”
“I did, but not before she told the men guarding the floor how gorgeous they’d be if they stopped frowning all the time and actually smiled.
” The women at the table laughed because they’d all had plenty of run-ins with the guards, who seemed to think working for the men in charge made them more important than us.
“The best part was when she suggested that they eat more fiber because being more regular would help their disposition.”
“Wait! Wait!” Bettina gasped as she craned her neck to look at the gift shop near the front desk.
She saw what she was looking for and put her hand up in triumph before she said, “I thought I saw some earlier, and I was right! They’ve got Fiber Fit bars over there.
I’m going to grab some and pass them out on the way to my room! ”
“We should all get some and just hand one to Salvatore or Ciro next time we see them without saying a word,” Avita suggested.
“The party tonight was insane,” Alessia said with an exasperated look. “At first, I thought the club was open to the public after all, but then I was told that all of those women knew Bella!”
“She grew up here, so it makes sense,” I said as I opened the bottle of water I’d gotten from my room when I stopped in to change after I dropped Bella off. “She belongs to a motorcycle club, as do all the women in the wedding party. Many of the women that were there tonight do too.”
“You just got here, Alessia, so you’ve missed out on some adventures. These people are totally different than I imagined, but in a good way,” Bettina told her.
Since Bettina and Ilaria worked with Brett and Tabby, they didn’t know as many of Bella’s friends as me or even Avita.
She worked in Colorado and came to Texas with Constance all the time.
Alessia had just arrived with Bex Romano yesterday, and other than dinner at the restaurant last night, this was her first encounter with the craziness that seemed to follow Bella Conner around.
“We’ve got paintball tomorrow, which is going to be hilarious, and then they’re racing dirt bikes Sunday morning before we go out to Bella’s family’s house for dinner,” I said, reminding the women of this weekend’s schedule.
“The final dress fittings are on Monday, and there is a photoshoot at The Flower Patch on Tuesday with all the women in their dresses. On Wednesday, there will be a party at The Flower Patch, and they’ll actually harvest the flowers they’ll be carrying in their bouquets.
The wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinner are Thursday, and then we’ll have Friday to catch our breath.
Saturday is the main event. We’ll be running from sunup until the wee hours of Sunday morning when the reception finally winds down. ”
“I’m tired just thinking about it,” Alessia admitted. “And you’ve been going like this for a week already?”
“Yes, but it hasn’t been just this week. Planning this wedding has taken the better part of the year. If I hear one more mention of color swatches or seating charts after next week, I’m going to end up in prison. I need a raise, a vacation, and six cases of red wine,” I said honestly.
“Considering that the woman you work for plans weddings for a living, you’re going to end up in prison before Christmas,” Avita predicted.
“Okay. Blah, blah, blah. Enough about work and plans for the week. We need to discuss a pressing issue,” Bettina announced, putting her hands up.
When she knew she had our attention, she asked, “Has anyone else noticed how many smoking hot men with charming manners and that sexy Texas drawl are in Bella’s circle of friends and family? ”
I burst out laughing and said, “And those guys dancing tonight! Three of them are actual cops!”
“I don’t have a problem being cuffed in certain circumstances,” Bex’s guard, Alessia, announced.
“Wait until you meet the rest of Bella’s family. Four words: Hot. Construction. Worker. Fantasy,” I told the women. “And her biker friends. They can rev my engine any time.”
Avita, Constance Romano’s guard, leaned in and said, “Wait until the rest of her friends from Colorado show up. They come by to see Rin all the time, and it’s like a Viking invasion, especially when Rin’s uncles are around. The hair, the braids, and hot damn, the tattoos!”
“Oh! And the hot bikers that run around with Luca and Matteo’s dad in Texas? They’ve got guys all over the place. I want to pick a random state and become a damsel in distress so they’ll send a couple to rescue me,” Bettina exclaimed.
“They’re the ones they call Nomads. A few of them are here because they’re married to Bella’s friends, but there are others just here for a visit and not specifically for the wedding.”
“You know, when I went into this business, I assumed I’d end up working for some stuffy old man in a suit, end up bored out of my mind within a year, and then move on.
This job is nothing like I expected it to be,” Alessia admitted.
“I’m just glad I got Bex instead of some of the smaller children.
Those guards deserve awards for bravery, especially trying to keep them contained in a hotel room for any length of time. ”
“They’ll be staying at Bella’s whenever there’s an event they can’t attend,” I informed them. “Like paintball.”
“Bex is so excited about tomorrow!” Alessia said. “I am too, although it goes against all my training to let anyone shoot her.”
“They said we’re welcome to join in,” Bettina told us. “What do you guys think? Should we suit up, or would that be too unfair?”
“I’m gonna be right in the middle of it,” I told them.
“I have an idea, but I’m not sure who to talk to about making it happen,” Ilaria said slyly. “I say we find a way to play strip paintball. Bella’s guy friends need to lose one article of clothing every time they get hit.”
“If you can figure out how to make that happen, I’ll be eternally grateful,” Avita told her.
“And I’ll play paintball until I’m too exhausted to hold the gun.”