Chapter 4 #3
“Okay, girls, line up! We’ve got Mark, Jason, and Grayson here—three best friends from the state of Arizona—and they want to see how much you can turn them on as you take off those tops and those bras. Who wants to go first, girls?”
I bite on my lower lip.
There’s no way.
I watch as Rafe starts coming closer to the stage.
There’s no way he’s going to embarrass me.
Before I know what I’m doing, I stick my hand up.
“Me,” I say.
I walk forward, and I’m not sure how my legs are carrying me. Amelia looks aghast as I make my way across the stage.
“Hey, sexy,” John says, looking directly at my chest. “Okay, guys, this is Julia.”
“It’s Juniper,” I say to him, but he just ignores me.
“Julia, I want you to take a seat on Mark’s lap there, and when we play the music, I want you to give him your best lap dance.
Feel free to take off as many clothes as possible, and if you take off that T-shirt, feel free to throw it into the crowd.
I’m sure there are plenty of men out here who want to see all you have to offer. ”
“Um …” I say as I walk slowly over to Mark.
I stand in front of him, and he’s leering at me, licking his lips, his eyes glued to my breasts. I stare at him and am about to lower myself onto his lap when John stops me.
“No, honey. You’ve got to turn around. Face the audience. We all want to see those beautiful boobies as you take your top off.”
I spin around, my heart racing. I feel Mark’s hand on my waist, sliding up, and before I can say anything, I watch as Rafe runs up to the stage and grabs my hand.
“That’s enough, Juniper,” he says as he pulls me toward him.
“Hey, you can’t be up here!” John shouts.
Rafe just glares at him. He looks down at me, his blue eyes furious.
“I don’t know what the hell you think you’re doing or if you’re drunk, but we’re leaving.”
“But I—”
“Juniper, are you really about to give that man a lap dance? Are you really about to let him peel off your T-shirt and squeeze your boobs?”
I bite down on my lower lip.
“Is that what you want?” he says.
I shake my head.
“That’s what I thought. Come on.” He pulls me into him and lifts me up slightly, and I reach my hands around his neck as men start booing.
I am so embarrassed. I don’t want to look at anyone.
“I’m taking you home,” he says as he strides through Cocktails & Chaos to the parking lot.
I hold on to him until we reach the outside.
“What the fuck do you think you were doing, Juniper?”
“What are you talking about?”
“A wet T-shirt contest. Really? I know you didn’t know it was that. I know you actually thought it was a talent contest.”
“I knew it was a wet T-shirt contest. I wanted to show my boobs and win a thousand dollars,” I lie.
He looks down at me, his lips twitching slightly.
“Really? You wanted to show your boobs to all those strange men and be felt up by some young college kids?”
“Well, I mean …” I bite down on my lower lip. “Maybe not.”
“Juniper, you really need to grow up.”
“Excuse me?”
“You can’t be making these dumb decisions.”
“What dumb decisions? I was having fun. Just because you were uncomfortable—”
“I wasn’t uncomfortable,” he says, running his fingers through his hair. “In fact, I was very comfortable.”
My eyes narrow as I gaze up into his eyes. “What does that mean?”
“I’m a man, Juniper. You don’t think I want to see some hot girls shaking their boobs? I am not ninety, and even if I was, maybe I’d still like it then.”
“You’re a pig,” I say, hitting him in the shoulder.
“I’m not a pig,” he says. “If you noticed, my eyes have been on yours the entire time. I was looking at your face.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I could have been looking at you like this.” His eyes lower slightly, and he’s staring at my breasts.
I can feel my nipples are hard, and I look down. My T-shirt is plastered to me, and I quickly pull it back, but then it tightens against me. I look up, and he’s still staring at me. His body is stiff, and I watch as he swallows. His eyes slowly meet mine again.
“See? I could have been looking at you like that. Like that’s all I cared about.”
“But you don’t see me as a woman, Rafe, because I’m Mia’s best friend.”
“Is that really what you think?” He chuckles slightly as he shakes his head.
“Well, I …” I bite down on my lower lip.
“What?” he says as he grabs my wrists and pulls me into him. “Do you want me to show you what I would do if you weren’t Mia’s best friend?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I mean, if you were throwing yourself at me and entering a wet T-shirt contest and I was just a man who didn’t care, I’d very much take advantage of the situation.”
His thumb reaches down and brushes my lower lip, and I gasp as he slides his hand down the side of my body and pulls me into him. He thrusts slightly, and I can feel hardness poking into my stomach.
My eyes widen as he chuckles softly.
“You see, Juniper, you are not ready.”
“Not ready for what?” I say.
“Ready for what I’d do if you were to rip that T-shirt off …” he growls and then grabs my hand. “But that’s enough. Let me get you home before I do something that we’ll both regret.”
I want to tell him that I would regret nothing, but I’m not drunk enough to let my inner thoughts cause me trouble again.