LAILAH
TWENTY-THREE
It was finally New Year’s Eve, and even though the party wasn’t until later, there was a lot to do.
Cami and Maggs arrived in the early evening, and we started the long process of getting ready.
Mind you, we were very easily distracted, talking about other things, but we managed to get the important things covered.
Cami talked me into wearing my hair straight, which I don’t think I’d ever done except for the few times a year I went to get my hair done at the salon.
It was always so much work that I didn’t have the energy to do it on my own.
So, once I was out of the shower, Maggs blow dried it and started the ordeal of flat ironing it.
When she was done a million years later, I was shocked to see what I looked like with my hair done and a full face of makeup.
“Aw, my baby Lala is growing up before my very eyes.” Cami sniffed, wiping fake tears from her eyes.
I glared at her but then turned back to the mirror. “They better not get used to this sort of thing. I’m not cut out to be this high maintenance.”
“I agree. Some things should be kept special or they lose their wow factor,” Maggs said, giving me a wink.
“Okay, so we have an hour before we need to leave for this thing. Can I see your dress now, babe?” Cami begged, pulling out the puppy dog eyes and quivering lower lip.
Maggs just rolled her eyes and shooed us both out of the bathroom so she could get changed.
My dress was in the closet, so I decided just to go ahead and put it on since Cami, having no shame, was tossing off her clothes in the middle of my room.
I still couldn’t get over how large this dang closet was, and I hardly had clothes to fill one row or more than four drawers out of the eight I had available to me. Do people really need that much stuff?
“Okay, everyone dressed?” Cami called. “On the count of three, we shall reveal ourselves. One… two… three.”
Shaking my head, I walked out of the closet but stopped short as Cami stood there, striking a pose in her outfit for the night. The tux was blinged out to the max, and even the top hat perched on her head sparkled.
I couldn’t hold back my laughter as I took her in. “Girl, you look like a burlesque dancer, or straight from a Broadway show in that getup.”
“Don’t be jealous, Lala. You know this is fabulous and will turn everyone’s heads when we show up,” Cami said, giving me a twirl.
Maggs opened the bathroom door, and Cami gasped.
Her retro rockabilly girlfriend was stunning in a black tassel dress that hit mid-thigh, and with her long legs, it made it seem impossibly too short for my taste.
She smirked at Cami, and when she did a twirl, all the tassels floated out in a wild dance.
“What were you saying, babe, about turning heads?”
“God, I am one fucking lucky woman,” Cami gushed as she pulled Maggs down for a heated kiss.
Feeling like they might need a minute, I slipped out of the bedroom and headed downstairs to find the guys.
They were all hanging out in the library, and when I walked in, I thought I was at a photoshoot for GQ magazine or something.
Each of them had on a formal tux, and even though I had seen them in one for the Christmas party, it still made my heart flutter.
Parker whistled his appreciation as he walked over. “Damn, Trouble.”
My cheeks heated as I felt my blush bloom across them. He took my hand and spun me around like I was a ballerina or something, embarrassing me even more.
“Damn, I am so glad to be the one who asked you to go and get to have you on my arm all night.” Parker grinned.
“You better let the rest of us have a chance to dance with her, though,” Brayden said as he walked up and gave me a kiss on the forehead. “It would be torture not to be able to hold you in my arms, at least for a little while.”
How could this man make my heart melt so easily?
“Of course I’ll save a dance for all of you. Even if I’m Parker’s date, you’re all still mine,” I answered with a smirk. “I better not catch some other woman getting her hands on you all.”
“There’s other women?” Parker asked, his brows scrunched. He tried to hold the expression as long as he could, but eventually it crumbled into laughter as he slid his arm around my waist. “I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that, Trouble.”
Cami and Maggs finally made it down to join us, and I couldn’t help but notice they both looked a little rumpled after their makeout session. “So I’m driving, right?”
“No,” all the guys said loudly, making me giggle.
“Tough crowd, tough crowd.” Cami frowned, hand on her hips. “Alright, what was your bright idea then, boys?”
There was a knock at the front door, and we all turned to look at it.
“That would be our plan,” Micah drawled. “A limo so none of us have to drive or worry if we drink.”
“Okay, flame boy. That was a good idea, I’ll give you that,” Cami said with an approving nod before clapping her hands together. “Let’s get this show on the road.”
Piling into the limo, we headed off to the event hall where the party was going to take place.
Waiting for us was chilled champagne and glasses, which Cami promptly filled and shared with us.
Lifting her glass, she shared her toast. “May this night be one to never forget and the year to come be filled with more adventure, love, and overall badassery.”
Laughing, we all clinked glasses and sat back, enjoying the excitement that was filling the space as we geared up to let loose and live a little.
The whole building was lit up, making it seem like it glowed in golden light.
Cars of people were being dropped off at the front of the building, so I had a few moments to take it all in.
Typically with my family back in Wisconsin, we would be hanging out in the living room, watching movies and eating snack foods until the countdown.
Some years, my parents would just stay up to watch the ball drop in New York and go to bed an hour early while the three of us kids stayed up for the real deal.
Every once in a while, Kyle would have a girl he was dating and they would be at a friend’s house, but this kind of thing was something I never dreamed of experiencing.
Who knew that going to college would show me how much of the world I had been missing out on, trapped away in my own little corner of my small Midwest town?
As I exited the limo, Parker took my hand and tucked it into his elbow, pulling golden tickets out of his jacket pocket.
“Why do I get the feeling these tickets cost far more than I think they should?” I muttered as he smirked down at me.
“Nope, none of that, Trouble. You are well worth any price to spoil.”
I frowned up at him. “You don’t have to spend money on me for me to feel spoiled.”
“Yet another reason why we love to do it. You are so very easy to please. It actually makes it fun to splurge when it’s not demanded,” Parker said with a shrug.
“Don’t ever let me become one of those girls, please.” I grimaced, horrified at the idea.
“I don’t think it’s possible for that to ever happen,” he said as he handed over our tickets. The man at the door scanned them and gestured us through.
The hall was decked out in gold, feathers, and pearls, and in the center of the main room was the largest champagne tower I had ever seen.
Buffet tables were lined on both sides with finger foods and other small delights for you to munch on, along with a full-service bar on the back wall.
I could hear jazz music coming through the doors on the right and took a wild guess that’s where the dancing was.
Parker led me further into the room, and I couldn’t help but gawk at all the women dressed to the nines and the men in their dapper suits.
Now I was very glad that Cami and Maggs made me spend so long getting ready—this was not a place you could show up looking half-assed.
“Where to first?” Parker asked, turning to me. “We can eat, drink, or dance our faces off. I hear the band is the bee’s knees.”
I raised a brow at him with a smile tugging at my lips. “Did you look up phrases to use at this party?”
“Maybe… still, it doesn’t change the question,” Parker dismissed, holding out a hand to me. “Shall we? I’m not trying to brag or anything, but I have a certain talent for doing the jitterbug.”
“Oh, is that what the boys are calling it these days?” Cami chirped, her face the picture of innocence.
I burst out laughing at the confused expression on Parker’s face. “Can we please move on from this conversation? I don’t think either one of you will win this particular battle.”
“That is a smart woman you have on your arm tonight, Parker-poo. Don’t fuck it up, okay?” Cami grinned as she took Maggs’ hand and lead the way into the ballroom.
After getting dragged into a dance-off with Parker and Cami, I needed a break. Seeing I needed to be rescued, Brayden stole me away, and we explored what hors d’oeuvres there were and found a cocktail table to eat at.
“Are you having a good time?” Brayden asked, catching my hand and turning it over so he could trace a finger along my palm.
I nodded my head. “Yes, this has been a blast. Parker always seems to make things fun, even when I fail at it completely.”
“Yes, he does have that habit…” he murmured, looking down at the table.
I grasped his hand, and he looked up at me. “I’ve missed you,” I admitted. “I know we see each other every day and we spend time together, but it hasn’t been just the two of us.”
“Yeah, now that the others are stepping up their game, it’s made catching you alone a little more challenging, but we’ll figure it out.
I need to be more intentional about asking you to do something with me, because it’s going to be even harder once classes start up again,” Brayden said, brushing his free hand along my cheek.
“The only thing that helps is knowing that I’m connected to you and can reach to see how you’re doing, even if I’m not there. ”
“That has taken some getting used to, learning whose feelings I’m feeling when, but now it’s like comforting white noise in the background until I need it.” I smiled. “I can’t even imagine what it will be like when all five of you are rattling around in my head.”
“Well, since I still have you to myself, would you care to dance?” Brayden asked. His eyes sparkled with mirth and love as I let myself be led back to the ballroom.
This time the music changed, and it was more jazzy.
This is when I’d been worried that they would be expecting us all to know how to jitterbug or foxtrot, but thankfully that wasn’t the case.
I spotted some people giving lessons on one part of the dance floor, but it wasn’t what the majority of partygoers were doing.
Brayden swept me into the flow of bodies and took over from there, which I was forever grateful for.
Soon, I was able to get out of my own head—I’m sure the two glasses of champagne helped—and the next thing I knew, I was twirling into Hudson’s arms. He pulled me close, and we swayed along to a smooth jazz song.
Bending down so his lips brushed my ear, he spoke loud enough so I could hear him. “I didn’t get to tell you earlier, but you look ravishing, Sunshine.”
“You don’t look so bad yourself there, sir. Makes me want to have you leave it on the next time we’re alone,” I told him, nipping his earlobe, causing him to tighten his grip on my hip to drop lower to my ass.
“Whatever would please you, my Sunshine, I would be happy to do for you,” Hudson purred, nuzzling into my neck.
Now that we had both turned each other on, which was very clear though our connection, we just clung to each other as we moved along the dance floor. All too soon, I was handed off to Jay for a much more formal waltz.
“Relax and let me lead,” Jay instructed as I stumbled against his direction.
It was easier said than done, and I kept trying to figure out the steps so I would stop stumbling.
Jay swung me wide then pulled me close so my back was to him, giving him the perfect moment to whisper in my ear.
“Beautiful, you need to be a good girl and trust me to take the lead. I will not let anything happen to you, but you have to let go.”
That right there, with the slight growl to his voice, made me melt as he pulled me away from him, back into the dance.
This time, I closed my eyes and let him control my body, trusting he would keep me from crashing into anyone or doing anything else that might harm me.
When I opened my eyes, there was a soft smile on Jay’s lips that transformed his already handsome face into something that would make any woman drop her panties instantly.
The hand that was on my shoulder slid around the back of my neck, and he applied pressure so I knew he was there but nothing that would alarm me.
It was as if he flipped a switch, and when he pulled us into a dark corner, I was more than willing to meet his kiss as he pulled me up to him.
It wouldn’t take much for someone to stumble upon us, but Jay’s body mostly blocked me from sight.
He started nipping down my neck, and I let it fall to the side so he had better access to it.
A thumb swept over my nipple, causing me to gasp and clutch his biceps to keep my legs from giving out.
This was the first time I could see the appeal of what it was that Jay loved about the possibility of being seen, the danger of getting caught.
My whole body shivered, breaths coming out in shallow pants.
I thought I might even come on the spot the more he teased me.
“Does my good girl need to come?” Jay asked, his lips whispering against my jaw.
I had to swallow before I could speak, my mouth having gone dry. “Yes…”
Jay placed his leg between mine and shifted my dress so my center was resting on it. “I can’t do all the work, Beautiful. You’re gonna need to help if you want to finish.”
Shocked, I looked up at him, unsure of what he was talking about.
Seeing my confusion, he took my hips and pulled them forward so I was rubbing along his thigh.
I let out a cry of surprise, which he silenced with a kiss before he slid me back and forth until I got the rhythm and continued it on my own.
He shifted his hand to my chest, letting his thumbs circle my hardened nipples, and when he felt me speeding up, on the edge of release, he pinched them both roughly.
I collapsed against him, biting his shoulder to keep from crying out.
Hugging me close, he ran a soothing hand up and down my back, whispering sweet words to me as I came down from my high.
I never thought orgasms could get more intense, but that one was unlike anything else, and he didn’t even have his dick in me.
Once I’d caught my breath, he righted my dress and led me back to the others, who all smirked and gave Jay a knowing look.