Chapter 22
LACEY
I groaned into my ice water. I thought maybe the party would have mellowed out a bit at the restaurant, but instead, things had kicked into high gear.
We’d been seated in a private room in the back, and the trays of Cherry Blossom Chillers hadn’t stopped coming.
Music blared over the speaker system, pounding into my head, making me wish I had a pharmacy of painkillers at my disposal instead of my ineffective ibuprofen.
“More sushi?” Celeste dropped into the seat next to me. “The spicy tuna rolls are really good.”
I couldn’t stomach raw fish right now. I wanted to get to the hotel, check in, and take a long, hot soak in the tub. “No thanks. So, what’s the plan after dinner? I know Adeline’s got a full day of shopping planned for tomorrow. Are we turning in early?”
Celeste smiled, the kind of patronizing smile she might give to a child who’d asked a stupid question. “We’ve got entertainment on the way. Then we’re heading to Ice Blue, it’s one of the best dance clubs in Dallas.”
“Right.” I twirled my straw around in my glass. Time for another refill of H2O. “So I’ve got a monster headache coming on. Do you think you could drop me at the hotel on the way?”
“Don’t be silly.” Celeste bumped her shoulder into mine. “You’re not going to want to miss what we have planned.”
Oh, don’t bet your push-up bra on it. I stopped myself from actually uttering those words out loud.
Maybe I could sneak out and grab a cab. Or download one of those ride apps I’d never had the chance to use.
I was about to excuse myself to find a quiet place to make a call when the door to the dining room opened.
Three men walked in, dressed in dark blue uniforms. Sunglasses shaded their eyes.
My first thought was that we were being busted for drugs.
I’d seen the pills Celeste had tucked into her purse.
When the tallest guy flashed a badge and held out handcuffs, I cradled my head in my hands.
We were going down. All of us. I never should have agreed to come to Dallas with Adeline.
Celeste nudged me in the side. “Here comes the fun.”
I looked up. Two of the men sandwiched Adeline between them. The guy with the handcuffs spoke. “I hear you’ve been some naughty, naughty girls.”
Strippers. That might be even worse than the bride-to-be getting busted. My head went from throbbing to pounding as Adeline squealed, her smile giving her away that she was all in on this particular turn of events.
The men fanned out. One settled Adeline into a chair and started doing things to her that I’d only heard about.
I couldn’t stick around for this. No amount of ibuprofen would be a match for the headache I’d get from witnessing a room full of bridesmaids shrieking over a muscled man whipping off his pants.
I stood, intent on making my way outside to call that cab I’d thought about. The tall guy blocked my path.
“Going somewhere?” He arched a brow.
I glanced up at his face. It was a nice face. Looked like he’d shaved recently, probably to cut down on leaving scruff marks behind when he nuzzled his chin between some unsuspecting woman’s breasts like his buddy was doing to Celeste. Blue eyes appraised me, his mouth curling into a smile.
I nodded, attempting to keep my cool. “I’m going to head outside and get some fresh air.”
He reached for my wrist. “But the party’s just getting started.”
I pulled away. “Not my kind of party. But y’all have fun.”
The giant dropped to his knees in front of me. “You mean it’s not your kind of party yet.”
“What are you doing?” I tried to take a step back, but he caught me around the waist.
“You can’t go before I get a taste of your T-shirt.” His mouth closed in on my navel.
I couldn’t move. His lips moved closer and closer as his arms wrapped tighter and tighter around my hips.
Stomach knotting, palms sweating, I watched the tip of his tongue slip out, heading straight for the scratch-and-taste circle in the center of my breastbone.
I put my hands on his shoulders, pushing him away.
My knee flew up, connecting with his nose.
His head snapped back. Blood flowed down his chin.
His fingers went up to his lip. “You busted my nose.”
Red dots spattered across the front of my Lick Me T-shirt. My eyes widened as my hands began to shake. Oh no. Oh no, no, no, no, no.
Celeste took one look at the blood then ran out the door on her stilettos.
The two other strippers stopped what they were doing, leaving the theme song from Cops booming through the speakers.
If it hadn’t been so horrifying, I might have burst into laughter.
As it was, I fought like mad to beat down the beginnings of a panic attack.
“Ice. Here, put some ice on it.” Celeste returned with a napkin full of ice with two more uniformed officers in tow.
“Is there a problem here?” one of the men asked.
Great, more strippers to join the fray. “Not unless you want to try to lick me, too,” I said, stepping in front of them.
“Excuse me?” The officer who’d entered first looked me up and down. “Are you responsible for the assault on this man?”
“I suppose so. And there’s plenty more where that came from if you don’t get out of my way.” I wasn’t sure where my instant confidence had come from, but there was no way another man was going to try to lick me tonight, not even if my raunchy shirt practically demanded it.
“Are you threatening an officer, miss?” The other uniformed man stepped beside his buddy.
“If that’s what it takes to get out of here.” I clamped my hands to my hips.
“I think you need to come with us.” Officer Number One took my arm.
“Don’t you think you’re taking this too far?” I jerked my arm away. “Just take off your pants and be done with it. I’ve got a headache the size of Texas and I’m heading to the hotel.”
“You’re not going anywhere.” Officer One nabbed my arm again.
I groaned, then rolled my eyes and stomped on his toe with the heel of the stupid strappy sandals I’d worn. At least they’d been good for something.
“That’s it.” Officer Number Two spun me around, took both of my wrists in his, and clamped a set of cuffs on me.
“Very funny.” I struggled against the handcuffs. Solid. Not like the kind my boyfriend in college had given me as a gag Valentine’s gift one year.
“Let’s go, miss.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you. Let me go.”
“You assaulted an officer.”
“I stepped on someone’s toe.” I cast a quick glance to where Officer One hopped on one foot, his shoe with a hole in the toe held in his hand.
Officer Two put an arm on my shoulder and spun me toward the door. “You have the right to remain silent . . .”
He continued to read me my rights. Or at least I thought they were my rights. I tuned out right about the time I realized this wasn’t part of the entertainment. I was being arrested. For assaulting an officer of the law.
“So you’re not here to take off your clothes?” I winced as I realized the mistake I’d made. “Adeline? Celeste?”
“You ruined my bachelorette,” Adeline shrieked. She must have finally realized what was going on. It didn’t take her but a few seconds to storm across the room and step in front of me. “You’ll never make this work. I should have known better than to try to work with you.”
“Me?” I tried to cross my arms over my chest, forgetting they were secured behind my back. “All I’ve done is try to help you.”
“I’m done. Find someone else to do your story on.” She took one more look at me, letting her dark brown eyes slide up and down my pathetic attempt to fit in. “Just go.”
My heart did a slip and slide all the way down to my toes. “Adeline, wait. We can work this out.”
Adeline and Celeste turned their backs on me, probably afraid I’d contaminate them with my sheer awkwardness and stupidity.
Great, just great. Four hours from home and it looked like I was on my own.
Surely they’d follow behind in the limo.
Someone would come bail me out. I couldn’t spend the night in jail. I was the mayor.
Suddenly, the sheer severity of my actions crashed down on me. I’d failed myself. I’d failed my family. But most important, I’d failed my hometown.