Chapter 6
‘ Y ou!’ I flung my hands over my face.
He stopped dancing and pulled my hands away, peering into my eyes, then turned. ‘Would you mind turning on the light for a sec?’ he asked Lorena, who obliged, and also turned the music down.
The dim, ambient environment switched to the harsh awkwardness of reality, as recognition hardened Ty’s face. ‘You’re the dangerous shopper from the supermarket,’ he said, and his stance changed from seductive and confident to stiff and uncomfortable.
‘I’m not dangerous. I didn’t see you, that’s all.’
‘That’s him ?’ Georgie asked, and Mel laughed like a hyena. It was almost as bad as Red’s laugh.
‘Um, what’s going on here?’ Lorena asked.
I stood and straightened my dress, which felt way too short, though I wasn’t showing as much flesh as stripper guy. ‘I sort of, um…’
‘She did this,’ he said, plonking his bruised foot on the coffee table, ‘with her shopping trolley.’
‘Today?’ Lorena’s eyes widened, and we both nodded.
‘It was an accident, but he didn’t have the decency to accept my apology. ’
‘You were practically racing that thing, you’re lucky no bones were broken. I might have had to cancel work tonight.’ He put his foot back on the ground and crossed his arms over his chest, making his pecs bulge even more, not that I was looking.
I crossed my arms too, but nothing bulged on my end. His pecs were bigger than my tiny buds for boobs. ‘Oh, well that would have been a huge shame,’ I said with a strong tone of sarcasm.
‘Yes, if you must know, I had three more parties wanting to book me for this time tonight. I had to turn them down. I’m quite in demand, you know.’ He raised his chin.
‘I can’t imagine why.’ I crossed my arms even tighter. What an egotistical idiot.
‘I can,’ Mel muttered, then laughed again.
Ty grabbed his pants from the floor and reattached the Velcro, then stepped into them. ‘I think I should go. Thanks for inviting me, Lorena, but it’s best if I end the show a little early.’
Lorena approached him. ‘Oh, no need for that! Sally was just a bit surprised, weren’t you, Sal? I’m sure you can both forget what happened today and just enjoy the night, yeah?’
‘Thanks, but I think the mood has passed for this bride-to-be.’ He looked at me with strong, brown eyes .
‘What makes you think I was even in a mood ? As if I’m some floozy who goes weak at the knees at the sight of a good-looking, half-naked man with muscles the size of mountains?’ Oh God. What was in that cocktail? I don’t normally speak like that!
Ty smirked. ‘Ah, so you think I’m good-looking, eh?’
‘No, it was just a figure of speech, I didn’t mean it!’
‘You said good-looking, sunshine. That’s pretty straightforward to me.’
I diverted my gaze from his, as my cheeks burned hotter.
‘He is good-looking, Sal, admit it,’ Mel said. ‘You are good-looking, Ty.’
He smiled at Mel, then grabbed his top, but Lorena grasped hold of it too. ‘Why don’t you stay and finish your performance. No need to waste a night of work.’ She turned and grabbed her handbag from the side table. ‘Here, I’ll pay you double.’ She held up a wad of cash.
‘Go, Lorena!’ Mel whooped.
Ty was about to put on his top but hesitated.
‘Here, it’s yours.’ Lorena came over and shoved it in Ty’s doctor’s bag. ‘Now, you two shake hands and forget about your little altercation, and, Sally, let the man do his thing. You only have one hen’s night, remember? And what happens in Barron Springs… ’
‘Stays in Barron Springs!’ Mel exclaimed.
‘She’s right, Sal. No use getting worked up over a little accident.’ Georgie shoved another cocktail in my hands. ‘Sit back and relax, enjoy the night.’
I looked at Ty and he dropped his top. ‘Fine with me,’ he said.
I lifted the drink to my mouth and tipped my head back, then held out my hand. ‘Fine. But only because Lorena went to the trouble of booking you. You better make it worth her money.’ Oh no, what did I mean by that? Surely he wouldn’t remove anything more than what he already had, would he? That would be plain wrong. I couldn’t let him, and I hoped to God he wasn’t that kind of entertainer. Hopefully he’d just do some fancy dance moves and leave the nakedness part out of it.
Ty grasped my hand and I flinched a little. Despite the chill in the air his hand was warm. Warm and smooth. He gave it a firm shake.
‘Truce?’ he said.
‘Truce.’ I nodded.
‘Yay!’ Mel flicked off the lights and took the liberty of turning the volume up on the music.
Ty gently pushed me onto the couch, as though he was about to climb on top of me. ‘Does somebody need an examination?’ he asked, and my friends cheered. ‘Or mouth-to-mouth resuscitation? ’
I flicked my hand as if to say ‘no thanks, I’m good’, but in an instant his stethoscope was on my chest.
‘Breathe in,’ he whispered in my ear. ‘Breathe out…’ He moved the stethoscope around the top of my chest, and then put it down the back of my dress, and I shivered at the cold touch of metal. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll warm you up.’ He knelt in front of me and lifted a high heel from my foot.
‘What… what are you doing?’ I stiffened.
He ignored my question and put my bare foot against his bare chest, rubbing and massaging it with his firm hands. ‘I could get you back for the trolley incident, but I’m not one to hold a grudge.’ He winked.
I wasn’t going to let a petty incident ruin my evening but I couldn’t quite get rid of the embarrassing sensation crawling up my spine. A complete stranger is rubbing my foot! Barring a professional masseuse, this shouldn’t happen to an engaged woman, should it? What would Greg be doing right now? Probably enjoying a super-expensive bottle of wine at the golf retreat and chatting business.
No, he shouldn’t be getting this personal with me, I should put a stop to it. I’ll just politely remove my foot from his hold and… Oh God… oh wow… how on earth is he doing that? My foot was practically having an orgasm. A footgasm. Was that even possible ?
Ty smiled as he rubbed and pressed, probably knowing too well the magic his hands were casting. He must be using some kind of acupressure technique. Fancy a stripper knowing that. Strangely, my body softened a little and I let him do his thing, even though I felt like a terrible wife-to-be.
When he’d had his way with my foot he placed it gently back in the shoe, then stood and ripped off his pants for the second time that night. His body moved with the music as though his muscles were controlling the tempo. There was no doubt about it, this guy could dance. Whoever said dancing was a girly pursuit for guys hadn’t seen Ty. He oozed masculinity, confidence, and — gulp — sexiness, and his performance was in no way cheesy. It was classy. And professional. And… I think I’ve had too much to drink. I shook away the hint of desire creeping throughout my body like a pack of stealthy field agents. Greg. Think of Greg. He’s my man, he’s my fiancé, and Ty is just some light entertainment to satisfy Lorena’s urge to create the ideal hen’s party.
‘Wipe that drool from your face, girlfriend!’ My body stiffened as Red sat next to me.
‘Go away,’ I hissed through pursed lips.
‘What, and miss this show? I’ve been practically comatose back there in the corner from the shock of all this beauty.’ She eyed Ty with intense eyes of desire. ‘Mmm… Now I really miss being alive.’ She floated towards him and moulded her body to his as he swayed.
Red, please don’t. I tried to send her an instant message via ESP.
‘I can almost feel his heat,’ she said, leaning in close to his face. ‘I wish I could smell him.’ She breathed in violently through her nose like she was trying to unclog her sinuses with nasal spray.
I shifted awkwardly on the couch, while my friends danced about to the music.
‘Oh yeah, now he’s got some moves!’ She tried to copy what he was doing, failing terribly. Her coordination and speed had nothing on his. She obviously realised this as she changed tack and started to mock his movements, exaggerating his pops and locks, his pumps and thrusts, his spins and twists. She gyrated excessively around him and the corner of my mouth twinged slightly as her face took on a mock expression of lust. Red pretended to fan herself, then pretended to touch his abs, pulling her hand back with excitement and mouthing ‘I’ll never wash my hand again!’
I clamped my lips to stop from giggling, but when she repeatedly attempted to rip off her pyjamas the way Ty had done to his scrubs, I couldn’t help but laugh. I spluttered and held my hand to my mouth, and Lorena yelled another, ‘That’s the spirit! ’
As Red mimicked his movements and made fun of his dancing I laughed harder, and creases formed between Ty’s eyebrows. He came close to me.
‘Something funny, Sexy Sally?’
‘No, nothing. Nothing at…’ Another burst of laughter exploded as Red demonstrated CPR on Ty unknowingly.
She blew at his mouth and pumped his chest, then pretended to put something against him. ‘Charging to 360. Clear!’ she yelled, then jerked as though she herself was hit with the volts of electricity from the defibrillator.
‘Please, please stop!’ I said, my stomach aching from laughter.
‘You want me to stop?’ Ty asked, motioning to Lorena to turn the volume down a bit.
‘Oh, don’t stop, don’t stop!’ Red moaned, now gyrating next to Ty with her purple polka dot hips.
‘Red, you need to go, now! Please!’ I held my stomach as I spoke, realising too late it was out loud.
Ty flung his stethoscope around his neck and took a bow. ‘I think that concludes the show.’
‘What are you talking about, Sal?’ asked Georgie.
‘Yeah, that’s twice you’ve said “red” today,’ Lorena added .
‘Oh, um, I meant my red cheeks. I can feel them going red, and I wanted them to go away. I’m shy, that’s all.’ I looked at Ty. ‘Your dancing was really great. I’m just a little embarrassed.’ I patted my cheeks then fanned them for show.
‘Well, I’m glad to have made you blush.’ He winked. ‘A true blushing bride.’
Red must have obeyed my orders because she had disappeared again.
My friends clapped and cheered, and Mel gave Ty a high-five. ‘That was awesome, dude.’
‘Why, thank you.’ He caught her hand after the high-five and kissed it.
What a suck.
Crash!
Our heads all turned in the direction of the noise, upstairs.
‘What the hell was that?’ asked Georgie.
I shrugged. ‘Something must have fallen.’ Or been pushed by a hyperactive ghost more like it. What had she done now?
A bang sounded, like a door slamming, and I jumped.
‘What if it’s an intruder?’ Mel asked .
‘An intruder? In the upstairs bedroom? How would they get in?’ Lorena asked.
‘Was your window locked, Sally?’ Georgie asked. ‘That big tree is right outside your room, it’s possible someone could climb up and get in that way.’
Georgie’s martial arts training had taught her the art of anticipating danger.
Another bang sounded, though softer than the first.
‘I’ll go take a look,’ said Ty. He tiptoed across the floor, still half naked.
‘I’ll go too.’ Georgie crept along beside him like a ninja.
‘I’m staying right here.’ Mel grabbed a cushion and cowered on the couch.
I’d be scared too, if it wasn’t for that fact that I was sure it was just Red causing chaos. She had said she wanted to practise her powers, and God help me if they were getting stronger.
Lorena and I stood close together at the bottom of the stairs as Ty and Georgie crept up them, pausing on the creaky one. If it wasn’t Red and there really was an intruder, at least we had a black belt chef and a half-naked dance guru to protect us.
They disappeared into the room and I heard the sound of a window closing. Then they emerged, carrying a broken porcelain lamp. ‘Must have been a gush of wind, knocked over the lamp and broke it in two. Wardrobe door was wide open too, and a pair of shoes had fallen out,’ Ty said.
‘Oh, I must have left the window open. Oops,’ I said. Though I didn’t even open it to begin with. As Ty and Georgie descended the stairs, Red slid down the railing and landed in a heap at the bottom of the staircase.
‘Oops for me too,’ she said. ‘Sorry, didn’t mean to break anything. But ooh yeah, this ghost is getting stronger, baby!’
Wonderful. Just wonderful.
‘Oh, man, I wonder how much that thing costs to replace.’ Lorena held a hand to her head.
‘You got any super glue in this house?’ Ty asked.
‘Ask Sally, she bought just about everything from the supermarket today as though we were preparing for a zombie apocalypse.’
‘No super glue I’m afraid.’ I held up my palms.
‘Hang on,’ Georgie called after retreating to the kitchen. ‘I think I remember seeing some when I was inspecting all the cupboards.’ We followed her voice and she held up a small tube. ‘Ta-da!’
‘I don’t think it’ll hide the crack, but it’s worth a try,’ Ty said. He positioned the lamp fragments on the counter, the electrical cord running through the centre stringing them loosely together. He spread glue on the broken bits, then pushed the two parts together and waited. Both Mel’s and Lorena’s eyes were practically superglued to Ty’s arm muscles, bulging as he applied pressure to the lamp. Of course, I wasn’t looking. I was just looking at the lamp and his muscles got in the way.
‘There, that should do it,’ Ty said. ‘But if it doesn’t, use the extra cash you gave me to pay for replacing it.’ He went to his doctor’s bag and extracted the money, handing it to Lorena.
‘Oh, don’t worry, Ty, that’s yours. I can’t take it back.’
‘I insist.’ He placed it in her hands and wrapped them closed before she could object again, then returned the lamp to my bedroom.
‘Well, ladies, it’s been fun,’ he said as he put his clothes back on. ‘I should leave you to enjoy the rest of your night.’
Georgie eyed him curiously. ‘Ty, would you like to stay and have dinner with us? As a thank you for fixing the lamp?’
What? Like we needed to repay him for that! Any of us could have fixed it, it wasn’t rocket science.
‘There’s really no need, and I don’t want to intrude.’
‘You wouldn’t be intruding.’ Mel grasped the side of his arm with a little too much enthusiasm. ‘Here, come and take a seat and Georgie will serve up whatever she has planned. ’
Ty glanced at Georgie. ‘Hey, you look familiar.’ His eyes narrowed.
‘That’s probably because she’s on TV,’ Lorena said proudly.
‘Oh, are you that chef?’ Ty clicked his fingers. ‘Yes, you’re the Black Belt Chef! I love your show!’
Georgie curtseyed then gave a faux rapid-fire punch in front of Ty. ‘Thank you.’
‘Well in that case, how can I refuse a meal cooked by a celebrity chef?’ Ty grinned and Mel led him to the dining table.
Why on earth would they invite the stripper to dinner? What happened to our dignified dinner and girly discussion? Mel slid out a chair and sat me down next to him. Great.
‘Water?’ he asked, passing the carafe towards my glass.
‘It’s okay, I’ll get it myself.’ I took the carafe from him but, from my nerves or my alcohol-induced clumsiness, I didn’t grip it tightly enough. It toppled sideways and water spread over the table and onto Ty’s pants.
‘Oh dear. I’m sorry,’ I said, standing and grabbing a napkin.
‘Looks like I’ll have to take these off again,’ he said with a grin. He stood and ripped them off like before, hung them over a spare chair to dry, then sat back at the table in his underwear and rubbed his hands together. ‘So, what are we having?’