Chapter 2
two
Talia
If Cinderella thought she had it rough with her two evil stepsisters, she wouldn’t stand a chance against my evil stepsister.
Rachel is the evilest of all the evil stepsisters.
She made my childhood a living hell, always taking what was mine.
My father was so enamored with Rachel’s mother that I was the one who always had to give in—from my favorite doll to the prom dress I picked out, I had to give them all to Rachel and choose something else.
It’s gotten so bad that I can’t let Rachel know whether I like something or not, because if she thinks I like it, she’ll steal it from me.
Rachel’s been glaring daggers at me since the bachelorette party began.
When she said she wanted a male stripper for her bachelorette party, I thought she was joking.
She might be my stepsister, but she’s been in the Whitmore family long enough to know they don’t take part in such scandalous things.
Even her fiancé’s widower father wouldn’t stand for a display like this.
But whatever Rachel wants, Rachel gets, no matter how tacky.
Not that I would call tonight's male dancer tacky, given his rugged good looks and muscular body—he’s what every woman fantasizes about when she reads a romance novel about a mountain-man hero.
Luckily, the winery owners promised me a male stripper on such short notice. But after meeting him, I wish they hadn’t. His touch felt like a brand against my body when he caught me before I fell flat on my face. I definitely felt some chemistry between us, unless it was just my imagination.
It doesn’t matter anyway. Rachel’s comment about wanting to have one last fling with the male stripper before she gets married tomorrow plays on a loop in my head. That, along with knowing that whatever Rachel wants, Rachel gets, has me tied in knots after meeting Lex.
I shouldn’t be surprised—she has stolen every guy I’ve ever been interested in. Even her groom was supposed to be mine, but she went to my father and begged him to amend the marriage contract, naming her as the bride instead of me.
Truth be told, I should be grateful she stole Marx from me. I’m still holding out for my Prince Charming to sweep me off my feet. In my dreams, I never pictured him as a mountain man, but after meeting Lex, I can definitely see the appeal of a mountain man over a city guy.
“Ladies, I’d like to introduce you to the main event.
” One of the twin owners of the winery steps onto the small stage in the front of the room and speaks into the microphone.
“He’s good with his hands and is an expert at snaking drains, if you know what I mean.
” She wiggles her eyebrows. “The one, the only, Big Flex Lex.”
The Pony song from the movie Magic Mike plays over the speakers as Lex stomps onto the stage, glaring at either Liv or Lyra. I met the twins and Lana yesterday when I first arrived, but for the life of me, I can’t tell the twins apart.
The women around me start yelling for Lex to take off his clothes as Rachel pushes her way to the front, waving to Lex. “Me, I’m the bride. You’re here to dance for me,” Rachel shouts over the women.
Lex glances down at Rachel with a visible shudder, and I can’t help but smile that he isn’t captivated by her like every other guy, well, except her fiancé. He doesn’t seem to like her much either.
Shifting his gaze to mine, Lex slowly unbuttons the top button of his flannel shirt while thrusting his hips in a circle. They’re not the smoothest moves I’ve seen from a male stripper, but the raw masculinity radiating off him makes up for what he lacks in dance moves.
With each button he unbuttons, I feel the dampness between my thighs intensify to the point it’s running down my leg because the designer dress I’m wearing is too tight to allow wearing a bra or panties.
It’s embarrassing, yet exhilarating, that my body is reacting to him this way—it’s never done it before with anyone else.
He pulls his flannel shirt free of his jeans as the last button comes undone, shrugging his shoulders and letting it drop to the stage, never taking his eyes off me.
He turns and bends to pick up the shirt, drawing a roar from the crowd of women at the sight of his butt in those tight blue jeans.
He spins, his hips gyrating to the rhythm, and throws his flannel shirt at me.
I catch it and hold it close to my chest, closing my eyes and bringing it to my nose to inhale his scent—a blend of cedar and grape.
A growl from beside me has me snapping my eyes open to find an angry Rachel staring at me.
“You bitch. I told you the stripper is mine.” She raises a hand to strike me, something she’s never done before, and I close my eyes waiting for the blow, but it never comes.
One minute I’m standing there waiting for her to slap me across the face, and the next I’m pulled up tight against Lex’s very warm, very strong, naked chest as he uses his body to shield me from her attack.
“Enough, Rachel.” I glance over at Rachel to see her future father-in-law gripping her still-raised arm.
“This is no way for the future wife of a Moreno to act—first the male stripper, and now a public fight.” He lowers his voice to a level only the four of us can hear.
“You’re a spoiled brat. Someone should have spanked that little ass of yours a long time ago and taught you some manners. ”
“You wouldn’t dare.” Rachel’s eyes flare with anger.
“Since my son is otherwise occupied, the duty falls to me, Brat.” Mr. Moreno tightens his grip on Rachel’s wrist, dragging her through the crowd of women swooning over him and his silver fox daddy vibes.
“Ladies, the bachelorette party is over. Please retire to your cabins to make sure you’re well rested for the wedding tomorrow, while the bride and I have a little chat.
” Mr. Moreno says as he drags Rachel out of the room.
For the first time since I met Rachel, she’s speechless, letting Mr. Moreno take charge and shut down the party.
Maybe it’s time I took charge of my life.
I don’t want to be a virgin for the rest of my life, or worse, give up my virginity in a business arrangement.
There are worse ways to lose my virginity than with a guy I just met.
Besides, I know it will be an amazing experience—aren’t male strippers known for being good in bed?
With my mind made up, I turn to face Lex, the drama between Rachel and Mr. Moreno long forgotten. “Do you want to come back to my cabin?” I glance up at Lex through my eyelashes.
“I thought you’d never ask. But first, tell me your name.” He tucks a lock of my unruly hair back behind my ear, making me shudder.
“Talia. My name is Talia.”
Lex picks me up, swings me into his arms, carries me out of the winery’s private room, and into the hot summer night, just like those heroes in romance novels, while the humidity only fuels the fire in my veins at the thought of what I plan to do tonight.