Wright Next Door (Singleville #2)

Chapter One

Jesse

“Hey Jesse, do you think he has any padding in that thong?” Ange’s eyes were glued to the male stripper grinding and rubbing himself against Sue.

His body was as oiled as a sardine, and each well-defined muscle rippled under the tanned skin.

I took a swig of my beer, appraising him. “Don’t know, but I could reach in and find out for you.”

Next to me, Nikki gulped. “He has an excellent gluteus maximus.”

I snorted and glanced at Lily. “Can’t she just say he has a nice ass?”

Lily grinned. “That’s not how a forensic pathologist talks.”

Her usual composure had slipped, and she was halfway through her third Margarita. She still wore her beige slacks, but had removed her jacket, revealing a simple, white top. Strands of dark hair slipped from her bun.

“I thought you were only interested in people’s minds,” Ange yelled into Lily’s ear to be heard over the pounding pop music.

“I’m a psychologist, not a nun,” Lily retorted.

I smiled and took another sip of beer. I’d done a pretty decent job organizing Sue’s bachelorette party, especially since it had been a last-minute thing.

Ever since her engagement—for real this time—she’d insisted she didn’t want a bachelorette party.

But as the day grew nearer, the girls and I wore her down.

Since Sue and I lived just one floor apart in the same building, I had more opportunity to nag her.

She’d only given me the green light a couple of days ago, so Ange, Nikki, Lily, and I had exactly two days to organize things.

My apartment looked festive, especially through alcohol-colored glasses.

I’d seated Sue front and center in an armchair, while the rest of us were squashed on the couch.

Her cheeks were so flushed that her blond hair looked white in contrast, tousled as it was by the hunky stripper’s actions.

Now and then, I could see her mouthing, “That’s enough, thank you,” but the guy was relentless.

Was she having fun or had I gone over the top?

I stuck two fingers into my mouth and whistled, drawing the guy’s attention. His name was Dan or Don. He turned to face me.

“Let’s give the bride-to-be a break.” I got to my feet and moved closer to him. “I think my friends are feeling a bit neglected.”

He grinned, showing off incredibly white teeth. “No worries, I can take care of all you lovely ladies.”

“Great. I’ll get you a drink. What do you want?”

“Well, normally I don’t drink on the job, but it’s damn hot in here. A beer would be nice.”

He wiped his brow and headed to the couch, his hips undulating again. The girls screamed and whooped.

I grabbed Sue’s arm and helped her up. “Come on, let’s get you some air and get Mr. Hunky a beer.”

She held on to me, not too steady on her feet. She was forever on the verge of breaking an ankle thanks to the high-heeled shoes she always wore to look taller.

“Oh. My. God.” She fanned herself and opened the kitchen window. It was late June in New York and summer had hit us hard. “Where on earth did you find him?”

“Do you like him?” I winked, taking a six-pack of beer out of the fridge. “Special delivery from Savanna.”

Our upstairs neighbor worked at an exclusive sex club.

“Like him?” Sue reached for a beer bottle and glued it to her flushed cheek before sitting at the kitchen table. “I’m mortified. If Cam ever learns about this, he’ll cancel our engagement.”

I sat across from her. “Give me a break. He’s having a bachelor party too. What do you think he’s doing? The same thing as you, except they probably have more than one female stripper. And let’s not forget the cigars. You’re not doing anything but watching—unless you want to touch.”

“Absolutely not. I don’t think it’s right to treat that man like a piece of meat.”

I rolled my eyes. “Seriously? Can’t you stop being a teacher for one night and enjoy yourself? That man is doing this job because he chooses to entertain women. We’re not treating him like a piece of meat; we’re just having fun, and he’s making a shitload of money. Loosen up.”

She gave me a half-smile, handing me the beer. “You’re right. I’m sorry I’m being so prissy. Thanks for doing this, Jesse.”

“No problem. The girls helped me. They deserve some of the credit.” I smiled slyly. “Nikki’s about to have a stroke, Ange has drooled all over my arm, and even Lily’s melting.”

Sue laughed. “Ange sells women’s clothing, so buff, naked men are a novelty.”

“True. She’s doing better than Nikki. That girl probably wants to dissect him and study his anatomy.”

We burst out laughing.

“So, how do you feel knowing that you’ll soon be leaving Singleville?” I used the nickname we’d affectionately given our Greenwich Village neighborhood.

It was an inside joke, since all of us, except Sue now, were single—off and on.

She sighed, a dreamy look in her eyes and a soft smile curving her lips.

“Happy, but also sad knowing that I’ll be away from you and the other girls. I mean, we’ll still see each other, but things will never be the same, will they?”

I reached across the table to take her hand. “The same, no, but different doesn’t have to mean bad, babe.”

“I know. I do love Cam. Oh, boy, do I love him. I never imagined this could ever happen to me.”

She gazed at her gorgeous engagement ring. The delicate sapphire had cost a fortune, but her fiancé happily paid for it, even when their engagement had been faked to shut Sue’s parents up and keep Cam’s evil ex at bay.

“Why shouldn’t it happen to you?” I cocked my head. “You’re beautiful, smart, kind, decent... Any man would be lucky to have you.”

“Aww... Thanks, Jess. I can say those exact things about you.”

I scoffed. “Ha! I’d be every boy’s mama’s nightmare.

Imagine a guy bringing me home as his future bride.

” I gestured to encompass myself, starting with my short, spiky auburn hair, dropping down to my Be the Best and Screw the Rest T-shirt, and ending with my ripped jeans.

“I’m one of the guys, sure, but bride material? Nah.”

Sue chuckled. “So you have a unique sense of style, what’s wrong with that?

You need to find a man like yourself. Don’t tell me you want to land some stuck up snob named Ken Borington the Fifteenth.

Not to mention, you’re twenty-seven but look eighteen.

I hate you for that by the way. Remember this.

” She lifted her index finger to illustrate her point.

“Throughout history, most artists have been considered eccentric. It didn’t stop them from becoming great. ”

My smile relaxed as her words pinched at my heart. “That may be true, but I’m not exactly an artist anymore.”

“Yes, you are. You’re just taking a break. You can’t turn off being an artist, Jess; it’s who you are. Your time will come. You need to help it along.”

“Yeah, but at the moment, I’d rather manage a reasonably successful hardware store than starve as a painter.”

I looked out the window at the red brick building across the street.

Lily had once told me that I was afraid of failure, and that was the reason why I didn’t invest more time in my art.

I preferred to think I was being sensible.

Art didn’t pay many bills, the hardware store did.

Between my monthly bills and student loans, I didn’t have any significant savings.

I shrugged, not wanting this subject to kill my buzz.

I grabbed the six-pack. “Come on, let’s get Dan or Don a drink and save him from those greedy hands.”

When we returned to the living room, I didn’t miss the desperate look in the stripper’s eyes.

Although he was well-versed at handling women, his leopard-print thong was overflowing with bills, and his body boasted an interesting array of fingerprints.

I hoped those on his ass weren’t permanent. I would bet they were Nikki’s.

“Drinks are here.” I hefted the six-pack in the air.

While my drunken friends whooped, the stripper gave a relieved smile.

I passed around the beer and then took Sue’s place in the armchair.

She slid onto the couch between Ange and Lily.

I enjoyed having a bit of space. The AC was on, but I suspected it was on the verge of a breakdown, because the air wasn’t as cool as it should’ve been.

Mr. Gore, the spooky, hairy-toed building superintendent hadn’t cleaned the thing in years.

I made a mental note to contact him about the issue, although the thought of going down to his basement apartment gave me the creeps.

It was bad enough when I went down there to do laundry.

Not that the man was threatening in any way. He was just... well, eccentric.

Remembering the way Sue had described me, I stifled a laugh. Was Mr. Gore my soulmate? Was I meant to become the bride of Gorenstein?

The thought was so absurd that I laughed out loud.

Maybe it was time to ease off on the beer.

Dan or Don had finished his drink and had started dancing again, this time keeping a more careful distance from the couch and the girls’ groping hands.

He noticed me, wiggled his eyebrows, and slithered toward me to the beat of Rod Stewart’s Da Ya Think I’m Sexy.

“You look a bit lonely, baby. Want me to cheer you up?”

I sat back, eying him up and down. I’d never been a fan of this kind of entertainment, but I wasn’t dead. As I’d pointed out to Sue, he was paid handsomely to do whatever he did. Did he enjoy it?

He moved closer to me, nearly straddling the arm chair, and rolling his hips. From the look on his face, he was definitely having a good time.

I dug out a twenty from my pocket and slid it inside the front of his thong.

No padding. I licked my lips and smiled up at him, hearing the girls howl in the background.

Dan or Don’s thong full of bills was pretty close to my face at the moment.

I was about to gently guide him back, when the music stopped.

Everyone froze in the sudden silence.

“What the hell?” I looked around.

My gaze flashed to the open door, then to the wall where my sound system was. Sebastian, my upstairs neighbor and a royal pain in my ass, stood there, the cable dangling from his fingertips.

Seeing red, I pushed Dan or Don out of the way and jumped to my feet. “What the hell do you think you’re doing, Sebastian? Did you just rip out the cable from my sound system?”

Sebastian wore a pair of black shorts and a deep scowl.

“Don’t freak out, I only unplugged it,” he said. “I need to get some frigging sleep. It’s two in the morning, and you’re keeping the whole building awake. It’s a wonder no one’s called the police.”

Dan or Don piped up. “Dude, I am the police.”

Sebastian spared him a glance, then looked around the room.

“Don’t you all need to get some sleep?” He pointed to Sue. “You’re getting married tomorrow. I know because I’m the best man, hence my need for sleep.”

I scoffed. “Princess Sebastian needs his beauty sleep?”

His brown eyes narrowed, and he stepped toward me. I moved forward until we were toe to toe.

“What did you say?” he growled.

The room was silent.

“Oh, for God’s sake, don’t be such a party pooper,” I snarled. “Sue’s getting married tomorrow. She deserves a bachelorette party. What are you doing home so early? Didn’t you organize Cam’s bachelor party? I didn’t expect either of you would get any sleep tonight.”

“Obviously, I’m more responsible than you are when it comes to organizing parties. We went to a club where we didn’t disturb anyone, and we had the good sense to leave early so we could get some rest. I didn’t know I was coming home to an orgy.”

“Don’t be silly, it’s not an orgy... yet.” I couldn’t resist poking him.

He fisted his hands at his side. While his body wasn’t nearly as buff as the stripper’s, I had to admit he was well built. I’d had the chance to see all of him a few years ago in an incident involving handcuffs and whipped cream. Neither of us had forgotten that.

“I don’t care what the hell you do as long as you let me sleep. If you want to get a face full of that, do it in silence.” He jerked his chin toward Dan or Don’s junk, then stormed out and slammed the door behind him.

That broke up the party. I was furious with Sebastian, but I didn’t protest when the girls announced they were leaving.

Nikki, Ange, and Lily lived in different buildings a couple of blocks away, close enough to visit each other in slippers.

It was late and we were all exhausted. As Sebastian had so rudely pointed out, there was a wedding tomorrow.

I paid the stripper, whose name turned out to be Tony, let him get dressed, and thanked him for his services.

Sue got teary-eyed at the thought of her last night in this building, but we reminded her that she was moving into the gorgeous townhouse she and Cam had purchased last month.

I yawned as I closed the door behind them. My place was a mess, but I didn’t care. I would clean up after the wedding. Leaving everything as it was, I went to shower.

After removing my makeup and brushing my teeth, I stepped under the lukewarm jet.

As I shampooed my hair, my jaws ached from clenching them.

I was beyond pissed off at that jackass Sebastian.

How dare he interrupt our party? I was even more furious because of what he’d implied.

As if I would engage in sexual activities with a man who probably got paid for it.

It was one thing to watch an exotic dancer at a party, but an entirely different matter to go beyond that.

As for Sebastian, that manwhore had some nerve talking about me that way.

He was the most promiscuous man I knew. He had a new chick every week, changing them like clockwork.

Talk about hypocrisy. The first time I’d met him, he’d been handcuffed to his bed, buck naked, with his dick and balls covered in whipped cream.

I pretended my cheeks were flushed in rage and did my best to banish the mental image of a naked Sebastian wearing only a mountain of cream and a cherry on top of his.

.. dessert. So what if he was good looking?

I couldn’t imagine why Cameron, Sue’s fiancé, and Sebastian were such good friends.

While Cam had dated quite a few women before meeting Sue, he was completely devoted to her now, and perfect husband material.

Sebastian was the kind of guy who couldn’t turn into husband material if his life depended on it.

At thirty-two, Cam was far more mature than his similarly aged friend.

Annoyed with myself for thinking about Sebastian, I padded to my bedroom. I slipped into a large Yankees T-shirt and a pair of oversized shorts, then slid into bed with a moan. It was going to be a short night. I just hoped the AC would last another day.