Page 6 of Wine, Whiskey, & Lipstick 2

Instead of making a beeline to the bar, Dillyn and Cat followed their friend to a table. Before they could get settled, a waitress appeared to take their drink order. “Hey there! Good to see you ladies again at Franks. What can I get ya?”

Palmer pretended seeing Lucas with that inflatable Barbie doll-like woman didn’t bother her. “A round of tequila!”

Dillyn hadn’t told them that she was pregnant. She wasn’t quite sure why, but a small part of her was hesitant. She glanced over her shoulder, and Ben was staring a hole into her back. Subtly, he lifted his chin and directed her toward the hallway leading to the bathrooms and away from her friends.

“I can’t.” Dillyn mouthed and quickly turned away.

“What’s all that commotion over there?” Palmer asked as the three of them craned their heads toward a crowd standing in a circle.

“Is that what I think it is?” Cat looked wide-eyed and curious.

“I’ll be damned,” Dillyn said in the wonderous tone of a five-year-old. “It’s a mechanical bull! My god, we are not in New York anymore.”

Palmer pushed herself up from the table. “No, we are not! Think I’m going to ride it.”

Cat stood as she pressed her lips together in gleeful anticipation. “Me too.”

There was no way Dillyn would get on that thing even if she weren’t pregnant. Not the way it had just tossed the last person around like a ragdoll.

Palmer led the charge, “Let’s go!”

Cat chastised them as she followed Palmer, “I told both your asses not to wear those freak’um dresses tonight!”

With mischief sparkling in her eyes, Palmer turned halfway around and responded, “I know how to hike this baby up.”

How much higher can it go? That dress already rests at your mid-thighs.Dillyn kept her thoughts to herself as she snatched up their purses and quickly followed her friends.

*****

“What the hell?” Ben gripped the neck of his beer tightly as he slowly lowered it. He watched in horror as Dillyn and her merry band of bandits maneuvered their way into the inner circle of Frank’s newest attraction.

Lucas turned to see what had got Ben all worked up just as Palmer was about to climb onto that mechanical bull. He slammed his shot glass down on the bar. “No, the fuck she ain’t!” He was just about to tell Ben that he was going over to stop the nonsense, but apparently, Ben was already heading in that direction. Lucas had to almost run to catch up with him.

They pushed through the crowd until Ben was standing almost side-by-side with Dillyn. Out of nowhere, he made eye contact with Wyatt, who had cozied up next to Cat. Ben wasn’t sure how or when Wyatt arrived, but how he looked at her only fueled his suspicions. Ben made a mental note to ask Wyatt about it later. For now, his focus was Dillyn.

He leaned down and spoke into her ear. “You’re not getting on that.”

Dillyn wasn’t surprised to see him. Honestly, she wondered what had taken him so long. Still, Dillyn didn’t like being strong-armed, especially when she hadn’t planned on riding anything. Gone were the days when she would let a man tell her what to do.

Instead of saying what was on her mind, Dillyn wrinkled up her nose and chose to ignore him. The crowd was pumped, and so was she as they watched in wonder as Palmer got on that bull without exposing all her lady parts.

Palmer threw one long, shapely leg over the side and then the other until she was seated properly. That only intensified the hootin' and hollerin’ as the crowd egged her on. Once Palmer was settled on the saddle, she glanced over at Dillyn and Cat and smiled. “Let’s see if I can hold on for eight seconds!”

Cat was losing her shit. She was excited for her turn. It was obvious to Dillyn when Palmer’s eyes landed on Lucas. Her naughty little smirk turned into an instant scowl, and she gave him a hall-of-fame eye roll.

If looks could kill, he would be dead. And if the steam coming out of his ears was any indication, Lucas was equally pissed.

He didn’t appear to take the obvious hint or didn’t care. By the look in his eyes, Lucas wanted to snatch Palmer right off that thing. He might have if Wyatt hadn’t grabbed his forearm just as he stepped forward.

Palmer was oblivious. Maybe not entirely, but she planned to pretend that Lucas wasn’t even there. She wrapped one hand around the rope tied to the bull and lifted the other in the air. It’s what she’d seen the person before her do.

Then she let her arm drop.

Eight seconds.She just needed to last eight seconds.

Palmer held the rope tight and squeezed her thighs against the thick leather as a way to grind herself to the bull.

At first, it moved very slowly, but it didn’t take long for Palmer to find her rhythm. Her hips moved back and forth in time with the rhythm of the bull. It was more than a little sexually suggestive. She knew it and decided to play it up, becoming more animated by the second.

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