Page 57 of Soulmate of the Mafia King
“Not at all,” I replied.
Emma nodded, looking a little scared anyway, and I pressed what remained of my drink into her hand.
“I promise they’re less intimidating after that.”
She shot the glittering pink liquid and yelled. Everyone else, including me, yelled with her.
A few songs later, I collapsed, breathless, onto the semi-circular couch Killian had reserved for us. Being in one of his clubs felt weird for my bachelorette party a few drinks ago, but now I just appreciated the amenities. Our things were safe with our guards around, and one of the spokes of the stage the professional dancers paraded over ended right in front of us. My friends piled onto the couch next to me, and a waiter appeared.
“Champagne?” He offered a beautiful bottle.
“Only if you mix it with something stronger!” Paige laughed.
The waiter counted heads. “Eight French Seventy-Fives, coming up.”
I threw my arm around Paige. “You’re a genius.”
Before she could reply, the lights flickered. I paused, waiting for the rush of fear. But I was in Killian’s club, surrounded by Killian’s men and a crowd of people I wouldn’t be surprised tolearn he’d handpicked to be here tonight. Nothing was going to happen to me.
God, was this what living on the island was going to be like all the time?
The music cut out, and the DJ spoke. “Ladies and gentlemen, a very special dance for our bridal party.” He hit a button, and thick, sultry bass poured out of the speakers.
Olivia turned to me. “Did you know about this?”
I shook my head with a huge smile. Sentimentality and now surprises? Who was I marrying tomorrow?
The lights dimmed, and a spotlight struck centerstage. A huge, well-muscled man in a suit way too much like one of Killian’s began gyrating his hips to the beat. I screamed, and so did the rest of my party. Joyce covered her eyes as he tore off his jacket, but I could see her peeking between her fingers. Paige pushed singles at me with a laugh, and I threw a few onto the stage.
The stripper danced in our direction, and we screamed even louder. A pole rose up from the ground, and he leapt forward, grabbing it and twirling with impressive grace for his size. I threw more money and clapped. He did trick after trick as the music sped. Finally, he slid down off the pole and landed in a split, grinding against the ground.
“Who’s the bride?” he yelled over the music.
I jumped and waved my hands like I didn’t know Killian would’ve told this man everything he needed to know. The stripper looked me up and down then sauntered closer.
“Grab my pants.” He thrust at me.
I flushed and hooked a finger through one of his beltloops. He spun away, and his pants tore off, revealing a tiny black thong. I screamed louder than I had yet and waved his pants like a trophy. He danced back to me, showing off how his junk movedin the tiny underwear, and when he stopped in front of me once more, I realized the thong said something.
Groom-to-be.
Paige fanned herself. Olivia jumped up and down. Emma laughed so hard she collapsed back onto the couch, and Penny flushed. I tucked the remaining dollar bills into his little underwear, and he grabbed my hand and kissed it just as the song ended. The DJ returned the lights to normal, and the stripper left the stage just as our next round of drinks appeared. I took one and raised it.
“To more fucking dancing!”
By the time we tumbled into the limo home, my whole body hurt from dancing, and the interior swam a little, but I couldn’t stop laughing.
“Thank you, girls, for the best night,” I said.
Paige pretended to gag, and Lauren smacked her.
I waved my hands. “Fine, fine, I’ll be sappy tomorrow.”
Penny took my hand. “I’ll hold you to that.”
I squeezed her and smiled, then dropped my heavy head onto Emma’s shoulder. “We did a bad job at the bachelorette part, though.”
“I’m a bachelorette,” Lauren said.
