Page 44 of Faking I Do
Celeste nudged me in the side. “Here comes the fun.”
I looked up. Two of the men sandwiched Adeline between them. The guy with the handcuffs spoke. “I hear you’ve been some naughty, naughty girls.”
Strippers. That might be even worse than the bride-to-be getting busted. My head went from throbbing to pounding as Adeline squealed, her smile giving her away that she was all in on this particular turn of events.
The men fanned out. One settled Adeline into a chair and started doing things to her that I’d only heard about. I couldn’t stick around for this. No amount of ibuprofen would be a match for the headache I’d get from witnessing a room full of bridesmaids shrieking over a muscled man whipping off his pants.
I stood, intent on making my way outside to call that cab I’d thought about. The tall guy blocked my path.
“Going somewhere?” He arched a brow.
I glanced up at his face. It was a nice face. Looked like he’d shaved recently, probably to cut down on leaving scruff marksbehind when he nuzzled his chin between some unsuspecting woman’s breasts like his buddy was doing to Celeste. Blue eyes appraised me, his mouth curling into a smile.
I nodded, attempting to keep my cool. “I’m going to head outside and get some fresh air.”
He reached for my wrist. “But the party’s just getting started.”
I pulled away. “Not my kind of party. But y’all have fun.”
The giant dropped to his knees in front of me. “You mean it’s not your kind of party yet.”
“What are you doing?” I tried to take a step back, but he caught me around the waist.
“You can’t go before I get a taste of your T-shirt.” His mouth closed in on my navel.
I couldn’t move. His lips moved closer and closer as his arms wrapped tighter and tighter around my hips. Stomach knotting, palms sweating, I watched the tip of his tongue slip out, heading straight for the scratch-and-taste circle in the center of my breastbone. I put my hands on his shoulders, pushing him away. My knee flew up, connecting with his nose. His head snapped back. Blood flowed down his chin.
His fingers went up to his lip. “You busted my nose.”
Red dots spattered across the front of my Lick Me T-shirt. My eyes widened as my hands began to shake. Oh no. Oh no, no, no, no, no.
Celeste took one look at the blood then ran out the door on her stilettos. The two other strippers stopped what they were doing, leaving the theme song from Cops booming through the speakers. If it hadn’t been so horrifying, I might have burst into laughter. As it was, I fought like mad to beat down the beginnings of a panic attack.
“Ice. Here, put some ice on it.” Celeste returned with a napkin full of ice with two more uniformed officers in tow.
“Is there a problem here?” one of the men asked.
Great, more strippers to join the fray. “Not unless you want to try to lick me, too,” I said, stepping in front of them.
“Excuse me?” The officer who’d entered first looked me up and down. “Are you responsible for the assault on this man?”
“I suppose so. And there’s plenty more where that came from if you don’t get out of my way.” I wasn’t sure where my instant confidence had come from, but there was no way another man was going to try to lick me tonight, not even if my raunchy shirt practically demanded it.
“Are you threatening an officer, miss?” The other uniformed man stepped beside his buddy.
“If that’s what it takes to get out of here.” I clamped my hands to my hips.
“I think you need to come with us.” Officer Number One took my arm.
“Don’t you think you’re taking this too far?” I jerked my arm away. “Just take off your pants and be done with it. I’ve got a headache the size of Texas and I’m heading to the hotel.”
“You’re not going anywhere.” Officer One nabbed my arm again.
I groaned, then rolled my eyes and stomped on his toe with the heel of the stupid strappy sandals I’d worn. At least they’d been good for something.
“That’s it.” Officer Number Two spun me around, took both of my wrists in his, and clamped a set of cuffs on me.
“Very funny.” I struggled against the handcuffs. Solid. Not like the kind my boyfriend in college had given me as a gag Valentine’s gift one year.
