Page 36 of Treasured By 3

I laugh with her until Chase and Lief come in. Valerie explains the situation. My brother and Lief both offer to stay, but she shakes her head. “We made plans. We’re sticking to them. Sophia, Juliana, Elaine, and Danny will be here soon enough. I know the guys are waiting for you.”

“Are you sure, baby doll?” Chase asks.

“Very,” Valerie sighs. “Now all three of you, out. I know what will happen if you see me naked.”

“We’ll throw hundreds at you?” I tease.

She rolls her eyes. “Go have fun. I’m serious.”

I stay a moment longer, make sure our fiancée is serious, then change. We get into a limo, but I can’t quite force a smile. Lief nudges me. “Valerie’s strong. She talked about it, so she’ll feel better.”

“It didn’t use to take her so long to share when something was bothering her,” I grumble. “Did she tell you guys about her mother?”

“No,” Chase answers. “I thought getting married was supposed to bring us closer together.”

“It will,” Lief says. “Right now, it’s constant stress, but once we get to the wedding, things will calm down. We’ve made all our backup plans, we’ve finished the seating chart, got the officiant, all we have left to do is the walk, right?”

Chase nods. “I’ve written my vows.”

I haven’t. Shit. I knew I was forgetting something. How am I supposed to organize my thoughts or focus on one thing? I’m going after Chase! I can’t havenothingbecause I know he’s going to pull out his sweet side and make her all gooey, so I have to live up to that and Lief.

“You still have time to write yours,” Lief reminds him.

“Did you?”

“I told her I don’t need to write down what I feel for her. What I feel, I feel constantly,” Lief says dismissively.

Before I can argue, we pull up to the club. Lev, Konstantin, and a few of the other high-ranking business associates are there. Plus, Gunner. The rest of the guys were invited, so they’re either inside, or didn’t want to leave the kids.

Gunner pats my chest. “Turn that frown upside down! It’s party time!”

We get the V.I.P. room and throw plenty of money to the strippers. When Lev insists I get a lap dance, I nod to the woman and let her dance on me, giving her money as she does. Gunner chuckles.

“I’ve never seen you bored around strippers, Hunter,” Gunner teases.

“Considering the woman I’m marrying, this is not exciting,” I admit.

“Oh, so you get lap dances often?” Konstantin asks.

When I shoot him a look, he swallows. “Sir.”

“I get much better than lap dances,” I say.

“Well, I know the girls are going all out tonight,” Holden says as he joins us. “Sophia asked a hundred times if it was okay to see male strippers.”

Jealousy eats at me, but I take a slow breath. Two days until we’re married.

Lief gives a stripper a ten, putting it between her teeth. His face is as impassive as ever until he nods to Kon and goes to get drinks.

Chase is enjoying himself. He’s already five drinks in, dancing on the pole with the ladies. I take a picture of him as the women try to teach him what to do.

“Just relax,” Roman says, as he hands me some bourbon. “Celebrate that it’s the last night you’re a bachelor.”

“That’s a better way to look at it,” I agree. “I can kiss all those tabloid stories goodbye. No more playboy mentality. A good woman to call mine!”

Chase cheers with me. I lose myself in the women, the guys laughing, and we have plenty of fun on and off the dance floor until we’re in front of expensive, well cooked, seasoned steak. I moan and can’t resist devouring it.

Lief looks sober, but Chase is already sleeping at the table.

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