Fight for Love (17 page)

23

Sean

“I got reservations at the Bellagio. It’s right off the strip,” Ryan said as he drank his beer. “There’s a strip club literally five feet from the hotel entrance.”

“Do we each get our own room?” Mike asked.

“Two guys in each room so it isn’t too pricey,” Ryan answered.

“Well, then my roommate needs to clear out when I bring back a chick.”

I rolled my eyes. “Do you ever think about anything else?”

“No,” he said as he clanked his glass against mine. “Pussy is always on my mind.”

I looked at Cortland and Ryan. “The girls don’t care that you’re going?”

“No,” Ryan said. “She never tells me what to do.”

Cortland shrugged. “Monnique hasn’t said anything to me.”

“I’m glad you guys aren’t pussy-whipped like the rest of my friends,” Mike said as he downed his glass.

I wasn’t looking forward to the trip. I appreciated that the guys were excited about it and wanted to celebrate the rite of passage with me, but I didn’t want to go to any strip clubs, get so drunk that I couldn’t remember anything, or get a lap dance from a whore. Maybe I was just old and lame, but that didn’t sound fun to me at all. And I felt like I was cheating on Scarlet. Why stare at a bunch of chicks dance and get naked when my own fiancé was a million times better? I was hoping Scarlet would ask me not to go, saying she was uncomfortable or something, but she never did. At least if she said I couldn’t go I could blame it on her. I felt like an ass for not appreciating all the time and effort Ryan put into planning this trip.

“We’ll leave Friday after I close the shop and come back on Sunday night,” Ryan said.

“Sounds like a plan,” Cortland said. He opened his wallet and threw the cash on the table.

“Dude, it’s going to be crazy,” Ryan said. “Best bachelor party ever.”

“What’s Scarlet doing for her bachelorette party?” Mike asked.

“I don’t know. I haven’t asked,” I said.

“Probably going to Chippendale’s or something,” Mike said.

I didn’t want Scarlet to see any male strippers. I didn’t like that idea at all. But that would be hypocritical if I asked her not to.

“Let’s head to the apartment,” Ryan said. “Janice should have dinner ready by now.”

We left and headed back to his apartment. Mike was a little buzzed but he didn’t act that different. I only noticed because I grew up with him. I knew his behaviors as well as I knew Scarlet’s. I could tell when she was hungry just by looking at her—which was often.

“Hey, baby,” Ryan said as he kissed Janice. “What are you guys up to?”

“Trying to figure out Scarlet’s bachelorette party,” Monnique said as Cortland kissed her on the head.

“You guys are having a party?” Ryan asked incredulously. “Doesn’t that mean my sister has to actually have friends to invite?”

“We’re her friends,” Janice said defensively.

Ryan rolled his eyes. “My sister is a loser. Just admit it.”

Scarlet wrapped her arms around me and kissed me, making me melt. The touch of her lips always ignited me in a blaze.
My hands ran up her back, resting on her shoulder blades. She was so small, my single hand could cover her back. I liked being so much bigger than her. It made me feel even more protective of her. It still shocked me that I wasn’t in love with her to begin with. I must have been in denial.

“Did you get the wild bachelor party planned?” she as she stood on her toes to reach my face.”

“Yeah,” I said with a sigh.

“Why do you sound disappointed? Don’t you want to see all those naked chicks, get a lap dance, gamble all your money away, drink all the booze you can until you throw up?”

I shrugged. “I guess. It’s a bachelor party, right?”

Janice looked at Ryan. “Why do you want to go to a strip club anyway?” she said in an offended voice.

“Don’t be jealous, baby.”

“I’m not. I just don’t understand why you’re going.”

“It’s a bachelor party. That’s why,” he said.

She rolled her eyes and looked away.

“Scarlet isn’t making a big deal out of it,” Ryan said.

“So?”

They continued to fight.

I looked at Scarlet. “Are you okay with this?” I was hoping she would say no. “I won’t go if you don’t want me to.”

“Don’t be stupid, Sean. It’s your bachelor party. I want you to have fun.”

I sighed, disappointed. “What are you guys doing?”

“I don’t know. We might go to Chippendales then take a party bus around.”

I didn’t like the sound of that at all. “Why don’t you guys go shopping or something?”

“Shopping? Why would we do that?”

I shrugged. “I thought girls liked shopping.”

“But we can do that any other day.”

“And I can strip for you any other day.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Sean, if you don’t want me to go, I won’t go.”

I knew I couldn’t ask her that. It would be different if she asked me to do the same thing. I was starting to feel hurt that she wasn’t jealous whatsoever that I was going to a strip club with a stack of ones. “No, do whatever you want.”

She heard the annoyance in my voice. “Sean?”

“What?”

“Just tell me and I won’t do it.”

“No. It’s your day. Do whatever you want.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah,” I lied.

“Okay.”

I clenched my fists. I didn’t even want a bachelor party. I just wanted to fucking get married and spend my life with Scarlet. I always wanted a bachelor party when I was younger but now it was just depressing. It was one last night of l
iving the single, depressing life I’d had my whole existence. I was ready to settle down with Scarlet and pay her for all my lap dances. That life was over. Now Scarlet was everything to me.

Janice seemed to be thoroughly annoyed that Ryan was going to Vegas for a night of booze and sluts, and I wasn’t sure why Scarlet didn’t feel that way. I couldn’t tell how Monnique felt about it. She was very quiet about the whole thing.

“You have to see the new dress I got?” Janice said. “It’s blue.”

“Like Scarlet’s wedding color?” Monnique asked.

“Yep,” Janice said with a smile. “It’s short, tight, and hardly fits.” She snuck a glare at Ryan as she said this. “Wanna see it?”

“Yeah,” Scarlet said.

The girls left the kitchen and disappeared down the hallway. I took a seat at the table with the other guys.

“I’m excited to play poker,” Mike said. “I’m awesome at it.”

“I wanna see that Beatles show,” Cortland said.

Mike raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure you aren’t gay?”

Cortland rolled his eyes. “They are my favorite band, okay?”

“There are naked chicks in Vegas. Who cares about a tribute band?”

“There are naked chicks everywhere.”

“But these will dance for just a dollar bill,” Mike said. “They are easy.”

Cortland leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest.

Ryan stared at the table, saying nothing.

I really didn’t want this bachelor party to happen now. Mike would pay for my lap dances over and over. We’d go from strip club to strip club. Whores would rub their tits against me and ask me to fuck them. I would be drunk and confused. It was a bad idea. “I really appreciate everything you did planning this, Ryan, but I’m having second thoughts.”

“What do you mean?” Ryan asked.

“I just don’t want to head to the different strip clubs and get a bunch of lap dances. I know it’s tradition but I don’t want to do that. It makes me uncomfortable.”

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Mike said. “You’re such a goddamn pussy. Don’t do everything Scarlet says.”

“She didn’t tell me not to go. I don’t want to cheat on my wife before we even get married. It’s a life that I never want to go back to. I’m sorry for pulling out at the last minute but it’s how I feel. I’ll pay for the tickets and the hotel if we can’t get a refund.”

Ryan breathed a sigh of relief. “I didn’t want to go either.”

“What?” Mike said.

“I feel weird doing the same thing because of Janice. It doesn’t feel right.”

Cortland nodded. “Me too.”

“Then why did you plan all of this?” Sean asked.

Ryan shrugged. “It’s your bachelor party. I thought this is what you wanted.”

“You guys are the lamest guys I’ve ever met,” Mike blurted.

“Well, that worked out,” I said with a laugh.

“What would you rather do?” Ryan asked.

“Let’s watch a game or something.”

Mike glared at me. “I hate you.”

Ryan pulled out his phone. “I’ll see if I can’t get a refund for everything.”

I leaned back in my chair, relieved that everything worked out. Mike
was pissed about it but I didn’t care.

The girls came back into the room.

“It’s so short I can barely sit down,” Janice announced, glaring at Ryan again.

Scarlet stood by my
chair and I pulled her into my lap, putting her exactly where she belonged. “I think I’m going to get a dress too.”

I rubbed my nose against hers. “I like the sound of that.”

“With heels to make my ass stick out more.”

“Tell me more,” I whispered.

“And it’s low cut—very low cut.”

“Where do we buy it?”

She laughed. “I was going to wear it out—not at home.”

“Then how
do you know if it looks nice? You need a second opinion.”

“I know what looks good on me.”

“You need a man’s opinion.”

“I’m sure I’ll find plenty of men to give me an opinion about it.”

I growled at her.

Ryan pulled Janice toward him, a smile on his face. “Baby, we aren’t going to Vegas anymore.”

“What?” she asked. “Because of me?”

“Because my brother is a fucking pussy,” Mike snapped.

Scarlet looked at me. “Why don’t you want to go?”

“Why would I want to see a bunch of dirty whores when I have you? You are way better.”

Her eyes softened. “Sean, you can go if you want.”

“I really don’t want to. You’re the only person I want a lap dance from.”

She ran her fingers through my hair. “But it’s your bachelor party.”

“So?”

“What are you going to do instead?”

“Go to a game.”

Ryan scrolled through his phone. “We can’t get our money back from the flight or the rooms.”

“Damn,” Cortland said.

“I’ll pay for it,” I said quickly. “Don’t worry about it.”

Mike looked at me. “I’m still going.”

“He’s right,” Scarlet said. “If you already paid for it, you may as well go.”

“Babe, I really don’t want to.”

“There’s so many other things to do in Vegas than hit the strip clubs, Sean. There’s dining, shows, gambling—tons of things.”

“I guess, I said. “I still hate being away from you for a whole weekend. And not just me, but all of us.”

“We’ll be okay,” Scarlet said.

“It still makes me uncomfortable.”

“What if we brought the girls?” Ryan asked.

Mike slammed his hand on the table. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

Ryan ignored him. “They could have their bachelorette party at the same time.”

Janice smiled at him. “I like that idea.”

“So do I,” Cortland said.

“I hate you all,” Mike said.

I looked at Scarlet. “You wanna do it?”

“Yeah. That sounds like fun. But you’re getting a lap dance either way.”

“I like the sound of that. Bring that short dress.”

Mike looked at me. “So you’re having your bachelor party in Vegas, with your
fiancé and her bridal party, you aren’t going to any strip clubs, and this is how you want to say goodbye to your single life?”

I rubbed my nose against Scarlet’s and looked into her eyes. She was the other half of my heart, my soul. People searched their entire lives for the perfect girl, the one that could fulfill their darkest fantasies and watch every baseball game with. With Scarlet, I won the lottery. Settling down was the greatest decision I ever made. “I
said goodbye a long time ago.”

The story continues….

Lover’s Roulette

(Book Six in the Forever and Always Series)

Available Now

About the Author

E. L. Todd was raised in California where she attended California State University, Stanislaus and received her bachelor’s degree in biological sciences, then continued onto her master’s degree in education. While she considers science to be interesting, her true passion is writing.
Only For You
is the first installment of the
Forever and Always Series.
She is also the author of the
Soul Saga Trilogy
and an assistant editor at Final-Edits.com.