Size Matters (19 page)

“Are you okay with that?”

She just kept staring at him, searching his face for something. Finally she answered. “Yes. I want you to be happy, too.”

Their conversation moved onto the kids and the play and how proud they were of their little theater star. For the first time in a long, long time, Eli felt positive that he and Kristen were going to be good parents for their children. And maybe they could be good friends to each other, too.

BRYN, MIA,
and Penny spent the afternoon getting the shop organized with all the new merchandise. Bryn fielded at least a dozen phone calls from Gilles. It’s a good thing she had a calm head, because he certainly didn’t. She didn’t dare tell him about the model mishap.

Oliver arrived and Bryn gave him a huge hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you for saving us. I’ll make sure Mia takes home something real naughty to model for you.”

“I’ll hold you to that.”

“I know you will. Let me go get your wardrobe for the show.”

Logan strolled into the shop. “I see suit boy decided to do the show after all. You missed me, didn’t you?”

“Regardless of what you think, the world does not revolve around you and your ego.”

“It’s not ego if it’s the truth. Women love me. And men love me, too.”

Oliver’s lips morphed into a sly grin. “Well, since my toys sold out the first week, and yours didn’t, I think it’s safe to assume my dick is better.”

“Oh my God. Are you guys done waving your cocks around? We have work to do.” Bryn didn’t have the energy to deal with the boys and their immature feud spilling over from the original dildo-making venture months ago. They obviously enjoyed mocking each other, but she was thrilled when the makeup and hair team arrived and separated them.

Once the guys had been powdered and coiffed, Bryn handed Oliver his attire: a bright orange mesh shirt with matching orange briefs, yellow and teal striped shorts, and a bright green lacy bodysuit.

He inspected each item and held up the bodysuit by one finger. “Is this for Mia?”

“Nope. It’s for you.”

“I’m not wearing this.”

“We gave Logan the thongs. This is what’s left.”

He turned to Mia, eyes begging to be told he didn’t have to wear it.

“It’s kinda like a wrestling uniform, right?” Mia said, trying to placate him.

“No.” Oliver looked so unamused. “But I’ll put it on because
you
need my help. This is the last time I will ever be mostly naked for the benefit of the store.”

“And we appreciate it.” Mia lifted up on her tiptoes and kissed him. “Love you.”

By six thirty, the ladies had expertly applied makeup and big, sexy hair, and the men—with much grumbling from Oliver—had makeup on, too. He drew the line at spray tan, though.

They packed up their things and headed to the venue. When they walked into Club Paradise, it had been transformed into a retro wonderland. Day-Glo fabrics covered every surface, and neon rope light outlined every curve. The catwalk extended halfway down the huge dance floor, illuminated from beneath with color-changing lights.

“This is awesome,” Penny said, looking around.

“You like?” Gilles had come up behind.

“This is so much more than we planned on,” Bryn said. “You didn’t have to do all this.”

“I know, but I really wanted it to look fabulous.”

Being there, seeing the place all done up, Bryn couldn’t wait for it to be filled with people. It was going to be a great party.

CHAPTER
Thirty-two

E
LI ARRIVED
at Club Paradise with the four other off-duty police officers he’d asked to help out. They wore street clothes to blend into the growing crowd, though it was proving quite difficult. The majority of guests were women in fancy dresses and heels and men in bright, flamboyant getups. Bryn had been right when she’d said most of the men would be gay. But still. That guy outside the shop the day before had been exactly what he’d been afraid of. He wasn’t taking any chances.

He gave a few instructions to his men and they fanned out. Eli chatted with the head of security for the club to get an idea of what they already had in place. Between both sets, it seemed like they had the event sufficiently covered.

He walked around the club once more, spotting a door near the back of the club. He pushed on it, finding it led to the alleyway. He didn’t like this at all. Anyone could use this door. It didn’t even lock from the inside when it closed. He went back into the club, searching for the owner or the head of security. He had to get a lock on that door.

He spotted the owner. Gilles? Something like that. His suit was covered with glittery multicolored squares, like a gay Rubik’s cube. “Can I talk to you a minute?”

“Sure, honey. I can give you thirty seconds,” he said, then turned to a waitress, or a waiter—Eli wasn’t really sure if it was a man or a woman. “You. Get on that tray over there. I don’t want to see an empty food tray at all during the night.” He turned his attention back to Eli. “What’s up?”

“I don’t like that door over there.” He pointed toward the back. “I want it locked.”

“Oh, honey. That’s not gonna happen. My guys need that door to access the Dumpster. I can’t have them traipsing through the club with trash. And besides, it’s gotta be unlocked. It’s a fire exit. Gotta be up to code.”

Fuck. The guy was right. “Fine. Then I want someone on that door all night, making sure no one goes in or out that shouldn’t be.”

“Okay, Mr. Security. Whatever you say.” Gilles flashed a grin and skipped away to tend to someone else calling his name.

As Eli headed toward backstage, he spotted that guy. Joel. He needed to talk to Penny about him. See what she really knew about her boyfriend, because he was giving Eli some serious psycho vibes.

Stepping backstage, he searched for Bryn and Penny. And he sure saw Bryn. Almost all of her. She looked sexy as hell, but barely covered. He wanted to beg her not to do the show. His stomach churned, but he slapped on a smile and ignored it.

“There you are! You look amazing.” He was afraid to kiss her and mess her makeup, so he just pressed a simple peck to her cheek. “Are you all ready?”

“I think so. I’m super nervous.”

“There’s nothing to be nervous about.” He hoped he sounded far more convincing that he felt. “You’ll be great.”

“Thanks.” She leaned in and kissed his cheek.

“I have a huge red kiss mark on my face, don’t I?”

“Yep. And it looks adorable.”

He reached for a tissue and scrubbed as the hairstylist futzed with Bryn’s do, then moved to Mia’s. The guys were there, too, their balls tucked into tiny florescent orange and electric blue spandex underwear, perfect abs oiled up and glistening under mesh shirts. He loved Bryn, but there’s no way in hell she’d get him into something like that.

Twenty minutes until showtime and Penny finally stepped out from behind the changing screen. Here was his chance to talk to her.

“Penny, hey. Can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” she said as the stylist fluffed her curls.

“Your boyfriend, his name is Joel, right?”

Her eyes narrowed. “No. I don’t have a boyfriend. My husband is Jack, though he won’t be my husband for much longer.”

What? “So, you’re not dating someone named Joel?”

“No, I don’t even know anyone by that name. But, oh, wait a minute. Bryn was kinda seeing a guy named Joel for a bit.”

Shit. This didn’t sound good. He went over to her. “Are you, or were you, dating some guy named Joel?”

Her face flushed, pinker than the bright blush she was already wearing. “Um. Kinda. But I’m not anymore.”

A knife pierced through his chest. He’d never even entertained the thought that it could be Bryn. He knew she’d been dating that Troy guy, but there’d been someone else, too? “Well, he sure thinks you still are.”

“I stopped talking to him. I even deleted my profile from Forever Mate so he couldn’t contact me anymore.”

“What? You were dating online?” He tried to control himself. “Do you know how dangerous that shit is?”

“I know lots of people who do it, and some have even met their spouses there.” She brushed it off nonchalantly.

“Yeah, and do you know how many more have restraining orders against men they’ve met there? Or disappeared altogether?”

“I get it, okay. He got weird, so I broke it off. End of story. You need to let your cop brain rest a little.” She giggled and reapplied her lipstick.

“This is serious. He’s out there, you know.”

“At the club? How do you even know what he looks like?”

“I saw him outside the shop yesterday, practically salivating at the mannequins in the window. And now he’s at the show, thinking you’re his girlfriend.” Eli was worried and pissed at the same time. “How could you do something as stupid as joining an online dating site? And tell the guy where you work?”

Bryn’s eyes looked as if they’d shoot fire at him if they could. “I am not stupid.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Oh yes it is. Nothing has changed since yesterday. You still want to control me. You still think I can’t make my own decisions. I told you before, and I’ll say it again. I do what I want.”

“I love you and I’m trying to protect you.”

“I don’t need protection!” she yelled.

Gilles waltzed into the room, oblivious to the shouting match. “Ten minutes till showtime!” And just as quickly, he danced right back out.

Eli breathed deep before he spoke. “I don’t think you should do the show with him out there.”

“I don’t care what you think. You need to leave so I can calm myself down and prepare for this.”

“Fine. I’ll go back in the club.”

She stepped forward, as tall as him in her crazy high heels, jaw clenched. Her voice had an eeriness to it he’d never heard before. “I don’t want you here. At all.”

A chill spiked through his veins. “I need to be here in case he tries something.”

“No. I want you gone.” She stepped back. “Now.”

“Dude, you really need to go,” Logan said, sidling up to Bryn. “I’ll keep an eye on her for you.”

She gave him a dirty look and turned back to Eli. “And don’t come back. Don’t call me. Don’t come over. Nothing.” She walked away before he could protest.

Eli didn’t have much of a choice. He left the dressing area, but he didn’t care what she said. He wasn’t leaving the club.

BRYN STOOD
just behind the curtain, ready to start the show, dressed in a hot pink thong, bright orange micro bra, and a yellow mesh minidress covering it all, though it didn’t really hide anything. Her stomach roiled with fear as Gilles stood onstage welcoming everyone to the show. The models were lined up ready for their entrance.

“Are you sure you should do this?” Mia asked. “Maybe Eli is right.”

Bryn gave a sideways glance over her shoulder. “Do you want to be cut out of my life, too?”

Mia backed away as the opening notes of the first eighties pop song started. The crowd cheered. This was it. Bryn knew her cue. It was coming soon. Deep breath . . . and . . . go!

She stepped out from behind the curtain, clapping and woos enveloping her as Gilles read the prewritten description of her outfit. The first dozen steps were taken on shaky legs, knees threatening to buckle on her. The smile plastered on her face wavered, but she forced it to stay.

And then she focused on the smiling faces on each side of the catwalk. They calmed her nerves, her fears fading away, and she owned that stage. The smile became real and her jellied knees solidified. Bryn put a hand on her hip and sauntered down that catwalk like she was Heidi Fucking Klum. Eli could go to hell. There was no way she was giving this up, or anything, out of fear.

She got back to the curtain, giving Logan a high five as she passed. Mia and Oliver took off and Bryn couldn’t wait to change and get back out there.

“Are you okay? How was it?” Penny asked.

“Fantastic!” she said, and grabbed her next outfit, the green and pink striped baby-doll and thong for the nineties geometric scene. She slipped behind one of the changing screens and yanked off her mesh dress. “I feel like I’m high!” she yelled from behind the screen.

Bryn yanked on her itty-bitty thong and as she adjusted her breasts in the baby-doll, Mia came behind the changing screen with her next outfit.

“How’d you do?” Bryn asked.

“I felt like I was gonna puke for most of it, but then it went away. I think I’m okay now.”

“Good.” She gave Mia a quick hug. “This is so fun!”

“Yeah. Okay,” she muttered as Bryn slipped away, lining up for her next journey.

Bryn never expected this to feel so natural and fun. She didn’t think she’d like so many sets of eyes on her, watching her move, seeing her ass jiggle. But it was the opposite. She felt empowered, and beautiful. Who needed a man to make them feel special? Certainly not her!

The next song started and she breezed out onto the stage, smile so wide it hurt her cheeks. Her second turn on the runway flashed by in a blink and next thing she knew, she was backstage grabbing her next outfit.
This is so fun!

ELI TRIED
to focus and summoned all the training he’d had over the years. He needed to keep his emotions in check, push aside his broken heart, and concentrate on his job. And right now, his job was to keep Bryn safe.

He watched her strut down the catwalk for the third time, a vision in a hot pink lace bodysuit thing. It didn’t matter what she was wearing, she was amazing no matter what. He watched her for a moment, then looked around the club. He kept on moving, keeping an eye on the men around the stage. A lot more straight guys had filtered in since he’d first gotten there. He could tell by the way they ogled the girls. A few looked as if they were drooling, but kept their hands to themselves.

He had Joel in his sights, too. That sickening smile across his face every time Bryn walked past.

Eli headed toward backstage, checking in with the guy standing guard there. “See anything strange over this way?”

“No, sir.”

“Thanks. Don’t let anyone get back there. I’ll be back in a while.”

He headed toward the catwalk, bumping shoulders with someone. He turned. “Sorry man—” he began, but cut himself off. Troy. He didn’t know he was going to have to deal with him, too.

“Hey. Don’t I know you?” he said, and sipped his drink, the flash of one of those glow cubes illuminating his glass.

“No.” Eli turned and walked away, eyes back on the crowd.

“Yeah,” Troy said, and stepped up to his side. “You were at Bryn’s house for the party. And you’re that cop who pulled me over and kept me there for like a fucking hour. I didn’t get laid because of you.”

That brought a smile to Eli’s face. “Sorry. You shouldn’t have been speeding.”

Eli turned and began walking away, but he heard Troy again, even over the music blaring around them.

“No worries. I plan on fucking Bryn tonight.”

Eli faced him again, fists curled, willing them to stay at his side. The asshole downed his drink and set it on the bar with a satisfied smirk. He knew his next words were not the verified truth, but he was sure they were close. “Bryn is done with you, so whatever fantasy you have in your head, it’s not gonna happen.”

“We’ll see about that.” He turned, waving for the bartender and ordered another drink.

Eli walked away, shaking off the confrontation. He had more pressing things to worry about. Like keeping an eye on Joel. He checked where he had last seen him standing. Fuck. He was gone. Eli had been so damn stupid. He’d let Troy rile him and he’d lost track of Joel. Fucking wonderful.

He scanned the catwalk, no sign of him. Bryn started her next trip down the stage, this time in that bright yellow getup, the one that had sent him over the edge the day before. She looked fantastic, but his stomach churned as he looked around the place. Every set of eyes was on her, seeing her in a way that after that night was only supposed to be for him. And now he might not ever see her that way again.

She did a little spin at the end of the catwalk, her luscious ass swaying as she walked back.

Eli breathed deep. He had to fix this. He’d make her see he was trying to protect her, not control her. He’d seen so much tragedy in his lifetime and he couldn’t bear the thought of it happening to someone he loved.

In a daze, he watched Oliver and Mia complete their walk and head back behind the curtain as Penny came out and modeled a florescent outfit.
Snap out of it.
He couldn’t let himself get sappy and lazy. He could do that later when this thing was over and Bryn was safe. He moved through the crowd, observing guests as they became more boisterous. And more intoxicated, obviously.

Logan strutted down the catwalk and headed back. The music changed, signaling the scene change. Bryn was next. Eli stopped moving for a second. He wanted to see what stunning outfit she had on now. But the stage was empty. The owner of the club stood there, ready to read from his paper. But his eyes had lost some of their sparkle. His smile looked fake. He peeked behind the curtain.

Where was Bryn?

Mia and Oliver walked out and Gilles fumbled with his papers, stuttering as he began reading the description of Mia’s outfit. Something was wrong. Bryn was supposed to be next. Why didn’t she come out? Eli pushed through the crowd as fast as he could.

“Did anyone try to get back here?” he demanded when he got to the backstage entrance.

“No, sir. I didn’t see anyone,” the guy said, but his eyes were glued to Mia’s ass onstage. What a fucking useless asshole.

Eli stepped past and raced up the steps, but when he got there, he only found Penny and Logan. “Where’s Bryn?”