Page 105 of Wild in Minnesota

I leaned in closer. “You know I can’t resist it when you beg.”

She swallowed hard, making me realize that I might actually be in the only place I wanted to be. Sure, stripping wasn’t anywhere on my fucking agenda, but I had the beautiful blue-eyed woman not only uttering nouns and verbs at me, but I was the only one who could solve the competitive issue she had at the moment.

I whipped my leather jacket off, tossed it on the chair, before I hopped on the stage.

The place went wild.

My heart was racing as I watched the hottest man in the universe jump on the stage. The cheers were deafening, and I knew why as Gabe gave the crowd a wave.

A woman appeared next to Gabe with a microphone in hand. “Well, look who we have here.” She nodded and pointed. “Isn’t this the one and only Gabe Wolkowski from the best hockey team in the world on our stage competing for five-year’s worth of razors?”

She held the mic in front of his mouth. “There’s a lot more on the line for me than razors.”

His intense eyes met mine, and they were screaming, I got you where I want you.

“It looks like we only have two fellas who are up for the challenge tonight. Let’s get it on! The show starts in five minutes!”

She ushered Gabe off stage as I plopped down next to Tawnee who I was avoiding making eye contact.

“Fern, what’s up with Gabe?”

“Nothing.”

“Then why did he agree to suddenly be a show stopping male review dancer in order to get a twenty-minute conversation with you?”

Time was ticking, and I could come up with nothing as she burned a hole in my forehead with her gaze.

“It’s just a Best Man and Maid of Honor thing. Yes, it’s a secret I’ve been sworn to keep from the bride and groom.” I waited for push back, but instead she clapped.

“OMG, did you guys make up an entrance dance for the reception? I guessed it. Right?”

I nodded. “There’s no foolin’ you.” Crap. Now I needed to make up a dance? WTF?

A moment later the lights dimmed to more hooting and hollering as Gabe’s competitor took the stage. The dude was dressed like a police officer, totally predictable BTW, and started doing a fairly entertaining dance to Ice Ice Baby. But I’d seen up close and personal what Gabe could do. This man was not worthy of five years of razors, that was for damn sure.

When he finished and disappeared, the house lights went down for a moment as if cleansing the pallet of the crazy bitches around me.

Then it happened. Out of the speakers Pony, by Ginuwire, pumped through the air while a fog machine somewhere put a little haze on the stage. The volume of the screaming horny ladies peaked at the same time my nether regions jumped when he appeared on stage. Gabe was dressed in a black gangster pinstriped suit, pants hanging low on his hips, jacket boasting of what was underneath, no shirt, topped off with a mob style hat. Clearly, the lady backstage had run her hands along his chest with some oil as Gabe’s abs of perfection were poppin’.

He was literally pushed into this, but now the boy was in it to win it. Not only could he channel those Magic Mike moves that were burned into me like a tattoo, but once his jacket was gone, he rolled his stomach, and I swore my bra would burst into flames at any second.

His pants never dropped, but the shimmies, the biting of his lower lip, the freaking worm, and the walking handstand, you heard me, had the place so hot I swore we’d have to call the fireman dude back to smother out the flames.

Tawnee took my hand in hers. “Holy Mother Trucker, shit!”

When all was said and done, each of us carried a box of razors down Washington Avenue toward Gabe’s truck.

He cleared his throat. “I need both of you to swear you will not mention a word of this to anyone.”

“But you were the winner?—”

“No.” We reached the truck, and Gabe tossed the boxes in the back. “Say nothing.”

Tawnee opened the back door and climbed in. “Fine, mums the word. Nobody will hear about you being the champion.”

While winning was great, I’d agreed to a twenty-minute talk, and I didn’t have Brandon to protect me or my heart.

We all walked into the lobby when Gabe turned to both of us. “To recap, we will not be telling anyone in the entire world of this evening. No disappearing bride and certainly no razor-winning male dancer. Can I get a hell yes?”

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