Page 3 of Rum & Coke
I smiled up at her. “Thank you so much. You’re a lifesaver.”
I arrived at the address right on time.
I’d assumed it was going to be a house, but when I pulled into the parking lot of a building with party style buses out front, I realized I was wrong. The handful of times I’d done bachelor parties, they were held at either a house or a hotel room. This was obviously different. I wasn’t sure if I should go inside or what, so I stayed in my car until I saw a group of guys walk out of the double doors of the building. They were laughing and high-fiving like a bunch of frat guys.Shit.One or more of them was definitely going to try to hook up with me. Of course, I wouldn’t do it. I was tired and just wanted to get my time done, get my five hundred dollars, and go home.
After taking a deep breath, I grabbed my purse and stepped out of my car. When I beeped the car alarm, it caused the group of four guys to turn and look in my direction. Out of nowhere, butterflies entered my belly, and my nerves skyrocketed. This wasn’t the first time I had approached a group of guys in next to no clothing—a black halter top dress over a sparkly red bikini, black fishnet stockings, and black stilettos—but it felt as though it was. Maybe it was because they were male escorts and saw naked women all the time. Would they judge me? Compare me to all the women they dated? I felt as though they would.
I didn’t think I was bad looking. Hell, Red Diamond didn’t hire ugly women, but what if these guys preferred blondes? What if the guy getting married wanted a chick with green eyes? What if he wanted a girl with bigger boobs than mine? I tried to shake off my insecurities as I moved closer, telling myself that these guys liked any and all women—they were escorts. It didn’t matter because I was only entertainment and not going to a dating interview. They had hired a stripper, and I was a stripper.
“Is this her?” one of the guys asked as I stepped within a few feet of the group.
I wasn’t sure which one it was, but a guy stepped forward and asked, “Are you from Red Diamond?”
“Yes, I’m Tessa.” I stuck out my hand with a warm smile. I didn’t know why I said my real name because usually when it came to an RD gig, I used Scarlett. It just slipped out.
The guy smiled back and took my hand in his. “I’m Paul. This is Bradley, Vinny, and Nick.”
“Which one of you is the lucky guy?” I asked as I shook Paul’s hand.
Each one protested, snapping that none of them was that much of a pansy to settle down. I chuckled, shaking my head and moved to take Vinny’s hand in greeting. Our hands lingered as his gaze peered down into mine. My belly fluttered again, and my pulse quickened. At that moment, I wished it wasn’t dusk so I could tell what color his eyes were, but it was eight at night, and all I could make out from the light coming from the one-story building was Vinny’s strong jaw and killer smile. A smile I wanted to stare at for hours.
“We’re going to pick up the schmuck,” Nick stated as my eyes moved to him.
“Tessa. Is that short for something?” My attention turned back to Vinny as he spoke, still holding my hand.
I blushed. “Teresa, but everyone calls me Tess or Tessa.”
“All right, dude. Let’s go.” Paul slapped Vinny on the back.
“Yeah, man. Leave the poor girl alone. It’s bad enough she has to put up with Nick and his asshole ways,” Bradley joked. At least I thought he was joking. I hoped Nick wasn’t an asshole. I hoped none of them were since I was going to be stuck on a small bus with them.
Vinny let go of our lingering hands and gestured for me to walk up into the black bus after the three other guys had entered. As I made my way down the center of the bus, I could feel Vinny’s eyes on me. I didn’t mind. He was gorgeous, but a thought struck me that he must get a lot of clients because he was so damn good looking—even in the dark. I tried to shake off my insecurities as I walked past the pole in the walkway and sat on the bench-style seat.
“Want a drink, sugar?” Paul asked as he grabbed a bottle of tequila from the bar in the back. The other three guys were each making their own drinks too.
I shook my head. “I better not. I’m assuming I need to dance on that pole while the bus is moving?” I waved my hand in the direction of said pole.
Paul cracked a smile. A smile that wasn’t as spellbinding as Vinny’s. “Exactly.”
“Whatisthe plan exactly?”
Paul finished pouring his drink and then took a seat across from me. “You’re going to hide in the bathroom while we pick up my man Gabe. Then, when we’ve been driving for a good ten minutes or so, come out and do your thing on the pole.”
“You want me to hide in the bathroom?” I asked.
“It’s a surprise,” he stated as though I’d asked a dumb question.
My gaze roamed over the guys as they walked down the aisle with their drinks. Bradley and Nick sat next to Paul, and I held my breath as Vinny took a seat next to me. I felt stupid for feeling any sort of attraction toward Vinny. He was a male escort after all, and I was … me.
“Do you all work for S&R?” I asked. They nodded. “Why did you hire a stripper then?” I questioned, looking directly at Paul, who seemed to be the one in charge of the party.
“Because it’s a bachelor party,” Nick stated as though the answer should have been obvious and I’d asked another dumb question.
“Don’t be an asshole,” Vinny snapped.
I turned my head to look at Vinny, and we smiled at each other then I turned my head back toward the three other guys and asked, “Okay … but you see tits all day, right?”
“Sugar,” Paul leaned forward and placed his hand on my knee. “We honestly hired you because that is what men do for bachelor parties. But that’s not all we’re doing. We just want Gabe to think you’re the only entertainment.”
