Once we were all coherent enough to walk again, we got into the back of a waiting limo and were taken to the Flamingo. We all frowned when the door was opened, but we stepped out. “What’s here?” I asked Jenna, who was standing beside me.
“No clue,” she said with a shrug.
“Kin?” But she only smirked at me and led the way inside.
“Oh, shit,” Angie whispered as we walked into the XBU – X Burlesque University. “Now I want to get married just so I can have a damn bachelorette party.”
“You go right ahead,” Santana said with a nervous laugh. “I’ll just experience it all through you without having to walk down the aisle.”
We all glanced her way. “You don’t want to get married?” Kassa asked with raised brows.
“Maybe one day. I’m just not all that sure you need marriage to be happy.” She grimaced. “It didn’t make my mother happy, and she ended up leaving my dad and me.”
“Don’t base marriage and happy relationships off your parents,” Jenna advised her roommate. “I don’t. My father is a whipped little pussy when it comes to my mother. And dear old mom is like a dictator who rules Dad as if he’s her own sovereign state.”
“I’m still not convinced marriage is for me. Some of the longest relationships I’ve ever seen are between people who never got married. Then, for some reason, after like twenty plus years together, they tied the knot and a year later were in divorce court,” Santana lifted a shoulder. “Kale knows how I feel about it. He’s promised not ever to propose to me. I’m the one who has to do the asking if it’s something I ever want.”
“Smart man,” Kin said with a grin. “Okay now, ladies. Be prepared to get your burlesque on. Because tonight, we’re putting these new skills to the test.”
From how to put on showgirl makeup to how to dance like one, we spent the rest of the afternoon and well into the evening learning some mad skills. We all left feeling sexy, which only escalated when Kin took us shopping for some of the sexiest underwear I’d ever seen.
I had enough underwear to last me the next year, but I was told it was all going in my suitcase for the honeymoon.
All except for one racy little outfit.
--
“You’re insane!” I screamed when we stepped out of the limo in front of one of the biggest strip clubs I had ever set eyes on. Considering I hadn’t seen many, that wasn’t much to go on. But seriously, the place was huge, and despite the capacity it no doubt held, there were over three hundred people standing outside the club right then, hoping to get in.
“He’s already here,” Kin informed me as the others joined us.
“But…he said he wouldn’t,” I said weakly. “He promised there wouldn’t be any strippers.”
“Oh, please,” Kassa laughed. “He didn’t even want to come. Gray had to put on some good old peer pressure to get him here.”
“Kale too,” Santana seconded.
“Caleb was putting in his two cents as well,” Angie agreed. “My twin can do a guilt trip pretty damn well. He learned from the best, though.”
“Let me guess…” Jenna snickered. “You?”
“Of course,” she said with a wink.
I gaped at all of them. “You were all in on this?”
“Well, I needed help from inside the enemy camp. And we all know Jace can’t keep a secret for shit.” Kin grimaced. “So I had no choice but
to recruit the boyfriends.”
I glanced at the club entrance again. “Are you sure this will work?”
“Of course I’m sure.” She linked her arm through mine. “Aunt Emmie set it all up for me.”
Knowing my honorary aunt had helped didn’t make me feel any better about doing this. I didn’t want to ruin Harris’s party, even if the thought of him getting a lap dance made jealousy churn in my stomach. I trusted him, dammit, but I didn’t trust some random bitch to keep her hands off what was mine.
“Fine,” I muttered. “Let’s do this, then.”
We were met at the door by the manager, who immediately took us to a dressing room. The girls helped me get changed and then pushed me toward the door that led into one of the private dance rooms.