Dirty Vows (Beautifully Dirty Series Book 5) Read online

  Me: The guys and I went to a paintball course. Now I have wounds that need your attention and tender touch immediately.

  Ansley: Oh, that must have been fun. I’ll be your nurse; don’t worry.

  Me: I’m pretty sure you should wear a nurse’s outfit for me.

  Ansley: Dream on, big boy. Though I was given a few things today you might like.

  Me: Do tell.

  Ansley: Nope, you’ll just have to wait and see.

  Me: It’s not nice to tease.

  Ansley: Haha!

  Me: Are you laughing at me, Beautiful?

  Ansley: You’re such a baby. I love you. See you later.

  Me: Yes, and you’ll pay later for teasing like that. I love you too.

  Ansley: Oh, I can’t wait.

  Me: Me either!

  As we all climb into the stretch limo that arrives for us, another round of drinks is served by Ryan, and yet another toast is given by someone new. I’m told we are doing a bar crawl, so we are on our way to the first of five we’ll visit. This only means to me, by the end of the night we are all going to be crawling out of the last one.

  By the time we get to the first bar, it’s nine thirty. I’m informed there is a time limit of a half hour at each place, which to the guys means one beer and one shot. This is how the night begins, but after the second bar, it’s clear that is not how it’ll end up. We start out taking a shot when we walk in, we follow it up with a beer, and then just before walking out there’s another set of glasses lined up for us.

  By the end of the fourth bar, we are all getting pretty lit. There’s a lot of bad singing going on and the drunken stories have started too. I think I’ve had the, ‘are you sure you wanna do this’ conversation with everyone here, except Ryan. They are all enjoying the shit they are dishing out to me. Little do they know, I’m looking forward to waking up to the sight of Ansley’s hot ass every morning. Why the hell not? First, she’s beautiful inside and out and second, she’s my best friend…there end of discussion.

  Walking into the last bar before we meet up with the ladies, we are instructed to have a seat at the bar as the drinks are poured. Cole comes and sits down on one side of me, while Trey follows right behind him on the other side. Given that they are my best friends from college, I’m sure they have a story or words of wisdom to share.

  “Coop…” There is a long hesitation, and I can’t help but laugh, as Cole can’t seem to find his words. “I’m proud of you,” is all he can come up with before he laughs too.

  “You are the guy that we all looked up to in college, and now we’re doing it again. You got your shit together, and your future wife is fucking, banging hot,” Trey slurs out to me before slapping his shot glass to mine.

  “Thanks, guys, you both are great. I’m glad you’re both here.”

  “Nowhere else we’d rather be,” Cole says, leaning in close.

  We hang here for another twenty minutes, when I hear Ryan shout, “Wrap it up, boys, we’ve got a surprise stop for the lucky groom!”

  The last of the drinks are tipped back, just before we’re out the door and climbing back into the limo. I’ve been trying to stay sober but it has become impossible. So why fight it any longer? I take the bottle of Jack that is just staring me down. As we all sit on the L shaped seat, I raise the bottle to speak.

  “To all of you that came out tonight to help me celebrate my marriage to the hottest lady I’ve ever laid my eyes on.”

  “And you’ve laid your eyes on a lot of them,” Ryan says laughing.

  “I have, but nothing measures up to Ansley. She’s fucking amazing.”

  “You are one lucky son of a bitch.”

  “I am, Jesse. That I am.”

  As we pull up to the last place before I meet up with the love of my life, I set the bottle back down. I notice right away the parking lot is full, and then I’m shocked to find out that we’ve pulled in to a local strip club. My first thought is, “Oh, hell no, I’m not getting into trouble! Been there, done that.”

  Clearly the look on my face says it all, as Ryan throws his arm around me and stutters, “Dude, I’d never let you screw a stripper. I got your back, don’t worry.”

  “Thanks, man. I think.”

  Then he pats me on the back and guides me to the front door. What the fuck is he thinking stopping here?

  “You know we’re dead meat when the girls find out, right?” I want to make sure he realizes this too.

  “Nope, Kenna said she doesn’t care what I do, as long as I behave.” We both start laughing as the bouncer at the door opens it up for us.

  “So you just want me to die? Cause that’s what’s gonna happen when Ans finds out. And just so you know, I’m totally blaming you. This is not my fault.”

  “Bro, shut up, you’re starting to sound like a girl with your whiney voice.”

  “When Ansley has your balls in her hand, you’ll sound like a girl too.”

  As we head to the private room set up for us in the back, I can’t help but notice how packed this place is, as the girls dance on stage. It’s dark as hell in here, so I’m not totally sure what I’m actually looking at as we walk through.

  We enter through a curtain of the private room that another bouncer directed us to. The bartender is set up in the back corner, slinging drinks and popping bottle tops. There are a couple of couches, as well as a few tables, spread around the room, but you can’t miss the stripper pole that sits off in a corner, behind a glass wall. The room is decked out in red and black décor, with lighting that is a bit dim, while the music coming through the surround sound is just at the right level that allows you to actually hold a conversation.

  Beers are being handed out; as much as I know that mixing beers with liquor is probably not my smartest move of the night, I take one of each that is before me. I realize that walking in here is clearly the dumbest thing I’ve done all night. Fuck, I don’t need to be sleeping on the couch after I say ‘I do’ instead of in my bed. Sure as shit; that is exactly what I’ll be doing once Ansley finds out.

  No women have walked in or out of here; it’s just been us since we came in. I’m wondering what the fuck we are doing here exactly.

  “Ryan, dude, let’s get the fuck out of here.”

  “We will soon, buddy, but we’ve got one last surprise before we go, so just relax.”

  “Bro, really, come on.” I know what being here will entail for me later, and I am not ready to go down that path.

  “You’ll see them soon enough,” he laughs.

  As I tip my beer back, I lean against the bar and take in the sight around me. Everyone is just hanging out, shooting the shit, when the lights come on behind the glass wall. Some blonde comes out and starts swinging around the pole. She has on a little schoolgirl outfit, and back in the day, this night would’ve ended with us walking out together. But to be honest, she does nothing for me. She’s beautiful but she’s no Ansley. After she unties her white little shirt and strips it off, her red plaid skirt follows. Flipping herself upside down on the pole, she stays in a pair of white thigh-highs and a tiny see-through, matching red bra and thong set. Yep, the boys are enjoying themselves as Trey, Cole, and Adam, as well as Jesse, let out whistles when she does yet another trick on the pole. She’s talented; I’ll give her that.

  “Thanks for that,” I say, tipping my beer toward the glass wall then to Ryan.

  “I can see you’re not impressed, are you?” He laughs at me.

  “Not really, now if you would have asked me that question about three years ago, I might have had a completely different answer. But before I get my ass handed to me, and I throw you under the bus for bringing me here, let’s get out of here.”

  Ansley

  Sitting getting my hair and make-up done, we are all chatting about the night ahead of us, while enjoying champagne. As a matter of fact, I notice three empty bottles before we are ready to start heading toward the back to change into our party dresses. When I’m finally shown what I loo
k like, I almost don’t recognize myself. Staring for a moment, I take it all in…my hair is down, with just the right amount of curls, my eyes are outlined in black with eyelashes that go on for days, and my lips are marked with the most perfect shade of pink that makes them look full and kissable.

  The entire salon has been ours since we walked in this evening. While I sat getting pampered, the other girls have been getting dolled up as well. We’ll be using the employee lounge area to get ready to go out. I guess it pays to have made friends with the salon owner. Maddie and I were introduced to her when we moved in with Kenna. She had been going there since she moved into town six months earlier than us. She was more than happy to help us out for the evening and for the wedding.

  “Are you ready to see what you’re wearing out tonight?” A devilish smile is spread across Maddie’s face.

  “Who picked it out, exactly?”

  “We all did,” Kenna answers.

  “Okay, let me see it.”

  Maddie unzips the dress bag, while I stand sipping my third glass of champagne. I see sparkles and a bright purple color. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of fabric but it’s still gorgeous. I squeal with excitement, though I’m pretty sure the alcohol is starting to take effect, causing my giddiness.

  “I hope it fits,” I giggle.

  I reach forward and drag my hand down the front of it.

  “Get your ass in there and get it on, girl, we don’t have all night.” Maddie points to the bathroom.

  As I slip it on, it glides down my body perfectly. It’s a snug fit but hugs my body in all the right places. This sleeveless, mid-thigh length dress has a neckline that stops where just the right amount of cleavage is revealed, but scoops down low on my back, leaving me to wear pasties instead of a bra and showing a lot of skin. Standing in front of the mirror, I almost don’t recognize myself as I step into the three-inch black heels that they picked out for me to wear.

  “Wow,” is the word out of several mouths as I walk out.

  “I know, right? I love it girls. Thank you all,” I say, as I feel my eyes start to tear up.

  “No fucking tears, girl, you’ve got a hot man waiting for you. And I believe our party bus has arrived!” Maddie yells out.

  Everyone has changed and we are ready to go in less than ten minutes. After gathering up all of our bags and purses, we walk out to see a long black bus waiting for us. Stepping up on the first step, I turn around to all the girls, wanting my friends to know how grateful I am that they’re in my life, I say a few words and then continue on the bus. The two, large, black bench seats are outlined in hot pink lights, there’s a fully stocked bar at the far end of the bus: with two more bottles of champagne, several other bottles of alcohol, and a bunch of soda and juices. There’s also a cooler at the end of one of the bench seats full of beer, clearly the guys put their order in for that. And smack dab in the middle of the aisle is a stripper pole. As we take a seat, Vacation by Thomas Rhett is starting to play through the speakers. The bus starts moving, Kenna starts handing out drinks and the singing begins.

  Today has been one I won’t soon forget, and the bruises on my inner thighs from pole dancing class will be a reminder for the next week or so. Those upside down leg splits were nearly impossible. I say nearly because I finally aced the last one I tried. Josie has been swinging around the pole for the last several minutes. I think it’s obvious that the alcohol is starting to set into us all.

  “One shot before we meet up with the drunk fools that are waiting for us.”

  “Hey there, Maddie, one of those drunken fools is the man I love.”

  “Me too!” Kenna shouts out.

  “Speaking of fools…is yours coming?”

  “Oh, Josie, you just wait, you’ll find one soon. Then you’ll have a fool to call yours too,” Maddie giggles. “And yes, he should be here by the time we get there.”

  There is a dance party going on in the middle aisle, so none of us have paid attention that we’ve stopped and the driver has opened the door for us to get off. I shimmy forward toward a couple of the girls when I feel two hands grab my waist. I immediately know that feeling. It’s the same one I’ve had for years, whenever Cooper’s in the room. He presses his body against mine, while I grind my ass just enough to get his attention. His fingers dig into my hips, forcing my dancing to come to a halt and then he whispers in my ear.

  “I’m pretty fucked up right now, Beautiful, so I’d suggest you stop that before we give them all a show, as I’ll lift this little-to-no dress up and over your head. I can’t control my actions right now, so this is your only warning. Now I’m going to turn you around and give you a proper hello.”

  My body is twirled until I’m looking up at the two eyes that show me both love and lust, all at the same time. He leans close to my lips, whispering how much he likes my dress then his lips collide with mine. The next thing I remember is the catcalls and whistles all around us.

  “Alright, you two. Can you keep your clothes on for another couple of hours, so we can head into the club and celebrate?” Ryan shouts over the music.

  “Yeah, keep it in your pants, Loverboy,” Maddie laughs. She slaps him on the back as she passes by us and walks off the bus.

  The rest of us follow behind her, making our way to the front door. There stands a rather large bouncer, of course he shakes Cooper’s hand and Ryan’s, then lets us all pass through while the mile-long line waits. My body is kept close to Cooper’s by the use of his right arm, snaked around my waist. We walk side by side until we reach the roped off VIP area being held for us. After the first round of drinks is delivered, by our two waitresses, there are toasts made by a couple different people, and then we all make our way to the dance floor.

  As the guys snake their way through the crowd, back to our designated area, us girls stay and get one more dance in before we start to walk back too.

  “Oh, no she’s not!” I yell over the music as I start walking at a faster pace.

  As I arrive, one of the girls delivering another round of shots to the guys, starts to flirt with Cooper. Lucky her, I’ve had just enough alcohol to give me “beer muscles,” as we call them. These are muscles received after people have been drinking too much.

  “Bitch, keep walking.”

  “Excuse me?” she says as she turns toward me.

  “You heard me. But I’ll make it more clear for you this time. You don’t have a shot in hell, so keep your ass moving before I help you.”

  “Oh, really?” Her head bops back and forth when she says it, like she doesn’t believe me. Well, I am just about to lean in closer when two arms circle me, pulling me back.

  “Ok, killer,” Cooper says to me, then looks at the other girl and tells her we are all set.

  That’s when I yell again at the back of her head, “That’s right we’re set, Bitch!”

  “Someone’s a little feisty tonight.”

  “Who the hell does she think she is, flirting with you?”

  “Beautiful, she really wasn’t flirting with me.”

  “Are you blind, babe? We should probably have your eyes checked.” I take his face in my hands, looking directly into his eyes while I try to speak clearly.

  Cooper leans forward and kisses me, clearly to shut me up. I’m lost in the moment within seconds, forgetting where we are and that we’re in public. Once he grips my ass in his hand, and I hear a loud whistle, I snap back to the here and now.

  “OH! No you don’t, mister…don’t distract me,” I say, pointing my finger to his chest.

  He laughs out loud at me. “Me, never.”

  “Yes, you!” Turning around, I go to walk away, well let me rephrase that, I stumble away. I laugh back at him as I try to find the girls. I can’t seem to remember what the hell I was yelling about now.

  I’ve kind of lost track of how much I’ve had to drink, but I can assure you it’s been a lot. You know you can’t say no when those cool looking beakers come around with blue or red shots in them. An
d when they came by twice, I most definitely didn’t say no, I took the entire tray and handed them out to everyone that was with us. There have been more toasts given tonight than I think I’ve heard in my lifetime.

  Through the speakers comes Drunk On Your Love by Brett Eldredge and immediately I see Cooper walking toward me. He pulls me into his arms and starts to sing me the song in my ear.

  “Okay, Loverboy, cool your jets!” Maddie yells over at us.

  “Yeah, you two, keep your clothes on, geez,” Josie giggles.

  Cooper dips me as the song comes to an end and lays a panty-dropping kiss on my lips. As he stands me back upright, the ladies grab me and whisk me to the dance floor as Good to Be Alive (Hallelujah) by Andy Grammer comes on. There is a whole lot of dancing going on when a group of men come up, trying to hang with us. I know what you’re thinking…Oh no, this is not going to end well. Well you’re right, when one of the guys thinks he can get close to me, he’s instantly reminded to back away. I feel two hands on me, and then they’re gone. As I look over my shoulder, I expect to find Coop. I do, but I also see the man that was next to me is now out cold on the floor. His friends try and start shit with Coop; little do they know they are about to be greeted by several others as Jesse, Ryan, and the rest of the guys step forward. Their attitudes change and they back off rather quickly, dragging their friend toward the door.

  The rest of the evening is spent staying in our VIP area until it’s finally time to call it a night. The entire group boards the bus this time and the partying continues.

  “Babe, I can show you my moves,” I say, as I stretch my hand over my head, kicking off my shoes, and grabbing the pole.

  “The only moves you will be showing me is in about twenty minutes, when I lay you on the bed, Beautiful.”

  “No, really, Coop, I’ve got moves. See?”

  I start to swing my leg around and fall flat on my ass. Clearly my balance isn’t as good as it was in class today. I see the smirk on his face, which only makes my determination grow stronger. Now mind you, the dress I’m in has now risen higher than it should be, and I’m fairly certain, if I wasn’t facing only Cooper, I would be manhandled by my future husband right now. He’s sitting there with a buzzed grin on his face, watching my every move. Thank God, no one else is even paying attention to me, because I’m also certain I look like an idiot. Though I’m not really caring either, as I try to stand to do it all over again. This time, however, works out a little better for me, as I’m able to get one complete circle before I land on the floor again, and now I’m pissed. Somehow I convince myself that I can still do this.