“Lots of booze. Skye won’t be a good girl anymore when I’m done with her.”

  “You guys going to a strip club?” I asked with a laugh. Now, that would definitely remove her good girl reputation.

  Trinity kept her back to me and paused before she inserted a dress on top of her other clothes. Then she kept going like nothing was off. But she didn’t answer my question.

  I meant it as a joke but her odd behavior made me wonder otherwise. “Are you going to a strip club…?”

  She didn’t turn around. “Slade, you’re such a strong man. Can you grab my other suitcase out of the closet? I can’t reach it.”

  Now I had my answer. “You’re going to a strip club?” I raised my voice and it came out as a shout. I gripped her by the arm and forced her to turn around and face me. “Is this a joke?” I was supposed to remain calm and prevent fights but I was struggling at the moment.

  “It’s a bachelorette party, Slade. It’s what we’re supposed to do.”

  “It’s what you’re supposed to do at bachelor parties too but I didn’t. Cayson isn’t either.”

  “It’s different.” She turned back to her suitcase.

  “How?” I snapped.

  “Girls getting naked and dancing around is sexy. Guys spinning their junk around in a speedo is not. It’s hilarious.”

  I tried not to snap. “If you’re looking for comedy, go to a stand-up show.”

  “Slade,” she said with a sigh. “It’s really not a big deal. Let it go.”

  “How would you feel if I took Cayson to see strippers?” I knew exactly how she would feel about it.

  “As long as you kept your hands to yourself, I wouldn’t be mad.”

  “You’re such a fucking—”

  “Because I’m absolutely and completely secure in this marriage. I know seeing pretty girls dance around isn’t going to make you cheat. It isn’t going to make you fantasize about other women. I’m the only woman you want to come home to. That’s why it doesn’t bother me. And you should feel the exact same way.”

  I forgot about our argument for a second because her words touched me. If I went to a strip club for my bachelor party she would have thrown a fit. But now she didn’t feel the same way. She completely trusted me. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind I would be faithful to her—forever and always. “I…that means a lot to me.”

  “And you should reciprocate that.”

  Dammit, I just dug my own grave. “It’s not that I don’t trust you. I just don’t want you to rip off some guy’s G-string with your teeth.”

  “Gross,” she said. “Like I would ever do that.”

  “Baby, just do something else. There’s so many fun things you can do.”

  “Like what? Shit on a car?”

  I glared at her.

  “Braid each other’s hair and sip tea?”

  I pulled out my phone and did a quick search. “Pole dancing lessons. Come on, that’s wild and hot.”

  She rolled her eyes. “ I don’t want to work out. And we both know Skye doesn’t. Just let it go. I want to make sure Skye has a good time. Don’t ruin that for me.”

  I knew I should man-up and let it go. But fuck, that was hard. “I’ll do anything to make you change your mind.”

  She growled. “We’re going and that’s final.”

  “Then I’ll come—”

  “Don’t you dare finish that sentence.”

  I shut my mouth tightly.

  “This is happening. Just accept it.”

  I ground my teeth together and tried to think of a response. How was I going to stop this? I didn’t want my wife staring at naked dudes while they flexed their bulging muscles and wore a man thong. I didn’t want her staring at their rock-hard abs and smug grins.

  How was I going to stop this?

  ***

  “Dude, we need to talk.” I slid into the booth across from him.

  He had a bored look on his face while he ate his fries. “What’s the big emergency, Slade?”

  “Dude, this is an emergency.”

  “Sure.” He kept eating.

  “Trinity and the girls are going to Atlantic City for the bachelorette party.”

  “I know,” he said. “She told me.”

  “And they’re going to a strip club—some Hunk-O-Mania place.”

  Cayson stopped eating his fries. “A male strip club?”

  “Yes.” Finally, he understood the severity of the situation.

  “Skye?”

  “Yes,” I said with a nod.

  “Skye Preston.” Disbelief was in his voice.

  “Yes, that little brunette with big tits that you love to fuck. She’s going to a strip club.”

  He shook his head. “No way. She would never do that.”

  “I just talked to my wife and that’s what she said. All the girls are on board.”

  “Skye must not know. It must be a surprise.”

  “Do I need a megaphone?” I snapped. “Because you clearly can’t hear me. Skye is fully aware that they’re going to a strip club for her bachelorette party.”

  Cayson was starting to come around. “You’re sure?”

  “A hundred and twenty five percent.”

  “Okay…there’s only a hundred percent. You can’t go higher than that.”

  “Yes, you can,” I said immediately.

  “No,” he argued. “You can’t. That would mean—”

  “I got a hundred and eleven percent on a math test in high school. It’s possible.”

  “Unless there was extra credit.”

  “There wasn’t,” I said. “When I got my exam back, that’s what it said.”

  Cayson looked like he was about to argue but he quickly changed his mind. “Forget it. Nevermind. Are you sure? And don’t say a hundred and twenty five percent.”

  “I’m absolutely sure,” I said. “Now how are we going to stop this? I trust my wife but I don’t want her gawking at naked dudes.”

  “Let me talk to Skye first to confirm this.”

  I jumped out of my seat. “Okay. Let’s go.”

  “You aren’t coming with me to talk to her.”

  “Why not?” I argued. “I see you guys fight all the time.”

  “We aren’t going to fight.”

  “Dude, we’re wasting time. Just shut up and let’s go.” I yanked him out of the chair. “I’m a hundred and twenty five percent sure you would just call me after you talked to her anyway.”

  ***

  Skye came out of the kitchen wearing an apron. “Hey, Slade. You staying for dinner?”

  “No.” I crossed my arms over my chest and stared at her.

  “Okay…” She eyed me for while before she turned to Cayson. “What’s up?”

  “Ignore him,” Cayson said as he stepped closer to her. “He’s a little upset right now.”

  “About?”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Cayson said quickly. He crossed his arms over his chest while he thought to himself. Then he found the right words. “Trinity mentioned you were going to a strip club for your bachelorette party…”

  A guilty look came over her face.

  “Is that true?”

  I stared at her face and watched for a sign of a lie.

  “Uh…” She fidgeted with her apron. “Well…”

  “Yes or no?” I snapped.

  Cayson looked at me over his shoulder. “Silence.” Then he turned back to her. “Is it true?”

  The guilt was still in her eyes. “Yes.”

  It always feels good to be right.

  Cayson clearly expected her to give him a different answer because he was surprised. “You are?”

  “Yeah…Trinity really wanted to do it.”

  “But…who cares what Trinity wants. Don’t you think it’s a little inappropriate to go to a strip club?”

  “It’s not a big deal,” she said. “It’s not really sexy anyway. It’s more fun than anything else.”

  “How would you feel if I went to a strip club?”

  She shrugged. “I can’t see you ever hurting me so it doesn’t bother me.”

  Cayson had the same reaction I did when Trinity said those words to me. He released a sigh like he was moved. But then the moment passed. “Of course I would never hurt you. But wouldn’t it still bother you if I watched a bunch of pretty girls get naked?”

  “A little,” she said. “But as long as you didn’t pay for a lap dance I would be okay. And it’s only a one-time thing. If you were going every Friday night after work then that would be creepy.”

  “Isn’t it creepy if I go even one time?” he asked. “I’m getting married. It’s like I’m cheating on you.”

  “Staring at pretty women makes you a cheater?” she asked. “Are you going to touch these women?”

  “Of course not,” he argued.

  “Then it’s not a big deal.”

  “You’re saying this because you know I would never go. I don’t even want to go. Why would I want to see some naked chicks with fake racks when I have something so much better at home?”

  Her eyes brightened in affection. “I understand that. But watching guys dance around isn’t the same thing. It’s not sexy—at all. It’s just fun and stupid.”

  “Easy for you to say,” he said darkly.

  Skye sighed. “Do you really want to finish this conversation in front of Slade?”

  “He’s already heard most of it.”

  “I’m not leaving,” I said as I leaned against the couch.

  “Cayson, I love you very much and I want to spend my life with you. But let me have fun at my bachelorette party. I’m only going to have one. I promise I’ll keep my hands to myself.”

  He ground his teeth in irritation.

  “Say no,” I whispered at him. If Skye weren’t allowed to go, then Trinity wouldn’t go either. I would get out of the situation without having to look like the bad guy.

  Cayson didn’t say anything. It seemed like the fight had left him.

  “There’s no reason to get upset over this,” Skye said. “It’s a traditional thing. Have fun with your boys and I’ll have fun with my girls.”

  He rubbed the back of his neck in irritation.

  I knew he was pissed.

  Skye continued to wait for him to say something.

  He cleared his throat. “I…I need to do something.” He turned around and headed to the door. “Slade, come on.”

  “What are we doing?” I asked.

  “Just come with me,” he barked.

  I turned to Skye and shrugged. Then I followed him out the door.

  ***

  We sat in the booth and drank our beers. The bar wasn’t packed like it usually was. A few girls made eyes at Cayson and I, but we both ignored them.

  “This is a nightmare,” he said as he rubbed his temple.

  “We could go to a strip club and see how they like it.”

  “But they wouldn’t care,” he argued. “They trust us too much and crap.” He rolled his eyes.

  I knew he was right.

  “I don’t want my fiancé to look at naked guys,” he said. “I don’t like it.”

  “Me too,” I said. “It’s even weirder because Trinity is my wife.”

  He stared at his beer while he remained in thought. “I do understand it—in a way. Watching guys dance around is nothing like a traditional strip club. It’s mainly to get the women out of their seats and dancing. A strip club for dudes is just a room full of hard cocks.”

  “I’ve never gotten hard for another woman but Trinity—since we got together.”

  “Me neither,” Cayson admitted.

  I sipped my beer and tried to take the edge off. “Are we being unreasonable? It is a bachelorette party…”

  “But it’s a stupid tradition,” Cayson argued. “Just because other people do it doesn’t mean we should.”

  “You have a point. So, how do we get them to change their minds?”

  He sighed. “If Trinity and Skye both agree on something, we’ll never change their mind.”

  “Probably not.”

  He watched the TV in the corner for a minute before he turned back to me. “Unless we could convince them otherwise…”

  “How?”

  He shrugged. “Bribery…favors…anything.”

  A light bulb went off in my head. “I have an idea.”

  ***

  Skye and Trinity both sat on the couch, looking irritated as hell. They knew what was coming and they didn’t like it one bit. Trinity had her arms across her chest, and Skye looked downright mean.

  “Okay, just hear us out,” Cayson said.

  “This is ridiculous,” Trinity whispered.

  “I can’t believe how insecure they are,” Skye said back.

  “Shut up and listen,” I said. “If you want to go to a strip club, then fine. Go have fun.”

  Both of them gave me surprised looks.

  “But I have something much better to offer…” I rubbed my palms together in excitement.

  They both returned to being pissy.

  I continued on. “Instead of driving all the way to Atlantic City just to gamble, drink, and see a few shows, what if you stayed local and got the same thing?”

  Trinity narrowed her eyes at me. “Because we live here. It’s not as much fun.”

  “How about this?” Cayson said. “We can have casino night—right in this apartment.”

  “Casino night?” Skye and Trinity both said at the same time.

  “We’ll have card games, gambling, and even Magic Mike in the background,” Cayson said. “It’ll be perfect.”

  Skye shook her head in disappointment. “We aren’t five years old.”

  Damn, this plan was backfiring. “We’ll have hot wings…”

  “And peanut butter fingers?” Trinity snapped.

  “Come on,” Cayson said. “It’ll be fun. We’ll be shirtless with just bowties. And we’ll be the dealers.”

  Skye cringed. “Slade is my cousin.”

  I forgot about that.

  “And Cayson is my cousin in law,” Trinity said. “At least almost. I don’t want to stare at his naked chest all night long.”

  Cayson and I shared a defeated look.

  “This is pathetic,” Trinity said. “You’re really this uncomfortable with us going to a strip club?”

  “Yes,” Cayson and I blurted at the same time.

  Skye rolled her eyes. “This is ridiculous.”

  Now we had to go with plan B. “We thought you might react this way…”

  “So, we have a backup offer,” Cayson said.

  “This should be good,” Trinity mumbled.

  “If you don’t go to the strip club, we’ll be your slaves for one whole month,” Cayson said dramatically, like it was an offer they couldn’t resist.

  “What does that entail?” Skye asked.

  “Everything and anything,” I said. “You want ice cream at three in the morning, we’ll get it for you. You want a back rub, we’ll take care of it. You want to go dancing at a club, we’ll gladly take you.”

  Trinity cocked an eyebrow. “Isn’t that exactly what you do now?”

  “Uh…” Cayson tried to think of a response.

  Shit, it was. “But we’ll do other things too. We’ll scrub the floors with a toothbrush. We’ll clean out the refrigerator. We’ll even make the bed every morning.”

  “That’ll last a week at the most,” Skye said. “Then neither one of you will do it.”

  “We give our word,” Cayson said. “That house would be spotless.”

  “How does that help me?” Skye asked. “If you’re cleaning the house all day, when am I going to spend time with you? I’d rather hire help than resort to that.”

  Dammit. This was going south.

  Trinity shook her head. “We’re going to Atlantic City and we’re going to have a good time. End of discussion.”

  Why was this happening to me? Just when I felt defeated, an idea came to me. “You do as we ask, and we’ll take a pole dancing class and perform for you.”

  “I’m not doing that,” Cayson hissed.

  “Shut up,” I hissed back.

  “A pole dancing class?” Skye asked incredulously. “You two?”

  “I’m pretty flexible,” I said.

  Trinity rolled her eyes. “Nope. Sorry.”

  A smile spread on Skye’s face. “I have an idea. But they’ll never do it.”

  “What is it?” Trinity whispered.

  Skye covered her mouth with her hand then whispered in her ear.

  Trinity smiled then laughed. “Oh my god, that would be amazing.”

  “They’ll never do it,” Skye said.

  “Even better,” Trinity said. “So we can have our fun trip as we planned.”

  “Do what?” Cayson asked.

  “You’ll never do it so don’t even ask,” Skye said.

  “We might,” I said. “Give us a shot.”

  “You definitely wouldn’t do it, Slade,” Trinity said.

  “Just tell us,” Cayson said. “Come on, we’re desperate here.”

  The girls exchanged a look before they turned back to us. Skye was the one who spoke. “We’ll give into your demands and not set foot in a strip club if…”

  Trinity carried on. “If you come with us to Atlantic City…”

  That didn’t sound so bad. I went to Trinity’s bachelorette party and had a good time.

  Skye continued. “And…if you dress as girls the entire time.”

  Cayson and I didn’t even blink.

  Trinity smirked like she just beat me at a very weird game.

  “That’s the only thing that would be more fun than Hunk-O-Mania,” Skye said. “So, if you guys can’t do that, then let it go.”

  Cayson and I were still in shock.

  “A girl?” Cayson asked. “You want me to dress as a girl?”

  “With a dress, heels, and a wig,” Trinity said. “Go out and party with us. Then we have a deal.”

  “I’m not dressing up as a chick,” I argued.

  “That’s fine,” Skye said. “No one asked you to.”

  “I would rather boil my own hand off,” Cayson said.

  “Okay,” Trinity said. “We got it.”

  “Looks like we’re headed to Hunk-O-Mania,” Skye said as she fist-pumped the air.

  “Woo-hoo,” Trinity said.

  Cayson turned to me with a dark look in his eyes.

 

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