5. Ember

5

EMBER

“ I don’t know which one of you ladies was the brilliant mastermind that planned the H2O IV van coming by earlier, but you are the real MVP. If it weren’t for that, I don’t think I would have made it out tonight,” Suzy says as she finishes pressing her lips together, spreading the ruby red color, giving her plump lips a pop against the all white outfit she is wearing. A tight bodysuit donned with a fluffy, short tutu skirt. She looks like a ballerina bride, minus the ballerina shoes. The heels she is wearing are definitely not ballerina shoes.

“We couldn’t have the bride-to-be only lasting through part one of her ‘Fling before the Ring’!” Dana screams out of the shuttle bus window that’s currently bumping its way through the strip. Figuratively, by way of the loud as hell speakers, and literally, by way of the incessant bouncing that occurs with every tiny pothole we hit.

Actually, shuttle bus sounds a little too prude here. I suppose I should call it what it really is: a party van. Equipped with alcohol, snacks, incredibly loud speakers, and a stripper pole directly in the middle of the platform of the vehicle. It’s built for at least a dozen bodies, far too large for our modest bachelorette party of four, but Dana spared no expense when planning this for her sister. She rented it for the entire night, so we always had a ride to any place we wanted to go.

We are currently on route to Temptation , an upscale strip club for both men and women. After Dana thoroughly researched all the options, she decided this was where we were going to spend our last night in Vegas. Yesterday was full of shopping and massages during the day and dancing last night. Tonight, though… Tonight is going to be ‘ Wet ‘n Wild ’, according to Dana. And yes, she air-quoted to clarify it would be the same Wet ‘n Wild—girls gone crazy edition . All of us being born and raised in a tiny Missouri town, we were all ready to let loose.

I’ve never been to Vegas before, and I’ve never done anything like this, so I have no idea what to expect. The excitement and anxiety are currently going to war in my head, but excitement is winning.

Last night was fun, nothing too crazy, just dancing. But tonight will be one of the reasons they created the motto What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.

The girls are already drunk. I’ve always been reserved when it comes to drinking. I’ve never liked how it makes me feel. Out of control, aloof, and the next day is always full of regret. Nothing good ever seems to come out of it, so why bother? Suzy insisted I drink, and I buckled under that peer pressure, so here I am, three shots later, and far too tipsy, too early into the night.

Last night, after only one shot, I spilled my guts to the girls about meeting Hudson on the plane. They thought I was crazy running out of the plane like I did but, Christ, he was the sexiest man I had ever met.

In my entire life.

Not that I’ve had much experience with men in general.

But Hudson. I don’t know that I have ever had such a physical response to someone before .

There hasn’t been a spare moment where I haven’t thought about him and those dark chocolate eyes and perfect smile. At first, I thought maybe he was just a friendly guy, but when the flight was coming to an end and he asked to see me again, I saw a desire in his eyes I’ve never felt from anyone before. One that mirrored my own, so much so that it scared the shit out of me.

Using the excuse of having a boyfriend to men that ask me out has always been my go-to response to avoid relationships, even when I wasn’t actually in one. But when he asked, I couldn’t lie. I didn’t want to tell him I had a boyfriend when I didn’t, not like the guy on the plane that approached me before Hudson returned. For some reason, I didn’t want to lie to Hudson, but I couldn’t muster the courage to say yes.

I don’t want to have casual sex, and more importantly, I won’t get into a relationship that will limit my options. I’ll be moving soon, hopefully. No, not hopefully. I will be moving. Even if I don’t get that job. I’m ready. My time in Weston, Missouri is over. If I have to stay for one more wedding, bridal shower, baby shower, or anything related to marriage and babies, I might actually bury myself under an outhouse and let that be my demise.

All of my friends have since been married, and some divorced, then remarried, since high school. I was fortunate enough to put myself through college and keep my focus there, against the wishes of my parents. Well, specifically my dad. You would think he would support my goals the same way he did my brothers, but to him, my education was a waste of money.

My mom insisted the entire time that I needed to stop going to school. I begged her to help me with the tuition and cost of all the books and supplies, but she took my father’s side, as she always does. She informed me, daily, that it was pointless to get a degree when my focus should be on marrying a rich man. ‘ Why work when you can have a man take care of you? ’

She has always cared more about what he thinks, does, says, and hardly has a thought of her own. My father grew up incredibly wealthy, and he inherited his father’s fortune. My mother’s family barely made ends meet. She’s confessed more than once she will do anything to keep my father happy because he affords her the life she never knew she could have. That status, that wealth, is what she craves more than anything.

She loves it more than she loves her own children. Her only daughter included.

He provides her the life I know she has always wanted. It definitely doesn’t help that all my friends went off and did nothing more than get married and have babies. It’s like our little town of Weston stayed frozen in history. Women don’t have a life of their own. They are not individuals enhancing the life of their spouses, they are defined by their title, ‘his wife.’ My mother being the matriarch of the town for that exact motto. Being at the beck and call of her husband, my father, the most old-fashioned man in human existence.

I just wish he treated me the same way he treats my brothers.

Instead, they just continued to push my ex on me so forcefully it ended up driving me even further away. Which is why I’ve applied at every job anywhere in the country. I’ve been grounded, rooted to an unwanted life in Weston, and I’m over it.

I want so much more than that, and I’m tired of feeling guilty over it.

“I’m ready,” I whisper to myself as I look out the window, the Vegas strip’s neon lights flashing by.

“Earth to Ember!” Dana screams my way from her inverted position on the pole. Her hair grazes the ground as she floats upside down, her body slowly slipping down the pole, even with her white knuckle grip and leg haphazardly wrapped around it.

“Oh my god, you’re going to break your neck!” I launch myself at her in an attempt to catch her, even though she’s not actually falling.

“You are the oldest twenty-three-year-old I know. You seriously need to relax. You’re giving yourself permanent wrinkles on your forehead. Get whatever is stuck in your head out of it, because when we step into Temptation, all you bitches better leave all your inhibitions here.” She places her four-inch heel to the ground, pulling herself upright.

“Doesn’t Temptation only have female strippers, not male strippers?” Sara asks.

Suzy’s eyes widen as she snaps her neck over at Dana.

“No, no. It has multiple levels. The bottom level is a sex store, bar, and I hear you can rent rooms. Rumor has it there is a chapel there, too, which is weird, but whatever. The second level is where the female strippers perform, and the top level, the male strippers. We’re top level, baby.”

Dana was the first to get married. She got engaged the day after graduation to her high school sweetheart, Scott, and officially married before the end of our first summer out of high school. Their love story is the epitome of a small town romance. She was the prom queen, he was the quarterback of the football team, and that’s all I need to say about that.

Being that she’s been married for the longest, with the most kids, three already in total, her wild side comes out anytime the girls get together.

“We’re pulling in,” The driver yells from the front of the bus as he flips a switch on the top display above his head. The lights dim softly, changing from one color to another, flowing from the back to the front, then music so loud the windows shake. Ginuwine’s Pony starts playing and the girls start hollering.

I guess now is the time to shed those inhibitions.

Joining them, I roll my hips, moving with the music as we glide down the steps into the warm breeze of the desert air. Even though it’s early in January, there is still a warmth to the wind. So different compared to the chill of the air in Missouri.

The host, an incredibly sexy firefighter, but clearly not a firefighter, greets us at the front and calls Dana by name. Listing off each of our names, and even without any type of megaphone, the man’s voice booms through the small entrance area of the building.

“Ladies, you are our VIP’s tonight, front row with top shelf bottle service. Vodka will be served with champagne, along with the mixers of your choice. Each of you get one lap dance with admission, any other lap dances are fifty dollars. It’ll be the best money you’ll ever spend on yourselves.” He winks, handing us back our IDs, then punches the elevator button.

Dana squeals in excitement, doing a small clap jump at Suzy, who’s biting her lip, trying to hide her smile.

The elevator doors open, and our host holds his arm out with a small gentleman-like bow. Suzy leads the way in with all of us trailing behind, me being the last.

“Ember?” I hear my name from somewhere behind me. Turning around, I see a group of guys walking up toward the entrance. My stomach flutters, making my breath hitch as his dark eyes connect with my light ones. He’s standing at his full height, peering over the top of another guy standing in front of him. “Ember!” Pushing the guy to the side, jutting out in front of the group, but unable to reach us before the elevator doors close.

“Holy shit.” Suzy turns to me. “Was that him?”

“Who?” Sara asks in unison, with Dana asking, “Who the hell was that?”

Hudson.

Panic blankets every inch of my body. I shift uncomfortably and turn to the girls, then back at the closed doors. The feeling of lust and anxiety blend like oil and water as my body stutters to react. I open my mouth and close it. Words have completely escaped me.

“Wait. Is he… that group of guys… Are they coming up here?” I turn, grabbing the jacket of the firefighter attempting to turn him toward me. Instead, I just end up exposing more of his torso and chest as his jacket flies open with my aggressive grip.

“Oh, um. Sorry,” I say, while he chuckles. I pull his jacket forward again, trying to close the front with a small awkward pat, but he adjusts it himself, leaving his abs open and on display.

“That’s probably the group for the second floor. There’s no access once you are on the floor to move. We have it set up so you stay on the floor you pay for.”

“Oh, good. Thanks.” I’m relieved. Right? Ugh. Why did they have to come here? Why did we have to come here? What are even the chances we would run into each other in Vegas? There have to be a million people in this city.

“Good? Girl, that is not good. I don’t care if it’s a Vegas fling. You need to let that man do something to you.” Dana circles her hand at the elevator door.

Shaking my head in short, frantic movements, “I can’t handle the temptation that is Hudson.”

Dana leans in to me and whispers in my ear. “Inhibitions are on the bus, remember? Plus, this is Temptation.”