“Yes, kinda… well, sorta.”
“Like everyone?”
“Well, not you, silly, but yes, everyone else.”
“Emma?”
“Yep.”
“Emily, Debbie, and my mom?”
“Ahh, yep.”
He holds out his palm, and I high-fived him before he runs back to the dance floor and joins them like the crazed lunatic he is and wrestles the microphone off Adriana who is doing a rendition of ‘Islands in the Stream.’
Eric announces the entertainment is here, and uncomfortably, I’m forced to be the center of attention. I’m not surprised one bit when strippers strut their goods around me, these bulked-up, hot guys dressed in their fire gear. Holy shit, they are hot, not as hot as my man, but I swear I can see Eric’s drool hit the floor.
Nikki is bouncing around like she has ants in her pants. Emma’s long gone, and would often yell out comments like “Fuck you, Tate, and your mafia whores!”
Gosh, I so need to find out what the hell that’s about.
Emily is whistling really loud, enjoying herself. Debbie and my mom grab champagne, each drinking straight from the bottle.
At this point, I want to grab my confiscated phone to text Lex and say I had nothing to do with this, but knowing Rocky, there’s probably pussy galore parading in front of them right now, so I don’t feel so bad.
Eric is in gay-man heaven, groping one of the stripper’s butts, who surprisingly doesn’t flinch at Eric’s touch. Okay, so that kind of kills my buzz—they are gay. Nikki and Jen don’t seem to care, though, tugging on the G-strings trying to peek inside. They soon grow impatient, and the strippers go the full monty.
So, here’s the thing—a naked man is standing in front of you, and much like the giant elephant in the room, you can’t help but look at it. Times that by three, and I feel like I’m in a zoo. I swear they are looking at me, the penises, that is. Is that even a word? Plural penis? God, I feel so dirty.
Nikki is rubbing her body up against the blond stripper, his semi-hard cock impossible to ignore. A loud bang forces me to look away. What the hell? Rocky has fallen to the ground in the backyard outside the pink playhouse, and the shadows of what look like others disappear into the dark. He yells her name, and she laughs at a very angry Rocky. I know somewhere Lex is standing watching us. I don’t know where, but I feel him. His stare is on me, and I know he won’t show his face, but if Rocky is here, then so is he. I smile because I wish that if he is looking at me right now, he can sense how much I miss him and how the next two hours seem like a lifetime away.
Behind the big oak tree, I see him, his silhouette and gaze permanently fixated on mine. I wink and watch as the silhouette of my beautiful man relaxes.
“I wish I had what you have.” Emma sighs as she stands beside me, looking at the stars.
“What’s going on, Em? Tate giving you a hard time?”
“Nope, the opposite. He doesn’t care about anything. He has his other skanks to worry about.”
I place my arm around her, trying to ease her pain. Men suck.
“I’m sorry, Em, I didn’t realize Tate was like that. Plenty more cock in the coop.”
She giggles. “Did Eric teach you that?”
“Who else?”
***
“You nervous?” Adriana asks as she fixes my train.
I’m reeling from the fact that in less than twenty minutes, I will see Lex again.
“Not a single bit.” I beam.
Adriana announces she is finally done. Standing back, she watches me. Barely above
a whisper, all I hear is, “There are no words,” as I watch her wipe a falling tear from her face.