Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 58142 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 291(@200wpm)___ 233(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58142 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 291(@200wpm)___ 233(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
The stage where I’m about to see the sexiest men I’ve ever known remove most of their clothing.
“No, I haven’t,” Becca says, and I have to think back to remember what I asked her only a moment ago. I’m a little distracted by my own thoughts.
“I’m wondering … how much of their clothing do you think they take off?”
“I guess we’ll find out,” she says with a grin. “Have you ever seen Magic Mike?”
I shake my head. I’ve heard of the movie, of course, and I have a rough idea what it’s about, but I’m afraid to ask her for any details. That’s a movie, after all, and this is real life. Dodge told me they don’t do full nudity in their show, so I’m sure I’m flustered for no reason.
There’s thumping music playing, which I heard clearly when we first came in, but that’s gradually been muted by the noise of the crowd. When the volume of the music increases, the crowd gets louder, and pretty soon, Becca and I have to yell to communicate with one another.
“Do you want a drink?” Becca shouts.
I very rarely drink, but tonight seems like a perfect occasion, so I nod. Cocktail servers, both men and women, are circulating, but they look pretty busy, so Becca leads us to the bar. It’s also packed, but she has experience in these situations, and soon, she’s at the counter.
My friend doesn’t ask me for my order, but eventually turns back to me with a narrow glass that’s beautifully ombré colored, from orange at the bottom to bright red at the top. “What is it?” I yell. She’s gotten the same drink for herself.
She steers us away from the bar, a big grin on her face, and she’s giggling when she leans right next to my ear and says, “It’s called Pop My Cherry. I thought it was appropriate for tonight since we’re both strip club virgins.”
I shake my head at the name of the drink and think about telling her that this isn’t technically a strip club, but decide that it’s too loud to make the conversation worthwhile. When I take a sip from the glass, my eyes go wide in surprise at the sting of the alcohol.
“You should stir it,” Becca yells, demonstrating with the narrow straw in her own glass. After I do that and take another taste, it tastes much better. Delicious actually, if I’m being honest.
As I slowly sip my drink, hoping it calms my rising nerves, I focus on the other people in the room, as the crowd grows tighter around us. A strange irritation flares in me, and after analyzing it, I realize it’s jealousy.
It won’t just be me seeing Chase, Dodge, Diesel, and Maddox take off their clothes tonight. Dozens — hundreds? — of others will be watching too.
The music cuts out and a deep voice comes through the speakers, announcing that there are only ten minutes until showtime.
The fruity drink isn’t working fast enough, and a wave of anxiety tells me I should leave, but I know Becca will talk me out of it if I try.
It turns out she was right about my outfit. There are plenty of other women here in dresses much tighter than mine, their breasts on the verge of spilling over their tops, and their skirts threatening to expose whatever flimsy underwear they may or may not be wearing underneath.
The area close to the stage is completely filled with people standing shoulder to shoulder. The men had talked about older women coming to their shows, but the majority of women in the crowd are near their age and very attractive, which leaves me to wonder why they’re kissing me when they already have all of these enthusiastic fans.
Becca checks her phone and her mouth opens in a laugh that I see rather than hear, thanks to all of the noise around us. She aims the screen my way to show me a text from one of her men, Khalil, telling her to have fun. It’s accompanied by an animated gif of a male stripper dressed like a pirate. He’s attempting to pole dance but falls on the floor instead.
Apparently it’s a group chat, because while I’m looking at the silly pirate, a message from one of her other guys, Marcos, comes in, telling her they’ll be giving her their own show when she gets home. I quickly avert my eyes from the phone and give her a big grin, even though my stomach is feeling more fluttery by the minute.
10
Thirsty
Suddenly, the room gets darker and a couple of spotlights roam across the audience before coming to focus on the empty stage. The music gets louder, a beat that thumps under my skin, and then a man in a dark blue police uniform struts out, scanning the crowd.