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Chapter Ten
Fanny:adjective, In Scotland fanny means loads of things… Vagina. But mainly means idiot or stupid. Used in conjunction with wee, as in “you’re a wee fanny.” Aren’t we a delight? Pronounced: Fan-nay.
* * *
Eden
“You are glowing tonight, Eden.” Toni smiles over my shoulder at me in the mirror.
“It’s the light bronzer I applied earlier.”
Anything to cover up that Scottish blue skin tinge sneaking through.
“Okay, I’m done.” I say, smacking my lips together as I finish applying my lipstick.
I’ve straightened my stream of hair within an inch of its life tonight. Hello, shiny locks.
My caramel waist-length locks are anything but straight. It can be, but boy, does it go frizzy in the misty weather that comes off the sea in Castleview Cove. It makes it go mental… like totally crazy big. Think Monica from Friends in Barbados. Not a good look. I reckon if I invented a frizz free serum for my hair specifically to deal with the Scottish weather, I would be a millionaire, because nothing works. Believe me, I’ve tried them all. It takes so much effort to smooth it out. Straighteners are life.
“It’s nothing to do with the bronzer, Eden. You are gleaming from head to foot, girlfriend.”
“Thanks, girls.”
I swing my legs around to the side of my gray velvet dressing table chair, drape my arm gently on the back, and rest my chin. I relish the photogenic sight of my four besties—Ella, Eva, Toni, and Beth. All perched on the edge of my bed, dressed up to the nines, smelling like the seven wonders of the world as their perfumes clash, sipping sparkling prosecco with expressions of excited happiness.
“It feels like forever since I felt this alive. I still have work to do, ladies, but I feel so good.” I raise my hands in the air and sing.
Eva covers her ears. “You still sound like shit, no change there.”
“Well, you look incredible and fucking hot. This is your coming out night. That sounded wrong. Not coming out. Not from the closet. I meant, this is your rebirth. Yeah, that’s better,” Toni rambles.
“Like a phoenix from the flames.” Ella splays her fingers and arms out, drawing a giant arch in the air.
I smile at her exclamation of delight.
“Are we ready? Are we really doing this dance tonight?” I question Ella and Eva.
“Hell to the yeah, baby. We’ve been practicing all week. Let’s go. I’ll order an Uber.” Ella springs up from the bed and teeters out of the bedroom in her black spaghetti-strap heels, black super skinny jeans, black vest, and shiny gold belt.
“Did we really think this through, Eva? What if there’s some dance mums there tonight and we’re all dancing like some sex-starved women? I know we used to do this all the time, but we have a dance school now.” I exhale my concern as we all wobble down my stairs, clattering our heels against the wood. “You didn’t think that shorts jumpsuit you’re wearing through either, Eva. You are so going to give everyone an eyeful tonight.”
“Stop stressing,” exclaims Beth, running her hands down her bobbed, chin-length fire-engine-red hair.
“Get a grip, girl; you can do this.” Toni nods in agreement.
Eva says, “Yup, we are doing this, Eden. All bets are on. I put money on us filling up our adult dance classes off the back of this. Husbands will line up on Monday, signing up their wives so they can learn how to sway their hips like we do. Just think, when we offer pole-dancing aerobic classes, they’ll sign up for those too—it’s the seamless upsell. Think of it as the perfect promotion.”
“Since when did you get a business head on you, Eva?”
“Since you allowed Ella and me to take the reins a little. It’s been the best, and I have so many more ideas on how to grow the business. I’ll fill you in on it all next week when you’re back at work, but for now we are going dancing sexy lady, let’s go.” She bellows out toward the end with excitement.
“I can’t wait to dance and perform together with you girls. When did we last do this in front of people? All we ever seem to do is teach now. We should do this more often.” Ella says with glee, pushing her arms through her black blazer.
“Black on black on black this evening, Ella?”
“I’m a mother-fluffing ninja tonight.”
We all burst out laughing. “You’re a fanny, not a ninja,” Eva says.
Beth chimes in, breaking our laughter. “I can’t wait to perv over the performance. I haven't watched you three dance together in forever. You girls make me rethink my sexual persuasion when you start grinding and swaying your hips. And the faces you make… Lord, are you girls a triple shot of sexiness. Wooooo. I can’t handle it. C’mon, let's go, taxi’s here.” Gathering her handbag, she sashays out the door.
Toni rolls her eyes, following everyone. “You girls can deal with her tonight. I’m not sure I can if she starts dry humping the stage while you put on your slut show.”
“It’s not a bloody slut show, Toni. It’s art,” I retort.
Yeah right, not tonight it’s not.
A burst of laughter from us all again, combined with the clicking of our heels, echoes around the courtyard. I lock up and we all bounce into the taxi.
* * *
The Vault is already jumping when we arrive. It’s R&B night. My favorite kind of music.
Roman gave us an excellent space in the VIP area, which means we don’t have to put up with all the workers currently living in the town.
The Championship Cup starts soon and they’ve made a start building all the spectator stands and marquees to prepare for the tournament. This is the best time to visit the town. Before, during, and after the entire town buzzes with activity.
I watch the crowd filling the dance floor from the glass balcony of the VIP area, music pumping to the sounds of Usher, Beyoncé, and Ariana.
Nerves keep creeping in and out of my thoughts at the thought of having to dance soon. I’ve limited my drinks just in case I make a tit of myself and fall over in my heels. Dancing, like proper dancing, in high heels isn’t something I’ve done for ages. The last thing I want is to fall flat on my face in front of this rowdy crowd. I’ll wait till we do our routine and then sink a few more cheeky rhubarb gins.
“Okay, I have a game for us all.” Toni grabs our attention over the music.
We’re all crowded around the black and gold semi-circle seating booth.
Ella’s blending in with the surroundings tonight, I note.
We all groan. We do this from time to time. And tonight's game is…
“What’s your vagina’s name?” Toni cries loudly.
“Keep your voice down, Toni,” I hiss.
“No one cares, Eden. Just play the game. Beth, you first. First letter of your first name and first letter of your last name. I have the list. Texting it to our group chat… now.”
Ding, ding, ding, ding.
We all dig our phones out and find the photo.
“Go, Beth,” Toni instructs.
“Holy crap. Sparkle Flaps,” she exclaims as we all burst out laughing.
“Me next,” Toni says, raising her hand. “Mine issss… Moist Waffle.” She looks up from her phone in shock as we all set about giggling again.
Eva jests. “How is Moist Waffle today? Not blue?”
“That turned out to be a crock of crap meme hoax in the end,” Ella informs the table. “Although Eden has a blue vagina. How long has it been?”
“Far too goddamn long,” I say unexcitedly.
If I’m going all in with the honesty malarkey, my therapist so helpfully reminds me on the regular, then I’m going all in.
I clear my throat. I’ve said nothing negative about Jamie or really spoken about him in a long time. Here goes…
“Although it was never good. I feel bad saying this. But it never rocked my world. It was very vanilla. Like no world-shaking stuff that’s in the books I read or in the movies. Jamie never got me off, not even once. I always looked after myself. Eden one; Jamie zero.”
The girls stop as if on pause. Three, two, one… then a rapid explosion from the girls all at once bursts out.
“What?”
“You’re kidding.”
“What the hell.”
“He must have been shit in bed.”
Ella’s in shock. “That’s not normal. You need someone to take care of you.” She sips her drink, shaking her head in disbelief.
“I think I’m finally realizing now he was a crap lover. But anyway, getting back to your question. It may have closed up; it's been that long. I’ve never craved sex though because I’ve never experienced this fireworks shit that you all talk about. Is it really like that? The sex? Like amazing?”
Eva pipes up. “Hell to the yes, it is. It should be. It should be so good you cannot wait to whip your clothes off. Having kids sucks now. Ewan and I have to sneak around. That makes it more fun sometimes. But man, the things he does to me. Oshhh.”
“I’m so missing out,” I whisper out in thought.
Toni peers up over her glass. “How does Hunter make you feel? You know after the finger sucking thing?”
“Sorry, what? Finger sucking what?” Eva exclaims in horror.
I brush it off. “That’s a story for another day and it was a mistake. It was… gahhhhhh… Hunter makes me gaga. And I get tingles. I really do. He’s just incredible. There is no other word for him. He gives me fanny flutters.” I gaze off, thinking about him.
“Whoa. This is all new for you, Eden. Lean into it. You need to get some, baby.” Beth thrusts her hips, making me chuckle. “List item number one. You’ve got to do that. Like, really. I reckon he’d give you the explosive ending you’ve been missing out on.” Beth smiles saucily.
“I think I would like that. Ah…” I raise my finger in the air. “I ordered my vibrator today, as instructed by you all, so that may help ease this newly found ache in my foof I have for Hunter.”
“Don’t call it a foof.” Beth gags into her drink. “You make it sound like it’s a farting device; we aren’t six anymore.”
Our table erupts with laughter.
“Let’s get back to the game… What's your vagina’s name, Eden? Oh…” Toni points at us in thought. “You, Eva, and Ella share the same initials. Eden, you do first and first letters. Ella, you do second and second letters, and Eva, you’re off the hook since you're married now.”
I go next. “Oh, holy shiz. My vagina is called Pink Puddle.”
That sets us all roaring again. Everyone from the surrounding tables looks over. We are drawing way too much attention to ourselves.
“I think I’m going to wet myself,” I cry out.
“Christ, then it really will be a puddle.”
We shriek with laughter so much we fail to notice Hunter approaching our table.
“Evening, ladies.” He demands the attention of the table as it completely silences.
His eyes find mine.
Everything around me stops.
I try swallowing the sandpaper lump in my throat.
Holy cow. Just look at him. Those eyes. And his designer stubble beard. He’s sexual eye candy. I wanna lick him.
Yikes.I hope he didn’t overhear my sexual inadequacies.
That would be awful.
“Having fun?” He’s asking the table but looking at me.
The girls pull themselves together and swoon with small waves and shy hellos.
“Eden.” He tips his head to me in acknowledgement.
I blink.
Shyly I mouth a small hi.
“See, you managed to clothe yourself, eventually.”
All eyes snap to me.
He is the devil.
Eyebrows raise along the line of the table.
“Eden, do you have something to share with us… again?” Eva asks, her voice laced with curiosity.
“No, I do not.” I shake my head furiously.
Eva pops an eyebrow in amusement.
“Honestly, I have no idea what he’s talking about.” I raise my hands with exasperation, slapping them back to rest on my jean-covered thighs.
Deny. Deny. Deny.
I look up and meet Hunter’s amused stare. “You’re a menace,” I say as I grab my glass and down a large gulp of my rhubarb gin.
“I really am.” He roguishly winks and asks, “You girls getting up to dance?”
“We sure are. Just you wait,” replies Ella.
“Maybe save a dance for me, Eden?”
He’s so direct.
I scrunch my nose, then roll my eyes to the side away from him as I ponder. “Maybe.”
Make him sweat. Act cool, Eden. Act cool.
He stalks around the table.
“That so? We’ll see.”
He glides around to the back of the booth directly behind me. He dips down and nuzzles into my neck. “Would you like me to show you what a pink puddle really looks like, Cupcake?” he purrs.
Then he inhales a deep breath. Is he sniffing my hair?
My skin crawls with sparks of electricity.
He suddenly stands back and raises his glass in a cheers motion to the table. “Girls.” He turns on his heel and walks away.
I circle my neck and follow his handsome figure as he glides away in his simple white tee, black ripped designer jeans. Paired with dark-gray suede lace boots. Everything about him looks expensive. He saunters to the far end of the VIP area and sits down. He's with a crowd of people, I’m assuming that’s his team. I only recognize Luke. There’s a beautiful brunette girl sitting with them too that I don’t recognize. She’s all long bronzed legs and boobs. She looks like a goddess.
How did I not see them all when we arrived?
“I think I just got pregnant from watching that.” Toni fans herself with her hand.
I focus my eyes on the table; the girls are all sitting and staring at me.
I put my head in my hands.
“He’s a rogue. A great big gorgeous rogue. I think I need more alcohol,” I grumble dreamily.
“It’s a bloody orgasm you need, more like,” drawls Beth.
And the girls all break out into a fit of giggles.
No help at all. Thanks, girls.
* * *
Hunter
She’s here.
I’m excited.
She’s beautiful. There’s no other word for her.
I laugh to myself. Fucking Pink Puddle.
Those girls.
I’ve sat and watched her for the last half hour. That makes me sound like a fucking stalker. Scrap that… Sat and gazed at her with longing eyes… That sounds worse and makes me sound like a creep.
Okay, so maybe I’m being a bit stalkery. I can’t take my eyes off her. Now and then she looks up and catches my eyes. You can feel the tension between us; it’s becoming unbearable.
I watch as the girls all rise from the table.
Are they hitting the dance floor?
I watch as they disappear down the metal stairs.
I turn to Luke. “Are we getting a front row view of list item number twenty-six? The sexy dance? Do you think they’re doing it tonight?”
He smirks. “Come see.”
He stands and beckons me to come closer to the balcony.
I watch as Eden, her sisters, and friends weave through the crowd toward the stage. It’s a great nightclub. An old bank is what Luke said. The old teller's desks have been converted into a bar along one wall. Gold and black velvet and metal interiors throughout. Gold lighting floods the floor in the VIP area and features a glitter wall of dotted lights on a black wall. Reminds me a little of The Bank at the Bellagio. Very cool.
I rest my arms on the handrail of the glass balcony, following Eden’s every move as she climbs onto the stage with her sisters.
She’s wearing light-blue extreme ripped jeans, exposing her lean thighs to her knees and gold ankle tie stiletto heels. I’d like them wrapped around my head.
The faint outline of her erect nipples is evident through her fitted white, sleeveless crop top, accentuating the curves of her ample boobs, tiny waist, and flat stomach. She’s wearing multiple layers of fine gold chains, all different lengths and designs. As she stands there nervously, the stage light bounces off a tiny light-blue crystal dangling from her belly bar piercing.
Imagining myself skimming my tongue across her skin and belly button drives my cock wild. I palm my crotch over my clothes to reposition myself.
She’s a goddamn wet dream.
The music dies down a little. The DJ bellows over the mic, “Hey, party people. We have something a little bit special tonight. For those of you who aren’t from the town, these ladies are the Wallace Triplets. Aren’t they gorgeous?”
The crowd cheers in agreement.
Damn straight she is.
“Ella’s getting it. She’s a fox,” Luke exclaims.
“Fuck Ella, check Eden. She’s mine.”
We both laugh at each other. We’re like a pair of teenage boys with high school crushes.
We’ve got it bad.
“Eden… put your hand up, baby girl,” the DJ instructs.
“Baby girl. He’s a douchebag,” I expel in disgust.
“Eden is under strict orders from her sisters to complete everything on a bucket list they set for her. Tonight she is ticking one off the list. The girls are trained dancers and own a dance school here in Castleview Cove. Tonight, fellas… we are getting an all exclusive private dance, just for The Vault.”
The men in the crowd give a low whoop.
Bastards.
Throwing his head back, the DJ screams into the mic, “Okay, less talking, more dancing. Let’s get this shit going.”
The crowd cheers and claps.
A brief hush falls over the club. Eden and her sisters get themselves into their positions before the music kicks in.
The intro of “Dirrty” by Christina Aguilera slowly ticks and clicks through the speakers, then the beat drops. Before my very eyes, the girls start dancing for their lives in a routine they’ve clearly been practicing. I can’t take my eyes off Eden. All nerves have gone, and she’s a fucking vixen on the stage.
Her hips sway, pump, and thrust. Hands roam up and down her body.
Holy mother of God. I want to be those hands. I’m a bad boy. A very bad, bad boy.
How is she dancing in those heels?
Persistent, hard-hitting, high-energy movements take over her body. She’s lost in the moment. She’s someone else when she dances. Like she’s possessed.
Hip and body rolls, booty dips… She’s the gift that keeps on giving.
Crawling across the floor, arching her back now, she gyrates, like she’s humping the floor, circling and rolling her body in time to the music like a cat in heat. Then jumping up to her feet. Bouncing, jerking, flexing.
More hip sways and I take note of her dance face. She’s drowning in the moves and music. Smoldering dark sexy eyes. Her splayed hands slide up her voluptuous body, up over her delicate neck, then into her waist-length hair, I’d like to wrap my hands around, giving her that just-fucked look. She throws her head back, shaking it from side to side, hair flying, mouth open wide as she lets it all go.
Oh.
My.
God.
I think I might be having a heart attack.
My heart is beating out of my chest so fast.
I want her.
“Look at them go,” Luke booms over the music.
I only see Eden. She’s a star. A star that my body now craves.
I want her to light me up.
She’s everything.
I’m so entranced, suddenly I realize the song is over and the crowd is going wild.
Eden and her sisters are cuddling each other and bouncing up and down with excitement on the stage before heading back toward the dance floor to meet their two friends, who I haven’t officially met yet. I watch her for a few minutes; covered in a light sheen of moisture, she’s shining. She must feel me watching her. She glances up and stares directly at me with a wide, dazzling smile, a look of relief on her face.
She spots Pippa wrapped around me to my side and her smile drops.
Mmmm, that’s right, Cupcake. You’re jealous. You do like me.
Eden hasn’t met my sister yet.
To tease Eden a little, I give Pippa a brief kiss on the top of her head.
Pippa looks up at me and smiles.
“Having a nice night, bro?”
As I turn my eyes back to the dance floor, I find Eden watching us.
She does not look happy.
“I am,” I simply reply.
“She's beautiful, Hunter. I can tell you like her.”
“Do you think she likes me?”
“Have you seen you? Even as your sister, I can categorically tell you, you are a fine specimen of a man. Who wouldn’t want you, Hunter? You have an incredible heart. You’re like the whole package. You deserve multiple levels of happiness. Jess would have never made you happy. She was a class A bitch. I’m so glad that never worked out. You deserve better, way better.”
I pull her into a hug.
“That means a lot to me, Pippa. Thank you.”
“Are you going to get the girl?”
“Yes.” I beam, pulling away. “I am.”
