hired a hooker?” His voice broke.
“Um, yeah?”
“Shit.” Cody raked his fingers through his hair, though there wasn’t much to rake. Like all of them, his hair was closely cropped.
“She’s paid for and everything,” Billy said, as though this would help.
“No fucking hooker. Come on guys.”
Ennis frowned and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. His biceps rippled. Of all of them Ennis was the most ripped, which was saying something, because they were all pretty ripped. “ Shee-it , Cody. This is supposed to be a bachelor party. We’re in Vegas . It’s supposed to be wild and crazy. There are supposed to be strippers. There’s supposed to be a fucking tiger in the room.”
Why he pouted at that, Dane didn’t have a clue. If there was a tiger in the room, it would probably eat the strippers.
“Yeah.” Billy echoed Ennis’ pout. “Tonight’s the night, bro. Your last chance.” It was true. The families were all arriving tomorrow. Tomorrow the hotel would be filled with mothers and sisters and flower girls , for Christ’s sake. In all likelihood, they would not appreciate strippers. Or hookers.
Kaye joined the refrain. “If we’re gonna have a bacchanal, it’s gotta be tonight. From here on out it’ll be rubber chicken with Aunt Gladys.”
“I don’t have an Aunt Gladys.”
“Aunt whoever then.”
“And there’s not going to be a bacchanal.” This growled by their host, with a slash of his hand.
The guys eyed Cody gloomily. “You changed, man,” Billy muttered.
“Yeah.” Kaye tipped up his beer and reached for another. “What’d she do to you?”
Cody set his hands on his hips. “I love her.”
None of them, of course, could respond to that. Although Billy did mutter again, under his breath, “You changed.”
He had. Dane tried to ignore the ripple of desolation at the thought. He tried to ignore the sneaking suspicion that as of tonight, as of right now, nothing would ever be the same again.
Ennis wandered across the room, plopped down on the sofa and turned on the TV, scrolling for porn but stalling on some financial news update. “I can’t believe we’re in Vegas and sitting in a hotel room. With no hookers,” he grumbled. “What kind of bachelor party is this?”
“A boring one.” Kaye sat next to Ennis and grabbed the remote, surfing through until he found a game on. All the guys drifted over to watch. Everyone but Dane. Yeah. He couldn’t take this. It was all too…painful.
“I’m gonna head out,” he said to Cody.
“You’re not leaving, are you?”
Dane faked a grimace. “Little bit of a headache.” It was a believable lie. After the concussion he’d received during their last mission, he’d been having them. He was probably going to hell for lying about it now to escape what felt like a wake for his best friend, but he had to escape. Misery was closing in on him like a steel trap.
He’d probably go back to his room and drink himself into a stupor.
No. He wouldn’t. He was in fucking Vegas. He’d find a party somewhere—with hot and horny chicks—and drink himself into a stupor there.
“Okay.” Cody’s brow wrinkled in concern. “I’ll see you tomorrow, I guess.”
“Yeah. Have fun tonight. And…congratulations.”
God, that word was hard to choke out. Still, Cody took his hand and shook it. Believing, trusting that Dane was sincere.
He wasn’t. He set his teeth as he left Cody’s room. Damn. Whatever had a hold on his friend, he sure hoped he never got a dose of it. Sit in his room with his buddies and chat? While in Vegas? Turning down a hooker? One that had been paid for?
So unlike Cody it made Dane’s brain hurt.
Of course, hiring hookers wasn’t their general M.O. Neither of them ever needed to hire a pro, but that was hardly the point.
The point was—
What was the point?
Ah, yes. Cody turning down pussy.
An occurrence so rare it probably caused a rip in the space-time continuum.
Even as a kid he’d
“Um, yeah?”
“Shit.” Cody raked his fingers through his hair, though there wasn’t much to rake. Like all of them, his hair was closely cropped.
“She’s paid for and everything,” Billy said, as though this would help.
“No fucking hooker. Come on guys.”
Ennis frowned and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. His biceps rippled. Of all of them Ennis was the most ripped, which was saying something, because they were all pretty ripped. “ Shee-it , Cody. This is supposed to be a bachelor party. We’re in Vegas . It’s supposed to be wild and crazy. There are supposed to be strippers. There’s supposed to be a fucking tiger in the room.”
Why he pouted at that, Dane didn’t have a clue. If there was a tiger in the room, it would probably eat the strippers.
“Yeah.” Billy echoed Ennis’ pout. “Tonight’s the night, bro. Your last chance.” It was true. The families were all arriving tomorrow. Tomorrow the hotel would be filled with mothers and sisters and flower girls , for Christ’s sake. In all likelihood, they would not appreciate strippers. Or hookers.
Kaye joined the refrain. “If we’re gonna have a bacchanal, it’s gotta be tonight. From here on out it’ll be rubber chicken with Aunt Gladys.”
“I don’t have an Aunt Gladys.”
“Aunt whoever then.”
“And there’s not going to be a bacchanal.” This growled by their host, with a slash of his hand.
The guys eyed Cody gloomily. “You changed, man,” Billy muttered.
“Yeah.” Kaye tipped up his beer and reached for another. “What’d she do to you?”
Cody set his hands on his hips. “I love her.”
None of them, of course, could respond to that. Although Billy did mutter again, under his breath, “You changed.”
He had. Dane tried to ignore the ripple of desolation at the thought. He tried to ignore the sneaking suspicion that as of tonight, as of right now, nothing would ever be the same again.
Ennis wandered across the room, plopped down on the sofa and turned on the TV, scrolling for porn but stalling on some financial news update. “I can’t believe we’re in Vegas and sitting in a hotel room. With no hookers,” he grumbled. “What kind of bachelor party is this?”
“A boring one.” Kaye sat next to Ennis and grabbed the remote, surfing through until he found a game on. All the guys drifted over to watch. Everyone but Dane. Yeah. He couldn’t take this. It was all too…painful.
“I’m gonna head out,” he said to Cody.
“You’re not leaving, are you?”
Dane faked a grimace. “Little bit of a headache.” It was a believable lie. After the concussion he’d received during their last mission, he’d been having them. He was probably going to hell for lying about it now to escape what felt like a wake for his best friend, but he had to escape. Misery was closing in on him like a steel trap.
He’d probably go back to his room and drink himself into a stupor.
No. He wouldn’t. He was in fucking Vegas. He’d find a party somewhere—with hot and horny chicks—and drink himself into a stupor there.
“Okay.” Cody’s brow wrinkled in concern. “I’ll see you tomorrow, I guess.”
“Yeah. Have fun tonight. And…congratulations.”
God, that word was hard to choke out. Still, Cody took his hand and shook it. Believing, trusting that Dane was sincere.
He wasn’t. He set his teeth as he left Cody’s room. Damn. Whatever had a hold on his friend, he sure hoped he never got a dose of it. Sit in his room with his buddies and chat? While in Vegas? Turning down a hooker? One that had been paid for?
So unlike Cody it made Dane’s brain hurt.
Of course, hiring hookers wasn’t their general M.O. Neither of them ever needed to hire a pro, but that was hardly the point.
The point was—
What was the point?
Ah, yes. Cody turning down pussy.
An occurrence so rare it probably caused a rip in the space-time continuum.
Even as a kid he’d
Similar Books
