Chapter 2 The Bachelorette Party

Kari

"You're worried about marrying Frank because he's not good for you. He's not even big and all muscled up like you like." Lisa leaned forward and rubbed Kari's shoulder, her voice louder from her new position.

"I am a little surprised you've lasted this long," Sicily added from her seat, pushing the mirror back toward the ceiling and reaching for her purse before pulling out gum. "You guys want a piece?"

"Frank's a good guy. He's handsome and smart, has a great job, and was really there for me in college no matter what I wanted. Lately it's been a little ehhh..."

"That's because you locked down the goods." Lisa sat back and Kari turned the radio on, keeping the volume low. Kari reached for a piece of gum, smiling at Sicily.

"Boys are weird about the 'P', Kari. I know my last boyfriend was sex first and talk later, which wasn't such a bad thing, seeing that he was dumb as dirt." Sicily leaned back in her seat, her hands cupped together in her lap.

"The 'P'? What are you, ten?" Lisa grumbled from the backseat, her body shifting in the rearview mirror as she turned to press her back against the door and extend her legs across the seat. She wore tight blue jeans, a cotton green top, and a push-up bra that left the size of her breasts obvious to anyone who looked her way. The girl was stacked and single at the moment. The world should be fearful.

"Hey, not all of us are vulgar like you," Sicily retorted, a smile on her pretty mouth.

"Frank has been weird since we stopped sleeping together, but I thought it would be a good idea. I mean, I still do. We needed a break. He's insatiable and every time we'd get together it was sex. I wanted to see if there was more to us before getting married."

"And... what did you discover, Sherlock?" Lisa asked, her voice filled with question.

"We do have a good relationship under the lust, but it's not the friendship I would have expected after four years of being together." Kari sighed again, heaviness sitting on her as they pulled up to the large, extravagant club entrance. A few valet guys rushed toward the small Honda. Kari was happy to be off the hook for now, but knew she'd soon be having a serious conversation with either one or both of her good friends. Neither one of them was too fond of Frank, and where she understood why, she was getting toward her mid-twenties and wanted to start considering marriage and kids.

When Frank popped the question seven months back, she hadn't hesitated at all in saying yes. After being with someone for so long, that's what you did, right? It was the next step in the process of relationships at her age. Those deep-seated feelings of lingering regret were just a bundle of nerves over a new venture and fear of the unknown.

"Come on, you. Stop thinking and let's start drinking." Lisa grabbed Kari's arm and pulled her toward the entrance to the club, the glass clean and offering her a reflection of herself as they approached. Her jet black hair bounced as she walked, the slight curl she'd given it adding an innocent look to herself that she wasn't entirely sure she liked. Her black dress was fitted tightly to her body, her skin tanned and legs shapely. She'd left the gym stained in her scent many days in the last few weeks, her efforts to lose the last ten pounds she gained from college richly rewarded. Two inch heels allowed her to hover a little over her friends, the other girls about the same height as her on a normal day.

A large African-American male opened the door, his muscular arms and chest bulging through the small T-shirt he wore. A lovely smile slipped onto his full lips and he wagged his eyebrows at them. "Well, well... if this doesn't smell like trouble I'm not sure what would."

Lisa was quick to respond, as usual. The strong-willed redhead who led the group stopped in front of him and placed a well-manicured hand on his chest. "And what exactly does trouble smell like, handsome?"

He leaned down and breathed in deeply, his nose running just beside the soft column of her neck. "Mmmmmm, very much like you."

She laughed and looked back toward the other two. "Oh yeah... this is going to be good for us."

Kari rolled her eyes and walked into the darkness of the club, the music pumping so loudly that her heart raced in tandem to catch up. She looked around for the rest of their group, a few more of her friends from high school lingering somewhere undiscovered. Sicily and Lisa left her to grab drinks and she moved through the club, the layout enormous and welcoming to all sorts of dancers. There were four rooms in the monstrous place, each with a different style of music.

She stood at the edge of the main floor, the club-style music pouring from the speakers above her. Her eyes moved across the crowd, looking for her friends, but taking in the glorious freedom found on the faces of those who moved in the middle of the floor. Dancing was like sex - liquid and free, sensual and stimulating. She bit at the side of her lip, realizing how badly she missed both activities in her life. Tonight was going to be a time to exorcise the demons of youth and desire in tandem.

"Hey, you wanna dance, beautiful?" a deep voice sounded beside her. His large hand was resting on the small of her back, his teeth biting along lip as his eyes dragged across her.

She stiffened and looked to her left, the well-built male most likely in the military by his size and the seriousness of his appearance. He smiled and she couldn't help but smile back, his gaze kind and remaining on her face for the moment.

Did she?