Whipped (Hitched #2)(24)

I wrap my arms around Vi as we move to the music. "Never knew you had so many friends." I let Kacie and Tate handle most of the invites.

She grins. "I meet a lot of people at the store."

I notice a couple dry humping against a wall. "Really horny people."

"I do sell sex toys."

I twirl her around. "That reminds me. How'd you get into that?"

She shrugs. "I like sex. And I like helping people explore their sexuality. It's what I loved about being a Dominatrix."

"So why change careers?"

"Being a Dom made relationships… difficult. I never had sex with my clients, but they still found my sessions sexual. Intimate. Not a lot of guys could handle that."

I wonder if I could. I'm not sure. "Do you miss being a Dom?"

"Sometimes. I love how it forced me to be creative."

I frown. "Like painting?"

She laughs. "No. With my methods. Clients like variety. Every day, I had to discover new ways to blend pleasure and pain. I still get ideas, but…" she hesitates. "It's harder to try them."

I feel like she means impossible. I wonder if this is a problem. I'm not submissive. I take control. She seems to enjoy it, but she must miss being in charge. Could I enjoy letting go?

Vi kisses my cheek. "I need a drink. Want anything?"

I shake my head. She walks off toward the kitchen. I think our conversation soured her mood. Mental note. Don't bring up points of contention at girlfriend's birthday party.

Tate shuffles through the crowd and clasps my shoulder. "Hey, man. Having fun?"

"Yeah. Thanks for the help. When my buddies decide to tie the knot, and I should let you know it may be another ten years, I'm recommending you guys for the bachelor party."

"Nice." Tate sways his arms. "I… um… I liked your show."

I chuckle. "Vi told me you ended up there. Heard you kinda freaked out. For future reference, it's a great place to pick up women."

"Huh. Never thought about that." He sips a glass of orange liquid. "You must have met a lot of girls there."

"Yeah."

"A new girl each night."

I don't like where this is going. "My contract's almost up."

"Good." Tate's words are slurring. He's getting drunk. "Because you know, Vi's not a one night kind of girl."

"And I'm not a one night kind of guy. Not anymore. I insisted on three dates before sex."

His eyes go wide. "Three. Man, I'm not sure I could do that. Nice. Okay, listen, you seem nice. And you dance well. So, I won't get in your way. But if you break my girl's heart…" He makes a stick with his hands and pretends to break it.

I'm not sure he could actually take me. But it’s a sweet sentiment.

"I have no intention of leaving her," I say firmly.

He nods. "Good. I'll get back to the bar. You get back to your girl."

As he wobbles away, Kacie walks up next to me, swiping her stylishly messy blond hair off her face. "He give you the Tate Test?"

Is this Vi's party? Or the Lachlan experiment? But hey, I never spent a lot of time with Vi's friends. I should have expected this. "I think so."

Kacie smiles. "He didn't hit you with a bottle of vodka. So that's a good sign."

I raise an eyebrow. "He's done that before?"

"He used to be the bouncer for all of our bachelor parties. A few times, things got wild."

I nudge her shoulder. "So is this the Kacie Test?"

"Yeah. But it's pretty simple." She changes her voice. It reminds me of someone from the Godfather movie. "You gonna be the perfect guy for my girl?"

"I'll do my best."

"Yay. Now, I have to go find Sebastian. The babies are with a sitter, and we're getting crazy tonight." She saunters away to her husband.

I glance around for Vi. Instead, I see Zoe running toward me, her purple bob bouncing with each step. Did they plan this?

I raise my hand, stopping Zoe in her tracks. "Vi's awesome. I have no intention of leaving her. I'll be the best boyfriend ever. Did I get everything?"

She gives me a thumbs-up and disappears back into the crowd. Am I drunk, or does she look like Tinkerbell?

The doorbell rings. How many friends does Vi have?

I open the door. A guy with blond hair stands in the doorway, guitar case in one hand, flowers in the other. "You here for the party?" I ask.

"Yeah. I'm Chad. I used to be Vi's boyfriend."

I grit my jaw. That unfamiliar feeling enters me again. "I don't think you're invited."

He smiles. "It's okay. I used to live here." He walks forward.

I stop him with my hand. "Well, Chad. I'm Lachlan. And I live here now."

The f*cker's still smiling. "Vi would want to see me." He notices something behind my shoulder. "Hey! Vi, it's Chad."

I turn around. Vi walks up to us, a red glass in her hand. "Chad, what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to surprise you. Here, for you." He holds out the flowers.

Vi doesn't move. "Chad. You need to leave."