Judith looked so shocked it was comical. Her mouth formed a big o and her eyes bulged. Then her cheeks blazed.
Ace smiled at her but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “That’s not all I know. Now why don’t you run along and stop pestering decent folks.”
Pursing her lips, Judith glared at Julián and then Gwen and said, “Well, enjoy my ‘leavins,’ whore. You can have him. He wasn’t all that great in the sack anyway.” There was a collective gasp at her brazen insult. Looking satisfied, she turned like a queen leaving the throne room and promptly got twisted up in her feet and toppled to the floor.
The cowboys she’d come into the club with must’ve been looking for her because they appeared at that moment, in time to see her trip herself. They tried to help her up but she slapped away their hands and stomped off with them following in her wake.
Gwen was relieved that all three were gone. She turned to both of her men and said, “I’ve been insulted before by women but I’ve never seen one insult a man like that.”
“That’s because she’s really drunk, love,” Julián murmured as he kissed her temple. “Normally women like her wouldn’t do that because they don’t want to burn bridges with men. I’m really sorry I ever set eyes, much less hands, on her. I’m really sorry, Gwen.”
“Stop apologizing.” Pointing at Hatch across the room, she said, “Poor choices are in my past too. When you know better, you do better. Six feet deep. Remember?”
He squeezed her and then murmured, “Six feet deep.”
Gwen reached for Chris and pulled him down so he was at eye level, a maneuver he seemed to enjoy as he grinned at her. “Yes, little darlin’?”
“I hate that bitch. I think you’re one of the sexiest men I ever met. That is all.” She clammed up because nothing else needed to be said. She’d already said it before. He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her what felt like three feet off the floor to kiss her. A blush heated her cheeks, but all she could focus on was the need simmering inside of her for him, and for Julián. She had to fight the urge to wrap her legs around him, knowing it would reveal her bare butt to the whole room.
Once he set her down, she turned to Ace and Kemp. “How come you know so much about her?”
Ace and Kemp sat back down as Summer took her seat once again, both men looking at their hands before Ace finally replied, “Angel and Joaquin mentioned her and I got a little curious. I’ve been doing a little investigation work.”
Not wanting to place them in an uncomfortable position, because it was called private investigation for a reason, Gwen said nothing further.
Rachel raised her hand from the other side of the table, with Eli’s arms around her like always. “I wasn’t involved with her falling down this time. I was over here, being innocent. Although, if I had been over there I would’ve tripped a bitch.”
Everyone laughed and the DJ chose that moment to speak to the crowd.
“This song was requested for a few of the men in the room who all have a deep, dark, dirty secret. That’s right, ladies, two-steppin’s not the only dance they know. Get out there, men!”
The throbbing techno-beat was out of character for The Dancing Pony, and the jaws of half the people in the club dropped.
“Opa, Gangnam style!”
“You’re shitting me!” Rachel and Charity both said at the same time. Duke and Gage started the familiar movements to the opening verse of the song, even lip-synching the Korean lyrics to “Gangnam Style” as they grinned like total geeks and put on dark sunglasses.
Duke and Gage braved the gaping throng on the dance floor to do their thing. Gwen started giggling when a couple of the other guys started dancing at the table and then moved toward the dance floor too. She felt Chris bump her from behind and she turned in time to see him waving his imaginary lasso over his head. He tried to act innocent and she laughed harder.
“You’d better get out there and show me whatcha got, Cowboy!”
Chris grinned like a kid set loose in a candy store and kissed her soundly before he followed Eli, Ethan, and Justin to the dance floor.
The girls stood there stunned, watching their men dance. The song was odd and unfamiliar to many people in the club but everyone was watching. By the second verse the men had paired off, one on the floor on his belly and the other standing over him doing his goofy thing. The dance steps were fairly easy and repetitive and soon others joined the throng on the dance floor. The girls watched their men hip-thrusting and moving very light on their feet, especially considering how freaking big some of them were.