Sidney squeals as I pull her to the back, “What are we doing?”
“Looking for the dressing rooms.”
“They’re back there,” she points down a hallway, and I pull her along with me. “Avery, what are we doing?”
“We’re going to strip. What else?” Okay, I might be a little more than tipsy because that came out totally wrong.
Sidney jerks her wrist away. “I’m not stripping in front of Trystan!”
“That’s not what I meant!” For some reason I start laughing because it seems really funny. I can picture myself on the stage and Sean walking in. I think he’d kill everyone. When I manage to get control of myself again, I put my hand on her shoulder. “No, let’s just grab some of their stuff and dance on the stage. It’ll be fun, and I think we both need some fun.”
We find a dressing room and put on men’s shirts and denim short shorts. I grab a top hat and Sidney grabs a feather boa. We head to the stage from behind the curtain and Sidney is laughing way too much. Her face is still bright crimson and she’s muttering the same words over and over again. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”
When we step out onto the stage, I raise my voice. “Hey, Trystan, hit the lights.” I hear him grumble, but the guy moves. A few seconds later some of the stage lights pop up so it’s not pitch black, and then a spot light appears. It’s so bright that I have to shield my eyes if I want to look for Trystan out there. “Thanks.” No one answers. Great, now he hates me, too.
“He’ll come around,” Sidney says, reading my thoughts.
I turn and look at her, offering a half smile. I glance at our outfits. The large men’s shirts cover the short shorts. I unbutton the bottom of my shirt and tie it under my boobs and tell Sidney to do the same. I expect her to protest, but she doesn’t. Music kicks on from somewhere and I smile. Sidney and I dance together for a little bit. She’s laughing and blushing like crazy. I tell her to slow down her moves and suddenly she’s dancing like a goddess. It’s awesome. The girl has no clue how sexy she is. Add the huge smile on her face and that long hair and no wonder Peter is crazy about her.
I stand there for a second, watching her dip her head back and sway her hips. She giggles and looks over at me. “I suck at this.”
“No, you don’t. You’re actually really good.” I laugh with her and say, “Watch this.” I head over to the pole and basically do the same dance. I feel the music pulse through me and don’t care who’s watching me.
Glancing over at Sidney, I see her swish her hair in a circle and copy the movement with her hips. She laughs and looks over at me just in time to see me grab the pole, and kick my legs up. I wrap my thighs around the cold metal and lock my ankles together, before releasing my hands, and hanging upside down. As I slowly slip down the pole I reach for the floor, and when my palms find a firm footing, I kick off the pole and land on my feet. I put my hands over my head like a gymnast and smile.
That’s when I hear Mel’s voice. “I leave you alone for a couple of hours and you start stripping?” I hear her heels hitting the hard floor as she walks toward us. “What the fuck is going on here?”
“Mel?” I shield my eyes and walk to the edge of the stage. Sidney stops dancing and Trystan stands up, ready to throw her out. I hop off and plow into her. Wrapping my arms around her, I say, “I’m so glad you’re all right. I thought you—” My jaw tightens and I can’t say the words. I can’t tell her that I thought I lost her.
“Who is this?” Trystan demands. He folds his arms over his chest and looks back at the door where the others are still talking, and occasionally yelling.
Mel escapes my death hug and rounds on him, ready to tell him off. “Don’t you go talking to me like I’m some…” Her jaw drops when she sees Trystan. Mel’s caramel eyes widen and don’t blink.
I poke her shoulder. “Mel, this is Trystan. He hates Sean.”
“So do I,” she mutters.
I say, “Yeah, well, then you guys have something in common.”
Trystan smirks, and then clarifies. “Why is she here?”
“Because I told her to come.”
Trystan sighs and looks up at the ceiling before running his hands over his head. “Great. Jon’s going to kill me. No one is supposed to be out here but me and Sidney, and I told his bouncer to go home. I assume Sean’s coming?” Trystan turns his gaze to me and I nod. “Great.” He turns and walks away, flopping back down onto the chair.