CHAPTER 24—Olivia

Hangover is a bitch and I’m never drinking again.

By the time I made it up the stairs last night and into my bed, I blacked out.

I woke up in the middle of the night throwing up. Sweet Sharlene held my hair though and cleaned me up when I was done.

When I woke up in the morning, I felt dead. My eyelids were heavy, and they hurt a lot. The sun streaming into the room didn’t even help.

Luckily, there was aspirin and a bottle of water waiting by the side of my bed. I made a mental note to thank Sharlene later for it.

I’m not sure what time she left but it must have been pretty early because I woke up to an empty bed.

It’s just a day till the wedding and I’m growing nervous. Especially when Jake’s mum comes to the apartment and whisks me away.

Apparently we’re going for spa treatment which she claimed was also good for bonding with her future daughter-in-law.

I doubt she meant it. If anything I was at alert around her in case she decides to get rid of me before the wedding.

“Thank you for marrying Jake” She suddenly from the table she was currently laying on.

My eyes probably would have gone wild even they weren’t currently covered by cucumbers.

“We’re not married yet” I remind her.

“You will soon be” she says.

I wish I could see her face if it said thing her mouth said. Why was she thanking me? This is most definitely a trap.

“My Jake…he is not an easy person to be with. Especially with certain habits of his” she continues when I say nothing.

I want to scoff but I don’t. Calling it a habit was layering what Jake actually was low. If she was going to talk about him then there was no need to be subtle with me.

“I never thought that I’d find someone willing to be by his side forever” She muses, “It’s like a dream come through for me. I was afraid he’d end up like his dad, with lots of women around him but very lonely on the inside.”

Sharlene was speaking the truth about her and Jake not being biological siblings.

“He isn’t all that lonely” I say, readjusting myself as soft hands keep massaging my feet.

“Oh trust me, he is. He is so much like his father no matter how much I tried to keep the two apart” his mother continues.

I have a feeling this has nothing to do with the wedding but more with her just needing someone to talk to.

I listen.

“That is why he’s not very fond of me anymore, he thinks I took him away from his father,” there’s a melancholic tinge to her voice as she speaks. Sounding so far away like she was stuck in her own memories.

“But you didn’t?” I dare to ask.

“I had to; I was left with no other choice. His father was bringing lots of women home and it was getting harder to hide it from Jake.”

I hear her breath out heavily, “I was only trying to protect the image of his father that he adored so much. I didn’t want him to grow up disrespectful towards the woman he loved but it looks like I did a pretty bad job still.”

A sniff echoes in the room.

“Does he know why you left his dad?” I ask.

There is no answer for a while, my guess is that she’s putting herself together. The smell of roses fills the air as the attendant lights up scent candles.

After sometime I hear a quiet “No.”

“Why are you telling me all these?” I ask just as quiet.

“It felt right, I’ve held it inside for so long that I could hold it no longer. Besides, you’ll be his wife soon, it’ll help you understand him better,” she clears her throat.

It makes no sense to me how leaving his father had anything to do with his promiscuity. Yes he might have daddy issues, but it has nothing to with his inability to commit.

“Before I forget, do you have any family member that can walk you down the aisle?” she asks.

I hadn’t thought of that, it causes a pang in my chest, and I swallow heavily. “No”

My answer hangs in the air and it’s much better than any pity words she would tell me. Soon we’re done and I’m grateful.

After our conversation, a certain awkwardness had settled between us.

The air of superiority is back around her, to be honest it’s better than how she was back in the massage room.

I could handle other parts of her but not the vulnerable one.

We head out of the spar, and I walk her to her car. She about to get in when she pauses and turns back to me.

“The business you intend to start, have you figured it all out yet?” She asks.

For a moment I don’t realize what she’s talking about until I remember the breakfast we had together and the lie we’d come up with.

“No,” I answer, “I’m still figuring it out, I’m waiting till after the wedding, so my attention is not divided.” The words come out smooth.

She nods once and gets into her car. Just as she drives off Sharlene’s car pulls in and I get in.

“My timing’s perfect” she says and leaves the drive way. She’s back to her normal self, well with a bit of alcohol because she was acting a bit hyper.

“Where to?” I ask when she doesn’t drive towards the apartment.

There’s a naughty smile on her face.

“We’re going to partyyyyy” She exclaims, I was right. She probably already did shots before coming out to get me.

“What party?” I ask.

She looks at me briefly before turning back to the road, “Your bachelorette party silly!”

“I don’t remember anything about a party” I whine, then look at her closely “Did you just plan this on the spot? Cause I don’t have friends or anything that can attend your party.”

Sharlene rolls her eyes “It’ll be just us, I don’t have friend either, so I understand,” her hand squeezes mine before going back to the wheel.

“Won’t it be boring though?”

She laughs, “It was just two of us yesterday and we had plenty fun…at least I did.”

I smile remembering our dance.

I’m not sure what is going on between I and Sharlene, but I don’t question it. I don’t assume it’s anything either, I just let it be.

When Sharlene parks her car and gets out I follow. It’s not until we’re inside that I realize it’s a strip club.

What more fun could someone ask for?

In typical Sharlene fashion we start with shots, we keep drinking until I feel like I would pass out if anything else entered my stomach.

Apparently she already got a VIP boot for us with a female stripper at my service.

When I almost fall trying to sit down Sharlene helps me sit upright before signaling to the stripper to do her thing.

The first thing my body notes when the stripper starts to grind on me is that she’s not Sharlene.

She has a banging body, but it does not feel right again mine. She is way shorter than me, so she has to stand on her tiptoes to give me a lap dance.

I put my hand on her waist anyway and let the alcohol guide her body to mine.

She stands up and sits back on my laps, this time she’s facing me. Her boobs are huge so they’re all in my face.

Gripping my shoulder she gives me a lap dance and I enjoy it, all the while imagining it was Sharlene in her place.

When I open my eyes to look at Sharlene I find her looking at someone else. I follow her gaze and see Jake standing there with two strippers holding on to his arms. Kyle stands awkwardly off to the side; this wasn’t his scene.

I don’t know how to react, so I just look away when his eyes meet mine.

The stripper keeps grinding on me and I’m thankful for the distraction. I push my fingers into her hair and tug slightly which lets a few strands loose.

When the song ends she gets up in time to see Sharlene waving Jake over. What is she doing?

I want to yell at him to not come close, but he’s already sited beside me and the blondes he came in with were gone.

Sharlene suddenly has an excited look and I know whatever she is thinking can’t be good.

“Body shots!” she yelled, and I almost face palm. She has them bring another round of shots for everyone.

“Since this lovely party here is for the bride to be, it’s only fair that we take body shots off her” she says and my jaw drops.

I wait for Jake to say something, how inappropriate it was but he doesn’t. His expression is blank so I can’t tell what he’s thinking.

Sharlene pulls me up and makes me lie down on the table. She raises my shirt up and arrange the shot on my belly.

“You go first” she tells Kyle.

He shakes his head, but drunk Sharlene is much more persuasive. She pulls him to where I’m lying on the table and starts to chant.

With a defeated look at Jake he bends down and takes the shot, licking the salt off my stomach. There’s no feeling at all.

Kyle sits down, angling his body away from us. I wonder what he is thinking.

“I’m next!” Sharlene exclaims and arranges her own body shot.

With a wink to Jake she gets down slowly on me, straddling my thighs. She arches her back and then slow takes the shot before licking the salt off so slow that I can’t help the warmth spreading through me.

Her eyes are on Jake the entire time when all I want her to look at is me. It’s not until she keeps going higher even after taking the shot that I realize what she’s doing.

The taste of alcohol fills my sense as she slowly kisses me, her tongue invading and conquering my warm mouth.

Jake is no longer a problem as I try to Sharlene, the need to get closer growing as she kisses my neck before biting down slightly on it.

She kisses my collarbone and I hold my breath…suddenly she’s pulled off me and my eyes snap open.

A furious Jake is standing over me. He says nothing, just carries me in his arms.

I want to protest but my body does nothing, just stares at his face.

“We’ll be going home now” was the only explanation he gave as he turned to leave.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Sharlene asks him with a smirk.

“Home. We have a wedding to prepare for.”