Chapter 4

Shenanigans

A/N The usual disclaimer, I only own the plot, blah blah blah.

"Holy shit, I can't believe we just did that, tonight was Epic!" I exclaim as Leah and I stagger to our hotel room.

"You mean you've never used a stripper name to get frat boys to invite you to a party, and then gotten completely trashed?" Leah asks while giggling.

"Nope," I say, popping the "p"

"Me either!"

We both collapsed on the bed after several failed attempts to get the door to open. I'm glad we decided to park my truck here and walk to enjoy the sights. I still can't believe some of the shit we did tonight.

It started innocently enough; after dinner we checked into a nearby hotel and started walking around. One of the things we saw was a wall of gum, ew, but when in Rome, so we bought gum. Leah decided that we should treat the gum wall as a wishing well so we made wishes and stuck our gum to the wall. That's when we bumped into these fine as fuck college guys.

One was tall, with skin the color of a caramel latte, built like a brick shithouse. He had eyes a strange steel grey color with flecks of green. Not that I was ogling him or anything. He was totally the type of guy that made you think, 'damn I wouldn't want to meet him in a dark alley', but at the same time you could tell that if you were his girl, he'd keep you safe. The other guy was like straight out of an Abercrombie ad. Even though he was wearing a shirt, you could tell that if he took it off, he could wash the thing on his abs. He was also tall and muscular, but not quite as built as his friend, and he gave off the 'I'm the safe one' vibe.

Safe Boy looked Leah up and down like she was a tasty treat, then he said, "Damn girl, you must be wearing space pants, 'cause your ass is outta this world." I see Leah roll her eyes, and I'm sure we are thinking the same thing, like, 'did he really just say that.' Leah being Leah was ready as she replied. "Sorry baby, but these are baseball pants, 'cause my ass is out of your league."

Brick Shithouse starts laughing at his friend "Damn, Chase! Girl shot you down."

Since I want in on the fun, I say in a sarcastically sympathetic tone, "Yeah, you might want to get your friend some aloe for that burn." That's when Brick Shithouse checks me out like I'm a tasty treat. No one has ever blatantly checked me out before so I steal a line I read in a book once. "See something you like?" I ask while trying to look up at him seductively.

Now Chase laughs and nudges Brick Shithouse "Guess they're both feisty, huh Ace?"

"That's alright, I like a challenge" Ace replies while never taking his eyes from my raised eyebrow. Seriously I can't believe this guy's name is Ace, hence the raised eyebrow. "My real name is Atticus, my mom was a big fan of the book to Kill a Mockingbird, everyone just calls me Ace, since my name is a mouthful, and weird."

"Could have been worse, she could of gone with Boo Radley." I saucily reply.

"A girl who knows her books, very intriguing, so do we get to know your names?" says Ace.

As I'm about to reply, Leah jumps in with, "I'm Diamond and this is Sapphire." I try not to look surprised that my birthstone is now suddenly my name, but I don't know if I'm pulling it off.

"So where are two beautiful ladies like you headed?" Chase asks.

I let Leah field this one. I hope she has a story to go with our fake names. "Oh, we are just out enjoying the sights on our only evening off." Great now we have fake jobs, I hope I can remember all this shit.

"Really, where do you work?" Ace asks, looking directly at me.

"We just started working as entertainers at a new Gentlemen's club called Twilight." Leah replies without missing a beat, while I'm standing there trying to look composed, as I realize that she just made us strippers.

"Entertainers huh? Well, we were on our way to a party that could use some entertainment, so why don't you ladies join us?" Chase ask while smoothly sliding up to Leah.

Ace is still staring intently at me, but now his eyebrow is raised, like he's daring me to contradict Leah's story. Shit, I suck at lying, but then again, I'm great at keeping secrets, so maybe if I think of this as keeping my life a secret and not as a lie, I can pull it off. "I don't know. It's our day off, so we just want to relax," I say, pouting slightly.

"That, and if we go to your party as entertainers then you'd have to pay us, and I don't think you guys can afford us. Plus, if our boss found out, we could get in trouble," Leah says almost remorsefully. Damn this girl is good.

"Well then why don't you just come as our guests?" Ace says in his deep but quiet baritone voice. He suddenly has me wondering what it would be like to have him holding me close enough to feel his chest vibrate as he whispers dirty things in my ear. Fuck, where the hell did that thought come from? I've only been single for just over twenty-four hours and I'm already having lusty thoughts about another guy.

I don't really have time to think about what this says about my personality, as I hear Leah speaking. "In that case I'm in. Sapphire are you in too, or are you going to leave me alone with these guys?" Leah asks, feigning innocence.

I'm debating weather to kill her or kiss her, while noticing that Ace has moved close enough to touch, and is looking down at me with a very intense stare that I just can't read. "Well, I don't know Diamond. Do you think it's safe to go off with guys we just met? At the Club we have security to help us if someone gets too handsy, but now it's just you and me. Who will make sure we're safe?" I ask as I turn toward Leah, playing every bit as innocent as her.

"I'll keep you safe." I hear being whispered in my ear by a sultry baritone, as I feel the aforementioned vibration on my back. As I turn around to make sure this is really happening I'm surrounded by strong arms, the cords of Ace's muscles rippling around my waist with his strong hands on my lower back.

"Promise?" I manage to ask breathlessly, as I feel heat course through my body.

"Scouts honor," He says while holding me with one arm, and holding up the boys scout sign with his other hand.

"I guess since the Boy Scout motto is to always be prepared, then we're safe as we can be, so I'm in.

Leah beams as Chase grabs her hand and says, "Right this way ladies."

We walk with the guys to a large off-white house with a wrap-around porch. The guys take us around back where the large yard is packed with people, and thumping music is emanating from the speakers that are set up next to the DJ on the porch. Red solo cups are being raised as people dance and have fun. I suddenly feel very out of place, and find myself wondering if I'll slip and forget I'm supposed to be a stripper named Sapphire. Or with my luck I'd just literally slip and fall.

As I see Leah go off to dance with Chase, I feel my insecurities start to rise. Without Leah's confidence to push me along, I feel panicked that I won't be good enough for Ace. Or worse, Leah will be so enthralled by Chase that she'll ditch me. I start to feel overwhelmed as Leah reappears and presses a cup into my hand. "It's punch", she says with a wink. I take a large drink hoping that the sugar will calm my nerves. As I swallow I feel a strange burn in my throat and realize that the punch is spiked.

"Wanna dance? I know you must be a pro considering your line of work, but if you promise to take it slow, I promise to keep you safe in my arms, and not step on your toes." I hear Ace purr in my ear as he stands behind me with his arms around my waist, and starts to slowly sway. The song playing isn't one I know well, since rap isn't really something I've listened to a lot, especially while with Edward. I'm sure he'd find the lyrics offencive. I like the beat, so I down the rest of my drink and decide to stick with my 'fuck it' attitude. How am I supposed to discover who I really am if I don't try anything new.

I'm normally not a great dancer, what with being so clumsy, but with liquid courage coursing through my veins and my body safely in the arm of a hot guy, I start to move my hips with the beat. I notice that Ace is moving his hips in time with mine, and he moves his hands to my hips and presses his body close. I start to listen to the lyrics of the song as we move, and realize that I do know this song. It's, 'You can Do It' by Ice Cube. I remember it from the movie 'Save the Last Dance'. I decide to do what the song says and put my ass into it. I press back into Ace and start to really move. He keeps one hand on my left hip and hooks his right arm around my waist, placing his hand under my shirt touching the bare skin of my abs. "Damn, if this is how you always dance, it's no wonder you need security, and since I am acting as such, are you okay with my hand on your body?" I feel his breath and that panty dropping vibration as he speaks. I can't help but increase our gyrations as a reply as Ace starts to trace lazy circles around my belly button.

We continue like this for a couple of songs, and I can't help but notice that some of the people around us are practically fucking with their clothes on with the way they dance. Since I'm supposed to be a stripper, I step up my game. I push my ass into Ace's crotch as I bend over, which results in a pleasant humming sound emanating from Ace as he rubs his hand that was around my waist, and slowly down my back. He pulls my hips further into him with his left hand, and straight up grinds on me. Now I can feel just how much Ace likes my dance moves. I slowly stand up and turn around only to be greeted by what I can only guess are lust filled eyes. I grin and say, "I think I need another drink," not believing that I just got some dude hard with my pathetic attempt at dancing. Maybe I'm not as bad as I thought.

Ace keeps me close as we go to a drink table, and I get myself another glass of punch.

"Aren't you gonna have any?" I ask kinda suprised.

"Nah, I don't want to compromise your safety by being drunk. I did promise, after all." He states as he pulls me close and looks directly in my eyes. "Besides, I wouldn't want to take the chance of getting so drunk that I forget what it's like getting to dance with the hottest girl here." Holy fuck this dude is smooth, and if I keeping downing this punch, I'm going to be a puddle in no time.

After I have emptied my second cup I already feel a little tipsy, since I haven't ever had this much alcohol before. We go back to dancing for a few more songs, and as my dance moves get more bold so do Ace's hands as he starts to squeeze my ass when he pulls me close.

After my third cup of the spiked punch I am past tipsy but not quite drunk. I'm liquored up enough to feel confident enough to do things I wouldn't have done before, but still sober enough to know that I want to be here and enjoy living in the moment.

As we dance, Ace puts his hand under my chin and lifts it so I'm looking into his steel grey eyes, then he kisses me. His hands are on my ass pulling me into him. I go willingly, and I again feel his hardness pressed against me. He licks my lower lip so I part my lips slightly, hoping that was what he wanted. As his tongue enters my mouth, I know that this is what we both wanted. His hands are squeezing my ass as I tangle my hands in his hair and our tongues battle for dominance. I don't know what to expect since Edward never let things get this far, a steamy kiss like this would have him pulling away and me feeling inadequate. I don't feel inadequate tonight, as I am the first one to pull away for a much needed breath.

"Damn, did you learn that in Boy Scouts?" I ask as I look into Ace's sexy eyes.

He continues to sway us seductively as he leans in to whisper in my ear, "I hope that was okay. I just knew I had to taste some part of you tonight. Hell if I'm being completely honest, I'd like to taste every inch of you, and then stick a lot more than just my tongue into you." He then punctuates his statement by grinding his hips into me and pulling my earlobe into his mouth, nibbling lightly. As I feel a puddle starting to form in my panties I find myself thinking that this is even better than I had imagined earlier.

I'm not really considering giving my virginity to some guy I just met a day after I had my heart broken, but the knowledge that someone wants me like that, and the alcohol has me thinking that there's nothing wrong with a little foreplay, right? So I say, "As much as I think I would enjoy that, I don't know you well enough to let you fuck me when we've just met. Just because I'm a stripper doesn't mean I'm a slut. I'm actually a virgin, so the most I'd consider giving you is a private lap dance. And if you play your cards right I might not make you sit on your hands like guys at the club have to do."

I see the shock visible on his face as he processes everything I just confessed. He pulls back a little so he can look into my eyes better as he says "Are you being serious right now? I mean, I never thought you were a slut, I don't even know why I said all that. It's like my thoughts came right outta my mouth before I had a chance to think about how it'd sound to you. I didn't mean to offend you, but you are just so damn sexy that I can't seem to control my thoughts or my mouth, even though I'm stone cold sober. Damn, please tell me I haven't completely fucked this up."

"Actually Ace, I'd say that was the right card to play, so if you can find us a private room I'd love to give you a hands on lap dance," is my brazen reply.

Just as Ace takes my hand so we can find someplace private, Leah appears and declares that it's time for us to go, claiming that we need our beauty rest. As she pulls me away from a stunned Ace I call out, "Call me!" only to hear him call back, "But I don't have your number!" I'm about to shout it out when Leah yanks my arm and we are lost in the sea of people.

As we stumble to our hotel I tell Leah about my night with Ace and she tells me about Chance. She can't believe that I was going to give some dude a lap dance, and I can't believe that she didn't even let Chance kiss her. She confesses that she can't seem to move on, because she still doesn't know why Sam left. She feels like she didn't get closure.

We don't let our conversation get us down though. We decide to be proactive; when we get back home we are going to do some detective work and see if we can figure out what happened to Sam when he disappeared. I confess that I don't really want to go back, because the ghost of what I had with Edward is still everywhere. Leah comes up with the idea for me to look into graduating early. We happily make it to our hotel room and as we start to drift off to sleep, we even talk about moving in together and starting fresh when we both get the closure we feel we need.

A/N Woah, sorry if Bella seems so out of character making out with a guy she just met. I didn't see that coming at all. None the less I hope you enjoyed reading it, review and let me know.