Holy Hells! Ended up having to work late due to a sick call...sorry for the timing! Thank you to all who continue to read/follow/review/PM! And THANK YOU to my fantabulous editor and extreme fashion consultant...xoxoxoxox
Sunshineleo, KathDMD, JustLucky05, Latifa...thank you for your reviews! More frivolous fun to come *wink wink*
Disclaimer: i do not own or profit from Voltron or its characters
"Spring Break: Give Me Novocaine"
Chapter 21
"OK, now I'm annoyed. They sure are taking their sweet time getting here," Ginger pouted.
"Chill, Gingie. Jeff just texted me that we'll see them any minute - they just walked in," Lisa informed her.
The four girls scanned the club eagerly. "Over there, by the bar!" Geni exclaimed.
The guys looked just as amazing as they did. Lance was all decked out in Calvin Klein, wearing straight-leg, dark-washed jeans and a Nordic-grey button-down linen shirt with two button-flap chest pockets and roll-tab sleeves . Oh his feet, he wore a pair of black Ecco Berlin Gore-Tex boots.
Cliff, not to be outdone, wore a burgundy Robert Graham sport shirt with a subtle allover paisley accompany his Levi's original-fit straight leg jeans in a broken black wash . Polished, dark brown Ralph Lauren leather boots adorned his feet . Jeff, meanwhile, wore his favorite black vintage Doc Martens eight-hole with his birthday present from Lisa: Armani regular fit vintage-washed jeans with a black Kenneth Cole leather shirt jacket.
"Ah yes, those are definitely our boys." Lisa smiled, pleased that Jeff actually liked what she gave him.
"Hey…where's Kogane?" Ginger frowned as she noticed that Keith was missing from the group.
"I don't see him anywhere." Allura frantically looked through the crowd.
Lisa stood on her toes and giggled. "He's probably over there where that mob of groupies is."
"What?" Allura gasped, staring in the direction which Lisa was pointing. Sure enough, there he was. "Keith?" she thought aloud as she looked him over.
Old friends and classmates were coming up to him, shaking his hand, high-fiving him, and patting him on the back. Sporting that devastatingly handsome smile of his, he looked so relaxed, so happy, so incredibly sexy.
He wore a pair of Diesel Shioner dark-blue jeans and a black slim-fit button-down Hugo Boss shirt that accentuated his well-toned physique, along with a pair of black Kenneth Cole croco-embossed leather boots on his feet. She had never seen him dressed that way before. With his silky black hair tied back off his face, he was beautiful. "Oh my God," she murmured as she stared at him. It was only when she heard Geni mocking her that she started to come out of her trance.
"Ahhh, look at my man. He's just so dreamy…so masculine…an Adonis…" she sighed mockingly as she rested her chin on her hands and batted her eyelashes.
Allura smacked her on the arm. "Shut up, Gen!"
"Oh, come on, Allura, she's right. We thought you might actually pass out for a moment there." Lisa laughed.
"I take it you've never seen Keith in civvies before," Ginger noted. Then, mostly to herself, she added, "Dammit, that Lance McClain is absolutely on fire tonight."
"No, I have, but…" Allura paused to look at him again, "not…like…that."
"Yeah, they all look pretty hot," Ginger agreed.
"Definitely," Lisa added.
It was true - the four of them together were definitely a sight to behold. The sight became even more appealing as Keith dismissed Letti and told her off for the final time.
Keith was afraid to look around. He wasn't ready to face Allura after what happened earlier in the day. Joining his friends, he leaned against one of the stools and swirled his drink around.
"Yo! Earth to Keith!" Jeff waved his hand in front of his friend's eyes.
Keith knocked his hand away. "Cut it out, man."
"Dude, you're the one off in La La Land," Jeff retorted.
"He's just nervous about seeing his little cutie after he made an ass out of himself earlier," Cliff winked.
Lance smacked Keith on the back, earning him a dirty look. "Relax, man. I told you, just let loose and be the fun Keith, not Commander Tight-ass."
Keith rolled his eyes.
"Oh, come on! You've had a few drinks. I see you, you're in your cool zone. Take charge, you idiot! When she comes over here, you need to flirt with her just like you have been." Lance turned away from him and flagged down the bartender. "If you don't mind, I need a dirty martini." With a delicious grin on his face, he added, "On second thought, better make that two."
"Oh, and that's just going to make everything better." Keith was clearly referring to the idea of flirting with Allura and not the two dirty martinis.
"Yeah. Yeah, it is." The Red Lion pilot kept his eyes on the bartender's hands as he mixed the drinks. "You wanna know why? Because, for some crazy-ass reason, she's actually in love with you and wants to be with you…duh!"
Jeff laughed. "Come on, Lance. He already knows that, he just likes to hear it repeated. Feeds his ego with you constantly telling him how much she wants him."
"Ridgy didge, mate! Right on!" Cliff joined in Jeff's laughter as he high-fived him.
Keith shook his head and smirked.
"You're a sick bastard, you know that, Kogane?" Lance snorted.
"Wow. I happen to like any conversation where Kogane gets called a sick bastard. Mates, you mind if we join in?"
They all paused as Liam and his second-in-command joined their group. "Liam! Wow, speaking of sick bastards, join the club." Lance paid for his drinks and lifted one martini to his lips.
"Well, McClain, you're still all froth and no beer, I see." He glanced over at Italo and rolled his eyes.
"Look, mates, can we all just behave for one bloody night? We're here to celebrate with Vievi and Lura, not get all up on each other," Cliff reminded them.
Lance threw him a sideways glare for calling his sister Vievi again. The guys were all so focused on his expression that no one noticed the way Italo winced when Allura's name was mentioned.
"Well, Cliff, that all depends on your mate over here and whether or not he can keep his hands and every other part of his body away from our Princess." Lance slammed his empty martini glass back down on the bar.
"Sorry, mate…won't happen. I am a living, breathing male, after all." He lifted his own glass to his lips. Italo fidgeted uncomfortably.
Keith lifted his drink, took a long sip, and gently put it down. Without turning to look at Liam, he spoke. "Lochlan, I'm only going to say this once. Stay the hell away from her if you know what's good for you."
Liam smirked, then looked over at Italo. "You know, Keith, instead of making all of her decisions for her, why don't you let her decide what she wants. And you three, bugger off! I've seen the way you guys drool all over her. Damn it, Jeff, Lisa has smacked you upside the head so many times in the last couple months I'm surprised you can still walk straight!"
Jeff and Cliff looked down at their drinks and snorted in amusement.
"Have you even seen the girls yet?" Liam continued. "They look abso-bloody-lutely amazing, like they stepped out of one of those fashion magazines. And that Princess of yours…well, you'd have to be dead not to want to devour her. She's even hotter with her blond hair, and she knows it, too."
"Bloke, no one said not to look…just don't pull your devious shit, that's all," Cliff attempted to defuse the tension.
Keith was not amused. He was fighting internally to control his jealousy and not beat the crap out of Liam; he really did want to have a good time. Lance is right. When she comes here, I'm just going to claim her as mine…geez, did I really just say that? What's with me?
"Kogane, you know the Princess is fully capable of taking care of herself. Seriously, mate, get off bodyguard duty and have some fun for yourself. I hear Letti was hunting you down earlier." Liam winked.
"Look, Lochlan, you're right," Keith acquiesced. "This is the first time since I left for Arus that I have the chance to have fun and not worry about everything else. Since I want to continue enjoying the evening, I am going to say it again: stay away from my Princess."
Italo gripped his tumbler full of scotch even more tightly. "Lochlan, let it go. Come on, let's get out of here." He looked over at Letti and her group of friends. "Besides, Serena's here. I want to catch up with her before we leave."
Liam laughed at his friend's comment, then squinted his eyes at Keith, clearly not finished with their conversation. "So now she's your Princess. I see. Tell me, is she aware that she belongs to you?"
He looked Liam straight in the face. "Yes, actually, she is."
"I could've told you that already, Chief," Italo huffed at his captain.
Liam glared at him for a moment, ignoring his friend, and then a devious smile crossed his lips. "Well, bugger me dead! Keith Kogane, do you have feelings for Allura?"
Keith clenched his fists and ground his teeth. "No. I don't have feelings for her, you ass. I actually love her. I understand that's a concept unfamiliar to you, but even so, back the fuck off!"
Liam's eyes widened in realization, and he lifted his hands up in defeat. "Look, Kogane, I -" he started, but was interrupted by Lance's screaming.
"Holy shit!" He knocked over his second drink.
They all stared at him.
"Look on the dance platform!" The great Lance Charles McClain didn't even care that the remnants of Ginger's dirty martini were dripping onto his fancy shoes.
Their faces turned in the direction of the dance platform. The guys immediately took notice of the girls as they moved seductively to the rhythm of their favorite song.
"Damn! My girl is smokin'!" Jeff admired the way Lisa danced on the platform with her friends.
"Told you they all looked amazing," Liam boasted. "Did you see Geni? I never thought I'd see that side of her."
Cliff stared at Geni lustfully. "Amen, mate."
Lance smacked him upside the head.
"Shit, Lance!"
"Dude, were you just mentally undressing my little sister?" Lance barked as the rest of them turned in order to suppress their laughter.
Cliff glared at him, then turned back to the dance platform. "Who's the hot babe next to her?" he asked, trying to deflect.
That was when Liam laughed.
"What's so funny, Lochlan?" Jeff sneered.
"That hot babe is your Princess." He glanced over at Italo, who looked like he wanted to crawl underneath the carpet. The rest of them turned their gaze to where Liam was pointing.
Jeff looked amused. "I thought those abs looked familiar."
Lance began to laugh hysterically. "Well, it sure looks like she took my advice seriously."
Cliff nodded enthusiastically. "Bloody oath she did, McClain."
Keith hadn't been paying too much attention - he was still seething over Liam - but he suddenly saw her. His jaw dropped. "What the f…"
"Hold up there, Mr. Overbearing! Remember what we talked about…her having the right…yada yada yada…" Lance interrupted.
Keith wasn't having it. He pushed his friend out of the way and moved in towards Allura, but the song had ended, so the girls were making their way towards the guys. All he could do was stare at her as she giggled with the girls.
They made their way to where the guys were sitting, arms linked and laughing the whole way. They were obviously having fun. Lance moved past Keith so that he could intercept Allura before Keith said something stupid.
This did not go unnoticed by his friend.
Lance pushed through the crowd and reached Allura, putting his arm around her. She looked up at him and flashed him a brilliant smile, linking her fingers through his hand on her shoulder. He let out a cat-like purr, and she giggled even more. "I take it you approve, Lancelot McClain?"
"Oh, hells yeah! You look amazing, Princess! Of course, Coran would have a seizure and Nanny, well, she would jump off a cliff for sure, but who cares?" he laughed
"Well, Lieutenant Commander, you're looking pretty fantastic yourself, if I may say so."
"Oh you may, your highness, you absolutely may," he retorted with a sly grin.
"Ugh, get off it already! Geez, Lance!" Geni wailed.
He spun around to grab his sister by the shoulders. "Listen here, Ms. Genevieve…would you like to explain to me why my friend Cliff has become so comfortable with calling you Vievi and was just now so obviously trying to picture you, my little sister, naked?"
Geni stared at him, wide-eyed and open-mouthed, as she diverted her gaze to the table. "Oh look, there's Keith!" she cried, pushing away from Lance and running to say hello to her surrogate brother.
Lance spun around to look at Allura, who sported a sheepish grin. He squinted his eyes at her. "Spill it. I know you know something, Princess."
She laughed at him and wrapped her arms around his waist, looking up into his hazel eyes. "Lance, please. Behave. It's all good. Just trust me, OK?"
He leaned his forehead against hers and sighed. "You're killing me, Allura, you know that? Between you and the other idiot over there, I have my work cut out for me."
She smiled sweetly and wrapped her arms around his neck. Leaning into his ear, she whispered, "Is he still mad at me? He looks incredible!"
"Yeah, handsome devil, isn't he?"
Allura swatted him playfully.
He then leaned into her ear and whispered, "He feels bad about today, Allura…he also wants to kill you for what you're wearing."
"I swear, he's worse than Nanny," she snorted.
Lance laughed. "Look, Allura, if you had walked in here hanging on his arm dressed like that, I don't think he would have cared as much. Right now, he knows that every guy in here wants you, and they all think you're available. When you get over there, I want you to make it clear that you're not."
She looked up at him, confused.
"Go over there and make it obvious that you want him as much as he wants you and, let me tell you, he most definitely wants you." He smirked devilishly, which made her blush. She then put a hand over her mouth as she giggled, and buried her face in his chest. As shed did, he wrapped his arms around her.
From where they were seated, Liam observed the entire exchange between Lance and Allura. He looked over at Keith, confused. "Crikey, Kogane, how come you're not threatening that bloke? He is certainly quite chummy with your Princess. Doesn't look like he can keep his hands off her…and she doesn't seem to mind, either."
Cliff and Jeff laughed, as they thought the same thing. Whatever Lance was saying, he was certainly making her blush.
"Liam, for the love of God, shut the hell up," Italo hissed through clenched teeth.
Keith rolled his eyes at all of them and turned to Lisa and Ginger. "You ladies certainly look fantastic."
Geni smacked him on the arm. "Hey! What about me?"
He turned to face her. "Gen, don't take this the wrong way, but you're like my little sister and I would not have let you..." he paused to nod his head in Allura's direction, "or her, for that matter, leave the apartment looking like that." He noticed her disappointment. "But I guess I can admit that you look fantastic as well." He chuckled as she smacked his arm yet again.
"And Allura? Admit it, you think she looks frickin' hot!" she screeched.
He turned his gaze over to where Allura stood with Lance and admired her. "Yeah, I guess she does look…hot." He loosened up and chuckled.
They were all so busy joking around like old times that he hadn't even noticed that Lance and Allura had finally made it to the table. It wasn't until Liam opened his mouth that anyone took notice. "Damn, almost had to tell you two to get a room."
Lance threw him a nasty glare. He put his hands up in defense. "No drama, Your Highness. I've already been forewarned that you're someone else's property."
Allura furrowed her brows in confusion when she heard Keith. "You have a death wish, don't you, Lochlan?" Keith shrieked as he stood, menacingly shooting Liam the look of sheer death.
Allura's eyes widened as she looked Keith over. My God, he's even hotter up close. She couldn't stop her eyes from moving up and down his spectacular frame.
She was mesmerized and Liam noticed, chuckling at Keith as he pointed to the Princess. "See, Luciano? I don't understand how Kogane could possibly call this one his Princess if she hangs over other guys."
"I told you before, shut the hell up, Lochlan." Italo pounded back the last of his scotch and slammed the tumbler on the table. As he stood up, he caught Allura's eye. Her heart and stomach both sank as she gazed back at him. "Now, as I mentioned earlier, I'd like to see Serena before we leave. Ciao, bambinos."
She wanted to cry out to him, but her voice caught in her throat. Besides, what would she say to him? She'd already said her piece, and now Keith was here, and...God, Italo looks amazing tonight. Almost as good as Keith.
As Italo stormed off, Keith intensified his glare, turning around to find the Princess. He looked over at Lance, who flashed him a silly grin before turning to talk to Jeff, Cliff, and the girls. Keith looked back at Allura, nervously biting her lip as she traced his outline with her eyes. He started to smile as he too took all of her in. His breath caught and his eyes darkened when he noticed it.
Oh my God, is that a piercing? No…no…it can't be!
He thought about everything Lance had said. Calming himself, he leaned an elbow against the table and spoke. "Um, Allura? You alright?"
Allura shook her head slightly. "What?"
"I said, are you alright?"
"Sure, of course! Why wouldn't I be?" Her eyes followed Italo, who had stopped near Letti and her friends. The one who shrieked gleefully and caught him in her embrace must have been Serena.
"Well, you just looked a bit…distracted."
"Distracted? No…no, no…I just…I mean you…I've just never seen you look like that before," she managed to eek out.
He crossed his arms in front of him. "Like what, exactly?"
Allura looked at him and thought about what Lance had said to her. She smiled and moved closer to him, leaning against the table and looking up at him. "I'm sure it's no secret that I have always found you to be very handsome, Commander. Tonight, however, I find that you look incredibly…sexy." She widened her smile. "Black definitely suits you."
Lance watched the exchange out of the corner of his eye, praying that Keith wouldn't screw it up. He doesn't know how to respond to her. He was able to flirt so easily with her before because the black hair served as a distraction, but now, there she was, his Allura, and he found himself conflicted. He smiled at her and briefly bit his lip before taking another long, hard drink.
The Red Lion pilot shook his head and rolled his eyes in the background as Cliff, Jeff, and the girls all laughed.
Keith looked back at Allura, who was eagerly waiting for him to say something. He sighed, "Princess, are you trying to give Nanny and Coran a stroke?"
Lance slapped his hand over his face, and everyone else groaned. Allura slumped her shoulders and hugged herself, waiting for the lecture to continue.
"I mean look at you...dressing so provocative, tattoos, body piercing;" he paused to don a somewhat husky voice. "True, I find it to be very tantalizing indeed…"
Allura snapped her eyes up at him.
"Nanny will kill you if she ever finds out." He paused as he moved within inches of her, lifting her chin with his finger to assure that she met his gaze. "By the way, I find you to be incredibly sexy as well." Inches away from her lips, everyone was now staring at them. "Of course," he continued, "if you ever go out in public dressed like that again without me next to you, it will be me you will have to worry about, not Nanny."
She smiled up at him adoringly, and he smiled back, slowly caressing her cheek. This is it...this is what I've been waiting for...this is what I've wanted forever...Keith,don't let me down!
Anticipation swelled in her chest as she awaited his words.