A/N: Someone asked about the timeline of this story, and I wanted to clarify it. Unless otherwise specified, generally a few days pass in between chapters; although, I do try to clarify at the start of most. But, just to be clear Ch. 24 took place in the last week of August (while Ch. 20 was the beginning of August, and Ch. 14 was the middle of July).
Also for you reviewers (a big thanks by the way), I don't mind if you're the log-in or anonymous type, but I do like to reply directly to people rather than here. So if you are going to post an anonymous review and ask questions (and actually would like a reply), please don't forget to put an email address, thanks!
--
The weeks passed as Logan and Rory continued with their work routine. During this time Rory had been back to Cartier to finalize Logan's ring and had set a menu with Sookie, which ended up being a very time consuming task. Logan spent most of his time at the Times, but did have a meeting with his father at the HM main offices in Hartford. Though they were solely meant as business meetings, Logan did pull him aside to thank him for talking to Rory. They also spent some time alone and with their friends which was always nice.
Colin had started his second year of law school which meant he was back to studying for a few hours every night. Steph began September by celebrating her 25th birthday, but also found her self increasingly busy with the research she was doing for work at the New York Presbyterian Hospital. She was part of a research team working in the Functional MRI Research Facility, working to improve the information that can be interpreted from an MRI, but also to further study how the brain functions. Overall, she found the research interesting, but also enjoyed talking to the patients who came in.
Finn had started September with a week long business trip to Europe because he father was tied up with other issues in Australia. Once he got back to the U.S., it was back to the usual work days: staying on top of the regional managers, keeping an eye of the finances, and looking at possible locations to build new hotels. Things for the company were going well, as was his relationship with Bri and through her, Maddy. He had to say he was happy with how things were going, but could tell there were still things she hadn't told him. And, even though he knew they were from her past, he wondered if she ever would. Bri was enjoying her work and slowly becoming more comfortable in her relationship with Finn, but that got easier especially when she saw how much Maddy liked him as well.
--
The first Saturday of October found Logan in the shower getting ready for an afternoon with the guys. Rory had left not too long ago so he was left to himself before heading out. Once he was done getting ready, he grabbed the bag Rory left for him and made his way across town. Logan approached the tuxedo shop and saw Josh and Colin standing near the entrance. They greeted each other and made small talk while they waited for Seth and Finn.
Next to arrive was Seth. As he walked up, he asked, "Waiting on Finn?"
"Of course," Logan replied.
They were still talking when a car finally pulled up and out stepped Finn followed by Maddy. Seeing the surprised look on their faces, Finn supplied, "I was talking to Bri the other day, and she talked about going out with the girls to do whatever it is they do so I offered to watch Maddy. This shouldn't take to long, so after we're going to lunch and then maybe a park. I didn't think it'd be a problem."
"It's not, we were just a little surprised," Seth said
Finn and Maddy approached the group, and he picked her up, "Baby Doll, do you remember Logan and Colin?"
Maddy nodded to Finn and then said, "Hi."
Both replied with their own variations and then Finn continued, "This is Seth and Josh." They smiled and tried to give a reassuring hi, but Maddy was still a little shy and turned back to Finn.
"Shall we get started?" Logan asked. After receiving an assortment of shrugs, Logan led them into the Tuxedo store.
When they entered, a younger woman walked up to them, "Hi, my name is Alyssa, I'm going to guess you're a bridal party, do you have an appointment?"
"Yes, Huntzberger," Logan said simply.
Her eyes flickered in recognition of the name that apparently belonged to the very attractive man, but continued, "We have a private dressing room in the back for you. Are you getting fitted today or selecting the style?"
"Both," Logan stated.
"Then why don't you start out here. We have all of our vests on display, but some may come in colors that are not out. Do you know what color you are looking for?"
"Silver and white," he replied.
"Okay, well, most vests come in those colors. Why don't I give you a few minutes to look around and I'll start pulling a few jacket styles for you," she stated
The guys started wandering around the front of the store looking at the options. After a few minutes, Colin asked, "I thought we would have navy blue vests."
Logan shook his head and explained, "It's too hard to match navy blues."
"Did she send you with fabric samples?" Seth asked.
Shooting him a glare, Logan answered, "Yes."
The guys looked around and as they did. Finn looked at Maddy and asked, "See any you like?"
She nodded and pointed to the wall and declared, "Purple and pink."
Finn laughed, "Those are very pretty, but we have to get silver, like that," he explained and pointed to a silver vest.
"That's boooo-ring," she declared, "purple!"
"Rory picked silver," Finn tried to reason.
"Is it for you?" Maddy asked.
"Yes," Finn answered.
"Mommy says that she helps me pick my clothes because I'm little. When I'm grown up like her, I can do it all by my self."
"She's right," Finn agreed
"You're a grown up…you pick!"
Thinking for a moment, Finn turned towards Logan and asked, "Yeah mate, I'm a grown up, can't I pick what color I want?"
"No because Logan's whipped," Colin cut in.
"No conquered, get it right," Seth teased and then turned to Josh to explain, "Because he has no chance of ever being in charge again." Josh nodded in agreement
"Do you want to try and tell Ace you don't want to wear silver?" Logan questioned, ignoring the other comments.
Thinking over Logan proposition, Finn shook his head, deciding it wasn't worth the risk.
"But purple is pretty," Maddy tried.
"Yes it is, but you know how you like to pick out clothes?" Finn asked, Maddy nodded so he continued, "well, all girls do, and we boys have no choice but to match what you pick. Rory picked this time."
"Oh," Maddy said sadly.
When Alyssa returned, Logan had two styles of satin vests and one style of a wool vest, all of which matched the samples Rory had sent, picked out to try on once they picked the tux. They were escorted to the back fitting room and shown a selection of jackets. Logan immediately ruled out the two button jackets. Finn got out some crayons and a coloring book for Maddy to entertain herself with while Logan began trying on the remaining jackets.
As this happened, Seth asked as seriously as possible, "So I know you're saving yourself for marriage…excited about the wedding night?"
Logan turned to Seth, having a hard time not laughing and answered sarcastically, "Oh yeah…just hope I'll know what to do."
"Would you like me write out instructions, I mean Josh and I are both married, I'm sure we can give some tips," Seth offered.
"I'm married to his sister: Do you really think he wants tips from me?" Josh pointed out.
"Ugh, please no," Logan practically yelled and showed them the first jacket.
"No," Colin said, and Logan returned to the rack of jackets.
Seth continued his game and offered, "Don't worry, I'm an expert. Now Logan, women have what they call erogenous zones…"
"Are they important," Logan asked, maintaining the charade.
Seth smiled, "Depends who you ask, but I'm sure Rory thinks they are."
"Why?" Logan asked, trying to sound like a curious kid.
"Because women are complex beings and decided men should have to navigate their way through a maze before they get can get their prize," Seth said seriously.
"Prize?" Logan asked, giving a small grin wondering what Seth would say.
"Yes, if you do well on the maze, she will let you experience her in a whole new way, paradise on earth if you will…"
"How well do you need to do on the maze before you can claim the prize?"
"I thinking a passing grade is around 75 percent proficiency, but the better you do, the better the prize."
"Makes sense, do I get map so I can get the best prize?" Logan continued, trying to be serious again.
"Each maze is different," Seth started and saw the other guys trying their hardest not to laugh out loud, "but I'm sure by the time the honeymoon is over, you'll be able to create one for Rory."
"Like he doesn't already have it memorized," Finn muttered, just loud enough for everyone to hear.
Logan gave them a smirk and replied confidently, "Of course I do, get a perfect score every time."
"Ok, this conversation is getting freaky, and I don't really need to be hearing those details about my brother-in-law," Josh interrupted.
Logan tried on a few more jackets before settling on a three button coat with a notched lapel. Logan also noticed it was 100 percent wool, which would be good since it was a winter wedding. The tailor came out and began measuring and fitting each of them in turn.
Logan was fitted for his tux and now it was Finn's turn, but he was having a problem standing still.
"You need to stand up straight," the tailor instructed.
He stood still long enough for the tailor to pin the sleeves to the right length before he started to fidget again. He went to put his hand in the pocket when he let out a yelp, "Ouch!"
"What happened?" Logan asked, although he had a pretty good idea.
"Bloody pin stabbed me!" Finn said waving his arms and getting poked again.
Maddy looked over when she heard Finn yell and was now giggling at his behavior. After she saw him yell for the third time, she walked over to him and said, "Mommy says I get ice cream after dinner if I sit still in church."
"Really," Finn replied, "Do you think she'd give me ice cream if I'm still?"
Maddy nodded seriously, "If you're reeeeaaally good she puts whip cream on it too!"
"Whip cream and a cherry on top?" Finn asked excitedly before he remembered the audience, but Maddy nodded regardless causing Finn to grin and stand very still.
"Whip cream?" Colin asked, at Finn's excitement. "Speaking of…" he began and looked expectantly at Logan.
"What does that have to do with me?" Logan asked coming back into the conversation confused. There was no way he had let Rory's last birthday present to him slip so he wasn't sure what they were trying to get at.
"Nothing as of now," Josh answered and then continued, "We want to know what you have planned for the wedding night. And besides, Honor wanted me to make sure that you planned the wedding night right."
"My big sister wanted to make sure I do what right?"
"Not that!" Josh replied quickly, "Just the night as a whole."
"Okay, I know I'm not the expert here, but other than that what else is there?" Finn asked.
"Do you want me to try to explain it or just pass along what Honor said?" Josh asked.
Logan weighed his options, and as much as he didn't know if he wanted to know what Honor said, he knew that would be easier on Josh, so finally said, "Just tell me what Honor said."
Josh seemed relieved by that answer, "She wanted to remind you that your wedding night is about love and expressing said love to each other."
"I know that, thank you," Logan interjected.
Josh just continued, obviously uncomfortable, "But a girl wants to feel sexy as well."
"You know, I think I liked it better when you didn't say much, then comments about my sister feeling sexy didn't permeate my thoughts."
"And it's hard to feel sexy after having your hair shellacked and spending the day in a multi-layer dress."
"How am I supposed to fix that? I'm not the one who said she has to do that. She could roll out of bed naked, and come like that" Logan replied, but really…it was the truth.
"I think you're missing the message," Seth pointed out.
"There was a message in that?" Logan asked, obviously not seeing it.
"I think that was Honor's way of telling you to find a way for Rory to wash up and feel refreshed before you get into the wedding night," Seth offered.
"How did you get that from what he said? Did he give you the Rosetta Stone instead of me?"
"Logan," Seth said, "Focus. What are you planning?"
"I hadn't really thought that far. I mean besides the obvious…"
"Yes, I think you've covered that," Finn pointed out.
"It doesn't need to be something complex," Josh tried to give him some help, "It can be as simple as having her favorite wine or food, just do something you know Rory would like."
"What did my sister bribe you with to have this conversation?" Logan asked, instead of replying to what Josh had suggested.
"Well she did mention something about a vacation to the Caribbean after the Huntzberger family Christmas. A house with a very private beach…" Josh said with his own grin.
Logan just shuttered as Finn finished up, and Colin and Seth waited patiently. As Finn stepped off the platform, Maddy walked up to him and said, "Finn."
"Yes," he answered, turning to her.
She pulled on his arm wanting him to come to her level. Once he finally figured that out, he crouched down, and she took a step closer to whisper, "I have to go potty," in his ear, but was still loud enough for the guys to hear.
Finn who wasn't sure what she wanted from him said, "I'll find out where the restroom is."
Maddy nodded while Finn asked where the rest room was. He returned and told her it was the door on the other side of the room. Finn stood waiting for her to go, but Maddy just looked at him.
"Is there something else you need?"
"You come too," Maddy tried to explain.
"Why?" Finn asked, obviously not seeing what was going on.
"I need help."
"At home, you go by yourself," Finn pointed out.
"I don't have my stool, I can't reach by myself" Maddy informed him.
Finn turned to the guys who all quickly pointed to Seth.
"Why are you pointing at me?" he asked.
"You're the only one with a kid," Colin said as if it were obvious.
"Laura's still pregnant," Seth shot back.
"That's closer than the rest of us," Logan argued.
Seth shook his head, lowered his voice, and said, "Finn, it has to be you, she doesn't know the rest of us…that's why she asked you."
"But she has girl parts!" Finn said in shock.
"Finn, she is a girl," Colin pointed out.
"A boy shouldn't see her girl parts until she's married."
"You didn't wait until you were married to see girl parts," Colin pointed out.
"Finn, this doesn't count," Seth reassured him, ignoring Colin's comment, "are you going to help her?"
Finn glared at them but, remembering that Maddy was waiting for him, walked back over to her and hesitantly took her hand and lead her too the bathroom.
--
Finn walked back over to the guys and saw Seth was still being measured. Logan was going to tease Finn, but saw that this may not be the time and went with a change of subject, "Anyone know what our better halves are doing today?"
Finn, Colin, and Josh all shook their heads, and Colin said, "Steph wouldn't say a word."
"Ace told me that Steph called her, being all secretive and wasn't sure what they were doing, just that she would be gone all day."
"Well, Honor is with them, I'm not sure if there was anyone else," Josh said.
"Really? Rory didn't mention anything beyond her, Steph, and Bri going out for the afternoon," Logan stated confused.
They continued to talk until they were all done getting fitted. Josh and Seth said they needed to get going, but the other three, along with Maddy, decided to go for a late lunch.
--
Rory left her apartment and drove to the location she had been given by Steph. When she drove up, she saw she was at a parking garage. As she drove into it, she spotted Steph's car where she saw Steph and Bri step out.
"Hey," Rory greeted, "What's the plan?"
"I thought some shopping was in order," Steph proclaimed.
"Sounds good," Rory said with an eye roll. As far as she could remember, Steph had never needed an excuse to go shopping. She looked over at Bri and asked, "Is Maddy with Rebecca?"
Bri shook her head and admitted, "She's with Finn."
Steph stopped in her tracks, "You let Finn baby-sit?"
Bri nodded, "I told I him I was meeting you guys today, and he volunteered."
"I think he likes her," Rory explained, as they walked towards the shopping district.
"Well, I wasn't sure at first, he's never been alone with her for more than a few minutes, but when I asked Maddy, she seemed excited," Bri confessed.
"But, remember he is Finn. If there was ever an adult who little kids would like, it would be him," Steph pointed out.
"He's good with her," Bri admitted, not knowing what else to say.
Steph smiled as she saw her target destination in the distance. Grabbing Rory's hand, she said, "I know where we should go."
"Where?" Rory asked, knowing she should be wary of the excitement on Steph's face.
Steph pointed up across the street to a high end lingerie store.
"Why would we go there?" Rory questioned.
Steph knew this would be the hardest part of her day, "Why not, I mean a girl could always use more lingerie," she said batting her eyelashes, attempting to appear innocent, "right?"
Bri nodded, but Rory still seemed unconvinced, "I think I'm good."
"What about for your dress?" Steph suggested.
"What dress?" Rory asked, wondering if she was forgetting something.
"Your wedding dress, don't you want something new to wear under it?"
"I guess…" Rory hesitantly started to agree.
"Oh come on, it'll be fun."
"Fine, let's get this over with," Rory said, giving in, and started walking towards the store.
As soon as they walked in, Steph sent Rory off to start looking, claiming that she was going to do the same, but instead, headed over to the register to talk with the manager.
Bri walked with Rory to make sure she didn't notice what Steph was doing as they made their way back to the strapless bras where she started looking at the different styles. After a few minutes, Steph returned, and Rory asked, "Find anything?"
"Nope, but I got something set up for us," Steph said mysteriously.
"What?" Rory said, suddenly even more unsure than she was before.
"A private area to do our shopping and try things on," Steph explained.
"Why would we need that? I'm only getting one thing," Rory pointed out.
Steph smiled and led her into the back room. As Rory passed through, she was surprised to see Honor, Paris and Lane. Sensing a set up, she turned to Steph and asked, "What's going on?"
"Well, you said I could give you lingerie as long as it wasn't at your shower," Steph reminded her friend.
"Yes…" Rory answered.
"So I decided it would be fun for the smaller group of us to have a lingerie party," Steph said quickly.
"A what?" Rory asked shocked.
"A lingerie party," Steph repeated, and then added, "I figured you'd freak out less and be a bit more comfortable if we did it as a group. Plus, I thought it'd be fun and everyone could get to know each other better."
"Fine, how does it work?" Rory said in defeat.
"We look, try things on, and in the end, everyone picks out a bra and panty set plus lingerie."
"And then what?"
"You take them home…it's all paid for if that's what you're wondering about. And, I don't want to hear anything about paying from any of you. I wanted to do this so don't argue," Steph said in the firmest voice she could muster. Honor, Rory, and Paris seemed to send her a playful glare while Lane and Bri who had noticed the price tags seemed a bit more hesitant, but didn't dare say anything after Steph's declaration.
"Now before we continue, Paris, Honor, meet Bri our friend who also works with Rory. Bri this is Honor, Logan's sister, and Paris, who's known Rory since sophomore year of high school," Steph said making the introductions. She had already given reminder introductions of Honor to Paris and Lane before she left to return to the main show room to drag Rory into the private room.
"What, I'm not Rory's friend?" Paris snapped, noticing the way Steph had made her introduction.
"That's not what she meant Paris," Rory said, jumping in, hoping to stop Paris before she was in full swing.
"She clearly said known, not friend, not roommate…just known. Why would she say that unless…"
"Paris, we weren't friends when we met," Rory pointed out.
"We're friends now, don't tell me you're still hung up on high school," Paris snapped back with an eye roll, taking on her defensive stance.
"No, but saying we were friends since then would be misleading, I mean, you hated me. Not only did the guy you were madly in love with have a crush on me, but I got-" Rory started to say before being interrupted by Paris.
"She finally admits DuGrey had a crush on her! But for the record, I was not madly in love with Tristan."
"Despite that, you also hated me because I got as good, if not better, grades than you, as I started to say before you interrupted. You learned to tolerate me junior year, but we only started becoming friends senior year," Rory reminded her.
"That's still high school! We've been friends since high school." Paris pointed out.
"And we didn't really stabilize that friendship until college. Do I need to remind you about student council and how you thought I was out to get you?" Rory questioned, ignoring Paris's argument.
"That wasn't my fault. Francie made me question you!"
"So Steph, knowing the long version of our background, didn't want to give misleading information," Rory argued back, returning to the topic at hand.
"This isn't the newsroom," Paris pointed out.
Rory decided to go for a complete subject change, "How's Doyle?"
Paris's face shifted quickly into a smile and said excitedly, "He's good, we're good. Last week, I talked him into letting me get that treadmill."
"That's nice, now, can Steph continue?" Rory asked, seeing Paris was much calmer now.
When Paris nodded, Steph said, "All these racks have different things for us to try on, I made a guess at your sizes, but if you need a different size or want to look around the store for something else, feel free. A woman named Chelsea is helping us, so she will be around to help you find anything as well. Rory, you get to pick stuff as well, but I think it would be a good time for you to find something to wear under your dress so they brought some of their bridal collection back as well."
--
Rory was looking at some simple strapless bras when Honor came up behind her, took the bra out of her hand, and said, "You're not getting that."
"Why not? I need a strapless bra," Rory started.
"Because it's too plain. Is that really what you want Logan to see when you go up for your wedding night?" Rory immediately reddened at Logan's older sister explaining what he would want to see her in on their wedding night.
Seeing her discomfort, Steph jumped into the conversation saying, "I don't think Logan cares what she's wearing, just that it can come off easily," but after a few moment's thought added, "but Honor's right, you need something with more…pop."
"Pop?" Rory asked, not really wanting to know what Steph was thinking when she said it.
"What about this," Paris suggested, pointing to a corset on the rack. It was mesh and lace bustier detailed with sequins and ruffles along the bottom complete with a lace up front and hook-and-eye back closure and a matching lace g-string.
"That's more like it, but she needs something strapless," Lane commented.
"You know I've successfully chosen my own bras for a number of years now," Rory pointed out.
"No, you had Lorelai's influence. She's not here so we've taken up the job," Paris pointed out.
"You know a corset that continues down and serves as a garter as well won't show bra lines under your dress like a traditional strapless bra would and even covers the top panty line," Bri offered, seeing Rory needed something more logical and pointed to a corset with a little less lace which meant it would be smoother under her dress.
"I guess that's true," Rory relented and picked out a few to try on, some more practical than others.
"That was good," Honor commended.
"Thanks," Bri said with a smile of her own. She was a little hesitant when Steph had called her about today, but relaxed the longer she was here.
"I can't believe she picked some of those without us bugging her to try them on," Honor commented.
"They were a bit racier than I would think she normally goes for," Lane stated.
"Are you sure because she put a whole little seduction number together for work," Bri questioned.
"What?" Paris asked, voicing the others' confusion.
"Mike, our editor, instructed Ella to find a way to grab Mr. Huntzberger's attention. All I ever heard when I asked her about it was a mumbled thigh highs and heels," Bri explained.
"And dad wants to know why he seems to like work more now than he did before," Honor said sarcastically.
After a few minutes, Rory emerged with a white corset in hand. It had lace covering the cups that trailed down the torso, while the rest was a sheer material and met up at the eyehooks that would latch up the spine.
She noticed all eyes were on her and felt the need to divert the attention so teased, "So what do you think your guys would like?"
Almost immediately, Paris started going through the racks and muttering to herself while Lane seemed a bit more reserved, so Rory went over to help her along. She had to admit it was much more fun when everyone wasn't worried about her choice. She felt weird with everyone knowing what she would be wearing under her wedding dress especially because they all knew what she would be doing after the wedding.
Steph found something, tried it on, and was set, with Honor close behind, before Paris or Lane even made a selection. Honor and Steph were talking off to the side when they noticed Bri walking by the racks, but not really looking.
Steph led the way and spoke, since she knew Bri much better, "Need some help?"
Bri shook her head, "I just don't know if I really want to get anything."
"Why not?" Steph asked, "There are a bunch of choices, something has to have caught your eye"
"I guess, but…" Bri started hesitantly.
"You know Finn will love almost any of it," Steph said with a wave of a hand.
Bri just shrugged causing Honor to say, "Although, I always figured Finn to be the type to enjoy a bit of a tease, what would you say?"
Bri just shrugged again and with a face void of any emotion offered, "I wouldn't know."
"I thought Rory said you were dating Finn," Honor asked confused.
"I am, we just haven't…" Bri said, not really wanting to finish that sentence in front of someone she just met.
"Really? Finn, dark hair, Australian? Well, you are a red-head so that fits…" Honor said, while reasoning out loud.
"Why haven't we?" Bri asked louder than she intended, but the admission of the question sent her brain into overdrive thinking about why they hadn't had sex.
Seeing that Bri was starting to get herself worked up, Honor decided to broach the other issue at hand, "But, that's not the only reason you weren't looking."
"What?" Bri asked, coming out of her thoughts.
Honor glanced around and noticed Steph was now talking to Paris about something. She knew Bri was new to the group and also knew Rory would be better choice for what she was about to say, but wasn't available. Hoping Bri would take this the right way, she sighed, "I know you're uncomfortable because of the cost, and I can't say I know what it's like to be in your shoes, but Steph set this up wanting everyone to enjoy themselves."
"But everything here is so expensive," Bri admitted, fully aware she was talking to a Huntzberger.
"I promise she can afford it, and she didn't mean for it to bother anyone, she just wanted this to be more of a group thing because, while we all know Rory, we don't all know each other. Really, you should get something, I mean, you are eventually going to sleep with Finn right?"
"Well, I hadn't really thought about it…but assuming things keep going well, I guess, eventually."
"Okay then. Don't you want to have something that makes you feel sexy and desirable when that happens?" Honor asked, letting the bubbly part of her personality take over.
"Um…" Bri said, not knowing what to say to that type of question.
"I know this probably isn't the most comfortable conversation. It's just, I've known Finn forever and while he's had girls try almost everything to get him into bed, he's never really had someone do it because of how they felt for him," Honor tried, knowing it wasn't a very clear explanation.
"I don't think I understand," Bri admitted.
"Hmmm…" Honor let out while thinking. After taking a moment to think, she started again in a much quieter voice, "don't tell my little brother or Rory I told you this. Actually, I don't even think Rory knows I know about it. But I managed to get some details out of Logan about the first time they had sex…"
"Really," Bri screeched, not sure if she should really be hearing this, or that she even wanted to hear it, but curious all the same.
"Yeah, I'm sure by now you know all about Logan's reputation with women," at Bri's nod, Honor continued, "well, when he first mentioned Rory, I knew it was only a matter of time before they started dating, exclusively or otherwise. Finally, he admitted to me that she approached him at her grandparent's vow renewal ceremony. I was surprised because he made her out to be more of the timid type. Well, then he said they went out together, so I had to ask him how Rory went about seducing him, you know what kind of lingerie she wore, because that's what all the girls did."
"I've heard," Bri commented, her was of encouraging Honor to continue.
"Anyway, after much questioning on my part and stalling on his, which should have been my first clue to the fact she was different and it would end up here, with them getting married, he admitted that Rory didn't even change out of her cotton pajamas. To Logan, who was so used to girls throwing themselves at him, he didn't care what Rory was wearing. PJs over subtly sexy underwear was just as much of a turn on as anything else would have been because he knew she hadn't pulled the same routine with every guy on campus who had a decent pocketbook.
"I'm sure Finn's the same way. He'd love to see you in something sexy, but not to get his attention, rather because he knows it is just for him," Honor explained, ending her little speech.
At this thought, Bri smiled and slightly nodded while walking towards the rack with Honor close behind. They took another look at the racks and Honor suggested, "I'm thinking sexy, but not slutty."
"For who?" Rory questioned, walking up with Steph now that Paris and Lane both had taken an armful of clothes into the dressing rooms.
"For Finn," Honor replied with a smirk.
"I agree: sexy, not slutty," Rory said and looked towards the various sections of the racks to find something for herself.
Steph, on the other hand, seemed deep in thought, but finally declared, "I think you should go with a short slip or a flyaway babydoll…depending on how bold you're feeling."
--
In the end, Rory found something for her wedding night, Steph had something bold, Bri picked an outfit that showed enough (but not too much), Lane went with a more funky look, Paris decided on a very simple yet revealing number, and Honor searched for something unique since she owned enough traditional lingerie from her own wedding.
Once everything had been bagged, Steph insisted they all come over saying it was past lunch and they should eat, everyone except Rory had planned on going over there from the start, but they didn't want to let Rory in on the plan. They entered Steph's apartment and made themselves comfortable as Steph ordered some Italian and made a pitcher of margaritas. The girls chatted until it arrived, and after they got their plates, Steph excused herself and returned with a pile of boxes.
"What are those?" Rory asked, even though it was obvious.
"Well, when I mentioned wanting to do a lingerie party at the store everyone said they wanted to buy you something as well….and so here we are," Steph said happily.
"Thanks," Rory said truthfully, "but you didn't need to do this."
"You're just embarrassed because you're thinking about what you'll get," Lane reasoned.
"Traitor!" Rory responded and stuck out her tongue.
"Just open them already," Lane instructed.
Rory took box off the top of the pile and saw it was from Paris. She opened it to find a blue silk slip chemise with a small slit up the side and rose colored lace along the top and bottom edges and exclaimed, "This is beautiful, thank you Paris."
"There's one more," Paris offered, never one to fuss over things like this.
Rory moved the tissue paper to reveal a red stretch lace chemise with matching panties, and while it looked nice, it was not something she would have ever bought for herself. Blushing, she gave an unsure, "Thanks."
"I know you would never buy it yourself, that's why I did. You need something bold in your life," Paris explained.
"That's why I'm friends with you," Rory replied.
"Thanks," Paris answered and handed her the next box, which was from Bri.
She opened it and saw a baby blue silk chemise with sequin embellishment and a small keyhole opening along with a red satin sleepshirt with a plunging ruffled neckline and close tie.
"They're both nice, thanks, but this shirt looks sooo comfortable" Rory gushed as she held both items up.
"I know," Bri said smiling, "I picked it because I thought it was loose and comfortable, but still sexy."
Rory was handed the next package by Steph which was from Lane and contained a black babydoll with white a floral pattern covering the triangles cups above an ivory bow and matching panties. She also brought her a gift bag that held a satin and lace black babydoll with matching silk panties. Rory blushed again and thanked Lane surprised at what Lane gave her, assuming it would be more along the lines of Bri's gifts.
The next was an extravagant looking box, which Rory was not surprised to see was from Honor. On top, she found a white peekaboo satin flyaway babydoll with a satin bow front closure and matching silk panty and also a sheer pink baby doll with white lace detailing along bottom and a matching lace trimmed panty.
"Thank you," Rory said honestly. They were beautiful, she was just hesitant about wearing them.
"This is going to come out the wrong way, but he's my brother, I know what he likes, and trust me, he will love that," Honor said with a wink, making Rory's face reach an even deeper red.
Rory had to admit she was most nervous about the last box because she knew it was from Steph. Slowly, as if she was almost afraid, she unwrapped the box and saw a sheer blue baby doll with lace at the cup and hem and a matching g string. To say she was shocked was an understatement. After a lot of coaxing from the girls, she lifted it from the box to show them with evident embarrassment. When she did, she saw what was under it: a sheer black flyaway babydoll trimmed with ruffle lace along the top and a pink ribbon closure. It came with and a matching pair of black ruffled panties.
Rory just started at Steph like she was crazy, unfazed Steph said, "No one else was going to get you something that slutty. I felt it was my duty."
"I think you need to check the definition of the word duty," Rory said, still in shock from the last gift.
"You'll thank me in the end," Steph said smugly.
"Maybe," Rory said as she placed the gift back in the box, "All of you, thank you so much, really this was too much." Rory said as she placed her last gift back in the box, happy that opening all of her gifts was over. It was strange for her closest friends to buy her things to wear for her fiancé. But then again, she most certainly wouldn't have bought most of that stuff for herself, and she knew that Logan would most likely love it.
"Rory, Steph may have mentioned the lingerie first, but we've been just as excited about it since then," Honor promised her.
"Well, it was perfect," Rory stated and the girls began to clean up.
After they had everything under control, Steph announced, "I have one more surprise."
"What?" all the girls asked.
"Well, I was going to suggest it to Lane for your bacholorette party, but then figured if I had any chance of getting you involved, it would have to be a smaller group so I did it for today."
"Did what?" Rory asked, not comforted by the fact everyone seemed to be out of the loop on this one.
"You'll see, but in the mean time, promise me you'll use, at a minimum, half of what you got today on your honeymoon."
"It's my honeymoon. Don't you think I should get to pick what to wear?" Rory asked.
"I just want to know you'll fully enjoy your trip and not spend all your time getting caught up in touristy stuff."
"Like Huntzberger would let her waste time sightseeing when he has plans to use said time for sex," Paris pointed out.
Before anyone responded, there was a knock at the door. Steph moved to open to open the door and in walked two women, each carrying a bag. Steph led them to where everyone else was sitting.
The first thing said was by Rory, who asked, "Who are they?"
Steph smiled again and said, "This is Kelly and Leslie, they are here to give us a lesson on how to do a striptease and give a lap dance."
"What?!" Rory yelled, "Steph, no!"
"Oh, come on, lighten up, it'll be fun. Why do you think I served margaritas?"
"Because you're friends with Finn," Honor joked, she seemed to be the most comfortable with the idea.
"Right, well besides that, I knew it'd help you loosen up for this."
"Fine, but this better be worth it," Paris threatened.
Steph noticed their instructors jump at Paris's declaration so said, "Ignore her, her boyfriend isn't that good in bed."
"I'll have you know…" Paris started.
"Paris, that was a joke," Rory explained calmly, but then told Steph, "but she's right, this better be good."
"Hello ladies," Leslie said cheerily.
"Hi," Honor and Steph said happily, while the other four were a little less enthusiastic.
"Okay, the first thing to remember is the tease part of striptease and the same should be true for a lap dance. It really is just a specific type of foreplay," Leslie began.
"Now, there are two parts to think about before you try this; one, what music you want, and two, what kind of outfit you want," Kelly explained. Next, she opened her bag and pulled out items as she talked, "Pick out your outfit in the same way you get dressed, from the inside out. Usually, the bottom layer is lingerie that you think your guy would like, over that is your outfit. Depending on how comfortable you are you may pick a themed outfit, a maid outfit for example, but for many beginners, I suggest going with something more everyday. Any questions so far?"
All the girls shook their heads so Kelly continued, "The key to making the striptease last is having accessories. It can be anything from having your hair pulled up and making a show of letting it down to a necklace or boa to play with in between the actual stripping. If you decide to theme your outfit, you could use a feather or long gloves. Now no matter what you wear, having stilettos with a garter belt and stockings or thigh highs is a must." With that, she showed the different items and a brief demonstrating how to use them as part of a dance.
"Pick a song that you and your guy won't mind, but is slow enough that it compliments the sped of your dance, but long enough for you to complete your routine. If you aren't sure about how long you're going to take you can always make a CD with a few songs, and you won't have a problem. The last part is combining the two; this isn't a dance recital, don't memorize an entire dance. That being said, you may want to practice a few moves or using a boa while you dance. And, make sure you can easily get out of everything you need to. Something like a skirt with a clasp above the zipper, just leave the clasp undone." Kelly started showing different outfit combinations and some tricks to make things go smoother. As this continued, everyone began to loosen up with their lesson and started to ask more questions.
"What do you do once you're done stripping?" Paris asked.
"Either move onto the main event or work your way into a lap dance," Leslie said from the side.
"Okay, so what should we remember for a lap dance?" Steph asked, obviously the most eager.
"The lap dance isn't as complex. Make sure to move your hips and work your way closer to him. Maybe start by circling the chair while giving him some light touches, next straddle a knee, then bring a leg up on a chair. The ending can vary, but since this is being used in a personal relationship, I would say end straddling his lap. You can either face away from or towards him, but if it's your first shot at it, and you don't have a stellar poker face, I recommend away because your face should remain stoic."
"Then how do you let him know the show is over?" Rory asked, finally letting her curiosity come through.
"The whole idea is to tease him, so while body contact is a must, kissing is a no. A good way to tell him the show's over is to get him in a lip lock. Whether or not he makes the connection that signals the end doesn't matter, if you did it right, he'll take the opportunity to keep the evening moving along. If he's in shock, you might want to help him along, a good way to do that is to start directing his hands."
"I don't think Logan will even be in that much shock to not take advantage of the situation," Rory commented, but the others nodded in agreement.
"Oh, I forgot one tip: tell him he has to keep his hands to himself if he wants you to continue," Leslie pointed out, causing the girls to laugh imaging the look on their guy's face when they hear that.
"So…we are done with the lecture portion of the lesson and onto the practical," Kelly announced. "I brought a starter kit for each of you. It has a CD of songs that work well for a striptease, a feather boa, long gloves, a pair of thigh highs and body glitter."
The girls started going through their bags and immediately Rory traded her red feather boa and gloves for Steph's black ones.
When it appeared they were done looking through the bags, Kelly commanded, "Stand up."
"First, I'm going to show you a few simple, and I mean very simple, dance moves that work well and look more complex than they are." Kelly demonstrated a few moves and then gave a brief instruction on how to do each. It took a minute for them to let themselves try them without feeling ridiculous, and not surprisingly, Steph was the first to get them down. Next was Honor and Bri, with Lane close behind. And before too much frustration gathered, Rory and then Paris had worked them out as well.
"Good, now I'm sure you're all wondering what should I be doing with my hands?"
Seeing their nods, she continued, "Okay if you're just dancing there are really two choices: run your hands over your body, face, or hair, or run your hands over your subject: his arms, lips, back, hair…you get the idea." Seeing the shock on their faces after the first choice, she laughed and added, "I wasn't saying you should feel yourself up, but more like run your hands along your sides, basically run your hands along your sides or stomach as you know your guy would love to be doing himself."
"Ohhhhhh," was heard from a few people.
"The other thing you can do to occupy your hands is dance with a prop, like your boas. You can wrap it around yourself or use it to tease him as you can continue to dance," Kelly explained while doing another short demo before having the girls attempt it. As they played with their boas, she showed them ways to wrap it easily and then pull it off.
After a few more moves were shown, Kelly and Leslie said their good byes, leaving the group joking around and playing with their boas.
"That was fun!" Lane exclaimed.
"Thanks," Steph said, happy to see everyone enjoyed themselves by the time it was done.
"I have to admit it was better than I expected," Rory conceded.
"Does that mean you're going to use this knowledge on my dear brother," Honor teased.
Rory just shrugged so Steph jumped in, "Maybe pick out a themed outfit."
"I bet you still could fit into your Chilton uniform, every guy loves a good school girl," Paris added.
Just as Lane was about to jump in, Rory replied, "That is only for him to know…"
"You suck," Steph replied, causing Rory to shrug.
Seeing she wasn't going to say anymore, the girls helped Steph clean up before saying their goodbyes and helping Rory down to her car with all her gifts before separating to return home.
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A/N: First, I promise I'm not trying to torture you by not having any work in this chapter. The outline for this has been set for a few months now, the idea is I want to keep the story of R/L's personal life going as much as I do their professional (as random as some of this may have seemed, I promise it has a point). That being said, I promise some R/L action in 26 and will be back to the newsroom in 27.
Besides that I hope you enjoyed the chapter! The lingerie party was something Christi requested and I'll admit it was fun to work on.
Please review to let me know what you thought of the chapter or ask any question you may have.