A/N: Thank you so much for all of your reviews, favorites, and follows! Your support makes such a difference. Thank you also to the wonderful B2KU, who has been my beta reader for this story.
M1129 inspired part of this chapter. If you haven't read her stories yet, definitely check her out. She's fantastic!
Chapter 12: Bachelor Party
They're all in good moods by the time they make their way to dinner. It had been years since Tobias played paintball, but it was a decidedly fun choice for his bachelor party. It helps that they won, too, beating out another group that was just a little bigger than theirs.
"This is a bar," Tobias says with a frown as Zeke holds the door open for the others, "not a restaurant."
"It's probably a familiar-looking one at that," Uriah quips, grinning. A cold feeling runs through Tobias as he recognizes the place he went to that night. "But seriously, it has great food. Mar and I have eaten here several times since you…introduced us to it."
Tobias hesitates for another moment, but really, he can't blame the bar for his decision to get drunk that night. And, in fact, he owes the bartender a considerable debt of gratitude for keeping him out of trouble. So, he shrugs as he follows his friends into the building, deciding that maybe this is a good opportunity to associate better memories with this place.
That certainly happens throughout dinner. Uriah and Zeke are at their funniest, and the others seem to feed off their hilarity, particularly as most of them drink more and more. Tobias is the lone holdout, choosing to have three drinks with his meal and then just nurse a fourth for the rest of the evening. At his size, that gives him a pleasant buzz without getting him drunk.
His best friend isn't happy with the decision. "Oh, come on," Zeke whines after the third time Tobias flatly turns down more liquor. "It's your bachelor party, man. Live it up a little."
"It's his choice," Amar tells the younger man, scowling a bit. "If he doesn't want to get drunk, leave him alone."
"Yeah," Uriah comments as he pats his brother companionably on the back. "Give the guy a break. He's just worried that he'll end up 'sleeping' with my girlfriend again."
The comment makes Zeke snort with laughter. "Still wish I had a photo of his face that morning."
Uriah grins. "Me, too. If only I'd stayed home from work…."
"That would have been counterproductive," George points out with a smirk. "If he'd seen you, he would have known where he was, and that he hadn't done anything wrong."
"True, true…" Uriah admits as he takes another sip of his beer.
"Isn't this supposed to be my party?" Tobias asks pointedly, getting more than a little tired of the conversation.
"Yeah, yeah…" Zeke answers, winking at his best friend. "You can cry if you want to."
"Would you just trust me for once?" Zeke is sputtering an hour later, as he tries yet again to get Tobias to go into the private room at the back of the bar. Their reservation started ten minutes ago.
"No," his friend answers solidly. "Because I know damned well what's in there, and I already told you I'm not interested." He's keenly aware of the insecurities that Tris struggles with after everything Peter did to her. He's not going to add to those by watching a stripper right before their wedding.
"Look, you asshole, it's not what you think," Zeke insists stubbornly, his words slurring only a little despite the amount of alcohol he's consumed.
Tobias arches a skeptical eyebrow. "Really. So, there's not a semi-clad woman waiting in there to entertain me?"
"Well…" Zeke starts uncomfortably, his face flushing as their tablemates laugh at him. "Look, it's seriously different than what you're thinking, but I can't tell you without ruining the surprise."
Tobias is the one to snort this time. "Yeah, right."
"I mean it!" There's undeniable frustration in Zeke's voice now, and he turns to the others in appeal.
"You want me to go see for you?" Amar asks, cocking his head at Tobias. "It's not like anyone is going to get upset if I look at a naked lady." Beside him, George guffaws, almost choking on the gulp he was taking from his beer.
Zeke, on the other hand, goes remarkably pale despite how dark his skin is. "No!" he snaps immediately. "No one but Four can go in there. That would be…bad. Really, really bad."
The comment piques Tobias' curiosity, but not enough for him to go look. He promised Tris that this party wouldn't get out of hand, and he is determined to always keep his promises to her.
So, he simply crosses his arms over his chest and leans even further back in his seat, making himself comfortable.
"Argh," Zeke complains, pulling at his hair in frustration. "You're…God, you're a pain sometimes, Four." Throwing his hands in the air, he marches off – though not to the room he's been trying to get Tobias to enter.
When he returns several minutes later, Tobias is more than a little surprised to see Christina with him.
She gives him an inscrutable look –something that manages to be angry, admiring, and amused all at once. "I'm going to tell you this once," she says clearly, "and only once. And you're going to listen. Get your butt in there. Right now."
There's complete silence in the group as the two stare each other down. Finally, slowly, Tobias rises to his feet. Christina is supposed to be running Tris' bachelorette party tonight, which means that whatever she's trying to get him to do must be related to that. And that certainly changes the dynamic.
Still, he's hesitant as he makes his way to the door, looking back over his shoulder twice. Christina gives him a sharp hand gesture the second time, clearly pushing him to hurry.
He pauses in the doorway, looking into the dimly-lit room as he decides if he's willing to enter it. It's not reassuring when he sees a chair sitting in a circle of light that also illuminates what seems to be a portable metal pole.
"What the hell, Christina?" he calls to her.
The answer comes from inside the room instead. "Get in here and shut the door, Tobias." It's a woman's voice, sounding from somewhere within the dark recesses of the space, and he finds himself abruptly grinning in response. Tris.
She stays out of sight as he steps inside, closing the door firmly behind him. He has his suspicions now about what's happening, and he finds his heart rate speeding up in anticipation as he makes a point of locking the door.
"Sit down," Tris' disembodied voice tells him, and he feels excitement through every nerve of his body as he obeys.
His guess is proven right when the music starts. Tobias hasn't been to a strip club in years, but he knows that this particular song is ideal for that purpose, and his eyes eagerly search the darkness for his fiancée. But no matter what mental images he's already started to form, he's still not prepared for the reality when he sees it.
Tris emerges from the shadows, dressed in an extremely skimpy black leather outfit. Fishnet stockings cover her legs above a pair of black stilettos, and he finds himself staring at where they disappear under the mini-skirt that barely covers her butt. Her long hair is loose, hanging in waves behind her, and she's wearing a shade of red lipstick that he's never seen on her before.
She looks amazing.
"You're late," she tells him, setting her fists on her hips as she stands in front of him, her head held high in a manner that emphasizes her chest, and her legs spread into a solid stance. That position alone is enough to make him start getting hard. "Christina went to all the trouble of arranging 'dance' lessons for my bachelorette party." She moves closer, her hips swaying, and leans down so he has a good view of her cleavage. "And you don't even show up to appreciate the results."
He is so fucking turned on right now.
"I think maybe I should just skip the show," she breathes at him, leaning even closer. He can smell her perfume now, and that combined with everything else makes it difficult to respond.
"Okay," he manages to rasp, his hands finding her hips and pulling her toward his lap. He could get off just by having her sit there at the moment.
"Nuh-uh," she tells him, lightly tapping his hands away. She tries hard to keep her face straight as she wags a scolding finger at him, but she can't seem to keep the corners of her mouth from lifting. "No touching the dancer."
"Oh, that is not going to work," he growls back, his eyes roaming up and down his fiancée. "Damn, you look good, Tris."
Her smile widens a little, and she turns away to hide it, waving her rear at him invitingly as she sashays toward the pole. Looking over her shoulder at him, she says, "Tell you what. I'll dance if you stay still. Deal?"
His head nods on its own, though he doubts very much that he can keep his end of that bargain. Nevertheless, he's glad he agreed once she starts. He doesn't know who Christina brought in to give them "lessons," but Tris certainly learned well…..
He's as hard as a rock by the time she wraps herself around the pole for the third time, looking sexier than any professional he's ever seen. And he can't help fidgeting in his seat each time she makes her way closer to him, particularly whenever she removes an item of clothing and throws it his way.
By the time she's down to a black, lacy bra and matching underwear, it's impossible to find a comfortable position, no matter how much he adjusts his pants.
She moves closer again, leaning down to give him a good view as she takes her hands and caresses her own breasts, slowly removing her bra in the process. He literally sucks his breath in, forgetting to let it back out as he stares wide-eyed at the sight. He can't remember ever seeing anything that hot.
With a sly smile, she turns around, straddling him as she grinds her hips back and forth over the part of him that's reaching most for her. He squirms with the need to have his hands on her and with the burning desire to plunge deep inside her, but somehow he resists long enough for her to walk away. Swaying sexily, she works her underpants down, finally kicking them off and twirling around the pole stark naked.
He's panting now, feeling so far beyond rigid that he may as well be a statue. His eyes seem to be the only part of him still capable of movement as they follow her desperately, watching her circle back to him. She walks around him this time, her fingers tracing along his chest and shoulders, before she grinds on his lap again, facing him this time.
"Tris," he groans, his hands finding their way to her perfect butt despite the earlier prohibition. "I'm going to explode if you keep this up."
A coy smile traces her lips, and she reaches down, slowly undoing his jeans as she continues to move just above his lap. "Well, we'd better do something about that," she murmurs seductively.
It takes every bit of his remaining self-control to wait while she removes his clothing enough for him to reach her. And then he's pulling her onto him, his body thrusting up into her as his hands tighten on her hips.
"You are so fucking beautiful," he breathes as he assists her in her up and down movements, feeling her squeeze around him. "I can't believe I get to marry you."
She smiles against his neck. "I've got to say," she exhales onto his skin, "that was a lot of fun."
The words draw a deep groan from him, causing his tenuous control to slip away even more. He's pretty sure he has never been this turned on in his entire life, and abruptly it occurs to him that he's not going to last long enough to meet Tris' needs.
So, he shifts her back a little, giving him room to begin circling a fingertip over her sweet spot in between thrusts. In turn, she runs her hands through his hair, hanging on as she gasps, "It's okay, Tobias. Let yourself go. This time is about you."
But he shakes his head, never pausing in his ministrations. "It's no fun if you don't come, too." And it's true. There is nothing that gets him off more than pleasing Tris – than watching her face as she climaxes, and feeling her body tense around him, and seeing the way her back arches in the ecstasy that he caused.
Maybe it's because she makes him feel so good that he can't help but want to return the favor. Or maybe it's that he loves treating her the way she deserves to be treated, after everything she's been through. Or maybe it's because it makes him feel so unlike his father. Regardless, he always wants it to be about them, not just him.
Some part of her must realize that, because she doesn't argue anymore, instead focusing on the way they rock back and forth, moaning and gasping against each other until they finally reach their peaks, exploding together into something that is truly beyond description. She may only get one orgasm tonight, but it's an utterly fantastic one.
It takes them a while to regain the ability to move afterwards, and even longer to make themselves presentable so they can rejoin their friends, who have now combined into one party. Neither of them can stop grinning, or touching each other, for the rest of the evening, despite the catcalls and knowing jibes that the others send their way.
They're still practically glowing when the bartender passes by their table, apparently on her way to or from a break.
She pauses to greet Uriah and Marlene before cocking her head at Tobias as if trying to place him. "Four, right?" she asks after a moment, and he realizes that she must be the one who served him that night – the one who made sure he went home with a friend instead of leaving him to his own drunken devices.
He nods awkwardly, and the bartender's gaze moves on to Tris, taking in their close positions and the ring on her finger. A wide smile forms on her face. "This must be your fiancée." At Tris' confused look, she adds, "I'm Lauren, one of the bartenders here. I served Four drinks a while back, when you two were having some kind of fight." There's an understanding look in her eyes. "It's nice to see that you worked everything out."
She gives Tris a gentle pat on the arm, genuine warmth in her expression. "I see a lot of heartbreak on this job, but not a lot of happy reconciliations, so you two just made my day."
The words lighten something inside Tobias –a residual knot of tension that he didn't know was left inside him. Abruptly, he remembers what Lauren said that night, that a friend of hers lost some good relationships because of a situation like Tris'. He knows how easily that could have happened to them, but it didn't – because Tris was brave enough to get them to face their demons together. Because of her, they ended up closer than ever instead of falling apart.
He grins as he wraps his arm around Tris, pulling her to him. "Yes, this is my incredible fiancée, Tris." He kisses her cheek. "Tris, Lauren is the one who called Zeke that night, and he then called Uriah to come get me." Meeting Lauren's eyes, he adds, "Thank you for that, by the way. You have no idea what it meant to me."
But Lauren just gives him a soft smile in return. "It's my job, Four." She pats his arm the way she did Tris'. "But I'm glad it helped. You two really are an adorable couple." With that, she takes her leave, the entire table staring after her for a moment.
"You left her a really good tip," Uriah comments, grinning slyly, "in case you were wondering. Marlene put it on your credit card while I dragged you to the car."
"Ah," Tobias mutters, "that would explain the bill." But truthfully, he can't complain. It would have been impossible to over-tip in that particular situation.
Tris laughs as she leans back into Tobias' arms. "You know, I have to say that I feel better now that I've met her. I always wondered a bit if the two of you flirted that night."
Tobias is confused by the giggle that goes around the women at the table. Marlene is the one who finally alleviates his curiosity. "Lauren is gay, in case you clueless guys missed it."
"Oh," Tobias answers as he snuggles into Tris' hair. "I can't say I care either way."
They're a big, happy group when they finally leave the bar some four hours after arriving, piling into a series of taxis to take them to their respective homes. Theirs drops Christina and Will off before taking Tris and Tobias home, and the two are having a hard time keeping their hands off each other by the time they reach their apartment building.
"So, how was your bachelor party?" Tris asks him mischievously as they walk down their hallway, nudging him companionably in the side.
"Incredible," he murmurs, trying to control the big, goofy smile that wants to take up permanent residence on his face. "But I should probably tell you…I had sex with the stripper."
She has to bite back her own grin. "Well, I have a confession, too. I totally screwed the hot guy who crashed my bachelorette party."
"Ah." He wraps his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. "Then I guess we're even."
A/N: M1129 wrote a story in which Christina arranged for a stripper to give Tris lessons on how to do a strip tease at her bachelorette party, so that part of this story was inspired by hers. Thank you very much, M1129, for letting me borrow the idea!
The next chapter will be the last one. It will probably be more than a week before it's posted (sorry). In the meantime, please let me know what you thought of this chapter. Thanks!