Chapter 33: Chapter 33

VADA

I stared at my phone, pursing my lips when my dad didn’t answer my FaceTime call. He texted a minute later. Just like the previous two times I’d tried to have a video call with him.

Dad

Sorry pumpkin. I missed your call.

Vada

I’ll call you again.

Dad

Let’s just text. I’m at the shop. I don’t want anyone to overhear our conversation.

Vada

Okay.

Dad

Where are you?

Vada

On our way to Vegas.

Dad

That’s exciting.

Vada

I’ve got some big news, Dad. That’s why I wanted to FaceTime you.

Dad

Is it what I hope it is?

Vada

Yes, Daddy. I accepted their proposal. I’m getting married!

Dad

Oh, honey. I’m so happy to hear that. I knew it wouldn’t take long for you to fall in love with them.

Vada

They took me to this weird, supercool snake motel in New Mexico.

Dad

That explains the picture Evan sent me.

Vada

It was awesome, Dad! That was a Burmese python. His name was Horace.

Dad

You looked really happy in the photo.

Vada

I was about to tell the guys I’d marry them.

Dad

You accepted their proposal while you were holding the snake?

Vada

Yeah. LOL. The trainer asked if Evan was my dad. I announced into the mic that he was my fiancé. You should’ve seen his face.

Vada

Then the guy tells Horace he has to let me go back to my fiancé, and I said fiancés. Jake and Garrett were up at the stage by that point. They picked me up and kissed me in front of the crowd.

Dad

Wow. Were there a lot of children there?

Vada

Um, no. It was an adults-only resort.

Dad

I see.

Vada

It was so cool there.

Dad

I don’t need to hear the details.

Vada

I’m not talking about that part. You should’ve seen the giant coiled water slide. It was so fun. And the dinner buffet had a huge selection of snake dishes!

Dad

That doesn’t sound very appetizing.

Vada

I tried every single one. Some weren’t too bad. My favorite was the barbecued rattlesnake.

Dad

That sounds revolting, Vada.

Vada

You sound just like the guys. They wouldn’t try any of the dishes. Not even one bite!

Dad

Have you told Mandy yet?

Vada

No. I haven’t talked to her for a few days. The last time we spoke, I told her I was seriously considering their proposal. She was pretty upset.

Dad

I’m sure she was. Give her some time. She’ll come around.

Vada

I hope so, Dad.

Dad

I’m so happy for you, honey. You’ve made my day with this news. I can rest easy now, knowing you’re safe and happy.

Dad

I know you were lonely after your mother died. And now, you’ll never have to feel that way again.

Vada

Yeah. I definitely won’t be lonely with three husbands and a slew of ankle biters. You should’ve seen the kids at the reunion. Most of those families are huge. Like anywhere from four to eight kids.

Dad

Wow.

Vada

I know. If the guys get their way, you’ll have a bunch of grandkids to spoil.

Dad

You’ll be a great Mom, sweetheart.

Vada

Are you gonna walk me down the aisle?

Dad

I would give anything to do that, pumpkin. But maybe you guys should get married in Vegas.

Vada

We can’t actually get legally married, Dad.

Dad

I know. But I’m sure there’s somewhere in Vegas that allows for this type of ceremony.

Vada

Their cult looks after it. They have some minister type person who performs the ceremonies.

Dad

It’s not a cult, Vada. It’s a lifestyle.

Vada

Yeah, yeah.

Vada

They’re gonna buy me a ring when we get to Vegas. I’ll send you a picture.

Dad

I’d love that, honey.

Vada

I miss you, Daddy.

Dad

I miss you too. I love you, Vada.

Vada

Love you too. Talk to you soon.

“Is everything okay?” Jake asked, reaching across the seat to squeeze my hand.

“Yeah. I just had a long conversation with my dad.”

“Did you tell him the news?”

“Yeah. I didn’t really want to tell him in a text message, but he’s avoiding FaceTime for some reason.”

“He’s probably at the shop, and he didn’t want someone to overhear your conversation.”

I turned my head, narrowing my eyes. “That’s ~exactly~ what he said. Word for word.”

He shrugged. “I know your dad pretty well.”

“Uh-huh,” I mumbled. “If you guys are keeping something from me, I suggest you spill your guts. I’m your fiancée now. You can’t keep secrets from me.”

“Nobody is keeping secrets,” Evan barked.

“Who pissed in your cornflakes this morning?” I bit back.

“I don’t eat cornflakes.”

“Well, you sure are crusty.”

“I didn’t sleep well last night. The air conditioner in our hotel room drove me nuts.”

“It didn’t bother me,” I said. “I never even noticed it.”

“I know,” he muttered. “Your snoring also kept us awake.”

“I do ~not~ snore.”

“Yes, you do.”

“Do I snore, Garrett?”

“Yep.”

“Like a lumberjack,” Jake chuckled.

“You guys are lying,” I huffed. “No man, ~or woman~, who has ever shared my bed has said I snore. I talk in my sleep, but I don’t snore.”

Jake pulled out his phone, playing a recording of someone snoring.

“That’s not me!” I cried.

“Oh, but it is,” he whispered, leaning over to steal a kiss. “Don’t worry. We still love you. I guess it’s a good thing you have your own room at home.”

“How’s that gonna work?”

“What?”

“I don’t want to sleep alone.”

“I guess we can play musical beds.”

“That sounds fun.”

“But you have to wear an anti-snoring device,” Evan said.

“I don’t snore!”

***

“I thought we were staying at the convention center?” I asked, staring up at the red and black hotel.

“We are,” Evan replied. “But the convention doesn’t start for two days. We thought we’d have a little fun before the week of ‘monotonous boredom.’”

“I just think five days is a lot for a car convention.”

“Not if you’re a car enthusiast,” Jake said.

“Or you own a classic car business,” Evan lectured. “You need to get your head into business mode, Vada.”

“Okay, okay,” Garrett said, clapping his hands. “Today is all about fun. No work talk.”

“The Pander Palace looks like something out of a horror movie,” I said. “I’m not really into haunted-house-type stuff.”

“It’s not a horror-themed hotel, silly,” Jake said. “It’s an adults-only-type place.”

“Ohh,” I whispered. “I’m down with that.”

“The snake motel wasn’t on the original itinerary,” Evan clarified. “And we didn’t stop there because it was adults only. We went there for the snakes after we learned how much you like them.

“But this hotel was booked from the start.”

“All of the rooms are sex themed,” Jake said, waggling his eyebrows.

“And the pool is topless,” Garrett added.

“But it’s optional,” Evan said. “You can wear your full bathing suit.”

“I don’t have any issues going topless.”

“We do,” he grumbled.

“Why?”

“Speak for yourself, Ev,” Garrett said. “I don’t care if Vada shows off her breasts. They’re beautiful.”

“Do you have a problem with it, Jake?” I asked.

“Nope. I’m not insecure. There will be a ring on your finger before you do it, though.”

“Thanks, guys,” Evan muttered. “Way to have my back.”

“Can we just stay here the whole week?” I suggested.

The Pander Palace was so cool. It was dark, with a red, black, and gold interior. The lobby was furnished with leather furniture. Erotic photos and paraphernalia lined the walls.

“They even have a sex shop!” I exclaimed.

I wandered into the casino, my eyes going directly to the statue gracing the entrance. More specifically, to the enormous gold schlong hanging between his legs.

He was standing in the middle of a fountain, the stream appearing as though it was coming from his penis.

“That’s so cringe,” I whispered, giggling to myself.

The slot machines were all sex themed. Instead of sevens and cherries, the reels contained dicks and various sex toys.

Wait. There ~were~ cherries.

And tits.

“This is so fucked up.”

A woman glanced up from her machine, her eyes roaming hungrily over my body.

She was dressed in leather and denim, a heavy layer of makeup failing to hide the wrinkles that gave away her age and affinity for the sun and cigarettes.

~The guys are right. I ~am ~a chick magnet.~

She wasn’t my type at all. I preferred dainty women with small tits and delicate features. Girly girls with soft voices.

Like Mandy.

My best friend was a girl through and through. As feminine as they get. A short bob of blonde hair, eyes as blue as the ocean, tiny tits, and a tight little pussy.

~You made your choice, girlfriend. No more pussy for you. Just cock for the rest of your life.~

“Isn’t this place awesome?” she drawled, her deep voice causing me to do a double take as I glanced at her neck, half expecting to see an Adam’s Apple.

“So cool,” I agreed.

“Wait until you see the rooms. Which one are you staying in?”

“I have no idea. My fiancés booked it.”

“Did you say fiancé~s~?”

“Yep.”

“Lucky girl,” she whispered.

“I sure am.”

“There you are,” Jake said, grabbing my ass when he came up behind me.

“Let me rephrase that,” my new friend husked, her eyes dropping to Jake’s crotch. “You are a ~very~ lucky girl.”

“We can play the slots later,” Evan said, appearing on the other side of me.

“Did you see the cock on that statue?” Garrett chuckled.

“Let me rephrase that ~again~,” the woman said. “You are an ~extremely~ lucky girl. They have some kick-ass pussy donuts in the sex shop, honey. I would recommend you buy one.”

“Thanks,” I laughed as my men led me away.

***

“I can’t believe you guys picked the BDSM suite,” I said, running my hand over the red leather chaise longue with metal hooks on the arms.

“Why’s that?” Evan asked.

“I don’t know. I figured you guys would be more into caveman or cowboy-type fantasies.”

“This isn’t a BDSM suite,” Garrett said, flipping through the hotel guide on the desk. “It’s called a kinky suite.

“The BDSM rooms have cages and chains and weird-looking chairs. I’m not into that shit.”

“The bed rotates,” Jake announced, holding up a remote.

“Wouldn’t that make you dizzy?” I wondered as the heart-shaped bed rotated slowly on its platform. “And of course, there’s a mirror on the ceiling.”

“There are mirrors everywhere,” Jake said. “It reminds me a little of the ’eighties yacht. Without the plants and pastels.”

“I guess they figure if you rent this room, you don’t need privacy in the shower,” I theorized, peering through the glass wall into the huge bathroom. “At least the toilet is in a private room.”

“I really don’t think we needed another sex toy basket,” Jake said.

“When I booked this, I didn’t know we were stopping at another adult place,” Evan explained. “Or I would not have ordered the toys.”

“These are quite different from the ones we got at the snake place,” Jake announced, holding up a whip and some furry pink handcuffs.

“What’s this?” I asked, holding up a long metal rod with faux leather cuffs attached to each end.

“It’s a spreader bar,” Jake said, reading the inventory card tucked inside the basket. “It’s for keeping your legs apart.”

“Interesting,” I laughed.

“Check out my frisky finger,” Garrett said, holding up his hand with a pink rubber thing over his index finger. “It’s a finger vibrator.”

“Let’s go to the pool,” I suggested, stripping down to my underwear. “We can play with this stuff later.”

“We’re going ring shopping,” Evan said. “You can go to the pool when we get back.”

***

I studied my reflection in the mirror over the sink, the rock on my finger sparkling under the bright bathroom lights.

The girl staring back at me wasn’t the same one who left Miami almost a month before. She just wanted to party and have a good time, with no responsibilities and nobody to answer to but herself.

I didn’t know this new version of myself very well yet. And I wasn’t fond of her melancholy moods. That wasn’t me at all.

Perhaps I was a bit homesick. I’d never been away from my dad that long before.

Or Mandy.

I wanted to call her, but I didn’t know what to say. I had no idea how to begin mending the rift between us. And announcing my engagement would be like kicking her while she was down.

My hands slid down my naked body, cupping my breasts before continuing over my belly. I rubbed my finger over my Patrick tattoo, smiling as I recalled the day I got it.

Mandy had had an appointment at the tattoo parlor. I’d wanted a tattoo, but I was terrified of the needle.

She was getting a lower-back tattoo, and she’d begged me to come with her, because her appointment was going to be four hours long.

That was the day I met Ozone. We kept staring at each other over Mandy’s back. I was holding her hand while he inked her skin.

Halfway through her tattoo, he decided to give her a break. We went to his office and fucked like wild animals on his desk. I left that night with Patrick. A few weeks later I got my bush viper.

You’re still the same girl. The ring on your finger doesn’t change who you are. You don’t have to stop living your life just because you’re married.

“Vada!” Evan called through the partially open door. “Are you almost ready?”

“Yeah!”

I pulled on my pink camouflage bikini and my cover-up and headed out the door.

“What the fuck?” Jake muttered when we stepped onto the pool terrace.

“I did not see a photo of this on the website,” Evan grumbled. “If I had, we would not be staying here.”

“I think it’s cool,” Garrett said.

“It’s gross,” Evan declared. “Why would anyone want to swim in a red pool? It looks like a giant bloodbath.”

“I have to agree with Evan on this one,” I said. “I don’t think I want to swim in a pool that looks like a period bath.”

“What the hell is that?” he cried.

“When a woman is bleeding from the crotch, and she takes a bath, and the water turns red.”

“That’s disgusting, Vada!” he barked.

“I know.”

“I was thinking more like a scene from ~Jaws~,” he said.

“That too,” I agreed.

“I don’t know if I can even sit out here,” Evan whined.

“I’m going in,” Garrett said, tossing his shirt on a lounge chair before he disappeared into the Red Sea.

“I’ll stay with Vada,” Jake offered.

“I’m not a child,” I laughed. “I don’t need a babysitter.”

“Are you planning to go topless?” Evan asked, glancing around the terrace at all the naked breasts.

“Yep.”

“Then you need a chaperone,” Jake said.

“You guys are so silly.”

“We don’t like the idea of other guys staring at your breasts,” Jake explained. “They should be for our eyes only.”

“The only real difference is my nipples will be showing.”

“That’s true,” Evan grumbled. “Your bathing suit doesn’t leave much to the imagination.”

“Relax, boomers,” I sighed, reaching behind me to untie the straps on my top. “Now, who wants to put sunscreen on me?”