Stripped (19 page)

“I’m looking for Chris.”

“Abby?”

Chris was emerging up the stairs of a large pool,
and Abby stopped short, admiring his broad chest, gleaming with beads of water.
His dripping hair and huge smile made him look young as he rushed over to greet
her.

“Hi,” she said, grinning. “I decided to come. I hope
it’s okay.”

“It’s great!” Chris said, reaching for her but then
pausing. “Do you mind getting a little wet?”

“Not at all,” she said, opening her arms up to his
neck.

“I’m so happy to see you,” he said in her ear as he
squeezed her close.

“Me, too.”

“Hey, I found it!” a male voice called as he climbed
the stairs to the large deck, carrying a volleyball.

“Reed, this is Abby,” Chris said. Abby flushed as
she recognized the dark-haired man she had danced for at his bachelor party,
but he showed no sign of recognition.

“Glad you came, Abby,” he said, smiling. “Maybe
Chris will stop sulking now.”

 Chris led her by the hand to the lounge chairs.

“This is Kelana, she’s Ty’s wife,” he said of a
blond in a red bikini. “And that’s her friend Jen, and Charlotte is Reed’s
wife.”

“Where is Ty?” Reed asked. “I found the ball, let’s
play.”

“He went to get his knee brace. He shouldn’t be
playing beach volleyball,” Kelana said, sounding irritated.

“Give me a few minutes with Abby,” Chris said,
leading her back inside the house.

“This is beautiful,” Abby said, admiring the view of
the ocean again.

“I can’t believe you’re here,” he said, reaching for
her hand.

“I’m here, but I have nothing. I went from my office
to the airport.”

“I’ll take you shopping. If you want to go now, I
can postpone volleyball.”

“No, go ahead. We can go later. I’m not sure I’ll
swim, though, it’s not hot here.”

“Yeah, that was a pretty cold swim I just had.
There’s a hot tub, though, you’ll need a suit for that. Or not.”

He grinned at Abby and she looked away, flustered by
his lusty stare.

“A suit, I think,” she said shyly.

“Come on, I’ll show you our room.”

“Our room? I’m sharing with you?”

“Of course. Don’t worry, I’ll behave as well as you
want me to.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked, laughing.

“Let’s just forget about all our issues and hesitations
while we’re here,” he said, turning serious. “Getting this much time alone
together is a big deal for us. Let’s enjoy every moment.”

“Sounds perfect,” she said as he led her up an open
metal stairway to the second floor.

“I’ve never been in a house like this,” she
murmured.

“I think this place has seven bedrooms. Ours is down
at the end.”

“Wow,” she said as they walked in. A breeze blew in
from the glass doors that opened onto a balcony overlooking the ocean. The room
was enormous, with a king size four-poster bed, a sitting area and a large,
beautiful en suite bathroom.

Abby went straight to the balcony, admiring the
bright, expansive view.

“I love it,” she said softly. “It’s the first time
I’ve ever seen the ocean.”

“Really?” Chris said, approaching and wrapping his
arms around her from behind. “We’ll have to do our best to make this a
memorable first time, then, won’t we?”

Chapter 10

Beach volleyball brought out a competitive side of
Chris that Abby hadn’t seen before. He and Reed played against Ty and Kelana,
and Abby watched from the sidelines with Charlotte and Jen.

“Those two are like little boys when they get
together,” Charlotte said to Abby, rolling her eyes.

“Abby, how long have you been with Chris?” Jen
asked, eyeing her.

“Um … We’re not together. I’ve known him for a
couple months.”

“Oh, really? And what do you do back in Chicago?”

“I work at Case Publications,” Abby said. She felt
the awkwardness brought on by meeting new people. Should she tell them she was
a stripper? It always changed their view of her, so she tried not to. But she
also didn’t want it to look like she was ashamed of herself.

“Are you an editor?” Jen continued to probe. Abby
wondered why Jen was so interested in her.

“No, I’m an assistant.”

“Hey, did I hear Chris tell Reed you’ve got some
shopping to do?” Charlotte asked.

“Yes, I didn’t bring anything with me,” Abby said.

“Why don’t you and I go?”

“Sure. I don’t know my way around or anything,
though.”

“I know the way to some good stores.” Charlotte
brushed the sand from her legs as she got up, and Abby followed suit.

“Where are you going?” Chris called over. Abby
admired him for a second. The muscles on his bare chest and arms already glowed
from the sun. He wore a baseball hat, with big curls flipping up from underneath
it. He looked right at home on the California beach.

“Shopping,” Charlotte said, shaking the sand out of
her towel.

“I’ll take you,” Chris said, walking over.

“Relax, Reneau,” Charlotte said. “Women prefer
shopping with other women. We’ll be back in time for dinner.”

Abby felt comfortable with Charlotte immediately.
She was talkative, but didn’t pry. The first store they shopped at was a casual
boutique where everything was discounted.

“I always stop here when we come to the beach
house,” Charlotte said. “They have really great stuff and it’s not expensive. I
was raised by a single mom, and I just can’t pay hundreds of dollars for one
item of clothing.”

Abby bought more clothes at the store than she would
need for the trip, even finding several pairs of shoes.

“I hope Chris doesn’t mind sharing his suitcase on
the way home,” she said.

“Chris would throw away his stuff to make room for
yours.”

Abby colored, wondering how much Charlotte knew
about the relationship between her and Chris.

“He’s a good guy,” Abby said.

“He is. And he thinks the world of you.”

“So he’s … talked to you guys about me?”

“Yes. Reed and Chris have been friends since college.
And Reed and I met in med school, so I’ve known Chris a while, too.”

“Did he tell you about what I do for a living?” Abby
asked tentatively.

“He did. Reed and I think nothing of it, so don’t
give it another thought. And you don’t have to share it with the whole world.
Jen only cares because she’s wanted Chris for years. She comes here with Kelana
at every chance and tries to hook up with him.”

“Oh … that sounds like it could be a little
uncomfortable.”

“Don’t worry about it. Did you get everything you need?”

“Pretty much. Can we stop at a drugstore so I can
pick up a toothbrush and some makeup?”

“There’s a salon near here, too. Let’s get our hair
blown out and our nails done,” Charlotte said. She was assertive, but not bossy
or demanding. Abby liked her.

When they left the salon, Charlotte drove toward the
drug store with a pensive expression.

“Can I ask you about something without it offending
you?” she asked.

“Sure,” Abby said. She assumed Charlotte wanted to
know what
really
happened at strip clubs, because she got that question
a lot. She considered then that Charlotte might know Abby had given Reed a lap
dance at his bachelor party, and wanted to ask about that. She hoped not.

“Could you give me some advice on how to be sexy?”

Abby paused, taken aback by the question.

“Um … I’m not any sexier than you are, Charlotte.
You’re beautiful.”

“Thanks. But what I mean is, well, Reed and I have
been together for nine years. We just got married not too long ago because we
wanted to wait until we both finished med school and residency. I love him so
much, and he loves me, but we work opposite shifts, long hours … it’s tough. We
hardly ever have sex anymore. I wanted this trip to be a chance for us to make
up for it.”

“Okay,” Abby said, thinking. “Sure, I can help. What
kind of swimsuits did you bring? You’ll need a bikini.”

“I have one, but it’s old and it doesn’t match.”

“We’ll need to stop at another store, then.”

Charlotte sailed through the front door of the beach
house, bags in tow.

“Hi, babe,” Reed said from the couch, where he was
watching Sports Center with his feet up.

“Where’s everyone else?” Charlotte asked.

“Chris is in the kitchen making a sandwich. Everyone
else is at the beach.”

“Great!” Abby said. “Charlotte and I were just
talking about some beach time before dinner.”

“It’s a little cold,” Reed said.

“We’ll be fine. Let’s go change,” Abby said.

“The beach?” Charlotte whispered. “This is your
idea? For him to see me in a bikini? That’s not gonna do it.”

“Just change and follow my lead, alright?” Abby
said.

As she dashed into the room she and Chris were
sharing, Abby smiled when she saw his large duffel bag on the floor. It
reminded her that they were staying together; not just in the same room, but in
the same bed, for the next several nights.

She changed into the modest navy blue bikini she’d
bought, grabbed a bottle of suntan oil from the linen closet, and hurried back
to the living room to meet up with Charlotte.

“Hey,” Chris said, grinning widely as he saw Abby.

“Hi, how was your volleyball game?”

“Good. Come here.” He pushed the plate with the
sandwich he was eating aside as Abby approached, and she felt conscious of Reed
being in the room. The look in Chris’ eyes left no doubt about what he was
thinking.

“Ready?” Charlotte asked, nearly running into the
room. “We have to catch the last of the good sun.”

Abby felt a burst of pride as she saw Charlotte in
the red bikini they had worked so hard to pick out. It showed off her tiny,
lean body very well. Reed’s eyes lingered on her as she gestured toward Abby.

“First we have to put on this oil I was telling you
about,” Abby said, shaking the bottle as she walked over. Charlotte reached for
it and Abby raised her eyebrows in warning.

“I’ll do you first,” she said. A look of uncertainty
crossed Charlotte’s face, but she nodded.

Abby took her time pouring the oil into her hands
and rubbing it into them thoroughly.

“Hold your hair up,” she said. Charlotte grabbed her
pale blond hair and piled it on top of her head. Abby rubbed her way across
Charlotte’s shoulders and down her back, slipping her fingers beneath the
straps of the bikini.

She felt goose bumps on Charlotte’s arms as she methodically
worked her fingers up and down them.

“You could get uneven tan lines if we don’t put it
everywhere, but I’m sure you’d rather oil your own breasts than have me do it,”
Abby said, raising her brows again. Charlotte stared back for a beat, seeming
to know what she needed to say but trying to find the courage.

“No, go ahead,” she said smoothly.

Abby slid her fingers under the bikini top, and
Charlotte gasped lightly at her touch.

“This is working,” Abby said under her breath. She
had snuck a glance at Reed, who was watching them with his mouth open.

Charlotte jumped a little when Abby slid her hands
into the bottom of the suit, but she recovered quickly.

Abby passed her the bottle so they could repeat the
process.

“Slowly,” she said in a low voice. “Act like they’re
not even here.”

When Charlotte finished, Abby met Chris’ gaze.

“Come sit outside with me?” she asked. Chris stared
at her, his eyes blazing. Abby chanced a glance at his lap to see if the suntan
oil application had excited him, and he smiled when he noticed her looking.

“Of course,” he said, getting up.

“I’ll come, too, but I want to find my swim trunks,”
Reed said. “Can you help me, Char?”

“They’re on the bathroom sink,” Charlotte said
dismissively.

“I could really use your help,” he said, clearing
his throat.

“Oh.
Oh
.”

Charlotte gave Abby a quick smile as she followed
Reed, and Abby felt an odd sense of victory.

“What was that?” Chris asked, grinning.

“Don’t judge,” Abby said, smiling back. “We all have
our specialties. If someone needed a wound stitched or a heart jump-started,
they’d see you. Help getting your guy hard, now that’s me.”

“I don’t want you getting anyone hard but me,” he
said lightly, reaching for her waist.