“Hey, D, what are you doing out here? Your bachelor party is inside, on the couch, with the porno playing and the strippers straddling your brother and AJ…” Kevin called as he slipped onto the large balcony of the hotel room. AJ had rented the top presidential suite of the hotel for the bachelor party, pulling out all the stops to make it one of the trashiest parties known to man. Though, Howie seemed less than enthused as he leaned on the balcony, watching the sun starting to sink underneath the waves. Exhaling, Kevin leaned on the railing beside his friend, training his own gaze out onto the ocean. “So, D?”
"I was just thinking…" Howie trailed softly, taking a sip of his drink. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw one of the strippers move towards Brian. "Good God… Honey's going to kill me, you know that? And that's nothing compared to what Badonkadonk's going to do to you. Though, I guess by now, she and Vivian are getting lap dances from some well-oiled sex machines, huh?" he teased lightly, then remembered where Cheyanne was. "Do you think if I called to check on her I'd come across as a jealous, overprotective asshole?"
“So… You’re not as understanding as everyone claims, huh?” Kevin inquired, now understanding why Howie was so intent on watching the ocean waters.
"I understand, really… I just worry," Howie admitted. "Is that wrong?"
“No, it’s not wrong for you to worry,” Kevin assuaged, swirling the beer around in its can, knowing there was just a swallow left. “Considering how badly Nick fucked up…”
"…Did AJ confiscate your cell phone at the door? 'Cause he took mine…"
“I would murder him when he slept if he took my cell phone,” Kevin threatened, reaching into his back pocket to retrieve what Howie requested. “Are you calling her?”
"No… I just wanted to know you had it in case I decide to?" Howie offered as explanation, draining the rest of his beer.
“You know she loves you, D. She just wants to be friends with Nick… No matter how shitty he treats her,” Kevin attempted to explain, noticing the gloomy glitter in his friend’s dark eyes. “I mean, you’re the one she’s getting married to tomorrow. In a beautiful dress… Lord knows she wouldn’t wear one of them for anyone else.”
"…She wore one for you and Austin, remember?" Howie asked with a teasing smirk. Turning to glance inside, he shook his head. "I would have been completely happy with a few beers and maybe some porn… But strippers? Are they necessary?"
“Apparently AJ thought so. I mean, they wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t for the quarter slots they have tucked between their oversized breasts. Twenty five minutes for twenty five cents!”
"Their breasts ain't got nothing on Honey's…" Howie trailed with a smile. "And if Brian keeps it up, Viv will have his penis on a stick tomorrow…" Shaking his head, he tossed his empty can into the nearby trashcan. "Why didn't you bring me a fresh beer?"
“’Cause I didn’t think you’d want to be hung over for your wedding, but hold on,” Kevin answered, disappearing inside the hotel. He brushed passed his cousin and AJ begging for him to join, grabbing the small cooler of beers he had put together before arriving. He knew Howie and himself would be elsewhere for the evening. Smirking, he returned to the balcony, setting the cooler on the table after retrieving two more. “Here.”
"I love you, man," Howie grinned, holding his beer up in a silent toast. "And the wedding's not 'till five… I think I can shake off any hangover I may have by then," he reminded Kevin, pulling a chair over so he could sit comfortably. "…You did make sure AJ's not drinking, didn't you?"
“There’s nonalcoholic beer inside,” Kevin answered, following Howie’s actions as he propped his feet on the railing. “He knows better than to do that and I double checked.”
"I know he knows better… I just—"
"Worry, yeah. I know."
“Honey says I’m going to have an aneurysm before I’m fifty if I keep this up…”
"…Can I get your convertible?"
Howie’s eyes widened in shock. “You fucking bastard…”
"It was a joke! Jesus Christ… I'm beginning to think the stick everyone says is up my ass has transplanted itself to yours!"
“I thought you and AJ liked to share those kinds of things…”
"You bastard… Why the Hell does everybody keep bringing that up? I was fucking drunk!"
"I thought you were drunk fucking?" Howie teased, leaning to the side so Kevin's swinging hand wouldn't strike him.
“You piss--”
“It was a joke! Jesus Christ! I’m beginning to think AJ’s dick is permanently lodged!” Howie mocked.
"Why is no one torturing Austin over the things she did that night?" Kevin demanded with a scowl, lifting his beer to his lips. "Ain't like it was just me and AJ, y'know."
“It was for about five minutes of that tape…”
"I swear to God, I'm finding that piece of shit and taping a football game over that part…"
“But you and AJ bashing tongues is constant throughout the entire endeavor…”
"She gave you a copy, didn't she?" Kevin questioned, scowling when he saw Howie's affirmative nod. "Damnit all to Hell…"
“Everyone has a copy, Kev.”
"She's grounded—"
"Yo, D! Come watch this tape, man!" Brian hollered from inside the suite.
“I hope it’s a seventy minute porno of Angel playing with Brian’s dickrod,” Kevin grumbled.
"Nah… Maybe it's a nice hour long night-vision video of Badonkadonk and AJ," Howie suggested as he got to his feet. It wouldn't hurt to take a look, he decided. And, if it was too bad, he could always go sit on the balcony with Kevin.
“Wouldn’t you just shit a brick if it was Angel and Nick,” Kevin threatened with a darker scowl.
Howie paused at the doorway, gripping his can tightly. Clearing his throat, he glanced at Kevin, still sitting in the chair. "For such a good friend, you can really be an asshole," he muttered before heading inside. "What'cha got?" he asked AJ, leaning against the back of the couch.
“Some girl on girl on girl action!” AJ whooped, actually pushing the stripper off his lap to rewind.
"If this is some wild tape of you and three random hookers, I really don't… Holy shit! Is that Honey?!" Howie bellowed, eyes wide as he saw a woman who resembled Cheyanne zip by on the screen in fast motion.
“Oh that is most definitely the sex pot,” AJ laughed wickedly. “Getting thrown onto a table and stripped by her best friends! And I was there!”
"You lucky son-of-a-bitch," Howie breathed as AJ pressed play. "You taped this and held on to it 'till now?"
"Hell no, man… One of my buddies was there and got all the loveliness on film… Would you look at Baby Girl and Viv? Hot shit, ain't it?" AJ cackled with glee as Kevin appeared in the doorway. "Kev! Remember that tongue thing Baby Girl did to me?! She did it to Viv too!"
“I’m quite partial to the body shots they do on Chey,” Brian voiced before Kevin could say much of his threats. He reached for the remote control, fast forwarding to the point he had mentioned. “God what I wouldn’t give to do that!”
"You mean Viv won't let you do body shots on her?!" AJ asked incredulously, snatching the remote from Brian to rewind back to Austin and Vivian. "She let me take OJ shots off her—"
“I meant take body shots off Chey you dumbass,” Brian growled, tackling AJ for the remote.
Before he could grab it, Howie snatched the remote from AJ's hand, eyes intent on the screen. "Holy shit…"
"Haven't we seen enough?" Kevin grumbled, folding his arms over his chest as he saw AJ with Austin on the screen. "You pissfuck—"
“She made me do it!” AJ blurted, throwing Brian off him so he could scramble up. Yanking the ice bucket and dumping the ice onto Brian, he grinned haphazardly. “Look! Out of ice! Gotta go!” And he ran.
"Austin made him do it?" Howie asked with a snort. "Right, just like Honey made Vivian do that?!" He couldn't hold back a smirk as he pointed at the screen. "I'm marrying such a feisty little thing!"
Handing Cheyanne the Hawaiian punch-flavored wine cooler, Nick leaned back against the side of the boat, looking out over the ocean as the sun sank lower in the sky. "Having fun, Sweetheart?" he asked softly, looking up at her. She sat on the side of the boat, one hand gripping the rail, looking resplendent in the early evening sunshine. Her golden curls, free of ponytail or clip, waved gently in the soft breeze, and though she wore sunglasses he could see her eyes twinkling, her glossed lips curving into a pleased smile as she took a sip of her wine cooler. Reaching over, he tapped her bare leg. "Sweetheart," he said slowly. "I'm here, too, remember?"
“Huh?” Cheyanne blanked for a moment, glancing down when she felt Nick’s fingers on her upper thigh. Catching his dark sapphire eyes, she instantly blushed with embarrassment. Releasing the railing of the boat, she placed a hand over her bare stomach, smiling apologetically. “Sorry, Nicky… It’s just really pretty out here… I love sunsets…”
"The sun's not setting yet…" Nick trailed with a grin, shaking his head. "And you teased Austin for blanking on her vows? For shame, Sweetheart… Sit just like that for a minute, okay?" he questioned suddenly, diving beneath the seat for his backpack. "I want to get a picture…"
“I wasn’t the only person that teased her about messing up her vows…” Cheyanne defended as she watched Nick root underneath the seat within his backpack, poking his behind into the air. She smirked softly as she took another long swallow of the wine cooler, unable to help from becoming lost in her thoughts. She knew Howie didn’t really approve of her being on the boat. And she loved him so much, but Nick was such a good friend. Nick needed someone in his life who was understanding and he was so excited about the trip. “Wait… A picture? Of what? I ain’t exactly looking good for a picture, Nicky…”
"You look beautiful," Nick returned, his voice muffled. Backing from under the seat, he fiddled with his expensive camera. "Natural, happy… Just like I love…" he trailed off into a soft sigh, reaching for his wine cooler as he aimed the camera at her. "Smile, Sweetheart!"
“Don’t drop that in the ocean,” Cheyanne warned as she playfully tipped her wine cooler toward him as a sign of cheers, grinning sweetly, though she hated to have her photograph taken.
Rolling his eyes, he snapped a picture, smiling to himself as he reviewed it. "…Want me to play some music? I've got the new Green Day… Why are you taking off your shorts?" he blurted, unable to resist taking another picture as she bent over, standing on the bench seat.
“Am I not allowed to take off my shorts?” Cheyanne inquired curiously as she glanced while stepping out of the shorts, tucking the fallen golden curls behind her ears.
"Sweetheart, you can take off anything you want," Nick assured her with a grin. "But, babe? A thong bikini? Are you trying to kill me?!"
Cheyanne blushed in surprise as she remembered what she was wearing, immediately grabbing her shorts from the floor of the boat while she whirled to face him. She suddenly felt uncomfortable as she shifted on her bare feet, playing with the strings of her purple and blue plaid thong bottoms crossing her hips. “I didn’t get a chance to pack my bag to meet you on the boat, so I had Vivie do it while she came to drop off Darlin’. And I got this bikini from some ‘secret admirer’ and Vivie found it… Apparently, she thought I should use it. And I wanted to swim… So I don’t have a choice. I can get a t-shirt--”
"No, please. I like it," Nick assured her quickly. "And who the fuck is sending you a bikini?!" he blurted. "Some fucking weirdo could be—"
“Your brother,” Cheyanne interrupted with a small smirk as she sat back in her seat to hide her backside, allowing her curls to fall over her shoulders to conceal the triangular bikini top. “He put his picture in the bottom of the box along with his cell phone number…”
"That little Fucker," Nick groaned, shaking his head. "…Did you call him?"
“Would you be jealous if I did?” Cheyanne questioned with a small smile, sipping the last of her wine cooler.
"Maybe a little? …Like you were over me and Morgan? But seriously, Sweetheart, Fucker's bad news… All he wants is to dip between your legs for about ten minutes…"
‘Must be a brother thing,’ Cheyanne thought as she averted her eyes. “Aaron isn’t that bad. He’s kind of sweet when he wants to be. And I tried to return the gift, but he refused. So, I just stuck it in the back of my drawer.”
Nick snorted. Not that bad… If Cheyanne only knew. "Alright, alright… Ready for that dip now? Before it gets too dark?" he asked, tucking his camera under the seat again. Climbing onto the seat next to her, he stood up, gazing down into the crystal blue waters. Reaching for her hand, he grinned. "You might see a dolphin or two…"
“You scare the sharks away first,” Cheyanne decided, pushing on his backside to send him flying into the ocean waters.
Surfacing with a shudder, Nick glared up at her. "Damnit, Sweetheart! I was planning on taking my shirt off first!" he growled, wriggling out of the wet t-shirt. Balling it up, he threw it at her, succeeding in only tossing it onto the seat. "Jesus Christ, I could'a broke my neck!"
“I know first aid, you would have been fine,” Cheyanne promised, leaning over the railing to peer down at her friend.
Reaching up, Nick grasped the rail, holding most of his body out of the water as he leaned up to look into her eyes. "You probably would have just cut open an artery and let the sharks finish me off…" he trailed softly before grabbing her by the waist. Letting go of the rail, he fell back into the water, dragging her with him.
“Ni--” Cheyanne didn’t even have time to holler his name as she hit the cold water with a jolt. Shifting within the water, she pushed away from Nick’s body, swimming deeper and farther to surface a few feet away. Gasping when she finally found air, she brushed her matted curls away from her face. “Like I couldn’t have just bounced my head off the railing and died right there!”
"Hello? I had a good grip on you!" Nick defended, swimming up behind her. "And you might want to adjust this," he added softly, his finger tracing the tie of her bikini top across her back. "I think it kind of slipped down…"
“It kind of slipped down or you helped it along?” Cheyanne coughed as she continued to tred water with her powerful legs, slipping her arms behind her neck to secure the first bikini tie before reaching for the one across her back.
Smirking, Nick kissed her shoulder, his finger hooking in the tie and quickly untying it. "Slipped down, I helped it along… Whichever," he murmured in her ear, his hand lightly caressing her back before he swam away.
“Nick!” Cheyanne gasped in shock as the bikini top floated within the water. She didn’t know what else to say as she snatched it from falling deeper within the water, hugging her chest to conceal her breasts. She was aghast as she watched him languidly swim as if he hadn’t done a thing. What kind of game was he playing this time?
"My hand slipped?" he offered. "Come on, Sweetheart… When have I ever not done stupid shit like this?"
“I think you use that as an excuse,” Cheyanne answered, wondering whether or not she had the gall just to throw the bikini top on the deck as if it were nothing.
"Yet you haven't slaughtered me yet… What are you doing?"
“What does it look like I’m doing?” Cheyanne returned as she balled up her bikini top, tossing it onto the deck of the boat. Slipping back into the water to brush her curls away from her face, she sighed when she resurfaced, feeling refreshed. If Howie could have strippers and porn movies all night, then she could surely swim around topless. Many women in Europe relished in the tradition.
"Trying to kill me," Nick breathed in shock, quickly dipping beneath the surface.
“You’re the one that played with the fire, Nicky,” Cheyanne explained, though she wasn’t sure if he had heard. Deciding that she didn’t want to upset him, Cheyanne dove beneath the surface, swimming to the opposite side of the boat. When she surfaced, she was greeted with the beautiful coloring of the sky and a herd of dolphins playing in the distance. “God, they’re beautiful…”
"Not as beautiful as you," Nick informed as he appeared in front of her, shaking the water from his hair. His feet brushed her legs as he tread the water, and he reluctantly moved back. "Excited?" he asked after a moment.
“Excited about seeing the dolphins?” Cheyanne questioned, not really knowing what he was asking as she hugged her chest once more, hiding her breasts from his view as a courtesy.
"The wedding…" Nick trailed softly, turning to look out at the dolphins. Moving back, he leaned against the side of the boat, lightly grasping the ladder so he could rest his legs.
“Oh…” Cheyanne answered with a slightly embarrassed smile. “It’s kind of surreal at this point. Like, it doesn’t feel like tomorrow is the day, y’know? But, I’m so terrified I’m going to make a mistake. There’s so many things that happen at a formal Catholic wedding and I want everything perfect for Howie… Do you think I could hide in a confessional?”
"And just who is he going to kiss at the end of the ceremony? 'Cause I sure as Hell ain't locking lips with him…"
“Well, I would naturally come out of the confessional booth to kiss him…” Cheyanne trailed with an impish smile, treading away so Nick’s view would be shielded so she wouldn’t be required to keep swimming with only her legs.
Rolling his eyes, Nick pulled himself up the ladder. Straddling the side of the boat, he leaned to get his wine cooler, his gaze on the dolphins as they splashed and played. "You're sure everybody's okay with me being there?" he asked after a few moments' silence. "I keep picturing Austin chasing me to the nearest chicken coop with a shotgun…"
“Tea’s the one that invited you, so of course everyone’s okay with it. If you want to come, then I think you should come. You’re part of the family,” Cheyanne answered as she glanced up toward Nick. “Do you want to toss me my bikini top so you can stop having a fit?”
"I'm not having a fit," Nick defended. "I've seen you naked before… I can handle them—it! I can handle it!"
“I ain’t making fun of you. I’m trying to do what’s best for you, but apparently I’m the one that keeps fucking up, huh?”
"No, Sweetheart… You've never fucked up," Nick assured her, stooping to pick up her bikini top. Tossing it down, he climbed fully into the boat, turning his back so she could replace it in privacy. Gulping the rest of his wine cooler, his body burned for something stronger, but he knew he couldn't dig out his stash. Not when Cheyanne was with him. Taking a deep breath, he tossed his empty bottle into the cooler before starting to wring out his t-shirt.
“I’m sorry, Nicky,” Cheyanne answered as she hurriedly pulled on her bikini top before climbing the ladder to the boat. Somehow, she figured, they wouldn’t be swimming anymore. Reaching for the nearby towel, she wrapped it around her petite body, biting down on her bottom lip when she realized Nick wouldn’t face her. “Are you okay?”
"Fine," he murmured, holding his breath as he turned to look at her. "I just… I… Fuck it," he muttered before pulling her into his arms. He couldn't stand having her so close and being unable to touch her. "I'm sorry," he whispered before meeting her lips in a slow, tantalizing kiss.
