Bet Me (Finding My Way) (10 page)

“I really don’t want to do the pole dance” Lucy says to me worrying her bottom lip as she watches a group of men add money to her scales.

“I’ll swap with you if you want?” I offer, obviously we are going to need to do something because people are paying to see us do these things. She nods at me and I pull her up onto the bar with me I grab a mic and address the crowd.

“Firstly, we would like to thank you for the money you have all put into tonight. I’m not sure what great cause the money will be going to as I’m not talking to the man who arranged it all at the moment. I also have two announcements to make. Lucy and I will be switching our dances, she will dance on the bar and I will dance on the pole,” The crowd cheer and I hear someone shout kissing booth, I look down and see Andrew and Tucker still laughing. “The second announcement is that Lucy and I won’t be going into the kissing booth,” The mean all boo and groan. “Instead ladies these two very handsome men will be,” I watch as the two men stop laughing and look up at me, the women in the club all cheer “That’s right, the lead singer of our in house band Tucker, will be in there along with the man you are all used to seeing on the bar with me, Andrew. Now pucker up ladies because they are very good at what they do” I wink at the crowd as the women’s cheers turn into screams.

Laughing Lucy and I jump down from the bar.

“You’re going to pay for this” Andrew glares at me.

“Wanna bet?” I smirk at him, knowing I have won this round.

They both quickly accept their challenge and start pointing out to each other which girls they want in their line. Shaking my head at them, I head back to help Lucy at the bar.              .

At the club I can’t stop smiling to myself. My happiness is infectious and everyone notices.

“Are you going to tell me why you look so pleased with yourself?” Lucy asks smiling.

“I’m just happy that’s all” I answer grinning.

“Any why are you so happy today?”

“Promise to keep it to yourself?” I ask looking around. She nods and leans in so I whisper to her or at least talk quieter than shouting over the band.

“I’ve just come back from my date” not able to keep the excitement out of my voice.

“With who?” she asks just as excitedly.

“Morgan, I met him last week, he sold me my new car”

“What’s he like?” she giggles in my ear. Honestly we are like a pair of school girls.

“Gorgeous” I sigh dreamily.

“What are you two whispering about?” Andrew comes up behind us making us both jump back and swap guilty looks. He raises an eyebrow at us both. “Okay now you
have
to tell me”

“Uhh ….” I trail off and he turns to Lucy expectantly.

“Umm … we were talking about lingerie?” she says but it comes out like a question.

He narrows his eyes at us and walks off. We turn back to the bar and get to work every so often giggling at each other as she asks me a question about Morgan and I answer her grinning. We get a few questioning looks but they just make us smile wider. 

The next week flies by I see Morgan everyday and work at the club every night.

No one apart from Lucy knows I’m dating someone. It is a little strange dating while Tuckers in town but I have managed to keep it from him so far. I’m not sure how he would react to the news but I have to watch him flirt and leave the club with a different girl every few days so he can’t complain if I do the same.

Once again I find myself thrown over Andrews shoulder as we enter the bar. Everyone cheers and laughs as he carries me through the bar and deposits me on the bar. I snatch the mic he hands me and cross my arms. Full on tantrum mode much to everyone’s amusement.

Everyone in the club starts chanting “What’s the bet?” even my friends have joined in.

“Brooke’s pulling out of a bet” Andrew calls shaking his head at the crowd.

“I said no bet Andrew” I snap in my mic more forcefully that I have ever said anything before.

“Then you shouldn’t have accepted it” he shrugs at me laughing.

“I only accepted it because I thought there was no way I could lose” I sulk.

“Well you did, so now you have to face the consequences” He sighs as if it troubles him to make me do these things.

“I’m not doing it. I mean it. No bet” I stubbornly hold my place, not changing my mind there is no way I will do it. I know Morgan’s in the club but I refuse to look at him until I have solved this argument.

“Give my one good reason why I should let you out of it” Andrew says to me making me glower at him.

I lean down on the bar and try to get Lucy’s help.

“You have to help me out here. He wants me to do a strip tease” I stop so she can finish laughing. “I wouldn’t do it anyway but normally I would go along with it and play it up without actually taking any clothes off”

“Why can’t you just do that?” She asks still laughing just no so loud now.

“Because Morgan’s here and I don’t want him to think he’s dating a stripper” I whisper quickly and relax as she gets serious.

“You can’t ask her to do that” Lucy shouts up at Andrew as I stand and take my place next to him again.

“Why the hell not?” He demands. “She …”

I cut him off leaning up to him and whispering in his ear. “I don’t want the man I’m dating to think he’s going out with a stripper Andrew. Cut me some slack please” I beg.

I stand back and wait for his reaction. His eyes swing to Tucker who frowns at us and then he looks back at me I shake my head at his assumption and discreetly with my eyes I gesture to the crowd.

“Fine” he sighs into his mic “But you’re not off the hook. I will think of something else”

I feel my whole body relax with relief and finally search for Morgan in the crowd, when I find him he is watching me smiling. I grin down at him and roll my eyes making him chuckle. I’ve told him all about the bets and trouble I get myself into with them. He finds the whole thing amusing but somehow I don’t think me pretending to strip in front of a club full of people would have the same effect. We both jump down from the bar, I go and hug Lucy gratefully and discreetly point Morgan out in the crowd for her then we go to work while Andrew sits on a bar stool grumpily thinking about another forfeit.

“You’re not going to start being boring now that you have a boyfriend are you?” he pouts at me.

“No, I just don’t want to take it too far, just tone it down a touch when he’s in here please. I’d really appreciate it if you’d let him think I’m slightly normal”

“Fine” he grumbles.

About an hour has passed since I came here and Morgan still hasn’t come over to see me, the bar has been busy but he hasn’t acknowledged me at all since I was on the bar. He has been looking my way with a strange expression though I frown to myself into the drink I’m pouring.

“Have you noticed the way Morgan keeps looking at you?” Lucy asks me when I turn and lean my back on the bar as soon as we have a quiet five minutes.

“Yeah, it’s strange right?” I ask.

“It’s as if he’s checking to see if you’re watching him” she thoughtfully.

“That’s what I thought, He hasn’t even said hello to me yet” I complain

“Well he’s a bit preoccupied at the moment” I turn at the shock in her voice and watch as Morgan leans in and kisses a woman wearing a tight black dress.

“Okay please tell me I just imagined that” I say turning back around not able to watch any longer just in case I see something else.

“What an ass” She mutters “want me to go slap him for you?” she asks seriously making me laugh.

“No it’s okay” I shake my head at her then head to the end of the bar where the band are sat Jamie catches my eye as I’m headed towards them and I gesture for him to move away from the band and meet me halfway.

“Alright Brooke?” he asks as I lean over the bar to talk to him quietly. Once I’ve explained what I want him to do he looks into the crowd and then frowns at me.

“Please?” I smile at him pleadingly. He walks away and heads into the crowd and I go back to help Lucy serve the group of students that have just come in. We have another busy twenty minutes and finally just as the bar are clears Jamie comes over.

“They swapped numbers, and spit … a few times. He’s here to see a friend. They’re going out for dinner tomorrow, I didn’t catch where to though”

I drop my head on the bar “I have terrible taste in men. It’s official I am a dickhead magnet”

“Wait I thought you just wanted me to listen to see if he was single because you thought he was fit?” Jamie asks looking down at me.

“I’ve been dating him. He’s supposed to be staying over mine tonight, you know our first sleep over” I answer feeling a bit sick.

“Idiot” Jamie mumbles.

“I know, I should have known sooner what he was like” I agree but he just shakes his head at me and joins the band back at the bottom of the bar.

“He’s planning on dumping me after I’ve has sex with him isn’t he?” I ask Lucy.

“Sounds like it” she agrees with me.

I walk down to the end of the bar and join the boys.

“Hey Brooke, what was the bet you backed out of earlier?” Derek asks me when I join them.

“Strip tease” I reply then turn to Tucker.

“Can I speak to you a sec please?”

“Sure” he says looking at me questioningly then walking to an empty table with me.

Once we are seated I turn to him “Am I good at sex” I ask watching his eyes for any signs of a lie.

“Excuse me?” he says choking on his drink, I wait for him to calm down “Why?” he asks.

“Because see that guy over there” I point to Morgan and the woman he is dancing with “Well he plans on having sex with me tonight and then leaving me to have sex with her” I explain as he turns to look at Morgan.

“Idiot” he says straight away.

“I know. I can’t help it. So am I?” I press.

He turns and watches me intently for a second. “You’re serious?” He finally asks starting to look uncomfortable. I nod at him. “Surely there’s someone else you can ask?” he pleads.

“Not really no” I say starting to feel uncomfortable as well. “Do you know what, don’t worry about it, forget I ever asked” I stand up and leave the table heading for Andrew.

“Does kissing a girl turn you on?” I ask leaning up to speak into his ear. He nods at me and frowns in confusion.

“Have you ever kissed a man?” I ask but he just pulls an are-you-out-of-your-ever-loving-mind face at me making me chuckle. “I guess not. Do you think someone can be turned on from just a kiss weather or not they fancy the person?” I continue my questions.

“I don’t know, why?” he asks me out loud now.

“I’m thinking about giving up men but I don’t fancy women and kissing turns me on so I’m thinking maybe it doesn’t matter who I kiss” I explain.

“Will you let me watch?” he says, excitement gleaming in his eyes. I walk away from him and head back behind the bar. Trying to figure out if it’s time I made a lifestyle change or not.

“I need a favor” I say to Tucker once I have made my mind up.

“I’m not having sex with you” he replies not looking up from his drink.

“I don’t want you to have sex with me” I insist rolling my eyes.

“Then what do you want from me” he asks ignoring the band members all looking at him as if he’s crazy.

“I need you to kiss me” I say turning on my most sweet and innocent smile.

He snorts at my smile “Why?”

“Because I’m giving up men” I huff.

“Then why do you want me to kiss you?” he asks slightly offended.

“I can’t believe you’re going to make me say this” I grumble and then look at him straight in the eye as I explain, hoping I don’t blush “Because when you kiss me you turn me on, really turn me on so much that I’m basically ready for sex straight away after it. My problem is that I don’t fancy women, although watching lesbian porn turns me on as you know so I suppose I could … So anyway I need you to kiss me so I’m so turned on that I’m no longer thinking about who I’m with and then I can kiss a woman and it will be like I’m gay ... except with your help … actually I might need you every time I want to have sex with my girlfriend … if I can find one … where the hell would I meet a gay girl?” I trail off distracted.

He just stares at me wide eyed and open mouthed. I shift nervously.

“Holy shit” the rest of the boys say almost in chorus but not quite so it sounds like hohoholy shishishit. 

“Walk away Brooke” Tucker says to me tightly clenching his jaw.

“Fine” I say holding up my hands in a defensive gesture “I’m going”.

“What are you sulking for?” Lucy asks I reach around her to get to the limes.

“I’m not sulking” I reply sulkily making her laugh.

“You clearly are” she says dryly as she watches me line up the tequila shots on the bar.

“Would you kiss me?” I ask turning my back on the people taking their shots.

“Sure” she shrugs and then kisses me; I am so stunned I don’t even know what’s going on. I’m aware that a few men are cheering and I suspect they are Jamie, Cam and Derek. I am aware that Lucy’s hands are on my hips holding me in place and I am aware that Andrew is standing very close to us shouting “Fuck, I didn’t think you were serious!” and a few people by the bar are clapping.

She pulls away from me and I can’t help but feel disappointed. I might as well have kissed a cup I got so little excitement out of it. I throw my arms up and let them fall to my sides then turn and put at Tucker who just rolls his eyes at me.

“Sorry Luce didn’t get my juices flowing” I say still disappointed.

“That’s okay, it happens” she shrugging as if she helps people discover their sexuality all the time.

Andrew climbs on to the a and grabs a mic I barely stop my legs from taking me as far away from the building as possible, I know this isn’t going to be good, for me anyway. Holding in a sigh of exasperation I get my mic and jump up there with him.

“Tonight is all about discovering your sexuality” he announces making the crowd go wild. I look around and notice that Morgan is no longer here so I check my phone, he text me.

Morgan: Sorry babe I had to rush out to a meeting.

Unbelievable, the man sells cars for a living and it’s as if he actually believes that I didn’t see him with another woman all night.

“Our two lovely ladies behind the bar have already started and have just finished making out” he tells them all. “Did it do anything for you Brooke?” He asks turning to me.

I glare down at Tucker before I reply “No”