Seven Groomsmen from Hell Read online

  Christian picked Brett and David for his team, which was just plain rude. It wasn’t as if Mason and Kent were bad at the game, but they were the ‘old cats.’ I was technically older than them both, but Kent was retired and a bit out of practice, and Mason was notably slower. Luke seemed thrilled to end up with them, however, and after we got into the game it was clear why. I was too fast, Mason was too big, and Kent was too smart. It didn’t matter what we decided to do. If we needed to throw it, Kent could be downfield in an instant, and if we needed to just charge through, Mason had the girth to make it happen. I ran feints most of the game, but it worked because I was always able to fool at least the accountant and leave one person open for Luke to work with. It was a closer game, but in the end, Luke and I ended up snagging our second victory 18-12.

  “Alright, it’s all down to you two,” Kent said. “Luke, you’re a superstar, man. My money’s on you.”

  “I don’t know,” Mason said. “The good doctor is the big shock of the day. Who knew med school prepared you so well for a pump fake!”

  We all laughed, and then Luke stuck out his hand. “May the best man win.”

  I took Luke’s hand in my own and he squeezed it until it felt like he was going to shatter my bones. His pupils were dilated like a man on drugs, and the sweat and grime on his body was radiating like an aura of strength. Suddenly, I was feeling like I’d made a mistake dangling Khloe in front of him like a well-seasoned steak; he was borderline feral.

  “Good luck to you,” I responded.

  Luke released my hand, and pulled a coin from his pocket and handed it to Kent. “Flip for picks.” He tilted his head at me. “You call it.”

  I chuckled. He was in another world. “Fine.” Kent tossed the coin in the air and the second it left his hands I made my call. “Heads.” The coin dropped back into Kent’s palm and he flipped it to the back of his other hand. He lifted up to reveal the coin which was heads-side up. I smiled. “We’ll kick first.”

  Luke shook his head. “That flex is gonna cost you, doctor.”

  And he was right. With my chosen team of Kent, Brett, and Christian, we were no match for Luke, Mason, Bram, and David. They were a well-oiled machine. Even with Bram the accountant, it was as if he’d been playing football with the others his entire life. After a game like the one he played, he could stand to be drafted. It was like there were twelve of them out there. Every time I looked up, someone else was running circles around me, and I was ashamed to say, it was another total blowout. Luke was the cornerstone to it all, and as the sun started to descend towards the horizon Luke took home the third and all around victory. Call it poetic justice, but he’d earned himself the right to make the first move on Khloe.

  “Yes!” Luke shouted. He pointed directly at me and stuck his tongue out. “Yes!” He started to leap around like a monkey. “I guess that’s why I’m the goddamn quarterback, boys! Football extraordinaire!” He stopped and stuck his nose in the air and screwed his face as though he was trying hard to calculate something. “How many wins was that? How many times did I lose?” He put his hands on his hips in a superhero pose. “Oh, right. Three wins for me, zero losses. Suck it!”

  “You’re a tool.” Brett hissed.

  Luke stuck up his middle finger. “You’re just mad that you lost.”

  “That’s true,” David said, but then he turned his finger to Luke, “and you’re a tool.”

  We decided to dip our feet in the water to counteract the steaming Puerto Rican heat. As we were all sitting at the edge of the water cooling off and refueling after a series of hard-fought games, Kent walked over to visit with Anna and Luke decided to get in a little bit of friendly gloating.

  “If I so much as see one of you look at her before I get a chance, I’m opening up a can of whoop ass,” Luke said.

  “But we’re sticking to the promise not to touch her until after the wedding, right?” Bram asked.

  “We have to,” I said quickly. “Especially if we’re really going to let Luke go first, he’s the one most likely to cause problems.”

  “Hey, I resent that,” Luke said. “It’s true, but I resent that.”

  “He’s not gonna go for it anyway,” Brett said, with everyone’s heads flying to him in shock. “After all this time, if he hasn’t shot his shot, he ain’t gonna.”

  I looked over at Luke and his head looked like it was about to burst and deflate like a cartoon. He looked back at Khloe, and then over at Brett, and I could see the gears turning. I didn’t know what he was planning, but I was instantly afraid of it. Finally, as if something had just kick started his engine, he jumped up from the edge of the beach, bolted over to Khloe, snatched her up out of her spot, and threw himself and her both into the ocean.

  “Uh oh,” I said, joining all of the other guys in dropping my jaw. “That’s not good.”

  12

  Khloe

  I didn’t even have time to react. One second, I’m laying on my towel, taking in the beautiful, Puerto Rican sun, and then next second I had been lifted from my spot and was rushing towards the water against my will. The moment seemed to slow for a moment as I tried to figure out what was going on. I could see six of the groomsmen off to one side, with their feet in the water, all staring at me with their jaws dropped. I could see Kent and Anna back by where we were laying, both also with looks of total shock on their face, and there were a few other people on the beach hooting and hollering in my direction. Finally, I looked up and saw Luke’s face, pursed and determined, as my captor and before I could even open my mouth to scream, I was totally submerged in the cool ocean, tasting as the saltwater rushed up my mouth and nose.

  I flailed about until I could find my footing and then I stood up. My hair clung to my body, drenched in water and I gagged trying to get the water free of my throat. Luke’s hands were still all over my body, holding me in the water, and as I finally started to come to my senses, the only thing I could think to do was swing. I barreled out my arm towards Luke’s face, but he caught it and held it firmly in place.

  “Fuck!” I barked. “Let me go you fucking asshole!”

  “Calm down,” Luke said. “It’s just water.”

  “My hair is soaked, I’m going to have to do it again, you dick,” Khloe hissed.

  “Lighten up, Mom. I was just trying to have some fun,” Luke replied with an insidious laugh.

  I swung out again, making hard contact with Luke’s chest. I pulled my hand away to see a bright red outline of palm forming where I’d hit him. I was hoping that would be enough to get him to let me go, but he just chuckled. He used his hold on my other hand to pull me closer to him, and beneath the surface of the water, his other hand coiled around and took a huge fistful of my ass.

  He brought his mouth near my ear and his hot breath tickled my chilled neck. “I want you.”

  I tried to ignore the heating of my body. I tried to pull away, but he held me close. Time seemed to move a little slower. For a moment, I got lost in what was happening. Luke was attractive and being in the water, with the heat bearing down us, and his hands on my body, I started to slip. I relinquished control for a moment, and Luke’s hand on my ass gripped a little tighter.

  I looked up and my eyes locked into Luke’s and I remembered where I was, and more importantly who I was with. What the hell was I doing? I brought my knee up towards Luke. I was hoping for a groin shot, but I wasn’t able to get enough inertia in the water, and I just ended up pushing him away with my knee. As he moved a few inches back, I swung my hand at his face and slapped him right across the cheek.

  “Stay away from me, psycho,” I growled. I started to march out of the water, but Luke grabbed my arm again and pulled me back. I glared over my shoulder at him. “Let go.”

  “If you want me, and I know you do, come find me in my room later. I know you know which room I’m in,” Luke said.

  I snatched my arm away from him and made my way out of the water and up the beach to where my items were sitting.
I started gathering up all of my things, despite feeling Kent and Anna’s eyes on me.

  “Khloe,” Anna started, but I shook my head.

  “I’m sorry,” Kent said. “I really did tell him to lay off.”

  “He doesn’t understand normal, human language,” I explained. I looked at Anna. “I’m sorry. I gotta go. My hair is going to be a ball of frizz any moment.”

  “I understand,” Anna said.

  I didn’t wait for any additional go-aheads. I didn’t look back at the other guys, I certainly didn’t look back at Luke, I just grabbed up all of my stuff and stormed away. I was shaking with anger as I made my way through the resort hallways and up to my room. The nerve of that asshole. Not only did he drag me into the ocean water, ruining my tan and messing up my hair, but then he had the nerve to just help himself to handful of my ass and whispers that he wants me? Who the fuck did he think he was? If I did go and see him it would only be to kick his ass, and nothing else.

  I blasted into my room and tossed my things onto the bed. I made my way into the bathroom, stripped off my drenched bathing suit, and then ran a shower. I turned the water until it was almost too hot to bear and then climbed in, letting it splay over my body and, hopefully, wash the salt from my hair. I stepped out briefly to grab my comb, and started the slow process of feeding it through my hair to try and get it clear of the salt water that was already tangling it. It was going to be a process. Saltwater and my hair did not mix very well, so it would take an additional wash sometime later on, but once my comb was sliding through unhindered, I decided it was good enough for the time being. I slathered in some shampoo and washed it through a few times, and then did the same with some conditioner. When my hair was clean, I turned to washing off my body, scrubbing well, almost as if I could wash away the tingling remains of Luke’s hands on my skin.

  I put him out of my mind, turned off the shower, and got out. I didn’t put any clothes on for the moment, and instead just slipped on the hotel robe and climbed into bed. I grabbed the menu sitting by the phone, picked up the receiver and ordered room service. I was trying not to run up Kent and Anna’s wedding bill any more than I needed to, and I was in a constant battle to break my habit of stress-eating, but I think all parties involved would agree I’d earned myself a room-service steak and potatoes. Once I’d had a chance to eat and calm down, I turned my attention back to double checking the details for the wedding and making sure everything was in line, apart from the fact that I angrily scratched out Luke’s name any time it appeared on the paper.

  I exhausted all of the things I could do inside my room and finally became bored. It was in a beautiful tropical location, and thanks to an asshole who’s been haunting me for ten years, I was holed up in my room? No. I got out of bed, changed into one of my comfortable dresses, slipped on my flip flops and left the room. I didn’t know what I was going to do, but it was a refreshing, chilly island night and I was desperate to enjoy it.

  “Miss?” I’d wandered down into the lobby and must have looked lost enough to elicit help from the staff. A concierge in a tropical shirt and navy slacks was walking over to me. “Can I help you find something?”

  “Sure,” I responded. “I’m bored and just looking for something to do. I don’t want to travel too far away from the resort, and if it sounds like it would attract a group of gorgeous, idiotic men, do not send me there.”

  “Uh, okay,” the concierge replied. “Well, if you’re just looking to have a drink—”

  I cut him off before he could finish. “A drink sounds good.”

  He chuckled. “Well then you should visit our state of the art tiki bar. I believe I recognize you from the wedding that’s in this week, correct?”

  “Yes,” I responded.

  “Then you should have two drinks comped to your room, given you haven’t used them yet,” the concierge explained.

  “Free drinks?” I asked. “Yes, sir, I will take that please.”

  The concierge pointed down one of the hallways. “Head down this way like you’re headed to the beach, and you’ll see the resort entrance to the bar on your left. It’s got a beautiful balcony where you can enjoy the fresh air and our tiki lamps which burn in a variety of colors.”

  I nodded. “Perfect. Thank you so much.”

  I pulled a $5 bill from my clutch and slipped it to the concierge and then followed his directions to make my way to the tiki bar. I walked into the bar and was immediately blown away. It was beautiful inside. There were dangling white lights lining all of the banisters, and the roof was faux-thatch like an old hut. About halfway through the bar, it transitioned to a gorgeous deck that was completely exposed to the stunning night. Stars dotted the sky and the sounds of the uninterrupted waves crashing against the shore filled the air amidst the absent chatters of the guests inside. Surrounding the balustrade enclosing the deck, were a variety of tiki torches that all burned brightly in flames of pink, green, blue, red, and purple; it was astounding.

  There was one circular bar that was designed so that half of it sat inside the establishment and the other half sat outside. I knew I wanted to enjoy the night sky, so I made my way out to the outer bar. I walked up to the counter and a bartender walked over, his eyes lighting up as he looked over me.

  “Well, hello there,” he greeted. He had caramel skin and slicked back black hair. He was no Luke, but he was good-looking.

  “Hi,” I responded. “I’m looking for something fruity and strong.”

  “Absolutely. One Island Sunrise, coming up,” he replied. I showed him my ID and then he flitted away.

  “I’m on my third Island Sunrise. I think you’ll enjoy it.” My heart sank and my skin crawled. I slowly turned my head to the right, and it became clear that the gods had teamed up to smite me. Luke was sitting at the bar, a few feet away from me, working on a drink in a pineapple. We locked eyes and he smiled. “Hey.”

  “Fuck my life, I knew I should have stayed in my room,” I responded. “You are a tumor.”

  Luke winced a little. “Ouch, that was harsh. I didn’t realize you were so averse to water.”

  “I’m not averse to water, I’m averse to being dragged into water against my will by men that I can’t stand,” I hissed back. “Now please leave me alone.”

  “Look, I’m sorry, or whatever,” Luke said. “Kent ripped me a new one for messing with you, so I’m sorry.”

  “You know when ‘I’m sorry’ sounds really sincere? When you explain that someone forced you to say it and add ‘or whatever’ to the back,” I said. “I don’t care. If you’re sorry even a little bit, just stop. We only have a few more days to deal with each other and then we never have to see each other again, so just… just stop.” My throat started to burn. The last thing I wanted was to show Luke any sign of weakness, but years of being tortured by him was boiling near the surface threatening to bubble over. “You’ve been a jerk to me my entire life, and I don’t even know what I did to deserve it. Why? Just because I was a little chubby? Do you have any idea at all how difficult it was to get through those four years? High school is supposed to be the best time of your life, but thanks to you, it wasn’t for me.”

  Luke frowned. “Khloe.”

  “No, just… For once, listen instead of talk.” I turned to face him outright so that he understood the seriousness tensing my body as I spoke. “I hate you, and there’s nothing else to it. You made those four years miserable for me and now it’s ten years later and you’re still doing the same thing. Please, if there is even part of you that is human at all, just leave me alone. Be a civilized human being for once and let me get through these next few days without any additional pain.” The bartender set down the drink and slinked away, sensing that the conversation was not one he should interrupt. I picked it up and turned my back to Luke to walk away. “Goodbye.”

  As I was walking away, I felt someone grab my wrist. I looked over my shoulder and Luke immediately pulled his hand away. “I’m sorry.” There was a sincerity
in his eyes that I had never seen before. It was enough to keep me there to hear what more he had to say. “Seriously. I’m sorry. Not just for today, but for all of it. I was an ass back in high school. No, more than an ass, I was unworthy of being in your presence, let alone making it so difficult for you.” My skin prickled with warmth as I listened to his words paired with how honest he seemed. “I was an idiot kid who thought I knew what would make me happy, but instead it made me miss out on this really amazing person that, honestly, I probably would have really loved to get to know back in the day. And now she’s standing in front of me and I have this crazy opportunity to not repeat the mistakes of my past, and what am I doing? I’m being the same idiot I was back then. Seriously, from the bottom of my heart, I’m sorry. For everything.” He smiled. “And for what it’s worth, I thought your hair looked good wet. I also think it looks good now.”

  I stood in silence. I wasn’t expecting such a passionate, heartfelt apology. I had no idea how to respond. What was worse, is that his language, demeanor, everything was totally different from the Luke I was used to. He sounded kind, intelligent, and considerate; nothing like the asshole I’d had to endure for the past six months or the past ten years. He was unbelievably sexy, and if he was actually a good guy; that changed everything. I couldn’t wrap my mind around it.

  “I accept your apology,” I murmured. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I needed to leave immediately. The longer I stood there, the more risk I ran of losing control. “I’m gonna go.”

  I turned around again, still entirely unsure of what was going on in my brain. How could a single apology change my perception so much? I’d just told him I hated him five minutes prior.

  I grabbed my drink and started to amble away when his dusky voice filled my ears again. “I do want you, you know?” It stopped me dead in my tracks. “I’ve been lusting after you for a long time now; six months, right? Since the second I laid eyes on you again.”