He slipped the ring on her finger, and it fit perfectly. She held it this way and that, admiring the way it looked on her finger. Flashing her hand at him, she asked, “So…what do you think?”
“Perfect, just like you,” he answered, standing up and pulling her with him. Pushing her back on the bed, he fell on top of her. Somehow they had both managed to lose their towels in the process, and with a quick thrust, he was inside her.
“Rough and fast,” he told her, putting his words to action.
* * * *
Rachel woke the next morning and knew she must be the happiest woman in the world, maybe the universe. Even the shadow of Mike Hawkins hanging over her life couldn’t dampen her spirits. Everything was perfect.
Grabbing her phone, she starting calling everyone she knew. Her first call was to Theresa. They had become good friends, and she couldn’t wait to tell her all that had happened. She quickly called the rest of her girls, and they planned a lunch out. They were all going to get together and make wedding plans.
Craig came in while she was making her calls and watched her animate with enjoyment. He hadn’t seen her so happy for a long time. Too bad he had to tell her that two more of the jerks that had tortured her were getting released today. He really wished this mess was over.
By the time she had finished all her calls, she was almost jumping on the bed with excitement. Looking up, she finally noticed Craig in the room. Smiling at him, she asked, “Have you been there long?”
“Just for the last two calls. I like seeing you so happy.” He grinned at her.
“We are all going to meet for lunch at Theresa’s favorite place and plan the wedding,” she told him excitedly.
He didn’t want to dampen her spirits, but he wasn’t happy about the idea of all the girls meeting outside the club. “Why don’t you do it here? We can have the kitchen cater a
nything you want, and you can use one of the conference rooms for some privacy,” he suggested, hoping she would see reason and listen.
“We all want to get out. Jenna and I have been under house arrest, and she needs a break from the children. We’ll be okay, it’s just a few hours in a public place. What can happen?” She had known the men wouldn’t be happy about their plan, but one way or the other, they were going to have their afternoon, the girls had decided.
Craig didn’t want to tell her what could happen. Shaking his head, he left the room. Time to rally the troops. If the girls were going to have an afternoon out, so were the boys.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Even though Rachel was on “lockdown” as she like to call it, the days flew by, and today was the day she was to meet the girls for lunch. She was surprised and a little worried because Craig hadn’t made any further attempts to dissuade her from going. She had fully expected him to flat-out forbid the trip.
Craig drove her to the restaurant and escorted her inside. Some of the others were already there, and giving Craig a quick kiss, Rachel ran to join them. As she walked up to the table, she noticed that the girls were grumbling to themselves.
Sitting in an empty seat, Rachel asked what was up.
Jenna looked at her and said, “Take a look in the corner. You’d think they’d trust us in a public place.”
Turning her gaze to the space indicated, Rachel saw all the men, including Craig, sitting at a table where they could not only watch the girls, but also both doors to the establishment. Standing up, Rachel said, “This is bullshit, I’m going to go over there to give them a piece of my mind.”
Theresa grabbed her arm, pulling her back before she could fully stand, and said, “Think that out, girlfriend. Has your ass recovered from the last punishment?”
“Right, not the smartest move,” Sadie put in.
Relaxing back in her chair, Rachel agreed. “I know my mouth gets my ass in more trouble. I need to learn to think with the damn thing.”
Everybody laughed, and the waiter came over and took their orders. After he explained that the men would be paying the bill, they all decided to order the most expensive things on the menu, including appetizers and drinks. If the men wanted to pay, pay they would. Not that it would faze any of them, they all had money to spare.
When the women went to order their third rounds of drinks, they were informed that the waiter could no longer serve them alcohol. They all groaned and complained, but ended up ordering expensive desserts instead.
After they had finished the meal, they set to the task they had assembled for, planning Rachel’s wedding. Since neither she nor Craig had family that would be attending, they had decided on a private ceremony with a justice of the peace. Theresa and Alan would stand with them. Later that same day, they would have a ceremony for everyone at the club. They got all but a few details worked out before the men came over and told them it was time to go. Jenna and Sadie were anxious to get back to their children, and no one complained.
Kyle left first to make sure no one was lurking outside. He was gone for several long minutes before Craig and Alan decided to go and check on him. Leaving the girls with Evan and Dave, they took off. Dave tried repeatedly to call Kyle’s phone with no answer. The women crowded around Jenna, trying to reassure her that all was okay.
After several more nail-biting minutes, Dave’s phone rang. It was Alan. Kyle had seen Mike Hawkins outside the restaurant and given chase. He had lost him after several blocks, and they were all on their way back to the group.
Rachel wanted to call the police, but as Kyle pointed out, it wasn’t against the law to stand outside a restaurant or to run. All the girls were upset and subdued. They promised to do the remainder of their planning at the club, much to the men’s relief.
As they were walking out of the place, a voice called. “I see you, bitch. You had better enjoy today, you may not see tomorrow.” And then they heard a gunshot. The men threw the women to the ground and lay on top of them. Luckily no one was hurt. The shooter either wasn’t a good shot or had just meant to scare them. Only one shot was fired, but it was enough. The girls were scared out of their wits and the men were pissed.