𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐌𝐞 𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐧 (𝐁𝐖𝐖𝐌) .

16ღ

(A/N: 1K Reads?! Y'all got me tripping, thanks! Anyway, for y'all who skipped the last chapter, the context is Mo and Cris hit the sheets with cuffs and a blindfold, lol.)

After my unexpected rendezvous with Cristian, I got dressed up and headed for Isabelle's hotel. Once I arrived, I was surprised by a room fully-decked out in bridal decorations, party foods, and bottles of alcohol stacked in the corner. 

"Welcome to your bachelorette party, bitch!" Isabelle yells at me. Inebriated isn't even the right word to describe her. She looked like a drunken mess and it wasn't even 7:00 yet. Go figure. 

"Keep it down, girl," Imani, one of the other bridesmaids, said. "You're gonna get your ass kicked out." Because of her state, there was no way we were heading to the city tonight and that's totally fine by me. 

The embarrassment started to kick in as thoughts about the drunken part of the concert ran through my mind. Shaking it off I ask, "Who's ready to get lit?"

In retrospect, I wish I didn't tell Cristian to uncuff me.

Shots were being drunk left and right, the 6 girls were tearing through the stache of spirits. Slowly, I secluded myself from everyone until they either didn't care or were too drunk to notice. I sipped the drink out of my cup slow and steadily as the tipsiness was starting to set in. I'm really not looking for 2 hangovers in a week. 

Music was bumped and asses were shaking when suddenly there were 3 heavy knocks on the door. "I'll get it!" Isabelle screamed almost toppling over at the means of her wobbly legs. She opened it and my jaw dropped to the floor. Standing in the doorway was a few other men and Ezekiel... in a firefighter's costume. He looked just about surprised as I was. Talk about cliché. 

I revert my eyes and grab my phone, switching between the pages of my home screen over and over. This was not in the cards tonight. 

In came 4 men, a seductive look in their eyes making my stomach churn. "Ladies, ladies," A man with sandy hair and freckled skin says fanning himself with his hands. He perks his eyebrow at Isabelle and dramatically flares a smile. "Where's the fire at?" They were all swooning pretty clearly, which wasn't hard to comprehend. The men were built very nicely. They had bulging muscles that were not too big, but enough to make you stop and stare for a bit. Isabelle took her claim with the "Chief", leaving 5 to compete with the other 3. I peek up from my phone again, seeing Imani reach for Ezekiel, but he side-steps her making her frown.

The other two double-team and entertain the girls when Ezekiel comes up to me. I grab my purse and shove my phone inside. "Uh un, no, I'm not into that roleplaying stuff." Keeping up the gag, he places his index finger on my shoulder and traces along my collarbone. For someone who looks shy, he's coming off quite boldly. But then again he is a stripper.

"Is it because it's me? Are you embarrassed?" He moves his body closer to mine, but I am adamant that I stand my ground. "Yes, but not for me. That costume's a little off-putting." He squints his eyes and continues, moving his mouth towards my ear, "You're telling me you've never wanted to touch a firefighter...sexily?" 

I gently push his body away. This is way too awkward. I collect my things as he stands in front of me uncomfortably scratching the back of his neck. A sign of embarrassment. A nagging feeling lingered in the back of my mind. As if I wanted to stay. 

"Where are you going?" Isabelle called out from afar in short breaths. She was kissing the man like there was no tomorrow; and here I thought strippers and clients had minimal contact. I ignored her and walked out of the door. I just wanted to go home and eat some sleep. 

"If you're uncomfortable you can just tell me," Ezekiel's deep voice wafted through the hallway air. I turned toward him and gave him a half-smile. I felt bad. Maybe I was a little too blunt with him. "I'm not uncomfortable with you. I-I'm just trying to do what's right." He gave a confused look. "And what does that mean?" I sigh and give in, sitting on the floor of the hallway. He does the same.