Page 10 of The Stallion (Men Under Revue #2)

Bria

I was in the worst slump of my life, and it seemed as though nothing could shake me from this nightmare—the sights, the sounds, the people watching—absolutely nothing came close to impressing me.

We only had two days to spend in Sin City. Asher, Mick, Natalie, and I dedicated the first full day to exploring The Strip and bar-hopping like tourists from the moment the sun rose until it set.

I dragged my heels for most of that day, thinking about my ex—our past—and wondering what the fuck I was going to do with myself now that he was gone.

Once the evening hit, and we had eaten our fill at The Wicked Spoon, the four of us dressed up to party at one of the Stardust nightclubs .

There were two in the hotel that we were staying at, one exclusive and the other more open to the public. At Stargate, ladies had a free open bar between eleven and one, so it was unanimously decided that was where we would spend our entire night.

The following morning—our last day—Asher and I strolled down The Strip to Slush, one of the rooftop daiquiri bars, to keep cool while enjoying some fresh air.

Mick and Natalie stayed behind in their room, both hungover from drinking way too much at Stargate.

In Mick’s inebriated words of wisdom: Go hard or go the fuck home.

Seeing all the happy couples drinking and celebrating their union along the Strip did nothing to lighten my mood—it only made me realize just how much more I had lost this week.

“—but I promise you that tonight will be the best part of this trip.” Asher was still talking while my attention was focused elsewhere—down on the sidewalk, where a bride and groom were taking photos in front of a breathtaking garden filled with lush green plants and crystal clear fountains.

The bride’s dress was stunning—something I would have chosen for myself, had I been given the chance.

It wasn’t bright white, as you’d expect, but a beautiful light champagne, with a sparkling studded bodice and a puffy silk skirt that flared out like a ball gown from her hips, featuring a split down the side to show off a little more leg as she walked.

It was the perfect combination of elegance and sexiness. If only —

“Bria!”

“Yes, yes, what? What’d I miss?” I snapped my gaze to meet hers as she sat beside me and peered down at what I had been so focused on before, frowning with concern.

“I said, I hope you’re ready for tonight. We’ve got tickets to Red Magic at ten. The show was sold out, but Mick managed to pull some strings and even got us meet-and-greet passes for after.” Her voice was so bubbly and energetic, the complete opposite of how I felt.

“Red Magic?” I narrowed my eyes at her. “As in—the male revue show?”

“What other Red Magic show is there? Of course, the male revue.” Asher rolled her eyes jokingly and palmed her forehead as if I were stupid.

“Look, I said what I said on the drive here. You , Miss Dark and Twisty, need some girl therapy, and the best kind comes from the men in that show.” Again, with the Grey’s Anatomy references…

I still wasn’t convinced that gawking at rock-hard abs was worth the effort or that it would make me feel any better, especially when you can’t take them home at the end of the night.

“How would you know that? Have you ever been to one of their shows before?”

“I’m not going to answer that question.”

“So—yes?”

Asher and I had only been to Vegas a handful of times. We’d never bought tickets to one of their shows—probably because I was with Connor and knew he’d find it entirely inappropriate, maybe even bordering on cheating…

“It's going to be an amazing show. That’s all you need to know, and that's all that matters—Oh! We might even find you a man to hook up with in the process.”

“I’m pretty sure that not a single one of those incredibly hot men are interested in ‘hooking up’ with one of their customers… Plus, most of them are probably already married—or gay. Did you forget about that?” I glanced back down at the bride and groom, my stomach hurting at the sight.

“You never know.” She sang with a high-pitched tone. “Besides, it never hurts to try. You’re hot, single and ready to fuck, so what’s the worst that could happen?”

I’ve asked myself that very same question several times throughout this trip, and I’m still terrified to find out the answer.

“Fine, but you’re not playing matchmaker while we’re in there.”

“Deal!” Asher nodded in satisfaction and a glimmer of hope before standing from the table. “It’s getting late, and we still need to meet Mick and Natalie for dinner before the show. We should probably head back to the hotel to get ready.”

“Let me guess, are you going to dress me, too?” I mocked, batting my eyes while slinging my belt bag across my body and following her as she exited down the steps of the bar.

“If you wear what you’re wearing now? Yes.”

“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing now?” I held my hands out at my sides and looked at her with confusion .

When we left the hotel this morning, I thought we decided to relax and just go with the flow. So, naturally, I went with black yoga shorts, a bright pink crop top, and white sneakers. I actually loved this sporty, chill look.

Although I did pass on doing my makeup, throwing on a pair of cheap sunglasses instead to cover my tired eyes, and then I spun my hair up into a messy bun instead of styling it.

“You look like you just went through a bad breakup… with the hair, puffy eyes, and half-assed, lazy girl look—”

“Because I did just go through a bad breakup—and only a few days ago, I might add. Unless you’ve already forgotten the reason why we’re here to begin with.”

“Yeah, but this isn’t the Bria I’ve come to love. Where’s that fire, the bite, the ‘ fuck you ’ attitude that you used to flaunt before he came along? I know you just lost a piece of yourself, but that doesn’t mean you should let him break you entirely. Besides, we both know you’re the sun.”

Maybe she had a point…

I was going a little overboard in the ‘I no longer give a shit’ department.

Over the years of being the girl who needed to impress everyone around her for the sake of her boyfriend, I lost sight of who I was.

“Ugh. Sometimes, Ash, you can be such a bitch… but the kind a girl needs and loves. Fine, I’ll dress up tonight—for you.” I rolled my head back with a sigh of defeat and continued down the rest of the steps behind her until we had reached street level .

“Fabulous. Now, let’s get out of this heat. These patio fans are doing fuck all for cooling me off. I need air conditioning.”

Asher won this argument, as she always did—the woman who always knew the right things to say to make me feel better about myself.

Never being one to disappoint, I stayed true to my word, putting on my best smile and dressing as if I were on top of the world.

I had to dig through my suitcase and search for something that would make me feel flirty and available without also reminding me of the man who had managed to take away my spark.

“Damn, Bria! Okay, I legit did not expect you to go the sexy temptress direction but it fucking works. Now all you need is the attitude to match and a man to fill that space between your legs.” Asher grinned from the bathroom doorway as she finished curling her hair, and I bent over from my seated position on the edge of the bed to pull on my black heeled boots.

Dressing up used to be a lot of fun until Connor forced me to wear what he wanted all the fucking time.

Turning me into his perfect trophy with light florals and anything that would show off my legs and ass when we were around his teammates.

He enjoyed making other men jealous—far too much, in my opinion .

With my boots on, I stood up from the bed and walked over to the full-length mirror built into the closet door, taking one last look at my ensemble before we made our way down to the theater.

The benefit of staying in the same hotel as the show was that you weren’t too rushed to get out the door and into your seat. Calling a Lyft would have been an absolute nightmare with how long Asher took to get ready.

My temptress-of-the-night outfit included black pleather leggings that clung to me like a second skin, a hot pink silk tank top, cut low enough to give a good view of my cleavage with the additional help of my black push-up bra, and my favorite light blue denim jacket to add just a hint of modesty.

I tied it all together with a pair of platform black heeled boots adorned with studded buckles, which added an extra four inches to my short five-foot-four height.

My dark hair was styled in long, flowing beach waves that fell just past my breasts, and my makeup was simple yet smoky, allowing my bright, amber eyes to stand out.

For the first time in a week, I felt decent—still not one hundred percent, but better than I had been in the days prior. Seeing myself in the mirror—how pretty I could look when I made an effort and tried—did have a positive impact on my self-esteem.

“Alright, let’s get going before we’re late! I need a cocktail, pronto.” Asher rushed out as she smacked my ass hard, hustling past me to pick up her purse from the dresser.

She looked fucking hot in her tight leather mini skirt, which unapologetically exposed the edge of her ass cheeks, a pink corset top with intricate lace detail, and a black leather moto jacket.

Her knee-high boots were a shade of blush that matched her top, and they sparkled in the light as she walked.

“I think we both know you want more than just a fancy cock -tail tonight.”

“Well, duh. That should be more than obvious by now. Do you even know me? However, you are the main event on display, and I’ll be pushing every man onto you if I can—unless I absolutely have to have him. Then I call dibs.”

“I have standards, you know…”

“Not tonight, you don’t. Fuck having standards.

Live. Be free. Spread those legs like a fucking butterfly and enjoy your last night in Vegas!

” She shrieked with glee like the cheerleader she was, smacking the side of my thigh before opening the door and exiting into the dead quiet hall as if she owned the place.

Here we fucking go…