A Tattoo for Lex - 31. Chapter 31

It seemed like the next few days flew by to all three of them. Tuesday Cassie was up first and had let the two men sleep while she showered and made some scrambled eggs and sausage patties. Both guys were surprised that she didn’t burn anything. Ian left for the shop, wanting to get as much work done this week as he could. He was planning on taking the week before and after the wedding off. Lex and Cassie took the truck to go get the mulch Lex needed. Cassie begrudgingly agreed to help. It took two days to spruce things up enough to satisfy Lex. Cassie was thrilled when Kathy called and asked if Friday was good for her to meet and shop for the decorations. Lex couldn’t help the nagging feeling that he still had that Cassie was planning something she didn’t want him to find out about. He would kill her if if there was one single pink, frou frou party favor anywhere in sight the day of the wedding.

He called his financial guy and arranged for him to fly out a couple of weeks after the wedding so they could arrange to have the various accounts changed or merged or whatever they needed to do and to figure out what had to be done to start the ball rolling on the Ink Well Foundation.

Jarren called him on Friday and asked if it would be alright if he and Mazen could have a small get together the following weekend, kind of a bachelor night but low key. A few guys, some beer, steaks on the grill, college football and poker. Lex didn’t see anything wrong with that and told him as long as it was OK with Ian it would be fine with him. He wondered if he could keep Cassie away. He gave a silent thanks that she wasn’t involved in planning it. She would probably have male strippers, complete with pole if given her way.

As it was when she returned from her outing with Kathy she wore a pretty smug expression. Lex just sighed, whatever she was planning he would have to deal with. On Saturday morning he called Ryan to touch base and to talk with the girls as he had promised. Shannon’s team had won both of their games that week and Mia was chosen for a solo dance routine for their recital in December. She made Lex promise to come with Ian. He ended the call on a happy note.

Cassie was settled in at Ms. Helen’s for the short term. She wanted something of her own however and decided that Lex needed to keep busy and so enlisted his help at trying to find an apartment. Lex asked her why she didn’t just buy something and she told him she wanted to get to know the area first. Besides, once the foundation was up and running she might have to spend more time in Boston so she wanted to keep her options open. They ended up looking at eight apartments over the next several days before Cassie decided on a cute two bedroom apartment on the ground floor of a two family house. The landlord leased the upstairs to a nice, single guy who taught at the local high school. He had a female roommate who ran one of the local theater groups. They were just friends and had been renting the upstairs apartment for almost ten years.

The apartment was cute and suited Cassie. The front of the building had a wide porch that the landlord, Sam, said Cassie would have use of. The tenants upstairs had their own balcony on the back of the house. The front door led to a large foyer. Stairs on the left led to the upstairs apartment and a dark walnut door with a large oval of etched, frosted glass was the entrance to Cassie’s new place. The door led into a large living area. Tall windows let in plenty of light. There was a built in bar/china cabinet along the wall. Cabinets housed plenty of shelves for glasses, dishes or booze. Lex could already picture a variety of liquor bottles stocking the shelves, with plenty of Fireball and Rumchata. Beneath the cabinets was a good size countertop above two rows of drawers separated by an area of open shelves. There was original hardwood flooring throughout. The landlord told them he had it refinished recently and the polished wood gleamed in the sunlight. There was short hallway that led to the kitchen. This too had been recently renovated. While not huge, it was plenty big enough for Cassie. The appliances were all new, not top of the line but nice just the same. There was an eat in area that would hold a table for four comfortably. There wasn’t a whole lot of cabinet or counter space but Sam had pointed to a door and when Cassie opened in she squealed in delight. It led to a pantry/laundry area There were plenty of shelves to house food and cleaning supplies. A full size washer and dryer were included and there was even a built in area for folding clean clothes. Behind the kitchen were the two bedrooms. A bathroom separated the rooms. Cassie was thrilled to see an old fashioned claw foot tub taking up one side of the space. The master bedroom was a decent size. Lex figured it would hold a queen size bed and maybe two dressers with plenty of room to maneuver. There was a good size closet that ran the entire length of one wall. It wasn’t deep but it was long. Another small bathroom with a toilet, sink and walk in shower served as the master bath. The second bedroom would be perfect for Rita when she came to visit.

Cassie and Sam agreed on first and last month’s rent and Cassie wrote him out a check. Her lease would start November 1st but Sam had told her she could move in anytime after the weekend of the 20th. He needed to finish painting the two bedrooms. Cassie was also happy to see the good sized parking area in the back of the house. The balcony of the apartment above provided a nice covered area that could be accessed from a door in the kitchen. She wouldn’t have to go far to unload groceries and Cassie liked that.

Ian’s final week of working before taking two weeks off kept him busy as well. He took his mentoring responsibilities seriously and he was happy that Brie, as she liked to be called was a quick learner and took his advice when offered. It wouldn’t be long before she had her own following.

Ian had readily agreed to the get together that Jarren and Mazen had proposed and when that Saturday arrived both he and Lex gave a sigh of relief when Cassie said that Kathy had invited her for dinner. Jessie and the kids were flying in with their flight due to land in the late afternoon. Ian and Lex wouldn’t have time to go see them before the get together so Cassie promised to give them all hugs and kisses for them even though she had never met them.

Jarren had told them to come over around six. Cassie had left for Agawam at three so Ian and Lex took advantage of the time they had alone. Both had been really busy and while a quick blow job was always appreciated, they needed more. Ian had taken control and taken Lex to heights they hadn’t had time to reach for a while. Lex hoped he could walk normally by they time they were ready to go.

Getting dressed after their shower Lex pulled on a new pair of jeans that Cassie had bought him. While technically they were not skinny jeans, they were fitted enough that Ian let out a long whistle of appreciation at the sight of his ass being displayed by the snug fabric. Lex looked back over his shoulder and winked at him. He grabbed a black, ribbed v-neck shirt and pulled it over his head, turned around and stepped over to Ian and fused their lips together in a heated kiss. Ian looked pretty hot himself, wearing black jeans which showed off his ass as well and a soft, dark purple Henley.

“You ready to go kick some ass in poker?” Lex asked.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Ian replied with another kiss.

Making sure the house was locked up they took Lex’s Lexus and pulled into Jarren and Mazen’s driveway twenty minutes later. There were only a few cars in the driveway, the only one Lex recognized was the black F250 that the twins were in when they rescued him from being stranded in the rain. They could hear music coming from inside when they knocked on the door and the a voice yelling “It’s open!”

Lex and Ian stepped inside and when they stepped into the kitchen they were greeted with a chorus of “Surprise!” from the small mob that had gathered.

Ian was shocked when he saw his brother Sean standing there grinning. He quickly went over and pulled him into a tight brother hug, both of them squeezing as hard as they could to see who would tap out first. Sean started laughing and let go first. Ian looked at him and asked “What happened with your event you were supposed to be handling for work? You said you couldn’t come until later in the week.

Sean turned red and admitted “Your friend Cassie called me and basically threatened my manhood if I didn’t show up. She reminded me that family trumped job and when Jessie took her side I had no choice.”

Ian looked over and saw Cassie standing there with the biggest shit eating grin on her face and mouthed ‘thank you”. She just blew him a kiss.

Lex looked around and should have been surprised, but when he saw Cassie he knew that she was the one behind all of this. He knew she had been hiding something. He and Ian made their way through the kitchen greeting everyone. In addition to Sean, Rick was there as well as Jase. Brian and Chance had made it too. Mazen and Jarren were standing by a little alcove and when they made their way over to say hi the twins stepped back to reveal Ryan and Seth standing there wearing their own shit eating grins.

Lex exclaimed “You said you were coming on Tuesday!”

Ryan laughed and Seth said “Yeah, well Cassie got a hold of us too. In addition to threatening our manhood she also threatened to corrupt the girls. So we rearranged our schedules and you’re stuck with us for the week. Ian’s mom is taking care of the girls tonight.”

Hugs were exchanged and finally Lex stood in front of Cassie. He grabbed her and put his own boa constrictor hold on her as he whispered in her ear “I love you, you sneaky little bitch!”

Cassie returned the hug and then pulled away, turned around and yelled “Let the party begin!”

Lex smiled as he took in the people who had become his friends and family. As they made their way out to the back yard he saw that Mazen and Jarren, probably with Cassie’s help had transformed their backyard into what could only be described as a party zone. Colored lights were hung, there were four outdoor propane heat towers on the deck as the nights were now cold. The twins already had a speaker system wired for the deck and music was pumping through, not loud enough to drown out conversation but loud enough to be heard clearly. The fire pit was lit and surrounded by stadium chairs. Coolers were filled with beer, liquor bottles and wine was set up on a table on the deck. The grill was fired up and before long the smell of steak and chicken filled the air.

Cassie handed Lex and Ian each a red Solo cup and winked. One sniff told Lex that Cinnamon Toast Crunch was on the menu for the evening. He watched as she made her way over to where Jarren and Mazen were manning the grill. What he saw floored him and he started laughing uncontrollably.

Ian looked at him like he had six heads and asked “are you alright?” Tears had formed and one actually slid down his cheek. Before too many other people noticed Ian pulled him aside and as Lex started to calm down he questioned “What’s so funny?”

Lex managed to stop laughing long enough to wipe his cheek and say to Ian “Look at Mazen, the poor guy has no idea what’s about to hit him. Oh God I can’t stand it! He’s fucked, totally absolutely fucked!”

Ian looked over to where Mazen was standing at the grill. Cassie was standing next to him, her arm occasionally brushing his. As it clicked he started to chuckle and looking back at Lex said “Mazen and Cassie?”

Lex just nodded and then both men broke out into uncontrollable laughter. It was enough to get the attention of everyone standing on the deck. Most of them figured it must be a inside joke, but Cassie looked over and her eyes narrowed.

Ian somehow managed to ask Lex “You gonna tell her?” Lex only shook his head. Ian then asked “Should we at least warn him?”

Lex shook his head again and managed to reply “Nope, it’s like an earthquake. They don’t know what’s about to hit them and when it does they can only hope that when the shaking stops they’re still standing.” They started laughing again.

Cassie came over and said “Wanna share what’s so funny?”

Lex, quick on his toes, replied “Monkey sex, Cass, we were thinking about monkey sex.”

Cassie narrowed her eyes at both of them and muttered “Perverts.” That set them off into more gales of laughter.

The evening progressed as the small group enjoyed the food and the company. Ian and Jase caught up with each other again. The alcohol flowed freely and knowing that everyone had handed their keys over to Brian, even Mazen indulged more than usual. He came over to Lex and Ian while Cassie was helping Jarren bring the leftovers into the house and asked Lex “So, your friend Cassie, she’s single right?”

Lex smiled and replied “Yes, she’s single so feel free to go for it.” Then his face became serious as he added “BUT, remember this, if you ever hurt her, I will kill you. And she will have no problem whatsoever helping me dispose of your body. Understand?”

Mazen nodded and for the rest of his life he always wondered if Lex was joking or if he was serious.

A short time later cards were brought out and Lex, Ian, Cassie, Mazen, Jarren, Ryan, Sean and Brian all threw in fifty bucks and Rick acted as dealer and doled out the chips. Jase and Seth said they would monitor for cheating. It became clear in the first hand of Texas Hold ‘Em who the serious players were. Cassie, Lex, Ian and Sean all were determined to win. Cassie and Ian wouldn’t let Lex look at any of the players. He had an advantage no one else had and Cassie knew he probably wouldn’t cheat but as an added measure of protection, she made him wear a pair of those novelty glasses with the big nose and fake mustache. She had superglued blinders to the sides and she made him look straight down at the table. He looked ridiculous but by that time had imbibed enough alcohol to not care. It still gave him an advantage because whenever one of the other players looked at him they laughed because he looked so silly. They also couldn’t tell if he was bluffing or not. Ryan and Jarren were the first to lose their all their money. Brian wasn’t far behind and Mazen managed to hold his own for several hands before Cassie took him out with a magnificent bluff. The battle of the final four was epic. The lead changed hands with almost every round. Ian and Sean finally got into a bidding showdown and Ian ended up ousting his brother, Both had full houses, Sean with queens over tens, but Ian pulled kings over eights for the win. Of course he had to rub salt in his brother’s face and chanted “In yo’ face, in yo’ face!” as he raked in his chips.

Sean got his payback three hands later when Lex ousted Ian with a queen high straight flush in diamonds over Ian’s four fives.

Cassie looked at Lex, seeing past the ridiculous glasses suggested “Shot for every ace your opponent holds if you win the hand?” It was a tactic they had used in the past. They were both savvy players and knew getting their opponent trashed was the only way to win. It took another forty-five minutes until the game ended. Lex was sitting on a flush in hearts with king high. He knew it was a really good hand, but he also knew it could be beaten by four other hands or another flush with an ace high. Cassie came on strong as she always did until Lex uttered “Fuck it. All in,” and pushed his remaining chips to the middle. He flipped over his cards and when he looked up at Cassie he knew she won. She smiled triumphantly and turned over her full house. Threes over twos.

Cassie jumped up and did a little happy dance and grabbed Mazen and planted her lips on his. The poor guy looked like he didn’t know what hit him. Lex looked at Ian and laughed.

Cassie fanned her cash in front of Lex and reminded him “Loser walk of shame Lex”

Lex rolled his eyes and wasn’t really surprised when the rest of the room rolled a little with it. He and Cassie had a longstanding agreement that whoever lost at poker had to do whatever the winner told them to. His former walks of shame had included mooning Rita every time he saw her for a week. He had once made Cassie wear a bikini to church. That was hysterical. It was forty degrees that day and her nipples had been at full attention the whole time.

Cassie went over to the table with the booze and grabbed the remote for the sound system and looked at him and said “Today, Lex. Today.”

Lex paled a little a uttered “Oh Fuck! Really Cass?”

She smiled and pressed play. Within two seconds Lex heard the opening violin notes of Neil Diamond’s song ‘America’. He had never told Ian that when he and Cassie were nine she made him take jazz dance lessons with her. The finale for their spring recital was a routine set to that song. Cassie pulled him down the deck stairs and got into position next to him on the grass. Lex just prayed that his jeans wouldn’t rip when he attempted what he wasn’t sure he could do any more. As the slow intro gave way to the more uptempo beat and the drums got stronger, Cassie led Lex through as much of their old routine as she could remember. The rest of the guys lined the railing of the deck and hooted out cat calls as Lex danced and twirled to the beat. He was glad it was dark and the lights from the deck weren’t super bright because he knew his face was cherry red. His hips swayed and his feet danced out a vaguely familiar routine. He missed as many steps as he hit and as they approached the last part of the song he crouched down waiting for his cue. As Neil belted out the first loud call of “Today” Lex somehow managed to jump up from his crouched position, his legs flying out to each side in a spectacular split as he attempted to touch his toes before crashing back to Earth again. He landed on his ass laughing as he watched Cassie perform her own split jump, landing perfectly of course. They guys on the deck exploded in cheers and applause as the music faded and Lex lay sprawled on the ground, not quite sure if his balls survived or not. Cassie flopped down next to him laughing and then planted a kiss on him.

Ian came over and hauled Lex up, holding him tight and planting his own kiss on those lips remarked “You never told me you could dance.” and promptly started laughing.

Lex pouted and said “My balls hurt, I think I pulled them apart.”

Ian nipped his ear and whispered “I’ll kiss them and make then all better later. I promise.”

Lex smiled and turned to the crowd on the deck and took a bow. The rest of the evening was spent swapping tall tales and drinking. By three in the morning everyone had managed to claim a bed or a couch. Mazen had reserved one of the guest rooms for Lex and Ian and Ian made good on his promise before they finally drifted off in a room that was spinning slightly for both of them.

Y'all knew there was going to be a bachelor party right?  
Sneaky Cassie. Wonder what else she has planned?