Where You Belong

"What do you think?"

I heard Leana's voice behind me and turned, eyes nearly popping out of my head when I saw her. She grinned in response, as Lacey let out the yelp that had gotten caught in my throat.

"Good Lord!" she shrieked, eyeing Leana's teddy-clad body, "Are you trying to give the man a heart attack on his own wedding night!"

She smirked, "Well, I was going for an aneurism, but I suppose a heart attack will do."
I shook my head, "Lee, you're gonna kill the poor man."

"Counting on it," she winked, twirling for effect before bouncing back into the dressing room.
Lacey giggled and turned back to the rack that she was looking at. I watched as she went through hanger after hanger of lingerie, eyeing some pieces with horror, and others with delight. We'd only been in Las Vegas for an hour or two, and she'd already dragged us out shopping.

The girls had split up from the guys, girls following Leana into an array of shops along the strip, and there wasn't a doubt in my mind that the boys were out drinking or gambling. Leana had threatened Jimmy with all that was holy that there would be no Hangover-like behavior, and that the boys were to meet us for dinner at eight o'clock sharp tonight, or else. We weren't taking any chances of them getting blacked out drunk and one of them coming up missing. If there was a way, they'd gladly find one.

"You should get something, too, y'know," Michelle piped up from across the store, holding up a tiny scrap of red lace, "Some of the best sex happens in Vegas."

Val giggled lightly as Michelle wiggled her eyebrows like the fucking freak she was. I rolled my eyes but kept quiet, choosing not to say anything that would get myself ambushed. Though, honestly, sex in first class proved to be a damn great thing so far on this trip. Just thinking of it made my mouth water. Shaking my head, I attempted to snap myself out of my thoughts. It was like I'd turned into a rabid bitch in heat these days. Definitely not good.

"Ooh, look at this!" Lacey squealed, holding up a pink fishnet lingerie set, "You think Johnny will like this?"

I was sure the whole plane had heard us. No one had said anything to us as we'd both rather conspicuously left the bathroom, adjusting our clothes and coming our fingers through our hair, but the silence had told me all I'd needed to know. We were louder than we'd intended to be.

Michelle rolled her eyes, "Lace, you could wear a gigantic fucking block of cheese on your head and Johnny would still fuck the life out of you. So, I say you get it."

Val howled with laughter, "I agree."

While no one had directly spoken to Zack and I, I knew for sure that the flight attendants were aware of our...recreational activities. The look one of those girls had given me was enough to kill a person, though I was too high in the clouds to worry about her. Zack and I had returned happily to our seats, our group of friends bursting into laughter as soon as they looked at us.

"And you," Michelle rounded on me, pointing a finger in my direction, "You might as well get a whole fucking wardrobe. It would take you two days time to put it all to use."

Val snorted, "Seriously. I don't know what's with you two these days, but you've completely gone above and beyond the idea of having sex in public."

Lacey nodded vigorously in agreement, "Way past Cheesecake Factory status."

Michelle glared and tossed an empty hanger in her direction, "Shut the fuck up about that!"

I smirked, and allowed my friends to banter back and forth as I turned to the nearest rack, casually looking through it for anything that I might like. One thing about these Vegas shops, they weren't afraid of anything they sold. I'd seen the strangest, and kinkiest of lingerie and toys while I'd been in this store, among many others.

Leana had brought us to several of these places, claiming that she had to find 'the right outfit' for her wedding night with Jimmy. We'd all cringed. Those two were a match made in heaven, and their sex life was one that simply none of us could handle.

By the time Leana hand changed back into her normal clothes, Val had gone to try on a few sets, and I had just finished picking my fifth one to try on. The sales associate gladly opened up a dressing room for me, and I went inside and stripped.

The first set of lingerie was barely a set. It practically consisted of nothing-- Michelle had picked it out for me. It was made of both mesh and lace, and was a hot pink, almost fuschia color. It looked great against my skin, but it wasn't comfortable in the least. The mesh that covered my privates wasn't so bad; it was a thin, sheer, and soft fabric. Everything else, however, was lace, and the tiny strips of lace that circled around my waist and hiked up my ass weren't that great.

"Let me see it, let me see it!" I heard Leana cheer on the other side of the door, causing me to roll my eyes.

"Why should I?" I asked sarcastically, turning back to the mirror and exaimining myself further.

I could hear her stomp her foot, "Cause I'm the bride and I paid for your plane tickets, dammit!"

I huffed at that. She had a point.

Reluctantly, I unlocked the hatch of the door, which was soon to be ripped open by an overly eager Leana. She immediately squealed, reaching forward and grabbing hold of my hand, yanking me out into the open. I noticed a few male customers in the store eye me, and tried to ignore them.

"Hot damn," Val whistled uncharacteristically, "Girl, you'd be crazy not to buy that."

"Zacky will ravage you on the flipping spot, dude," Lacey nodded with a grin, otioning for me to twirl. I stubbornly stood my ground, crossing my arms over my chest as I felt more eyes on me.

With a roll of her eyes, Michelle stepped forward and forcibly turned me. The girls made individual comments amongst each other as I snatched my wrist from Michelle's grasp, turning back so that my nearly bare ass wasn't exposed to the whole damn store.

"Y'know something?" Lacey piped up, eyeing me carefully with a finger on her chin, "Something's different about you."

I rolled my eyes, "Gee, maybe it's cause I'm not wearing any clothes!"

Leana shook her head, also examining me, "No, no, I see what she means. It's like you're glo--"

She didn't finished, and I flashed her a suspicious look, "Like I'm what?"

She took a long time to continue, "L-like you're...like your ass has gotten bigger."

I felt my mouth drop as I stared at her, "Did you just fucking call me fat?!"

I exploded then. I was sure that I'd scared the poor people in the store, but I just couldn't help myself for some reason. Never before had I been described as a person with a butt. I mean, sure, I had a butt-- it's not like I was flat as a board or anything, but still. I'd never been one of those fortunate bootylicious types of girls. Didn't apply to me whatsoever. So if someone actually thought I had a big ass all of a sudden, then maybe I was gaining weight. I didn't really like the sound of that. It meant I'd have to rebuy all my clothes, as I liked my stuff skintight. That's a lot of fucking clothes.

"My God, you're so fucking touchy. Here, take a shot or something."

I glared over at Michelle, "I'm not touchy! And just for that, I don't want the fucking shot!" I spat, swiping the small glass off the table.

"Britt, what the fuck!" she hissed, watching as the liquor hit the ground with a clatter, "That was a perfectly good shot!"

"Yeah, and if you call me touchy, I'm gonna fucking show you touchy! Now, fucking bag back!" I growled, crossing my arms over my chest and leaning back in my seat.

"What's eating you?" Jimmy cocked an eyebrow in my direction from across the table.

Leana shot him a warning look, but it was too late, "Eating? Are you trying to be helpful or are you trying to get one in on me, too? You fucking know what? I--"

"Dude, have you lost your marbles? Leana simply commented your ass and you blew up--three fucking hours ago!" Michelle eyed me with disbelief, and I prepared myself to lay into her.

"Let me fucking tell you, Miche--"

"Baby, baby, baby," Zack mumbled, pulling me into his side, "What's this all about, huh? Leana's apologized and told you that she didn't intend for her comment to upset you. Think rationally." he whispered softly, pressing butterfly kisses to the nap of my neck in between every word.

As his cologne filled my nostrils, I inhaled it and then exhaled. I instantly felt calmer as his grip around my waist tightened, pulling me further into his embrace. The muscles in my arms and back loosened as I allowed more air to fill my lungs in a much calmer manner. Zack's hand caressed my hip softly as he smiled, taking note of my less rigid posture.

"That's it," he cooed into my ear, hand traveling across my stomach, "Now, let's eat. I'm sure you'll feel a lot better, and then you can think things over."

I moved to protest, but he already had a forkful of pasta in front of my face. I threw him a sideways glance and opened my mouth nonetheless, allowing him to feed me the food he'd ordered while I was in the bathroom earlier. I kept quiet as he continued to feed me like a baby, knowing I wouldn't be able to get him to leave me alone if I didn't let him.

"So, how was shopping?" his quiet voice interrupted my thoughts a few minutes later, and I turned to see him eyeing me expectantly, green orbs swirling with vibrancy.

I shrugged, "It was fine, I guess." I uttered, casting my eyes to our now intertwined hands.

He smirked then, "I hear you got me a few things today."

I flashed him an amused look, "And where did you hear that from?"

"A little birdie told me," he answered, finishing up his plate in record time.

I tilted my head, "And what's this little birdie's name?"

He smiled, "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"I would, actually."

"Eh, too bad," he grinned widely, "All you need to know is that I'll be looking forward to a thorough modeling of everything you bought today."

I smirked this time, "And just when would you like to have said fashion show?"
His lips curved up into a knowing smile, "I was hoping to be able to squeeze this little event in before we go to the club tonight, but...y'know..."

I frowned, "Know what?"

"Well, I'm sure you're not in an excited enough mood to do something like that for me tonight."

"Why not?"

"Because of your whole thing with Lee today," he sighed dramatically, "You're angry, I get that. And seeing as you two haven't talked it out yet, I'm sure now's not the time for that sort of thing. That's okay, I'll find something else to do while you rest if you want."

I glared at him. That dirty bastard.

"Lee, come get some air with me?" I asked quietly, avoiding her gaze as I stared Zack down. He simply smiled, kissing my lips before I stood and walked to Leana's side of the table. She looked up at me and nodded before taking my hand, leading me outside.

"You know I wasn't trying to upset you, sweetie, right?" Leana eyed me carefully, bracing her small hands against my shoulders once outside of the restaurant.

With a sigh, I hung my head and nodded, "I know that now, and I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me, I just--"

The look in her eyes was undistinguishable, "Don't worry about it, hun. It's water under the bridge."

I nodded quietly, "Okay."

"Let's just enjoy the rest of our night, okay? And warn me next time you're about to bite my fucking head off, you touchy fuck," she smirked, elbowing me in the ribs.

I rolled my eyes before smirking over at her, "You'll be the first to know."

"Good," she giggled, yanking me to her and pulling me into a hug.

We kept the conversation that followed brief, and within a few minutes, we were heading back into the restaurant. Conversation at the table was still in full swing, though of course, Zack's eyes immediately met mine as we neared the table. I threw him a wink before squeezing Leana's hand and moving toward my seat, going straight for the potatoes on my plate.

"The two of you talked?" Zack's whisper caught my attention as he leaned into my ear, and I nodded, "So, what's the verdict?"

"I'm a touchy human being and should give her a head's up the next time I decide to flip out for no reason."

He laughed then, eyes crinkling at the corners as his lips turned up into a smile. I smiled too, seeing just how stupid my reaction to Leana's comment had been, now that I'd said it aloud. What the fuck was I thinking three hours ago?

Dinner proved to be a success, and before I knew it, Jimmy was asking for the check. Lacey had cooed, commenting how nice it was of him to pick up the tab for everyone. Though in true Jimmy fashion, he'd laughed manically and reminded the guys that the money they made was split equally between the five of them, and so they'd pay for their own damn meals. I giggled at the look on the guys' faces. They definitely weren't expecting that answer.

"SEE YOU GUYS IN TWENTY!" Jimmy shrieked with laughter, tossing Leana over his shoulder as he ran through the hotel lobby. I shook my head as the couple bounded out of sight.

"I'm glad they know which club we're going to, already. Cause they won't be down here in twenty minutes," Matt chuckled lightly, adjusting his shades over his eyes.

Flashes from cameras lit up the hotel lobby, and Zack let out a soft sigh, "Time to go. Catch you guys later."

We all went our separate ways. Walking briskly, Zack pushed me behind him and weaved through the herd of paparazzi that suddenly swarmed the lobby. I held tightly onto his upper arm, keeping close behind him as I hid behind his larger frame. My face was concealed from most of the flashes, though I was sure someone had caught a glimpse of me.

Hotel security stepped in and helped us out as we all made a mad dash for the elevators. Pushing the 'up' arrow, the metal doors immediately opened and we stumbled inside. Zack rolled his eyes but didn't say anything, and I offered him a light hug and kiss. His lips twitched at the corners and his grip around my waist tightened. That seemed to do the trick. I smiled to myself as I pushed the button for our floor.

By the time the elevator had reached our floor, my top was nearly off. I giggled wildly as the stell rings on Zack's lips tickled my sensitive flesh, sending shivers shooting down my spine as he pressed kiss after kiss to my skin. Luckily for us, the hallway was completely empty. Before I knew it, Zack had tossed me over his shoulder and was making a beeline for our room as I struggled to keep my shirt from falling off.

It took him a while to open our door with the key card, as his right hand was occupied with holding me in the air. After a few curses and foot stomps, he'd finally gotten the door open. I was in the middle of the bed within the blink of an eye, the shiny bag full of lingerie next to me and on its side, revealing all of the colorful pieces I'd bought earlier.

Zack smirked at me from the armchair across the large room, "I'm waiting, baby."

***

"Britt, we can't do this here," Zack groaned quietly into my ear, squirming in his seat as I grasped him firmly in my hand, "We're surrounded by all--"

"Shh," I purred softly, nipping at his earlobe, "Nobody suspects a thing."

With that, I continued my assault. Zack worked hard to keep still and to keep his eyes from rolling into the back of his head, I could tell. I gently caressed him, not wanting to get him so worked up that people would notice what we were up to. His grip on my thigh tightened periodically, letting me know when he liked what I was doing.

The club was dark, of course, except for the occasional strobe light of some sort. Up in the VIP section where we were, it was even darker. Our section overlooked the rest of the club, though we weren't very interested in what everyone else was doing. Michelle and Lacey had gone to dance, while Leana was already straddling Jimmy's lap, making him quite the happy camper. Brian had gone to get drinks and to keep an eye on the girls, while Val and Matt were off in their own little world. Johnny did little things to annoy Jimmy and Leana every few minutes, though so far, none of his methods were working.

Needless to say, no one noticed that I had my hand down Zack's pants.

The music was loud and seemed to vibrate through my entire body, making for much more of a thrill with what we were doing. It was more than enough to keep my body tingling with anticipation. Zack had already had a couple of beers, so I knew that he was feeling a little looser than normal.

As time progressed, we both became even less concerned with who was around us. All the really mattered was us and what we were feeling in that moment. Things got a bit heavy, and I highly doubted we'd keep ourselves from going any further. After a while, Zack's zipper had been completely undone and his thick erection stood straight out the front of his pants for my access. My underwear had somehow disappeared, and I wasn't quite sure as to where they had gone.

My ears perked up as a familiar song began pulsing throughout the entire club, and within seconds, my lips were ripped from Zack's swollen ones, "Oh my God, this is my jam!" I shrieked, hopping off Zack's lap and running towards Val.

"Britt, what the fuck!" Zack hissed from his spot, hurrying to cover himself as I left him exposed for all to see. I smiled sheepishly and blew a kiss at him before looping arms with Val.

"Glad to see that you and Zacky weren't gonna give Bri and Chelle a run for their money, afterall," Val smirked, causing me to stop short.

"Uh...I--" I couldn't even think of a lie, and she knew it.

"Don't say a word," she shook her head with a giggle, "Just come on and dance."

"This is how we do it
It's Friday night, and I feel all right
The party is here on the west side
So I reach for my 40 and I turn it up
Designated driver take the keys to my truck
Hit the shore cause I'm faded
Honeys in the street say, "Monty, yo we made it!"
It feels so good in my hood tonight
The summertime skirts and the guys in Kani
All the gang bangers forgot about the drive-by
You gotta get your groove on, before you go get paid
So tip up your cup and throw your hands up
And let me hear the party say

I'm kinda buzzed and its all because
(This is how we do it)
South Central does it like nobody does
(This is how we do it)
To all my neighbors you got much flavor
(This is how we do it)
Let's flip the track, bring the old school back
(This is how we do it)"

Val and I happily danced like fools, not caring who was there and watching. It wasn't long before Michelle and Lacey had joined us, Michelle stepping behind me and sandwiching me between herself and Val. I didn't know where Leana'd come from, but she was attached to Lacey before I could think any further.

"This is how we do it, all hands are in the air
And wave them from here to there
If you're an o.g. mack or a wanna-be player
You see the hood's been good to me
Ever since I was a lower-case g
But now I'm a big g. the girls see I got the money
A hundred-dollar bills y'all

If you were from where I'm from then you would know
That I gotta get mine in a big black truck
You can get yours in a 64

Whatever it is, the party's underway
So tip up your cup and throw your hands up
And let me hear the party say

I'm kinda buzzed and its all because
(This is how we do it)
South Central does it like nobody does
(This is how we do it)
To all my neighbors you got much flavor
(This is how we do it)
Let's flip the track, bring the old school back
(This is how we do it)"

The song continued for a bit more, but I was done with singing. I simply danced in place, allowing the others to do what they wanted. A tipsy Lacey went running in Johnny's direction, but Michelle and Val were joined by Matt and Brian. I wasn't sure where Zack was, but I kept dancing anyway. All I needed was the music to have my way with the dance floor.

A familiar pair of hands planted themselves on my hips and smiled to myself, turning to see Zack smiling down at me. Unexpectedly, he yanked me towards him and lightly ground his hips into mine as the song changed to another one that we both knew. I smirked upon recognition of the song and coiled an arm around his neck, pushing our chests together as we danced.

Halfway into Korn's Good God, I felt my stomach take a violent churn. I stood still as the contents in my stomach started swirling around at what felt like a hundred miles an hour. I broke away from Zack's embrace but stumbled, catching his attention immediately.

"Baby?" he stepped forward and took me by the arm, steadying me as I felt a bout of dizziness hit me, "What's wrong?"

I moved to speak but stopped once I felt acid building up in the back of my throat. Closing my mouth, I quickly clapped a hand over it and rushed away from the group, in search of the nearest bathroom. It wasn't very difficult to find one, though getting to it proved to be the more difficult task.

I stumbled my way through the sea of people and made a beeline for the women's restroom. No one seemed to be inside, except for the unmistakable sound of some couple getting busy inside one of the stalls. Unless they were really into each other, then I doubted that they'd stay in here for long.

Throwing open the door to the first stall I saw, I threw my body forward as my stomach lurched once more. Though there wasn't much in it to begin with, my stomach was completely emptied by the time I'd finished dry heaving on the floor. The couple that'd first been in one of the stalls was long gone.

Just as I'd picked myself off the ground, the bathroom door slammed open, and I could hear Leana calling my name, "Britt? Are you in here?"

Wiping my mouth with the back of my wrist, I pulled myself together and opened the stall door. Leana stood out by the sinks, looking over at me with furrowed brows. She was there by my side within an instant after having taken in my condition. Apparently, I looked as shitty as I felt.

"Come, let's get you washed up," she muttered, taking hold of my arm and ushering me toward the sinks. Turning on the tap, she then used a hand to splash some cool water on my face before taking a paper towel, wetting it and wiping it across my face, "Now, what's going on?"

I shrugged, "I have no idea. One second, I was fine. Then my stomach just...went to shit, I guess."

She frowned again, "Well, how do you feel now?"

I thought about it, "I feel okay. Tired, but I guess that's to be expected."

"Given the circumstances, yeah," she nodded in agreement, looking me over with worry etched into her features, "But you're feeling okay now?

"Yeah, I think so."

"Have you felt like that before?" she asked curiously, and I shook my head.

"This is the first," I sighed, leaning against the sink as I took a breather.

She sighed, too, "Well, just keep track of what's going on. Maybe you ate something that didn't agree with you at dinner," she said, though she didn't sound all that convinced. She looked...troubled, almost. It was weird.

"Yeah," I agreed lamely, fidgeting with my dress, "Maybe that's it."

Slowly, but surely, we made our way from the bathroom back to the VIP section once I'd gotten myself together. Zack had been worried, examining me thoroughly before ordering me a water and making me sit for the rest of the evening. I didn't mind that, as it had landed me back in his lap in a rather comprimising position.

Though I'd noticed that Leana and had stayed nearby me for the rest of the night. She never left my side until everyone decided to leave close to three in the morning. Only then did she reluctantly take Jimmy's hand and walk off with him, though she'd also glanced back at me a time or two. I wasn't sure what was with her behavior, but one thing was clear.

Leana was either up to something or she knew something that I didn't. With the way she was acting, I wasn't quite so sure that I wanted to know what was going through her mind.