Fantasies — Section 1

### Chapter 1: Chapter 1

Shay is a dancer who owns a club that she absolutely loves. There's just one problem. Her friend's big brother, who she has a love/hate relationship with, is there every night, which annoys the hell out of her. Then one night, something happens between them that changes everything.

Complete Chapters 18 Rating 4.8 ( 85 reviews ) Age Rating mature {"language":"en","storyId":1191606,"genres":[{"name":"Romance","path":"/genres/romance"},{"name":"romance","path":"/genres/romance"}],"authorName":"Tina Brandt Thomsen ","authorPath":"/TBThomsen","status":"complete","lastUpdatedAt":1783733730,"chaptersCount":18,"rating":4.811764705882353,"reviewsCount":85,"ageRating":"mature"} Chapter 1 - Shay's/Marc's POV. A/N

If you're a new follower, you should know that English isn't my first language so there will be mistakes here and there. Hope you'll survive :)

I’m at my burlesque inspired club, going through tonight’s routines. I have some awesome dancers. They learn fast and rock the stage every night. They’ve been with me since I opened my club, which is amazing because it shows how loyal they are.

“Babe, do we have any special VIPs coming tonight?” Faith asks.

“Yup, and guess who it is,” I say with an eyeroll, making her snigger. “My brother?”

Faith is my best friend. We’ve been friends since childhood and she’s also a bartender at my club. Faith’s brother, Marc, on the other hand is my arch nemesis. I hate him with every fiber in my body. Well, I love him, but I hate him because he’s bullied me for as long as I can remember. Not in a really bad way but enough to be annoying as hell.

“You know he loves the club,” she says. I roll my eyes again. ”Oh come on. He’s only here so he can try to hook up with my dancers.” She raises an eyebrow and smirks. “So?”

“So, I don’t want to lose them because of him.”

She sighs and says, “you know he wouldn’t hurt them.”

I leave to check that everything is ready for tonight while making sure that the light technicians are settled, and that the place is nice and clean.

The bouncers and security get in place so they’re ready when the door opens. I have a lot of security because we get our fair share of drunken bachelor parties, and they can sometimes get a little too loud and behave inappropriately towards the waitresses and I don’t want that. This is a place where people can come and have a good time. It’s not some strip club where men can shout vulgar things at my dancers or grope my waitresses.

Of course, as soon as the door opens, the first one I bump into is Marc.

“Hi, Minnie,” he says with a grin, which makes me roll my eyes and sigh. My parents named me Minnie because I was small when I was born. I’m only 5.3 and even though I’ve changed my name to Shay, Marc just keeps calling me Minnie

“If you don’t stop calling me that, I will ban you from my club,” I say. His grin grows. “Aww you know you love me.”

I scoff and his grin turns into a smirk before he says, “you know, I’m beginning to think that you don’t like me.”

“You catch on quickly.” I turn around on my heels and walk away from him while he’s laughing. Then he shouts, “SEE YOU LATER, MINNIE.”.

He goes out of his way to piss me off and I have no idea why. Faith and Marc’s parents were our next-door neighbors when I was a child. I spend most of my time there because every night, my parents would have a screaming match. It was often addressed to me, accusing me of ruining their marriage, so I often sneaked out of my window and went over to Faith’s.

Her parents always kept their back door unlocked at night so I could get in that way, and Marc always waited up for me and comforted me but when I became a teenager, the teasing started. He’s six years older than I am and, for some reason, he teased me more than he did Faith. So, of course, I started hating him.

The evening is running smoothly so I return to my office that’s filled with costumes that need fixing, which means there’s a lot of gluing pearls and rhinestones back on them.

Just then, Mia, one of my dancers, comes into my office, limping. Quickly putting the glue gun down, I go over to support her before I ask, “what happened?”

“I think I sprained my ankle. I’m so sorry, Shay.”

I quickly shake my head and get her to sit down in a chair. “Don’t be sorry. Come sit and let me have a look at it.” I gently examine her ankle, making her hiss. Then I say, “yeah, it’s definitely sprained.” I get her an ice pack and then I pull my phone out and call my sound guy.

“Dancer down. Postpone the next act. You know what to do.”

“No problem. Let me know when you’re ready.”

I hang up the phone and turn my attention back to Mia’s ankle. “I’m so, so sorry, Shay,” she says again. I give her a soft smile. “Stop apologizing. It’s not your fault.”

I’ve had a lot of sprained ankles, so I know how to bandage them. When I’m done, I say, “all done.” Then I find more ice packs for her. “Take these and I’ll help you upstairs.”

She sniffles and asks, “are you sure?” I give her another soft smile. “Absolutely. Now, come on.”

I help her on her feet and take her up to my apartment upstairs where I get her settled on the couch. When I’ve made sure she has everything she needs, I say, “alright, I gotta go. Just settle in and relax, babe.” She gives me a grateful smile. “Okay, thank you so much.”

I return her smile with a wide one. “No problem.” Then I hurry downstairs to the dressing room.

When a dancer is down, I take their place on the stage. I love to perform, but I hate that I always have to be in the front because I’m so freaking short. I don’t hate it because I hate to perform but because it should be my awesome dancers who should be at the front of the stage. Not me.

I quickly apply some make-up, fix my short, blond, pixie style hair, and get dressed before I call my sound guy.

Pussycat Dolls ‘Buttons’ starts playing and I dance my way out onto the stage with all my other dancers.

We dance seductively and flirt with both the men and the women that are seated at the tables in front of the stage. At one point, I notice that Marc is looking at me, almost devouring me with his eyes, which makes me raise my eyebrows slightly.

What the hell? He’s seen me dance a thousand times before, but he’s never looked at me the way he is now. He teases me like a little sister, so why is he looking at me like that?

When the song is over, my dancers and I go into the dressing room where they change outfits.

“Good job, girls. You looked hot as always,” I say.

“Thanks. What happened to Mia?” Sharon, one of my dancers, asks.

“Yeah, I’ll call in a backup dancer.”

She shakes her head. “Oh no you won’t. You’re going out on that stage to shake that fine ass of yours.” I shake my head myself. “No, Diana can-.”

“Pleeease. It’s so much fun when you dance with us.”

Tilting my head back, I groan and say, “you suck.” She laughs and helps me change outfits before we all go back out on the stage. Luckily, I only have to dance two more routines and then the girls can handle the rest.

When I’m done, and since the club is packed, I change into a waitress uniform and go out to help at the bar.

“Alright Faith, what have you got for me?” I ask, making her smirk. “A bottle of whiskey to the VIP section.” I sigh and say, “please don’t tell me it’s for your brother.” Her smirk grows. “No can do.” I groan, take the tray, and make my way over to the VIP section.

I spot Marc at a table with a bunch of his friends, including Faith’s fiancé, Shawn. I put down the tray and give them the whiskey as I say, “here you go, boys.” Shawn smiles at me. “Hey, Shay, how are you doing tonight?” I return his smile with a wide one. “I’m doing good Shawn. You?”

Lie. My feet are killing me in these high heels.

“When my fiancé’s shift is over, I’ll be good.”

I chuckle. “Yeah. She’s very busy, so that might not be for a while.” He pouts, making me chuckle again.

Then I notice that Marc is looking at me, and I can’t quite read the look in his eyes, which is unusual because I know him in and out. I turn to him and ask, “no girl tonight, Marc?” He shakes his head. “Nah, not feeling it tonight.” I fake a shocked expression and put my hand on his forehead. “Are you sick?”

He chuckles and smirks before he says, “maybe.” Rolling my eyes, I turn to the other guys at the table before I ask, “anything else I can get you guys?”

“Your number,” one of the guys says before he smacks my ass, making me stiffen. It’s a guy I’ve never seen before, and I see that Marc quirks a brow with a smirk tugging on his lips. “Bad move, dude.”

Slowly turning around, I look at the guy, lean down, and smile sweetly before I ask, “do you see that guy over there?” He turns his head and looks at a big, bulky guy who’s looking straight at us, making him swallow.

“That’s Knuckles. If you ever touch me or my staff in any way, I will make him throw you out of my club, violently. Do you hear me?”

His eyes widen and he swallows again before he stammers, “y-your club?”

Still with a smirk tugging on his lips, Marc chuckles so I turn around and smack him on the back of his head before I say, “don’t bring him here again.”

Then I turn back to the guy and give him another sweet smile. “Now, you boys have a nice evening.” With that, I turn around and walk back to the bar.

“How are they? And when I say they, I mean my fiancé,” Faith says.

“He’s good. Waiting for you to get off work.”

She smirks. “Oh, he’ll get me off, alright.” She wiggles her eyebrows and I roll my eyes with a smile. “Next order.”

She fills my tray with drinks and says, “table seven.” I nod. “Got it.”

I walk around, serving drinks for the rest of the night until it slows down and the waitresses can handle the rest. Then I go over to Faith and say, “I’m off, babe. See you tomorrow.”

I make my way up to my apartment where I immediately take off my heels and rub my feet, which almost makes me hiss because they feel like they could fall off any minute now.

I find Mia sleeping in the guest room with an icepack on her ankle, so I gently remove it and pull the covers over her.

When I moved in, I got an extra bedroom made in case one of the girls would get injured, or they’d be too tired to go home. Then they could always crash here.

I decide to take a bath to loosen up my sore muscles and aching feet. When I turn on the water to fill the bathtub, I put some scented oils and bath salts in it and wait until it’s full before I lower my body into the hot water. While it soothes my muscles, I massage my feet while my mind wanders to how the night went.

Note to self: call a backup dancer and order more wine and scotch glasses plus more shirts for the bartenders.

Then I start to think about new routines and, for some reason, Marc. The way he looked at me when I danced… And for some reason, my eyes kept wandering to him because of the way he looked at me. It was so weird. He’s never looked at me like he did tonight.

Shaking my head, I sigh because I’m too tired to think about that right now.

When the water starts getting cold, I get up, dry myself off, and put on my pj’s. I make a cup of tea and take it into the bedroom where I crawl under the covers and let out a long sigh of contentment. Then I read some magazines from vendors, and other stuff for the club.

Finishing the tea, I get comfortable and get some much-needed sleep.

I wake up early in the afternoon and instantly smell coffee, so I get out of bed and go into the open planned kitchen/living room where Mia is sitting at the kitchen table, reading a magazine.

I smile at her and say, “morning, Mia. How’s your ankle?”

I laugh and shake my head. “Yeah, that sucks.” She nods. “Mm hm. There’s fresh coffee if you want some?” I give her a grateful smile. “Thanks. You’re a lifesaver.”

I pour myself a cup and take a sip before I ask, “do you want me to take you to the hospital today?” She shakes her head. “Nah. You know what you’re doing when it comes to sprained ankles.” I chuckle. I definitely do. It’s a big risk you take as a dancer. Especially when you dance in high heels.

“Alright, go sit your ass on the couch and relax,” I say, making her roll her eyes with a smile. “Yes, mom.”

I chuckle again and go over to my aquarium to feed my fish. I got them because I’ve always felt relaxed when I look at them. It’s almost hypnotizing. It’s my way of meditating.

Sitting down next to Mia on the couch, I take another sip of coffee and sigh in contentment. There’s nothing better than a good cup of morning coffee.

“So, do you have any plans today?” Mia asks me. I nod. “Yeah, I have a salsa class today.” She raises a brow. “Really? I didn’t know you took salsa lessons.” I smile and shrug before I say, “I have for years. It’s so much fun and I always have a good time with my dance partner, Eli.”

She smiles. “Maybe I could come?” Chuckling, I pat her thigh. “Concentrate on getting better first. When your ankle has healed, I’ll take you there.”

I look at the clock hanging on the wall, drink the rest of my coffee, and say, “alright, I have to be there in an hour. Do you want me to drive you home?”

She looks down and fidgets a little, so I give her a soft smile. “You know you can stay here as long as you want to, right?” She looks at me, smiling a little and asks, “yeah?”

She quirks a brow. “And what’s that?”

“You have to make me morning coffee every day,” I say, grinning. She laughs and nods. “I can definitely do that.” I give her a big smile and lean in to hug her. “Great. Now, I have to get dressed.”

Going into my bedroom, I put on a light blue tank top and a matching short, flowy skirt before I grab my bag, say goodbye to Mia, and make my way to the dance studio where I’m greeted by my dance partner.

He grabs me, dips me, and gives me a quick kiss, making me chuckle against his lips. “Hello to you too, Eli.”

He brings me back on my feet and smiles before he asks, “are you ready to shake your ass today? I smile. “Aren’t I always? He grins and nods. “Good, because I’m pumped today.”

That makes me groan. “You’re going to swing me around the whole room today, aren’t you?”

“Ohh yes, I am,” he say, winking at me, making me sigh.

I’m at my sister’s place, chatting with Shawn. He called me earlier, begging me to come over because Faith is in bridezilla mode and for some reason, he thinks I can calm her down, which I know I can’t.

He gives me a beer and I take a sip of it before I say, “so, the big day is almost here.” He sighs. “Yeah, hence the chaos. I love Faith with all my heart, but she’s driving me crazy with all this wedding stuff. Isn’t it supposed to be the bride that arranges it?” I chuckle. “Count yourself lucky that she wants to include you.”

“I know, I know, but I just don’t care if the tablecloths are white or off white. Thank God Shay is coming over to help today.”

My heart beats a little faster and I swallow a big gulp of beer before I ask, “she is?”

My heart beats faster and I can feel that my palms are getting sweaty. That’s bad. That’s so, so bad. After last night at the club, I had hoped I wouldn’t see her today. Well, I want to see her, I just hoped it would be in a couple of days so I could get myself together.

Last night was different from what it normally is. I can usually control the way I look at her, but it slipped last night. I’ve always been able to hide that I’m looking at her when she dances but, for some reason, I couldn’t last night.

You see... I’m in love with Shay.

Inkitt’s mission is to discover talented writers and turn them into globally successful authors.

Authors can write and upload their manuscripts on Inkit for free and writers retain 100% of their copyrights while writing on Inkitt

Readers can read all books for free, without any ads and give the authors feedback.

Books that perform well based on their reader engagement are published on our Galatea app.

--------------------------------------------------

### Chapter 2: Chapter 2

I finish the salsa class, take a shower, and get dressed in a beige sweaterdress with matching high-heeled boots that reach my knees. When I get out of the locker room, I meet Eli on the way out of the door. He smiles at me and says, “thanks for the dance, beautiful. Until next time.” I return his smile. “See you, Eli.”

We give each other a peck on the lips before I head over to Faith’s house. There’s absolutely nothing between me and Eli. He kisses everybody. Not long sensual kisses. No, it’s just a peck on the lips and nothing more.

When I get out to my old, rusty, yellow VW Beetle, I get in the driver’s seat and start driving. My very own piece of shit. It gets me from A to B which is what matters.

When I get to Faith’s place, I see that Marc’s motorcycle is parked outside, which makes me tilt my head back and groan because I don’t think I can handle his teasing without losing my mind today.

When I get inside the house, I hear raised voices coming from the kitchen, so I go in there and find Faith and her mother, Helen, arguing.

“Why don’t you want lilies?” Helen asks, making Faith roll her eyes and sigh in annoyance. “Because Shawn wants roses and I agree with him!”

When they see me, Faith almost runs over to me, takes my hands, and squeezes the life out of them. “Oh thank God, Shay. You’ve got to help me out here.”

I’m the maid of honor and it’s my job to take on almost impossible tasks but I gladly make them happen because this is Faith. My childhood friend. My sister.

I smile at her and Helen before I say, “I heard something about flowers.” Faith nods. “Yes, I want roses but mom wants lilies.”

I glance at Helen and bite back a smile before I say, “if you want roses, I’ll make sure you get roses.” Helen throws her hands up in the air. “I give up.” With that, she leaves the kitchen, huffing.

Faith gives me a very grateful smile and lets go of my hands. I shake them to get some feeling back into them before I sit down at the kitchen table and look at her wedding binder.

“Alright, babe. What are we looking at here?” I ask. She sits down next to me and shows me some pictures of centerpieces. “I like these ones. What do you think?” I smile at her as I say, “I think they’re beautiful.” She chews on the inside of her cheek. “Yeah?”

I move my hand up and down her back to make her relax. “Mm hm. They fit with the napkins, and they complement your dress. Pick the style you like the best and I’ll make it happen.” She gives me a big smile before she throws her arms around me and says, “you’re a lifesaver. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

I chuckle. “Oh, I’m sure you could make it happen without me.”

When she lets go of me, I smile again. “Alright, why don’t I make you a cup of tea before we head to the dress fitting.” She gets a horrified look on her face. “ Shit ! I forgot about that.” I chuckle again and teasingly ask, “what bride forgets about the dress?”

I laugh just as Shawn peeks around the corner. “Is it safe?” I smile as I nod. “Yeah, the danger is over.” He sighs in relief and comes into the kitchen before he wraps his arms around Faith’s shoulders from behind. “Baby, Marc and I are going to get our tuxedos fitted. Are you going to be alright?” She sighs, “yeah.”

He kisses the top of her head and just then, Marc comes into the kitchen. “Lord, save me from mom. She’s driving me insane. Oh hi, Minnie,” he says with a smirk, making me roll my eyes.

“Stop teasing her,” Faith says, rolling her eyes herself but I can see she’s biting back a smile, which makes me narrow my eyes at her.

Then Marc asks me, “can I talk to you for a minute?” I raise an eyebrow and shrug. “Sure.” I get up and follow him into the hallway where he stops and scratches the back of his neck. “So, uhm, I was hoping you’d do me a favor.”

I narrow my eyes. “What kind of favor?” He sighs. “There’s this girl…” I cross my arms over my chest. “Of course there is. What about her?

Melanie is one of the bridesmaids. I don’t like her, but I tolerate her because she’s a good friend of Faith’s.

“What about her?” I ask. He scratches his neck again. “Well, she keeps asking me to be her date for the wedding.” I quirk a brow, looking at him a little confused. “So?” He sighs and says, “I really don’t like her.”

That makes me crack up laughing, making him slightly narrow his eyes at me. “Hey!”

When I finally stop laughing, I dry my eyes and ask, “and what do you want me to do about it?” He looks at me for a moment and then he asks the last question I thought he’d ask, “would be my ‘date’?”

My eyes widen in shock. He can’t be serious, can he? “What?” He almost looks at me pleadingly while he says, “you’d be doing me a huge favor and I’ll owe you for the rest of my life. Just save me from Melanie. Pleeease?”

The look on his face is just too funny, so I forget about feeling shocked and start laughing again. I know I’ll do it. As much as he annoys me, I’d do anything for him and Faith. They’re my family. I just want him to suffer a little longer.

“This is too funny,” I say, slapping my thigh. He gets down on his knees, puts his hands together in a plea, and looks at me pleadingly again but he’s also looking amused. “Please, please, please, please.”

I manage to stop laughing and say, “alright, alright. I’ll do it.” He jumps up on his feet and hugs me tightly and I chuckle against his chest. His familiar scent hits my nose. It makes me feel safe, just like it did when he comforted me when I was younger.

“Thank you so much. I knew I could count on you,” he says with the brightest smile on his face. “Yeah, yeah. Just don’t make it a habit.” I slap his chest, making him chuckle and we go back into the kitchen.

Shawn, the other groomsmen, and I arrive at the shop to get our tuxedos fitted. While we get them fitted, Shawn glances at me until he asks, “so, did Shay agree to go to the wedding with you?” Every time someone mentions her, a warmth spreads in my chest and I have to bite back a smile.

He chuckles. “That’s seriously nice of her considering the fact she hates you.” I chuckle myself. “Yeah, I know. She’s a good girl.”

“Uh huh,” he says, looking at me with a smirk tugging on his lips. I raise an eyebrow. “What?” He shrugs. “I’ve just noticed something lately.”

“And what’s that?” I ask. He glances at me again before he says, “well, you’ve been looking at her a little... Differently.” Shit. I know that I’ve had some trouble keeping up my façade lately, but I didn’t think anyone had noticed.

I try to act like I don’t know what he’s talking about, so I frown before I ask him exactly that and he sighs. “How long have you been in love with her?”

I widen my eyes and look at him like he’s insane. “Are you crazy? I’m not in love with her.” He gives me a ′ really’ look and says, “I’ve known you for a long time, Marc. I’ve had my suspicions for a while and last night, you couldn’t take your eyes off her.”

Shit! Should I just come clean? I’ve been holding this to myself all my life. It would be nice to finally have someone to talk to about it, and he’s right. We’ve known each other for a long time, so I might as well admit it to him.

Glancing at him, I say, “look, just keep it to yourself, okay? Nobody needs to know.” He quickly shakes his head. “I won’t say anything. You have my word. So… How long?”

I look at him for a moment before I almost mumble, “all my life.” His eyes widen and his jaw drops. “What? Seriously?” I nod and shrug like it’s no big deal and say, “yes. From the first time she came over in the middle of the night to get away from her parents. I’ve always been able to keep my distance, but it’s getting harder and harder. Last night... I don’t know. I just couldn’t stop myself. She’s... Perfect.”

Shawn slowly nods a couple of times. “That’s rough. Why haven’t you told anyone?” I shrug again. “Because I should see her as a little sister. She sure as hell sees me as an annoying older brother. Nothing will ever happen so it really doesn’t matter.” He looks at me for a moment before a slow smile spreads on his face. “So that’s why you only go to second base with a girl?”

I just nod because I don’t know what to say. He knows I haven’t had many relationships. In fact, I’ve only been in one but, obviously, it didn’t work out. Plus, it wasn’t fair to be with my ex when all I could think about was Shay.

I look at Shawn and see that he’s looking like he’s debating something with himself, which makes me raise a brow and look at him questioningly. Then he finally asks, “do you think it’s a good idea to have her as your date for the wedding?”

My shoulders drop and I sigh before I run my hands over my face. “No, but she won’t notice anything. She’s just doing me a favor by keeping Melanie away from me, and… I get to be close to her.” He shakes his head. “You’ll never move on this way, Marc.”

“Well maybe I don’t want to!” I snap, and I immediately regret it. Running my hands over my face again, I say, “sorry, Shawn.” He shrugs. “It’s alright, man.”

Harry, one of the groomsmen and a good friend, pokes his head inside the fitting room and asks, “what’s going on?” Shawn smiles as he shakes his head. “Nothing. Just joking around.” Harry smiles. “About?”

“Well, Marc thinks I’m going to faint at the altar.”

Harry bursts out laughing, and I can’t help but chuckle.

The rest of the fitting goes smoothly and when we’re done, I head home.

I’m standing on a little podium in the dress shop, getting the bridesmaid dress fitted. It’s a long, tight, lavender one with spaghetti straps. It’s really beautiful which I’m very grateful for, but I’d wear a potato sack for Faith’s sake.

She smiles brightly at me and says, “you look beautiful, Shay.” I return her smile with a big one. “Thanks. It’s a beautiful color.”

“I think so too. And it fits your body perfectly.”

Melanie comes into the room, looks at me, and turns to the seamstress before she asks, “could you fit my dress like that too? It looks much better.”

Urgh. I hadn’t noticed her sneaking up on us. I really do hate her. Even Marc doesn’t like her, and he rarely dislikes anyone.

The dressmaker looks at Melanie and says, “I can try, but your body type is different from hers.”

Our bodies are very different. She’s beautiful with curves and big breasts. I’ve always been a little jealous of her curves. My body is a dancer’s body. Thinner and more muscular.

Melanie grits her teeth and glares at the poor seamstress. “Just do it!” Faith sighs and says, “come on, Melanie. Yours fit beautifully. It shows all your curves just right.” Melanie looks a little more satisfied, but she still glances at me before she leaves.

Faith sighs again. “She can be a little high maintenance.” I nod and give her an understanding smile. She knows I don’t like Melanie and Melanie definitely doesn’t like me, so it must be hard for Faith. That’s why I’m doing my best not to lose my shit on Melanie.

When the seamstress is satisfied with my dress, I take it off and get dressed in my own clothes before we gather the other bridesmaids and go out to get lunch.

We reach a café and find a booth to sit in before we order our food. When we get it, we start to eat until Melanie says, “so, Shay. I heard that you’re going to the wedding with Marc.”

I stiffen. Crap. News travels fast around here. I wonder how she’s going to take this?

“Uh, yes. It’s easier that way. Saves me from finding a date.”

She almost glares at me and it takes everything I have not to roll my eyes at her.

Then she changes the subject completely by asking, “why did you open a club like that, Shay?” Looking at her questioningly, I raise a brow and ask, “what do you mean?”

“I mean, your club seems a little bold.”

Clenching my jaw, I slowly get up and ball my hands into fists. “Did you seriously call my club bold?”

“What the fuck, Melanie,” Faith says, looking shocked as hell. I’m shocked too but I’m angrier than I’m shocked, so I say, “you know what, Melanie? Screw you! I’m done playing nice. Sorry Faith, but I’ve had enough. I’ll see you tomorrow.

With that, I leave the cafe and head home. I usually don’t care what people think about my club, but she got under my skin. I really, truly, hate her.

The club is packed tonight, and everything is running smoothly, so I’m in my office, fixing outfits when Marc comes in. I look at him a little surprised because he’s never been here before.

“Marc? What are you doing here?”

He smiles and shrugs before he says, “just wanted to see how you were doing. I heard what happened with Melanie.” I chuckle. “Yeah, she’s a peach.” He scratches his neck while he gives me an apologetic look. “I feel like I owe you an apology. I think it’s my fault because I asked you to the wedding instead of her.”

I smirk. “I’m actually glad you did. Pissing her off has now become my favorite hobby.” He laughs and sits down next to me, looking at the mess on the sewing table.

“This looks like a challenge. Need any help?”

I stop what I’m doing and look at him with my brows raised all the way up to my hairline. “You want to help me glue rhinestones on these?” I ask as I wave a bustier in front of him. He just smiles and says, “sure. Why not.”

I can’t help but laugh because this is just too funny. Just imagining him with a glue gun makes me crack up.

“What’s gotten into you lately? You seem different,” I say when I finally stop laughing.

He scratches his neck, almost looking a little embarrassed. “I guess I’m trying to change.” I raise my brows and ask, “why? Ohh, is it because of a girl?” He gets an even more embarrassed look on his face, which just looks adorable. I’ve never seen him look like this.

“Maybe,” he says, making me smile as I ask, “anyone I know?” He nods. “Actually, yes.”

Uhh, this is getting good. I’ve only seen him in a relationship once but, unfortunately, it didn’t work out, which was a shame. He needs a good woman in his life. Yes, he usually annoys the shit out of me, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think he deserves a good woman.

“Who?” I ask him with a big, curious smile on my face, making him chuckle. “Not going to tell you.”

“Oh come ooon,” I almost beg, making him chuckle again. “Not going to happen.”

I huff with a smile before I hand him a glue gun and a box of rhinestones. He starts working concentrated with his tongue out of his mouth and I can’t help but smile. I like this softer side of him. Maybe he really is trying to change. I hope he gets the girl. He deserves to be happy.

Inkitt’s mission is to discover talented writers and turn them into globally successful authors.

Authors can write and upload their manuscripts on Inkit for free and writers retain 100% of their copyrights while writing on Inkitt

Readers can read all books for free, without any ads and give the authors feedback.

Books that perform well based on their reader engagement are published on our Galatea app.

--------------------------------------------------