Crazy For You

Crazy for you After Dark Series – 01 2 nd edition Copyright © 2013 by A. C. Meyer All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form by any means without the written permission of the publishers.   Copy editing: Laura Pohl Digital layout: Andreia Barboza Cover: Fernanda Fernandez   Text revised according to the new Orthographic Agreement of the Portuguese Language.       Translation to American English by: Paulo de Faria LopesTo my mother. Because no other love in the world compares to hers.Chapter one   Julie   Can you picture this girl lying in bed? Yes, the thin little blonde one, with glasses on and Sponge Bob pajamas, wrapped up in her duvet and hearing the moaning going on next door? Lovely to meet you, that’s me, and I’m going to tell you my story. Every night I wake up frightened by the sounds from the house next door. And every night I feel jealous of those moans f

Chapter three   Julie   While I wait for my two fairy godmothers, I go to the stage to talk to the boys of the band to find out what is the setlist of the night. I have good musical memory and zero difficulty reciting lyrics. Besides, I've sung with them countless times during rehearsal—and away from Danny, of course. "Is our star ready to shine?” Alan, the guitarist, asks. He's the hottest of the three musicians. Tall, very straight brown hair and full of tattoos. I often joke with Jo that he's the embodiment of Kellan Kyle, the good guy from S.C. Stephens' book, Intenso Demais . "Yesss!” I'm very nervous, but I want to do my best. I want this to be the first of many performances. "You know that when Danny finds out...”   "Leave Danny out of it. Saturday night people come here because they want to dance to the sound of The Band. We can't let our fans down — I speak with a smile on my face, showing a safety I don't feel while trying to wrap him up.

Chapter five   Daniel I cannot believe it. After spending long hours visiting properties, having meetings with owners, brokers and investors, and still a business dinner too long for my liking, I finally get to the hotel bedroom to take a bath and rest. I had to be really focused, as Zach was in and out all the time taking calls or sending text messages. I roll my eyes as I remember the number of times this went on. The guy comes to help me but his mind is elsewhere. I should have brought Rafe along as he is a better planner. I open into a big yawn, while I stretch, feeling tired. I always worked better at night. That’s why waking up early to travel and go through the day taking care of all those bureaucratic activities knocks me down harder than spending the night at the bar. I must confess that being far away from After Dark really hurts me. The bar is my life. I don’t have kids and I’m not married (thank God!). My daily focus is my business, which has bee

Chapter seven   Julie   After the shopping marathon, my week was pretty quiet. I rehearsed quite a lot the setlist of the show on the stage of After Dark that we would present on Friday. Daniel hadn't come back from the business trip yet, which reassured me. Rafe said he should only really come back on Saturday and didn't bring up any obstacle for me to rehearse at the bar. As they say, as soon as the cats get out, the rats throw the party! Finally Friday arrived. In the afternoon, Jo and I go to a salon near After Dark to fix the hair and get the nails done. I put on denim shorts and a loose blouse that falls on the shoulder leaving it exposed. On the feet, flat sandals. I let my hair down, even though I can't fix it the way George did. Yet. Learning to groom myself is among one of my goals for the next few weeks. I hold the makeup case and apply mask on the eyelashes and a gloss. When I finish, I look closely in the mirror and feel different. It's not just the

Chapter nine   Julie   Holy Rafe! I must remember to include him in my prayers. When I think everything is lost and Alan will kiss me in front of this crowd —and worse, in front of Danny, which would make things tenser between us—Rafe shows up to save me like a prince on a white horse. When Alan held me, I panicked for two reasons. First, afraid that someone would see what they shouldn't, as the dress was short and the panties were missing. Second, the expression Danny had on his face when we were both just singing wasn't good already. I didn't even wanna fathom the explosion he'd have with a kiss on the mouth at the end of the show. The moment Alan said I'd be his today, Rafe walks on stage and thanked the band for the show, interrupting my band mate's sudden romantics. Taking the cue, I thanked the audience and left the stage faster than a rocket. I didn't stop to talk to anyone. I pulled George, who was waiting for me backstage, and then we get out throug