I don't see how I'm supposed to steer clear of the eye candy when it's dangling right in front of me, begging for attention. Nils may be my boyfriend, but Josh and Freddie aren't hard on the eyes. Of course I'm going to be attracted to them! One is Nils' older brother while the other is the definition of an Italian stallion. Any sane girl or gay guy would think they're hot!
There are two teensy problems: Nils Bouhous and Sofia Giante. I can't flirt with my boyfriend's brother for obvious reasons, and I'm here to visit Nils. Besides, there's the risk of my growing reputation falling to pieces if anyone suspects a thing since this is the boys' tour. And Sofia...she's protective of her older brother. She's pint-sized, but she won't be afraid to speak her mind about anything she thinks is wrong. If Sofia says something, word can relay back to the Bohous Brothers, which means Nils would know if I flirt with someone else.
You shouldn't let any of them affect your game plan, I think as Freddie and Josh walk by, shooting acknowledging nods in my direction. Look at them, Marquilla! There's no harm in a little fun. If Nils notices anything suspicious between you and Freddie, he'll blame him. Just walk over and tell Josh to fuck off for a sec. You got this!
I smooth my hair and stand tall in preparation. I glance at the pair, who seem to be in good spirits, laughing and smiling at each other. After a deep breath and assuring myself it'll be okay, I strut over to the boys.
"...Sofia's new show," Freddie extols. "She has to dye her hair for it, though. Oh, hey Marquilla! What's up with you?"
"I'm alright. I just need to talk to you about something,' I say as casually as possible. I eye Josh, who's giving me a look of disgust. "I promise it won't take long. I won't break your bro chat for long."
Despite the warning glance from Josh, Freddie joins me on the other side of the room and sits. I know Josh is carefully keeping guard; he knows I like Freddie. Thankfully Freddie's completely unaware and can't read the signs. He regards me with an innocence that makes him appear younger than his nineteen years. He ruffles his hair and smiles small as our eyes meet.
"Did I hear you correctly, or did Sofia actually land herself a role in a TV show?" I ask as I casually scoot closer.
"Yeah, she did! It's for a show called Glory and her character's named Valentina Patrick," he proudly responds. "It'll air on that other kid's channel—the one All That was on. They say it's gonna be huge!"
"Good for her. Maybe she'll be more famous than me."
He chuckles and shakes his head, amused at my playful dig at his sister's irrelevancy.
"So what's so important you had to pull me away from Josh? He told me Sofia's on her way a—"
I grab Freddie's face and kiss him. He stares at me, shocked, once I pull away, and his eyes widen. Guys are so cute when they're scared. I turn towards Josh, only to be faced with a livid Nils. So...I guess he saw us lock lips. My bad.
"WHAT THE HELL, FEDEZ?" Nils fumes. "THAT'S MY GIRLFRIEND!"
Freddie blinks back at Nils, frightened and hurt. He doesn't say a word. He just sits there and Nils glares at him with the purest form of hatred. Looks like someone is about to be fired. That wasn't my initial intention, but it'd be fun to see Sofia get defensive and try to come at me. It's not my fault Nils happened to see us kiss.
"I can't BELIEVE you'd fucking do that to me after how nice my brothers and I have been to you! I thought we were friends, Fedez! How would you feel if I just went over and kissed your girlfriend?"
"I-I don't have a girlfriend," Freddie shakily mentions. "But my ex and I a—"
"Well, how would you feel if I kissed her?" Nils furiously presses.
"Shitty. Nils, I-I didn't kiss Marquilla. She came onto me! She's the one wh—"
"Yeah, like I'm actually supposed to believe you. That's bullshit! I bet y—"
Out of nowhere, Josh grabs his brother before he can hurt Freddie. He was so close to laying a hand on him. Nils would have tackled Freddie at any given moment if it weren't for Josh. i knew Nils was protective over me, but I didn't think he'd nearly fight someone if we so much as flirted.
"I think you and Marquilla should go for a walk," Josh suggests, trying to restrain his brother as he wiggles around. "She can explain what happened, and I'll talk to Fedez about the bro code since that clearly needs to be reiterated."
"I agree with Josh," I voice as I stand. "There's no need to hurt anyone, babe. C'mon! Let's go for a little walk."
Nils' hardened expression softens as he looks at me. He sighs deeply and mutters "fine," defeated. Josh releases him, and he shoots me a look of disgust as Nils grabs my hand. If he thinks this is over, just wait until Sofia's gone.
"Sorry about that," Nils apologizes as we walk away. "It won't ever happen again. He's not laying another finger on you once I have a word with our head sound engineer."
***
There's no greater feeling than when a plan goes your way. Rumor has it Freddie warned Josh he'll be next—he laughed that off even though Freddie's right on the money—while Nils exploded once he spoke to Freddie alone. I should feel terrible about what I've done, but I don't think that's possible when my intention was to wind up Nils. I succeeded, and now I have to proceed to the next stage: Josh.
As I ponder ways to seduce Josh, the door bursts open. The boys are currently on stage, so whoever it is isn't one of them. It's also not Freddie since he's probably working the soundboard. Who would be rude enough to disturb my thoughts?
"YOU!" a squeaky voice shouts.
A quick turn to the door and I see Sofia madly huffing and glaring. Ah, so the pipsqueak is here to give me her two cents on what happened earlier! I assume Freddie tattled, or else she wouldn't seem so pissed. I'm surprised she hasn't jumped me yet. Her glare is so deathly, it could kill.
"What do you want?" I snap. "Can't you see I'm busy?"
"Doing what, ruining people's careers?" she fights, slamming the door shut. "Thanks to you, Fedez might lose his internship. This job means everything to him right now! How could you be so inconsiderate when you know how jealous Nils can get?"
"I wasn't trying to get Freddie fired, hon. I just wanted a kiss—maybe more. There's no harm in having fun, Miss Nobody. That show you just landed is probably gonna flop. Enjoy the fifteen minutes of fame when it arrives. That's all you'll get."
"If he wanted to kiss you and you didn't have a boyfriend, this wouldn't be a problem. You're UNBELIEVABLE! Nils won't believe you initiated it because you're his girlfriend. Ugh!"
"It's not my fault you have a hot brother," I shrug.
"Well, it's not his fault you can't control your goddamn hormones!" Sofia fumes, stomping a foot to accentuate her anger and frustration. "You know, you'll pay for this one day. People will see exactly what I see in you, and that'll damage your career."
"And what's that?" I challenge. "What do you see in me, Sofia?"
"I see a manipulative girl who'll do whatever it takes to climb to the top. You don't care who you knock down as long as it benefits you."
I lower my gaze and chuckle. Sofia's smart. I'll give her that. She's just unaware of my full potential. She doesn't know my capabilities because she barely knows me. Luckily for her, she's not threatening enough for me to target. As long as she sticks to TV, we'll be fine.
"You should leave. Like now," I calmly warn. "Don't want anyone to worry, right?"
Sofia's eyes are like two slits as they continue to regard me with pure hatred. She reminds me of a snake, except she's not venemously deadly. Sofia Giante is more like a little rat than a sneaky snake. She's tiny, squeaky, and starting to get on my nerves! She can try to challenge my ratings with her stupid show, but heaven forbid she pursues a singing career!
"You know what? I'll be the bigger person and leave you alone. I have a feeling this is only the beginning of our um, relationship. I don't want to start anything with you, but I'm keeping watch."
"For what? Scared I'll take you down?"
"If you hurt anyone else I care about, you'll be sorry," she gravely warns. "I can't have that."
"Whatever you say," I scoff. "I'll stay out of your way if you stay out of mine. It's that simple."
Satisfied with my response, Sofia leaves. I make myself comfortable again and lie down as I run through our talk. Sofia Giante thinks she has you all figured out, but she doesn't know half of it. You should flirt with her brother more to grind her gears, or do something drastic so he DOES get fired. Then, separate Josh and Skylar. She shouldn't have him, and he'll destroy her career if they stay together. Right. Exterminate Sofia before she gains relevancy, and save Skylar from Josh. That's your mission, Marquilla.
A/N:
So...how'd you enjoy that one? Thought I'd give this as a little present to you even though it's my birthday. I'm 25 now?!?!!