Chapter 1
This was it. The box was hot, her makeup was thick, and the veil of sweat she wore was even thicker. His hands clasp the handle of the saw, and he stops everything he's doing to just hear the audience. The young children are clinging to each other like stars to the night sky, whispering about his assistant who hid in the box below him. The adults who have undoubtedly seen this trick before are still on the edge of their seats. This was it. Tonight, they were stars.
Gray slammed his shot glass on the table, a clink resonating thought the crowded bar.
"I'll have another." He licks his lips and says to the bartender.
"Gray-sama, you've already had too much..." His 'lovely' assistant was trying to protect his 'lovely' liver. How sweet.
Juvia sipped on a virgin daiquiri, eyeing a woman who was wearing a revealing dress and far too much eyeliner.
"Juvia, what are you looking at?" Gray asks, receiving his drink from the other side of the bar. She shoots the glass an annoyed glance.
"That woman was a volunteer." She stirs around her drink with a wilting umbrella.
"Yeah, what about her?" Gray throws back another drink and calls for the tender.
Juvia was about to complain that she was looking at them weird when the woman walked towards Gray, hips swinging, eyes surging and hair swishing.
She parted her lips to speak, and thus began the worst night of Gray's life.
Juvia has done it this time. Really. She sat up, covered her chest, scanned the room and sighed. Yes, Juvia Lockser was officially screwed.
Early morning sun filtered through the shades, and after checking the alarm clock on the bedside table, Juvia was certain she could leave. That is, if she could take Gray's arm off of her.
She squirmed gently and gave up, and forcefully attempted to roll out of his grip, only to be pulled back, so that they faced each other, noses almost brushing against each other, his dark eyes on hers.
Her heart begins to pound, erratically and painfully.
"Leaving so soon?"