Chapter 2

Antonella

You know that moment when you look in the mirror and say: Are you rocking today? Well, that was my day. At this very moment, I was putting on makeup to go to a strip club. I had never been there, but my best friend, Raquel, was dying to go.

They say that the concert hall is always full. I can even imagine: a lot of crazy women to give to guys. Then you must ask me: What are you going to do there? Simple, I want to enjoy my life. I work as a novel writer. I write really spicy books, you know? The kind that can drive anyone crazy.

And that's what happened when my brother found out I was writing. It was supposed to be a secret, but there was no way. To this day I don't know how he found out. But, thinking about it now, I suspect Raquel told my brother. In fact, I don't know and I don't even want to know, because if I find out she did, I don't know what I'm capable of doing. However, thinking of another hypothesis, if she did, she must have been coerced. Although I know those two, I think there's attraction in the air there. Well, they who are big understand each other.

I looked at myself in the mirror and I was very happy with what I saw, I was wearing a black dress with a V-neck, very tight in the body. When I saw him in a mall window, I literally fell in love. It was beautiful.

Returning to my favorite subject, I was a person, as they say, with a big body. I've always had a bit of a complex, after all I was a skinny child, but then, as a teenager, I started to gain weight and ended up being everyone's laughing stock. That was humiliation.

The ringing of my phone snapped me out of my daydreams, and when I went to see it, it was my friend's picture that was showing on the viewfinder.

- Hi Raquel.

"Hi, Nella, are you ready?"

"Of course we do, today we're going to break up," we started laughing.

“Absolutely, Nella. Let's see all those shirtless men, holy shit, that's going to be really good.

“I think so too,” I laughed.

Raquel was the opposite of me. She was beautiful, thin, brunette with green eyes. And I, well, as you already know, I was a pretty big woman. She always drew attention for her beauty, always hanging out with the hottest guys. And I'm definitely still going to want to know if she ever hooked up with Davi's mole.

— Nella, I'm turning on your street, come down now, for us to enjoy.

"You can," I said, and hung up the phone.

I checked once more that everything was ok with my clothes and, seeing that everything was OK, I ran to get my bag, where I put the documents that I thought would be necessary in case something went wrong inside the fun place.

I must have been crazy imagining these things, but since my job was basically imagining, that was normal. My imagination has always run wild.

I left my apartment, closed the door and went straight to the elevator.

I loved my home. Living alone had its perks, because I could do whatever I wanted, I mean more or less, if my brother's human beast didn't show up. It still hasn't dawned on him that I was already quite grown up and living alone.

I came to live in São Paulo when I turned 20, and my brother wanted to because he wanted me to live with him. It's bad, huh?! He was getting on my nerves by living in separate houses, let alone living under the same roof.

I got off the elevator and went to meet Raquel, who was looking beautiful.

— Wow, look at author Antonella, how beautiful she is — she told me, joking.

— Look at my proofreader, someone's going to have a heart attack seeing how you're dressed! I replied, and saw her eyes light up as she realized who I was referring to.

“Yes, but he doesn't want me, no. He likes that watery blonde of his,” she said sadly.

— Well, don't be like that, no, Raquel, he doesn't deserve you.

- It is true. Let's forget, after all, we're going there to do a research lab - she replied, winking, making me want to laugh even more in her face.

Raquel was crazy, and that was what I loved most about her, these craziness. As soon as we met, we didn't get along very well, but as time went by, we got to know each other better and we soon felt that connection, it felt like we'd known each other for a long time, and it was really good. We are in this friendship of sisters to this day.

I got into Raquel's car, which was very comfortable, a red Fox. I know there are people who find it very targeted, but what can you do?! He was beautiful.

My car was under maintenance. And it didn't make much difference, because I didn't use it much, only when I was needed at the publishing house. Oh, I haven't said it yet, I'm wanting to have my own publishing house, and, God willing, I'll still make this dream come true.

We were talking, joking and laughing. When we arrived at the place, it was top. You know those jaw-dropping ones? The place was called Seduction. I don't even need to say how fair that name was for the place, right? Well, Raquel parked, we got out of the car, and even the valet came. This was pure luxury, she was anxious to see if it was like the outside.

For everything girls! What was that?! I almost choked on the performance of the guys swaying.

"Holy shit, Raquel, we're in paradise," I told her.

"Yes, Nella, put heaven on it," she replied, laughing.

“Thanks for bringing me here,” I said.

At first I didn't want to go, but now I was loving it. We walked to our table, which was very close to the stage, and from there I could see the dancers. And there was each one that… my God! Heavenly Father was more than generous with some of them.

"Nella, what a delight here, isn't it?" – Raquel asked me, very excited, looking at the guys. She was right, she was more than having fun.

- Yes and how! - I barely finished answering and this very sexy waiter came, shirtless, showing all the pecs. Oh my Father!

— Will you take anything, girls? the sexy waiter asked us.

"Yes, we do," I replied, and went through our orders. While we waited, we stayed there watching, practically in a box, them dancing to Shania Twain with the song Man! I Feel Like A Woman.

How cool to see those guys dancing to these songs! Loved listening to Shania Twain.

Our drinks arrived and then we started having fun. The next thing we know, we were dancing along with the dancers. I myself didn't know how we got there, I just knew I was dancing with a hottie. I was so distracted and I was almost on fire for that man who was holding me so tightly; she was on the verge of begging to be kissed. And that I knew I couldn't, it was one of the house rules, but I was dying to break it.

I noticed that Raquel turned pale, and suddenly I stopped dancing. That's when I saw my brother coming in. I almost had a fight with Raquel—almost, if I hadn't noticed the pallor on her face—because she hadn't said anything.

I excused myself from the hot guy I was dancing with, walked down from the stage and ran into my brother's dick guy.

"What are you doing here, David?" I asked, with all the calm that seemed not to be in me.

“I heard you were here,” he told me, just like that, out of nowhere.

"David, I told you, leave us alone," I asked, as if that would help.

"No, Antonella, you're leaving here," he said calmly.

"But I won't," I replied, in a very loud voice.

"Antonella, don't make me pick you up and throw you over my shoulders," he threatened me. Poor thing, he didn't even know who he was dealing with.

“I want to see you catch me, you idiot. You can get your troop out of here that you insisted on bringing here,” I said, looking around.

“I won't take anything away.

- What? I replied, changed.

“I came here for the owner, Antonella. Then, to my surprise, I find you and Raquel dancing like two bitches in heat—he called us a bitch, and it wouldn't be like that, no.

I went closer to him, took him by the arm and gave him a tight squeeze, making him almost moan in pain. I know his weaknesses, I'm grateful he taught me how to fight, even though I'm strong.

“Damn, Nella, I'm sorry,” he told me.

"Don't ever do that again, because I don't know what I'm capable of doing to you," I replied, scathingly.

“I already apologized, Antonella. Another thing, I already told you that I don't want him to go into those places — wait, he must be crazy!

— Don't start, David, go away, go.

"I'm going, and you're going with me, you can come here, Dona Raquel," he said, looking at me and calling to Raquel.

"We won't," I replied.

“Okay, so I'm going to close the establishment down,” he said, and then walked away, leaving both of us stunned.

“Nella, your brother is an idiot,” my friend commented, and I agreed with her.