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4. Megan

I hurried towards my dressing room, banging on Angie's door as I passed.

"Angie, help me," I shouted as I continued down the corridor, pulling off my wig as I went.

She arrived seconds behind me. "What? What's wrong?" she panicked.

I grinned. "I have a date. I need to look amazing. I have 10 minutes," I blurted out, consulting my watch.

"Hey, I'm good, but I'm not a miracle worker," she joked. She surveyed me closely. "You need to look like you didn't make much effort. How much do you like this guy?"

I opened my mouth to respond. But I didn't know how to tell her he turned my legs to jelly without sounding pathetic. I closed it again and sighed heavily.

"That much, huh?" she gave me a sympathetic look. "Ok, then. Let's get busy."

Within ten minutes, I was transformed from Candy to a sexy version of Megan. A mixture of my tight jeans, Angie's cleavage exposing vest top and heels borrowed from another dressing room made me look not too shabby. But not too desperate. Angie applied a layer of clear gloss to my lips as I brushed my dark hair into shape.

"Will I do?" I asked her, twirling for full effect.

"He won't know what hit him," she winked.

I grabbed my bag and headed for the door. Less than twenty minutes. Even I was impressed.

"Hey, Meg," she shouted after me. "You forgot this," she tossed something to me. I instinctively reached to catch it.

I opened my hand. Condoms.

"Ang, I just met him," I protested.

"Yeah, so it makes sense to be safe," she said with a wide grin.

I shook my head and rolled my eyes at her. "I should be so lucky," I smirked.

But she couldn't help but laugh as I tucked them into my bag, despite my protests.




I hurried outside and found Joe leaning on the wall waiting for me, smoking a cigarette.

"Wow, you look amazing," he greeted me between draws.

"Why thank you," I dipped a little curtsey for him and he laughed. "Those things'll kill ya," I moved up close to him, plucking the cigarette from between his lips.

He started to protest, but they turned to laughter as he watched me take a deep draw and savour the smoke, before placing it back between his lips.

"So, where to?" I asked him. He grabbed my hand and I felt a warm tingly sensation at his touch.

"Follow me," was all he said. And I did.

He led me to a basement bar, ten minutes from the club. As we entered, he nodded to the bartender and a couple of guys sitting near by. We ordered drinks and sat at a quiet booth in the back.

"So, do all the bartenders in Chicago know you or is this a one off?" I kidded him.

He laughed. "Ah, no, I kinda work here sometimes," he shrugged. "Pays the rent when the band aren't making any money. And they let us practice here. It's a cool place."

I toyed with my beer mat, nervously surveying the bar. God, first dates sucked. I lost all powers of conversation under the pressure of trying to be funny. Or trying to be interesting. Or at least trying to string a damn sentence together.

"So you said you went to school?" Relief flooded me as Joe decided to be the small talk maker.

"Uh, yeah. Law school," I confirmed with a nod.

"Wow. A pole dancing lawyer. That's different," he laughed as he swigged his beer.

"Well, I'd hate to be mundane," I grinned over at him.

He met my eyes. "You could never be that." He held my gaze and I felt my cheeks redden a little. "Your blushing," he whispered quietly, reaching across the table and grazing a finger against my hot cheek.

"Well compliments from cute guys will do that to you," I continued to hold the gaze, and watched a slight blush creep into his cheeks. "Now your blushing," I whispered, trailing my fingers against his cheek, mimicking his actions.

As I dropped my hand he caught it, lacing his fingers through mine, grinning at me. I couldn't help a smile spreading across my face too. I felt myself relax. Maybe first dates weren't all bad.

Three beers later, Joe caught me glancing at my watch. Three a.m. Damn, it was late. I had to get up in , like five hours.

"Do you want to go? I could walk you home?" he offered.

I nodded. "I really should. I have class at 9." I offered apologetically.

I grudgingly let go of his hand, missing the feeling of it immediately. He gathered up our bottles, placing them on the bar and waving goodnight to the bar man. He caught up with me at the door, and as we stepped outside, he entwined his fingers with mine again. I grinned up at him. Our walk home was purposefully slow. I didn't want the night to end.

"Well, this is me," I turned towards him as we came to a stop outside my building. Even in heels, he was taller than me. I looked up at him. "I had a really nice time tonight, Joe."

He smiled. "I did too. Wanna do it again, sometime?" he whispered, stepping a little closer to me, inclining his head towards me.

My breath caught in my throat. His lips were only inches from mine. As a reply, I moved my arms around his neck and pulled him the distance towards me, bringing his lips into contact with mine. I kissed him hard and deep, and felt his arms snake around my waist, pulling me closer towards him. He eagerly deepened the kiss, making my stomach knot with anticipation.

When I finally pulled away, we were both breathless.

"Wow, I'll take that as a yes," he grinned as he rested his forehead against mine. "Tomorrow?"

I smiled at his eagerness. "Yes, tomorrow. My night off," I agreed.

With one final kiss, I walked away from him. I felt like I was floating as he watched me go.