She’d gotten all the way to the hotel before she realized she wasn’t alone. She turned wordlessly and saw Dom standing there, leaning his shoulder against the side of her door.

She ran both hands through her hair and looked up, eyes swollen from tears. Looking up and biting her lip she wished she could just get it together. Was she overreacting? Probably. But who wouldn’t be prone to balling their eyes out when Mr. Gorgeous, Mr Perfect forgot his girlfriend and was ready to use your own willing body. Situations from the past washed over her until her knees felt weak.

Overreacting, yes, but she still felt like a slut. She’d only been teasing him, with the whole dancing thing, but low and behold stubborn male needed to prove himself. 

He moved silently towards her and wrapped her in his strong arms. His heart went out to her as he felt the sobs rack her body. Elijah had called him over in time to see Mike push away from Orlando; to see the realization that she had come into. None of the lads had thought she’d be this torn up about it. There was something far deeper that Mike was fighting. This wasn’t just about Orlando, it couldn’t be. Orli had been 100% into Mike, she’d done nothing to provoke him into something he didn’t want. No, all of them had realized Orli was being sunk by a woman he’d didn’t even realize affected him.

Dom had had a couple of days to realize that his infatuation with Michelle Schrade was just that. There was a sparkling chemistry that fit like one of God’s own puzzle pieces between Mike and Orli. But he’d be damned if he wasn’t going to be a good friend to the one woman who already took a piece of his heart.

“I know…I’m over reacting,” she said softly. “And it’s not so much of what happened down there that is bothering me. But I’m definitely a fool for that,” she said with a small bitter laugh.

Instead of letting her go, he tightened his arms around her.  “You’re no fool, Mikey, attraction has a way to mess ye up, is all. Now, I know this is beyond Orlando. Cripes, he’s just a dumb bloke, we all are.” 

She didn’t speak for a moment. She looked up to meet Dom’s steady gaze and smiled softly. She didn’t need him thinking she was absolutely insane. Running a hand through her hair she started to tell him just why this situation affected her so much. “My last boyfriend… God, I was so disgustingly in love with him…he cheated on me… and well he’s engaged now…to her.” She looked up, and the pain in her eyes shook him to his core. “He had explained to me, that he couldn’t help it. He told me as much as he adored me, she humbled him. It wasn’t my fault, it was something neither of them could fight…” She brushed a hand through her hair and stood up.

Dom leaned against the wall, his arm resting on his raised knee. Now it made sense.  He had remembered seeing her around with some good-looking bloke. He remembered the interviews with her where she was glowing in love. Then he remembered going to one of her concerts and hearing some stuff he’d never heard before. The songs had been haunting and touched a piece of him. It was those songs that had given him his crush. It finally made sense, why she was so upset about this Orlando thing.

“Mischa, don’t you realize some flirting with Orli doesn’t make you the other woman. Shit, if I didn’t know you, I would say you should be an actress. You’re not a horrible girl because of a chemistry you have with someone.” 

She looked over her shoulder and finally sat on the other side of the room. “I know, I know. I’m overreacting. But… I forgot he had someone, someone he loves and who loves him. I let myself just not think about anyone else, but me and how I felt. I’m not that person. I’d do anything not to hurt someone else. Overreacting and a good actress, probably, but I just would never want to be responsible for the same ache I felt for so long. Something that I apparently still feel now,” she finished with a sad smile on her face.

He looked over at her, and smiled. “Mishca, you’re one of those girls men dream about. You’re the girl every girl wants to be friends with. But, you can’t control fate or chemistry or any of that shit. You’re not some man hungry monster… aw, Mikey what are we gonna do with you?”

She looked up and laughed. “I just... I saw Jimmy and Stacy together about two weeks ago. He came up to me and congratulated me about the nominations. He looked so happy, you know?”

It was one of those questions that didn’t require an answer. It was put out there to let her emotions out. She looked lost as she spoke. He was grateful it was him listening to her. That he was the lucky one that got to hold her secrets close to him. He may have acknowledged that Orli and her had something, but it didn’t mean he didn’t ache when she was near.

“She was on his arm looking gorgeous…and she looked at me and said ‘thank you’. I’m not a violent person, but I really want to smack her.” She looked towards the windows, a small smile on her face.

But he knew better already, he watched as silent tears fell down her face, and wished he could do something.

“I wanted to make her feel the pain I had felt when he left me.” Mike looked over at him, her soul in her eyes, “I loved him with every last bit of me. I loved him to the point of pain and I was replaced by a Barbie.” She idly played with bits of the carpet in her hand. “ I spent so long wondering what I’d done wrong. I think everyone does after a relationship goes wrong. But I really, truly couldn’t piece it together. I couldn’t see what I’d done wrong…what I was lacking. I couldn’t even hate him.” She bit her bottom lip, hard drawing her mind to the pain there instead of the ache in her heart.

“I still wonder…” She took a deep a breath and looked directly at him. “I don’t want Kate to ever see me like I see that bitch. I don’t want her to sit there and wonder what she did wrong. I won’t be that girl that changed something so beautiful. And while all it was was a dance, I’m not ignorant enough to say there is nothing there. Never let it be said I’m not looking towards the future.”

While she spoke, Dom had slowly moved toward her. Kneeling now, in front of her, he took her hands in his. “You know gorgeous, sometimes you’re too good to be true.”  He took her into his own arms and just held her. “You’re not that girl, baby.  You’ll never be that girl. Your heart’s too damn big.”

She squeezed him back in return. “Oh Dom, you’re a lovely bloke.”
She’d whispered the words with an accent that copied his own. Laughing he pinched her side.

“Don’t even try the lingo, it sounds horrible with that accent of yours.”

She playfully smacked his side and leaned into him. “Damn English superiority complex. You need to realize you’re just a lap dog to us Yanks, now.”

“Nah, we’re too old and stubborn to do any of that. I will say though, you Yanks sure produce some gorgeous looking ladies.”

Laughing, she kissed his cheek. “Tell me Dom, why has no woman claimed you?”

He fully leaned back against the wall, enjoying the comfort of friendship she offered so easily. Michelle wore her heart on her sleeve and didn’t even know it. “Besides the fact I’ve pined for you all these years,” he said teasingly, “I really haven’t had the time to give to someone special. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy a lady here and there…but I really haven’t had a moments rest with everything to really look.”

“They say when you’re not looking, that’s when it comes to you. I always hated that saying. I mean, when you’re not looking, you’re not interested. Why would you want someone then?  God has a funny way of just messing with our minds.”
He laughed at that and then they both quietly sat there. It was only a few minutes later that Dom noticed Mike was falling asleep. Picking her up he gently lay her on her bed. A kiss on her soft cheek, he whispered, “night sleeping beauty.”

Leaving, Dom closed the door behind him and nodded toward her bodyguard. It was a shame the chemistry was so thick between Orlando and Mike, he thought.  Yes, she was certainly a woman who could capture his heart with a blink of an eye. But it wasn’t just that.  The situation she was getting into was bound to break her heart.

~*~*~*~*~*

In her dreams, she heard the knocking at the door, a loud thumping trying to distract her from accepting her Grammy. She was looking longingly at John Mayer as he was presenting the award from her, but awoke before his plush lips could land on her cheek, as the sound reverberated louder.  Startled, she sat straight up, looking to the window and noticing it was still dark outside. Turning to the clock, she realized it was 4am. She’d only been asleep for an hour.

The knock sounded again and Mike jumped once more.

Not thinking for a moment why anyone would be knocking at 4am, Mike dragged herself from bed.  Despite having to get up, she smiled at the fact.  Dom must have put her there, she thought.  He was such an amazing guy.  Her smile froze when she saw her late night caller.

His brown eyes bore into hers with an unrelenting want. There was no other way to describe his look other than hungry. His body was tense as he pushed past and closed the door for her. 

Mike took a step back and looked slightly up, looking directly in his eyes. What she saw made her mouth go dry and her heart leap to her throat. She went to say something, but his calloused fingers stopped the movement of her lips, the touch stopping any sound that could have come from her.

He backed her up against the wallpapered wall. Her back felt nothing as he pushed against her. His hands immediately sought to cup her face. His eyes searching for something she couldn’t begin to grasp. They lit up, as he seemingly found his answer, and before she knew what was happening, his lips brushed against hers. 

Chapter 8
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