Author’s note Dear reader, I hope you had fun and enjoyed reading Crazy for you , the first book in the After Dark series. But before closing, I would like to make an observation I believe to be important: Crazy for you was written in 2013. It’s important to keep in mind that it was written a little after the boom of Fifty Shades of Grey and other books that were motivated by the success of EL James . Back then, the boys were domineering, jealous and possessive. Crazy for you reflects the literary culture of this period. On the book’s re-edition, some of Daniel’s lines and behaviors disturbed me and, in my opinion, are no longer acceptable in 2020, which led me to make relevant changes to the more sexist features of the character. In addition, I also felt Julie needed a greater awareness about her role in the world. May be, at the end of the reading, you still feel somewhat bothered, because in spite of the changes that took place, I didn’t want to change the “ess
Read the first chapter of “On tiptoe ” It was dark when Mandy woke up. Still sleepy, she rubbed her hands in her eyes and noticed the open window in front of the bed. The voil curtain waved with the morning breeze, allowing her to catch a glimpse of the sky, which changed the tone slowly, gradually getting lighter. The orange and yellow rays blended into the night blue, making the clouds look like a grand Renaissance painting. Little by little, nature did its magic, the clarity arose accompanied by a bright sun and caused the girl's heart to accelerate. Mandy's always been an introspective girl. She thought a lot about everything, from every little decision she made to her role in the world. That day, it was no different. Although she barely started the day, she was thinking how the concept of time was relative while curling a lock of dark, straight brown hair on one finger. With a soft smile on her lips, she remembered when she was a child and how slowly she hoped th
Crazy for you After Dark Series – 01 2 nd edition Copyright © 2013 by A. C. Meyer All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form by any means without the written permission of the publishers. Copy editing: Laura Pohl Digital layout: Andreia Barboza Cover: Fernanda Fernandez Text revised according to the new Orthographic Agreement of the Portuguese Language. Translation to American English by: Paulo de Faria LopesTo my mother. Because no other love in the world compares to hers.Chapter one Julie Can you picture this girl lying in bed? Yes, the thin little blonde one, with glasses on and Sponge Bob pajamas, wrapped up in her duvet and hearing the moaning going on next door? Lovely to meet you, that’s me, and I’m going to tell you my story. Every night I wake up frightened by the sounds from the house next door. And every night I feel jealous of those moans f
Chapter two Julie On the following day, I push myself to get up at seven in the morning to take a shower and prepare for my morning run. There are two things I never give up in the morning: my giant dose of caffeine and my run. They are essential for me to be able to face the rest of the day, as I am a nocturnal person and I work at night. Tonight, I'm working at After Dark, and I have to be in a good mood to face the night. I put on some leggings, shine the sneakers, pick up the smartphone and select the playlist "Pop Divas", with the songs cheering me on to run. I walk out the door singing ‘Baby one more time’ as I warm up on my way to George’s house, my running mate and best friend. He knows everything about me — my musical dreams, and my unrequited passion for Danny. "George, let's go! Wake up!” I knock hard on the door of his house. "I'll be right there, little girl," he screams from inside. "Let me say goodbye to mi amor .” If G
Chapter three Julie While I wait for my two fairy godmothers, I go to the stage to talk to the boys of the band to find out what is the setlist of the night. I have good musical memory and zero difficulty reciting lyrics. Besides, I've sung with them countless times during rehearsal—and away from Danny, of course. "Is our star ready to shine?” Alan, the guitarist, asks. He's the hottest of the three musicians. Tall, very straight brown hair and full of tattoos. I often joke with Jo that he's the embodiment of Kellan Kyle, the good guy from S.C. Stephens' book, Intenso Demais . "Yesss!” I'm very nervous, but I want to do my best. I want this to be the first of many performances. "You know that when Danny finds out...” "Leave Danny out of it. Saturday night people come here because they want to dance to the sound of The Band. We can't let our fans down — I speak with a smile on my face, showing a safety I don't feel while trying to wrap him up.
Chapter four Julie I leave Danny's office with my head held high and feeling powerful. It's amazing what a new outfit and perfect makeup can do for a woman's self-esteem. Hey! You don't have to pull a face for me. I know very well that I should not feel safe and beautiful only after going through the hand of the Fairy Godmother ... or the Genie of the Lamp, since the responsibility for my transformation is George's? Well, regardless of who we are, it's very easy to forget our own worth. Especially when you like someone, and that someone doesn't give a damn about you. I promise myself that from today onwards I will have new rules of conduct established for myself and will do my best to comply with them: Rule #1: love myself more than anyone else; Rule #2: believe more in myself and value my beauty; Rule #3: go after what I want and make my dreams come true. And, feeling strong, safe and invincible, I begin to follow my new rules and take c
Chapter five Daniel I cannot believe it. After spending long hours visiting properties, having meetings with owners, brokers and investors, and still a business dinner too long for my liking, I finally get to the hotel bedroom to take a bath and rest. I had to be really focused, as Zach was in and out all the time taking calls or sending text messages. I roll my eyes as I remember the number of times this went on. The guy comes to help me but his mind is elsewhere. I should have brought Rafe along as he is a better planner. I open into a big yawn, while I stretch, feeling tired. I always worked better at night. That’s why waking up early to travel and go through the day taking care of all those bureaucratic activities knocks me down harder than spending the night at the bar. I must confess that being far away from After Dark really hurts me. The bar is my life. I don’t have kids and I’m not married (thank God!). My daily focus is my business, which has bee
Chapter six Julie Sunday arrives and I wake up feeling happy in a way I haven’t been in a long time. There’s a mix of excitement for the epic show and the feeling of a real good night sleep, in spite of missing the naughty boy from the house next door. I sit on the bed, stretch my body, and hear the message tone on my mobile. Daniel : Good morning, Ju. Did things go well last night at AD? Oh, damn it! And now? I’ll have to act silly so that he doesn’t suspect anything. I: Hi, Danny. All good and you? The venue was pretty full. When are you coming back? Kiss Daniel : Saturday. Kiss Men are so thrifty with words... Phew! Fortunately! I got away with this one! Just in tandem another message comes through. Oh, God! George : Little girl, I’ll be there in 15 to take you shopping. Be ready. You’re not allowed to wear leggings. XXXX (Kisses) from your personal stylist, best friend and producer. All men are