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Logline
Olivia, a desperate mother, has to work in her ex-lover's strip club in order to support her son, while plotting an escape from her abusive husband.
Blurb
Olivia McKenzie and Zack Styles share a past they wish to forget. When all hope is lost, Olivia is forced to work in Zack's strip club in order to support her son, while plotting an escape from her abusive husband. However, things get more complicated when Zack vows to himself that he'd make Olivia fall for him again. But did she ever stop loving him?
First 1,000 Words
"I believe everyone's life story begins with 'Once Upon a Time'."
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He stayed from afar, watching her every move like a predator seeking out its prey. He knew what he was doing was wrong, but he was hell-bent on having her, no matter the consequences.
When Zack decides on something that he wants, his mind is automatically put into work with all he has, until he claims the very thing as his own. In this scenario, he wanted Olivia McKenzie, and he never stopped until he had her wrapped around his pinky finger, and worshiping at his feet; that's how desperate and determined he was.
She had seen him around campus quite a few times, but never dared to approach knowing that if she ever made the mistake of giving him a second glance, it would be the last time she'd ever live to look at someone. Approaching Zack Styles is nothing but social suicide, so instead, she continued to focus on the one thing that would only contribute to her reputation, instead of ruining it; her books.
They were in different social groups; two social groups that should never be combined. So when Zack sat next to her in the cafeteria one Friday afternoon, saying she was astonished would've been the biggest understatement of the year. One of the hottest, most popular guys in school sitting next to someone like her, a person who never took a liking to friends; a loner. What made it even more surprising was the fact that he even knew her name.
"Hi, Olivia. I'm Zack," he gave her a smug grin. Most of his friends from the popular crew stopped what they were doing to stare at the two of them, probably wondering what the heck was happening.
"I know who you are. What do you want?" Olivia knew better than to fall for his game.
Cutting to the chase, Zack got straight to the point. "I want you."
Zack Styles wasn't the one to whisper sweet nothings into women's ears, or give them pretty flowers that smelt like fragrances of love. Moreover, Olivia never wanted that, because she had witnessed what love could do to people if it didn't work out in the end. She had her parents who hated each other's guts, to the point where her dad moved all the way to England just to prove that.
"So you actually want me to be your girlfriend or some shit like that?" she tried not to jump to conclusions, knowing what that would do.
"Girlfriend?" he laughs.
"I don't do girlfriends. What do you say about friends, but more than friends?" Zack explained as he scrunched his face, and did hand movements to get his point across, but it was his words which sparked her interest.
"You mean friends with benefits?" she questioned out of curiosity, and he nodded.
Confronting her thoughts and trying to figure out whether she should accept his offer, or not, they both agreed to give her time to think about it. However, that time was short lived because after a week of dealing with her unsatisfied hormones, Olivia decided that she'd had enough torture. The following Friday morning as Zack exited his car, Olivia approached him with a decision.
"I'm in. As long as it stays between us," she said then extended an arm without even bothering to give further explanations, because Zack knew very well what she meant.
"Done," he grinned, shaking her hand to seal the deal.
What they didn't know was that it would've been only a matter of one month, six days and two hours before she started falling for him, only to find out he had already stabbed her in the back with a bitter golden dagger.
Olivia sauntered into the school, only to be greeted with whispers all around her. She thought it was because of the new outfit she had bought to wear only for Zack's pleasure, not knowing that hellfire was just about to break loose.
Bypassing the stares from the intruding eyes, she continued to navigate her path through the school's hallway, and to her locker. As she opened it, a bunch of papers fell out and when she picked one up, the truth of what was really happening came to her realization.
Her brain swelled with questions and waterworks pricked her eyelids, as she glared at the multiple printed copies of a picture she sent only to Zack's phone two days ago; the same photos he had told her he deleted. All she could've done was try to breathe and beg the tears to go away.
Her head was spinning, and her heart ached to the point where she could feel it in her arms. Her body felt both numb and frozen, the same time her world came crashing down. The worst part about it was that it was too heavy for her to lift it back up all by herself.
Zack walked the hallways like a king with his servants following behind him, but he didn't even spare Olivia a glance. The females from the student body scowled at her in disgust like she was nothing but a cheap whore, and the males looked at her in admiration, as if they were fond of the cheap whores.
"Hey, Liv. How much do you charge? I can pay in cash if you want," Nigel, a guy from her calculus class, approached her and whispered into her ear. It was odd hearing him say that, considering the fact that he was gay, or bisexual. Whichever way it was, Olivia never cared.
"Fuck you," she gritted out, then slammed her locker door shut.
Her pride was being snatched away from her, and there was only one person to blame for it; herself. Zack didn't ask for the picture, but she sent it to him anyway because she was beginning to catch feelings. Their first rule was 'never get emotionally attached', and she broke it. But which woman wouldn't want to fall in love with the first guy they'd slept with?
