The Good Life

Chapter 17

“Who was that?” a girl sitting on a leather couch the dancing asked.

Bruno touched the girl he was dancing with on the waist quickly to say he was sorry. He looked at everyone around him following Marla and her friends down the stairs. His bodyguard followed him to ensure his safety. “Bro, be careful….there are a lot of people down there…” the security told him as they walked down the stairs.

Bruno stopped and asked the club security if they had seen where the four girls had run off to. He pointed toward the side door.

“Marla…he’s not that dumb. He likes you. Go back in there….” Whitney yelled over the loud music.

“That’s him?!” Lindsay exclaimed.

“Shut up, stupid…just go with Fiona and get a fucking drink or something…..”

They sat for what seemed to be hours, but was really a few songs.

“Who am I really kidding? He’s….” she started to cry….”damnit. My make-up is going to run. I’m so not strong enough to date him. He’s a celebrity. He’s Bruno fucking Mars, not just some guy who sings or plays a guitar because it’s fun…he does it to pay the bills…it’s him. I can’t deal with that. It’s too…”

“Too hard?” he interjected as he came up behind her touching her hair gently. His body guard stood within earshot of the threesome, but far enough away to give them some privacy.

“Can I talk to her, Whitney?” he asked politely. She looked at him in shock and awe, still amazed that he wanted her. She nodded, stood up and let him sit down in front of her.

“I didn’t get a chance to tell you that you look flawless tonight.” he said moving his head toward her ear. He wasn’t trying to be sexy or seductive, he was just trying to talk to her over the loud music.

“Don’t flatter me, asshole.” She looked up with black eyeliner under her eyes and fake eyelashes starting to come off. “You told me last night....I was the only one and then you were dancing with who I assume had to be the girl from Germany. Like really? You said that you two were just friends. That wasn’t a friend dance. I know I don’t dance with my guy friends like that…especially the ones that have girlfriends. Unless I want to get punched in the fucking face…” at that point she was yelling at him. She had a temper. It was well known that she could get angry at friends and family members. She had never been in a fight with boyfriends though. This was the closet to wanting to hit a boyfriend, or who was supposed to be a boyfriend she ever had been. She bit her lip to keep herself from getting even angrier. She wasn’t going to hit him. She just needed to get it out. She finished talking and punched him as hard as she could muster in his right shoulder.

He listened to her whole rant and knew that she still didn’t know him well enough. It wasn’t the first time that someone yelled at him for doing something like this. The punch in the shoulder, though, was unexpected. He squinted at the hit and then organized his thoughts. He moved her chair as close to him as possible without having her sitting on him and started, “There isn’t anyone else. I wouldn’t have asked you to come if there was. She just showed up. She initiated it, Marley. It’s you I want. It’s you I’ll always want.” He looked at her runny eyeliner knowing that she would hate to know that it was messy. He licked his finger and ran it against her cheek to clean it off for her.

“Thank you.” she whispered.

“You’re welcome.” he wiped away the runny make-up on the other side of her face. “You don’t need the fake eyelashes, babe. Close your eyes.” She closed her eyes and squinted slightly as he pulled off the remaining eyelashes off her eyes. “There. You’re beautiful. Can I dance with you, before I run off to Europe?” he asked scribbling with his finger on the palm on her hand. “Please?”

“Only if I can lead.” she smiled.

“You can do whatever you want in that hot dress of yours.” he told her.

**

After everyone made their way back up to the VIP section of the club Bruno introduced the group to those that he was closet to. Those who had not met her were gracious and could see that Bruno was excited about her.

She was handed a drink to replace her broken drink and sat down in between Bruno and Lindsay who was still in shock as to who her friend was dating. “Did they clean-up my mess? I’m sorry I broke the glass…” she said to him.

“Marla…if I had to apologize for all the stupid things I did when I drank I would never stop apologizing.”

The other girls had been lost to the crowd and the only other people left on the couch were close friends who knew Bruno well enough to ignore the conversation that the two were having. He slid her as close to him as possible and kissed her. She stopped mid kiss and grabbed her small purse and grabbed a piece of Big Red gum.

“Here…” she handed it unwrapped to him and kissed him back.

**

He held her back as she wobbled on her heels toward her car. Fiona held the keys to Marla’s car. “I want to take off my shoes. My feeeet hurrrrrtttt.” She whined.

“When you get in the car, Marley.” Bruno said to her as he held on to her for balance as well. There were several people watching them. It was past 2:30 in the morning with people leaving.

“Bruno, I’m taking your hat with meeeee. If I can’t see you for a month I’m taking this with me.” Marla grabbed the hat off the top of his head, and put it on her head as she slid into her backseat of her car with her friend Lindsay next to her. He bent down to kiss her good night. She grabbed him to bring him in the car with her. “Come with meeeee. Pleaaasssseee.” she exclaimed.

He breathed every last second with her as she pleaded with him. He knew that he had to be on a plane to Sydney the next morning. “I have to go, baby. No hay nadie mas.”

She let him go slowly and watched him start to walk away. “¿Me promotes?” She asked him.

“Of course….Good night ladies.” He walked away without his hat with his body guard behind him. Several girls were watching the events and stomped away knowing that there was another girl that he was interested in now.

“Marla…he lovvveeesss you!” Whitney screamed as they drove away from the night’s festivities.

“I lovveeee him toooooo.” she said loudly, and drunkenly.