Babes Stripping For Love

“Bree, can I help?” Marvin asked as he put his beer aside, the man was probably bored waiting on Gage.

“No, it’s okay, I’m almost finished and Gage should be here any moment.” Bree smiled at him, though she worried about her future with Gage.

Reality hits hard and she knows it was all too good to be true. Bree needs to get back to stripping and earn fast money then she could probably move away from the city where the living cost was too much for her and Hazel.

“Bree?” Gage called her name for the second time and she snapped her head from the chicken dish she was plating and smiled at Gage. The man looked utterly handsome in his suit work clothes.

“Oh hi Gage, I didn’t hear you come in.” She offered him a glass of water when the man kissed her cheek softly and thanked her.

She didn’t like that Marvin was watching them. Bree was the kind of woman that would rather blend into the walls, rather than be the one objectified and studied.

“Food smells good,” Gage praised and Bree smiled telling him to take a seat while she put lunch on the table and go get Hazel.

“Gage! you’re back.” Her little sunshine ran towards him and giggled as he picked her up and held her in his arms.

“Hey, there’s my chocolate brownie. Have you been good today?”

“I’m not a brownie!” she giggled trying to correct his nickname for her. “I’m good! I told your Marvin that you’re mommy’s boyfriend, but I don’t think he believes me.” Hazel cupped her hand to his ear trying to be subtle but her whispering was loud enough for everyone to hear and that made Marvin laugh.

“See… he doesn’t believe me.” The little girl pouted adorably, making Gage kiss her temple then set her on her booster seat beside Bree’s chair.

“Marvin, this is Bree, my girlfriend and her daughter, the adorable cheesecake.”

“Gage!” she let out another giggle which finally made Bree smile wider and seeing her happiness Gage took her hand and kissed her knuckles.

“Oh, god, you’re so annoyingly cute together. Everyone should be privileged to see this, you’re taking them to family dinner or I’m telling mom.”

“Marv, grow up, you’re such a tattletale.” Gage huffed and took a seat next to Bree and Marvin.

“I know what’s a tattletale.” Hazel sang her words happily while Bree placed a portion of Hazel’s lunch onto her kiddy plate.

“I bet you do, little strawberries.”

Hazel giggled but then focused on her lunch, separating her broccoli from her chicken and mashed potatoes. The little girl didn’t give any attention to what the adults were talking about.

“We’ll be there, I’ll call mom to set a place for the additional two person.” Gage put his hand on Bree making her nod when in actuality she was reluctant to do so. She was not sure of the commitment that he set out for her. He had already broken down her walls, Bree could only imagine how much damage Gage was going to inflict when it all falls apart.

“Yeah? Cool, at least you’ll get the heat off of my back this weekend.” Marvin paused to chew the chicken stir fry dish then hummed in appreciation, telling Bree the food tasted very good.

“Thanks,” Bree replied with a small smile then helped Hazel with slicing her chicken before continuing to eat her lunch. She didn’t want to get involved in the conversation, Bree felt too much too soon. She didn’t want to say the wrong things and embarrassed Gage in front of his brother. Because that’s what Everett would say, and his insult was stuck in the back of her head, gnawing in on her insecurities.

“With our cousin Ella’s wedding coming up, the singles would be under the spotlight. And now I need to find a date,” Marvin paused in annoyance to drink his water, “I thought we’d clear the floor together, flirt with the bridesmaids. Not that I think our cuz will have those, she’s not the walking with the pack kind of girl isn’t she?”

Gage chuckled before he replied, “No, she’s the kind of girl with the pack of cowboys in her herd.”

“God… I forgot our relatives are weirdos.” Marvin said with his mouth barely finished swallowing his chicken bites.Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

“Our cousin Ella is a painter, she got it from her dad, he’s a multi-talented artist. He does commissions, his sculptures are amazing.” Gage explained to Bree, trying to get her involved in the conversation. He stared at her a couple of seconds longer, trying to get a conversation out of her. But the woman just smiled and kept on shoving food into her mouth. So he let it go and continue talking to his nosy brother.

An hour later, lunch ended and Bree excused herself to be with Hazel while Gage made coffee and continue talking to his brother.

“So, you and Bree,”

“Yeah, me and Bree,” Gage replied in a non-excited way, knowing it’s how his brother started prying into his life. Literally, with every relationship, he had been on though it hadn’t been much. But the guy surprisingly kept himself updated with his situation.

“She’s staying here?”

“Don’t go there buddy, I actually like her,” Gage warned him with his look.

“Yeah? Listen, I’m just watching out for you, brother.”

“Marv, you’re my freaking little brother.” Gage reached out to his head and messed with his hair knowing he hated it every time.

“Geez, I was trying to be the good brother here.”

“Nope, you’re just being nosy. Now, tell me how’s work?”

The man groaned knowing he was going to be asked about his work. If only he would let Gage help, Marvin would do great in his office. He knows that his brother is a hard worker and very persistent in achieving his goals. That was how Gage knew that Marvin would fit perfectly with the marketing job that just opened up.

“I’m still working.” He muttered.

“We had a new opening in marketing, a guy moved back to his hometown to take care of his elderly parents and the position is now open. I think it’ll fit you, you’ll be out of town a lot, living vicariously from hotel to hotel.”

“Yeah?” for a split second Gage could see the spark of interest in his brother’s eyes.

“Marv, stop being that guy, you know I’m better than you. Stop pushing me away and come work for me.”

“Fuck you!” Marvin laughed and pushed his shoulder playfully. “I’m not some insecure teenager, I just wanna make it on my own.” After his last utter failure with his girlfriend, Marvin lost his entire life saving to that lying golddigger bitch and he has been downsizing ever since to pay off his mortgage.

“Just try it out, the pay is good and the commission is better, and… you’ll be paying off that mortgage soon enough.”

“You won’t be babying me?”

“Hell no, I won’t even be in the same office as you.”

“I’ll think about it.” Marvin smiled at him and after months of trying, Gage finally sighed thinking he might relent and make him stop worrying about his little brother.

“So, what’s the story with Bree? she works at Babes?”

“Yes, and stop being nosy, she had really bad situations and I’m having my lawyer look into her ex so you can stop worrying about me.”

“Situations?”

“It’s been an awful year for her.”

“Abused?”

“Among other things,”

“Shit man, sorry, I didn’t know.”

“You shouldn’t assume, but I know you had your reasons.”

The brothers talk for another hour before Marvin told him that he’s going back and that he’ll be waiting for them at their family dinner.

After he was gone Gage walk back to join Bree who was now sitting by the pool reading her books that looked like it had seen better days.

“What are you reading?”

“Smut book.” She deadpans surprising him and he rewarded her with a raised eyebrow and a look.

“What? I have to keep up with you.” Bree didn’t want to discuss Marvin and the upcoming family dinner. She wanted peace, and after tucking Hazel in for her nap Bree wanted to relax and not talk about anything.

“Come here,” Gage sat next to her on the poolside sofa and let her body rest on his side.

“Aren’t you going back to work?”

“Work will still be there tomorrow.”

Bree smiled in his arms, it was one of the things that made her like him. He made her feel special, though she knows it was temporary she did lean in his comfort and let his hand rub her back as his lips lay a kiss on her forehead.

“I like you, Bree, very much.”

“I like you too, Gage. You’re alright.” Her last words made him chuckle and pull her tighter into his arms.

Bree wished it would last. She wanted to. Badly.