This is a story. I just started writing it you can go ahead search ohhh because of the characters you guys may still go ahead and claim its 50shades of grey. That aside let me call names- Stephengee12,Ashatoda, Iamfava, Momsy chumzypinky(I don't know if you like to join) Gloria007 pleases help me to search on Google maybe its already there. Have forgotten the girl who brought the accusation first pleases if you know her tag her.

Curtains Rise Love is a many splendid thing; love lifts us up where we belong… All we need is love. The city during the day was far less impressive than at night, without all it's parties and it's grandeur the city seemed to rest more during the day than it ever did when the sun was down. It wasn't calm, people still pushed and shoved tourists out of their way to make it to their jobs in time, hustlers still lined street corners to sell whatever they could, and the cars of the fabulously wealthy still paraded down the avenues in search of their next source of entertainment. The city simply seemed to be allowing it's self to recover before starting the nightly celebration over again. It was a peaceful chaos that could spit a person out just as quickly as it could make them King of the world. And Kim loved it. Her bank account however, did not. Finding a way to stay in the city she had grown to love so much became more of a trial than anything else. Rent was high and with her brother Simon's recent attraction to military life Kimberly had found her self alone in the city with small temp jobs here and there to keep from wasting the last of her father's inheritance. Due to budget cuts however, staying in a job long enough to support herself had become nearly impossible. The last chance she had to stay in her beloved city lay on a small piece of paper baring the instructions to the last place in town she knew to be hiring. Slipped into her hand by a skinny man with slightly too large ears the piece of paper seemed to burn a hole in her pocket until she agreed to look into it further. And though nightclubs and high-end resorts were never her forte everyone knew the Grey name paid incredibly well. Against her better judgments and the small amount of dignity she had left Kim found her self staring up at one of—if not the most— infamous resorts in the city. The Grey Resort and Casino. Built like something from a fairytale the rumors surrounding it were just threatening enough to keep a fresh batch of employees every year along with a constant flow of loyal guests and brave tourists. It was the last place a girl as goodhearted as Kim needed to go, but it was also the last place willing to take her in. So with a determined sigh and a small prayer to whoever was listening the small girl found herself striding proudly through the marble doorway, intent on outlasting whatever trouble the secrets of the wealthy tried to cause. Bleep

This is dedicated to ashatoda my ardent reader and commenter

"You need a vacation." The voice came over John's phone for the forth time that day.

Despite the fact the response to each call has been an abrupt dropped call or a few foul words. No amount of disregard seemed to stop John's phone from ringing.

"I've told you Mark. I'm too busy to just walk out on things here," John said with a groan.

"You wouldn't be walking out on things, you'd just be changing offices! Besides if you took me along it'd be a work expense or something." The voice continued, barely able to hide it's excitement over the prospect of a vacation.

"What's the point of owning all those big hotels if you can't stay there anyway! It'll be fun, I promise."

With an exasperated sigh Arthur leaned back in his office chair, looking at the rather disorganized room around him. Papers falling off his desk, picture frames bumped out of place by slammed doors and rushed meetings, the remnants of lunch shoved away in a trashcan along with the latest economics report. Perhaps it was time to step back from the clutter and relax.

His father still had time left to finish the business proposals before retiring and their direct family had yet to frequent one of their many luxury resorts. The majority of the work had been completed already anyhow, so taking one small vacation to enjoy his youth couldn't really be seen as avoiding his duties.

There would be time to work on things at the resort anyway, it would simply be a check up on another branch of the Grey empire.

"Fine,"John said with a small smile escaping his lips, "We can go on one vacation I suppose.

But you're still going to be working Mark. Don't think you're getting off that easily."

"I wish it were that easy." Mark's excitement was so large John could practically hear him smiling. "I'll get the plane tickets and we'll be there by tomorrow night." Bleep After what had seemed like an eternity of strange and moderately invasive interview questions Kim found herself waiting in the lobby of the Grey resort, watching enviously at the women walking by with their designer getups and perfectly tamed hair. It was as though she'd been placed in the presence of lords and ladies from all over the world but simply did not know any of their names. The interview room wasn't any better; in fact Kim was the only woman there who didn't look ready to seduce the interviewer.

She counted too.

Caught up so thoroughly in her own fantasies as people too wealthy to do anything but spend their money Kim barely noticed as a tall and gorgeous brunette walked up in front of her, handing a small form for her to sign.

"Kimberly Johnson ?" The woman's voice chimed, snapping Kim back to reality.

"Yes?"

A smile crossed the woman's flawlessly pale face, flashing stunningly white teeth. "My name is Dakota Grey I'd let to welcome you to the resort. If you'd sign the disclosure form I'll start giving you a tour. You're going to be very busy around here."

The automatic looks of disdain for Kim shot like daggers form the other applicants eyes, unbeknownst to Kim she had managed to secure one of the most sought after openings this side of town. Though none of the women looked like the particularly needed the job there was something about the promise of working under the Grey's that drew people of all backgrounds together and left them fighting for a spot.

With a parade of 'thank-you's'Kim took the form, signing anywhere she could, barely reading the fine print. What she did manage to read during her frantic skimming was slightly perplexing though. The promise of work and of allegedly being kept very busy seemed to hold a longer lifespan than the contract stated.

Claiming she would be required to undergo a trial week before being given the full job. No more details about what occurred after that trail week were mentioned however, so Kim shrugged it off as a small technicality.

"You'll be working as a waitress for the time being, we're always short staffed there," Dakota explained as she waited on the contract. "Once that's done though you'll be working for me. You'll be our new starlet, isn't that exciting!"

Handing the contract up Kimberly couldn't help but smile at the woman's enjoyment even if she didn't quite understand why it was happening.

"I'm sure it will be."

"Now follow me,"Dakota said with a sisterly smile. "There is still so much to do before you can start, and we haven't even begun to talk about where you'll be working in here." Leading Kim from the loby the smile never left Dakota's face, her own agenda running through her head almost as fast as her explanation of the resort's customs.

Oh yes, she'll do. Dakota thought. She'll do quite nicely.

Telemon, iemfava, iamlynn,lankyannie,switup, help me to check this oooo before am accused of plagiarism

Love at first sentence

Nnnena:
Telemon, iemfava, iamlynn,lankyannie,switup, help me to check this oooo before am accused of plagiarism

sori ma'am buh i think u misjudged me here,told ya dt i read dt story on fanfiction so i was surprisd wn i saw it here.u clarified ma doubt bout it,didnt uur couz name myt be allison since u said dt she is in america,i didnt accuse u of any stuff biko.well tnx 4d insult nd d rest,i guess i went 2far wid ma excitement of seein d story here cus twas one of d bxt foreign stories i av read so far on d site.sori 4d inconvenience nnenna.

Lankyannie:
sori ma'am buh i think u misjudged me here,told ya dt i read dt story on fanfiction so i was surprisd wn i saw it here.u clarified ma doubt bout it,didnt uur couz name myt be allison since u said dt she is in america,i didnt accuse u of any stuff biko.well tnx 4d insult nd d rest,i guess i went 2far wid ma excitement of seein d story here cus twas one of d bxt foreign stories i av read so far on d site.sori 4d inconvenience nnenna.

no dear I understand your point am really sorry dear. I just called you to check this one out no insults dear and if it sound as one forgive me am sorry hun

Opening Night

"You'll find that once you know your way around here you'll barely ever need to use facilities outside of the resort," Dakota's voice echoed as she led Kim through a quick overview of the Grey. At least she claimed it was the quicker version, despite the fact they had been walking for at least an hour. "The pool is open until midnight, but if you speak to the cleaners before hand they'll leave it open. I can't guarantee the bar beside it would want to wait around though."

Kim looked to her left, seeing a pool that looked more like a fairytale grotto than an actual hotel pool. A statue of some angle holding up a soft blue light in her hands that flooded the pool in an eerie wash of color that only added to the dream like feel. From the structure built to conceal a secret passageway to a smaller secluded poor to the waterfall pouring down across a slide made to look like a rock formation. But before Kim could even comment on her awe she found herself being dragged away from the oasis to the next point in the tour.

"The girls you'll be working with like to spend their free time either there or in the resorts gym. We've got more things there than I know the name for, but what's really important is the dance studio I had built in the back. We've had company's come by to use it over the ones their theaters offered its so nice." The pride Dakota felt was obvious. "You'll be able to go there before and after your shifts. We recommend it."

I'm not sure if that's a complement or not… Kim thought as she followed the proud woman through the remainder of the resort, never getting an opportunity to stay in one place as long as she wanted to. The amount of opulence within the rooms they had managed to visit was almost as overwhelming as if Dakota had tried to shove a rich chocolate cake down Kim's throat without giving her time to breath. "Not that I don't appreciate this ma'am," Kim piped up, "but it'd be nice if I could see where I am actually supposed to work."

Dakota stopped in her tracks, almost causing Kim to run into her. Staring back at the smaller woman with an unreadable expression on her face that managed to scare Kim back a few steps. The taller woman's eyes two dark and intimidating orbs that never once left the smaller woman's face, even when she smiled.

"Of course. That was our next stop anyway. I needed to lead up to it you know." Her words, though sweet, practically dripped with poison, daring Kim to cut her off again.

Meekly Kimberly nodded, staying quiet as she was lead into what Dakota called the 'crowning jewel' of the resort. Built into the side of the building having originally been the largest structure in town before the city blossomed around it more recently an old Broadway size theater stood, offering shows to both guests in the resort of people off the street. It's size alone was like nothing Kim had ever seen. The grand pillars leading towards golden staircases and elevators with matching plagues pointing out the different levels in seating, the red carpet trailing down from the stairs to the isles of orchestra seating, converted into a dining area that rivaled any five star restaurant.

The dinning addition wasn't the only renovation Kim noticed. In front of the stage in what Dakota said was called orchestra seating was a dance floor, matching the thrust built into the stage, making the dark wood come down from the large stage into what would have been the most sought after seats.

"This is incredible…" Kim muttered, watching as several women moved out onto the dance floor, starting what she could only assume was a rehearsal of some sort.

"It was my idea," Dakota said, swelling with pride. "I went off the old burlesque theaters that used to be in the area, we get more profits from here than we do from anything else aside from resort bookings." Walking Kim towards the group of women Dakota clapped twice to get their attention, going forward to kiss the cheeks of a tall woman with auburn hair. "Serena, I want you to meet our new serving girl. She'll be watching the show tonight."

Serena's eyes surveyed Kimberly closely, making her shift uncomfortably, feeling as though she was being stared down by some fearsome predator. "That's nice." Her soft voice broke the tension. "It's been a while since we've had someone new here. I hope you last."

The sweet smile on her face wasn't enough to mask the unspoken threat behind her words. Somehow Kim figured she had to do with the last person quitting.

Before any of the other dancers could catch onto Serena's tone Dakota shooed them away, going on about an important guest who they needed to impress. Taking Kim's arm Dakota led her away from the women, not letting her get distracted by the music starting to play through the theater.

"You'll be able to see them tonight. Serena always gets a standing ovation."

Nnnena:
no dear I understand your point am really sorry dear. I just called you to check this one out no insults dear and if it sound as one forgive me am sorry hun

i dont understand. Does it mean you aint writing My Love My Secret again?

Nnnena:
no dear I understand your point am really sorry dear. I just called you to check this one out no insults dear and if it sound as one forgive me am sorry hun

Issoryt,no harm done yet.myt be able 2comment fully wn i read more episodes,though am nt a writer bt i must commend dt u ar doin a nyc wrk.more wisdom 2ya brain dear.P.S:Are u usin arthur in dz story cus i saw d name in the 1st episode

I am here and thanks for the dedication my head swell well well o. meanwhile are you stopping the former story? please don't because I want to follow it to the real end forget whatever anyone is saying just do what you know how to do. you have explained yourself quit trying to satisfy them

Lankyannie:
Issoryt,no harm done yet.myt be able 2comment fully wn i read more episodes,though am nt a writer bt i must commend dt u ar doin a nyc wrk.more wisdom 2ya brain dear.P.S:Are u usin arthur in dz story cus i saw d name in the 1st episode

ohhh it was a mistake when I was thinking of my love my secret jumbo

Trust me miss m following u to d end buh pls dnt drop my love my secrete i cnt bear d pain of nt beign able to read it anymore pls help my condition tnx

Following dear.
Arthur and Gwen's romance's so romantic. I feel like divorcing my hubby and running off with Arthur

"I'm still not sure why going here of all places is necessary."
Luggage was thrown across the penthouse floor. The obviously separation between the two occupants defined clearly by one side of the room having a slight system to the placement of the luggage while the opposite side of the room was lucky if there was any flooring visible.

"Because," came a voice from the cluttered half of the room, "I like it here. I got to visit last month when your cousin needed help."

John shook his head, never being given a satisfactory response to the question no matter how many times he asked. "I just think there are better places we could have gone. Now Dakota's wrapping us into seeing that show of hers and I'd much rather get some sleep. That flight was terrible."

"Well next time you should agree earlier so I don't have to book them last minute." Mark emerged from the pile of clothes on the floor, having managed to find the closest thing to a suit he owned. "Now get dressed. I don't want to be late. I've heard it's a good show too."

With a roll of his eyes John began to get dressed, not paying much attention to Mark raving about musicals he had seen when he lived with his mother. John had no interest in seeing people running around singing than he had in helping Mark tie his tie. The only reason he had agreed to go at all was to keep Mark from driving him mad.

Their seats were close to the stage, or at least as close as they could get with the extra floor placed in the orchestra. To John's surprise the seats were more comfortable than he expected, almost as if he was at a lounge instead of some old theater.

"Can I get you two anything before the show?" A sweet voice broke through John's haze, much to Mark's excitement.

A pair of dark brown eyes watched John innocently, throwing him off from his usual order of scotch as he stared up to the waitress.

"Any… Anything is fine," he managed to get out, eliciting a small snicker from Mark.

Unsure of what caused him to loose his train of thought John pulled back, taking a moment to look over the unfamiliar face smiling down at him.

"If you say so, sir." The girl smiled, picking the menus off the table. "I'll bring something back by the time the first number is over."

Practically sensing the question on John's lips Mark piped up. It was as if he had planned to leave John dumbstruck and judging by the smirk he couldn't hide to save his life he was rather pleased with himself. "What's your name?

Just in case we need something."

Spinning back on her heels, picking the menus off another table, the girl smiled. "Kimberly, but you can call me Kim. "J

nice one Nnena all your story always make sense

gud morning everybody,so Nnenna u were writing a new story nd could not cal me,no problem,weldone d tori dey make sense

A Little Party


In the theater we suspend our disbelief so for a moment, just one moment, we can all be something beside ourselves.


The excited buzzing in Kim's head refused to stop. Only an hour into her new job and she had already been given a gracious tip and been asked if she was a part of the show by two older gentlemen. But the buzzing in her head wasn't from any complement or amount of money, something strange had kicked in when she visited the couple she could only assume where close friends of the production based off their seats.

The blonde man had barely spoken to her yet his voice intoxicated Kim in a way she couldn't understand. It was as if they had met before some time far to long ago for either to remember. Even the bartender sensed something strange was going on, clearing his throat to bring her back to earth.

"Now's not the time to get ditzy on us, doll," the man smiled, his long brown hair tied back out of his face. "We've got the dancers for that."

Kim couldn't help but laugh in agreement, watching the curtain rise to a hoard of scantily clad women dancing some foreshadowing number about the protagonist's future. Their skirts swinging up to tease the nearest members of the audience with surprisingly bedazzled undergarments. "Do you think they ever get tired of wearing those things? They don't seem comfortable."

The man whose name she had learned before her shift to be Reed simply smiled, obviously not having cared about the comfortable level of the dancers before she brought it up. "Let me tell you something about those dancers, for future reference," he started, handing her two drinks for the front table. "If they do their job well, at the end of the night they have enough money to forget about any bruise or scratch those pretty little things cause."

Taking the drinks with a smile Kim left for the front table, watching as the women danced around energetically, their smiles convincing everyone in the audience how happy they were to be selling the idea of love to hundreds of different people. Even Kim found her self- believing that with the right amount of hip gyrations and flashes of skin she could make the audience fall in love with her.

With the an outrageous amount of applause from the audience Kim placed the drinks down at the front table, smiling down to the handsome blonde man for the second time that night. "Enjoying the show so far?" she asked.

"So far so good!" the thinner man on the opposite side of the table replied, covering for his friend's silence. "Why don't you take a seat?

The lead's about to come on and it's rude to be walking around during a performance."

A momentary panic flashed through the blonde's eyes as Kim could almost swear she heard him kick the smaller man underneath the table. "You shouldn't be so forward Mark," he said in a strained whisper as the opening notes for the next song began to play. "She's busy working, something I know you're not too familiar with."

Before Kim could defend the smaller man the lighting throughout the theater changed. A soft blue lighting covered the stage as a spotlight shown down on a single woman in a long glittering dress, her presence absorbing the attention of every person in the theater. Much to Kim's disdain, for that one grand entrance she couldn't find a single fault in Serena's face as she began to sign with the music, enchanting the blonde man in front of her.

The music continued, picking up pace as the dancers began to intertwine their paths with Serena's grabbing at her dress to take off the long skirt, revealing a skimpier garment than any of the other dancers. Her movements became quick and fluid, dancing down to the floor level with the aid of several male dancers, doting on her with lustful eyes.


Yet not once did Serena's gaze leave the front table. Transfixing the blonde into believing the dance was for him, though Kim could only assume his friend had fallen for her as well. Her dance was intoxicating even if she didn't' want to admit it. Kimberly tried her hardest to keep from staring, but once Serena moved down to the front table and flashed a dazzlingly bright smile towards the blonde she knew it was time to leave. Without a word to Mark or his friend, doubting they would have noticed anyway.

As Kim walked away she notice Serena, with the aid of the doting male dancers, manage to get up onto the top of the table. Both men's eyes were glued up as she danced on top of the table, following her as she knelt down to pull the blonde's silk tie from under his jacket. His face flushing deep red as she placed one kiss on his cheek, leaving a bright red lipstick mark in her tracks as she moved down from the table with a wink.

Well someone's looking for extra tips. Kim thought, not entirely sure why she felt jealous of a man whose name she didn't even know.

Taking a moment to shake off the feeling Kim heard the song end and not once did she bother to return to the front table.

The show ended with a standing ovation as it did every night. Serena took her bow, again as she did every night. The girls ran backstage eagerly waiting and gossiping about the requests coming in for their services, as they did every night. And as happened every night Serena waited for the highest paying customer to put in their bid for her attention.

But none came.

"Check the requests again," she ordered a stagehand. "Dakota must still be trying to rake up the price."

The stage hand looked up to Serena confused.

"There are no more requests ma'am. You weren't requested."

Unable to believe the man Serena stormed off the stage, heading back to Dakota's office across from the dressing rooms. She was always requested. She was the lead! The only way she wouldn't have been requested was if Dakota hadn't allowed her to be requested in the first place and that only happened for first times and people about to be let go. Serena had worked too hard to be let go now.

"What is the meaning of this?" Serena barged into the office unannounced.

"That depends on what you're fussing about this time," Dakota said disinterested. A pile of bills and checks on her desk sorted out by who they were meant to purchase. "If you're talking about my taking you off the bill then I have nothing to say."

Serena felt her throat begin to close up as her body started to shake. Everything she had done was to stay in the spotlight and move from their stage to a real theater, to become a real actress. She had done everything right; the wealthiest men in the audience should be fighting her for right now, not groveling for a cut of the profits.

"I wont let you do this! I'm the best girl you have! You can't just toss me aside!" This can't be happening, I can't be fired!

"Serena stop your whining. You know very well you've been here longer than any of the other girls." Dakota went right back to counting her money. "Keeping you here has cost me a lot of talent, I'm not a fool. I know you framed that last girl for stealing money, and the girl before that had no problems with her ankle until she had to borrow your shoes. You've simply become more trouble than you're worth." The pile where Serena's cut usually sat was bare.

"I'll let you stay but once this show closes we wont be needing you as our lead. Leila can take your spot until we have a routine for our investor."

"Dakota please! I can handle the investor! You can't put me in the back now! Leila won't know the first thing about keeping a conversation up or actually winning a man over!"

For the first time during their meeting Dakota's eyes met Serena's, sending a threatening glare towards the dancer. "Leila won't be handling the investor. I'll be finding someone new to replace you. Now I suggest you leave before I do have you fired." With a dismissive wave of the hand Dakora returned to her work. "And tell Kimberly to clean off the stage. She could do with seeing the view." Bleep

He would forget his wallet .

John walked back into the theater for the second time that night, having been tricked into retrieving Mark's wallet for him when he left for the bathroom to not return. He figured this was a strange roundabout way to get back at him for managing to get a kiss from the lead girl when Mark couldn't even get their waitress to bring them a second round of drinks.

Of course he would have liked to see the waitress return to their table as well. Something about the girl left him muddled up inside but he wasn't about to let that affect his better judgment. If she worked for Dakota that already meant he was better off keeping a safe distance from her. Nothing good ever came from the showgirls.

Mark thought she was rather cute though, what was her name again…Kim-something… John let his thoughts wander as he walked back up to the front table, finding Mark's wallet picked clean of any cash he had. Of course, that was probably whatever he bothered to bring too. With a small sigh John picked up the wallet, fully planning on heading back out until he saw the girl from earlier sitting on the edge of the stage, staring up to the higher seats.

Any thoughts he had before vanished, he could barely even remember why he returned in the first place. All he knew was he wanted to talk to her, but for the life of him couldn't find the words.

"Its um… it's better if you stand up, I'd assume," he managed to get out automatically regretting not having thought of something smarter.

The girls head turned down to him sharply, her curls bouncing around her face as she began to turn pinker in her cheeks, obviously not knowing she wasn't alone.

"I needed to sit down," she replied. "I haven't been off my feet since this morning."

John knew he should leave it at that.

Dakota's employees were all bad news. And yet he found himself walking over to the stage.

"Do you mind if I sit with you then? Mark and I never got the chance to have you join our table."

"If I remember correctly you were a bit busy sir," the girl said, her blush not leaving her cheeks. "You can sit if you like though, I don't own the place. My name is Kimberly, just incase you forgot."

Something in her tone through John off. It was as if she was blaming him for having the dancer come to their table. He didn't mind it though; she still agreed to let him join her.

"And mine is John, " he said, easily pulling himself up to sit beside her on the main stage. "Just incase I forgot to mention."

A small smile came out across Kimberly's face causing John to smile himself.

"You did. But I'm sure you can find a way to make up for it." Her smile grew. "I need some help cleaning this place."

Preparations


One day I'll fly away, leave all this to yesterday. Why live life from dream to dream…


As grateful as she was for the help, Kimberly couldn't help but find the man's lack of skill when it came to cleaning was almost pathetic.

They had split the stage into half in order to cover more ground and while her side was clean enough to reflect the stage lights overhead John's side was still covered in confetti from the final number and wouldn't reflect a single light. It was almost as if he had never even had to clean anything before.

"You know just pushing it around isn't going to get you anywhere," she said, placing her mop back into the bucket at the front of the stage.

"I'm sweeping. What's so wrong with that?"

John gestured to the small pile of dust accumulating at his feet.

It was almost humorous how little of the stage he had managed to clean in the time it took her to do her entire half.

"Well for starters your only getting the stuff to move into a pile." Kim walked over to his side of the stage, pushing the mop and bucket with her. "You have to sweep it quickly then mop everything afterwards." Taking the broom from him she began to show him how to sweep properly, getting a larger section done in only a few moments. "You act like you've never had to clean the floor before. Your kitchen must be a disaster."

Continuing to clean the stage Kim managed to work around the now silent man, focusing too much on her job to consider why he chose now to be quiet. He'd been complaining about the smell of the mop water the entire time along with the amount of glitter on the stage. She had become so accustomed to hearing his complaints that the silence was almost uncomfortable.

"Well I wouldn't know, the chef doesn't allow anyone back there unless she's had it cleaned," he said finally, almost as if it was the obvious response.

Kim looked back from her cleaning expecting to see him smiling to give away the joke. His face however, made him seem just as confused as she was.

"You have a chef… like a personal chef?" she clarified, cleaning while they spoke. "Yes. Though she's not with me at the moment, she doesn't like to travel."

This was all absurd. People who have the money for personal chefs didn't bother to hang around theaters after closing to talk to waitresses, and they certainly didn't agree to help with the cleaning.

"Who are you anyway?" Kim began to mop up the remainder of the stage, leaving it sparkling clean.

"John Grey, " he said without a moment's hesitation, finding nothing strange in their current situation at all. "My father owns these resorts and my cousin runs these silly little shows, I'm sure you've met her, she's rather hard to miss."

Unable to even think of where to being apologizing for goofing off in front of the owners son Kimberly quickly finished her cleaning, shoving everything back into a closet backstage.

"I'm sorry, s-sir. You and Dakota don't look alike so I didn't even think that that would be why you…" Kim caught herself rambling, too embarrassed that she couldn't recognize someone who could very easily have her fired just for making fun of how he couldn't clean. "Kimberly," John chuckled. "Relax, I'm just here on vacation. I'm just like any other guest at the resort, you don't have anything to worry about."

Something about the way he said her full name made her pause, coming back down from her small panic. The small smile on his lips made her stomach knot, and for a moment she thought about how the few stray pieces of glitter stuck to his skin made him all the more enjoyable to look at. But before she could even open her mouth to accept his small gift of security the theater doors swung open. The silhouette of a rather gangly man breaking the privacy of the empty theater instantly.

"John, come on! Honestly how long does it take you to get a wallet—" The man's voice trailed off as he saw both John and Kim on stage, his smile becoming more noticeable as he walked forward to the pair. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were… Well I'm not exactly sure what you are doing anyway."

"Mark." The obvious strain in John's voice made Kim smile, he seemed to appreciate the interruption even less than she did. "You certainly took your time coming back."

"Got lost, it's a big place." Mark gave Kim a wave, motioning for John to follow him out.

"We really should head back though, I don't want to be up all night unpacking."

Reluctantly John left the stage, giving Mark one good shove in the direction of the door before looking back at Kimberly. The look in his eyes escaped Kim, though for a moment they almost seemed to have darkened simply by being pulled away from her but it must have just been the fact the stage lights couldn't fully reach the audience.

"I'll see you around then. It was very nice meeting you, Kimberly."

MissRelly:
gud morning everybody,so Nnenna u were writing a new story nd could not cal me,no problem,weldone d tori dey make sense

thanks dear sorry for not calling you enjoy d story dear

Xx I used to be so happy… Serena's dressing room was nearly empty now.

She had been packing away her things since she had received the news of her demotion to the chorus lines. Though technically she still had a job, everyone in show business knows that if a lead loses her part so unceremoniously her career is over. No matter who they were, if they lose their role they lose purpose.

And no one kept around something without a purpose.

I was the star, I did everything right. All I did was make sure I stayed on top. It's what Dakota would have wanted. Serena ran her hands across her costume, the crystals sewn into the bodice weighing it down substantially. I gave everything to make you love me, I was the favorite and this is how you treat me?

She had no use for the costume now, but she couldn't simply part with it after everything it had done for her. She had been offered publicity spreads and small television deals by different agents who had seen her dance, even a few advertisements in smaller fashion magazines that knew the Grey name allowed her a spread or two. She was so close to having everything she had given up pay off in her become a real respectable actress and now all her plans were shattered all because Dakota decided she was too much trouble for the business.

Placing the costume in her suitcase Serena began to wonder if she would even be allowed to stay in the suites considering her employment was practically terminated. If she lost the suite she would have to pay for her own place somewhere else in the city, she would have to leave the resort if she lost her paycheck.

I need to stay here. I need to get back my role. Serena began to zip up her suitcase, noticing a picture that had fallen from her vanity mirror.

The smiling faces of her original cast mates looking back up to her with wide hope filled eyes. Her own face showing so much of the innocence she had since abandoned to make it as far as she had in the business, it left cold numbness running through her body.

The photo never affected her like that before today; she never had a reason to think of it as anything more than a happy piece of memorabilia. But now that she had lost everything the girl in the photo was looking to achieve she couldn't help but wish to forget how many dreams she had placed in the glittering costumes and heavy makeup.

The doe eyed look each of Dakota's favorite dancers entered with was almost sickening to Serena know, despite the fact the photo was proof she had it too at one point. Now that she thought about it the new girl from earlier in the day had the same look in her eyes. Perhaps that was why Serena wanted her to leave so badly, she was a threat, she was meant replace her. It was then Serena realized something.

Dakota had hired her replacement before she even left the building.
Bleep

It hadn't been more than a few days since they arrived and Mark could already tell convincing John to leave would be even harder than convincing him to come. Though Mark had hoped for John to enjoy himself he couldn't have predicted how quickly he would take to the pretty waitress with the sweet brown eyes.

He barely knew anything about Kimberly besides her name but he spent every moment around Mark trying to find an excuse to bump into her.

He knew John thought he was subtle and if Kim hadn't been so busy with Dakota it would have all backfired in his face. To John's delight though, she seemed completely unaware of his convenient appearances to be anything more than coincidence.

As happy as Mark was for his friend, he couldn't help but feel as though he'd bitten off more than he could handle by trying to get the two together. John was falling fast in his own strange way and Kimberly seemed to become more and more dependant on Dakota instead. He doubted she even realized the cousins playing a tug-of-war for her attention but he doubted it would end innocently.

He'd gotten John into trouble before but never anything he wasn't certain he could get him out of. For the first time since he was hired Mark was walking John into a situation blind, knowing that there may not be a light waiting at the end of the tunnel.

"She's busy with Dakota again," Mark pointed out, having been waiting in the gym with John for Kim's dance lesson to let out. He wasn't so sure why the lessons were part of her employee perks, but she had never missed a lesson since they arrived at the resort despite John's best efforts to distract her. "We can always find her later, when you don't smell like gym socks."

John simply grunted to push aside Mark's comment. He had spent the past hour occupying his time by working out to try and appear as though he wasn't simply waiting for Kim's class to let out. Though Mark couldn't deny it helped with the other dancers that spotted him on their way to the class he doubted Kim would be the type to fall for someone simply because they managed to glisten when they sweat. Especially when they stunk.

"You just don't want to be reminded of how small you are, Mark," John stated, watching the dancers leave as the class let out, sitting straighter whenever someone similar to Kim's size walks out. "She'll be out soon."

Dozens of dancers walked by, giggling to themselves or making small passes at John as they left, but not a single one of them was the woman he was waiting to see.

Peaking his head into the studio Mark could see Kim deep in a conversation with the lead from the other night, her eyes surveying Kimberly like a hawk. Unable to hear the entire conversation Mark could only relay certain pieces. "Kim needs new shoes…Something about broken ankles…The other lady is talking about private lessons. John I really don't think she has time to talk to you."

John opened his mouth to protest, only to be silenced when the two women walked out of the studio, Kim pinned to the taller woman's side like a child. Their eyes meeting for a brief moment before the woman pulled Kim away.

"The audition is tomorrow, and Dakota is going to try and make things difficult for you." The woman gave John small smile. "You can't get distracted, Kim. I promise, you listen to my advice and you'll be topping the playbill in no time."

Kim mouthed an apology to John as she was pulled away, too involved in the conversation to simply leave. It was enough to slow John for the moment but Mark knew very well he shouldn't be expecting to see his friend back in the penthouse until at least an hour after Kimberly's shift ended.

Mark only hoped John wasn't setting himself up for disappointment

veave are you saying this story is copied

The audition


"...and sell your soul when dreaming ends?"


The night's show had ended with significantly less fanfare than it had with the old lead. John doubted there was even half as many people in attendance without the old girl. He couldn't attest to any difference in their performance, he hadn't bothered with attending a show since Kimberly had told him when her shift ended anyway.

And if John's watch was correct it should be over with soon.

He had been waiting since intermission for the show to end, checking his phone for different emails from work to kill time. However, he couldn't go very long until his thoughts wandered back to Kimbey. Everything about her had utterly bewitched him and as Mark liked to point out, he hadn't been able to go a day without talking to her since they arrived.

It wasn't until the theater doors opened to let out the patrons that he even realized how much time he wasted just thinking about her.

Hopefully Mark would be the only person able to call him out for his daydreaming, he doubted he'd be able to come up with a good cover if Kim herself noticed.

Waiting against the theater doors John gave himself a few minutes to regain composure before walking in, seeing Kim starting to clean the stage as usual.

"I hope they at least give you overtime for that," he said, having spent several minutes making up a better conversation starter than just a hello. Kim rewarded his effort with a small smile, motioning for him to join her on stage. "I've told you I like it up here. And if I'm lucky this will be my last time cleaning it for a while."

John joined her onstage, taking a broom to start sweeping half of the stage for her, having improved greatly from his first attempt.

"Why's that? Are you finished with Dakota's hazing?" John chuckled, knowing his cousin would take advantage of new employees without a second thought.

With a small shake of her head Kim smiled, cleaning her portion of the stage with ease.

"Something like that," she said, "tomorrow I'm auditioning to be one of those dancers. They need new girls for a new show their putting on and Dakota said I'll be allowed to go out for a real part this time."

The hope in Kim's voice was evident, she obviously wanted a spot on stage badly, but John was still unable to keep back a judgmental laugh. She must be joking , he thought, looking back to Kimberly expecting to see her joining in his laughter, only to find her dark brown eyes glaring down on him with a fierceness that could only mean he'd done something truly wrong.

"Y-you're serious?" John asked, his amusement quickly fading.

"Of course I'm serious," Kim said coolly, walking over to him to yank the broom from his hands. "Do you have something against the dancers?" Her question sounded far more like an accusation.

"No! No of course not, it's just, well everyone knows what they're like..." John saw no change in Kim's hostility. "You know, they're all rather loose, and you aren't that kind of girl!

That's all I meant."

"You have no right to tell me what kind of girl I am or not." Kim's harsh graze never left his.

"And I'll have you know that being a dancer pays more than twice what I get for waiting tables. This may come as a shock to you but not everyone can live off their father's money, getting that job would let me keep my apartment and I'll have you know that I'm also just as good as any of those other dancers! So next time you want to come here to laugh at me save yourself the trouble and don't even bother coming in."

John was taken aback, never having been spoken to like that by someone he was interested in before. He couldn't even remember the last time Mark had called him out like she had. As Kim turned her back to him and returned to cleaning the stage John realized just how badly he had hurt her pride and possibly her trust in him as well.

Had it been anyone else John would've accepted the turn of events and left with his own pride intact, but the idea of losing Kim's trust was worse to him than having to swallow his own pride to go and get the broom back. Without a word from either of them John got the broom and began to sweep beside Kim, managing to clear more space with her help than on his own.

"I shouldn't have laughed." It was as close to an apology as he could manage.

Kim didn't look up from her cleaning, only letting a small smile cross her lips. "No, you shouldn't have."

Somehow her small smile was all the reassurance John needed to know she at least forgave him.

Kimberly hadn't spoken to John after they had finished cleaning, though she could tell he wanted to there wasn't anything more she had to say. She had to at least pretend like she was upset with him. She was upset with him. He had no right to judge her over something he wouldn't have understood anyway, but at the same time she found herself having an incredibly difficult time staying upset with him.

It was those stupid blue eyes of his, she was sure of it. If they weren't so nice to look at managing to stay angry would have been so much simpler. She'd have to push how they glimmered whenever he smiled out of her head long enough to focus, she would be going up on stage in only a few minutes.

She stood in line behind several other dancers who had all worked with the company far longer than she had been around. Their clothes and shoes all shiny and new, obviously bought to impress Dakota and make the other dancers feel insecure. Of course the only person standing around without a new get up was Kim. If it hadn't been for Serena's sudden interest in how she did she wouldn't have been in dance clothes at all.

Forcing herself to forget about anything other than the dance Serena had helped her prepare Kim bounced on the tips of her toes, waiting until Dakota's sharp voice called out her name clearly for the whole theater to hear.

For the first time Kim walked out onto stage on her own with people in the audience. At least when John came into the theater she could spot him. Dakota's face was simply a silhouette with two others on either side of her. They called her name and what she would only assume was her audition number as she was signaled to get into place.

She could barely hear her music starting over the pounding sound of her heartbeat in her head. Going through the steps Serena had taught her came as a rather jagged and labored process. Her own nerves getting the best of her, making the dance feel much more like a chore than something she enjoyed. And if she couldn't even enjoy herself there was no chance Dakota and her investors would either.

Taking a small breath before the music could pick up Kim pushed all her nerves out into the audience, picturing for a brief moment that instead of the blinding lights and three people responsible for her fate that it was just John, standing at the bottom of the stage as usual waiting for his invitation to join her. It was a small thought, barely given time to take root in her mind, but it was more than enough to move her forward.

The nerves didn't bother her after that. The music picked up and so did her movements, fast and fluid, catching herself with ease when her balance was thrown off. Whenever the music paused so did she, she could feel the strain in her muscles and just as they were about to give way the music allowed her to continue. For just a moment she allowed herself to imagine that the dance was for John, to prove him wrong about what she could do and to let them have something that was uniquely theirs even if it was just for a moment.

And as quickly as she had found her rhythm the music ended, stopping Kim in her tracks, leaving her panting heavily, noticing for the first time just how much energy the dance demanded from her.

Dakota stood up, pulling Kim back to reality with a slow clap that her partners didn't share.

Kim couldn't see the look on her face, but something about the length of the clap was more reassuring than any smile.

"We'll get back to you by tomorrow, Kim dear," Dakota finally said. "Go celebrate, you did wonderfully."

Kimberly's smile was so strong she could feel her cheeks start to ache. Through a parade of 'thank you's and grateful nods Kim left the stage, grabbing her bag from the back wall and running out of the theater with a level of excitement she had never experienced before.

With her bag draped across her shoulder she ran out into the hallway attaching the theater to the resort, spotting Mark and John waiting around patiently for her to get out. She couldn't exactly tell why they were always waiting for her, but she was nonetheless thankful. John turned towards her a bit surprised, obviously having been planning to say something with Mark for a while, but Kim had no time for well thought out apologies or anything else he had up his sleeve.

Without a word to either John or Mark Kim ran over to John, jumping into his arms for a hug, nearly knocking him off his feet. Mark's laughter filling up the hallway as Kim tried to express her thanks without squeezing the life out of John. She doubted she could put into words how the idea of having him in the room helped, but the hug was close enough for her. "It went well..?" John asked, hugging Kim back a bit unsure of whether or not to join in her excitement.

John nodded, pulling herself away once she began to calm down, realizing she might have overstepped her bounds. Carefully she backed away, smiling up to him brightly. "I think, she said it was wonderful."

John smiled, about to congratulate her when Mark came up to hug her, not wanting to be left out of the celebration.

"That's great!" he said, completely ignoring John's glare to the back of his head simply to bother him. "I know just how to celebrate too."

The twinkle in Mark's eye only made Kim laugh, which simply made him smile wider.

Over Mark's shoulder Kim could see John rolling his eyes. He may have been excited for Kim, but he wasn't any keener to put up with Mark's antics.

Thankfully Mark ignored that fact as well.

"You ever been to the pool here, Kim?"

Bleep Dakota sat in her office alone, going over the multiple audition tapes on her phone and the comments her partners had written in her notebook. They had a voice in picking the girls for the chorus, but nothing more.

The lead role was always a position she picked. If she was going to bill a girl as the company's sparkling diamond then she had to make sure she was willing to risk the investors not approving. She had chosen Serena last time they were faced with a new investor and that choice had lasted them over a year, she'd even grown fond of how easy the girl was to manipulate when she first arrived.

Serena, however, had grown to be rebellious and the last thing her business needed was something thinking they could break her rules and go off on their own. She needed loyalty, she needed obedience, but most of all she needed the investor.

And with a ping from her phone she got the final verdict on the matter, a small text from her new investor that didn't even bother with making the request a full sentence.

The investor needed Kimberly as badly as Dakota needed his money.

It was with that simple text that Kimberly got her role and that Dakota was promised enough money for an entirely new theater when the investor got her.

Bad For Business

I hope you don't mind that I put down in words how wonderful life is, now you're in the world.


Mark had been quick to drag Kimberly and John away from the theater to the pool inside the resort. His childlike excitement was far to charming for Kim to turn him down and she doubted that Mark would have allowed John to leave them anyway. The boyish grin on John's face at the sight of the empty pool, however, made Kim doubt he was any less excited than Mark.

It took the two a grand total of two minutes before they were in the pool, their shirts and shoes and anything that couldn't get wet sat beside Kim on one of the lounge chairs. Kim kept herself dry, lying across a lounge chair to watch them happily.

"Come on chubby, you can't keep up?" Mark teased John, getting himself chased across the pool only to be shoved under the water.

Kim laughed, knowing very well John was anything but fat. She couldn't be sure why that was a sensitive spot for him, but judging from the clearly defined muscles on his chest he had no cause to be embarrassed.

It was only when John turned back to look over to Kim that she realized she had been staring. Quickly changing her focus from John's chest to the now water logged Mark wiping the water out of his eyes.

"You alright over there?" she asked, trying to keep from getting caught.

"Oh I'm fine! He does this stuff all the time," Mark said, shooting a smirk in John's direction. "He eats so much he's paranoid he'll wake up one day weighing twice what he does now."

"If you don't shut up I will drown you," John warned, a pink tint coming over his cheeks.

"No you wont, Kim would save me before you could drown me," Mark said matter-of-factly, swimming back to the edge of the pool near Kim. " 'Course you'd have to come in the water for that."

"If she doesn't want to come in that's fine, Mark." John's gaze barely managed to hide his disappointment. "Stop bothering her."

Kim smiled, walking over to dip her feet into the pool, looking down to Mark easily. "I can't just whip off my shirt and jump in like the two of you. I don't live here remember? I'd rather not take a cab home dripping wet."

With an innocent smile Mark rested his chin on the edge of the pool, his hands inching over to her wrists. "It's fine, we can dry off your clothes back at our place. You can wear one of those fluffy resort robes if you don't have extra clothes in your bag."

The invitation was enticing and from the feel of the water on her feet alone Kim knew she'd enjoy a swim. The idea of walking around wherever Mark and John stayed wasn't her favorite option, but it'd have to do.

With a small nod Kim was about to accept the invitation but before she could get a single word out Mark's hands grasped her wrists, pulling her into the pool quickly. It wasn't very deep so she popped back up easily, Mark's laughter ringing in her ears as she tried to push her wet hair off her face. However, the tight ringlets sticking to her forehead with the weight of the water seemed to have other plans.

Glaring at Mark from underneath her mop of hair Kim splashed as much water as she could in his direction, eliciting laughter from behind the two of them. Turning around slowly Kim caught John laughing near the entrance to the pools hidden grotto. The way his eyes lit up when he smiled made Kim's stomach jump, but he still wouldn't be allowed to get away with laughing at her.

"You think this is funny?" she asked, starting to swim towards him.

John tried to stop himself, but the laughter never left his eyes even when he started shaking his head. Kim swam close enough to get ready to splash John, unable to keep from smiling herself at his annoying infectious laughter. The laughter quickly died as his eyes grew wide, staring past Kim long enough to make her turn around.

"What are you—"

Kim's question was cut off at the sight of Mark standing beside the statue lighting up the pool. A devilish grin on his face threatening to jump into the pool to splash both her and Joh causing them both to duck under the water to avoid him.

Once underwater Kim felt a small tug on her hand, opening her eyes to see a blurry John motioning for her to follow him to the grotto.

Quickly the two swam through a short tunnel away from Mark, popping up in a private pool large enough for only a handful of people.

Their laughter filled the small space, as the two couldn't get the look on Mark:s face out of their heads. They were so preoccupied by their own thoughts that they barely realized just how close to each other they were.

It wasn't until John helped Kim get the hair out of her face that the laughter stopped. Their eyes locked onto each other's with a longing that made Kim's heart skip a beat. All it would take would be a small tilt of the head and they would have shared their first kiss then and there. John's blue eyes had darkened as he looked down to her, telling her she had realized the same thing she had.

Despite herself Kimberly cleared her throat, pulling them both back to reality.

"We should go back, before Mark thinks we've drowned." She could practically hear the longing in her voice before quickly going back through the tunnel, hoping the water would help clear her head.

"Twenty-thousand…Twenty-five…You keep going down and I'm not sure if you noticed but that's not getting you anywhere."

Dakota and her booker had been dancing around price points for over an hour now. Other bidders calling in, allowing her to push the price up as the primary investor tried to keep from spending too much money. Dakota was used to these tricks however, and every time he went down she only went up.

She could tell it infuriated her booker but that only made her want to go higher.

"Chris, if your man even wants to spend time with her it's going to cost him. Remind him she's brand new, she could be a virgin for all we know." Dakota smirked as the man on the other end of the phone went quiet. She knew the chances of hiring a virgin were slim to none, but just mentioning the word was enough to get the bidding back up.

" He wants exclusivity, " the man's voice said. " Only him, no other clients. "

Quietly Dakota glanced over to her computer, seeing the other investors jump up their prices to keep from loosing. At this rate Kimberly would sell just as if not better than Serena did when she joined.

"I don't like doing exclusivity, Chris. We risk a lot giving her only one client. So I'm sure you'd understand that changes things quiet a bit, he'll have to beat out all the other offers." " How much? "

Dakota thought for a moment, binding Kimberly would give them a constant income, but it would all be dependant on whether or not the investor liked what they saw. For all intensive purposes having an exclusive client was the closest to marriage Dakota would be allowing her to get.

"Fifty-thousand for the initial purchase, thirty- thousand for additional nights." Dakota could practically hear her booker's heart stop. She hadn't even sold Serena for that much money, but Serena's investor wasn't asking for exclusivity.

The line was silent while he relayed the message to the investor. The offers on her computer stopped as the men scrambled to try and find a means of beating her price. It was only when Chris returned to the phone defeated that Dakota bothered to send the other bidders away.

" He'll take it. He'll pay after he's gotten a chance to meet her, " Chris said, barely able to hide his disappointment.

"Good. I'll be having a little party soon to introduce her to company. Bring your man along and I'll get the two together." Dakota smiled, making arrangements to have Kim moved into the resort as soon as possible. "And don't worry, she wont have the slightest idea who he is. He can introduce himself on his own time."

WOOW.u are rili tryn dear buh try prove-readn d story b4 uploadn cus u kinda usd john instead of kim in one episode.more wisdom 2u ma.

switup this is it

It had taken a decent amount of time for the trio to run up to the penthouse without getting caught dripping all over the marble floors, and the fact Mark had slipped twice on their way to the elevator didn't help either. Miraculously they had managed to make it back without being seen by anyone who could recognize them.

Convincing Kimberly that she didn't have to worry about ruining anything inside the penthouse on the other hand seemed to take even more time. John doubted she had expected the flat to be as extravagant as it was and as she left with Mark to toss her clothes in the wash he began to wonder if her own apartment was even as large as the penthouse.

Sitting beside full windowJohn waited patiently for Kim to return, having washed the chlorine off and changed into something more comfortable as soon as she had walked off with Mark. Staring out the window onto the city lights he tried his hardest to keep his mind from wandering back to seeing Kim in front of him in the secret grotto.

Her big brown eyes staring back at him expectantly before something pulled them both back to earth. He could have kissed her then, he wanted to kiss her then. Everything that had been running through his head seemed to be going too fast for him to make sense of it and before he knew it she was gone.

All he wanted was to think clearly enough to understand why every time they were close he felt like he could barely breath without wanting to say her name. It was intoxicating and he knew Mark had caught onto him. He could only wonder how long it would take Kimberly to find out.

"You mind if I sit down?" The soft voice pulled John out of his thoughts.

Smiling down to him was a freshly showered Kim. Her dark hair braided back to keep from dripping water all over the hard wood floor. Her arms wrapped tight around her body, keeping the soft white bathrobe from moving around too much. Despite her undone lookJohn found it near impossible to look away.

"Of course," he said, moving over to make room for her on the window seat.

Kim sat beside him, her gaze quickly shifting from him to the cityscape outside the window. Her eyes scanning over everything as if she was afraid it would disappear the second she looked away.

"I've never been up this high before, you can see everything from up here," she said in awe.

"You get used to it after a while. I've seen more of the city from here than in person." John watched Kim continue to scan over everything, her entire body fighting to stay awake long enough to take everything in. "It's not as impressive in the morning but you can see farther. The first night we stayed here Mark woke me up to watch the damn sunrise while we were still jet lagged," he chuckled.

"I bet it was worth it," Kim said, a yawn escaping despite her best efforts. "I'd stay up all night to just watch everything from up here.

John couldn't help but yawn after her, smiling softly as she rested her head on his shoulder. "If you can stay up that long I'll try to keep you company."

Kim chuckled, leaning back against his chest without thinking much of it. John could feel his cheeks heating up at the feeling of her body against his. Carefully he placed an arm around her waist to keep her from slipping off the window seat as she watched the city below them.

"Good," she muttered, her exhaustion from the day finally starting to set in. "I'll call a cab once my clothes are done."

John listened as her voice trailed off, her eyes fighting to stay open to watch the city lights twinkle. Carefully he pulled her closer, letting her head rest against his chest as he placed his chin on top of her head. He still wanted to kiss her badly but the last thing he wanted was to break her trust. With a small sigh he leaned back against the wall, holding her close, letting her relax against him as they both looked down through the window.

Bleep The clothes had taken longer than Mark told Kim they would. He had expected only a few minutes to be necessary but the machine conveniently seemed to have problems with the dance fabric.

With the now clean clothes in hand Mark walked back out into the living room, spotting both Kimberly and John fast asleep beside the window. A small smirk crossing Mark's lips as he placed the clothes on a coffee table, grabbing a throw blanket from the couch to drape over the two before he returned to his room. It's about time.

Madam abeg wen u go update?we r waiting oo