Pretty Ever After
A Chicago Nights Novel
Tabatha Kiss
Copyright © 2020 by Tabatha Kiss
All Rights Reserved.
Cover Design by Cover Me Timbers
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the author.
This is a work of fiction intended for mature audiences only. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
This novel contains explicit descriptions of erotic and sexual acts that some may find offensive, including perverse adult language.
All characters are 18+ years of age and all sexual acts are consensual.
Reader discretion advised.
Visit TabathaKiss.com for a FREE book!
Also by Tabatha Kiss
Visit TabathaKiss.com for a FREE book!
Heartthrob Hotel
Just a Touch
Just a Kiss
Just a Fling
Just a Crush
Just a King
Old Habits
The Mechanic
The Milkman
Chicago Nights
Pretty Little Thing
Pretty Dirty Trick
Pretty Ever After
Sweet Cravings
Muffin Top
Hot Sauce
Bad Ballers
Bump and Run
In Too Deep
Home Run Baby
The Pink Diaries
In the Pink
Pink Christmas
Stand-alones
Lumberjack Boss
The Midwest Alphas
Writing as Tabatha Drake
Untouched
Unbroken
Undying
Killer Love
Writing as Tabatha Drake
Killer Love
Secret Love
Tainted Love
Broken Love
Mad Love
Cruel Love
Endless Love
For more, go to TabathaKiss.com
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Epilogue: Nora
Epilogue: Trix
Epilogue: Melanie
Excerpt: Just a Touch
Also by Tabatha Kiss
About the Author
One
Melanie
What the hell was I thinking?
Okay, sure. I’ve never had to think very hard about a Saturday night out before. I’m a writer which, typically, equates to being a loner ninety-nine percent of the time. Spending some guilt-free time away from my laptop is good for me, especially with friends like Nora Payne and Trix Argento.
What I failed to realize is that a Saturday night out with the girls isn’t exactly a night out with the girls anymore.
They brought dates.
I did not.
Fifth Wheel City. Population: Me.
I couldn’t be happier for my friends. In fact, I’d literally sacrifice myself to the devil himself if it meant my friends could be this happy forever. While they had a rocky start, Nora and Clive are utterly perfect for each other. And Trix and Lance? I’m almost tempted to steal their story and wacky cast of side characters for my next novel, it’s that good. I adore my friends and their chosen suitors, so why do I feel like chewed up garbage right now?
I take another sip of my rum and coke, lamenting the view of the bottom of the glass.
“What do you think, Mel?”
I raise my head. Trix stares at me from the loveseat next to my single chair, her eyes wide and expectant.
“I think…” I pause. “Um…”
Nora snorts. “You weren’t listening.”
“No, I was!” I claim, convincing no one. I sigh and set my drink down on the table. “Okay, yeah. Not so much with the listening right now. I’m sorry, guys.”
Her head tilts. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, just a little scattered tonight is all. Please ask for my opinion again.”
Trix straightens up. “Do you think we should get married before or after the baby is born?”
Lance sighs, but keeps a stiff face while Trix’s stare burrows even deeper into me.
“Well, do you even have to get married at all?” I ask.
“No,” Trix answers as Lance spits out an emphatic, “Yes!”
“Ahh.” I chuckle. “I see what I missed now.”
Trix twists in her seat toward Lance. “What’s the rush, babe?”
“There’s no rush,” he answers. “But it’d be nice to get all of that over and done with before we have to deal with a newborn.”
“Over and done with? That’s the language you use when referring to holy matrimony with the mother of your unborn child?”
“Trix, come on. That’s not what I mean.”
“That’s what you said.”
“Just admit that you’re dragging your feet because you want your dad to be there.”
Trix stutters a bit. “That’s… not… Okay, fine. Yes. I want my father to be at my wedding. Is that wrong?”
“Angelo’s in prison, Trix,” he argues.
She sets her club soda down. “Papa’s in prison because you put him there.”
“For only three years! You’re welcome.”
“I’m welcome?!”
“He was looking at twenty-to-life, so yeah.”
I look at Nora and she smiles back as Trix and Lance continue on. “So, how are things with you two?” I ask her and Clive. “Anything going on between you I can spark a fight about?”
She chuckles, their hands entwined. “Nope!” She looks at him, her little eyes round and disgustingly optimistic. “We’re perfectly happy.”
“That’s good,” I say with a nod. “How’s the new app coming along?”
She deflates her shoulders, her mood practically hitting the floor.
I cringe. “That’s bad.”
“No, not bad,” she says with a pause. “Just… nerves.”
“What’s there to be nervous about? You’ve launched an app before.”
“Yeah, back when I was nobody!” Pure panic fills her cheeks. “It’s easy to risk everything when you’re small potatoes in your early twenties, but now everyone is watching and if this new app is dead on release, well—”
She makes epic explosion noises and gestures. Clive moves a discreet hand and places it on the back of her neck. I watch with interest as the tension shifts from her shoulders and she holds her breath, going quiet. She quickly smiles, her face blushing as his firm touc
h calms her down.
The Dom and his sub.
For a moment, my gut twinges with jealousy, but it’s soon banished and replaced with pride. They found each other because of me. Who else can claim to have played matchmaker for the ultimate matchmaker herself, Nora Payne?
“When does the new app come out again?” I ask her.
“Just after Christmas,” she answers. “Trying to hit the New Year’s Eve crowd, but there is so much we have to get done before that…”
She drifts into a thousand-yard stare.
Clive touches her back again. She exhales.
“Well, I’m looking forward to…” I squint. “Does it have a name yet?”
Nora nods. “PK. Pretty Kinky. It tested well. Is it okay? Do you like it? You hate it, right? Oh, god, maybe we should test it again?”
I chuckle. “It’s great, Nora.”
“Is it?”
“Yes.”
Clive nods, his thick fingers dominating the back of her neck. “You heard her, Nora. It’s great.”
Nora looks up at him and even I feel a little second-hand heat radiating between their gazes.
She clears her throat. “Well, it’s getting late…”
I glance at my watch. “It’s nine-thirty.”
She stands up, and Clive follows. “Yeah, but I was in the office all day today and I’m just… really tired.”
I smile. “Say hi to Judy for me.”
Clive looks down as Nora’s guilty lips twitch. “Bye, guys!”
“Bye!” Trix and I say.
“Yeah. See you next time,” Lance adds.
Nora grasps Clive’s hand and pulls him toward the exit.
Trix stands. “We should probably get home, too. I have an early meeting with my brothers tomorrow before brunch.”
“Meeting for what?” I ask.
“Oh, you know.” She shrugs. “Future of the family, this. Restoring our honor, that.”
I smile. Argento Barbie is back.
Lance steps behind her with her jacket. I die internally once again. Just the basic, gentlemanly act of him helping her put on her coat is enough to make me want to sink even deeper into my stupor.
I pick up my glass and pour the rest of it down my throat.
“You coming?” Trix asks. “We can give you a ride home.”
“No, thanks,” I say. “I think I’ll stay and people-watch for a bit.”
She nods. “All right. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I give a quick wave. “See you tomorrow.”
“Bye, Melanie,” Lance says, hooking his arm with hers.
I force a smile, holding it for as long as it takes for them to walk across the bar and disappear onto the cold, crowded street.
Then, I drop it and collapse onto the cushion behind me.
Another group swarms the now-open couches, so I hop up with my glass and wander through the crowd toward the first empty barstool I see.
“Hey, Joel!” I shout over the fray as I sit down.
The bartender looks at me and raises his index finger, showing that he’ll be with me soon. I nod and wait, tipping my glass back one more time to try to claim the last drops on the bottom.
“Another refill?” Joel asks, finally appearing in front of me.
“Yes, please,” I answer, relinquishing the glass. “And make it extra strong.”
He nods with a smile. “Rough night?”
“No.” I shrug. “Yeah. No? I don’t know.”
He sets the fresh drink down in front of me. I drink it while I scan the room. Couples, old and new. Girls and boys nights out. Lonely people at the counter. Most bars in every major city look exactly the same. I used to love sitting in places like this, making up their stories, and writing idea after idea as they sprout fully formed in my brain.
But, lately…
None of it excites me anymore.
Only one thing does.
I grab my phone from the back pocket of my jeans. A fumbling swipe or two or three — make that four — and I check my text messages. A recent one from Trix letting me know they made it home all right. An old one from Nora saying that they’re saving my chair.
But nothing from him.
Joel refills my drink again. I drink it down. I get another one.
It has been over a week since the last text. I told him I was thinking about him. A man I’ve never met in person. A man whose voice I’ve never heard before. I don’t even know his name and I can’t stop thinking about him.
It started with roses. I got the first bouquet in May. A dozen roses tied together with a silver ribbon. No name, no card. Just a random gesture from a stranger.
Then I got another the next month. And another a month after that. But now, with notes!
For you, beautiful.
Is that smile for me?
You’re perfect. Just thought I’d let you know.
Harmless? Sure. Potentially dangerous stalker? I suppose so, but it’s not like anyone else was lining up to show me affection. I couldn’t help the way my gut leapt the moment I saw the flower delivery guy. I wanted to know more about my secret admirer. I needed to know if it was a potential soulmate or a horrible serial killer.
I gave the delivery service my phone number, at Trix’s suggestion, and asked that they pass it on the next time someone ordered flowers for me.
And it worked.
For a month, we texted non-stop. We talked long into the night. No face-to-face. No awkward silences. It was just words on a screen, but I can’t say I’ve felt so close to another person in so long.
But then… it stopped.
Radio silence.
Why?
What did I do wrong this time?
The crowd thins out and the live music gets replaced by the corner jukebox. I draw pictures through the water rings on the bar as I wonder whether I should text him right now.
“Hey, Melanie.”
I raise my head and smile. “Hey, Joely.”
“Time to tab-out?” he asks. “Get a cab?”
I chuckle. “I don’t need a cab.”
“You don’t need another drink, either.”
“Pfft.” I push my empty glass in his direction. “One more.”
“Mel…”
“Joel, I’m fine.”
He raises a brow.
I sigh. “Whatever, just…” I push my hair back behind my ears. “Where’s my happy ending?”
Joel squints. “Your what?”
“Nora has Clive and their kinky sex stuff,” I say, slurring slightly. “Trix has Lance and their probably adorable fetus.” I point at my face. “What about me, Joel? What do I get?”
He stares in confusion. “You get a cab.”
“No— jeez— you don’t get it. What I’m trying to say is—”
Joel turns away from me and walks to the other end of the bar.
“Um...” I glare at his back. “Hello? Rude!”
“Wow, so this is what it’s like on the other side.”
I deflate at the sound of the deep, amused voice behind me. “No,” I say, clenching my eyes closed. “No, no, no—”
“You know, I never thought I’d have to come down to the bar to take you home. Usually the other way around…”
My head rolls back and I come face-to-face with Robbie Wheeler.
My ex-husband.
The biggest pain my ass ever did see.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I ask.
He shakes his head with great amusement as he slowly slinks his fingers around my arm. “Now, Melanie...”
“Go away,” I tell him as I yank my elbow from his hand. “Why are you even here?”
“Got a phone call,” he says. “Hey, Rob. Melanie’s wasted. You should probably come and get her.”
My jaw drops. I spin around to yell at Joel’s back. “You called him?!”
Joel looks at me and shrugs.
“Guess he never heard about the divorce,” Robbie muses. “Which is fine. I would hate t
o have missed this.”
“Et tu, Joely?!” I shout across the bar.
Robbie pulls out his wallet. “Close out her tab, will you?” he asks Joel as he hands off his credit card. “On me tonight.”
Joel takes it. “Will do.”
I scoff. “Yeah, right. You know your card can only get declined so many times before the bank deactivates your broke ass, right?”
Robbie sighs, bright and happy, as he leans an elbow on the bar. “Melanie...”
“Don’t Melanie me, you stupid sack of sh—”
“What’s up?” he asks, his voice flush with the patience of a second grade teacher.
“My foot in your balls. That’s what’s up.”
He laughs. “Where is Nora and Trix?”
“They went home.”
“And they left you here?”
“No, I stayed behind to drank.”
“Drink.”
“I know what the word is! Don’t correct my grammar!” I reach for my glass. “Who do you think you are? My editor?”
“I used to be.”
“Shut up.”
Robbie pushes the glass an inch away from my hand before I can get it.
Joel returns with the card. “She’s all set, Rob.”