Surviving the Aces (#Wattys2018)

Meet Gregg

The first thing I noticed was that he had a baby face. Like Diego, there were dimples in his cheeks when he smiled and I knew I was done for. He wasn't wearing a shirt and I found it extremely difficult to keep my eyes off of his tanned abs.

I knew he wasn't one of Bailey's sons because one, they were still away, and two, I didn't recognize him from the family picture.

He smiled at me. "Hey." He greeted, snatching a sandwich from the platter and falling gracefully into a seat, as if he wasn't leaving his bare chest on display.
I noticed that he also had an accent.

"Gregg, where is your shirt?" Diego asked, looking annoyed.

He gave Diego a questioning look. "What's a shirt?" He asked snidely and I smiled; I turned my head so that my hair covered my face and Diego wouldn't see my smile. Diego scoffed and left the room after filling his plate with a few sandwiches. It was pretty clear that Diego was not fond of Gregg.

"So," Gregg started. "Who are you?"

"I think the question is, who are you." I replied, taking a sip of the drink Lily had left me. I didn't know where my spout of confidence was coming from but I wasn't going to take it back.

He smirked. "Are you flirting with me?" He raised an eyebrow.

I instantly fell in love with his accent but I held my ground. "Why would I want to flirt with you?" I asked, feigning distaste. I really had no idea where all of his confidence was coming from. It was almost arrogant.

He gave me a 'duh' face, which offended me only slightly. "Because I'm Gregg Sulkin ." He replied.

"Yeah, and I'm Dakota Hart. What's your point?" I retorted, mimicking his tone and rolling my eyes.

He laughed heartily and the dimples deepened in his cheeks. I nearly swooned but once again, I held my ground. "You really don't know who I am?" He asked, once he was done looking genuinely confused.

I shrugged. He sighed. "Good. We'll be great friends then." He decided, taking the last bite of his sandwich and grabbing another one. His confidence was both endearing and annoying.

I snorted. "What makes you think I want to be your friend? And why would we be friends? Aren't you just another client of Baileys?" I gave him a confused look.

He shrugged. "You could say that, but I hang around here a lot. Quintins my best mate." He explained with a grin. I groaned, throwing my head back.

"Wow. You're the first girl to groan at my presence." Gregg told me, leaning forward.

"I hope that changes your perspective on life a bit." I said, starting to get more irritated at his cockiness.

He stroked his chin as if in thought. "No. I don't think it did." I rolled my eyes.

"Hey." Bailey entered the room. "I see you've met Gregg. He's not being too brash is he?" She asked. I laughed.

I stood as she walked across the room and pulled me into a hug. "It's so great to finally meet you Dakota. You're so beautiful. Just like your mother." She gushed.

"Thanks." I said hugging her back, glad that she couldn't see me blush.

"So...I'm sorry to leave you already. I'm on my way to Diego's show." She said as she pulled back. "I'm sure he told you. Do yo-"

"I think I'll take it from here Bailey." Gregg interrupted. She smirked at him. "Okay. I'll see you two later." Bailey gave me a dazzling smile before leaving the room.

I gave Gregg a confused look. He stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Do you want to go with me?"

I raised my eyebrows at him. "Do you want to be my date to the show?" He asked in exasperation.