Black Pearl Prequel

What will it take to rebuild my self-esteem?

When I walked in on my boyfriend in bed with another woman, I couldn't believe my eyes. To make matters worse, his lack of remorse was like another slap to the face. Years of his verbal put-downs and hurtful comments about my weight all but thoroughly destroyed my self-confidence.

But finally, I was done.

The emotional pain and self-doubt weren't as easy to get rid of as he was, however. Luckily, I have a best friend like Mercedes for a shoulder to cry on. When she hands me tickets to six weeks of burlesque lessons, I all but shut her down. She doesn't give up, though, promising me that it'll be fun. After some prodding, I take her up on it.

And a whole new world opens to me.

Not only do I slowly start to regain the confidence that my ex stripped from me, but I begin to long for things that are way out of my league. Such as the CEO of the company I work for, Nikola Collins.

Increased self-esteem or not, I know there's no way a powerful man like Nikola would ever look twice at me.