Chapter 9
He looks fucking delicious in a fitted tux, his usually messy hair brushed back.
“Bass!” Ari calls, even more enthusiastic than normal, thanks to the bubbly. “I wasn’t sure I’d see you.”
She doesn’t sound surprised, though.That makes me raise an eyebrow. “You work here or something?”
Somehow, that makes him laugh. “In a way, I guess. My family owns part of the Gold Theater. Tanya, right?” he asks my friend, extending his hand over the counter.
She blushes as she brings her palm to his, and he presses his lips at the back of it like it’s fucking nineteen-thirty or something.
Tanya, man-eater, confident, badass gorgeous dancer, is getting hot under the collar because of a hand kiss. He’s that hot.
“That’s me.”
“Great performance, for a first show. The board was right to snatch you up from under New York. I hope you’re fitting in all right with the corps?”
“As well as can be expected, thank you,” Tanya says diplomatically, making me frown. “Bass, was it?”
“Sebastian Keller,” he introduces himself, extending his hand formally. “Now, I see your bottle’s almost empty. Can’t have that, can we? The next one’s on the house.”
He turns and leans forward to grab it from the fridge, and all of our gazes drift down to that tight, bitable ass.
We stare at each other and giggle like schoolgirls. At least Ari doesn’t seem to mind that everyone’s lusting for her man.
“Something amusing?” he asks, bottle in hand. From his smirk, he knows exactly what we were looking at.
“Come on, Bass. You spend two hours a day at the gym; let us appreciate the results.”
He winks at Ari. “Anytime.”
Our glasses are full again, and it occurs to me that we’re the only ones left in the theater.
“Wait, are we keeping you?”
He shrugs. “The place is closed up, but stay as long as you’d like. It gives me an excuse to avoid the house.”
That’s…strangely relatable. I also jump on whatever excuse presents itself to avoid my house, back home.
“Bass is a Vesper—that’s one of the houses at Rothford,” Ari explains to Tanya, mostly. “Except, now that he’s post-grad, all other Vespers turn to him for mentorship and shit. He loves it.”
“I fucking hate it,” he corrects, sneering.
“Why do you stay, then?” she asks. “Can’t you just transfer to another house or something?”
He sighs deeply. “The Vesper is a rather influential house. If I gave you a list of the alumni, you’d recognize all of them by name. I can’t technically live elsewhere without relinquishing my membership—unless I have a valid reason. And I don’t want to give it up.”
“So that’s why you’re squatting in our room,” I guess. Alcohol has definitely done something to my brain-to-mouth filter. If I had one in the first place.
“That, and other benefits.”
I flush, recalling exactly what kind of benefits he’s talking about.
He probably thinks I’m a prude and I guess that by default, I kind of am. I’ve certainly never found myself in the kind of position Ari was in on Sunday.
I’ve only had sex with one person, missionary style, with the lights off. I didn’t like it that much and any repeat performance has been a chore. I’ve never enjoyed sex. But that doesn’t mean I don’t…wonder how other people feel. Those who like it. Those who scream and demand more. There must be a reason they’re so into it, right? And I’m curious about it. Curious about what his mouth can do, other than drive me insane with that smirk.
God, the champagne is going straight to my head, isn’t it?
I peel my eyes away from Sebastian, flushing.
The girls are chatting about Tanya’s introduction to ballet.
“It was just a way to get out of the house,” she explains. “The local youth club had classes. But the teacher told me I had a talent for it. He managed to pull some funding together so I could attend a proper academy. I won a few competitions, performed in a few shows. Then I got a college scholarship for it, and the rest is history.”
“Don’t let her convince you it was that simple,” I intervene, knowing she’s selling herself short. “Tanya works her asse off, day in day out. It’s not just the hours of grueling work, the tears and bleeding toes iced at midnight; she also has to eat a certain way, not drink much, and she barely has time for anything else.”
“It was pretty hard, at first,” she admits. “Then I got a bestie who was preparing my breakfast shakes, making sure I had ice and bandages and KT tape when I got home late, and my life got a hell of a lot easier.”
I find myself flushing as Tanya gently elbows Ari. “You’re lucky to have that one as a roomie, my friend. She’s a natural caretaker. Just make sure she has fun from time to time, yeah?”
“Hey, I can have fun,” I lie with a pout.
“Never said you can’t. Just that you have to be dragged into it kicking and screaming.”
I roll my eyes.
In truth, she’s summed up our relationship. Tanya tends to be away from dawn to dusk, which doesn’t leave her a lot of time to shop for her necessities. I’ve never minded doing that for her. And on the rare occasions when she has some free time, she makes sure I let loose. For years, that meant sneaking me out of my mother’s house under some random pretense to bring me to a rave, or a frat party, always a little too far for us to know anyone else.
I don’t think I could have kept my sanity if I’d been left back home without her—not after three years of almost freedom.
Almostbeing the keyword.
“Speaking of, I’d better call it a night,” Tanya says. “I’m off tomorrow, but I can’t afford a hangover.”
“I’ll order you a car,” Sebastian offers, already typing away on his phone. “Are you staying in southie with the rest of the corps?”
Tanya nods. The company’s renting a building in the downtown area, and houses most of their dancers together. Sebastian would know, if he’s part owner.“But you don’t have to order a driver, I can just find one across the road.”
“It’s done,” he says, his tone final. “I only had half a glass, so I’ll drive you two back.”
“Aren’t you the sweetest,” Ari coos, bending across the bar to kiss his cheek.
“Sweet. That’s absolutely me,” he teases.
Ugh, someone poke my eyeball with a damn fork, please. I can’t take these two being lovey-dovey when I can’t seem to stop picturing him doing very bad things to me.
I have to murder the crush I seem to be developing on Sebastian Keller, stat.
Sebastian drives a sexy car, to go with his sexy suit and his sexy damn ass that I can’t stop myself from glancing at again. I know nothing about cars but it’s low, and dark green, with killer curves and a style that makes me think it’s a classic.
It’s a coupé, but there’s enough room for two of us in the passenger seat—mostly because Ari’s tiny. I’m surprised she lets me sit in the middle, close to her boyfriend. Close enough to smell his distinctive perfume—musk and spice and deliciousness. I do my best not to breathe it in.
The drive is silent, and infinitely awkward for me, though Ari happily chats about Giselle again, and Sebastian is the picture of nonchalance.
“You know, you could have told me if you were interested in the ballet,” he remarks casually. “That would have been all your birthdays sorted for the last decade.”
I didn’t realize they’d known each other that long.
“Well I didn’t know I’d like it, did I?” she retorts. “But you’ve been my bestie forever; you should have worked out I’d enjoy the drama.”
He snorts as we finally pull into the dorm’s driveway. “True, now that you mention it.”
“Tanya seems cool,” Ari tells me as she waits for Sebastian to open the door for her. “I thought dancers were supposed to be catty and competitive.”
She’s completely at ease with his chivalry, clearly used to it. Somehow, that’s unexpected, given what I saw happening behind closed doors.
“They can be,” I admit. “There are only so many parts, and there’s a constant fight to get the best one. But Ari’s humble by nature; she’s not trying to be a prima. Plus, just because the corps can be at each other’s throats doesn’t mean she has to be catty to us.”
I flush, because Sebastian’s right there, offering me his hand. Since admitting I might be developing a thing for him, the proximity is both mortifying and heady. I don’t want to be rude, though, so I do take his hand. “Thank you. And thanks for the lift.”
“Any time. Let me know next time you want to go to the theater; no point in letting my box collect dust.”
So we were in his box. That explains it.
“Oh…thanks,” I repeat. “It was really nice.”
Sebastian shrugs. “Don’t mention it, Hestia.”
He turns to Ari and winks, before returning to the driver’s seat.
I only remember to breathe properly when his taillights fade at the corner.
Oh, boy, I’m in trouble.