4. Chapter Four
Chapter Four
Alyssa
T he steady beat of Mia’s foot tapping the ground while she waited for my response didn’t ease my anxiety over saying either “yes” or “no.” Mostly, I wished Mia hadn’t come to me at all so I could have continued avoiding Pasha and pretending I hadn’t fucked him when I knew he was off-limits.
In my limited experience, one-and-done men didn’t quite scratch the itch. Orgasms were in short supply with one-night stands. What did a guy care as long as he got off?
My body had hummed for Pasha, lit up, and then exploded. I’d replayed the sequence many times over the last week, writhing under my covers, suppressing my gasp as I came, thoughts of him swirling around like a bad idea waiting for another opening.
“I’m flattered,” I said, stalling. Could I say no and keep my job, stay on Mia’s good side?
“Great, but will you do it?” Mia’s voice was exasperated. “Like I said, the choreography doesn’t have to be complicated. And if you want to come to the wedding, I can put you on the invite list. Basically, name your price. Having you do it is the most convenient option for me.”
Name my price? A five-digit number came to mind, which was ridiculous.
Mia could hire someone much better than me for less.
What I needed was a guaranteed job after Mia’s tour.
With only a couple of months left, I would be in the danger zone financially as soon as the tour finished.
So close to paying off the debt but not quite there.
“I heard Sarah Telling is touring soon,” I said.
“Yeah,” Mia agreed. “As soon as she finishes filming Center Stage .”
“Can you put in a good word for me with her?”
“That’s what you want?” Mia frowned. “Another job?”
“I have that—”
“Debt, right.” Mia closed her eyes. “I tell you what. You do a good job with Pasha, make him feel comfortable with this routine, make him happy to be doing this for me, and I’ll pay off whatever is left of your debt at the end of the tour. It can’t be that much.”
It can’t be that much. God, to have so much money that thousands of dollars were a drop in an oversized bucket.
“That’s really generous. I…” Could I agree to that?
The job was a safe bet, a good place to put my faith, tied to nothing but merit.
What Mia was proposing was so much easier, except my payout would be mixed with Pasha’s comfort and happiness. Too risky.
“It won’t be a hardship to teach him. He’s a decent guy, I swear.” Mia crossed her heart.
“I think,” I started, never one to wager something I couldn’t win when I was completely sober, “I’d rather you put in a good word with Sarah Telling.” I didn’t know Pasha well enough to tie so much value to spending time with him.
Great sex did not equal a good relationship, work-related or otherwise. I’d learned that lesson more than once .
Mia’s shoulders sank, and she sighed. “Okay, fine. But you’ll choreograph the routine? Spend at least half an hour a day helping me and Pasha with it for the next few weeks?”
“Yes. You and Pasha, together. I can do that.” My mind had already wandered to steps and sequences, lifts and turns. “Do you have a song in mind? It’s easier for me to start with the song.” I pursed my lips. “East Coast or West Coast?”
“Which one is better?”
“East Coast is faster and bigger in terms of space. West Coast is a bit slower, more compact. Pros and cons to both.”
Mia removed a list from the back pocket of her jeans.
“I have a list of songs I like. I’d ask Pasha, but it’ll mean nothing to him.
” She chuckled. “And he’d probably tune me out.
But any of the ones on here are good with me.
I’ve been thinking about this for a while, so the list is ridiculously long, and I can’t pick. Impossible to pick.”
“You want me to do it all?” I raised my eyebrows and scanned the list. Mia wasn’t lying; it was long.
“Sure, yeah. I mean, I have about five thousand other things to think about, and it would be a weight off me. I’m getting what I want.
Swing dancing. One of those songs. East or West doesn’t matter.
Someone else worrying about the details.
” Mia grinned. “I’ll give you credit in the live stream too. Don’t worry.”
“Live stream?” My heart kicked. “You’re having Pasha do this in front of a bazillion people? Live?”
“Do you really think that many people will watch?” She twisted her lips in thought. “I hoped maybe a million across the globe at one point or another. Live streams never keep the same audience throughout. ”
“A million?” My eyes were probably bugging out of my head.
The number wasn’t unreasonable, and I could understand why Mia would enjoy an audience for her big day.
Everything in her life was recorded, broadcast, writ large.
Tyler appeared to take her desire for the spotlight with a pinch of humor.
What did Pasha think about this plan? To be on the fringes and then thrust into the glare?
“So,” Mia said, her hand on the button to exit the bus. “We’ve got a deal, right? I’ll have Taryn or Rebecca send you a meeting request for this coming week so we can get started.”
“This week?”
“Three months. That’s all we got. Pasha’s probably going to need it.”
“Right,” I said, staring at the list of songs, not reading any of them. My free time had just morphed into a swirling pattern of rock steps and counting patterns, but at least I’d have another job after this one.
I hadn’t put my swing dance training to work in a few years.
Did I remember enough? Was saying “yes” a bad idea?
It was one thing for Mia to perform in front of guests, but with a live stream, there was no telling who might tune in.
An incredible opportunity if Mia gave me credit and if no one screwed up.
This dance could also end up a disaster for my bank account, for my working relationship with Mia if anything went wrong. I’d never be able to call her again and plead my case, ask for help, and if it was a failure, anyone who saw it wouldn’t want to hire me either.
“Three months,” I said with a nod. “I won’t let you down.”
~ * ~
A sweat broke out across my brow, and I wiped away the dampness before it could slither down my face. I’d had to call in a few favors, but I’d managed to talk one of my former swing dance partners into making the drive to North Carolina to help me collect my thoughts and create this dance.
Tomorrow, Mia expected some sort of result, and I was sweating in more than one way.
“Do you think that’ll work?” I asked Jace, using a towel to wipe down my overheated body.
Mia had given me a room behind the stage for us to work in private.
I’d choreographed all of the steps in advance, and then Jace and I had gone through the routine at half the speed a dozen times or more before we’d taken it up to speed.
“It works,” Jace agreed. “But I thought you said the guy Mia wanted for the routine was a novice. Some of those moves aren’t novice.”
I released my breath in a whoosh. “I know, but it’ll be boring without them.”
“Boring for you or them?”
For Mia and a million other people watching. “Do you think there’s some balance? The dance can’t be too hard, but it should still be entertaining with a bit of ‘wow.’”
“You’ve got the ‘wow.’ I’m worried the entertaining part will be when he drops Mia, or he misses a hold.” He brushed his dark brown hair out of his eyes. “Is it Tyler Sullivan? Is she planning to use her boy-toy for a show?”
I covered my face with the towel and took some deep breaths.
Jace was an honest partner, and he’d agreed to come if he got to perform the routine with me in front of Mia tomorrow so he stood a chance of being noticed.
Since the wedding was top secret, I had to tell him Mia was thinking about adding swing dancing to her next stage show and wasn’t sure she wanted swing dancers.
I was glad he came, but he wasn’t making me feel any better about demonstrating the routine. He didn’t understand the stakes.
“She didn’t tell me her plans.” I threw the towel on the floor. “Like I said, she might be using some swing in a future show, and she asked me to put something together that a novice could do. That’s all I know.”
“Well, if this doesn’t fit the bill, I’m happy to choreograph for her.” Jace’s tone was casual, but I’d been around the dance scene long enough to know when my job might be in danger of being poached.
That was the problem with bringing someone else in.
I hadn’t asked any of the other dancers from the show for this reason.
Mia knew about my swing background thanks to a night at the bar on the last tour.
She probably hadn’t looked any deeper into the experiences of the dancers she’d hired for this tour.
Having someone sweep in and steal my glory wasn’t happening.
“This is what she wants,” I said, feigning confidence. “I’m stressing for nothing, I’m sure. Nerves. That’s all.” I was fiddling with my phone when the practice-room door popped open. “We’re busy,” I said before looking up.
When I did look up, my breath caught in my throat, and a hum started low in my belly. Pasha’s wide shoulders were framed in the doorway, and the memory of him, on top of me, murmuring Russian phrases in my ear caused a shiver of pleasure to race along my spine. Tingles all the way down.
What had he said? I’d tried to look them up, but spelling something in Russian when you only heard it whispered in your ear on the brink of an orgasm proved more difficult than I expected.
That night hung in the air .
“Mia asked to see you.” Pasha’s words were heavily accented, and his gaze shifted from me to Jace and back again.
“Oh, right.” My voice was too breathy. This reaction was why I’d been avoiding him. My body wanted more, even if my brain knew it was a bad idea. “Her dressing room?”
“Yes.” Pasha eyed Jace again before our gazes connected for a beat longer than needed. Another wave of desire swept over.
I cleared my throat, hoping my next words wouldn’t sound so much like a horny teenager’s. “I’ll be right there.”
He closed the door without another word, and Jace whistled low. “Holy sexual tension, Batman.” He fanned himself. “If you’re not already banging him, the world is about to combust. Any chance he swings both ways?”
Jace was bisexual, and when we’d been dance partners, he’d rarely missed an opportunity to go in whatever direction suited him.
Nothing had ever happened between us, but it wasn’t from his lack of effort.
No one had been safe from his flirting and sometimes overt sexual advances.
I hesitated contacting him for that reason, but up until this moment, he’d been tame. He’d also mentioned a boyfriend.
“Aren’t you seeing someone?” I gathered up my stuff. I needed to shower and get ready before the show tonight. Pasha’s appearance was a reminder that I couldn’t slack on my regular job. Impressing Mia meant doing both well.
“Yeah, I am. But—options—it’s good to have them. No ring on this finger.” He grinned as he packed his bag. “You going out tonight? I’m staying at a hotel, and I can meet you and whoever wherever you go after the show. ”
I wasn’t performing the routine for Mia and Pasha until tomorrow afternoon. “If we go out, you’ll still be good for another practice in the morning?” No matter what, I wanted to be absolutely confident about the swing choreography.
Jace chuckled as he slung his bag over his shoulder. “I’m not too old yet for the party and the performance.” There was a challenge in his gaze. “What about you?”
“Oh,” I said with a grin, “I can handle my alcohol and my dancing just fine.” I’d be fine. My limits were set in stone.