Chapter 8 #3
Lukas shot a look at me. “With the rest of the company? Susan was already confronting her about her omega status earlier. We shouldn’t leave her alone; some of the girls are going to get a little catty.”
“I’ll get her; she should start eating with us anyway.
” I waved them off before leaving Dem’s office.
It took me a few minutes of searching the building, but I eventually found Ivy sitting by herself with her eyes closed in the corner of the main studio.
She was wearing Dem’s jacket from last night.
I hated seeing her like that—tucked in a corner, hiding. She deserved so much more than this. I should have kept a better eye on her. She was ours to protect, and we were letting her down.
“Hey beautiful.” I slowly approached and sat down beside her. “Do you want to be left alone, or can I join you?”
Ivy's eyes fluttered open as a smile emerged on her face, causing my heart to skip a beat. She was so cute just sitting there, but she clearly showed signs of fatigue. I wondered if it was the beta blockers, the stress of being an omega, the new pack—okay, it was probably all of that plus more.
“Have a seat. I was just resting my eyes.” She closed them again and leaned her head back against the wall.
“Have you eaten? It’s lunch time,” I asked, unable to resist gently touching her arm.
“I…um…I’m fine.” She waved off the question.
“Let me guess—you don’t want to go into the lounge because you’ll be faced with a barrage of questions.” I moved my hand down to hers. “The pack is all gathered in Dem’s office. You should join us.”
She laughed softly. “Do you all want me there? I kind of feel like I don’t belong anywhere in this building at the moment. I know that sounds ridiculous…”
“No, it doesn’t, and yes, we absolutely want you near us all the time.” I stood up and helped her with my hand. “Come on, Preston will feed you.”
As we walked through the hallway, hand in hand, I caught a trace of her beautiful scent again, stirring a need inside me I needed to ignore.
“I watched you and Preston dance…wow,” I said, squeezing her hand. “I’m so excited to work with you. My mind is brimming with possibilities.”
“I’m really excited to work with you, too! I’m learning one of your pieces, second corps line for the ocean section in Moonlight Whispers.”
I paused her as my hand lifted to her cheek.
“No, not corps work. I’m looking forward to sculpting your body in brand new pieces for you to star in.
” She blushed slightly, looking away from me, but I didn't care.
She might not get it yet, but just looking at her ignited that creative drive within me.
Her gaze returned to me as perfume slightly drifted off her skin. Lifting her eyes in embarrassment, she placed her palm up against her forehead. “The beta blockers help, but don’t cancel everything out.”
Her scent was so intoxicating and inspiring. My mind raced again with more possibilities for her. “Come on, let’s head upstairs.”
Back in Dem’s office, I walked Ivy over to Preston. “Preston, she hasn’t eaten. Feed her, please.”
“Of course,” Preston’s expression lit up as he reached into his bag for more food. “Do you like spring rolls?”
Ivy nodded quietly, sitting next to him. I could see her almost instantly relax as her shoulder gently bumped against Preston's.
“Isaac, schedule a meeting for the last ten minutes of the day for the company and me. I need to address what’s going on here,” Dem asked me. “We also need to rethink the casting for the first production.”
“Take me out of the lead spot. Give me a duet with Ivy, that short piece in Act One,” Preston said as he fed her a bite of his spring roll.
So cute, it was fun to watch her eat, even if it wasn’t me feeding her. My instincts were already screaming to feast off her—thank god for restraint.
“I can take you out of the lead spot, but I can’t shift you to that duet.” Dem sighed, rubbing his forehead as he thought.
“Just move everyone up, nobody loses, and it’ll give us something to do at the moment,” Preston replied, pulling out some carrots for Ivy.
“Possibly, but you’ll need to be there for the first rehearsal today until I can recast everyone,” Dem said as he pulled up the casting documents on his computer. “Ivy, I’d like you to eat lunch with me from now on in this office.”
She agreed through a mouthful of carrots, her eyes growing a bit wide from the request. I chuckled at her with a smile on my face. She was sweet and talented. And those lips of hers…looks like I’d also be eating in Dem’s office.
The printer on the bookcase fired up, spitting out two documents. I reached for them, handing them to Dem.
“Alright, don’t take too long to eat, you two.” I gestured to Preston and Ivy, who were both giggling at her almost biting his finger. “Rehearsal’s in fifteen minutes.”
***
Ivy
I stretched my back as the last part of the day dragged on. The full company was in the main studio, setting a scene that involved most of the roles. I’d spent the last two hours running through the corps part and now my feet were screaming to be finished.
Susan, along with her pack of friends and most of the soloists and principals were snickering back and forth, shooting dirty looks at me from across the room. I told myself to ignore it, trying not to let it affect me, but I could feel more fatigue setting in.
Surprisingly, I seemed to have gained some admirers in the company, too. A handful of dancers, including Millie, watched Preston and me dance earlier and seemed excited about the prospect of working with the next omega couple.
Millie discreetly came over to me while a few of the principal dancers were working. “So…you and Preston earlier…that was incredible to watch. Was it your first time dancing together?”
“Yes,” I whispered back.
“How did it feel, dancing with your scent-match?” She looked toward Preston, who was listening to Steven give corrections.
I shot Millie a large smile. “Absolutely incredible…and very arousing. I’m still on beta blockers too, so I don’t know what it’ll be like when I stop.”
“Wow, I wonder what the bond will do to your dancing,” she said.
My eyes caught Preston as he started to dance the choreography full out, moving flawlessly through the space with his high jumps.
He was so elegant and light on his feet, yet held that undeniable masculine edge to his dancing.
I still felt very intimidated with the thought of performing alongside him.
After the lead male’s section finished, Preston rested on the side while Steven worked with the lead female, Adrienne.
Preston’s intense eyes locked on mine as he smiled at me from across the room.
It was such a thrilling sensation, and in a small way, I was grateful the company had learned of my omega status. I didn’t have to hide anymore.
One of the corps girls standing next to me sighed loudly. “Why doesn’t he stare harder? I can practically see them making out.” A few girls snickered around us.
“Leave them alone,” Millie snapped, keeping her voice low. “This is rough for Ivy.”
Eyes rolled, and I continued to want to hide under a blanket.
Just keep breathing.
It was the corps' turn to dance. I moved with the group, trying my best to remember choreography and spacing. After our group section finished, I sighed. Not too bad.
The music paused for Steven to set the next section, where the lead female and male came together. Adrienne shot me a glare as she stepped forward to dance. She jumped to the center of the room and beckoned Preston to her. He jumped on the music and ran towards her…but then suddenly stopped.
Everyone’s eyes were on Preston as he slowly backed away from Adrienne, his face full of concern.
“Preston, this is where you take her waist and lead her into a turn, remember?” Steven gestured to Adrienne.
“I can’t…” Preston shook his head, glancing at me, then back to Steven. What was he doing?
“You did this last year; it’s not hard. What’s the problem?” Steven scowled, snapping his fingers together. “Let’s go.”
Preston took a deep breath and shook out his arms, then quickly straightened up.
He rushed forward to Adrienne, bowed slightly, then reached for her waist to guide her to a pirouette.
Something inside my head screamed as soon as he touched her.
I saw his hands reach for her waist and—no.
No, that’s not right. Why was he touching her?
He was mine; that touch should have been mine—a loud whimper escaped my mouth as my body reacted before I could hold back.
All the eyes in the room turned back to me, much to my utter horror.
My hands shot up to my mouth as I faced the back wall, shocked by my own reaction. Deep breaths were all I could do to keep from crying while my mind screamed in anger. He had to dance with her; it was his job, and I had to get over it.
Next thing I knew, Preston's scent was all around me.
He reached for my hand and pulled us out the studio door, waving goodbye to the room.
I could barely see where we were going; my eyes were misted over.
As soon as we entered the second studio, the tears fell, but soon after, his warm, strong arms were wrapped around me in a tight embrace, gently cradling me against his chest.
“I’m sorry, I was very concerned about that happening, which is why I hesitated in the first place. I don’t want to dance with anyone but you,” Preston softly spoke to me, rubbing my back in comfort. “As soon as I touched her, everything inside me screamed to stop.”
“No, I’m sorry. We’re professionals, and I need to be comfortable with this,” I choked back a sob. Why was this affecting me so much? He should be allowed to dance with other people. How selfish was I that I demanded he only dance with me?