By the time they were done with the lesson, she was sweating more from arousal than she was from physical exertion.
“Excuse me,” a woman said as Tiara followed both men out of the studio.
“Yes?” Tiara asked, dropping back to talk.
“I’m Catherine Earle.”
“Oh! I know who you are,”
Tiara said with a smile. “You and Jack trounced Seth and me at the national championships three months ago. Sorry, you just look so different in street clothes.”
“Yes, we win,” Catherine said with a grin that looked more menacing than cheerful. “Let’s take a walk, shall we?”
Tiara was confused and not entirely certain she wanted to go anywhere with the woman who whose welcoming airs were so over-the-top that they didn’t ring true.
“Actually, I mean, I probably should go, uh, talk to Taletha or something.”
“Taletha’s busy. But you can talk to me!” Catherine grabbed Tiara’s hand and practically pulled her out of the studio and into the hot summer sun.
“So, how was practice?” Catherine asked as they began to circle the building.
“It was great,” Tiara said. Despite the fact that the lesson with Jack had been anything but great, she wasn’t going to let Catherine know that. Tiara didn’t trust her and was not about to create a messy situation by griping to Jack’s dance partner.
Catherine gave another aggressive smile. “Awesome. Yeah, Jack is a wonderful coach. So many of his amateur students have actually made it to the professional level.”
“I know. His teaching career is really distinguished.”
“Just like his competitive career.”
Tiara started to relax. Whatever Catherine wanted, it suddenly didn’t seem so bad. “I know. You’re both amazing dancers. Seth and I love watching you perform.”
“You know how we got that way, right?”
“Hard work?”
“That’s right.” Catherine stopped walking, blocking Tiara’s path. “We worked really hard. And we still work really hard because we want to keep kicking ass until we’re too old to dance.”
Tiara’s stomach knotted. She wanted to bolt but didn’t know where to run. “Of—of course you do.”
“We take our practice and our schedules very seriously, and that structure is part of what keeps us sharp year after year. Which means that during the rest of your stay here, you will not disrespect me by honing in on my rehearsal time. Is that clear?” Catherine punctuated her words with a condescending eyebrow raise.
Tiara was tempted to throw her own attitude in the mix, but she was already on Jack’s bad side. She knew she didn’t need to be on Catherine’s as well.
“I’m sorry, Catherine. I didn’t mean any disrespect. We were just so excited to move around after traveling for half the day. Taletha said it would be fine and that you wouldn’t mind.”
“Yeah, and about that. Don’t you dare try to go over my head about my own schedule, either. Got it?”
“I didn’t mean to go over your head!” Tiara said. Although she tried to keep her voice level, she knew she was failing. “I just asked Jack if he was available, and Taletha—” Without giving Tiara a chance to finish her response, Catherine spun around and stomped back toward the building.
Tiara felt her lower lip tremble, but she sucked her feelings deep inside. She’d deal with them later when she didn’t have an image to maintain. She was just about to turn and head back to the studio when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
“You okay?” a small voice asked.
Tiara turned around to see a nervous-looking woman standing in front of her.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” she said with a sigh. “I just seem to have pissed someone off without meaning to, and she won’t even give me a chance to apologize or anything.”
“Welcome to being one of Catherine’s colleagues,” the woman said with a laugh. “Don’t worry. You’re definitely not the first person to accidentally cross her, and you certainly won’t be the last. Hell, I’m her best friend, and I’ve made her mad more times than I can even remember at this point.”
“Why would you want to be best friends with someone who’s always angry at you?”
The woman shrugged. “Contrary to that first impression, Catherine really isn’t that angry all the time. She has a quick temper about stupid shit, but she doesn’t actually parade around in a fit of rage. Once you get to know her, she’s really sweet.”
“I have a feeling I’ll have to take your word for it. I’m Tiara, by the way.”
“I’m Callista. Nice to meet you. I’m really excited that you and Seth are in town for so long before the competition, too. Maybe I could have some coaching with Seth while you’re visiting?”
“He’d definitely be glad to pick up some more students. Are you going to compete next weekend, too?”
Callista’s face fell. “No. I haven’t been able to find a regular dance partner. It really sucks that my home studio is hosting a competition and I can’t dance in it because there aren’t any leaders out there who are a good fit for me.”
“I’m sure you’ll find someone eventually,” Tiara said. “I know it’s a pain in the ass to feel like your career is in permanent limbo, but things will turn around for you eventually. I’ll even sit down with you at some point while I’m in town and give you pointers on finding somebody.”
Callista grinned. “That would be great. I’m pretty desperate at this point. I’d do just about anything for a partner.”
Tiara laughed. “With my help, you’ll have your pick of them. Now, if you’ll excuse me, Seth and I are guest-teaching the group foxtrot class in twenty minutes. I need to go get ready.”
Tiara hurried back to the studio, finally feeling comforted after a grueling afternoon. As she hurried to the employee lounge to grab a snack before teaching, she brushed past Jack, making a point of avoiding eye contact and ignoring the tingle that sparked in her pussy as their hands accidentally touched.
Chapter Two
Two days later, Tiara braced herself for another lesson with Jack. Although she knew that he was a brilliant dancer, she wasn’t looking forward to the possibility of more harsh criticism and patronizing behavior. Nor was she interested in trying to stay focused with her body begging to fuck both men.
“Maybe we shouldn’t bother with this,” she said to Seth as they warmed up. “Maybe we should just save our money or switch to another instructor. Jack Lanman is not the only champion dancer at this studio.”
Seth shook his head. “I know he’s the toughest coach we’ve ever worked with, but he’s the best of the best. We’re going to be stronger dancers after spending some time learning from him. We just have to power through all the negativity.”
“Easier said than done.”
“So is being a world champion.”
“Tiara, put your hair up,” Jack called from across the room.
“Really?” she snapped. “Are we actually going to go through this crap again?”
“My lesson, my rules.”
“Come on, Tiara, it’s only for a few hours,” Seth whispered in her ear.
Tiara sighed. “Fine.” She piled her hair on top of her head and turned her attention to Jack. As he reviewed the material they’d gone over last time, she found herself distracted by the shape of his lips, strong jaw, and high cheekbones. Moving her gaze downward, she focused on the way his shirt draped around his shoulders and toned chest and the way his pants had been perfectly tailored to complement his long legs and firm ass. Focusing on his crotch, she tried to make out the outline of his cock behind his zipper. She was so distracted that she didn’t know they were moving on until Seth took her in his arms.
“A little distracted, are we?” he whispered in her ear as Jack put on a foxtrot.
“Just a little.”
“He hasn’t called you on it yet. Doesn’t he find your ogling unprofessional?”
“Is it that obvious?” she asked as Seth began to
lead her around the floor.
“You look at him like you want to rip his clothes off. Even when he’s making you mad, you stare at him as though all would be forgiven if he would just get naked. You don’t look at very many guys that way.”
“I never look at guys that way.”
“Yes you do. Don’t think I haven’t noticed where your eyes go when you think I’m distracted.”
Tiara stumbled at his words and momentarily felt angry at Seth for springing that on her. Even if it was completely accurate. She’d wanted him for years but was afraid that if they started a romantic relationship, their professional partnership would fall apart. Their competitive career was tenuous enough as it was. She didn’t need to throw the ticking time bomb of sex into the mix.
Jack shut the music off before she and Seth even had time to recover. “What the hell was that?” he snapped.
To Tiara’s surprise, Seth took the blame.
“It was my fault,” he said, setting a calm expression on his face. “Don’t tell me you’ve never screwed up your lead before.”
“Not on such a basic move, I haven’t. Here, let me show you how it’s done.”
Shooing Seth off the floor, Jack took Tiara in his arms. “Put the next song on, please,” he called.
As Tony Bennett’s smooth voice spilled out of the stereo, Tiara found herself swept around the dance floor with such elegance and finesse that she wasn’t sure her feet were even touching the ground. Although he’d led her into turns and fancy footwork during their lesson two days before, this was the first time they’d ever really danced together, ever really moved to the music and let the lyrics and rhythm guide them.
If she hadn’t been begrudgingly attracted to Jack already, this dance would have done her in. As his hands guided her along the floor and his feet captured the essence of the music, her ire and frustration melted away. The music progressed, and Jack started leading her into more and more complex patterns, spinning and dipping her with impeccable precision. Tiara’s body broke out in a sweat, again more from arousal than exertion. Her cunt was pulsing to the rhythm of the song and ached even harder each time he dipped her, catching her just before she hit the ground. Each time he spun her around, she debated pretending to lose her balance so that she might have the opportunity to press against him, to feel his hands dig into her flesh as he worked to steady her. But above all, she wanted to impress him, and so she focused on dancing her absolute best, hoping that by the time the song ended, some of the tension between them might have disappeared.
As the music came to an end, she noticed an odd look in Jack’s eye. Turing in a perfect pirouette, she realized the look she saw was lust. With the final note, Jack settled Tiara in front of him and gently reached his mouth out toward hers.
Tiara couldn’t explain why she was suddenly overcome with nerves, why she wasn’t ready to feel his lips on hers, why she didn’t want that kind of attention from the man she had been trying her damndest not to flirt with for the past two days. Perhaps it was that she knew Seth was standing across the ballroom, staring, his ego already bruised from Jack’s admonishment for a mistake that was actually her fault. Either way, Tiara couldn’t go through with it. Just as his lips were about to meet hers, she turned her face away, so his mouth grazed her cheek.
“I thought you were discreet,” she whispered as they bowed for the small crowd of teachers and students that had gathered and was now applauding for them.
She slid her arm through his and allowed him to escort her off the floor. “There have been times when even I’ve been known to break the rules,” he whispered back. “The trick is to understand when you can and cannot get away with it.”
“And how do you learn that?” she asked.
But before Jack had a chance to answer, Seth had rushed up to meet them. Suddenly, the smolder that had been in Jack’s eye disappeared, and the businesslike, flinty stare took over.
“Did you learn something from watching that?” he asked.
“Yes,” Seth said with a blank, rigid expression.
“Good. Now, I want you to dance again, and I want you to prove that you picked something up from watching me lead. And don’t let Tiara fall this time.”
Tiara stumbled as Seth jerked her into proper dance frame.
“We need to talk later,” he snapped. Then he put on a perfectly polished smile as the music started up again.
* * * *
As soon as the lesson was done, Seth gave Jack his perfunctory gratitude and then hurried off the floor, desperate to have a little privacy before he completely lost his temper and made an ass out of himself.
“Meet me in the lounge in five minutes,” he whispered to Tiara as he made a beeline for the locker room, the only place where he knew he’d have the chance to be alone for five minutes to cool down.
Since it was early in the day, the locker room was mostly vacant, save for a few people taking showers. Seth walked over to the sink and splashed his face with cold water, allowing the chill to settle his temper.
He wasn’t sure what had him more upset, the fact that Jack treated them like crap or the fact that Tiara seemed to be attracted to him in spite of it. Or the fact that Tiara seemed to be attracted to Jack at all. After years of sending her signals that were never returned, after years of waiting, after missed romantic opportunities because he was waiting for her, she walked into a dance studio in another state and fell in love.
Seth splashed some more cold water on his face, and finally, he was calm. Taking a few more deep breaths, he walked out of the studio and into the lounge where Tiara sat on a couch waiting for him.
“What’s going on?” she asked before he’d even had a chance to close the door.
“Jack tried to kiss you is what’s going on,” he snapped. He was shocked at the frustration evident in his voice. He didn’t realize that he was still angry.
“Yeah? So what? Do I not deserve to be kissed? Is it so shocking that a man might be attracted to me? Besides, it’s not like I let him get away with it. You saw me turn my face away.”
“He still kissed you on the cheek.”
“What’s your point? You kiss me on the cheek all the time.”
Seth opened his mouth, but no words came out. He hated to admit it, but he didn’t have a rational argument anywhere in his mind.
“I take it by your silence that you’ve been floored by my amazing rhetorical finesse,” Tiara said. “And anyway, what’s it to you who I am and am not attracted to?”
“You were complaining about having a lesson with him when we were getting ready this morning. I see the way your eyes look at him, but your attitude and mouth suggest you’re not his biggest fan. I’m not sure why you’d let yourself get involved with someone who you don’t even seem to like.”
“I’m not getting involved with him. And even if I was, it’s none of your business.”
“I just—I just don’t understand why you’re attracted to him.”
“Why do you keep insisting that you know my feelings?”
“Because I’ve seen the way you look at him. I’ve seen that even though he pisses you off, you’re still attracted to him somehow. Don’t pretend you’re not. I’ve known you for years. I can read you easily.”
“I didn’t even let him kiss me.”
“But part of you wanted to let him kiss you.”
Tiara glanced at the clock. “Look, we’re not going to come to an agreement about this, and we have to teach that foxtrot workshop in twenty minutes. Let’s just agree to table this until we get back to Denver so we can get through our teaching commitments and the competition with our respective sanities intact.”
“Fine.” By the time they got home, Jack would be nearly a thousand miles away, and they wouldn’t have to have the discussion.
Neither of them looked at each other as they pushed through the lounge doors. They even managed to teach the entire workshop without making eye contact.
* * * *
Jack
tried to avoid making eye contact with Catherine as he sat down to change his dance shoes. He wasn’t exactly proud of how he’d behaved on the floor, and if Catherine had seen anything, he wasn’t in the mood to discuss it.
“What was that little display?”
Jack resisted the impulse to shiver. Something in Catherine’s voice was outright menacing. He was used to her sounding irritated and angry, but there was a jolt of malevolence slicing through her words. “What was what?”
“Don’t try to pull that on me. The dance you had with Tiara at the start of your lesson.”
“Sometimes a dance is just a dance.”
“And sometimes, it’s not.”
“Catherine, I don’t have time for your histrionics. Get to the point, please.”
“You tried to kiss her.”
Jack sighed. “Yes, I did. And she rejected me. So do you need to remind me of what happened? Or has my ego not gotten bruised enough today?”
“Your ego is perfectly fine, and you know it. I don’t think I know anybody with self-esteem as hardy as yours.”
“Believe it or not, Catherine, rejection stings, no matter who you are and no matter who’s doing the rejecting.”
“Then if you’re going to make a fool out of yourself, at least have the decency to do it away from the studio, so I don’t have to see it.”
Jack was surprised to hear a tremble in Catherine’s voice. It wasn’t like her to show such vulnerability. Typically, she only displayed happiness or anger.
“Is there something we need to talk about?” he asked.
“I love you!” Catherine burst out, a few thin tears streaming down her cheeks.
Jack felt his breath catch in his throat. “What?”
“I love you.”
“How–how long as this been going on?”
Jordan, Olivia - Tiara's Foxtrot Fantasies [Studio Seductions 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 2