by Georgia Hill
Merry saluted him. “It was no joke, I can tell you.”
They groaned in unison.
“This dance show thingy is my last ditch attempt to make a name for myself. If I don’t succeed at this, it’s curtains for me – and not of the theatrical kind.”
Daniel leaned back and watched as Merry poured out the last of the wine. She didn’t seem at all fazed by her lack of success. In fact, she seemed quite cheerful. She was uncomplicated and optimistic. He liked that. A lot. In fact, he found he liked her a lot. “Another bottle?”
Merry beamed at him. “Now that sounds like a plan, Batman.”
Daniel pursed his lips. “I’ve worn some interesting things for this show and, on occasion, haven’t worn very much at all, but I’ve never dressed up as Batman. Does that mean I have to wear my underpants over my jeans?”
Merry raised herself, slightly drunkenly, to look over the table between them and made a show of scrutinising his crotch. “Now that,” she said and held his gaze with wide eyes, “would be worth tuning in for!”
Step Four.
Merry was fortunate that one of the show’s assigned rehearsal rooms was in a dance studio within walking distance of Venetia’s flat. The other advantage was the cameras rarely bothered to venture out of the television studios. It meant she and Daniel could practise undisturbed. Hurrying into it, one evening, for an extra coaching session, she was taken completely by surprise by Bob Dandry jumping out at her. He was at his smarmiest best.
“Meredith, how lovely to see you and looking extra gorgeous, may I add?” He took both her hands in his clammy ones. “I thought I’d pop in to see how you’re finding your practice space. Must keep the members of our family happy, you know!”
“Bob, hello. Must dash, don’t want to be late for my rehearsal, do I?” Merry replied, through clenched teeth, and tugged her hands away. “After all, I’ve got some catching up to do.”
“Oh, not so hasty, my dear. I’m sure Daniel will wait a little longer for his beautiful partner. I just wanted to make sure you’ve settled into our little community and are being looked after.”
“I’m fine, Bob,” Merry said firmly. “Now if I could just get on.”
Bob was not to be deflected. “You know, if there’s anything, anything at all I can help you with, I’d be only too delighted. And I do mean anything, Meredith.”
To Merry’s utter disgust, he sidled closer.
“Here’s my card,” he said, with loose lips and a hint of drool. “I’ve written my personal mobile number on it too. Especially for you, I don’t give it out to simply anyone. Just call me, Meredith. I’m at your service. Can’t let the niece of my old friend Venetia go lonely.”
With that, he pressed his body against hers and slid a hand round Merry’s back, where it dropped to cup her bottom. He squeezed hard.
Merry jumped a foot. “Take your hands off me!” she yelped.
“Oh, come now Meredith. Producer’s perks and all that.” Bob’s mouth flapped open like a just landed cod.
Merry gave the man a hard shove, so that he rocked away from her. “As you quite rightly say, my aunt – Dame Venetia Denning is known to you. Or, should I say, you’re known to her.” Merry pulled herself up to her full five feet ten inches and towered over him. “Take my advice, steer clear of me and never ever try anything like that again. Venetia has lots of friends in this business; she’s a very influential woman. She could make life very unpleasant for you, if she ever heard about this.”
Obviously, the mention of her aunt’s name had resonance. Bob paled and put his hands up in mock surrender. He backed off further. “I’m sorry. Just a bit of fun, you know,” he huffed, sounding not the least bit apologetic.
Merry stared him down. She didn’t think she’d ever met a more unpleasant individual. “And now, if you don’t mind, I need to get to my rehearsal.”
Bob, still with his hands in the air turned and beat a hasty retreat, shaking his head as he did so.
Fuming, Merry stood, hands on hips and muttered, “Odious little man.”
Suni, passing by, overheard. “He is indeed,” she agreed. She looked up at Merry. “But be careful, my dear. He’s a powerful one too.”
“Well, this time he may just have bitten off more than he can chew!” With that, she turned on her heel and strode purposefully to where Daniel was waiting.
Step Five.
A pattern was quickly established. After they’d done any necessary group practices or filming in the television studios, Merry and Daniel would hurry off to the rehearsal rooms, near Venetia’s flat, and continue to dance into the night.
During these one to one sessions, Daniel gave nothing but encouragement and positivity, something that Merry really liked about him. She sensed a preoccupation, though, and she thought she knew what or rather who caused it. Once, on an energy high from all the dancing, she’d gone out with Harri, Julia and Daniel. It became very apparent that Daniel was besotted with Julia Cooper. Over some shared tapas and far too much bubbly, Merry watched as Daniel hung on Julia’s every word, laughed at all her jokes and kissed and hugged her whenever an opportunity arose. Harri seemed impervious to it, or maybe he was confident in his fiancée’s feelings for him? Whatever the truth, it made for great people watching and Merry started forming material about the agony of unrequited love in her head. It never made it onto paper, though, for as soon as she hit the Egyptian cotton in Venetia’s spare room, after the novelty of all the physical exertion, she was sound asleep.
Merry and Daniel started later than usual at the Maida Vale dance studios one night. The place was eerily deserted. And cold. They were going over the moves for the group dance for the umpteenth time before concentrating on their first dance for the competition proper: a waltz.
The merengue was still proving a challenge and Merry was tired tonight, her usual energy having been used up. She could manage the basic marching type steps, it was co-ordinating her hips and knees into the required sexy dip and sway that defeated her, especially after a long day’s rehearsing with the group. School dancing lessons had never seemed so long ago.
“Focus, Meredith, you’re drifting.” Daniel’s voice pierced the fog of her exhaustion. “Pull into me on the beat. No, more than that, you should be right into my groin.”
“Any further in and we’d be committing an illegal act,” she grumbled in response.
“Well, that’s the idea, lovie. It’s got to look absolutely filthy.”
“And this goes out on primetime television?” Merry said between gasping for air, “it’s obscene.”
“Oh, the obscener the better.”
“Is that grammatical?” Merry frowned as Daniel took her arm and twisted it over his shoulder.
“You’re the one with the expensive education, babe.”
“I must’ve missed the tutorial on Dirty Dancing,”
Daniel laughed. “Now, let’s do those first few steps again. Your timing’s really good but you need to push up from the floor more to give it some bounce.”
“If I bounce much more, I’ll give myself a black eye,” Merry said, as she attempted to shove her breasts back down into her leotard.
Daniel watched with interest. “They are rather large aren’t they?”
“Everything about me is large,” Merry replied, with asperity but wasn’t displeased by the gleam in Daniel’s eyes. It was the first time he’d shown interest in her as a woman and not just a dance partner.
“But perfectly proportioned,” he added, with a charming smile, as if realising how ungallant his remark was. “No, keep your arm there so I can take my hand and - oh not again!” he cried as Merry dissolved into giggles at his touch. It was the third time she’d done so tonight.
“I can’t help it, I’m really ticklish there. Ooh,” she sighed, as Daniel increased the pressure and rubbed his hand down her side rather than lightly caressing. “That’s better.” She melted into him for a moment as the hand searched downwards. “Mmm. That’s so much better.”
>
“Then perhaps we’ll do it like this,” was the only reply he made.
Merry found she enjoyed looking Daniel over as, having declared a break, he strolled to the water cooler to get a drink. He was wearing his white jeans again and they showed off his long legs and tight behind to perfection. Until she’d started her training, Merry had never realised how fit you had to be as a dancer. Daniel was in about as good a shape you could be, with the strong lean muscles of the professional dancer and not an ounce of fat on him. She noticed he’d had his hair cut since yesterday and she preferred it to the slightly eighties look he’d sported when she’d first met him. Now his hair had a rumpled, just got out of bed look, which she knew meant hours in front of a mirror to achieve. Or, perhaps she was wrong? Daniel didn’t seem as vain as the other dancers. Perhaps this was how he looked when he’d just got up. Merry felt herself blush inside. She knew what it was: sheer lust. She was developing a crush on Daniel Cunningham. And it was a wholly enjoyable and familiar feeling. She’d been famous at university for never falling seriously for someone. She flirted; it was as habitual to her as breathing and she’d had one or two flings, but she’d never really had her heart touched by anyone. Not seriously. But she’d had crushes. And she loved the excitement of them. As she watched Daniel gulp down water and then wipe his mouth with the back of his hand she felt a thrill go through her. She wanted this man.
“Penny for them?” Daniel offered her a cup of water.
Merry hoped the blush stayed where it had begun; deep inside. She turned on her smile, it usually had the effect she wanted. “Oh, just thinking how quiet it had got, now the aerobics class has finished.” She took the water and drank gratefully.
“Had enough?”
“Oh no, I’m happy to carry on all night if we have to.”
Daniel laughed. “That shouldn’t be necessary. Want to have another go at the merengue?”
Merry thought about having slide up against Daniel’s crotch and her tiredness fled. “Why not?” She picked up a towel and mopped her face. Despite the lack of heating, she was working up a sweat again. Must be the exercise. Or the ultra-close proximity to Daniel’s presence. “You never know, I might even get it right this time.”
“Miracles can happen, or so I’ve heard.”
Merry snapped her towel at him but he was too quick on his feet and he dodged away, laughing.
“Seriously though Merry, you pick up the steps incredibly quickly. We can work more on the feel of the dance tomorrow.”
“I like the sound of that. You know, I’m beginning to find this all rather fun. Where do I stand to begin? Behind you? Like this?” Merry got into position behind Daniel, with one hand on his shoulder and the other on her own hip. She admired their joint reflection in the mirrored walls. “We look good together.”
“I’ll choose to ignore that remark. Ready? Then I need to swing you round like this and we’re face to face to get into hold.”
Merry squeaked as Daniel took hold of her wrist and pulled her to him.
“Sorry, was that too rough? It ought to have an almost tango mood to it, quite vicious, passionate. That’s what I mean about getting a feel for the dance.”
Merry found she was getting quite a feel for Daniel. They were still in hold, faces inches apart and Merry was enjoying the view she had of his grass green eyes. Heat was coming off his skin and she relished the sensuality of having her breasts pressed against his hard muscled chest.
He broke away suddenly. “Right, that’s good then. Just one more go through the steps into our lift, a quick once through of our waltz and then we’ll call it a night.”
“Whatever you say Dan, you’re the boss. Just put me where you want me.” Merry batted her eyelashes at him, coquettishly.
“Behave Meredith. We’ve got work to do. Beginning position again.”
They carried on training until it was nearly eleven and then Daniel called a halt.
The studio’s corridors were in darkness as they made their way to the exit and they could only by the glow of the orange street lighting outside. Merry hung onto Daniel, not because she wanted to flirt; she couldn’t see a thing. And she was beginning to feel nervous.
“That’s strange,” she said, biting down on the old, never quite forgotten, panic. To say she hated being in dark spaces, would be an understatement. She felt her way along the wall. “Roger usually leaves the lights on for us.”
Roger was the caretaker who, being an enormous fan of Who Dares Dances, didn’t mind a bit having to wait for them to finish before he could secure the building.
“Oh God!” Daniel stopped dead and clasped a hand to his head. “I forgot.”
“Forgot what?” Merry was annoyed at hearing a tremble in her voice. She vowed to keep calm. This time.
“It isn’t Roger locking up tonight. It’s his night off. They’ve got a relief guy in. I was supposed to ring down to the office with a finishing time.”
They stared at one another.
“You don’t think?”
“We can’t be!”
They made the rest of the way to the main entrance in seconds. It was locked.
Daniel put his back to the door and slid down to the floor. “I can’t believe it. We’re locked in!”
Merry joined him, trying to force out a giggle. “Well, I did say we might have to train all night.”
Daniel missed her veiled panic. “I’m glad you find it funny. Thinking back, it was odd no one came up to see how long we were going to be. Roger always does. What a stupid thing to do. How on earth did the other bloke miss us?”
“You can’t see or hear our room from here,” Merry pointed out. She was thankful she had someone with her; it made the claustrophobia a little easier to deal with. “We’re through that linking corridor in the annexe. But you think he’d have checked throughout the building before he locked up.” She concentrated on her breathing. Keep it regular and deep, said the voice in her head.
“What the hell are we going to do?”
Merry looked. Her eyes adjusted to the lack of light, and she could see better. And now she’d got her initial panic under control, she could think more clearly. It was a wide passageway, thankfully. Not too hemmed in. Offices and rooms led off the corridor. All its doors were shut, their glass panels reflecting a dull blue in the gloom. “Is there some kind of admin office along here, or does Roger have an office?”
“And then what?”
Merry poked him in the ribs. “I don’t know. There might be a phone number we could call? Maybe the security firm? It’s worth a try. Much as I enjoy your company Daniel, I’d like to get home to my bed.”
“What about ringing your aunt? That’s who you’re staying with, isn’t it? Couldn’t she help?”
“Out,” Merry replied. “She has a better social life than me,” she added gloomily. “All I’m fit for is bed after you’ve done with me.”
Daniel got up in one lithe movement and held out a hand. “Haven’t even started with you yet, babe.”
“Promises, promises,” Merry said, almost forgetting her panic at the implied innuendo.
They began towards the nearest door. Despite being momentarily distracted, she found the place thoroughly spooky now she knew they were on their own. She clutched onto Daniel’s arm again and this time with no ulterior motive apart from seeking comfort.
He patted her hand. “Ah, a big girl like you scared. What was that?” He veered round suddenly at an imaginary sound.
Merry let out an ear piercing scream and grabbed him round the waist.
Daniel burst out laughing.
“You bastard,” she cried, her heart pumping and hit him, half giggling, half afraid.
He took her by the shoulders and, for a second, they stood close together enjoying the moment.
Daniel slid his arms around her waist and smiled down at her, realising he liked how much she made him laugh. Something that hadn’t happened for too long a time. “This isn’t getting us anywhere,
” he said, reluctantly releasing her.
“Oh, I don’t know,” Merry replied, in a small voice, loving the feel of his reassuring and very solid presence. Then she repressed a shudder, “But you’re right. We need to get out of here.” Using humour to ward off her fear, she added, “for one thing, I’m starving.”
“You’re always starving,” Daniel complained but reached into his enormous leather holdall and fished out a banana.
“My saviour!” Merry cried dramatically, clutched it to her breast and then shivered violently.
Daniel took off his jacket and swung it round Merry’s shoulders. “Warmer now?” he asked.
“Yes thanks,” she replied. “My hero,” she added but in a completely different tone.
She followed him as he tried opening the various doors off the corridor. “It’s no good,” he groaned exasperated, as he rattled the third one. “I think they’re all locked.”
Merry’s habitual optimism was beginning to desert her. The panic at the lack of escape route set in once more. She tried another door, only to find it locked, like the others. “What are we going to do?” She stamped her foot.
This time Daniel heard her desperation. “Don’t worry,” he said, trying to lighten the situation, “you won’t have to spend the night with me.” He put an arm round her shoulders and hugged her close. In terms of height, they were perfectly matched; Merry’s head came up to just under his chin. She was trembling slightly, which surprised him. She always seemed so confident. He allowed himself to inhale the musky perfume of her hair and then felt her jolt as they heard a noise.
“What was that?” Merry’s trembling increased.
“Don’t know, but I think it came from the main entrance. Let’s have a look. Game?”
Merry nodded.
He took her by the hand and they crept back towards the door. They jumped a foot as it was shaken violently, making the noise they’d heard. A flashlight shone into the darkened foyer, blinding them.
“Hey!” Daniel yelled, “Let us out.” He banged on the door. “We’re locked in!”
Merry could just make out a shadowy figure peering in at them. It didn’t look like a security guard or caretaker. “Daniel, I don’t think,” she began to say but Daniel banged on the door again, drowning her words.