by L. P. Rose
The rustling of her plastic bag was the only sound between us when she moved her hands behind her to wipe her palms over her jeans. Her eyebrows furrowed as she dropped her gaze from me to look at the floor before raising her eyes back in my direction. My smile grew wider when I noticed the confusion settled on her features and decided to have a little fun at her expense, as I nodded my head. “Oh, you mean that Niki! Why didn’t you say so,” I replied, “follow me?”
Turning, I reached for the door handle to the studio and the inner laugh I had been suppressing, finally flew from my mouth. I stepped inside to the loud chatter of my students, which didn’t cease as I turned and waited for the little mouse to follow me inside, but she didn’t. She stood the other side of the threshold grasping her plastic shopping bag like it held all her worldly possessions.
“Are you coming in, Myshka?” I asked.
Her eyes flitted rapidly around the room, then to me and she shook her head. “I can’t do this. Please tell Niki I’m sorry,” she mumbled apologetically.
For some unknown reason, I felt myself suddenly deflate at her words, and before I could think, leant forward and reached for her hand. I curled my fingers around her palm and I felt her go rigid with her eyes widening further. I caught the fear in them as she tried to pull her hand back. “I’ll let you into a little secret, Niki doesn’t bite, and I’m sure she will be pissed if you run out without properly introducing yourself,” I said with a smile.
She let out the deep breath she had been holding and I felt her fingers slowly close around mine as she reciprocated my smile with a silent nod. Before she had chance to bolt, I pulled her gently over the threshold and swung the door shut with a slam. I instantly regretted that, when I caught her jump out of her skin at the harsh bang that rippled around the room.
“What’s your name?” I asked, while I walked her towards the front of the class.
“Raine?” Came the deep voice of Jared, as he ambled over towards us. His face was bright with recognition and his customary wide smile was firmly in place, towards her.
I felt her relax next to me. She pulled her hand free, returning Jared’s smile as though she was seeing a long lost relative for the first time in years. “Jared?” She questioned, seemingly pleased she knew someone here.
I felt irked by their little reunion and wasn’t sure why.
“You two know each other?” I asked abruptly. I grabbed a towel from the table and rubbed it roughly over my face trying to hide my disdain at Jared, who was quite blatantly drooling over her.
“Yeah, we met earlier outside, I saved her from a panic attack,” he said with a cheesy grin and a shrug of his shoulders as if it was nothing out of the ordinary for him.
She grinned in my direction, the smile lighting up her face, and I saw something flash brightly in her eyes before it dulled again and she turned away from me.
“So, you dance?” I heard her ask him, as I tried to concentrate on sorting out the music for the next part of the lesson, but my one ear was finely tuned in on their conversation.
“Yeah, Latin and Ballroom. What about you, you dance too?” He asked in a sing-song voice that had me rolling my eyes.
“Oh no, I can’t dance to save my life. I’m here under orders to learn Ballroom …” She trailed off and stopped talking like she had been strangled, and my interest at her being here suddenly piqued. She’s here on orders?
Standing upright I clapped my hands loudly causing silence to filter across the room as my students quickly settled down and took their places. I watched Jared motion for her to follow him, which she did so willingly, still gripping her plastic bag.
“Right, we have a new student here today,” I announced as my hand flew out in her direction, “this is Raine. Please all remember how your first time here felt, and be sure to make her feel welcome.”
I winced as I watched her shrink under the intensity of all the heads turning in her direction to check out the new girl. She was timid, shy, had zero confidence and seemed to be here under duress. She was completely inappropriately dressed for Latin and stuck out like a sore thumb against the others in line. She looked fragile, like a glass ballerina and if spun too quickly, might just snap in two. She also looked lost, but she was certainly intriguing the hell out of me already.
I heard the door swing open and quickly snapped my eyes away from Raine to catch Petra bowling in. She was a blur of sequins on a canary yellow dress, she was all teeth as she grinned at the class. She threw her arms around me and kissed my cheek. “Brother,” she mumbled as she pulled away and I leant myself against the wall, folding my arms across my chest.
The class broke out in to mock heckles and laughs when Petra turned and bowed gracefully then clapped her hands, ordering silence around the room. As she began to go over the steps for the next part of the lesson my eyes wandered back towards Raine. Jared had moved even closer to her and seemed to be saying something every now and again in her ear, causing her to either nod or smile, and as Petra told the class to get into pairs, I instantly knew Jared was going to ask Raine to be his partner.
Pushing away from the wall, I headed towards them. She looked around nervously over her shoulder at what the others were doing. “Partner up with Sophia please, Jared. I need to speak with Raine,” I said, and motioned with my forefinger for her to follow me. Moving towards the back of the studio, I led her through another door and into our office.
“Take a seat,” I said, grabbing an enrollment form and pen, placing it on the desk in front of her. “Did I hear right, you’re here for Ballroom lessons?”
She sat herself down in the black leather chair that had seen better days and tucked her hair behind her ear. It was then that I noticed the faint outline of a garish purple bruise at the top of her cheek bone, roughly the size of a small fist maybe, or the outline of fingers. Before I could study it any further, she quickly whipped her hair back over the side of her face and held it in place. Now I understood the need for the amount of foundation she had caked on her face.
Swallowing hard I moved and took my seat opposite her. “So, Ballroom?” I repeated, trying to keep my tone even, pretending I hadn’t noticed what she was hiding.
“Yes,” she whispered. She kept her head bowed.
“Well, Ballroom classes are taken with me on Tuesday and Friday evenings, 7pm until 9pm. On Monday and Thursday afternoons, Latin is taken by myself and Petra from 1pm until 3pm,” I reeled off as I silently willed her to raise her head and look at me.
She nodded, then finally raised her head. “I’m crap at dancing so you’ll have your work cut out with me. I need to learn Ballroom by the 21st of next month,” she said flatly.
I offered her a warm reassuring smile, and crossed my left ankle over my right knee. “I can do that, but you have to be willing to work hard to get the results. You will need to practice away from the studio and if money isn’t an issue I can also offer extra lessons here on a Saturday morning or on Sunday afternoons.”
“I will probably need them,” she mumbled, as she twisted the plastic bag around her fingers.
“Well, fill out this enrollment form and after a few lessons, I’ll be able to let you know from my own professional opinion, if you need the extra lessons.” I leant forward over the desk and pushed the pen and form closer to her. Studiously, she began to fill out the form, I closed my eyes and concentrated on the dull thud of the music from the next room and Petra’s loud voice resounding over it as she counted aloud.
“Is the lady in the next room Niki?” I heard her ask, reminding me that I hadn’t introduced myself properly yet.
Opening my eyes, they instantly found hers and I recognized the deep-seated emotions of suffering and loneliness radiating back at me, they were the same emotions I used to see staring back at me from my mother’s eyes. “No, that’s Petra, my sister.” I mentally kicked myself at adding my sister after it. It was as though I was trying to ensure she understood that Petra’s earlier act of public affection wa
s simply from a sibling and not an actual girlfriend.
When she handed over the filled-out form, I smiled as I took it, my eyes honed straight in on her surname and marital status, Peters and married. I forced my smile to stay in place, refusing to let it wavier at the fact she was married, despite the disappointment crippling its way through me.
“Right, first lesson is classed as a taster, so that will be free, how are you paying for the rest?” I asked abruptly. Her shaky hands found her purse and she pulled out a roll of bills tied with elastic and she rolled it towards me across the desk.
“When do I meet Niki?” She asked again as she shifted in her seat and straightened her back.
I felt my lips part and a deep laugh emitted from them, “Sweetheart, you already have. I told you I didn’t bite,” I replied.
Her dainty features swirled with one emotion after another, but the only one I could pick out was anger. Her eyebrows arched and her nostrils flared, “You? You are Niki?”
I licked my lips and narrowed my gaze towards her. She rose rapidly from her seat, “Yes. I told you earlier I was Niki. My real name is Nikoli Chenkov, Niki is my nickname.”
I watched her go as red as beetroot, her face glowing with heat like a hot pan, she looked like she was about to burst into tears any second. I wanted the earth to open and swallow me whole as her shoulders slumped forward and her bottom lip quivered. I needed to rescue her from my joke that was not as funny as I thought. “Don’t get upset, Myshka. You are not the first to assume I am a woman and you probably won’t be the last. Make sure tomorrow night you arrive promptly and in suitable attire, jeans are far too constricting to dance in,” I said with a laugh, trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere.
She didn’t speak. She didn’t look at me. She just turned away and scurried to the door, pulling it back with such force, it slammed into the wall and bounced back as she fled, leaving me sat open-mouthed, at her hasty retreat.
My day had started full of promise, but now after meeting Raine, it sat like a cold cup of coffee. I didn’t know anything about her, but I knew I wanted to know more. I wanted to know all her secrets, her thoughts, and the torment she was hiding just beyond those walls she’d built around her.
The walls I was determined to bring down.
CHAPTER FIVE.
I sat at my large white shabby chic dressing table staring blankly at the forlorn look reflecting from the mirror as I pondered over the afternoon’s events.
I had felt like a fish out of water in that studio. I was inappropriately dressed, nervous as hell and Nikoli? well Nikoli, made me feel completely exposed. I felt like every time his eyes fell my way he could see straight into my soul, his piercing gaze could see all my hidden secrets and inner scars, forcing me to keep my eyes anywhere else. The only saving grace came in the form of Jared, at least there was one friendly face I recognized, even though I’d only met him briefly on the sidewalk.
When Nikoli revealed he was Niki and crushed my hopes of my dance instructor being a female, I instantly felt my cheeks ignite in sheer heated anger at the fact he had been having a laugh at my expense. I quickly pushed my anger towards him aside, when a sudden dread crept over me like an icy wind chill, numbing me from the inside out when I wondered how the hell I would explain this misunderstanding to Max. I knew the second he found out Niki was a nickname for Nikoli and she was a he, he would burst several blood vessels, probably in my face.
The thought terrified me as it surrounded me in a cold embrace. When Nikoli began to talk, and laugh about appropriate dance attire, I zoned out. I could feel my cheek start to throb incessantly as I tried to hold back the tears. My lip began to tremble and my lungs felt like they were suddenly filling with water, leaving little space for any air. As the rush of fear shot through my body, I turned silently and rudely ran from Nikoli, the studio and Jared. I needed to get air into my lungs, I was drowning with no one to save me.
I blinked rapidly when I felt Max’s hands squeeze my shoulders snapping me from my day-dreaming. “You going to share?” He asked with a smile into the mirror, as he stood behind me.
“Share what?” I asked. My hand reached for my foundation to make a start on hiding his handy work.
“Wherever that pretty little head of yours was,” he replied, placing his lips on top my head. I watched him take his jacket off and throw it onto the bed then he unclipped his tie and began to remove his shirt.
“I was just thinking about these dance classes. Max, there’s something-” I began mentally preparing myself at his expected eruption over Niki.
“I know I was harsh on you this morning about our wedding and your dancing but this is the perfect opportunity for you to learn. I didn’t dance at any of these functions we’ve attended over the last few years because you can’t dance, so it will benefit us both,” he said as he walked to the closet and retrieved a towel then slung it over his shoulder.
“Yes, I understand that Max and I’m honestly not trying to be obtuse, but—”
“Good, then don’t be,” he snapped over me, “I’m going for a shower, sort my clothes out will you? Oh, and by the way, I got you a present.” He smiled and I smiled back as my eyes followed him to the en-suite, as soon as he was out of my eye line, I dropped my smile and continued with my make-up.
I blew out a deep breath through puffed cheeks, then winced at the sharp throb that ripped through the right one. I could hear the water hit the floor of the shower stall when Max turned it on. Slowly, I rose to my feet to move Max’s discarded clothing. Placing his trousers, shirt and underwear in the wicker hamper sat at the foot of the bed, my eyes fell to his jacket, I picked it up to hang it and spotted a red velvet box peeking from his pocket. Glancing back towards the en-suite door, temptation got the better of me and I quickly pulled it free and opened it.
I gasped when my eyes fell to the pearl bracelet. It was a classically feminine piece with a delicate peach palette and scintillating crystals. I smiled at its beauty as my fingers lightly traced the circumference. Snapping the hinged lid shut, I carefully placed it back in his pocket and hung it up then slipped off my robe, and reached for my turquoise, A-line strapless dress.
“Raine, you’re not wearing that dress, are you?” Max asked from behind me as I sunk my body in to it and turned to face him.
“Well, yes. Why what’s wrong with it?” I asked, feeling perplexed that yet again he would pick fault with my choice, then insist on choosing something he deemed more appropriate.
He looked me over once before muttering something I couldn’t make out, then headed towards our shared walk-in wardrobe. “This would be classier,” he stated as he held up a black knee length Jersey dress that clung like glue with thin spaghetti straps. “This would be more suitable, it’s classy, elegant not to mention how fuckable this makes you look. If you play your cards right, I could even be tempted to drag you into the ladies’ room whilst we are out.”
My stomach automatically churned at his words, the thought of it made me feel physically sick. I’d never really been the sort of girl that acted on sexual impulse, I always preferred the seclusion of a bedroom squashing any chances of getting caught in a lewd act. Max had insisted I tried it once when we first started seeing each other, it was the first time that I had ever faked an orgasm, just so the nightmare could be over.
“What’s wrong with the turquoise dress?” I asked quietly, snatching the black one from his hands.
“You’re twenty-two not forty-two, it’s frumpy and hides your beautiful curves. Do as I’ve asked and put the black one on and be quick, the table is booked in half an hour,” he replied as he grabbed his jacket from the door and sat on the end of the bed waiting for me to get a move on.
*
I’d been wanting to come to The Crystal Star in Clent Hills for months, but now as fake Raine walked inside the restaurant hand-in-hand with her doting, loving husband, and smiling like I didn’t have a care in the world, the urge to come here had suddenly dissolved.
“Ah, Monsieur Peters,” smiled the man at the desk.
Max gripped my hand tighter and pulled me into his side, “Felipe, meet my wife, the gorgeous Mrs. Peters,” he drooled. I smiled widely and bowed my head slightly as I always do when fake Raine is out of the house. Felipe’s eyes widened ever so slightly as he glanced from Max to myself, and back to Max again. This little gesture of surprise didn’t go unnoticed by me. I turned my head in Max’s direction.
His face held a look of contempt for Felipe and his eyes narrowed to mere slits. I felt uneasy at the silent look that was passing between them, it lasted merely seconds but the memory of it seared itself into my brain, ready to torture me later down the line. We followed Felipe through the crowded restaurant to our allocated table. Max held out my chair for me, smiling a silent thank you as I sat, he turned his back to me and muttered something unintelligible towards Felipe before taking his own seat.
“Is everything okay?” I asked with a raised eyebrow, and placed my black clutch on the table.
“Yes, just the incompetent staff,” he mumbled. He pulled free the menu from Felipe’s waiting hand. “I’ll signal when I’m ready, thank you,” Max barked at him without sparing a glance his way.
“Shall we get a bottle of wine?” I asked, hopeful to get some alcohol in my system to get through the rest of the evening. The vodka I had drunk earlier had left me with a harsh craving for more. I hadn’t had a single drop of alcohol for over two years, and after feeling the warming effect of earlier, I suddenly felt like an alcoholic who had fallen off the wagon.
Max smirked as he raised his head from the menu, “You don’t drink,” he replied.
“Only because you forbid me to. One glass won’t hurt, will it?” I asked with a forced smile and grasped his hand across the table.
He snatched his hand back and straightened his tie, “Don’t beg, Raine. It’s not becoming. I will allow you a single spirit of your choice tonight but not half a bottle of wine.