Dangerous Dancer (Dangerous Series Book 1)

by L. P. Rose

  The second I closed the door, she was in my arms, her legs around my waist and I had her back pressed up the wall. Without giving her chance to catch her breath, let alone speak, my mouth was on hers, my tongue pressed against the seam of her lips as I begged for entry and as she grabbed my hair nearly ripping it from its roots and reciprocated my kiss with the same frantic hunger for me, my body shook, my mind went in to meltdown and I lost all grip on reality. That’s when it hit me. I was obsessed and addicted, I couldn’t bear not to be with her and I could barely breathe when she was around.

  “I needed that,” she whispered while my kisses moved along her jaw and down to my favorite place, her neck.

  “I missed you,” I mumbled. I dragged my tongue along the delicate skin over the throbbing pulse in her neck and playfully grazed my teeth against her ear.

  “You looked tired out there,” she whispered. I moved my mouth to lavish the other side of her neck. I was tired. All thoughts of her had kept me awake half the night and the other half I’d spent jerking off to my indecent, dirty thoughts of her body.

  “I couldn’t sleep,” I replied, finally pulling my head back to look at her.

  “Me either,” she said with a coy look. Her eyes were aglow with humor and playfulness and the sight made me grin from ear to ear.

  “Myshka,” I whispered. Then kissed her again. I was oblivious to the door barging open as she assaulted my every sense, until I heard a loud clearing of a throat and the door slamming shut. Quickly, I dropped Raine to her feet and stepped away.

  “We have a problem,” snapped Petra completely disregarding the situation she had just walked in on.

  I glanced at Raine, her cheeks were flushed and her breathing heavy as she pulled her sleeves over her hands nervously. We locked eyes briefly, her playful ones were gone and now they possessed sorrow. “What is it, Petra?” I asked curtly. She glanced between myself and Raine then dropped her eyes to the floor. With my day deteriorating and Raine seemingly my only saving grace, Petra’s next words were like the stab of sharp blade that pierced straight through my heart.

  “Max Peters is here.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

  I gasped at Petra’s words. What is he doing here?

  I felt my knees buckle from underneath me and I slid down the wall, forgetting my surroundings and who was present. My lungs burned for air as I tried to take a breath through the white spots dancing in my vision, I felt the pressure building up in my head and it began to pound incessantly causing me to grab at my top.

  “Get her bag, quick!” Nikoli snapped.

  He was in front of me in seconds prizing my fingers from their tight grip on the material. His hands cupped my cheeks and brought my head up from my knees. “Look at me, baby, look at me,” he said quietly, pushing my head up further so my eyes could try and focus on him. “Listen to my voice. I need you to take a breath and hold it for ten seconds, do you understand?”

  My lips were clamped shut and I felt the heat of tears begin to trickle down my cheeks as I tried to shake my head.

  “You will hold your breath for ten seconds and I’ll count, it will prevent the dissipation of carbon dioxide and stop you from hyperventilating. Ready?” He nodded as if to answer his own question for me, I closed my eyes and shook my head as the crushing sensation in my chest became more severe, and I started to feel dizzy.

  “Damn it, Raine! Do it for me, open your eyes and take a deep breath, now!” He barked. I opened my eyes and took in a deep breath, keeping my eyes focused on his mouth as he counted to ten. “Again,” he ordered. I could feel his thumbs circling my cheeks soothing me in to a calmer state. “Last time, Raine. You’re doing so well,” he encouraged. I took another lungful of air and watched his mouth move as he repeated the numbers.

  “Is she okay?” Petra asked.

  “I think so. Valium, in her bag. Get one out,” he said. He smiled and kissed my forehead as Petra grabbed my water bottle and passed it me along with the pill. I closed my eyes again and rested my head against the wall. I continued to breathe and exhale deeply.

  “It’s him, isn’t it? He triggers these panic attacks,” Nikoli asked lowly.

  I sighed and shoved the pill in my mouth washing it into my system with the water. “Mainly,” I whispered. My body felt weak and drained and the thought of crawling back into my bed and sleeping for the next couple of hours seemed very appealing.

  “Why, Raine? Do you fear him, is that it?” He asked taking my hand and rubbing his thumb across it.

  I swallowed hard as I tried to weigh up how much I felt comfortable to disclose to him. Then I remembered that Max was waiting and I would need to show my face before his suspicions were aroused. “I’ll tell you, just not now, not here,” I croaked. I pulled my hand from his and tried to push up on my feet, seeing me struggle, he helped me and pulled me in to his arms. “Promise me, if things get out of hand when you go home later, you will call me,” he whispered in my ear.

  I pulled away from him and narrowed my eyes, “What do you mean by that?”

  He diverted his eyes to the floor and shook his head casually. “Nothing. I’m just saying if you need me later, you promise to call me.”

  “Right, here’s what’s going to happen,” said Petra breezing back into the office with a wide smile. Funnily enough she was the only one in the room smiling. Nikoli looked like he wanted to commit murder as his dark eyes intensified and I was left with a scowl whilst I minced over his words. Did he know something about my life with Max?

  Before I had chance to dwell on the meaning behind his words, I felt a cold, dainty hand take mine and slowly pull me from the room. I felt like I was being led to my death and everyone in the studio was the firing squad as the hushed whispers suddenly silenced. Unable to look up, I concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other.

  “Nothing to see here, please carry on,” snapped Petra loudly.

  I felt two rough hands grasp my shoulders tightly and I completely froze when I became aware of Max in front of me. “Are you okay? She said you weren’t feeling well?” Boomed his voice, loudly and slowly as though I was hard of hearing.

  I felt myself automatically surrender to fake Raine. I painted on a smile and raised my head, “Of course. I’ve just been pushing myself with this dancing malarkey and I felt faint.”

  His expression wasn’t one of concern like Nikoli’s was moments ago but one of relief as he let out a laugh, “Trust you, Raine. You always have to take things to the extreme.”

  I felt Petra’s grip on my hand flex slightly. “Why don’t you sit down for the last ten minutes of the class?” she suggested.

  I went to express my thanks and as I opened my mouth to speak, he cut me off. “No need, she’s completely fine. I don’t pay for these lessons for her to sit on her backside.”

  I felt my cheeks ignite in embarrassment and I glared at him silently. “What are you doing here?” I asked through gritted teeth.

  He balked and his eyebrows furrowed, “Is it so wrong for a husband to want to take his wife to a late lunch?” He asked me. He glanced towards Petra then back to me again. Lunch? He never has time to leave work, even on a weekend.

  I pulled my hand from Petra’s and stepped closer to him, “You want to take me to lunch, why?” I asked quietly.

  He grinned at Petra then excused us from her glaring gaze. He hooked his hand under my arm and pulled me to the side of the studio. “Why are you questioning me, Raine? Surely if I want to take you to lunch when your Ballroom lesson is over, then I can.”

  Instantaneously, bile found its way in to the back of my mouth, I hadn’t mentioned to him that I’d also taken up Latin. When I tried to broach the subject with him a few nights previous he assumed I was talking about Ballroom and I never bothered to correct him. I felt the tiny hairs on the back of my neck bristle and a tingle rippled down my spine, I knew that Nikoli’s eyes on were on me, but I didn’t want to turn around. “This is Latin, not Ballroom,” I told him in a
harsh whisper.

  He took a step back from me, I noticed his facial muscles twitched and the veins in his neck protruded, “You never told me you were taking Latin!” I dropped my head to the floor like a child.

  I took a deep breath, raised my chin again and attempted to challenge him, “I tried to tell you a few nights ago, but as usual, you refused to listen to me. You never listen to me, Max.”

  He scoffed, “When you have something of worth to say, then I’ll listen to you.” He turned away and muttered something under his breath.

  “Excuse me, Mr. Peters, but it was my idea that Raine take up Latin, to help her with her posture and balance. I apologize but I’ve not had a chance to formally introduce myself, I’m Niki, Niki Chenkov,” smiled Petra.

  I watched Max rake his eyes up and down over her body and his whole demeanor changed, his eyebrows raised, his face relaxed and then his lips formed an over-bearing smile as he took her hand. “So, you’re her dance instructor?” He asked. I felt Nikoli’s presence right behind me, he wasn’t too close to cause suspicion, but close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from him and I broke out into a cold sweat.

  “Yes, she is a good dancer and those with potential we encourage to take up lessons in other styles,” she continued with a sweet smile.

  Max grabbed my hand and pulled me towards his side as a raucous laugh flew from his mouth, “Well that is a surprise. Raine has two left feet and moves with all the grace of an elephant. Still, you’re the expert, not me.”

  My fingers of my left hand were curling into my palm in sheer humiliation at Max’s presence. As I watched him, I envisioned myself wedging my finger into the corner of his eye and popping his eyeball straight from his skull while he screamed in agony.

  “Class dismissed!” Nikoli shouted, walking from behind me. He pulled the plug on the music and ushered the other students from the room, then slammed the door behind them. “I don’t think we’ve met, I’m Gleb Chenkov,” Nikoli said sternly and placed his arms around Petra, “Niki’s husband.”

  I pulled my lips into my mouth, forcing myself to keep a straight face. Max’s face turned sour as he gave him a slight nod of his head and practically turned his back to him. The corner of Nikoli’s mouth raised up into a sneer and for the first time I was seeing him truly angered, but damn he looked hot. I needed to get out of here. This was too much for me to handle, having both men in the same room and within feet of each other.

  “I second what Niki said, your wife is a very good dancer. She has signed up for four lessons of Ballroom and two lessons of Latin per week, I trust that won’t be an issue?” Nikoli said.

  Max’s mouth turned downwards and he nodded his head slowly. I could hear the cogs turning in his brain and I knew he was trying to work out how much this was costing. Or so I thought. I glanced at Max and my stomach tightened. I caught the power behind his eyes, the power that was as reckless as a tornado. His blue eyes flashed bright and for a moment they looked full of warmth but were careless as hell. “Raine will attend Ballroom only, she has no need to learn Latin, so don’t be expecting her back here for it. And after the 21st of next month your services are no longer required,” he replied. He shot me a warning look to keep my mouth shut and not embarrass him.

  His glare was freezing my bones, I felt like I was naked in the middle of a blizzard. I swallowed hard and glanced towards Nikoli who was stood clenching his fist rhythmically, his face positively seething at Max’s attitude. “Let’s go, Max,” I said trying to keep my tone light as I stooped down and grabbed my bag, but inside I was screaming bloody murder.

  “I can assure you Raine will benefit from taking the Latin classes,” said Petra sternly.

  “Please, Max. I’m really enjoying these classes,” I begged, clamping my hand on his arm.

  He turned towards me with a look so dark and so swift, I automatically flinched and took a step back, mentally cursing myself for speaking out against him. His hand reached out and clamped onto my shoulder, from the corner of my eye, I noticed Nikoli take a step forward and my heart lurched in my chest in panic. “We can talk about it later sweetheart, okay?” He said calmly, but there was something about way he had said it that made my skin crawl.

  I stared at him vacantly as I tried to recall when was the last time I’d told him I loved him and meant it. I tried to remember when he last made me feel special, paid me a compliment, made feel sexy, made me feel anything at all that wasn’t growing contempt. The stark truth was, it had been so long that I couldn’t remember.

  As I walked past Nikoli, I heard him whisper my name, his hand brushed against mine discreetly and as cliché as it sounds, I felt the static energy sizzle and butterflies broke out in my gut. I raised my head and walked from the studio without uttering a word to anyone.

  I’d made my decision. I was going to say goodbye to this miserable existence of a marriage.

  I was going to leave the great Max Peters.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

  This morning I had woken up with a feeling of foreboding. I knew the instant I set foot out of bed, today was going to be a day of treading on egg shells. No matter how much I tried to think of Nikoli and bring some happiness to shine through the misery that shrouded me, Max seemed to be going out of his way to dampen my spirits.

  “I’m away this weekend,” he announced, standing in his boxer shorts, brushing his teeth. My eyes glanced towards him and I bit back the loud yes that was threatening to roar from my mouth, instead I opted for a casual nod of my head as I continued trying to style my hair.

  “Am I coming with you?” I asked.

  He shook his head as he spat out the toothpaste in the sink, “Not this time. I have to take a deposition in Atlanta.”

  “Atlanta?” I questioned, as I battled the curling iron through my hair.

  “Yeah, the witnesses won’t come here so Ray Roberts and I are going there. I’ll only be gone one night, I’ll be back Saturday evening.”

  Instead of feeling sad like I normally would be, where I’d follow him around and moan about him leaving me home alone, bleat about how lonely I would be and then sulk until he took me with him, my mind was working overtime at the endless possibilities a night away from him could bring me. A whole night of possibilities with Nikoli. I caught a lazy smile on my face and placed the curling iron down on the sink. I quickly frowned to remove it. Then he had to open his mouth and knock the wind straight from me.

  “I know how your anxiety gets when I have to spend nights away, but I’m not leaving you alone, Savannah Roberts is coming over and spending the night here, you can have what she called a girl’s bonding session,” he hollered over his shoulder as he headed back into the bedroom.

  Are you freaking kidding me! “Uh, that won’t be necessary Max,” I called back. My fingers were gripped onto the sink, my knuckles turned white with the pressure as I imagined it was Max’s neck I was throttling.

  “Sure, it will. I know Savannah is looking forward to it, she can stay in the guest room and when I get back with Ray we can all go out to dinner,” he replied nonchalantly.

  Relaxing my grip on the sink, I ambled in to the bedroom in a slight daze as my mind frantically raced with excuses to get out of this but nothing was coming to mind. I had no doubt that Max would have an answer to every excuse that poured from my lying mouth anyway.

  “Oh, and before I forget, next Tuesday evening we are hosting a dinner party so you’d better reign that mouth of yours in. It’s for the speakers of We Are People Project.”

  I shook my head slowly, my eyes pinched into slits as I gawped at him, “Tuesday evenings are my Ballroom classes.”

  Pulling on his sweatshirt he turned to face me, “Well not next Tuesday it isn’t, this is more important.”

  I dragged my body to sit on the edge of the bed and pulled on my sweats, “Ballroom is important to me,” I whispered.

  “You are already taking two extra lessons as it is, one night away will not hurt, now stop sulking
over it,” he snapped pulling on his sweats, then took a seat at my dressing table and fired up the laptop. “Why have you curled your hair?” He asked me abruptly without looking my way.

  I took a deep breath and shrugged it off, “I thought you liked my hair in ringlets?” I replied sweetly.

  “I do, but I’m wondering why you have curled it tonight when you’re going to dance in an hour, are you trying to impress someone?” He asked turning to look at me.

  I felt my legs begin to flare up in ashamed heat and spread slowly up through my torso, my neck and finally settle on my cheeks. My mouth opened, and as quick as I opened it, I shut it again. Then the actress in me, the one that Max had created, took over. I quickly tried to deflect his suspicious stare. Slowly I stood up and slinked towards him, “Yes, Max. I am trying to impress someone,” I said huskily. “You.” I came to a standstill behind him, I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and planted a kiss on his cheek, “I’m always trying to impress you, but you don’t notice me anymore,” I whispered.

  He let out a deep sigh and leant back in the chair, “I know you’ve felt abandoned these last six months, but the last case, as you know, was hard work trying to get that monster convic-”

  “I know, I’m just trying to please you, Max, no one else,” I breathed in his ear. A smile formed on my lips at the thought of pleasing Nikoli instead.

  “Maybe you should show me how much you want to please me?” He suggested. His hand reached behind him and grabbing my hair, he yanked my head further over his shoulders and I had to fight the urge to scream when the corners of my eyes became blurred with the pain my scalp was suffering. I whimpered instead and Max being the prick that he is took that as a sign of enjoyment and pulled harder, I let out a low snarl, my hand shot forward and grabbed a fierce hold onto his growing erection, which I soon killed when I gripped it as hard as I damn well could and dug my nails in to the material. I clung on for dear life.