by Andria Large
"Nicole, I want you with Ace, Hillary, you're with Everett," Kara finally says.
I breathe out a sigh of relief. I glance over at Hillary who looks absolutely furious and is glaring at Nicole like it's all her fault. Nicole doesn't seem to pay her any mind, though, which is good. I like that about her. She doesn't seem like the kind of girl to get sucked into the drama.
We get started on some new stuff for songs off our newest album after Kara pairs up the male dancers with each of the girls. By the time we take our first break, I am sweating my ass off and in desperate need of a smoke. I grab my pack and lighter out of my bag and head out. At the end of the hall is a side exit with a little terrace where I can step out and not have to worry about being rushed by any fans lurking around. I light my cigarette and sigh. Man, that's better. I head over to the railing and lean my forearms on it. I'm pretty much just staring into an alley, but whatever.
The door behind me opens and I glance back, expecting it to be one of the guys, but nope, it's Nicole. She jumps when she sees me, her expression one of shock.
"Oh! Sorry, Ace, I didn't know that you were out here," Nicole says quickly and starts to go back in.
"You can stay, you know," I mutter around the cig between my lips.
Nicole gives me a wary glance. "Are you sure? I don't want to interrupt your alone time," she says.
"That's sweet of you, but it's fine, really," I say with a small smile.
Nicole nods gratefully and steps out, letting the door shut behind her. "I'm sure you know that smoking is hazardous to your health, right?"
I roll my eyes. "Yes, I know."
Nicole comes and stands on my right, the opposite side of where the smoke from my cigarette is blowing.
"Does this bother you? I can put it out," I say, motioning to the cigarette.
"It's fine," she murmurs quietly and waves a dismissive hand as she looks out over the railing.
I watch her for a moment, noticing the tension radiating off her. She put her hair back into a ponytail about an hour ago. Her baggy t-shirt is hanging off one of her slender shoulders, showing off her olive skin. I'm so tempted to lean over and bite her. But, I refrain; surely that would scare the hell out of her.
"So what brings you out here?" I ask, pretty sure that I know the answer already.
"I need a break from the dirty looks. God, I feel like I'm back in high school." Nicole scoffs.
"I know. Just ignore them, they're nothing but a bunch of jealous, childish women who have nothing better to do," I say, taking one last drag of my cigarette before putting it out on the bottom of my shoe and flicking it over the railing.
"Smoker and a litterbug? Tsk, tsk," Nicole muses, propping her chin in her hands as she leans against the railing.
"I'm the wild one of the group, what can I say?" I joke.
Nicole smiles and glances at me. "I don't believe that for one second."
I bark out a laugh. "Oh yeah? You can tell that just by dancing with me for a couple of hours?"
Nicole snickers cutely and nods. "Yup."
I chuckle and watch her for a moment. She is so fucking beautiful. I can so get lost in those big brown eyes of hers.
"You're not at all star struck by us, are you?" I ask curiously.
Nicole straightens and smiles wryly. "Oh, I am, but I need to be professional. I'll freak out when I get back to my hotel room tonight," she says.
I throw my head back and laugh. This chick is gorgeous and funny, what a perfect combination. The door opens behind us, Roland peeks his head out.
"Hey, we're ready to start," he informs us.
Nicole and I head back into the studio where she is immediately met with dirty looks and whispers from the other dancers. I would just love to punch every single one of them in their bitchy little faces.
After another five hours of rehearsing, we call it quits. I've had enough dancing for today and just knowing that I have to do it all again tomorrow makes me want to groan. I'm exhausted and in desperate need of the three "S's" - shower, stroke, smoke. Being so close to Nicole all day with her touching me - and me touching her - has me all hot and bothered. I'm not at all surprised because she is smokin' hot when she dances. She is naturally sexy in the way she moves. I don't even think she realizes it. Even though the next seven months are going to be long and grueling, I am kinda looking forward to it now that Nicole is here.
~Nicole~
As soon as I get back to my hotel room, I collapse on the bed. What a day! The guys are so nice. The girls on the other hand – complete bitches. Whatever, I don't have to like them to be able to work with them. I'll mostly be working with Ace and the male dancer, Chris, anyway. And hot damn! Ace is seriously sexy! Definitely the most stunningly handsome man that I've ever laid eyes on. I think he takes over Sebastian's number one spot. His eyes...oh my god...those eyes are out of this world. They are crystal blue, framed by long dark lashes and dark eyebrows, which makes them pop. They are the first thing that I see whenever I look at him.
I have to be professional, though. There will be no drooling over Ace Vaughn. I'm here to work and build up my experience for my resume. Not to make googly eyes at a member of the group.
I take a nice long, hot shower to wash away the layer of sweat before changing into some sweatpants and a tank top. I pile my hair on top of my head in a messy bun and flop down on my bed to watch some TV. I'm watching some stupid reality show when there is a knock on my door. I sigh and head to the door. I can't even imagine who could be knocking on my door. It's not like I made any friends today.
I look through the peephole and see Hillary and one of the other girls, Lisa maybe? I don't know, she's not really anything special, so I don't really remember her name. She does have bright red curly hair. Almost looks like clown hair. What the fuck do these two want? I pull open the door and give them my best “bored” look. I don't bother saying anything because I'm sure Hillary has something she needs to say going off of the look on her fugly face. And really, she's not cute at all. She's got too much makeup on for starters. Second, she looks kinda like a pig. Her nose is turned up and it seems to pull her upper lip up, showing off her teeth even when she's not trying to. I stifle a shudder. She brushes her curly brown hair over her shoulder and tries to give me a hard look. It just doesn't work when I think she should be saying, "Oink, oink."
"I just want to let you know that even though you are dancing with Ace, he is off limits to you. If you even think about him in the wrong way, we're gonna have problems," she threatens.
"You know, you shouldn't threaten people you don't know," I drawl, gripping the edge of the door to keep from socking her right in her snout.
She cackles and rolls her eyes. "Puhlease."
The other chick laughs, too, and it seriously pisses me off. This is not what I want to be dealing with while trying to work.
"Is that all?" I snap, glaring at them both.
"For now. Just keep what I said in mind," she says with a snotty ass attitude before her and her butt buddy walk down the hall.
I shut the door with a grunt of aggravation and go back over to my bed. I just get comfortable when there is another knock on the door. I swear to god, if this bitch came back to say something else, I'm gonna freak out. I stomp over to the door and throw it open without looking through the peephole.
"What?" I bark, realizing too late that it's Ace and Dean standing there.
They both take a step back, their eyes wide. Ace puts his hands up as if to calm the beast.
"Whoa, everything okay there, killer?" he asks, eyeing me warily and slightly concerned.
I sigh heavily. "Shit, sorry, I thought you were going to be someone else."
Ace frowns. "Like who?"
"Hillary and her sidekick, Sideshow Bob, stopped by for a little chat," I mutter before waving them in.
Both men glance at each other and hesitate for a moment before walking into my room. I let the door shut on its own. Ace settles down on the end of my bed whil
e Dean remains standing. Both men are ridiculously handsome - Ace with his dark hair and light blue eyes and Dean with his blonde hair and dark blue eyes. Dean is a few inches taller than Ace. They are both dressed fairly nicely in dark jeans and button down shirts. Other than the Beck brothers, I've never been around a more gorgeous group of men in my life. Dean is just plain beautiful but the whole bad boy thing Ace has going on with the tattoos, goatee, and whatnot is more my type.
"So what did Hillary want?" Ace asks as he leans back on his hands, getting comfortable.
"Oh, you know, the usual, warning me off the guy she has the hots for," I say, waving my hand dismissively as I grab a chair from the little table in the corner and turn it around to sit on it.
"And who's that?" Dean asks with a smirk and a knowing glance at Ace.
I look at Ace and raise an eyebrow pointedly. He groans and flops back into the bed. "Why won't she leave me alone?"
I bark out a laugh. "She basically threatened me. I'm not even allowed to THINK about you," I huff and roll my eyes.
Dean starts cracking up. "You really know how to pick 'em, bro."
"I was fucking drunk and horny! Goddammit!" Ace says in exasperation.
"Yeah...just, ew," I say with a fake gag tacked on the end, making Dean laugh even harder.
"I love this girl!" Dean exclaims, slapping his thigh.
Ace groans again.
After the laughter dies down and Ace sits back up, I ask, "So was there a reason you came by?"
"We were going to see if you wanted to go out to a club and hang with us for a bit, but you’re obviously not planning on going anywhere," Ace says, making a show of looking over my outfit.
"Aren't you exhausted after dancing all day?" I gawk. Shit, I know I am.
Ace shrugs. "Meh, I still have enough energy to party a little bit."
I narrow my eyes at him. "Are you on drugs?"
His mouth drops open as Dean snickers. "What? No!" Ace says, actually sounding offended. "It’s just part of my lifestyle - work hard, party harder. We're not staying out too late; just wanna go get a couple of drinks to relax."
I glance at the clock on the cable box. "It's already nine o'clock. What’s considered not too late? Three in the morning?" I ask dryly.
"More like two." Dean shrugs, a teasing smile on his handsome face.
"Come on, it'll be fun," Ace says.
I shake my head. "Not tonight. Ask me again on Friday when I don't have to get up early the next day."
Dean's eyebrows shoot up to his hairline and he looks absolutely stunned. Ace shakes his head as if he hadn't heard me right.
"Really? No?" he asks in confusion.
I frown at him. "Not tonight."
"Wow, that's a first," Dean mumbles and scratches his chin.
I look at him like he's crazy. "What? That I don't want to go out tonight? That I don't want to feel like shit tomorrow because I didn't get enough sleep? Sounds responsible to me. I'm no pop star; I have to actually present myself well to keep my job."
Ace flinches. "Well, shit."
"We better head out then, man, come on," Dean says, giving Ace's shoulder a clap.
I stand to walk them out. Dean holds out his fist to me. I give him a pound. "I like you, Nicole. You’re a smart and respectable woman," he says softly and sends me a wink.
I blush fifty shades of red at the compliment. "Thanks," I breathe.
He opens the door and waits for Ace. Ace stands and comes over to me. He stops in front of me, his blue eyes piercing mine. "Women usually don't say no to me," he starts, his eyes narrowing slightly. "I kinda like it," he growls.
Then without another word, he turns and leaves with Dean. I stare at the door for a minute before shaking my head and hopping back into bed. Ace might be sexy as all hell, and it was very tempting to go out with them, but I know myself, and I know that I would feel like dog doo-doo in the morning. So no fun until the weekend when we get a break.
Chapter Two
~Ace~
"I should not have had that last drink last night," I groan from behind my aviator sunglasses as I follow the guys into the dance studio.
I feel like shit. I ended up getting totally wasted last night and now I'm dying of a hangover. My stomach has been rolling since I got up and I've already puked a couple of times. My head is pounding and I have no idea how I'm going to make it through the day.
"Yeah, or the five before that." Dean grunts.
"Fuck you," I sneer. I pop my sunglasses on top of my head and glare at him.
Dean chuckles. "Dude, put those back on, you look like elephant shit," he says as we all pile into the elevator to go up to the studio reserved for us. As the elevator takes off, my stomach pitches and I swallow back the bile that rises in my throat.
"Oh god..." I groan and place a hand on my stomach.
"I swear to god, don't you dare throw up on me," Beau snaps fiercely.
"Yeah man, same here," Roland mutters as he backs into the corner of the elevator with Everett.
"If you puke, I'm next, I can't handle that," Everett says anxiously.
"You really shouldn't go out on nights we're working the next day," Roland says with a sigh because it's not the first time that he's said it.
I close my eyes and focus on breathing through my nose. "Can you all just shut the fuck up?" I pant.
As soon as the elevator opens, I sprint to the bathroom. I throw up the last of whatever is in my stomach and continue to dry heave for a few minutes. Fuck! I need to lie down. I am in no position to dance. Once I'm convinced that the heaving is done, I head to the sink to splash some water on my face and rinse out my mouth. I shove a piece of gum in my mouth and put my aviators back on. Dean wasn't joking when he said that I looked like elephant shit.
I drag myself into the studio. As soon as I enter, all eyes are on me. I glance at Kara, our choreographer; she is standing in front of the mirrors with her hands on her hips, a disapproving frown on her pretty face.
"Nice of you to join us. Can you please take your place?" she asks, her tone hard and clipped. Kara doesn't play games; she's serious when it comes to her art.
I shake my head. "You're gonna have to start without me. I need to lie down for a little bit," I rasp, heading over to the back wall to lie down.
"Unbelievable," Kara bites out in exasperation. "It's only the second day, Ace. This is unacceptable."
I groan as I lower myself to the floor. "Yeah, I know, sorry," I mumble.
I stretch out along the floor on my stomach, resting my head on my arm. After a tense moment of silence, Kara barks out orders and starts the practice. I almost immediately fall back to sleep.
I'm woken up a short while later by a hand stroking my hair. I drag open my eyes as I reach up to pull off my sunglasses. When I look up to see who is touching me, it is not who I want it to be. Hillary is kneeling next to me with a bottle of water in one hand while the other is stroking my hair. I look around and see that everyone is taking a break. Nicole is over by the windows talking and smiling with Dean. Dammit!
"Here, this will help your hangover," Hillary says, bringing my attention back to her.
I shove myself up to a sitting position. Thankfully, my stomach is feeling better. She holds out the bottle of water. I am really thirsty, but I really don't want to take anything that she's offering. I shake my head and wave a dismissive hand at her.
"I'm good," I croak, sounding anything but.
Hillary frowns and narrows her eyes at me. I ignore her and glance toward Nicole again. I scowl when I notice that Dean is touching her arm. He's trying to sweet talk her. Fucker. I saw her first and I will not let him weasel his way in. I shove up to my feet and walk over to them. They both look over at me when I stop next to them.
"So you are alive," Nicole teases with an amused glint in her eye.
I give her a dry look that makes her snicker. Then I turn to Dean. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Sure, what's up?" Dean asks.
Dean nods and follows me out of the studio. We head out onto the terrace. Dean goes over to the little bistro set and plops down into one of the chairs and props his feet up on the railing.
"What's up?" he asks.
"What do you think you're doing with Nicole?" I ask straight up.
Dean's eyebrows shoot up. "What are you talking about?" he asks, honestly confused.
"You're flirting with her."
"So? Am I not allowed to flirt? She's single, I'm single, it's what single people do," he replies.