by Tracey Ward
I nailed it. I know I did.
Danny offers me his knuckles. “Beautiful.”
I bump them happily, laughing a little in the back of my throat.
“It’s even better when she sings it,” Jace agrees.
My heart officially stops. Time of Death – the moment he walked into the room.
He’s standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame with one ankle hooked over the other, white sneakers on his feet. His eyes swim across the small crowd, taking in every face. Every body. When they take in mine, I feel like they take their time. He focuses on my face, on my eyes, and I fight the urge to step toward him. To be close to him where I feel so small and so commanding at the same time. He’s perfectly controlled, his hands inside the pockets of his athletic shorts, his chest straining the soft cotton of his T-shirt. He looks like he belongs on the Knicks with calves like cantaloupes and arms rolling with muscle. He has a baseball hat turned backwards on his head and this look on his face that says he could dunk a ball and bang a cheerleader without missing a beat.
It makes me wish I knew what the fuck to do with pom-poms.
“Jace Ryker, everyone!” Danny cries, leading the room in a round of applause.
Jace laughs, shaking his head. “No, please don’t do that. It’s humiliating.”
“They’re excited to work with you, brother. Let ‘em be excited.”
“They have better bullets on their resumes than me.” He strides into the room, dominating it with his height. With his impossibly powerful presence. “Thanks for taking the time to do this,” he tells everyone. “I know you’re all busy and I know we’ve been vague, but this is legit. I promise.”
Clara raises her hand like a kid in school. “The paperwork said the concert is in a month but it didn’t say how many rehearsals we’d have.”
“Right, yeah. Vague, like I said. We can clear some of that up for you guys today. Let you know what you signed up for.” Jace looks at Danny, passing the torch.
He nods, stepping forward. “We’re working around your schedules so we didn’t know how many we’d be able to fit in until we had all of your information. Now that we do, we’re looking at ten rehearsals. Roughly two a week.”
“How many routines do we have to learn?” Cam asks.
“Twenty-four.”
The room fills with gasps and surprised laughter.
“You want us to learn more than two routines a day?” Tim demands.
“They’re easier than what you’re used to,” Jace assures him calmly. “And if you’re like Greer, you already have one of them down.”
Clara raises her hand again.
Jace gives her a winning smile, but he doesn’t ask her to speak. He brushes her off with next to nothing. “Give two numbers a shot today and see how you feel after.”
She lowers her hand but her face is sour. Everyone else looks the way I feel; ready to try. Ready to do whatever it takes to make this work, because this is huge.
This is Jace Ryker.
Jace nods to Danny as he steps out of the way. Danny signals for us to line up behind him in front of the mirrors. He pulls out the remote again, switching the song. I recognize it, but not entirely. It’s a Jace Ryker song, one of his older ones, but it’s different. It’s fuller than before, an entire orchestra behind him instead of just his band. It’s big and brash. It’s woodwinds and brass.
It’s Broadway.
As Danny launches into the routine, I risk a quick glance at Jace. His face is blank but his eyes, they’re full of feeling. Anxiety and eagerness. He’s nervous about this new direction but he’s excited too. It’s completely different than anything he’s done before, and I wish I could tell him how much I love it. How absolutely amazing it sounds. I just don’t have the time. Danny is literally three steps ahead of me and I need to start watching if I want to learn.
It doesn’t take long to find out that Jace was right. This shit is easy. Danny breaks the song into three parts and by the second run through, we’ve put it all together. Life is easier when you don’t have to worry about blocking. Jace is in the front, we’re in the back. Done. Got it. On to the next song.
Three sweat soaked hours later and we’re caught up to where we’re supposed to be. Jace performs the numbers with us on the last run through, standing in front of us in the mirror, his back to us. His ass to us.
I’ve always liked athletic shorts on a guy, but I’m in love with them now.
“Watch it, Greer!” Danny barks. “You’re falling out!”
I blush. “Sorry!”
“Keep up!”
I try, I do, but it’s hard. So hard. And round.
“Greer!”
“Fuck! Sorry!”
Cam stops. His hands are on his hips, his brow drawn down. “Can I make a suggestion?”
Everyone slows to a halt. All eyes are on Cam standing in the center of the room. Some are curious. Some are shocked. Mine, I’m pretty sure, are worried because that’s exactly how I feel. I’ve done one other show in my life. I have no idea what the rules are, but an ensemble member halting a rehearsal to make a suggestion to the director, that’s looking for trouble.
Jace turns to Cam with an open expression. “Yeah, what’s up, man?”
“I think the song is tight,” he begins. “The changes you’ve made, bringing it up like a Tango, that’s on point.”
Jace grins knowingly. “But?”
“But this routine doesn’t fit it.”
“How do you mean?”
“I mean the song is hot, the beat matches it, but what we’re all doing,” Cam gestures to the entire room, including Danny, “makes no sense. We’re dancing a Tango and no one has touched each other. That’s a mistake.”
“We’re keeping it clean. This is a family event,” Danny informs him. He doesn’t sound convinced. He sounds annoyed, like he was thinking it too but he isn’t allowed to say it.
Jace glances at him sideways, his face unreadable. He pauses before turning back to Cam. “We’ve had some branding issues recently. You might have heard. Or seen.”
I feel like shit that I have; I’ve seen it. All of it. I’m embarrassed for him, but I don’t know why. Nothing about his attitude says he’s embarrassed for himself. He’s just as proud and self-assured talking around his dick as he would be if he was talking about his Grammy’s.
“I have,” Cam answers evenly.
“In order to come back from that, we’re being very careful not to offend anyone.”
“I think you’re being too careful.”
“You do?”
Cam nods decisively. “I do.”
“So do I,” I agree loudly.
I didn’t mean to speak. I definitely didn’t mean to speak that loud. The thought was in my head because I feel the same way - this dance is something you’d see at an elementary school - but how do you tell that to a man who’s worth a hundred million dollars and you have fifteen in your wallet? My opinion doesn’t feel valuable or even relevant.
Jace looks between the two of us, then back at the pair standing behind us. I don’t know what their faces look like but the tension I expected in the room isn’t there. Jace isn’t pissed. He’s interested. He’s listening. And it’s the weirdest feeling in the world because John would have told us to shut the fuck up by now.
“Show me how you’d do it,” Jace offers calmly.
Cam steps forward without hesitation. “You got it. Greer. Come on.”
I hesitate. I wish I didn’t, but I do. It’s a kneejerk reaction left over from my ugly years. I’m used to staying off the radar, in the shadows, but I work on Broadway. I gotta get over that shit.
I shake it off and take Cam’s offered hand. He immediately pulls me in close, his hand low on my back and the other clasping mine high. He looks down at me reassuringly. “Just follow my lead, okay?”
I nod my head, my back straight, my arms held tight. I hide my nervousness the way he taught me to – with a smile.
Danny replays the song for us. The whole room is watching as we wait for the moment to jump in. When it comes, Cam launches me into action. I stumble slightly as he pulls me across the floor, but I keep my feet moving. I keep pace with him and I follow the feel of his hand on my hip guiding me. Driving me forward, backward, up high onto his shoulders, back down to the floor, spinning on my toes, dipping down to my ass and springing back up again. He moves me easily, his big body strong enough to toss me around like a ragdoll, but it’s elegant and passionate the way he moves us. I’m pushed away and pulled back in, pressed against him like we’re one.
I can feel how toned his body is. I see his determined face hovering above mine and I understand why women look at him the way they do. He’s powerful and beautiful. Sexy in a way I try very hard not to see, but I feel it now. It’s awkward, like seeing a picture of your grandpa when he was young and realizing he was hot. He’s your grandpa, but give credit where credit’s due. Dude was sexy. And so is Cam. Especially dancing the way he is.
He only keeps us moving for a third of the song before spinning me away without any intention of bringing me back.
I bring myself to a slow stop. My flying hair flutters down out of my eyes, clearing my vision, and there I am – face to face with Jace.
He brings out a hand to place on my hip to steady me, but we both know I don’t need it. It doesn’t mean I don’t want it, though. The look on his face hovering over mine says he does too. This and so much more.
My heart is still spinning. It’s dizzy and dancing while I stand perfectly still, held down by the hand on my hip and the look in his eyes. It damn near falls flat on its ass when he offers me his other hand up high.
“Can you do it again?” he asks, his voice deep and dark.
I nod my head, placing my palm in his. His hand on my hip moves to my back. It drops lower than Cam’s did. It’s not at the top of my ass, it’s basically on my ass, but I don’t complain. I step in closer until we’re almost touching. Until just a breath is between us and I’m daring the dance to bring us together. It’ll happen sooner rather than later and my heart is a rabbit racing in my chest as I wait for it.
He waits for the beat. I wait for my breath to come back to my body.
The beat finally comes. My breath never does.
Jace is taller than Cam. His hands are larger. When he dances, though, his command is quieter. He’s less assertive, and I wonder if it’s in his personality or his experience. Jace is used to working alone on stage while Cam is always engaged with everyone under the lights. There are moments where it feels less like Jace is telling me where to go and more like he’s asking. But when it comes time to bring me in close to him, his hold on me changes. It’s possessive and longing. Restrained with regret when his hand rises up my side under my arm, his thumb skimming the side of my breast. If I had breath in my lungs, I’d lose it right then. I’d exhale as I melt into him, my lips searching for his to find air. To find life.
Jace’s eyes are tense when he brings me up onto his shoulders. My legs spread behind his neck. His hat is off, my hands brushing his hair matted with sweat as he takes hold of my thighs. A thousand images flood my mind, not a single one of them acceptable for public viewing, and I wonder if he’s thinking them too.
When his thumb runs back and forth inside my leg, I don’t wonder anymore. I die a little inside. I resist the urge to push myself forward, delving his touch deeper. Closer to where I want him so badly.
He brings me back down and around in front of him. I’m pulled in so tightly to him I don’t know that my feet will find the ground. I can feel every move of muscle under his shirt, every shallow breath in his lungs, and every memory of Cam’s sex appeal evaporates like mist into the sky. Jace is all I know. He’s all I feel, all I want, and it’s an act of will when I don’t wrap my legs around his waist and cling to him.
He stops with his hands under my arms, my body a second skin on his. We’re both breathing heavily, our eyes holding each other, and there’s something wicked between us. Something I forgot I was capable of, but there it is. It’s everywhere. It’s in the air, in his hands, in his breath. In between my legs.
In Danny’s discreet cough behind me.
Jace releases me, pushing me back a step. I look at the floor as I retreat, knocking right into Cam. I’m too turned on and too embarrassed to look him in the eyes.
“Yeah, I don’t know if that’s gonna work,” Danny tells the room slowly. “That might get us into even more trouble than we’re already in.”
Jace chuckles easily. He snatches his hat off the floor where he’d thrown it, pulling it down low over his face. “Let’s say a maybe to that and move on, yeah?”
“Good idea. In fact, let’s call it a day. We’re about done with our time.”
“Even better.”
“Thanks, everyone, for your time and hard work! Please practice these dances in your non-existent spare time. And take a card from the stack on the stereo. There’s a web address and password where you can download the songs we worked with today, but remember—”
“Don’t leak it,” Naomi drones.
Danny claps his hands together excitedly. “Yes! Thank you. In your contracts you all agreed to keep any information you see, hear, smell, or taste during these rehearsals to yourselves. Remember that. Jace has good lawyers and they’re just looking for something to do.”
Jace grins, raising his hand to silently say goodbye to the room. We all wave back, muttering our thanks and goodbyes.
I try not to look at him as I leave. I grab my bag with Cam and hurry toward the door.
I can feel Jace as I pass him. I can feel his body still against mine, his hands on my bare skin. I can feel his breath against my face, the warmth of his body against my thighs, and I can’t help it. I look up at him as I pass.
He’s watching me. His eyes are dark under the bill of his hat, but they’re waiting for me. They’re devouring me like I’m a hard piece of candy with a soft, warm center that he can’t wait to get his tongue a taste of.
The thought makes me feel absolutely delicious inside.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Jace
“I’m not sharing my iPod with you.”
Greer sighs, her voice drifting in from the hall. “I didn’t ask you to, Cam.”
“How are you gonna listen to those songs?”
“Don’t start.”
“Get a phone. Get an iPod of your own. Hell, get a Zune.”
“Where would I get a Zune? 2008?”
“They still sell them.”
“Do they, Cam?” Greer challenges, her soft voice getting louder the closer I get to the door. “Do they really?”
“Get something.”
“I will.”
“When?”
I step out of the rehearsal room into the hall. I’m not surprised to find them standing there, but Greer is definitely surprised to see me. Her face tightens, her body straightening.
“Not today,” she mutters in reply to Cam’s question.
I offer my hand to Cam, ignoring the fact that Greer won’t look me in the eyes. “Thanks for the suggestion on the dance, Cam. It was good.”
“Yeah, of course. I hope I didn’t step out of line.”
I snort, shaking my head. “Nah. I’m not committed to any of this enough to be drawing lines. You were right, it’s like we’re performing for the Pope. It’s cleaner than it has to be but we have our reasons.”
“Totally understand.”
“I’m gonna talk to Danny about changing things up for you guys, but I’ve gotta be Mother Mary up there.” I gesture between them. “Is it going to be weird for you guys dancing like that?”
Greer shrugs. “It’s just dancing.”
“Is it?” I challenge.
She doesn’t answer me.
“Right. Well,” Cam says suddenly, “I gotta go.”
Greer snaps to attention. “What? Where?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“It’s why I asked.”
“I’ve got a thing.”
“What kind of thing?”
“I’ll call you later,” he answers, not really answering at all.
He pushes open the door to the stairwell, disappearing without another word. Everyone else has already left. Only Danny is still here, cleaning up some things in the rehearsal room. For all intents and purposes, Greer and I are alone.
It’s a bad thing.
I’m looking down at her in those skin tight spandex pants and pink sports bra, her toned, tiny body right there at my fingertips, and I’m struggling to remember why I have to be good. Why I can’t take her to the nearest bathroom, pop her up on the counter, and lick every inch of her. I watch the steady rhythm of her stomach moving with her breath, her muscles rolling with the motion, corded like guitar strings. I want to pluck them, play them, pull every note from inside her that I can manage until I’m exhausted and she’s lost. Until she’s nothing more than me. Until we’re the same and I’m not alone.
Dancing with her was a mistake. Touching her was a bigger one, but the dumbest thing I’ve done today is stand here alone with her.
“You wanna grab some dinner?” I ask.
Nope, I correct myself. That is the dumbest thing I’ve done today.
She smiles in surprise, pink and perfect. Her eyes widen with want, but her mouth quivers doubtfully at the corners. I get that feeling; wanting something you’re pretty sure you’re not supposed to have. “Seriously?”
“Are you hungry?”
“Starving.”
“Then yes, I’m very serious about taking you to dinner.”
She hesitates, her smile slipping at the edges, and I feel real fear that she might say no.
No one ever says no.
I pull my phone out of my pocket. “I can have a car pick us up and take us anywhere you want. There’s a restaurant in the hotel that’s good.”
“I don’t think I’m dressed for that.”
I look her over even though I know what she’s wearing. I just like reminding myself. “Maybe not.”