Lovers' Dance

by Carr, K

  “Yup. Hey, which one of you took the office phone?”

  “Ask Liam,” they said in unison before walking off. Matt could hear their excited, low chatter as they moved away. He sighed softly, being out of his comfort zone and not liking it.

  Nathan returned, a grim smile on his face as he walked through the doors.

  Matt strode up to him. “Well? How did it go?”

  “Reasonably well. A few probing questions, but I kept on script. Can we get out of here? It’s almost one and I’m needed at the office. You should come in, too.”

  Matt ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head slowly. “No. I’m staying. Take my car.” He pulled out the keys and handed them over to Nathan. “I’ll get a lift back with Madi.”

  Nathan frowned as he took the car keys. “Matt, I think—” He stopped talking at the look on Matt’s face, sighing in resignation and nodding. “Fine. I’ll pop over to yours later. We need to talk.”

  Matt had no intention of discussing his love life with anyone, but he nodded before saying his goodbyes.

  “You can watch if you like, Mr Bradley. They’ll probably be in the fish bowl now,” Gloria piped up as Matt was about to take a seat. “There are chairs outside the room Madi’s in, and it’s better than sitting here with boring old me.”

  Matt smiled in gratitude, perplexed over her fish bowl comment, and allowed Gloria to lead him to the back of the building. It was a large property. Matt wanted to wander around, but the chance to see Madi dance won out. Gloria stopped, explaining cheerfully, “It was Dante’s idea, this room. He said it would be nice for the students to be able to see how the professionals danced whenever they passed by.”

  Matt stared through the clear glass that gave him full view of the room and spotted her immediately. She had changed into a black leotard and tights, one leg perched on the wooden barre as she stretched in front the mirrored wall. Gloria pointed to a group of chairs and fidgeted with her hair.

  “If you need anything, come find me.”

  Matt nodded, making his way over to the farthest chair and sat down. Gloria hesitated for a moment before finally flashing him a nervous smile and disappearing back down the corridor.

  He watched as Madi and the three others who’d arrived when he was in reception joked amongst themselves. Dante clapped his hands and they sobered up as they took their positions.

  They began to dance. Their movements fluid and graceful as they glided and leaped across the space. Matt had been to ballet productions at the Royal Opera House, and he knew the dancers he watched were skilled. Trying not to be biased, he compared Madi’s dancing with the others, deciding after watching her complete a complicated round of steps which ended with her being lifted into the air above Dante’s head, that she was absolutely fantastic. He’d never witnessed anything that beautiful. The sound of voices coming closer broke his fascinated observance of his woman. A mixed group of five jovial people sauntered past. They didn’t notice Matt sitting at the back and hurried into the room, leaving the glass door partially open.

  “Liam,” Madi groused to a tall blonde. “Stop moving the office phone. No one knows where it is.”

  Liam laughed as he and the newcomers shrugged off their jackets and trainers before pulling on ballet shoes.

  “All right.” Dante called order. “Now that the ten of us are here, let’s start from the top. Bri, can you put the music on?”

  The soft sound of classical music filled the room and snuck out the open door. Matt made himself as comfortable as possible in the seat and watched his beauty dance.

  <><><>

  “Too rigid, Lis,” I chastised, frowning at my friend in the mirror. She grimaced as Gerrard loosened his grip on her waist.

  “I’m not,” she retorted.

  “Yes, you are,” I replied, then did my bout of spins before feeling Dante’s hands reaching for me. He pulled me into his arms as I curved my body downward.

  We’d been dancing for three hours and needed a break.

  “Take five,” I murmured once upright. Dante nodded, letting go off me and rolling his head around his shoulders.

  “All right, everyone. Twenty minutes, then we start again.”

  Our top dancers groaned before filing out the fish bowl. Dante and I stood facing each other.

  “Something’s missing,” he mused as I bent down to touch my toes, keeping my legs straight. He smacked me hard on the butt and I yelped, straightening up to rub my smarting ass.

  “What the hell, Dante?”

  “That’s for keeping secrets and getting me into trouble with your crazy aunt,” he said with a grin. “But, seriously, I don’t like the choreography for the second act, Madi.”

  “Mmm, you’re right. Have you heard back from that artistic director about the job post? I think we’re too close to it. We need fresh eyes and new ideas. I mean, how much can we do? We’re owners, de facto artistic directors and dancers.”

  Dante let out a weary sigh, pulling us both down to the ground. There was a light sheen of sweat on his smooth dark skin. I wiped my hand over his forehead and he smiled a thank you.

  “Nah, he hasn’t called back. I doubt he’s interested. We’re nobody. Who wants to work for a small dance company like ours?”

  I chewed my lips. It wasn’t like Dante to be this negative, but I understood. We were understaffed. Taking up the majority of the responsibilities had been hard going the past eighteen months.

  “I got an email from that lady, the ballet mistress who left Birmingham Royal Ballet,” I muttered. “She declined our offer, was quite nice about it. From what I’ve heard, she’s going to the London Ballet Company.”

  “Damn.” Dante rested his head on his knees. “We can’t compete with them, Madi.”

  “But we’ve got our classes. That’s a major plus. These kids are getting trained by our instructors—”

  “Yeah, the classes aren’t a problem. It’s our principals. I suspect Eddie and Bri are thinking about leaving us.”

  “What?” I cried in dismay. Bri was one of our top principals and Eddie was almost as good as Dante. “They wouldn’t. They’ve been with us from the start. They wouldn’t leave.”

  “They might,” Dante warned. “Eddie has a friend in the corps at the English National Ballet School, and she’s been telling him to try out with them.”

  “How do you know this?” I asked, feeling sick to the stomach. If we lost Eddie to another dance company—well—once one leaves, the others soon follow.

  “Shannon told me. You know those two have been hooking up since February.”

  I nodded, feeling queasy at the possibility of losing our dancers. “Our latest production is good, Dante. All we need is to make a name for ourselves.”

  “I know,” he muttered, head rising slowly. “Do you think about it? About what we left behind?”

  I averted my gaze, unable to meet his eyes, fearing what I would see shining from their brown depths. “I’m sorry. You left because of me.” I got up and started for the door. Dante leapt to his feet and caught up to me.

  “Hey, don’t do that.” He picked me up and spun me around until we fell laughing and dizzy to the floor. “I left because I wanted to, and you were loaded back then.”

  “Shut up.” I laughed as we picked ourselves up. “We’ll make it, Dante. I know we will.”

  Playfully pushing each other, we walked out the room. Dante came to a standstill, and I looked over to where he was staring.

  “Matt. Why are you still here?” I asked, hurrying over to where he sat in the corner.

  “Nathan took my car.”

  “He left you here?” I was shocked. “What a douche. Why haven’t you called your driver?”

  Matt reached for my hands. I put them behind my back.

  “Madi,” Dante called. “You want me to get you a water?”

  “Please,” I said, then turned my attention to Matt as Dante left us alone.

  “You’re a beautiful dancer, poppet,” Matt
said softly. “Don’t be angry with Nathan. I told him to go.”

  “And leave you here?” I asked sceptically.

  Matt nodded. Seeing as he’d failed to grab my hands, he grabbed me around the waist and pulled me into his lap.

  “Technically I’m still on holiday, and I want to spend it with you.”

  “But—”

  “No buts.” He cut me off. “How long will you be?”

  “A few more hours,” I advised, expecting him to complain. He didn’t. Instead he pressed a kiss on my cheek.

  “Urgh.” I jerked away. “I’m sweaty.”

  “I like it when you sweat,” he said with waggling eyebrows. “Especially when I’m the one making you sweat.”

  “Stop it,” I murmured, feeling my face warm up. “I’m mad at you.”

  “So, why are you sitting in my lap?” he teased.

  “Because you’re holding me prisoner,” I retorted.

  “Ah, you admit to being my prisoner? That’s good, poppet. I intend to take full advantage of my position as your jailer.”

  He was so full of shit I burst out laughing. “You know, you’re silly for a man of your age.”

  Matt frowned, then his expression lightened. “You make me feel like a teenager. A hormonal teenager whose sole intent is to—”

  “Shut up,” I ordered, putting a hand over his mouth to stop whatever naughty comment I knew he was going to make.

  “Muv bu.”

  “What?” I removed my hand.

  “Love you,” he repeated. “I love you.”

  “Matt,” I whispered, suddenly feeling overwhelmed by the emotion in his grey eyes.

  “Say it,” he commanded.

  I could hear the others coming back. I wriggled in his lap, not wanting to be caught in a compromising position. Hey, I was a respectable, young woman.

  “They’re coming back,” I muttered, trying my hardest to escape, but his arms were like steel bands around me.

  “Say it and I’ll let you go, poppet,” he drawled.

  “You’re being silly.”

  Matt started humming under his breath, waiting.

  “Matt,” I hissed, hearing Dante’s voice as he discussed the dance with the others. “Fine. I love you, you bossy tyrant. Now let me up—”

  Matt slanted his lips over mine, hand sliding up to slip into my curls while the other constricted on my waist. I forgot about the others as I kissed him back ferociously. A sudden hardness was pressing into my ass and I groaned in desire. How did he do this to me? Make me burn with a passion that obliterated logical thought?

  A low tittering had me pulling away as I blushed furiously. Everyone was smirking and staring at us.

  “Oooh,” Liam teased, “Madi’s snogging her boyfriend.”

  I pushed Matt’s shoulders and he finally released me with a smug smile.

  “Thanks a lot,” I whispered.

  “My pleasure, poppet,” he whispered back.

  I narrowed my eyes and his smile widened. I turned away from him and walked over to the others who were entering the fish bowl and poking fun at me. Dante held out a bottle of water, gaze jumping between me and Matt.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  I cracked the bottle open and took a sip before answering. “Yep. Are we all ready?”

  We were the last ones to enter the room and I shut the door. Matt waved and I couldn’t stop the soft smile curling up my lips. I had it bad.

  “All right,” Dante said. “Lisa and Gerrard, you two take centre and start from where we left off. Bri, music.”

  <><><>

  Matt stretched in the seat, glancing at his watch. It was almost six and he felt exhausted. Thank God it looked like they were finishing up. He stood up as they exited the room with their bags. More than a few glances were sent in his direction as they talked amongst themselves. He ignored them and watched as Madi and Dante came out.

  “See you guys tomorrow,” Dante said, and a chorus of goodbyes followed. Matt made his way over to them.

  “Ready to go, Madi?” he asked, not liking Dante’s arm around her waist.

  “I need to change. Can you wait in the office?”

  He nodded and walked off, casting backward glances at her and Dante. They did look good together. Matt pushed that unsettling thought out of his mind and headed for the office.

  “Ow! Wait, Dante.”

  Her cry of pain had him spinning on his heels and hurrying back.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked immediately as he came upon her lying on the floor with her right foot in Dante’s hand. Dante carefully took her ballet shoe off and let out a soft hiss.

  “Looks bad, sweet cheeks. Wait here, I’ll get the first aid kit.” Dante gently put her foot down and, with an unfriendly look his way, brushed past Matt who stooped down to look at her foot.

  “Jesus, poppet! Your toe’s bleeding.”

  “I know,” she muttered, arms covering her face. “Hazards of the job.”

  Matt winced at the sight of the blood pooling around the nail of her big toe.

  “Does it hurt much?” he asked gently.

  She sat up and scowled at him. “What do you think?”

  He paid no attention to her temper and started undoing the ribbon on her other foot. Carefully he took off the other ballet shoe and frowned.

  “This one’s bleeding, too. Why on earth didn’t you stop earlier?”

  “Don’t worry, Matt. This happens a lot,” she explained.

  Matt’s frown deepened. “I don’t like the thought of you hurt.”

  “Hazards of being a dancer. Stop fussing.” She covered her face with her arms again and Matt ran a hand up her calf. Madi let out a groan of relief and he continued to massage her leg until Dante came back with the first aid kit. He moved aside as Dante briskly took bandages out before cleaning the blood away.

  “It’s not that bad, sweet cheeks. Stop being a baby,” he joked.

  “Ow!” She yelped when he dabbed antiseptic over the injury. “Says the man who cried when I did this for him not more than three weeks ago.”

  “Shut up,” Dante mumbled, shooting Matt an embarrassed look. With obvious experience, Dante cleaned and bandaged both toes.

  Matt helped her up and she was smiling once more, bouncing on her toes while he glowered in disapproval.

  “Thanks, Dante. I’m going to change then head home. What time do you want me in tomorrow?”

  Matt looked at her, then Dante. “You can’t dance with both feet injured.”

  They scoffed at him before starting back down the corridor. Matt stood there for a second, feeling put out over their behaviour. Did they not know who they were speaking to?

  “Madi.” He closed the distance fast with his long strides.

  “Matt, wait for me in the office,” she said, then disappeared behind a door with Dante. Matt scowled at the closed door, then went to wait in the office, as ordered. He wasn’t sure how to take her new attitude. Ten minutes later, she walked through the door dressed in the clothes he’d first seen her in.

  “I just need to check a few things.” She headed straight for the desk, tossing her bag on the ground. “Then we’ll go back to mine and you can get your driver to pick you up from there, because I’m not driving all the way to Kensington.”

  Matt quirked his lips. She was mistaken if she believed they wouldn’t be spending tonight, and the rest of the weekend, together.

  “What are you looking at?” he asked, coming around the desk to peer over her shoulders.

  “My emails. Are you hungry?”

  “Starving.” He touched her hair, wrapping a curl around his finger and enjoying the feel of its texture. The different types of curls that black women possessed were a mystery to him. A lot of them wore it straight, but he’d seen quite a few with their natural curls on proud display, ranging from, in his inexpert opinion, the tight afro curls, which he had no idea on how a black woman could manage, to the wavy tresses of those with mixed race. Madi’s ha
ir was somewhere in between. He loved tangling his fingers through the springy softness.

  He rubbed the back of her neck, slow, circular motions that elicited a soft sigh from her.

  “Mmm,” she murmured, then jerked away. “I’m angry with you.”

  “I know, poppet,” he murmured back. “I apologize for the background check and the bloody media.”

  He resumed massaging her neck, venturing over her tense shoulders. This time she didn’t pull away.

  “Those things they’re saying about my mom…I don’t want to believe it. She’s being portrayed like a mixed up—”

  “Poppet.” Matt cut her off gruffly. “The media go out of their way to put a negative spin on everything in order to increase circulation. Don’t dwell on it.”

  “But, Matt, it’s not just what they’re saying about her. They’re making it sound like I’m a gold-digging slut. And those comments.”

  Matt spun her chair around so he could look into her unhappy eyes. “You’re not, and I don’t care about other people’s opinions on our relationship. Ignore those ignorant arseholes.”

  “I guess I should,” she mumbled, doe eyes downcast.

  Matt gripped her chin and tilted her head upwards. “We’ve been over this, Madi. Nothing has changed. Now smile,” he commanded.

  She made a feeble attempt and he arched an unimpressed eyebrow at her. Shaking his head in disapproval, he plastered an exaggerated smile on his own face and she burst into laughter.

  “Much better, poppet.”

  The door opened and Dante sauntered in with a pile of post. Matt gave him cool eyes as Madi spun the chair back around and grimaced.

  “Don’t tell me.” She groaned. “More—”

  “Bills, sweet cheeks.” Dante finished with a rueful smile. “I’ll sort it. You head home, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  She sighed and logged out of her email before standing up. “Ok, use the—”

  “Business account at Barclays, I know.”

  Matt picked her bag up and held a hand out, which she took. He flashed a polite smile at Dante as they walked towards the door. “Pleasure meeting you.”

  “Yeah, man.” Dante brushed him off, then smacked Madi’s bum as she passed him. “Call me later, Madi.”