Dangerous Daddy

by Sarah J. Brooks

  “What are you doing?” I heard Cassandra screaming from the back door to the rehearsal building. “Do you think you get paid to sit around in the dirt? My God, it’s like you girls were raised in some sort of barn or something.”

  She let the door slam behind her, which meant we were going to have to go around to the front of the building to get back in. The three of us scurried to grab our things and ran around the building.

  “It’s like she is possessed sometimes.” Elaina scowled. “She sits up in her office doing nothing literally all day long, but the second we take a break, she’s out here.”

  “I know!” Stacy yelled as she ran ahead of us. “But I hate it when she yells; hurry up. Let’s get inside.”

  None of us were particularly fond of being yelled at, but I’d grown accustomed to it. Elaina had a pretty thick skin to Cassandra’s yelling as well. Stacy, she couldn’t handle it, though. Any time Cassandra was yelling at Stacy, it was only a matter of minutes before we saw our friend break down into a full-blown crying fit. Stacy didn’t get yelled at often, luckily, but when she did, it was usually because she was hanging around Elaina and me.

  “Show me the dance,” Cassandra growled as we ran into the studio. “I’ve been waiting forever.”

  It had only been a half hour since everyone went out for lunch, and only a few of the dancers were back in the practice studio. Everyone stood frozen as they looked around for the partners for their groups, but of course, none of the groups were complete. It wasn’t worth arguing with Cassandra and asking her to wait for everyone to get in there; it was never worth arguing with Cassandra.

  Luckily for me, Elaina and Stacy just grabbed one of the girls and pulled her into a group with them. They moved to the middle of the floor, and Elaina took the lead to count out the steps and show Cassandra what we had put together so far. This was exactly why Elaina was considered the head of the dancers; she didn’t complain and just took charge.

  “We were just getting going on the practice. I’d love to show you the final product at the end of the day,” I said as Cassandra and I watched the girls do the number. “Each group will have either three or five people in them. The guys will all be split up among the groups.”

  “Oh, my God, this is hideous,” she yelled out and made the group stop dancing. “You don’t really expect me to let this go in front of all our best donors? Come on; I knew I’d have to do this myself.”

  Cassandra moved to the middle of the dance floor as the rest of the dancers made their way into the room. They had likely overheard the commotion from down the hall and were all trying to get their faces in front of Cassandra so she knew they were responsible.

  “I think this is everyone,” Elaina said as she looked over the room and stood next to Cassandra.

  I was nearly in tears at this point and so grateful that Elaina knew this and took over talking to Cassandra. One time I’d actually cried in front of her, and I didn’t live that down for weeks afterward; Cassandra didn’t like cry babies.

  “Okay girls, how about we open like this,” Cassandra said as she basically did the exact same move that the girls were already doing. “Then you can go into the turn. Okay?” She stood with her hands on her hips as all the dancers looked at her blankly. “Shake your heads if you understand.”

  Elaina looked confused as she watched Cassandra, but she put on a smile and did the dance again. Most of the other dancers looked similarly confused. They were used to having Cassandra actually changing the dance, but from what I could see, nothing was changing.

  “Like that?” Elaina asked.

  “Yes, for God’s sake Elaina, you don’t need to have so much attitude. You know I don’t have to keep you as the lead dancer. One more mess up, and you’re out.”

  All the dancers looked puzzled as they watched the interaction between Elaina and Cassandra. Elaina didn’t have an attitude; if there was anyone in this studio who was nice to Cassandra, it was Elaina. It was puzzling the way Cassandra couldn’t even be nice to the nicest person in the studio.

  “Of course, I’ll do better,” Elaina said with a big smile.

  “Yes, you will. Or you won’t be dancing here any longer.”

  “Yes Ma’am,” Elaina said as she went back to the group. “Would you like us to show you the rest of the dance?”

  It was infuriating how Cassandra made Elaina apologize with threats to lose her dancing position. I really didn’t know how Elaina kept her composure. I was only seconds away from tackling Cassandra at any one moment; I knew I couldn’t have handled the yelling as well as Elaina was taking it.

  “No, it’s hideous,” Cassandra said, “just try and make it better before the event this weekend. Ugh, I can’t believe they actually pay you ladies, and this is the best you can come up with. I can’t take this another second.”

  The dancers stood waiting for a minute before Elaina took control and started to go through the dance with them. I stood silently off to the side. Cassandra watched as Elaina, Stacy, and the other dancers did the number all the way through. Then Cassandra berated them for being late, although they were back from lunch exactly when I had asked them to be.

  My stomach turned with anxiety. I still didn’t know if Cassandra actually liked the dance or not. She always said things were horrible, but that wasn’t an actual indicator of whether she liked the choreography or not. Plus, it sounded like she wanted the dancers to continue rehearsing with this number, and that was a positive sign that she was keeping it for the event. Either way, it was clear I was no longer in charge of the rehearsal, and it was now Cassandra.

  She didn’t change my dance, though; I was excited about that. As the dancers showed Cassandra the choreography, she complained about every step of it and even said she wanted changes but really didn’t change anything. It felt like a tiny win for me. A little bit of me getting something right for a change was something I was going to hold onto.

  “So you did a horrible job with the choreography, but I think I’ve improved it, so we can use it at the event. Keep them practicing, though,” she said and turned to leave. “And stop looking at me like that. You’re not a puppy.”

  “Sorry, thank you for using my choreography. I really appreciate it.”

  “Don’t let them slack off before the event! And I’m not using anything of yours. This is all new choreography. I changed everything, weren’t you watching at all? Wow, it’s amazing you’re able to feed yourself,” she grumbled as the studio door slammed behind her.

  My heart sunk right into the pit of my stomach. I tried as hard as possible not to break down in tears; I couldn’t cry in front of Cassandra. I held my breath until she was down the hall, but I just couldn’t stop myself any longer. It was all too much. She was such a hideous woman!

  “No, no, no,” Stacy said as she grabbed me and pulled me to the corner of the room. “Don’t cry. This isn’t something to cry over. We are using your choreography. You should be happy. Who cares what that woman thinks. You know she’s crazy.”

  “You guys can take a break,” Elaina yelled to the group.

  “You can’t let the dancers see you cry. There is no crying in ballet,” Stacy added with a huge fake smile.

  “I’m sorry,” I said through my tears.

  “Let’s take a break. Elaina can work with everyone for a little bit,” Stacy said as she grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the room. “Come on now. This isn’t a surprise. You’ve got to toughen up around her. She’s never going to be nice. That’s just not who she is.”

  “She used to be nice,” I said as we sat down in the stairwell. “I’ve heard the stories. I think she’s just having a cranky few years.”

  “Yeah, maybe.” Stacy laughed. “I know how it is, trust me. I cry every time she yells at me. But you’re trying to be her equal. You are trying to be a choreographer; you absolutely cannot let her get into your head like this.”

  “I don’t know why I’m so emotional. I don’t do this job for recognition; I
just do it so I can stay in the dance world. I should be happy that I’m here.”

  It was the truth. As much as I wanted to choreograph this event or anything for that matter, I loved my job. I loved that I got to hang out with professional ballet dancers every day. It was the closest I could get given my circumstances, and I really did want to be happy about what I had in my life.

  I wasn’t one of those people who lived beyond their means or tried to be someone they weren’t. No, I accepted my place in this society, and my place was as the unknown assistant. Yet every now and again, a spark of excitement built up inside of me like it had on this day, and I thought something was going to change for me.

  “So we are on the same page,” Stacy said with a smile. “Now take a couple deep breaths and get back in there. You can still lead these rehearsals. You can show these guys and girls that Cassandra can’t ruin your day. At least she didn’t actually change things, and the dancers won’t be as grumpy now for the rest of the day.”

  “Yeah, what was that she was doing? She said she changed things and basically did the exact same moves. That was weird.”

  “She just wanted to look important.”

  “Always. She always wants to look busy. I’m not sure what work she actually does. You know last week I went and got her breakfast and lunch, and she hadn’t moved from her desk between the two meals. Then when it was time for her to go home, she said she was tired. Really? Tired? She sat and played on her phone the whole day.”

  Stacy just smiled at me as I talked. I think she liked seeing me get a little angry about my boss. Most of the time, I just meekly did what was asked of me. It was my job. I got paid to do whatever Cassandra asked me to do. I wasn’t getting paid to make up my own choreography. And I definitely wasn’t getting paid for my opinions.

  “Okay, so we know she’s not worth your time and energy, but these dancers are. They need you. Now that Cassandra is out of the rehearsal room, you can do what you want. Let’s make this amazing. Pull out all your ideas, and let’s have fun,” Stacy said in her most enthusiastic voice.

  “Yeah, she’s not going to even remember what we have already rehearsed. Maybe we should get a little crazy?”

  “Yeah, what the hell? Is there something else you want to add that you haven’t?”

  “I don’t know yet.” I laughed. “But I am feeling so much better.”

  Stacy grabbed my hand, pulled me up and gave me a big hug. We’d probably only been in the stairwell for a few minutes, but I already had a new outlook on this situation. Cassandra could come in and say whatever she wanted. She could come in and pretend to change things, but we were going to put together a kick-ass show for the fundraiser.

  “This event is huge. There are going to be so many big names at it. You do whatever you need to in order to make us awesome,” Stacy added.

  “What if we incorporated one of the big donors into the actual dance?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “At first, I wanted to have everyone pull a donor aside after the dance, but I think it would be cool to grab one of the younger donors, maybe a guy, and put him right in the middle of the whole thing.”

  “I’ve got the perfect person for this,” Stacy said as we walked back into the rehearsal room and she grabbed her phone out of her bag. “Kevin Fox.”

  “Okay,” I said without realizing who he was.

  “You have no idea who he is do you?” She laughed and looked at Elaina. “Elaina, tell Jenna who Kevin Fox is.”

  “Oh, yes, what a fine piece of man he is,” Elaina started to say as her eyes glazed over. “He’s a tech guy. I think he runs a driving app company or something. Super delicious looking and every woman in the town is after him.”

  “Does he have a good sense of humor? I mean it might be a little embarrassing for him with the idea I have for the performance,” I said.

  “He’s really dedicated to the ballet. His sister loved it, and she passed away. I think he would be willing to do whatever was necessary to help bring in some more money,” Elaina said as she grabbed Stacy’s phone and held it up so I could see a picture.

  “Oh, yeah, I’ve seen him on the news,” I said as I looked at his sexy eyes. He had wavy short brown hair and bright blue eyes. In the picture he had a couple days of a scruffy beard and man did he look sexy.

  “That’s it?” Elaina asked me. “That’s all the response you’re going to give to this hunk of a man?”

  “Sorry, he’s not really my type.”

  “She doesn’t like super sexy rich guys.” Stacy laughed. “You know, after not dating anyone for two years, she has zero sex drive.”

  “Okay, okay, let’s get started on this choreography,” I said as I tried to distract them before they started to go on and on about my lack of a sex life. “Who is going to be Kevin’s dance partner for my …”

  “I am,” Elaina said as her hand went straight up into the air. “No questions. No option. I’m the captain, he’s mine.”

  Stacy and I looked at each other wide-eyed, and neither of us was going to argue with Elaina. She clearly had a thing for this guy, and that would make it even hotter when she danced with him. I still wasn’t sure what I was going to do for our big number. I liked the idea of having Kevin brought into the middle of the dancers and doing some sort of performance, but I also liked the idea of doing some one on one time so the dancers could really connect with the donors. No matter what we decided to do, I had to admit I was lying about Kevin not being my type. Of course he was my type, he was practically any woman’s perfect man. Kevin Fox was good looking, rich, smart, and from what I’d heard, he had a damn good sense of humor too. The issue was that I wasn’t his type, and that was a glaringly obvious fact that I was aware of.

  Chapter 2

  Kevin

  “You both look amazing,” Ed said as he greeted my date and me at the door to the charity event.

  “Thank you,” my date Miranda said with a huge smile.

  That’s when I realized I hadn’t even commented on her dress yet. It had been twenty minutes since the limo pulled in front of her house, and I still hadn’t said a word to her. I definitely felt off my game that night. Normally, complimenting women was so natural to me, but I just wasn’t feeling it on this particular evening. Miranda and I had met through a common friend, but so far I didn’t feel much of a connection with her. She was a beautiful woman, though.

  I couldn’t exactly compliment her now that Ed had said something first, so instead, we just followed him to our seats. I’d have to make a point of saying something nice a little later on. Her long brown hair was expertly styled and her makeup flawless. Miranda wore a designer dress that likely cost more than most young women made in a month, and I couldn’t complain at all. She definitely looked nice on my arm as we walked toward the table Ed had reserved for us.

  “What is this event for again?” I asked Ed as we walked behind him.

  “This is the Man’s Club. It’s that charity that helps young men without fathers. You know I told you about how they teach them to dress nice, shave, and do all that cool stuff dads normally would teach them. It’s a great group of people. They are helping them with interview skills and building resumes for internships too. It’s an amazing little organization.”

  “Oh, yeah. I love this idea,” I said as it all came back to me. “You had me send them some boxes of suits and dress shoes, right?”

  “Right.”

  “You are such a good person. I love that about you,” Miranda said and wrapped her arm around mine even tighter as we moved closer to our table.

  The event wasn’t as big as others I’d been to, and it seemed like Miranda and I were causing a bit of a stir as we walked to our table near the front. I liked attending events like this the most, ones that I felt like my attending actually made a difference to them. There were so many good causes in the San Francisco area, and as much as I liked helping groups out, sometimes it was easier to send a check. There weren’t ve
ry many charities that could actually get me out of the comfort of my house and to their event. But when I felt like being seen would help the charity grow and get more donors, then I liked to attend. Plus, Ed had basically signed me up for this one, and as my best friend, I also tried to support him.

  “So what’s on the schedule for the night?” I asked Ed as I purposely ignored Miranda’s statement.

  “The boys are putting on a talent show; it should be fun. Also, we have dinner, of course.”

  “Perfect.”

  “You guys are at this table with me and some of the people from work. The event is low key, so I did tell the kids that you would come backstage later and visit with them. I hope that’s alright?”

  “I like that; thank you, Ed. I’d love to visit with them. Thanks for inviting me. I think this charity might be something right up my alley.”

  “Of course, thank you for coming. I really appreciate it.”

  As Ed gave me a quick hug and took off, I was relieved to sit down at his table. Ed’s girlfriend Barbra was sitting there, so I knew at least one friendly face. Plus the other people at the table were high-level executives at Ed’s company Musicly. Although I didn’t know them all personally, I knew they wouldn’t be hounding me with questions or poking into my personal life during the event, and that was a huge relief.

  “Hello everyone,” I said with my fake smile as I held Miranda’s chair out for her to take a seat. “It looks like we are table buddies for the night.”

  “It’s a great night. Look at all the people who are here,” Barbra said as she motioned to look at the crowd. “Thank you for coming. I know this means so much to Ed.”

  “No problem,” I replied. “Barbra this is Miranda. Miranda this is my friend Ed’s better half, Barbra.”

  Ed and Barbra had been dating for a few years, and she was the best thing that ever happened to him. He’d gone from wondering around trying to find a direction in his personal life to getting strategically involved in charities and activities that really meant something to him. My friendship with Ed over the last few years was a driving force in the increase of my own charity participation. Up until recently, the only charity I really cared about was the Red Cross, and my sister’s favorite group, the San Francisco Ballet.