Mrs. Fenton, a retired school teacher and now full-time children’s activity coordinator for the rec center waved at me. “Morning, Lindsay. I was just going to come and find you.” She glanced at Jenny, a full-time daycare provider. “Will you take over here for me?”
“Sure.” Jenny nodded. “Morning, Lindsay.” She eyed Exavier. It was clear she thought he was handsome. I couldn’t agree more. “Morning, Lindsay’s friend.”
Aisha, one of the children, tugged on my sweatshirt. “That man is very big.”
Glancing back at Exavier, I licked my lower lip. “Yes, he is.”
Rickie ran up to me and wrapped his hand in my hair. “He’s hug-bage.”
Snickering, I nodded. “Huge. Yes.” I eyed Mrs. Fenton. “Has the speech pathologist been in this week to work with him?”
She shook her head and put her hands up. “Now, don’t go calling her and making trouble, Lindsay. She’s a busy woman. I think she covers two districts.”
“I know. I want you to touch base with Myra. Tell her to dig through that rolodex thing she makes me keep and find the number to the children’s hospital. She’ll know what to do. It’s spooky how well that woman knows me.”
Mrs. Fenton gave me a knowing look. “You cannot go forcing big time doctors to come down here twice a week for Rickie. It doesn’t matter how cute he is.”
“I kuut,” Rickie said, grinning from ear to ear.
I ruffled his hair. “You are adorable.” I glanced up at Mrs. Fenton. “He will be paid to come. Trust me, Myra will handle it and I’d really appreciate it if we not talk about it in front of…” I motioned my head towards Rickie who took it as a sign to kiss me.
He planted a big, wet kiss on my cheek and hugged my neck tight. “Wuv, Windsay.”
Pinching his chubby little cheeks, I laughed. “Listen to you, big boy. You’re three now, huh? Did you have a birthday yesterday?”
Mrs. Fenton came and stood before me. She put her hand on her hip and gave me a pointed stare. “I think you know he did. In fact, from what his mother told me this morning when she dropped him off, the entire block now knows it was his birthday.”
I cringed. “I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re hinting at.”
“Oh, really.” She tapped her foot. The woman had school teacher written all over her. She had a way of making me feel as though I had to be on my best behavior. “So, you have no idea why a mini circus showed up on his street with a permit, lunch, presents and a cake?”
I batted my eyes and did my best to appear innocent. Somehow, I don’t think it worked.
Mrs. Fenton pursed her lips. “Right, just like you have no idea how a group of ballerinas showed up for Aisha’s birthday and took her and her family to dinner and their show. Just like you have no idea how the—”
I shrugged. “Uncle. Maybe I did hear something about it all.”
“You do it for every one of the children here, Lindsay.” She shook her head. “You spoil them.”
“No. I don’t. It never comes from me. It comes from…”
She nodded and waved her hand in the air. “I know. I know. Rickie’s mother said the man in charge of it all told Rickie it was from her, not you.”
“It was from her.”
“Lindsay,” she said, scolding me with just a look. It worked.
I bit my lower lip. “How mad was she?”
“She wasn’t mad. She was in tears. All of the parents appreciate it more than you’ll ever know, Lindsay.”
Rickie kissed my cheek and smiled. “I wike k doo-keys.”
Chuckling, I hugged him to me. “You liked the donkeys? Oh, I bet they were great. I’m sorry I didn’t make it to the party, sweetie. Something came up and I couldn’t get away.” I didn’t tell him the truth. No one needed to hear I spent my night being attacked by crazed were-panthers only to wake with no clear memory of how I got home. “I wanted to be there. More than you’ll ever know, sweetie. Show me how old you are now. Hold up your fingers. Can you do it?”
He grinned from ear to ear as he put three, and an almost fourth finger that seemed to want to follow, up in the air. “Free.”
“Yes, Rickie, three.” I gave him a tight squeeze and went to stand. All of the children climbed on me at one time, taking me to the floor with ease. An eruption of laughs broke out and I couldn’t help but join them. I did my best to get up without success.
A strong hand took hold of mine and tugged me to my feet. Looking up, I found Exavier staring at me with an odd expression. It looked like a happy one but beyond that I wasn’t sure. He held the coffee out with his other hand, far from the children. “I thought I might never see you again for a minute there.”
“Thanks,” I said, unable to stop myself from smiling. “I’ve got to go teach a class now. You guys promise to be good?”
A chorus of yeses followed.
Exavier kept hold of my hand and winked at the kids. They giggled as we headed for the door. Once we were in the hallway I tried to take my hand out of his only to find him giving it a squeeze. “They really like you.”
“I really like them too.”
“So, do you have any kids of your own?”
My gut clenched and I instantly felt nauseated. I ran my hand over my lower abdomen and fought hard to keep memories from the past away. It was hard but I managed. “No.” I pulled my hand free from his and drew in a deep, calming breath. “Okay, the natives await.”
“Ah, the dancing on the pole. Can you believe I almost forgot?” he asked, a sly grin spread over his handsome face. He handed me the coffee.
I took it and savored the smell of it. “No fair using bribery to get on my good side.”
“Wait, you have a good side?” he asked, just as I took a sip. Instantly, I found myself laughing and choking at the same time. He patted my back gently and gave me a rather cocksure grin.
Death by way of coffee with a hot guy as a witness. Yep. A very “me” kind of moment.
Rolling my eyes, I entered the room and waited for Exavier to join me before shutting and locking the door. Turning, I smiled at the class, doing my best to ignore the hunk at my heels. They all smiled back and then looked at Exavier like he was fresh meat. In truth, with this crowd, he was.
“Mmm, do we have a new participant?” Betty, a class member asked, her eyes on Exavier.
Turning, I glanced at Exavier. He cast me a worried look. I wagged my brows. “Maybe. Everyone, this is Mr…”
He leaned forward. “Exavier is fine.”
I shrugged. “Fine then. Class, Exavier. Exavier, the class.”
They all smiled and waved. Exavier nodded.
“Hey, Lindsay, we’ve been working on the belly dancing portion. I think we’ve almost got it.”
Susan, a woman who’d been taking classes at the center since I opened it, smiled. “Pfft, I think I’ll never be able to move again. I tried to have sex after doing it and my husband had to take over, my muscles were too sore to do any sort of riding. I just lay there, letting him take me. I was too tired to care if I played too or not.”
Exavier coughed, clearly taken aback by the woman’s comments. If he thought that was bad he’d never make it through the session. Susan had the ability to make even me blush. That was hard to do.
“The offer to meet me in my office still stands.” Before I realized it, I had hold of his large, warm hand. Some piece of me wanted to comfort him. While I was amused by his discomfort, I was also slightly bothered by it. I couldn’t explain the feeling. And yanking my hand away now would only draw attention to it. “Do you want to meet me in a little bit?”
“I’m…umm…good,” he stammered, looking a bit pale. Exavier cupped my hand gently and caressed my wrist with his thumb. It was something that generally occurred between two people who felt comfortable around one another.
I didn’t know him, so why did I enjoy the tiny caresses and feel so at ease with it—with him? “Stay close and I’ll do my best to protect you from the horny housewives.�
�
He took a large step towards me, pushing his muscular body against me. I sucked in a sharp breath and went to put distance between us. I needed air. I needed him. Exavier slid his arm around my waist and held me close. Effectively trapped, I stilled.
One of my class members cleared her throat. “My inner arms were sore for like two days. I’m thinking this class is working. I’m waiting to be able to move my breasts without touching them. I have no clue how you manage to do it, Lindsay.”
“Onto any subject but making your breasts move.” I clapped my hands. “What mix would you like to listen to?”
Exavier caressed my hip gently and chuckled softly. “I’d like to see that trick.”
I ignored him. “Which routine, ladies?”
They all cast me a “guess” look. Dorothy, another woman who had been coming since I opened the place, smiled wide. “Go with the belly dancing one. Gina was on to something when she made you that mix.”
Susan laughed. “Do you remember when we all went out to the strip club and the one guy pulled Lindsay on stage? She did her best to weasel out of it until you told them to play that song. The one she seems to zone out on.”
They all snickered while she continued talking. “I thought we were going to have to pull her down and beat the living hell out of those eight sexy men in G-strings who came rushing out to dance with her.”
Hanging my head, I sighed. “Anyone have any naked pictures of me we can share with the group? They might embarrass me too. Better yet, naked baby pictures. Embarrassing childhood moments? Come on? I once walked into a tree because I was too busy staring at a boy I had a crush on when I was like five. I split my lip open and ended up crying. He was kind enough to hold a cold compress to it but I really wanted a kiss. I’ve got at least a hundred equally as mortifying memories. Want to hear them?”
Exavier grunted and rubbed his body against me. I should have been offended or taken aback. I wasn’t. I was horny. “I, for one,” he whispered, “am all ears.”
I turned to face Exavier, ending up wrapped even tighter in his arms. Our gazes locked and for a moment everything around me faded away. I knew him. Somehow, I knew in my heart we’d crossed paths at some point in my life. I just wasn’t sure when or where. Reaching up, I touched his face. The urge to be near him was so great I couldn’t deny it. What was wrong with me? I didn’t make a habit out of rubbing against men I’d only just met and I certainly didn’t keep telling myself I knew them when it was clear I didn’t.
His warm breath moved over my cheek and for a minute, I could do little more than stare up at him. His blue eyes seemed to call to me, demand that I look into them. If I didn’t know better, I’d have sworn Exavier had mesmerized me. Whatever he’d done, he’d made it so that I instantly liked and trusted him. Not many people could make that claim.
“Hey,” he whispered. My body responded to the very sound of his voice.
This isn’t right. Snap out of it, Lindsay.
Coming to my senses, I took hold of Exavier’s muscular arm and grabbed a handful of CDs from the shelf near his head. I handed them to him. “Here, make yourself useful and do something other than make me think of you naked.” I froze. Had that really just come out of my mouth?
He arched a black brow as a cunning grin crept over his handsome face. “Naked, huh?”
Yep. I’d said it.
Deciding it was best to just avoid discussing the topic of him being naked, I shoved the CDs at him. “One of those is marked LG mix. It’s the one we’re looking for. Just push play and we’ll be set.”
“Just push play,” he said softly. “Mmm, I think I can handle that. I have to admit, I’d rather play the part of the pole or hear more about you picturing me naked. Maybe we could even swap embarrassing childhood stories.”
“The part of the pole, really?” Grinning, I glanced back at the room full of women. The class was full, meaning I had over thirty students. Thankfully, the room was large and accommodating. “So, which one would you like hanging on you? They all seem interested. I’m sure all you have to do is make your intentions known and you’d have at least ten volunteers.”
“Very funny.”
“Thanks.” I winked. “I do try.”
“No,” he leaned into me, “you come by it naturally.”
Walking away, I left him standing there, the entire time praying it was my ass he was fixated on. I knew if positions were reversed, I’d be staring at his, I can guarantee my thoughts would be anything but pure.
Putting my arms above my head to stretch, I winced as pain shot through my body. My shoulder especially hurt. My run-in with a group of bad guys the night before had left me broken and battered. With supernatural blood pumping through my veins, I healed quicker than others. It didn’t mean I didn’t hurt like hell though. “Ready to warm up?”
“Rough night, Lindsay?” Betty asked.
“She was probably giving the stud by the stereo a private showing,” Susan said, laughing softly.
My eyes widened. All I wanted to do was pretend the “stud by the stereo” wasn’t in the room with us. “Susan, you have to be the most sexually charged woman I know. You’ve got me beat. That’s for sure. And no, I was not giving Exavier a private show. I didn’t sleep right. Once we get going here, I’ll be fine.”
“Mmmhmm,” she murmured.
“Places everyone,” I said, the second the music began. It was a hip-hop blend with a dark metal vibe to it. The group it came from was one of my favorites. Too bad I didn’t bother to catch their name. Thankfully, I had Gina to keep track of musical details for me. She was a walking book of useless song information.
“We’ll start with some side-stepping. Okay?”
They nodded and stepped back and forth, touching one foot to the other. We kept going, speeding the process. “Let’s move up to tap-step add a clap and increase with the beat. All right, ladies, let's go into it.”
I rocked my hips before stepping to the side and running my hand over my breast and down my side. Watching the class in the mirror, I made sure they were keeping up. We moved seductively as we covered our fake stage area. Reaching down, I began to work my sweatshirt off slowly, only slightly mindful Exavier was still present.
“Whoohoo,” Dorothy called out. “You can’t tell me that isn’t empowering.”
Laughing, I began to weave my arms carefully, making sure the motions were sexy, fitting to the beat. “Rib cage rolls.” I leaned back slowly and worked my stomach muscles, causing them to ripple. Some of the class grunted. Some moaned and some just laughed as we did it. “Come on, ladies. Move it. Own your body. Use it as the sexual weapon it is.”
“Lindsay darling, if we’re talking bodies as weapons than yours is a nuclear warhead and mine’s a fly swatter,” Diane yelled out.
Shaking my head, I did a full body roll. “Diane, you are beautiful. I see the way Mike watches you when he comes in to workout. You’ve been married how long?”
“Seventeen years next month.”
I whistled. “Well damn, find me a fly like that. I’ll swat the hell out of it. I can’t get a guy to stick with me longer than a few months, tops. Apparently, the word's out. I really am nuclear.”
They all laughed. They didn’t realize how very much I’d craved being a wife and mother at one point in my life. Now, I simply craved a quiet, uneventful life. Somehow, I doubted I’d get it.
“Okay, I’ll do one twist on the pole today. Next week, you’ll all be up here doing it. Roger is supposed to install a row of these for us in the next couple of days.”
“Honey, we’ll break our necks. Roger may be a hell of a handyman but even he can’t rig up something safe enough for all of us. We’ve got two left feet so we’re likely to hurt ourselves.”
Laughing, I shook my head as I continued to belly dance with the rest of them. “No way. I’m way more accident prone than any of you. I was in a hurry the other day. Gina and I were running through routines in here. I turned and walked righ
t into the pole. My head hurt for the rest of the morning. If I can survive the pole, anyone can.” My gaze flickered to Exavier and I found him biting back a smile.
Susan’s eyes widened as the mix CD played on, the first portion winding down. “Here comes the spot we lose her in!”
“You don’t lose me. I just like the guy’s voice. No harm in that.”
Diane tipped her head. “Mr. Hunky at the door should invest in this then because if you move like that when you like someone’s voice, he’ll want it on twenty-four hours a day.”
I laughed. “He has his own music. And I’m sure his voice is amazing as well.” Glancing at Exavier, I offered a small smile. He seemed to have a way about him. One that let him fade into the background and helped me feel comfortable. “Now, we are focusing on the second half of the routine. Not Mr. Hunky at the door. Don’t forget to keep your elbows in a bit when we get to the head thrashing portion. If you keep them even with your body you look like you’re throwing your breasts out into everyone’s faces. As great as that sounds, it looks better, sexier, if you don’t.”
I took my spot. “Okay, prepare to strip.”
The song morphed into another, this one had a metal, gritty edge with a fantastic beat that not only lent itself to dancing, but seemed to demand it. Not only that, but the singer’s voice seemed to move through me. It was a sound I never tired of.
Bending down, I seized hold of my breakaway running pants and yanked them off, leaving me in boy-cut camouflage shorts. Tossing them aside I took hold of the pole nearest me and let myself get lost in the song. Swinging around it once, I held tight, put my legs out wide and thumped against it several times.
Wrapping my right leg around the pole, I slid around it slowly, sinking lower and lower until I touched the floor. I rolled seductively onto my stomach. I quickly went to all fours only to begin to crawl across the floor, dropping my shoulders down low and moving my head in an animalistic manner. My shoulder decided to pick then to act up as a spasm moved through it. Considering the injuries I’d sustained in it, I was damn happy to be able to move it at all so I didn’t complain. I simply bit my lower lip and went on with the show.
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