Dance With Me

by Kristen Proby

  “You need to hit the gym more,” Jules says as she tries to take a sip of her martini. But she misses the straw, and it stabs her in the cheek. “I’m such a lightweight these days. Two drinks and I’m under the table.”

  “Or on it,” Nat says. “It’s too bad Nic and Meg couldn’t come.”

  “They have tiny babies at home,” Jules says. “Nic and Matt’s baby was finally born, and they just got home with her a few days ago.”

  “Awe, that’s awesome.” I sigh happily at the thought. Nic wanted kids for years but wasn’t able to get pregnant because of being a diabetic and having PCOS. But they adopted a baby girl, and I just couldn’t be happier for them.

  “Let’s send them a selfie of all of us,” Jules says. “Come on, hold up your glasses.”

  We comply, smiling for Jules’ phone as she snaps the photo and sends it to Nic and Meg.

  “The waitress is bringing another round,” Lia says as she and Joy join us. This is a club full of dozens of tables, and we’re all crammed around this one.

  I love it.

  “Are you sure you don’t want anything stronger than Coke?” Joy asks me.

  “No, I don’t drink much alcohol.”

  “More for us,” Lia says with a smile. “Also, your makeup is on point tonight.”

  “Thanks. Jax did it.”

  “Those women are crazy,” Jax says as he hurries to the booth and scoots in next to me. “All of you are fucking nuts.”

  “Speak of the devil.” I smile at my friend. “Why are you afraid of women?”

  “I’m not. Unless it’s the Montgomery clan, and then it’s fucking frightening. You all dance up on me and ask me to describe a blowjob from a man’s point of view and all of the other shit. This is why I don’t come to girls’ night out.”

  “You love us,” Mer reminds him. Stacy and Brynna are behind her, laughing with their arms around each other. “Let’s pull another table over. Make it a big one.”

  “Good idea,” Brynna says, and in no time at all, there’s enough table space and seats for everyone. The DJ has lowered the music just a smidge so we can hear each other, and a fresh wave of drinks is delivered.

  “I’m just shocked y’all wanted to come out on a Wednesday,” I confess. “It’s a school night for all of you.”

  “Not for me,” Sam says with a laugh.

  “Luke’s awesome about stuff like this,” Nat says with a flick of her wrist, narrowly avoiding knocking over her drink.

  “Honestly, all of our husbands are,” Brynna says with a smile. “And let’s be frank, they’ll all get a blowjob of the century for tonight. Not that we shouldn’t be able to go out with our friends, but it’s pretty cool.”

  “Let’s talk about blowjobs,” Stacy says, eyeing Jax, who sinks down in his seat.

  “No,” Jax says.

  “Don’t be a killjoy,” Anastasia says. “Not all of us have heard this, so you need to spill it.”

  “I’ve talked about it, over and over.”

  “Not when we were here,” Joy reminds him. “Come on, you like being the center of attention.”

  “What do you want to know?”

  Of course, they wore him down. Joy was right, Jax does like being the center of attention.

  “What does it feel like?” Lia asks.

  “It feels like a blowjob.”

  “Well, we don’t have dicks,” Anastasia reminds him. “So, explain please.”

  “It feels like someone is sucking on your skin, and it feels really good.”

  “That’s it?” Brynna asks. “That’s not what you said last time.”

  “I’m going to write a fucking manual and just hand it out at the beginning of GNO so you can reference it and I don’t have to go over it again.”

  We laugh at him, and he proceeds to describe a blowjob from start to finish.

  “Orgasms!” Natalie exclaims, her glass in the air. “That’s what I’m talkin’ about.”

  “You’ve had exactly one drink,” Jules says to her. “How are you already slurring your words?”

  “I don’t drink much these days. I have a hundred kids now.”

  “Trust me, I know. I was there when you had them. I’m sick of looking at your vajayjay,” Jules says. “Stop making me look at it.”

  “I’m done having kids,” Nat says. “No more vajayjay.”

  “Thank the baby Jesus,” Jules replies. “Nate thinks he wants more, but I can’t make another one stick, so we’re done.”

  “What do you mean?” I ask her.

  “He wants more kids.”

  “No.” I giggle, enjoying these women very much. “About the making it stick.”

  “I’ve had a couple miscarriages,” Jules says, the smile slipping from her face. “And I don’t want to do that anymore. It’s sad. We have Stella, and she’s perfect and wonderful, and it’s okay for her to be an only child.”

  “She’s not,” Nat reminds her. “We have billions of kids in this family. She’s not growing up alone.”

  “Exactly.” Jules drains the last of her drink. “And Nate’s come around. He really didn’t want me to come out tonight. He totally pouted.”

  She lowers her brows, tucks in her chin, and starts speaking in a low voice, mimicking her husband.

  “Julianne, if you think you’re going out tonight, you can think again. I’ll tie you to my bed.”

  She keeps talking, making us all laugh so hard, I’m pretty sure I pee my pants a little.

  “I will spank your ass, Julianne.”

  A tall figure walks through the club and stands behind Jules. We’re all snickering, and I know someone should tell her, but it’s so damn funny.

  “If you don’t do what I say, I’ll bend you over this counter and show you who’s boss.”

  “You’d better be talking about me, Julianne.”

  Her eyes widen. She stares at me across the table.

  “He’s behind me, isn’t he?”

  “Yes, he is,” Nate replies. “I came to get you.”

  “We live around the block,” she says with a frown. “I walked, remember?”

  “And if you think I’m letting you walk home alone at this time of night, you’re crazy.”

  She lowers her brows and tucks in her chin.

  “If you think I’m letting you walk home alone, blah blah blah.”

  We dissolve into a fit of giggles, and Nate’s lips twitch with humor, but he doesn’t laugh. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen him laugh.

  “Where’s Stella?” Jules asks him.

  “With Mrs. Pierce.”

  “You gotta love grandmotherly neighbors,” Jules says. “You all need to get one.”

  “Are you ready?” Nate asks her.

  “I guess I am now.” She sighs and stands. “It is a school night, after all.”

  “It’s two in the damn morning,” Nate says, surprising us all.

  “Wait, it is?” I ask, and we all check our phones.

  “Aww, look!” Jules turns her phone to show us. “Nic and Meg both sent photos back, toasting us with baby bottles.”

  “So cute,” Lia says. “I guess they’ll be kicking us all out of here.”

  “Thank God,” Jax grumbles, but I bump him with my shoulder.

  “You love this.”

  “Yeah. It’s fun.”

  Just as we’re gathering our things and getting ready to go, another man walks across the dance floor, straight to me.

  “Levi.”

  “We’re done.”

  My heart stops. “What?”

  “We’re done being apart. You’ve had eighteen hours, and that’s about sixteen too many for me. I’m taking you home with me.”

  I take a deep breath. The DJ turns the music up, playing one of my favorite slow songs.

  “Dance with me first,” I say, tugging him out to the floor.

  “One dance.” He pulls me into his arms, and we sway back and forth while everyone watches. “And then I’m taking you home.”
>
  “Deal.”

  ~Starla~

  “I swear, it’s been one thing after another with this place,” Natalie says the next day. We’re all at the house, and the hot water system has gone out.

  “Things happen,” Luke says calmly and makes a phone call, stepping away for the conversation.

  “He’ll just call his assistant, and it’ll get taken care of,” Nat says.

  “You probably didn’t have to come over,” Levi says. “I could have told him this was the case.”

  “Well, we’re landlords, so we should come and check it out.” Natalie smiles. “And it’s always good to see you both. Even though we just saw you last night.”

  “Or this morning.” I take a long drink of water. I didn’t drink any alcohol last night, and I still feel dehydrated. But, man, we had a blast.

  Luke returns to the room. “My assistant is on it. As soon as we have someone scheduled to come and fix it, I’ll let you know.”

  “That’s great, thanks,” I reply just as my phone pings with a message. “Sorry, guys, I’m waiting for an email. I have to check this really quick.”

  “No worries,” Nat says as I open my email, and it’s like deja vu, all over again.

  God, you’re so fucking smug.

  You don’t care. At all. You just don’t care. And that might be the worst thing of all. The worst transgression. Your indifference is going to cost you your life.

  I can’t keep reading, and I don’t even check to see if there’s a photo.

  “I can’t fucking believe it. This is a brand new email address!”

  “Give it to me.”

  I pass the phone to Levi.

  “I’m supposed to be here on vacation, and I’m as stressed now as I ever was. It’s absolutely ridiculous. I’m done.” I’m so damn pissed, there’s a red haze covering everything. “I’m done with this whole fucked-up situation. I need to just go away where no one can find me.”

  “We’ll go anywhere you want,” Levi says with a calm voice. He’s tapping the screen of my phone, and when he looks up at me, his brown eyes are compassionate and furious. “Anywhere.”

  “I have a suggestion,” Natalie says. “We found a little town in Montana called Cunningham Falls. It’s beautiful and private. If you trust me, I can arrange everything. Nothing will be in either of your names, and you can just relax.”

  I look at Levi.

  “It’s totally up to you,” he says.

  “I’m in,” I reply. “Thank you so much.”

  “Oh, it’s my pleasure.” Natalie waves me off. “Let me make some calls. Go ahead and pack a bag because we should have you out of here by this afternoon.”

  “So soon?”

  “Hell, yes, we’ll get you out of here and relaxing in no time.” Luke smiles and starts making calls. “Hey, Christian, I need your plane . . .”

  True to their word, Luke and Nat arranged for us to leave in less than three hours.

  On a private jet.

  Bound for Montana.

  “Have you ever been to Montana?” Levi asks. The pilot just told us we’re about twenty minutes from landing.

  “I think I did a couple concerts in Montana back in the day, but I was never there long enough to really know what city I was in. You?”

  “Nope,” he replies with a grin. “It’ll be a new adventure for both of us.”

  “It’s kind of exciting. I can’t believe they sent a private jet for us.”

  “That’s what you do for people you love, Starla. You help them.”

  I can’t look Levi in the eyes. I don’t know how comfortable I am with the L word yet.

  “It was still nice of them.”

  We’re circling around a little town below. The mountains we flew over to get here are gorgeous.

  It feels like we’re in a different country.

  The plane makes a smooth landing and taxis away from the main terminal toward an area with private planes of all sizes.

  Once we’re stopped, the door is opened, and we climb out to find an SUV parked nearby with a couple standing next to it.

  “Hey there, I’m Jenna Hull.”

  A beautiful blond woman approaches us with a smile.

  “Natalie said you’d meet us here,” Levi says. “Thank you.”

  “Absolutely.” She shakes both of our hands and then turns to the man. “This is my husband—”

  “You’re Christian Wolfe.” My mouth is open. I probably look like a crazy fan-girl.

  I can’t help it. Christian Wolfe is my favorite actor ever. He can sing and dance, and I’ve secretly longed to work with him for as long as I can remember. He’s so damn sexy, it should be illegal.

  Of course, I would never say that in front of Levi.

  “Guilty,” Christian says with a smile. “And you’re Starla.”

  “I’m surprised you two have never met before,” Jenna says.

  “I think we’ve been at the same parties after awards shows, but no. We’ve never met.” Christian watches me with concerned blue eyes. “You okay?”

  “I’m going to be great, thanks. And it’s a pleasure to meet you. I didn’t realize you and your wife were our hosts. I guess I didn’t connect the dots, but now I realize you were in a Luke Williams’ film last year.”

  “And doing another one next year,” Christian confirms. “Come on, let’s get you guys settled.”

  We climb into the back of the SUV, and Christian drives us away from the airport toward a big mountain.

  “So, this is Cunningham Falls,” Jenna says. “It’s a small town, but we do get a lot of tourists in the summer and winter because of all the outdoor activities. It’s pretty calm right now thanks to it being the off-season.”

  “I’ll need to be in touch with local law enforcement,” Levi says.

  “That’s my brother, Brad. He’s the chief of police,” Jenna replies. “I’ll give you his number.”

  “Perfect.”

  We drive through a town that’s something out of a Hallmark movie. The downtown area is cute with plenty of shops and restaurants. The backdrop of the mountain is picturesque.

  “This is beautiful.” My face is practically pressed to the window. “Didn’t Joslyn Meyers grow up here?”

  Joslyn is another famous pop singer. She’s quite a bit younger than me, but she’s incredibly talented, and although I’ve only met her a couple of times, she seems nice.

  “She did,” Jenna says. “We’ve had quite a few people go on to be famous. And we get our share of celebrities who come here for vacation. Some buy homes here.”

  “Really. I’m intrigued. Don’t you have paparazzi issues?” I ask.

  “Not really,” Christian says. “It’s one of the reasons I love it so much. The locals are used to seeing celebrities and rarely make a fuss. It’s been refreshing, to say the least.”

  “Nice.”

  Once he’s driven through town, Christian turns onto a windy road that leads up the mountain.

  “This is Whitetail Mountain,” Jenna informs us. “It’s a world-class ski resort. But again, it’s quiet this time of year. Most of the tourists are gone. I don’t have any other guests this week, so you’ll have plenty of privacy.”

  “This is incredibly generous,” I reply.

  “We like Luke and Nat a lot, so when they said they had a friend who needed anonymity and relaxation, we were happy to help,” Christian says.

  We drive past a small village. There are ski lifts that are currently not moving.

  “They run the lifts on the weekends,” Jenna says as if she can read my mind. “I recommend going up to have a look around. The view is crazy beautiful.”

  Levi takes my hand in his, links our fingers, and gives me a squeeze. I never thought I’d like a man so physically affectionate.

  But I do. I so do.

  “Here it is,” Christian says, and I feel my jaw drop for the second time today.

  Ahead of us are three treehouses. They’re at least thirty feet in
the air, and they sit right next to one of the chairlifts.

  The one on the far left is bigger than the others, but aside from size, they all look exactly the same.

  “Whoa,” Levi says.

  “Wait until you see inside of them,” Jenna replies as we all climb out of the SUV.

  Levi and Christian grab our bags, and Jenna leads us into the biggest of the three units.

  “I’ve stocked the kitchen with plenty of staples, but there are two grocery stores in town if you need anything else. Unfortunately, all of the stores are closed up here on the mountain for the off-season.

  “The Wi-Fi information, along with a list of restaurants and other things to do in the area is in this book.” She lifts a binder on the kitchen counter for us to see and then leads us through the living room to the deck beyond. “This door is heavy.”

  “Whoa,” Levi says again when we step outside. The deck is spacious, big enough to hold at least twenty people. There’s an outdoor eating space and a fantastic view of the entire ski resort.

  “You’ll have to come out here at night,” Christian says. “The stars are amazing here.”

  “I can’t wait.”

  “Come on,” Jenna says, leading us back inside. “There’s more to see.”

  She’s not kidding. Downstairs, there are more bedrooms and bathrooms, and another deck with a private hot tub. The main floor has the kitchen and living space, and a large master bedroom and bathroom.

  “Now, the top floor,” she says with a grin. “This is my favorite.”

  I can see why. There are more beds up here, and a ladder leading to a turret.

  “Watch,” Christian says as Jenna flips a switch and the ceiling of the turret lights up with hundreds of tiny twinkle lights, making it look like a night sky.

  “I’ll be writing songs up here,” I whisper as Levi hugs me from behind. “This is beautiful. Thank you again.”

  “Our pleasure,” Jenna says. “How do you feel about a trip to the spa tomorrow?”

  “I am a sucker for the spa.”

  “It’s a date, then.”

  Once Jenna and Christian say their goodbyes and leave, Levi and I stand in the kitchen, just staring at each other.

  “Did the past five hours happen?” I ask, feeling shell-shocked.

  “Seems so.” He crosses to me and pulls me in for a long, tight hug. “What do you want to do first?”