“I understand. Can I see you in my office for a minute?”
“Sure.”
“I noticed you were watching Carly pretty closely,” Taletha said as she shut her office door.
“She’s a beautiful dancer. I always loved watching her in competition, too. I’ve missed seeing her at all of the big events. It’s just not the same without her. She should be back, winning more titles.”
Taletha shrugged. “She says she’ll never compete again. I guess that losing Jake really affected her. I hate to see her give up that side of their career, but a dance partnership really is like a marriage. After a divorce or a death, you don’t just pick up and find someone else right away. It’s not that easy. I can only hope that someday, she’ll move on and come back to competition.”
“So do I.”
“In fact, I was hoping that maybe you could be her inspiration to get back into it.”
Jared felt himself blush. “Me? No way. I’m nowhere near as good as she is.”
“You’ve won a national title.”
“She’s won five.”
“You and Lana had a terrible partnership. If the two of you could have gotten along, things probably would have been different. You’re a great dancer. There was just too much conflict between the two of you.”
Jared sighed. “I never should have let our relationship get sexual.”
Taletha shook her head. “I think your problem was that the two of you were completely incompatible. You would have fallen apart even if you’d never had sex.”
“Are you sure?”
“All I know is that every time I watched the two of you dance, you both looked miserable, and this was even before you got romantically involved. I think it was a bad match from the start, and it affected your dancing more than your technique.”
“Maybe you’re right. Still, if Carly doesn’t want to dance with anyone else, she certainly won’t want to dance with me.”
Taletha shrugged. “I guess we’ll see. Anyway, that wasn’t actually the reason I called you in here.”
“It wasn’t?”
“No. We’ve had a request for a late entry into our fundraisers. Melissa Roth decided she wanted to participate.”
“I feel as though I’ve heard that name before, but I can’t remember who she is. Forgive me, I’m still new in town.”
“Melissa Roth is the mayor.”
Jared raised his eyebrows. “The mayor?”
“The one and only. Now, the registration deadline passed five days ago, and all of the other instructors have their celebrity partners lined up. Since you’re new, you’re the only one who’s unencumbered. I know that this is last-minute, but I’d hate to turn the mayor away, even if she did blow off the registration deadline. We could really use the extra money it will bring in.”
“Sure, I’ll dance with her.”
Taletha smiled. “Are you sure? I don’t want to burden you with too much right away.”
Jared shrugged. “It’s not as though I’m competing right now. I think this will be a great opportunity for me. And I’m glad to be a part of the show. It wouldn’t have been much fun sitting out on the action. I feel like I’ve been spent too much time on the sidelines lately.”
“Then consider yourself back in the game. You’ll start rehearsing with her tomorrow.”
Jared stood up and shook Taletha’s hand. “Thank you so much. I’m looking forward to it.”
Stepping out of Taletha’s office, Jared saw a flushed-looking Heath leaving the studio. Gathering up his courage, he approached Carly as she finished up at the drinking fountain.
“That looks like it wasn’t very much fun.”
Carly shrugged and wiped her mouth. “It wasn’t great. He started off with a bad attitude. I think I set him straight, though. Still, he and I have a lot of work ahead of us.”
“Let me know if you have any pointers. Apparently, I start rehearsing with the mayor tomorrow.”
Carly grinned. “That should be fun. I’ve heard that the mayor is actually a pretty nice person.” She glanced at the clock. “My next lesson isn’t for ten minutes. Want to dance?”
Jared couldn’t believe his ears. “What—dance with me?”
She winked at him. “That’s what you’re paid to do here, isn’t it?”
Jared tried to steady his hands as he took a spot on the studio floor. Carly turned on a lively two-step and settled herself in his arms. Taking a deep breath, Jared began to dance, throwing out his best moves as he escorted her around the floor. Halfway through the song, he realized that he was grinning uncontrollably. Carly wasn’t just a perfect dancer—she was also stunning. He never thought he’d have her in his arms, even for one song, and now he didn’t want to let her go.
However, the song came to its inevitable end, and Carly stepped away. Jared thought he felt her hand linger on his, but he couldn’t quite be sure.
“You’re a great dancer,” she said. “I can’t believe we’ve never been paired up before.”
“Competitions are always hectic. It’s not surprising that we’ve missed each other.”
Carly’s smile faded a bit. “I do miss the hustle and bustle of the scene.”
Jared steeled his courage and placed a hand on her shoulder. She didn’t back away. “You could always come back, you know. There are people who would kill to be your dance partner.”
Carly looked up at the clock. “Would you look at the time? Sorry, I need to go freshen up before my student gets here.” She hurried off the floor, and Jared was certain that he could see her brushing a tear from her eye as she walked away.
Chapter Two
Heath didn’t understand what had happened. He’d walked into the studio that afternoon completely confident about everything that Carly had taught him the day before. He’d practiced the patterns she’d taught him at home and was sure he’d absorbed all of her wisdom about proper dance technique. When he sauntered through the glass doors, he’d been sure that he was going to amaze her with his hard work.
Yet after going through the warm-up, Carly had put on some music and started criticizing him from the first step.
“It’s a heel lead, remember? Try it again.”
“What?”
“You led with your toe rather than your heel.”
“But I worked on this so hard last night. How on earth am I doing it wrong today?”
“Because you learned it just twenty-four hours ago, and you need more time than that to get everything settled in your body. Believe it or not, dancers spend years honing the basics. They don’t just expect to be perfect after their first day of lessons.”
“Well, I do.”
“Then you need to adjust your expectations.”
There it was again—her attitude, the one that nobody else dared to take with him. The critical stance that simultaneously frustrated and attracted him.
“Well? Why are you just standing there? Come on, start over, and this time do a proper heel lead.”
Heath swallowed his pride and took a step forward.
“Perfect,” Carly said with a smile.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. There’s only one problem.”
“What’s that?”
Her grin got even bigger, and her cheerfulness started to dissolve his frustration. “You actually need to take more than one step if you intend to keep dancing.”
“Oh, right.”
Starting yet again, Heath allowed himself to relax as he guided Carly around the floor. He wasn’t living up to his perfectionist standards, but he found he liked dancing with her anyway. He especially enjoyed spinning her and seeing her eyes light up as she whipped her head around to keep her balance. He enjoyed the feeling of her soft hand in his and the way her breasts bounced if he accidentally led with just a little too much force.
“Okay, I know we still have a lot of work to do on your technique, but I thought today would be a good day to begin working on the choreography. I haven’t finished the pi
ece yet, but I have more than enough material for you to learn today.”
“Sounds good.”
“You, uh, you need to let go of me, first.” Carly looked down, indicating that he was still holding her.
“Oh, right.” He backed away, shaking off his embarrassment.
Heath found himself struggling to pay attention to Carly’s instructions. Unlike the day before, when he’d been intent on absorbing every bit of information so that she couldn’t criticize him again, this time, he was too distracted by her smile and the curve of her ass in her jeans to focus on any of the steps she was throwing at him.
It didn’t take him long to realize that he was making more mistakes than he had the day before. He also noticed that the more he screwed up, the more she touched him—to adjust his posture, to fix his frame, or to guide his body into a difficult step. He began enjoying his mistakes because they inevitably yielded some sort of reward. As the lesson went on, he couldn’t help but notice that her hands seemed to linger for longer periods of time. He tried to chalk it up to his imagination, but by the end of the lesson, he was sure her fingers stayed on his shoulders and hips longer than necessary for a standard correction.
“Wow, I’m sorry, Heath,” she said, when the hour was almost up. “I thought I’d gotten a good feel for your skills yesterday. But it seems like I’ve choreographed something that’s well beyond your abilities. You’ve been a trouper, though. I’ll go home and create something new for you tonight, okay?”
“No, it’s fine. Don’t change a thing.”
“Are you sure? You were really struggling today.”
“Keep it, please. I want to work hard. I want to improve. And the only way I’m going to do that is if you really challenge me.”
“If you insist.”
“I do.”
“Okay. So we’ll meet up again this weekend and work on it some more?”
“I was hoping we could get together a little sooner than that.”
“Oh. Well, I think my schedule is full for the rest of the week, but I could probably try to squeeze you in—”
Heath couldn’t help but interrupt. “That’s not what I meant. I was thinking something a little less formal. There’s this great bar up the street, and I thought maybe we could get a drink when you’re done teaching tomorrow.”
“Oh.” Carly’s face fell. “Heath, you’re a nice guy and all, but for one thing, you’re my student. For another thing, I barely know you.”
Heath took a deep breath, trying to maintain his composure in the wake of rejection. He wasn’t about to let her know that her brush-off hurt him. That wasn’t how he worked, either in business or pleasure.
“Okay, yeah, you’re probably right. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. I’m flattered. I just—I can’t see my students. It’s a strict personal policy.”
“I understand. I’ll see you Saturday?”
“See you then.”
Heath hurried out of the studio without even saying good-bye to Taletha. He had an image to maintain, and he wasn’t about to risk anyone seeing it fade, even for a moment.
* * * *
Carly’s body and mind were both buzzing when she left the studio. She didn’t want to be attracted to Heath. He was technically her student, even if only for a short time, and she wasn’t entirely sure their personalities would click off the dance floor. His dancing was riddled with bad habits from inadequate training, and his stubbornness made him difficult to train. Yet she couldn’t deny that her pussy was still wet, and her skin was still tingling even after she’d taken a cold shower in the locker room.
Pulling into Jake’s driveway, Carly pushed all thoughts of Heath from her mind. These weekly visits never got easier, and she needed to be completely focused.
“Hey, Jake,” she called, letting herself in.
“I’m in the living room.”
Even after six months, Carly wanted to cry whenever she saw Jake. She still couldn’t believe that he wouldn’t dance again. But Jake was wearing shorts, and the scars that still crossed over his knee and around his calf proved yet again that he’d never compete, and he was lucky that he could walk at all.
“How was work today?” she asked, kissing his cheek.
“Oh, you know. It’s not—it’s definitely not the same.” Jake’s voice trembled as he spoke, and Carly tried to ignore the quiver, because she knew she’d start crying, too. “But it’s a good job. The people are great. I’m good at it, too. I never saw myself in politics, but who knows? Maybe I’ll take over my boss’s job someday.”
Carly forced a laugh. “I think you’d make a great mayor.”
“Thanks.”
An awkward silence fell between them. Carly felt guilty. They had less to talk about now that they didn’t share a common career. However, she couldn’t help but feel bored by politics, so it was hard for her to stay interested when Jake talked about his job at the mayor’s office. Nor could she really bring up life at the studio, because she couldn’t stand the pain in his eyes when she talked about the life he’d been forced to give up when his knee gave out.
Finally, though, Jake cleared his throat. “I see that Taletha brought a new instructor on board.”
Carly nodded. “To replace Emily.”
“I’m surprised she had the funds. I know things have been shaky ever since the vandalism a few months ago.”
“The Dancing with the Stars fundraiser we’re doing is going to keep us afloat.”
“So even Taletha decided to capitalize on the trend of having local pseudo-celebrities prance around and make fools of themselves in order to make a little money.” He rolled his eyes. “I never expected that of her.”
“Don’t be bitter. You know that if you—” she paused, unsure of what to say. Jake was not easy to talk to anymore. Carly found that she always had to be careful with her words. But even when she took her time speaking, it was still likely that whatever she had to say was going to make Jake upset.
Finally, though, she found words that she knew would work. “If you were still there, you’d be all-in for the chance to show off, and maybe get to dance with some hot local model or something.” She held her breath, hoping he wouldn’t find a way to be upset by what she said.
Jake just shrugged. “You’re right. It’s just—it’s easier to pretend that I think the whole thing is stupid rather than admit how much I miss it.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s fine. I shouldn’t have brought it up. So the new guy, he’s a country dancer?”
“I thought you regretted bringing it up.”
“Yeah, but it’s too late to undo that. Might as well talk about it a little more, get it all over with.”
“In that case, yeah, he’s a country dancer. I’m sure you’ve seen him before. His name is Jared Brooks. He and his ex-partner won the national championship a year before we did.”
“I remember, yes. I also remember kicking their asses every year after that. So what, they split up?”
Carly nodded. “Yeah. Apparently, mixing sex and competition didn’t work out so well for the two of them.”
“It rarely works out for anyone. I’m glad we never let that happen.”
“Me too. Not that this is any easier.”
Jake sighed. “No, it isn’t. So, have you danced with him?”
“Just once, while I was waiting for a student to arrive. He’s good, obviously. I mean, he did win a championship once.” Not to mention the way my body heats up in his arms. My skin feels like it’s on fire when he touches me.
Jake’s expression turned sour. “So you danced with him, and you liked it.”
“I like dancing with everyone who knows how to lead. Heck, I might even enjoy dancing with my new student, if he ever gets his attitude in check. It doesn’t mean anything that I danced with Jared.” Though I wish it did.
“Is he better than I was?”
“This from the guy with five times as many national titles?”
Jake sighed. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
“No, it won’t. I wish there was something I could do to change that, believe me. I miss you around the studio.”
“You’re–you’re not going to start competing with him are you?”
“With who? Jared? Don’t be silly.” Carly rushed the words out, worried that Jake had somehow been able to read the wish that had been flickering across her consciousness for the past two days.
“Are you sure you’re not going to make him your new dance partner?”
“Jake, I danced with him once. Once. If dancing with somebody one time meant that I was about to make him my new dance partner, I’d never even be able to sleep, because my whole life would be wrapped up in rehearsal after rehearsal.”
“So you’re not going to compete with him.”
“I just said that I wasn’t.”
“Good. Remember your promise.”
“I do. Every single day.”
“Are you sure you remember?”
“Of course.”
“What did you promise me?”
“Jake, is this really necessary?”
“What did you promise me?”
Carly sighed. “I promised I’d never compete again. I promised you’d be my only dance partner, and that if you were sidelined forever, so was I.”
Jake nodded. “Good. Promise me you won’t dance with Jared.”
“I promise that I won’t compete with Jared, just like I haven’t competed with anybody else.”
“I didn’t ask you to promise not to compete with him. I asked you to promise not to dance with him. Not even social dancing.”
Carly tried to maintain her composure, but a tear slid down her cheek. “Jake, you’re being ridiculous. I can’t just blow him off. That’s rude.” And I don’t think I could deal with never touching him ever again.
“Promise, damn it.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I know you, Carly. I know that you can’t stay away from the competition spotlight forever. Jared still has a number of years ahead of him. If you dance with him, even just for fun, you won’t be able to stop. You’ll be competing before you know it. And then, I don’t know what I’d do. You know it would kill me to know you’d moved on without me, that you’d be living the life that was stolen from me.”
Jordan, Olivia - Carly's Two-Stepping Temptations [Studio Seductions 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 2